Weekly Update #4: September 11 - September 15

Announcements:

• Fall Conferences: Schedule your one-on-one conference by going to this link Fall Conferences Please, add your name and your child's name. If you are unable to come on Monday, October 9, email me days and times that work for you in October. I will get back to you with which one works for me. Thanks!
• Xtramath:  Congratulations to Effie!  She is our first student to complete the first section in Xtramath (addition).  Nice work!  Students are strongly encouraged to practice their math facts using this program on a daily basis (about 10 minutes a day). I get weekly updates from Xtramath showing student progress. This will become one of the items your child can do for homework.  Kids can win certificates and prizes! 
• Scholastic Book Orders: It is vital that your child read everyday for 20 - 30 minutes. Ideally, it would be best if you read with your child so that they can practice their fluency, articulation and comprehension skills. Reading STAAR is this year, so keep your child reading!!!  Orders are due by September 28th. Place your orders online - Your Class Activation Code NP79X).  The link to order is HERE.   Thank you for all your amazing support!
• Bluebonnet Book Program: Our class's goal for each student to read 5 books! The Bluebonnet Program goes until mid-January so we have plenty of time to read, read, read. So, let's get to it!
  Bluebonnet Book List 2017 - 2018 http://www.txla.org/new-tba-list-released
  Mrs. Lilleboe's Bluebonnet Book Wish List http://a.co/j39aDD1
• Math Superstars: This is an excellent source for keeping up with those math skills. Awards and prizes are given out to those students that complete the worksheet each week and turn it in. This will begin October 1st. Math Superstars link is on the Welcome Page. 
• Home Access Center: I've started posting grades into Home Access. Please, check weekly to stay up to date on your child's academic progress. Link to Home Access Center.
• Wobble Stools  - Wobble stools are an alternative desk seating option for your child. Wobble stools help provide students with the ability to wiggle as they sit. They help some students to focus more on their work too. This is a parent purchased item. With that said, at the end of the year the wobble stool is yours. Your child can then use them in 4th and 5th grade. I would recommend the 18"  stool. Here are a couple of websites of where to make this purchase if you are interested. Really Good Stuff - Wobble Stool  and Active Learning Stool - Amazon.com ​​
• ***Effie is our first student to get her own wobble stool. Super exciting!!

Upcoming Events:​​​​.​ ​​​​

• Sept. 18 - Spirit Night @ Baskin Robbins
• Sept. 18, 19 & 20 - Home Room Parent Training - Krishna's mom, Yashvi's mom (if Krishna's mom can't make it)​ 
• Sept. 20 - Science DCA Test: Unit 1 - Classifying Matter (online games and activities for review on in the Science Links tab) 
• ​Sept. 21 - Progress Report Cards going home in Thursday Folders
• Sept. 22 - Library Day and start our 3rd Grade Enrichment groups
• Sept. 28 - Scholastic Book Orders due - order online using our code NP79X
• Sept. 29 - Last day to turn in Shelby Holmes book order form and money
• October 9 - No School for students - Parent/Teacher Conferences (scheduled times) 
• October 10 - No School for students 

What's Been Happening In Class?  

• Writing: Personal Narrative Unit. Continued to explore Watermelon and Seed ideas. Chose a seed idea (small moment) for personal narrative and dug in using descriptive words (our 5 senses) to help paint a picture of this moment. 
• Reading: We have been reading Bluebonnet Books in class!  As a class, we have read these books so far - Whoosh!  Ada's Violin and Follow The Moon Home. Kids have been going down to the library to take their bluebonnet quizzes over these books and more!  Quizzes can be retaken for a passing score as often as needed. It's recommended if a student doesn't pass a quiz the first time, to reread the book. We've also been working on how readers make connections in their reading (Text - Self, Text - Text and Text - World). Lastly, we did a nonfiction reading passage with questions on a current event (Hurricane Harvey). 
• Math: Reviewed for our Data and Graphing Test and started our new unit which is Place Value with Addition and Subtraction. 
• Science: Matter Unit - States of matter and their physical properties. Completed Matter Stations and used STEMscopes (our online science program). Test will be next week on Wednesday or Thursday. 
• Social Studies: Growth Mindset - learning about how our brains grow the each mistake! We finished our Pop Up Growth Mindset Brains!