Our Leadership Binders came home today and we couldn't be more EXCITED! The students have been working extremely hard on putting these together. We thought it would be fun to showcase each page of our binder! Please read each caption to learn a little more about what is included.

Check out our FANCY covers!

A letter from Mrs. Hreno explaining our Leadership Binders

1st Quarter Reflection- The class rated themselves on their classroom behavior and work ethic at home. Talk through this with your child. They did such a nice job of being honest with themselves! We know EXACTLY what we need to work on next quarter!

We wrote an academic goal and a plan that will help us achieve the goal. Ask your child what their academic goal is!

Spelling and Math Graphs-We track our scores each time we get a test back. This motivates students to score higher the next time around!

7 Habits Poster! We've  learned about the habits and now we'll dive a little deeper into each habit to learn more about it!

7 Habits Goal- Students chose 1 new habit to work on this quarter. If they forget what their habit means, they can refer to their poster. Ask your child what habit they are working on!

Our *Peek* Goals we wrote at the beginning of the year. Some students have already marked some of these goals off--WAY TO GO!!!!

 

Please spend some time having your child share their binder with you this weekend. It's a wonderful way to have them share what's going on in the classroom! Binders should be returned by Tuesday with ALL materials in the same order they came home in. We will refer to different pages of our binder frequently throughout the quarter. I really feel like the binders have motivated the kids to work hard and stick to their goals. I can't wait to see the progress we make throughout the year! =)

Happy Friday 3rd Grade Families--

This post is a little a longer than most because it's packed with important info., a few reminders, and a lot of fun learning that went on this week!

• Wednesday, October 7th-Walk to School day
• Students are encouraged to walk or ride their bike to school! This is a perfect way to Sharpen the Saw--the final habit we'll be learning next week.

• Thursday, October 8th-Picture Day!
• Friday, October 23rd- Donuts with Dad and Book Fair
• Students can bring their dad or special man in their life to enjoy a yummy breakfast and browse for books after!

• Today-NWEA scores will be available for you to view. This is the literacy and math test students took on the computer at the beginning of year. A couple things to keep in mind as you are  viewing this report:
•  This is only one snapshot of your child's academic progress/growth. On the third grade test, students are expected to read passages/items on their own--this is different from last years test where it was read aloud to them.
• Students are always encouraged to try their best and TAKE THEIR TIME. Sometimes third graders have the tendency to be click-happy, and finish rather quickly.
• Although this test is very important, it is not the only tool I use to measure each student's academic progress. This test, along with other classroom observations and data, allows me to figure out each child's strengths and weaknesses.

Now on to the FUN stuff!!!

The classroom store was open for business today and the kids were so EXCITED! It's always fun to see who the spenders, savers, and shopaholics ( I think that's me!) are. All of their hard work is definitely paying off! Take a look at some of my shoppers and the fun things they could buy!

Mrs. Borlik's second graders joined us for math today and it was a blast! Third graders had the opportunity to teach them every step of the problem solving process that we've learned so far. They paired up around the room and got to work! Each group synergized to find the right answer!  Here are the steps we've learned so far:

1. Read the problem until you understand it.
2. Cover the problem and retell the most important parts. If you can't retell, reread the problem.
3. Circle the question the problem is asking.
4. Identify key words and numbers in the problem.
5. Decide which skills you'll need to solve the problem-Ask yourself, should I add, subtract, multiply, or divide?!
6. Pick the best strategy that will help you solve the problem.

This week students also:

• continued their mineral field tests just as a geologist does! They discovered the luster, hardness, and magnetism of their minerals.
• identified the difference between literal and non-literal language during reading.
• looked for and wrote FANCY words in their writing instead of us words that may put our readers to sleep!
• learned about Habit 6- Synergize-Together is better! 

Enjoy this BEAUTIFUL, FALL weather and have a great weekend!
Mrs. Hreno

Three Cheers for Class of Week!

That's right! These FABULOUS kids earned CLASS OF THE WEEK and Mrs Klinginsmith came to visit  in her AMAZING spirit decor! I can't tell you how PROUD and EXCITED I am for our class. I think you could have heard them screaming and cheering all the way down the street when they found out they were class of the week. And yes, I feel like I have to take a minute to brag about them! Here's why I am so lucky to have them as my students....

• They ENCOURAGE each other daily! With this class, I quickly noticed how they genuinely want each other to do well and succeed. They truly are each other's cheerleaders.
• They are incredibly KIND to one another and are quick to apologize if they know they've hurt a friend's feelings.
•  They persevere through challenging tasks and never complain when asked to do something.
• They're HILARIOUS--Their personalities combined make me laugh...A LOT!
•  They're working incredibly hard on being leaders in and outside of the classroom.
• They LOVE learning! I can't tell you how many cheers I get or how often I hear "Yesssss!" when I introduce something we're learning or an activity.

I could go on and on! I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such kind-hearted and sweet kids every day. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us! Enjoy this beautiful weekend!

Mrs. Hreno

Things are looking GREAT in 3rd grade! Take a look at all of the fun things we learned this week....

• Habit 4 was introduced, read about, and practiced!--Think Win-Win: Everyone can win!

• In math, we worked on identifying the rule and completing IN and OUT tables. We also worked on using part and total diagrams to help us solve number stories. For problem solving today, students worked on on using the "Make a Table" strategy to solve TRICKY word problems. It was a VERY productive week in math!
• We've kicked off our Rocks and Minerals unit in Science and the class is LOVING it. We put on our geologist hats each day and get to work! Students observed 12 rocks and sorted them by different properties. Ask your child what PROPERTIES they sorted their rocks into. They also learned about the 3 different types of rocks and how they're formed. See if your child can tell you the 3 main types of rocks and/or how they're formed.
• We continued working on SHOWING instead of TELLING in our writing and started HOOKING our reader with a GREAT beginning. We don't want our readers to FALL ASLEEP when they pick up our stories so we're working on writing beginnings that will reel our readers in!
• This week in reading we worked on identifying the author's point of view and looked for words in the text that helped us decide if it was being told in the first-person or third-person.

Next week, we will be celebrating Homecoming and College Go week. Check out the FUN spirit days below!

Wednesday:  Workout Wednesday!

Thursday: Go College!  Support your favorite college week!

Friday: Blue and Gold!

Oh the fun things we do in 3rd grade! If you were a fly on the wall in Rm 13 this week you would have seen or heard..

• Students using a storyteller's voice in writing. We worked on writing SEED stories--a ZOOMED in moment in time. When we use a storyteller's voice, we write the story bit-by-bit, including every important detail of that moment. Ask your child what their SEED story was about.
• Lots of cheering in math class. EVERY student got an A on the first math test! I was one proud teacher! I can tell the students really studied hard! 
• The class reading for DETAILS in Social Studies. We had to find the important physical features, natural resources, and climate of different states. Ask your child to give you an example of a physical feature and natural resource that we learned about this week.
• Connecting Across Texts in reading today! Students share the book they read during small group time this week with other classmates who read different books. Each book centers around our BIG QUESTION for the unit: How do people help each other? Ask your child how the character in their book was helpful or showed kindness.
  

A note from Mrs. Douce!

Attention families:  If you are in need of a home computer for your student, please contact Mrs. Douce, CES student services coordinator, at 844-0168 or jdouce@ccs.k12.in.us.  A program called Net Literacy will be donating refurbished computers for families in financial need.  Please contact Mrs. Douce by September 28^th if you are interested. 

 Jennifer Douce, MSW, LCS

Student Services Coordinator

Carmel Elementary

We made it to Friday and  we are so excited for our 3 day weekend!

Take a look at what my sweeties did this week:

• Math-We practiced counting coins, making change, and completing number patterns. Along with completing patterns, we worked on identifying the rule used in the pattern. Today was PROBLEM SOLVING day--Our favorite!  Ask your child what NEW steps we learned that will help us work through a word problem!  Don't forget that our first math test is next Thursday, September 10.

• Social Studies- We used a map scale and compass rose to find the distance and direction from Carmel, Indiana to various places around the United States. Ask your child what their favorite place was!
• Writing- We started working on SHOWING vs. Telling when we write. The class learned that they should create a mental movie of their story that includes descriptive sentences, action, and dialogue. They quickly realized that it's easier to write LONGER if they're showing instead of telling.
• Reading- We began our small group reading this week and I was SO impressed with how quickly the class learned the routines. During this time, students meet with a teacher and  independently read a book of their choice. Ask your child what book they read this week in their small group. Have them summarize the book  for you by sharing the most important parts from the the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

It was a GREAT week in 3rd grade! I hope everyone enjoys their Labor Day weekend!