Progress reports come home this week in your child's Wednesday folder.

Multiplication Timed Quizzes
After Thanksgiving we will begin taking timed multiplication quizzes twice a week.  The purpose of these quizzes are to motivate the students to practice their multiplication facts nightly.  Here are a few points regarding the quizzes:

• We will take them every Tuesday and Thursday
• Quizzes will be graded THAT DAY or the NEXT and sent home immediately
• Your child will have one minute to complete 22 problems on one fact.  A "passing" score is at least 20/22.  Once your child passes one fact, they move on to the next one.
• Third graders are required to be able to fluently state the facts 0-10 by the END of the year.
• We take the quizzes in the following order:  0s & 1s (together), 10, 5, 2, 4, 8, 3, 6, 9, 7, 11, 12
• If your child has extenuating circumstances that will not allow them to pass the quizzes in one minute, then I will allow them extra time.  This is something I do on an as needed basis.
• These quizzes are not part of your child's grades, they are purely a motivation to practice!

Here's the best part.  Once EVERY child passes facts 0-10, we will have an ice cream party with lots of toppings!  I find that this mind set encourages the children to practice with one another, and encourage one another, rather than compete.

So how can you help your child be successful with multiplication?  Practice, practice, practice.  Please invest in some flash cards (the Dollar Tree is my favorite place to pick them up), or have your child create them on index cards, utilize the Xtra Math program, create quizzes for your child.  If you "google" multiplication games you will find a plethora of online resources as well.  

Please remember that multiplication is the most important skill that I want your child to leave my classroom mastering this year.  It is the focus of this quarter, but beginning in third quarter we are applying the skill rather than practicing it.  

Solar System

We are winding down our unit on the solar system.  Our test will be next Monday, November 25.  I sent home a "study guide" in last week's Wednesday folder.  I am not requiring the students to actually study at home, but it was sent home as more of a parent resource.

Dates to Remember:

11/19  Mrs. Olynick out in the AM

11/20  Progress Reports come home

11/27-11/29  No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

12/3 & 12/4  IOWA Testing (for students who qualify)

12/11  Science is Fun- in school field trip

12/18  Positivity Project Awards  (Look for invites coming soon if your child is nominated)

12/23-1/24  Track 4 Track Out

1/25/2020  Track 4 Returns to School

  

Media by Moonlight is TONIGHT from 5:00-7:00.  Pastries with Parents is on Wednesday, November 13 from 8:00-8:45.  Come out and support our Book Fair!

I will be out of the classroom on November 12 and 13 for a training.  Please contact the school with questions, concerns and transportation changes.  

Frog Pourquoi Book

In yesterday's Wednesday folder you received an order form to order our class pourquoi book.  Your child is writing a story to be included in a real published book!  I need all order forms returned to me by next Friday, November 15.  Please return them even if you are not ordering a book so I can receive a FREE book for our classroom.

What will we do on Saturday School?

We have two upcoming Saturday Schools due to a hurricane in September.  We will have class on November 16 and December 7.  Saturday School hours are from 9:15-12:45.  It is a full day of instruction with no recess, specials classes, or lunch.  

I try to make these a fun day for your child.  We will be covering content that directly correlates with our curriculum, but is fun, hands on, and in addition to our normal lessons.  If your child is absent they will be counted absent as on any other school day, but they will not have make up work.  

On our November 16 Saturday School we will be having a solar system day!  This will be a fun day of hands-on solar systems experiments to prepare us for our science test that will be coming up that next week.  

Multiplication Fact Fluency

We have begun the most exciting math unit of the year for third graders....multiplication!  Over the next 5 weeks your child will be practicing fact fluency, learning strategies to gain fluency, and applying multiplication in word problems.  I can plan the lessons, give the worksheets, and play the fun games in class; but if your child is not practicing memorizing the facts at home then they WILL fall behind.  In third quarter, it is assumed that your child has learned all multiplication facts 0-10 and they will begin to apply them in multi-step word problems and area problems.  

Use this link to access some videos I am using in the classroom to help with fact memorization:  Multiplication Videos

Additional Homework Practice

I have received some feedback that parents don't feel they know what their child is learning in class because of no homework.  Please keep in mind that I send home all classroom assignments, checked by me, within a day or so of completing them.  If you have not been receiving work from your child, please contact me.  In my opinion, this is more valuable than homework because you can see how your child is performing and get the teacher feedback.  

Should you feel that you need more homework, I am sending home the unit homework resource for EL.  You received a copy of Unit 1 in your child's Wednesday folder.  I will continue to do this for the remainder of the school year.  You can also utilize Dreambox, Prodigy, and Xtra Math programs for extra math support.

Again, I feel that the MOST important thing you can be doing with your child is reading with them and practicing multiplication facts. 

Dates to Remember:

11/4-11/14  Book Fair

11/7  Media by Moonlight 5:00-7:00

11/11 No School, Veteran's Day Holiday

11/12-11/13  Mrs. Olynick is out of the classroom for a training in Carey.

11/13  Pastries with Parents 8:00-8:45

11/16  Saturday School 9:15-12:45

11/20  Progress Reports Sent Home

11/27-11/29  No School, Thanksgiving Holiday

12/3 & 12/4  IOWA Testing (only for students who qualify)

12/7  Saturday School 9:15-12:45