Time Flies when You are having Fun!

Dear Parents and Students,

The first semester came to an end on January 31^st.  We are already in the second semester.  Time is flying!  Well, time flies when you’re having fun, right!?

All students got their report cards for the second term of the school year.  I believe that all third graders can feel proud of themselves for improving and learning well.

Next week is HIS’s Chinese Week and we will replace a few of the ordinary classes with fun activities regarding Chinese New Year.   During ESL and Chinese classes students will also have exciting activities with their Chinese teachers.    Next week we will also finish current chapters in Core Curriculum subjects that we are busy with.  We will start with new chapters and units after the Chinese New Year break.  (School will start again on February 18^th, 2013.)

Students, remember to dress in red on Wednesday, February 6th.  On Friday, February 8th, is our Chopsticks Day.  Please remember to bring your chopsticks to school.  

Students, together with all the fun that lies ahead next week, remember about the Math Test on Thursday, February 7^th, and the Social Studies Test on Friday, February 8^th. 

Curriculum Planning for Week 1 (Semester 2):

Math:  We will finish and review Chapter 11.

English:  We will finish Unit 6.  (After the break we will do revision and some extra activities based on Pronouns.  We will also get tested on Pronouns after the break)

Reading:  We will finish Theme 3.  Although we might not get to do all activities based on these stories, we will read and discuss them together as a class. 

Social Studies:  We will review Chapters 5 and 6. 

Science:  We will start with Unit E after Chinese New Year. 

Homework 2/1:

Math:  2 pages

Handwriting:  Unit 11

Social Studies:  Read Chapters 5 & 6 

Spelling:  Parents, please sign the test.  Students, do corrections, please.

There will be no new spelling words next week due to the fact that we are writing two tests on consecutive days.  We will have a FUN Spelling Bee in the class, focusing on the revision of words we have already studied. 

It is Ashley Breinholt’s birthday on Sunday, February 3^rd.  Happy birthday, Ashley!  Have a splendid day!  And may the year to come be filled with joy, great health, and lots of laughter.  Thank you, Ashley, for treating us with the super delicious Bruce Bogtrotter cake!  

Our Student of the Week is Yvette Coort.  Yvette has shown a lot of improvement.  She is approaching tasks with enthusiasm and great effort.  Well done, Yvette.  You are a star!!!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  Enjoy the warmer weather and stay safe!

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous

Homework 1/31

Math:  4 pages
Social Studies:  p. 62 - 63
Spelling:  Test
Oral Presentation:  Well done, everyone!  Parents, please sign the oral presentation rubric?

Homework 1/30

Math:  3 pages
Social Studies:  Read Chapter 6
English:  Diorama Presentation

Homework 1/29

Math:  2 pages
Spelling:  write 3 sentences
English:  p. 67 - 69

Homework 1/28

Math:  2 pages
Reading:  Read Raising Dragons; Work on your Diorama
English:  p. 64 - 66

A Great Week!

Dear Parents and Students,

We had another great week in the third grade class.  Some of us were down with a cold or flu, fortunately nothing serious, so I want to remind students again to wash their hands properly, eat healthy food, and bring an extra sweater and a scarf to school for the windy and cooler days. 

Chinese Week is coming up!  February 4^th to February 8^th is scheduled for this fun week.   Students will do fun activities with Ms. Tsai and Ms. Huang during their Chinese lessons.  Wednesday, February 6^th, is our Dress in Red Day.  Students, please remember to wear red on this day.  Red is an important color in the Chinese culture.  On Friday, February 8^th, we will all enjoy Chinese food for lunch.  Students, please remember to bring chopsticks to school, so we can eat our Chinese food with them. 

The school will be closed during the week of Chinese New Year, February 11^th to February 15^th.   Students, this is a time to spend with family and friends.  I can already feel the rising excitement. 

Students, have a look at http://www.vocabulary.com/ .  It is a dictionary website.  The Challenge section is a vocabulary game and The Dictionary section is a very comprehensive online dictionary.  This is an excellent resource.  Students, also remember about the Useful Websites on our blog.  There are fun games and activities, which will help you to practice your skills while having fun. 

Curriculum Planning for Week 21:

Math:  We will continue with Chapter 11, Division Facts and Patterns.

English:  We will continue with Unit 6, Pronouns.

Social Studies:  In Week 21 we will start with Chapter 6, Our Country’s History.

Reading:  We will read our third selection of Theme 3, Raising Dragons, and do activities based on this story. 

Spelling Words for Week 21:

7 Core Subject Words

language

religion

settlement

slavery

freedom

revolution

president

7 Frequent Used Words:

tax

picnic

quick

judge

jeans

orange

squeeze

1 Challenging Word:

patriotism

Test Dates:

Math Test:  Thursday, February 7^th (Chapters 10 & 11)

Social Studies Test:  Friday, February 8^th (Chapters 5 & 6)

Homework 1/25:

Math:  4 pages

Reading: p.218 -219; p.222-223

English:  sign test; correction

Oral: DIORAMA!

Our Student of the Week is Jungmin Yoo.  Jungmin is improving so much and is doing very well in all tests and assignments.  Congratulations, Jungmin!  You are a star!!!

Have a splendid weekend, everyone! 

Take care and stay healthy!

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous

Homework 1/24

Math:  2 pages (Enrichment 11.1; Practice 11.2)
Spelling:  Parents, please sign the test.  Students, do corrections.
English:  TEST (Unit 5)

Homework 1/23

Math:  1 page in WB (Enrichment 10.9);  P.283 in Textbook (answer in your notebook)
Spelling:  Test
Social Studies:  p. 53 (try your best!)

Homework 1/22

Math:  4 pages
English:  p. 62 - 63;  Review Unit 5
Spelling:  write 3 sentences

Homework 1/21

Math:  Parents, please sign the test.  Students, do your corrections.
Social Studies:  p. 48 - 49 (WB);  Read (review and preview) Chapter 5

Health and Safety Come First

Dear Parents and Students,

Our health and safety come first and therefore I would like to mention a few things.  I want to make sure that we all stay strong and healthy.  Students, bring an extra jacket and even a scarf to school.  Some days can be quite windy and chilly.  Also make sure you wash your hands regularly, especially before meals. 

The third graders got their partners for their Science Fair projects this week.  Students, now you can start thinking about something scientific that interests you.  Also, keep in mind that most of the project will be done outside of school, in your free time.  Choose something fun and interesting.  I would like you to have fun while learning!

Curriculum Planning for Week 20:

Math:  We will finish and review Chapter 10.  Then we will move on to Chapter 11 which is more on division facts and patterns.

English:  We will get tested on Unit 5, Capitalization and Punctuation.  The test is scheduled for Friday, January 25^th. 

Social Studies:  We will complete Chapter 5 and review it.  We will then move on to Chapter 6, Our Country’s History.

Reading:  We read our second selection of Theme 3, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, in Week 19.  In Week 20 we will do activities based on this story. 

Spelling Words for Week 20:

7 Core Subject Words

dividend

divisor

technology

inventions

engineer

suffrage

equality

7 Frequent Used Words:

north

south

serve

wolves (wolf)

scarves (scarf)

leaves (leaf)

1 Challenging Word:

quotient

Our Student of the Week is Ayane Kono.  Ayane is a very helpful and caring student and she has gone out of her way to help others and to make them feel happy.  Congratulations, Ayane!  You are a star!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!

Stay warm and healthy!

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous

Homework 1/16

Math:  4 pages
English:  p. 61
Reading:  p. 206 - 207
Spelling:  Test

Homework 1/15

Math:  3 pages
English:  finish your postcard
Spelling:  write 3 sentences

Homework 1/14

Math:  2 pages
English:  p. 59 (in Workbook);  Journal Writing (your highlight of your vacation)

Happy 2013!

Dear Parents and Students,

Happy New Year!  And welcome back!  I believe that everyone had a relaxing break and enjoyed the festivities of Christmas and New Year.  It is great to have everyone safely back at school.  It has been a busy week back and the third graders worked very hard. 

Students, keep in mind that you have to start thinking about the upcoming Science Fair.  Although the date is scheduled for April 24^th, remember that it is a big assignment and time flies by.   I will guide you step by step through the scientific method, which I would like all of you to follow during the Science Fair assignment. 

Curriculum Planning for Week 19:

Math:  We will start with Chapter 10, Division Concepts.  (A Math test, on Chapters 8 and 9, is scheduled for Monday, January 21^st.)

English:  We will complete Unit 5, Capitalization and Punctuation.

Science:  We have completed Chapter 10 in Week 18.  We will write a test on this chapter on Thursday, January 17^th .

Social Studies:  We will start with Chapter 5, Communities Over Time,  and learn about  our history through time and place.

Reading:  We will complete activities based on our first selection in Theme 3, Dogzilla.  We will then move on to our second selection, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta.

Spelling Words for Week 19:

Abbreviations:

(Abbreviations are part of Unit 5 in our English Curriculum.)

January            -           Jan.

February          -           Feb.

March             -           Mar.

April                -           Apr.

August             -           Aug.

September      -           Sept.

October           -           Oct.

November       -           Nov.

December       -           Dec.

Monday           -           Mon.

Tuesday           -           Tues.

Wednesday     -           Wed.

Thursday         -           Thurs.

Friday              -           Fri.

Saturday          -           Sat.

Sunday             -           Sun.

Mister             -           Mr.

Doctor             -           Dr.

Missus             -           Mrs.

Miss                 -           Ms.

It was Tom Lu’s birthday on January 10^th.  He treated us with snack, cake and a huge spread for lunch.  Happy birthday, Tom!  May you have a wonderful year ahead and may it be filled with happiness, laughter, and good health.

On Monday, January 14^th, our Third Grade Class will be a student richer.  Karin Okada will be joining our class.  We are very excited to get to know her and have her as part of our HIS family.  Welcome to HIS, Karin!

Our Student of the Week is Ashley Breinholt.  Ashley is a very enthusiastic student who is always participating with a lot of energy.  She has a great  sense of humor and she is always sharing and caring.  Congratulations, Ashley!  You are a star!

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Take care and stay warm!

Homework 1/10

Math:  4 pages
Spelling:  Test
Reading:  read for 20 minutes out loud

Homework 1/9

Math:  3 pages
Science:  p. 60 - 61; p, D87 (in Workbook)
Reading:  read Chapter 10 in the Science Textbook

Homework 1/8

Math:  4 pages (9.2 & 9.3)
Spelling:  write 3 sentences
Science:  complete p. 58 - 59 (in Workbook);  Read p. 68 - 70 (in Textbook)

Homework 1/7

Happy New Year, everyone!

Homework for 1/9:
Math:  3 pages (9.1)
English:  complete p. 54 - 55
Reading:  read p.308 - 328 OUT LOUD!