Wait...It's December already!?!

My how this year is passing by! I so enjoy having your kiddos and am excited about deepening our understanding of the world around us. :)

We are exploring autobiographies and biographies in Reading. We will also write a personal narrative and share a little about a memorable life experience in our own lives.

In Social Studies, we've met a couple of renowned author's such as Tomie dePaola who wrote the Strega Nona series. We will continue studying biographies and autobiographies as well as discover cultural holidays and celebrations of our local communities.

In science, we uncovered the effects rapid Earth changes have on the Earth's surface. Our next unit starting next week will teach us about the formation of soil and all about the surface level of the Earth.

Math continues to throw multiplication, division, and fractions our direction. The kids love multiplication and division. Word problems are always tricky, so we will continue practicing these life-themed equations. Any time you can encourage your child to use multiplication, division, or fractions around the home or at the store, you'll be building their knowledge and computational experiences.

Other important and exciting events coming up:

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Passport to Adventure - Literacy & Multicultural Night Our annual Literacy & Multicultural Night will be held on tonight Thursday, December 6th from 5-7pm. Student work will be on display and a Multicultural Fair will be in full swing in the gym. Classrooms will begin to close at 6:15pm so we can gather for a special presentation by Mother Goose to close out the night. OUR POEMS WILL STAY UP FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. Swing by and check them out if you're not able to come tonight. :) Tag Referral Window The referral window for students to be considered for gifted services is from November 12, 2018 – December 7, 2018. This is the ONLY open window for referrals for current Round Rock ISD students. Students are eligible for assessment once every two years. If you would like to refer your child for testing, please fill out the following online form.  Additionally, on the last item of the form, you will be prompted to print and complete a PERMISSION TO TEST form. You will need to turn this paper form into the child’s campus. If you are not able to complete the online form, print the permission to test, OR you need Spanish versions of either, please contact your campus TAG specialist (elementary) or counselor (secondary. Click here for online referral form. CHRISTMAS PARTY: We will have a Christmas Party on Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 9-10am in our classroom. I'm setting up a SignUp Genius for those who would like to contribute to the students' refreshments and goodies. We will enjoy sharing a Christmas Breakfast. :D

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

by Postable

I hope you've had a wonderful, safe, fulfilling break! I'm excited to have your kiddos back and look forward to what we have coming. I'm so thankful for this class and for our thoughtful and considerate parents. Thank you for all you do and for working with your students and myself this year!

The week leading up to Thanksgiving Break was full of learning and fun. I was especially impressed by our Third Graders' Groovy-O-Rama! Far Out! Seeing their enthusiasm was invigorating and special. They worked so hard to bring the 60s back to life, and their efforts made for an amazing performance!

In the next couple of weeks, we will examine many though-provoking concepts:

-We will be exploring Earth's Forces and Landforms in Science.

-We'll continue analyzing nonfiction texts and begin reading and writing procedural texts (recipes, game rules, directions, how to make something) in Reading and Writing.

-In Math, we will finish our current study of fractions, but will revisit them throughout the rest of the year. Prior to the break, we spoke about using fractions especially when cooking and preparing for Thanksgiving. Any time you can discuss and apply fractions in your homes or when you're out and about is a great way to reinforce their learning and to make the learning authentic and real! :D
In the next couple of weeks, we will revisit multiplication and study how multiplication and division work together. This will be a fun and challenging unit!

-In Social Studies, we will closely study about the lives of influential United States heroes and see how they helped shaped and influenced our nation. We will consider how we as citizens can do the same and what we can learn from these individuals.

-Social and Emotional Learning is a small part of our day, but the lessons can carry great impact. This week and next we will learn and practice showing compassion to all, making friends and introduce emotion management. When showing compassion, the students learn to focusing attention on and listening to others can help you have empathy and show compassion as well as saying kind words or do helpful things to show your compassion. When making friends, focusing attention and listening to others help you make conversation as well as initiating, continuing, and ending a conversation in a friendly way. When introducing emotion management, we will learn that when you feel strong feelings, it’s hard to think clearly. So, focusing attention on your body gives you clues about how you’re feeling and thinking about your feelings helps the thinking part of your brain get back in control.

Come Rain or Shine, We'll Be Fine! :)

What a rainy, messy, funky week! We're winding down some learned concepts and will begin new ones next week! Be safe this weekend and stay dry. :)

As of Friday, 10-19:
We've reached another 300 Safe, Respectful, and Responsible Sticks! We've earned a Stuffed Animal Friend Day :) Monday, 10-22, the students can...bring a stuffed animal that is backpack sized to class to share our learning with :) Can't wait to meet some fluffy friends!

Things to look forward to:

Oct. 22-26 is Red Ribbon Week. I sent home a form sharing the following:

Monday, October 22nd - Our School Chooses to be Drug Free! Wear your FCE spirit shirt.

Tuesday, October 23rd - Follow Your Dreams and Be Drug Free! Wear your pajamas.

Wednesday, October 24th - Put a Cap on Drugs! Wear your favorite baseball cap.

Thursday, October 25th - Rally in Red Against Drugs! Wear anything and everything red.

Friday, October 26th - Join the Drug Free Army! Wear camo. 

I encourage students to join in our featured dress code to participate in the fun!

Summary of the past couple weeks:

Math - Reintroducing multiplication. We've learned we can solve multiplication problems using arrays, equal groups, strip diagrams, repeated addition, skip counting, number lines, multiplication number sentences and area models. WHOA! I've added hopefully helpful charts and links to the Math page.

We've made flash cards for 5 and 10 facts. I strongly encourage you and your student to practice those for about 5 minutes at least every day. As we add more facts, they will want to be familiar with these easier ones.

Reading & Writing - Poems, poems and more poems :D We've learned that poetry expresses feelings and emotions as well as paints images in our minds. Poets write poems to entertain and evoke reader responses. Poems often have structural elements such as lines and stanzas, rhyme, and rhythm, but also could take any shape the poet wants. We also spent time exploring sensory and figurative language such as similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, alliteration,and personification. We wrote some original poems too including haikus. Next week we will begin investigating nonfiction texts. :)

Social Studies - We've really honed in on specific ways we can be good citizens and why we have rules and laws. We've introduced the branches of government and will continue to further understand these branches and why they're in plan. In addition to our poetry study, we discovered amazing facts about Costa Rica and looked at their government system, symbols, environment and local pastimes. By December 6th, we will write poems about Costa Rica and display them for our 3rd Grade Literacy Night. :)

Science - We finished our Unit about Forms of Energy. We experimented with thermal, light, sound, and mechanical energy. Here is a video some of the students wanted to revisit about Energy featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmSzMwTkpk&t=440s . Encourage your student to identify types of energy they see and use every day at home. They really take pride in identifying different forms of energy around them. Next up, we explore levers and gravity!

Happy Friday Everyone! :D

>Student Holiday Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 8th & 9th.
>Parent conferences will take place throughout the day on Tuesday.

If for some reason, you are unable to make your conference, please email me and we can make arrangements. Thank you!

Have some blessed time with your kiddos! :)

I will miss them.

Howdy everyone! It's hard to believe we're already saying "Goodbye" to September and "Hello" to October! As we begin a couple new units and a new month, here are some things to know:

Apps Form

There is a form that needs your signature.  It has a list of apps that we may use in school.  I need written approval from you in order for your student to use these apps.  Please send the signed form in as soon as possible. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVoxz5W0K6jMAHv0wCG7BkYAhoOXLtzRVI0hTH1itDxVrSAQ/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

Technology club for 2nd and 3rd is going to begin on October 4. Below is the form you can apply with.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuYDVDtF8Jzkj8_H2942tknvDLKOTMacQ7leBtLjRtgBS1uA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Please note we will not have school next Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 8 & 9. We will have parent conferences on the 9th all day. I sent a SignUp Genius out for you to sign up at a time that will hopefully work for you. If you experience any difficulties with scheduling or with finding this sign up form, please email me and I will assist you.



As far as the past couple of weeks go, we've had a busy time learning and reviewing so much information!!! :)

In Reading, we've explored how to explore, analyze, and tackle reading passages by using strategies and skills that help us not only enjoy the reading, but also pay attention to important information that  helps us find evidence for our answers. We use RULES while reading passages. (Read the title and questions. Underline key words and phrases in the questions. Read the passage and Look for important information and answers. Eliminate wrong answers. Select right answers and Show evidence.)  We've practiced writing summaries, recognizing that parts of a well-written story, and looked closely at the order of events in a story and how that order effects the story's direction. This week we discovered how authors use figurative language such as similes and metaphors to make their writing more interesting and expressive for us, the readers, to enjoy. We also practiced using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown or unfamiliar words in our texts. This is an important skill and will take constant practice. This is a skill we use every day!

In Writing, we started to write some about moments in our lives. We're still practicing writing complete sentences with capitals, subjects, predicates, and end marks. I encourage you to write from time to time with your kiddos and help them stay accountable for writing complete sentences. We've explored parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and synonyms and antonyms. The new spelling list features homophones which will prove challenging, but we can determine which homophone to use and spell by using our context clues. :) We will also start reading and writing poetry in the next couple of weeks which will allow the students to really play around with language and discover the power of words in their reading and writing.

In Math, we have practiced rounding and estimating in addition and subtraction problems. We will continue practicing our addition and subtraction facts and will especially practice regrouping when adding and subtracting larger 2 digit and 3 digit numbers. We've started analyzing and solving one and two step word problems. We've also revisited strip diagrams to help make math more visual. We're practicing the important step of recognizing words that help us know if we are adding or subtracting in a word problem by incorporating the C.U.B.E.S. strategy. In the next couple of weeks, we will begin to explore multiplication and see where that skill can take us!

In Social Studies, we've discovered the power of rights, responsibilities, freedom of speech, and how we can stand up for our beliefs and convictions without violence. We also began learning about people whose actions influenced our nations history such as men at Greensboro, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Helen Keller.

In Science, we've observed changes in matter and how heat and cooling energy affect those changes. We've also learned that mixtures are a combination of two or more objects that can be separated. The students used tools such as sieves, tweezers and tongs, their hands, magnets, and hot pads to separate mixtures. In this coming unit, they will explore types of energy such as mechanical, thermal, sound and light energy.

So much to enjoy! :)

UIL Information :)

We are excited to announce that Forest Creek Elementary will be participating in the UIL (University Interscholastic League) Competition again this year! The events that our school is participating this year are: Creative Writing - grade 2, Oral Reading - grades 4 & 5, Spelling - grades 3, 4, & 5, Ready Writing - grades 3, 4, & 5, Number Sense - grades 4 & 5, and Storytelling - grades 2 & 3. Practices will be once a week and the Division Meet is Saturday January 26, 2019. Please click on the form for signup and more information. UIL Sign Up Form

What a Great Week!

   We minions are really embracing our learning space and are working together to learn more about fiction texts, characters, problem-solving, parts of speech, and socializing skills, and changes in states of matter. We're also practicing our focusing skills to makes sure we're paying attention and speaking to ourselves with positive, focused language.

   I want to encourage parents check students' agendas daily. These spirals contain homework assignments, important dates and instill responsibility in keeping up with daily tasks. Please also check that your students practice their spelling and challenge themselves with our math and reading activities in their homework packets. This practice, even just for a few minutes each night, helps create memory and thinking paths in the kids' brains that encourage deeper thinking and stronger memory. I'm looking forward to having your kids next week as we continue to explore rounding numbers, connective reading skills, using parts of speech effectively in writing, and changes in states of matter.

   We are also practicing conflict resolution strategies and how to speak kindly and respectfully with others. As you have a chance, please speak with your children about showing kindness even in the face of adversity.  Doing so will prep their minds for some of our conversations. Thank you!

Hello All!
I hope you've had a blessed, long weekend. Here are a couple of announcements:

As of this past Friday, our class has earned 300 sticks for safe, respectful, and responsible actions!!! Please take time to celebrate a little with your child. :) They've earned having a PJ day. Seeing as we've had a long weekend and a note did not go out, we will celebrate our hard work on Wednesday! Your child is welcome to wear appropriate sleep wear, but I encourage wearing safe shoes. Please continue to encourage your child to find ways to live safely, respectfully and responsibly to keep our class wonderful and to reach our new goal of 600 points. :)

Here are some dates to look forward to:
9/3 - Labor Day...no school
9/4 - Awarded PJ Day : )
9/3 - Grandparent's Day

I'm enjoying the opportunity to get to know your students. These kiddos love sharing ideas and stories. Here are some things we're reviewing and learning right now:

Math - We're learning how to collect and analyze data using frequency tables, pictographs, bar graphs, and dot plots. We've interviewed each other to create graphs about favorite animals and treats. We've created pictographs with keys and payed close attention to the value represented by each image. We're comparing data as well as using our addition and subtraction skills to better understand what each graph represents. We're also practicing addition, subtraction, reading money, and understanding place values any chance we get. So any extra practice helps!

Social Emotional Learning - We share daily about what we expect in ourselves, others, and in our school community while living safely, respectfully, and responsibly. We've shared what living in as a family of learners looks like and plan to hold each other accountable and to encourage one another.

Reading/Social Studies - While it's true we're still learning how to read a little bit, we are really experiencing what reading to learn is about. This week we've explored the story elements of fiction narratives: each story has characters, settings, conflicts, events in order, and resolutions. We're also analyzing characters and how they develop, change, and drive the stories. In the midst of these stories, we've learned about our role in our communities as caring and responsible citizens. We understand why schools, families, and societies have rules and expectations set out for us to follow. To tie in some math and social studies skills, we're learning how to vote and why making our voices heard builds our communities and nation.

Writing - Along with reading, we understand that writing often follows an order of ideas. We can write about ANYTHING! Right now we're focusing on small moments in our lives that we can tell stories about. We're also reviewing and practicing writing complete sentences with a capital letter, subject, predicate, and end mark. We will practice throughout the rest of the year. Synonyms and antonyms also enter our writing world as we will one day work our way to the revising and editing phases of writing and consider wording we could use to empower our stories.

Science - We are learning why matter matters. We investigate the properties of matter through a series of experiments. For the next few days, we will consider the mass of solid and liquid objects as we work hard to create a foil bowl that will hold 40 pennies without sinking.