Weekly Update #14: November 30 - December 4th

Announcements:  

• 3rd Grade Winter Party:  This year most of the winter party activities will take place in our classroom and run by our classroom parents. Want to help or volunteer at the 3rd grade winter party?  Please, contact our amazing room mom, Mrs. Debbie Chuchmach. 
• Home Access Updated: We are coming close to the end of the 2nd grading period (only 2 weeks to go). Please, take a moment this weekend and check out your student's progress thus far in the 2nd nine weeks. As we push on this year, each nine weeks will become more challenging then the previous nine weeks. Please, continue the amazing work that I see being done in homework spirals and practice academic concepts at home by going to my Links and Strategies tab. Many resources right here at your child's fingertips! Home Access Link 
• Bluebonnet Books and Wish Lists: Thank you parents for being so supportive of the Bluebonnet Program. We have quite a few bluebonnet books in our own classroom library!! Unfortunately, the Bluebonnet Books are not options on Scholastic. If you are interested in purchasing some bluebonnet books for our classroom. Please, visit my Bluebonnet Book Wish List on Amazon. "Mrs. Lilleboe's Bluebonnet Book Wish List".  If you are able and wanting to contribute other resources to our learning, go to my other wish list on Amazon. "Mrs. Lilleboe's Wish List" 
• Xtramath & Timed Quizzes-  The Xtramath website link can be found under the "Math Links" tab and other great math fact websites!!  Keep up the good work on Xtramath! 

Upcoming Dates:​​

• December 7 - 11: Student Council is also taking orders for Cocoa-Grams benefiting the Texas Baptist Children's Home. Click here for the order form. 
• December 8: Fall Picture Retakes 
• December 8: Deadline to Refer Your Student for TAG Testing
• December 8: Elsa England Choir Winter Concert 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Cafeteria
• December 10: Chick-fil-A School Spirit Night 
• December 11: School Spirit Assembly 7:45 a.m. (Reflections Recognition and Encore Choir Performance)
• December 16:  Science Soils Test
• December 17:  Fractions Test and Reading (Nonfiction) Test 
• December 17: 3rd Grade Winter party @ 1:30pm 
• December 17: Last Day of 1st Semester
• December 18 - January 4: No classes!  Winter break!
• January 5: Students Return to School - First Day of 2nd Semester

Holiday gift idea....books!!!  Our kids love to read!  Scholastic book orders can be placed anytime. Just click on the link! Class code: NP79X
Scholastic Books.

In Math, we started our Fractions unit!  The kids are enthusiastic about this unit. We've had some great classroom discussions (I noticed...I wonder... ) about fractions these last 2 days. We got about half way through our fraction stations today. We'll finish up the stations on Monday. Kids can practice and play fun fraction games by going to the "Math Links" tab. I have about half dozen websites posted that will help kids learn all about fractions. Our test for this unit will come at the end of the semester on December 17th. 

In Writing and Reading, we will continue with Expository reading and writing (nonfiction) for the next couple of weeks. The kids will learn how to find the main idea and supporting details to various magazine and online articles relating to our PBL. We will begin researching our PBL focus region of choice this up coming week. Kids have all chosen a specific region/area to research it's habitat loss (cause/effect, possible solutions, etc). 

In Science, we began our Formation of Soil unit. We will do several experiments/activities with our soil over the course of the next week or so.  If your child has yet to bring in soil, please do so by Monday. Thank you!!

​In Social Studies, we'll study maps of our PBL regions and become more familiar with reading a map.