October 7, 2013

Dear Parents,

We had a great time with our first trip into Star Lab, and I hope your child shared his/her excitement with you. We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Jane McGlynn (a former Slingerlands teacher and Star Lab pro!) come and help us with our first lesson. We will continue our work this week with the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. We have had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back on Thursday.

We had a wonderful week of school. The children are working hard on their personal narratives and are learning that writers use a storyteller's voice, they tell stories, not summaries. We will continue our work in this area and move into writing a different leads for our writing. The children are developing their writing stamina each day.

In math we are working on rounding numbers and will work on strategies for mental math. The children are learning to work together in small groups and have enjoyed the math games that compliment each new topic. The children also have "challenge" work that they are completing. Please remember to sign and return each math test.

On Wednesday, Ann Schwanda (AKA The Quilt Lady) will be here to help the third grades create quilt squares. Please let me know if you would like to join us, no sewing skills are required. The squares will then be turned into quilts by her dedicated team of quilt makers (she is always looking for volunteers if anyone is interested!)

If you have not signed up for a conference please let me know, I will schedule you at a time that works for you.

Thank you once again,
Sue Fitzpatrick