Dear Parents,

Progress Reports go home on Wednesday.  Please look over your student’s grades and make any notations that you have questions about.  Some of the students are not turning in assignments even after being reminded.  A zero in any subject will bring the overall grade down.

Please review by spot checking your student’s homework.  Many homework sheets are being turned in without parent initials.  Your help in monitoring homework would be appreciated. Many are turning in work that is incomplete, misspelled, or just plain wrong.  It takes your child’s recess to make corrections.  I have taken one assignment each evening away, so this group has less homework than previous years.  Hopefully the quality will improve.

For many years third grade has been the year to memorize multiplication facts.  That has not changed even with the common core math standards.  Students are expected to practice with flashcards, work online with fact games, and simply commit to memory facts through 9 x 9.  We have proven in class that there are at least 8 different strategies to figure out a basic problem; however, efficiency is the key.  Students simply don’t have the time to work out each and every problem using repeated subtraction and picture drawing.   Please help your child reach the goal of memorization of facts before we track off at the end of January.  The goal is 80 multiplication problems in three minutes.  The class has 6 of 24 students who are close to the goal- Way to go!

Thank you for sending in the field trip forms and money.   Lots of parents signed up to chaperone.  This is a simple trip with docents who do an awesome job explaining and describing the Maidu culture. The Spartan of the Week will draw two names before Friday of this week.  I’ll notify the chosen 🙂   Thank you for all the interest.