January 24, 2017
January News Letter
Dear parents,
Welcome back, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is excited to be back to work. January is very busy in third grade, starting with the Martin Luther King holiday and ending with Catholic Schools Week.
This month we will be reading our second novel; The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo. Our first novel; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo; I read to the students. This novel we will be reading together in class, and students will be reading the novel for homework as well. We will also be doing writing activities, grammar and comprehension as well as art projects to go along with the story. Students will need the book by Wed. Feb. 1 (this has been in their homework books and on the web-site all month.) You may buy the book, get it from the library or down-load it onto a device, such as an
I-pad, Kindle or Nook. Students may bring their device to school while we are reading the novel as long as you give your permission, they will need it every-day while we are reading the novel.
On Jan.9 we did a social experiment to show the effects of segregation. The students were “segregated” according to their eye-color. Each day a new group of students was segregated. Each day the segregated students had to use the back stairs rather than the main or closer stairs. They were only permitted to play with students with the same eye color and during recess were only allowed to play on the black top. All of their belongings had to stay in the hall, they ate lunch by themselves next to the trash can (not that close). Students were very excited about the experiment but also commented how they wouldn’t like be treated that way all of the time. This week we are discussing the topic further and coming up with ways to treat each other the way we want to be treated and following the commandment; love our neighbor as ourselves. Students were very aware how this unfair treatment could cause anger, but how Martin Luther King lead peaceful protests against segregation. Students make “unique” snowflakes telling their dreams for the future and are writing narratives about the experiment from their point of view.
On Friday Jan. 20th, we had our class Spelling Bee. Students who made it through the third round were invited to participate in the Chester County Rotary Spelling Bee. The papers explaining the rules and the registration form were sent home with those students who are invited. Please sign the form and send it back if your student is going to participate. The date is Saturday Feb. 11. If your child is not able to participate, you do not need to return the form. Once the form is returned I will send home the words that will be included in the Bee to practice.
Next week is Catholic Schools Week. The schedule will be posted on the web-site. For Monday’s Academic Challenge the students are divided into two teams; red team or blue team. At the top of this newsletter is the color of your child’s team. On Monday they are to dress in their team’s color. Friday is Student Appreciation Day; student dress down wear clothes that show your talent or interest. Friday is also the class talent show. Please fill out the form at the bottom of this letter if your child intends to perform in the talent show. All props, equipment and necessary materials are the child’s responsibility. Materials can be dropped off to our classroom on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. Students doing gymnastics must have a mat. Please return the form by Thursday Feb.2.
Please be sure to check out the class website for all the latest classroom information.
Happy New Year and stay warm!
Sincerely,
Mary Beth Horner