week 26

Today we ended our week by welcoming Maine author Lynn Plourde to our school. She was fantastic to listen to and taught us a lot. We enjoyed an assembly of hers in the morning and then attended a breakout session of hers in the afternoon. What an awesome day!

I am so proud of your children! EVERY single one of them is doing an amazing job with their research of their famous person. We have been note taking on sticky notes and organizing those notes into categories: personal info, famous achievements, interesting facts, important events and family life. They are doing an incredible job! I can’t wait for you to see the final product Wednesday night at Open House. They will be presenting to their class (and other classrooms on Wednesday at school as well). Please be sure to bring famous person costumes Wednesday to school!

We finished our Southeast states this week and will have a quiz over them next Friday. As before, your child will need to know the states and capitals. They will also be asked to locate the states on a map.

You will notice a testing schedule to the left. This is the Maine state summative testing that all Maine 3rd - 8th graders participate in. For more info see the email I’ll be sending home.

I would love to setup a schedule of healthy snacks for testing days. Something for your kiddos to look forward to on that string of testing days. I will send out a signup genius or send home a paper signup next week for you to help contribute.

We are in need of clorox wipes if you have any :)

I hope that this warmer spring weather is here to stay and that you and your families have a wonderful weekend!

~Mrs. Haulk

Week 25

It was a quick “week” here in third grade. With a snow day Monday and Inservice Friday, we tried to get as much done as we could!

Thursday we said goodbye to a very special person. Miss Pouliot will be heading to her second placement. She was a fantastic student teacher and worked wonderfully with your children here in third grade! Thank you to all who contributed to her party!

Your child has chosen their famous person and we will start our research next week. Our goal is to complete this process within the week, then finalize our writing for Open House on Wednesday, March 20th. Please be thinking about how to help your child dress like their famous person. They will need to have this outfit/costume here at school on Wednesday March 20th as other classes will be coming to visit our Museum!

Lynn Plourde, a Maine author, is coming to visit our school on Friday, March 15th. Please see the order form that came home and order any books you’d like to have her sign for your family. This order form is due back on Monday, March 11th.

This week in math we wrapped up our first exploration of fractions. We learned all about parts and wholes. Children learned how to correctly name and write fractions. Next week we will be continuing this and learning how to put them on a numberline.

Our next states/capitals test will be coming up soon. Your children should be studying the Southeast region states and capitals. They have made flashcards and those have started to come home each day!

I hope all of you and your families have a fantastic weekend!

~ Mrs. Haulk

Week 24

Week 24 is done - can you believe it? I have to admit, I’m a little in shock. This year is flying so fast! March already….

We are approaching the end of the trimester 2. With that said, we have an Open House set for March 20th. I will get back to you with an exact time as soon as it is finalized. Report cards will go home this night as well.

Third graders started their fraction unit this week with Miss Pouliot. They have explored parts/whole, done a scavenger hunt around the room and made their own stash of fraction strip manipulatives to have to use when they need to visualize certain fractions. We will continue on with this unit the next couple weeks as we explore how to represent fractions on a number line and compare fractions/determine equivalent fractions.

In writing this week we focused on revising our current drafts and making our writing have less “pot holes” or bumps in the road. Students are approaching the end of this unit and almost ready to start writing our final copies!

To wrap up trimester 2 we are going to have a project that will be really fun! Students will be choosing a famous person to write a biography on. This will tie in all the work we have been focusing on with nonfiction text features and nonfiction writing. Please see the attached page outlining what the at-home responsibilities will be.

Projects will be on display, along with your child dressed as their famous person, on the evening of open house! All other work will be done right here at school.

In Social Studies this week we traveled to Georgia and Alabama. In science we learned how to observe animals and construct an explanation of how living in groups helps these animals survive.

Do you have an hour to spare Tuesday evening? If so, please join our PTF group at our monthly meeting! 6:30 pm in the library :)

Week 23

VACATION!! Yay :) I’m not sure about your kiddos, but my own children are welcoming this break! I feel like it's coming at just the perfect time!

This week was quite a busy, FUN one for sure. 100th day of school, Valentine’s Day, Winter Carnival and a snow day thrown into the middle of the week made for jumbled week in third grade!

Thank you to everyone who helped and was able to attend our Sweetheart Breakfast on Thursday morning! It was a great time together!

In writing we have been plugging away at our informational writing pieces and we are getting closer and closer to publishing them!

In math we have been working on finding patterns/rules with numbers. We’ve been working on the distributive property of multiplication still and then also 2-step word problems. We are very excited to be starting fractions after vacation!

There will be NO SPELLING WORDS given until after vacation.

We hope that you and your families have a fabulous February break.

~Mrs. Haulk & Ms. Pouliot

Week 21

Due to some frigid temps, we have unfortunately had to spend a couple days inside this week. We are looking forward to getting back outside next week!

Third graders are working hard in here! In math this week we did a lot of work with the distributive property of multiplication. They are also working on 2 step word problems.

In writing, we continue our work with nonfiction writing. We’ve been organizing our chapters and starting to write. Next week we get to research a little to find some real facts to add into what we think we know on our topic.

We spent some time this week focusing on proper use of commas. We focused mainly on addresses and where to put commas when we have dialogue in writing.

Social Studies and Science unfortunately fell on Wednesday so we will have to wait until next Wednesday to catch up there!

Thank you to those who are coming and have signed up for the Sweetheart Breakfast on Valentine’s Day. We’re looking forward to spending the morning together!

We are in need of wipes and tissues in third grade. If you happen to be at the store and could snag some, that would be fantastic!

Mrs. Haulk & Miss Pouliot

Week 22

This week in third grade, Miss Pouliot got to experience teaching all by herself for the week. She did a fantastic job!

In reading, third graders started learning about comparing key details of two different nonfiction texts. We used Venn Diagrams to find similarities and differences in these readings. We did one reading on Harriet Tubman and another on hurricanes. Third graders did a fantastic job with this this week!

In  math we have finished up our work with the Distributive Property of multiplication and are moving on to two step word problems. Great job everyone!

This week in science, third graders learned about heredity, variation and selection. The Mystery Science question this week was can selection happen without people? Ask your students about the brown and green anoles!

In Social Studies this week we traveled to two new states! Miss Pouliot took us to Kentucky and Tennessee.

NEXT WEEK…..

• Tuesday is the 100th day! You don’t need to do anything special, but we will be having some fun that day!
• Thursday is our Grade 3 Sweetheart Breakfast! Can’t wait to see you there!
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

Week 20

We continue to work fast and furiously in

third grade. Your children are working their brains to the max - we couldn’t be happier!

In math this week we have been focusing on the Distributive Property of Multiplication. We will focus on this, and more, next week too. Miss Pouliot is doing a great job!

In writing we’re building our foundation of knowledge about the structure of writing an informational book. We will not be doing too much research yet, as the focus is more on building the knowledge of how to plan out this type of writing. Ask your child what they are creating an informational book about! Maybe you could brainstorm some fun facts to add to your child’s book.

NWEAs are complete and I am working on meeting individually with your child to create personal goals for the end of year tests. We are looking at Fall and Winter scores. I’ve printed out their student profile which tells me what areas they need to focus on to boost their score in the spring .Your child will then have a plan of their own of what their specific goals are and how to achieve that goal. Every child will also have individualized IXL topics to work on. I’m hoping to have met with all kids by next week. Be on the lookout for this to come home. Your child would love to talk about their goals with you!

Our focus in reading is currently looking at texts to figure out the author’s point of view. We learned that point of view is the author’s perspective. They are doing a great job!

We traveled to two new states this week - North and South Carolina. Miss Pouliot did a wonderful job presenting these two states to the kids. During the Geography Bee on Thursday, our kids were giddy as they knew a bunch of the answers regarding states! Way to go kiddos!

Mr. Pearson is hosting a superbowl party next Friday. There will be a food sign up coming around and we’re in need of volunteers from 1:45-2:45!

PLEASE be studying multiplication facts with your child. We are moving along and their ability to multiply fluently will very much help them with the remainder of the year’s math topics.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Mrs. Haulk and Miss Pouliot

Sweetheart Breakfast! Save the Date!

I’d like to invite you to a Valentine’s Breakfast with your children on

Thursday, February 14th, 2019.

We will be serving a variety of breakfast foods and look forward to a fun time together!

I will be creating a signup genius to send via email. Please be on the lookout for that and sign up for what you’d feel comfortable bringing that day. I will also need some parents to arrive around 7:30 to help cook.

The kids look forward to this breakfast - can’t wait to see you there!

Mrs. Haulk & Miss Pouliot

Week 19

Dear Families,

I hope you are ready for some snow this weekend! I know my family is anxiously awaiting its arrival so we can get out and enjoy some good sledding finally! Also, don’t forget, no school Monday as we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

In math this week your children have been continuing to learn strategies with multiplication and division facts. Miss Pouliot is doing an amazing job leading small groups through engaging activities. Don’t forget to be studying at home!

In science this week we found out if we could outrun a dinosaur. We learned about looking at animal tracks and analyzing them.

Writing is really coming along! We are working now on an informational piece of writing. They have chosen a topic that they can teach me about. We have learned how to create a logical table of contents. Within that table of contents they are now organizing their chapters. Each day we’re learning something a little more about the contents of the chapter. A lot of editing and revising to be done as we keep learning new strategies!

We learned about two new states this week - Virginia and West Virginia! Ask your child if they can recall a state nickname, capital or major waterway!

Next Wednesday we will have Dedham Pride Day. We will wear Dedham gear that you may have ordered, or school colors.

Please return the attached sheet regarding our Sweetheart Breakfast to be held on Thursday, February 14th. This will be our Valentine’s party and parents are invited to come eat with their children. I will need cooking volunteers as well if you’re available!

Have a wonderful weekend ~ stay warm and enjoy the snowfall!  ~Mrs. Haulk

Week 18

Third grade is on a roll and doing great this week! Miss Pouliot and I are proud of their accomplishments!

We have started a new unit in Science and are excited to be studying how habitats have changed over time. This week our focus was on looking at skulls and jaws of animals to figure out what type of food they ate.

In math we are building multiplication fluency and learning how to work on two-step word problems. Miss Pouliot is teaching math now with me in the room and she is doing a fantastic job! This Thursday was our first fluency quiz. This was to see how quickly your child could recall multiplication facts. We will do this every Thursday and your child will track their progress. I look forward to seeing improvements each week!

In writing we have started a new unit and third graders are learning about informational writing. We will not be researching too much, yet. We will focus on the structure and organizational aspect of how to get our thoughts organized. Our focus for this writing unit will be to teach someone about something we know a lot about already. The topics they’ve picked are awesome!

We are moving on to the Southeast Region of the United States in Social Studies. We will be learning about 2 states per week and will finish with another round of studying states/capitals in about 6 weeks.

Next week we have NWEA testing Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30. Please have your child get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast!

Please remember... studying multiplication facts is now mandatory. Learning these facts will be crucial as we are moving into fractions next. As your child shows me they can master 1-5 and 10 they will move on to 6’s, 7’s, 8’s and 9’s.

I hope you have a great weekend! Stay warm!

~Mrs. Haulk

This week in reading our focus was nonfiction text features! Here's just a sampling of the books we look at...

Week 16 & 17

   Welcome back! I’ve been eager to get back into the swing of things this week and everyone seemed to settle in great. I missed a newsletter the week before vacation, so this will be a combined one!

I’d first like to welcome Grace Pouliot, our new student teacher. She is from the University of Maine and is with us for the next 8ish weeks. Say hi the next time you’re in!

   Just before December break we finished up our unit of study of Holidays Around the World. We ended up visiting 13 different countries and seeing what their traditions look like this time of year. It was neat to see the similarities and differences between some of them. Your child ended the unit with their own suitcase of information from different countries. This should have come home this week!

   Your children are now fast and furiously working to memorize multiplication facts. I will be giving quizzes weekly to see how they are improving. These will provide a baseline for me to use for seeing how they are coming along with mastering the facts. Those who are making adequate progress will move along more quickly to the next math topic. Weekly quizzes will be on Thursdays.

  We finished our unit on the Northeast region of the United States. Your children will now be responsible for learning the states’ names and capitals. We have made flash cards. Please send those back and forth so we can practice at school too. We will also work to place those states on a blank map as well. This quiz will be on Friday.

  Your children have earned a few dojo rewards that I owe them. Two of them will be held on Wednesday, January 9th. Hat day and stuffed animal day. I also owe them a pizza party. We will hold that on Friday, January 11 during the normal lunch time. If anyone would like to sign up to bring chips and drink that would be great! Just shoot me an email :)

    We have moved on to our next science unit called: Habitats Through Time. We are learning about fossils so far and how they help scientists learn about habitats of the past in certain locations.

Have a great weekend! ~Mrs. Haulk and Miss Pouliot