I know this is an odd time to track out, but Track 4 will be tracking out on Wednesday, April 1-Wednesday, April 22.  Virtual learning will begin for quarter 4 on Thursday, April 23.  

What should I be doing with my child at home?

All of your child's classwork during this time of virtual learning is being posted on Google Classroom.  Here are a few things to keep in mind about Google Classroom:

• You access it through your child's Wake ID.  If you need help getting into Wake ID please email me.  
• There are two pages:  Streaming and Classwork.  The streaming page is a place where I can post messages and I am currently posting my read alouds on a daily basis.  The classwork page is where you child accesses their assignments.
• Once your child finishes an assignment, they should click turn in.  This is not required for me to view their work, but does make it easier for me to see that they are finished.
• Your child can ask me questions through comments on assignments.  I can also write them comments to give them feedback on their work.

Please keep in mind that right now all assignments are optional and are not graded.  However, beginning Thursday, April 23 your child is required to participate in virtual learning.  

I fully understand that parents are balancing working at home with giving their child an education.  I am doing the same balancing act.  Please only do what you can.  Do not stress.  Spend time with your children, go for walks, play games, give them some time to play while you get your work done.  DON'T STRESS.  We are all in this together and your child's education will turn out just fine even having missed this time at school.

Additional Resources for Home Use:

Typing Club

Xtra Math

WCPSS Remote Learning Resources

IXL

Track Out

I know several families would like to continue the routines they have set in place with schoolwork during track out.  I am working on putting together some assignments that can be used long term throughout track out.  They are scheduled in Google Classroom beginning on April 1 and your children will be able to work on them at their own pace until track in.

I will still continue to check my email during track out, but not on a daily basis.  Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns, but know that I may not respond right away.  I appreciate your understanding while I attempt to balance home and work life as I know you are all working on as well.  

The Winter Wonderland Dance was rescheduled to this Saturday, February 29 from 5:00-7:00.

Progress reports come home in today's Wednesday folders!

Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair begins next week on March 2.  Our class will brose the book fair on Tuesday, March 3 from 12:45-1:05.  Our purchase day, when the entire class will have to time to make purchases is Thursday, March 5 from 1:55-2:20.  Students will be allowed to make additional purchases at other times, but only if staff is available to check them out.

Science: Force and Motion

We are currently studying force and motion in science.  Overall your child needs to understanding that there are two types of forces: push and pull.  That a force is energy applied to an object to create movement and change the object's position.  Our test on force and motion will be the week of March 10.  

Here are some links you can use for extra review if needed:  

Study Jams

Force and Motion

Math:  Area and Perimeter

In math, we are currently studying area and perimeter. Your child's assessment will be on Monday, March 2.  We focus on finding the areas and perimeters of quadrilaterals, mostly rectangles.  Multiplication is a large part of this unit.  Please continue to challenge your child to practice their facts every night!  Remember that the Xtra Math program is a great online tool that you can access for fact fluency.  Email me if you lost your log in.  

Link to my current Donors Choose Project:  Boogie Into Third Grade

Dates to Remember:

3/3  Book Fair Browse Day

3/5  Book Fair Purchase Day

3/8  Daylight Savings Begins

3/9  No School for Students, Teacher Workday

3/10  Mrs. Olynick out all day

3/20  Super Kids Day for Tracks 2 and 4

3/30  NC Check In Math Assessment

4/1-4/22 Track 4 Track Out

4/23 Track In Day for Track 4

Want to donate classroom supplies?  Use this link!  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4ea9a82da6f85-midyear

Valentine's Day
We will celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday afternoon at the end of the day.  Please make sure that your child includes a Valentine for EVERY child in the class.  We will make bags to hold the cards on Thursday afternoon.  Thank you to everyone who donated supplies for them!  I emailed out the class list last week, please let me know if you did not get it and I will send you another one.

Homework
As promised at the beginning of the school year I am still not sending home consistent nightly homework.  However, I am getting more strict on the students completing assignments in class to prepare them for the much more independent climate of fourth grade.  Any class work not completed during class will be sent home for homework and is expected to be returned the following school day.  Please check in with your child nightly to see that they are completing class assignments. 

Literary Classics
I would like for every child to have a literary classic in their hand by next Tuesday, February 18.  I know several students have already brought one and been reading them in their spare time.  Reading the literary classics will be a part of their ALL Block menus beginning Tuesday.  I have some in the classroom they are welcome to choose from.  However, I have found them to be more engaged if the parents give them an active role in choosing one from the bookstore or public library.

Timed Quizzes
Please remember to practice multiplication facts each night at home.  The fact that your child is practicing varies depending on which ones they have passed.  I grade the timed quizzes and send them home that day or the next so they should always know what they need to be practicing.

iStation Log Ins
In December, you received a paper that has your child's iStation Log In information, which you access through their Wake ID.  Scores for this assessment will not be sent home.  If you would like to view your child's progress through the year then you need to use the log in to access it at home.  Please let me know if you need a copy of the log in information. 

Upcoming Assessments
Your child has a math assessment tomorrow on geometry, specifically naming the attributes of quadrilaterals and categorizing quadrilaterals.  Our science test on the states of matter has been moved to Wednesday due to school being cancelled on Friday.

Dates to Remember:
2/12  Mrs. Olynick Out in PM
2/14  Valentine's Day Celebration
2/17  No School-Teacher Work Day
3/3  Book Fair
3/9  No School-Teacher Work Day
3/20  Super Kids Day

Welcome back to the third quarter of Third Grade!

Class resumes for Track 4 on Monday, January 27.  We are still in the same classroom, room 302.  

What are we learning this quarter?

ELA:  Our theme for this module of the EL curriculum is exploring the literary classics with Peter Pan.  We will spend the quarter reading Peter Pan and Peter Pan in Kensington gardens.  Your child will be exploring characters' traits and motivations, new vocabulary, write an opinion essay, and end the unit with revising a scene from Peter Pan that they will present to a live audience.

Math:  This quarter we will begin with a quick, nine day geometry unit.  We will focus on the attributes of quadrilaterals and triangles, and how to classify shapes.  We will then work on area & perimeter.  This unit requires that your child has fluency with multiplication.  Please continue to work with them each night at home.  We will also be continuing the timed quizzes each Tuesday and Thursday.  The quarter will end with a fractions unit that will continue into fourth quarter.

Science:  We will have two science units this quarter!  The first is changes in matter and the second is force and motion.

Social Studies:  During the last three weeks of the quarter your child will be learning about economics and entrepreneurship.

Literary Classics

While we read Peter Pan, I will be reading aloud a few literary classics as well.  A literary classic is a text that has withstood time and has been read and enjoyed by multiple generations.  Please help your child to choose a literary classic that they will enjoy reading during independent reading time.  This can include more modern classics.  Think of books that you enjoyed as a child and guide your child towards them.  I also have several in the classroom that students can choose from and they are welcome to check them out from the school library.

Report Cards

Report cards will come home in Wednesday folders this week.  Your child's new Wednesday folder is green.  It will have some final graded assessments from second quarter, report card, IOWA scores, and your child's workbooks from second quarter.  

Dates to Remember:

1/27  Track In

1/29  Report Cards Go Home

1/31  Mrs. Olynick out all day for iStation data training

2/5  Science is Fun (in school field trip)  12:55-2:10

2/10  NC Check In Math Assessment for Second Quarter

2/17  No School-Teacher Work Day