Monthly Archives: September 2020

End of Week 6 (e-mail)

We are at the end of Week 6!  We track off next week on Wednesday, September 16th.  We will be working on September 16th :).

  • Our Responsibility Characters Awards were awarded to:  Gabriel, Miles, and Brooke.  Congratulations!
  • We had our first field trip – kind of.  The Sacramento Public Library librarian from our local Rancho Cordova branch visited our class and shared with us all of the resources available to the students.
  • I have posted the Sacramento Public Library information and all of the links on the Stream in our Google Classroom.
  • Next Tuesday, September 15th is PFO’s Burger Inn Drive Thru fundraiser.
  • Next Wednesday, September 16th is also the PFO’s virtual dance party!  The links to dance are on Sunrise’s social media page.
  • Our local Sunrise Elementary School librarian, Mrs. Christensen, announced “that our (Sunrise) library will be opening to our students next week!! ?? Students (and staff) can access our library catalog through their Classlink Portal, reserve a library book online and pick it up via drive thru.  Our library catalog is available through Destiny Discover and it will be a work in progress as I will continue to add educational resources/links to this site. (AR Bookfinder, AR testing, Library of Congress for Kids, etc.)

Here is some important information to note:

  • TUESDAY – Students must place a hold on the book that they would like to check out by each Tuesday night
  • WEDNESDAY – I will check out these book to your students on Wednesday and send them a confirmation email with details of how to pick it up
  • THURSDAY – Students will pick up their library books via drive thru every Thursday from 12-4:30pm
  • Students may place a hold on ONE book at a time
  • Students may check out their library book for up to TWO weeks at a time
  • Books can be returned to our Library Drop Box located outside of the front office Monday-Friday 7:30-4pm or books can be returned during curbside pick up

End of Week 5 (e-mail)

Hello Parents,

We have a 3-day weekend!  Monday, September 7 is a holiday.  We have ended our 5th week of 3rd Grade!  Woo hoo!  Your children are so kind and delightful – they are also very respectful and hardworking.

Some information:

  • We are about mid-way through the 1st trimester.  Individual progress reports will not be sent home; however, you can see your child’s grades on Synergy ParentVue and StudentVue.
  • I will email a PDF copy of the Progress Report upon request.
  • I am doing my best to stay on top of missing assignments and redos; but it does take me some time to check, verify, and then enter the new/missing grades.
  • If you would like to schedule a Parent/Teacher Conference, I am available after school and can be available before school if needed.
  • We will take the Chapter 4 math test during the week of September 16th (likely on September 16th).
  • We go off-track on Wednesday, September 16th!  We return back on-track on Monday, October 5th.
  • Heads-up:  When we return back on-track, students will complete their first book report and oral presentation of the book.
  • I will provide them with the format/requirements for the both the book report and presentation prior to going off-track in case they (or you) would like to work on it when we are off-track.
  • Students should be memorizing the multiples (skip counting) of numbers 2 through 7.  (We will finish to 12’s when we return from off-track.)
  • To memorize, they can use their blue Skip Counting sheet, and touch each number while saying it to activate more senses.  They can also write them down several times.
  • I recommend to memorize one set of multiples  before moving on to the next.
  • Memorizing the multiples will aid in the transition to memorizing the multiplication facts, which is expected by the end of third grade.
  • In spelling, we have moved on from short vowel review to long vowels.  This past week, the students have been working with the long vowel spellings of vowel_e.
  • Next week in Spelling, students will work with the other long vowel a sound spellings.
  • Most spelling work is done through Spelling City.
  • In reading and writing, we have been working with narrative stories and writing.  We have been looking at the text structure and “signal words”, also known as transitions.
  • We started Social Studies with oceans and continents videos and work.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.  I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend.

Sincerely,

Tracy Wetzel

Books and Books (e-mail from 08/26)

Dear Parents,

SCHOLASTIC BOOKS:

I’ve had students who have requested to extend the Scholastic Book Order Deadline.  So, if you would like to order more books, the links are below.  Please have your orders in by Tuesday, September 1st, so that we can receive them before we track off.  😉  You are actually available to order at any time; however, if the dollar amount is not large enough, we might be charged shipping.

– Shop the flyers with your child: https://editions.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=667328

– Connect to Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/HZPJV

PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKS:

Mr. Hock forwarded the e-mail below regarding public library resources.

Hello educators,

My name is Marisa Spar, and I am one of the children’s librarians at the Rancho Cordova Library, part of the Sacramento Public Library system. I want to let you know that the Sacramento Public Library is here to support teachers, students, and families in this new school year of distance learning!

Although our buildings are closed to the public, we are offering curbside pickup of all our materials – books, DVDs, magazines, and more!

Here are some highlights of resources available on our website:

OverDrive Ebooks and Eaudiobooks for Kids
Browse by recommended books or grade level and take your books, audiobooks and comics on the go.

Hoopla
Check out the Hoopla Kids Mode to find video, music and books for younger audiences.

BookFlix
Strengthen early reading skills with animated, read-along ebooks. Recommended for children ages three to eight, you’ll find paired fiction and nonfiction books on topics for every interest.

TumbleBooks
Access hundreds of K-12 ebooks and audiobooks from your computer or tablet with any internet browser.

Library Cards
Any student (with parent’s permission) can sign up for a library card that can access all library digital resources and will not expire for 3 months. Educators and parents/caregivers can also apply for a card.

Homework Resources
Visit our homework help resources page and access tutoring, virtual reference books, test prep and more.

Research Tools
Find something specific with this comprehensive list of all online library resources and databases.

Email Reading Recommendations
Answer six simple questions about books (or audiobooks) and authors you enjoy and we’ll email you five recommendations selected just for you.

 

If you have a question, want more information on any of these services and resources, or if you would like to arrange a virtual class or meeting visit, please contact me. Also, please share this email with your fellow educators, teachers, and students’ families, as the library is hoping to get the word out about all of the free services we are offering this school year.

 

Thank you,

 

Marisa Spar (she/her/hers)

Youth Services Librarian

Sacramento Public Library – Rancho Cordova

9845 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95827

mspar@saclibrary.org

End of Week 2; Beginning of Week 3 (back posting from e-mail)

Week 2 ofSubject: Week 3 Information 🙂

Dear Parents,

Week 2 of Distance Learning is completed and I am continuing to work on improving our instruction and independent practice :).

Some things to know:

• Students will need small objects to use for arrays tomorrow (about 24 objects)

– Some examples to use are: beans, coins, cereal, paper clips, etc.

• Monday Early Out: 11:05 am Zoom meeting ends; but

– students work until 1:40 pm independently without my presence;

– the teacher (me) is in meetings, etc.

• Grades have been entered into Synergy.

– They can be checked in ParentVue and StudentVue

– Some students need to redo assignments for a better grade

– I encourage students to redo assignments for a better grade

• 3rd Grade Respect Character Awards are Thursday, 08/20, from 2:40 pm to 3:00 pm

– Anaya, A’Nayah, and Theon will be recognized

– All students are invited to attend via a Zoom meeting link that will be posted to Google Classroom Stream on Thursday

• Math Chapter 3 test is scheduled for Friday, 08/21

• I will be administering Diagnostic/BOY (Beginning of the Year) assessments next week

– The assessments are not for a grade, they are for me to determine instruction and small group instruction

– It is important that parents do NOT help their child so that I can accurately plan for their small group instruction

– Some will be whole class and others will be individual

• PE with Mr. Cross is on Thursdays from 1:00 pm – 1:20 pm (½ class) and 1:20 pm – 1:40 am (next ½ of class)

• For those students who weren’t able to pick up the agenda/planner:

– it is available for pick up in the office

– I have added “Agenda/Planner” assignments to the Google Classroom to refer to

• Scholastic Books Orders due on Friday, 08/21

– Shop the flyers with your child: https://editions.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=667328

– Connect to Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/HZPJV

• Computers in Mr. Stringer’s Google Classroom: Students will going to Mr. Stinger’s Google Classroom for computer lessons. This next week, they should be practicing keyboard skills by utilizing the home row. Distance Learning is completed and I am continuing to work on improving our instruction and independent practice :).