Whew! How Time Flies!

A big thank you to the wonderful parent volunteers who chaperoned our big field trip to Discovery Gateway and Clark Planetarium this week! We are amazed that the weather continued true-to-form for every field trip this class has had since kindergarten - - it's a good thing our field trip was indoors!  The students enjoyed learning, discovering, and playing together. They had a lot to tell me about their individual experiences, later that week when I had returned from a couple of sick days.  Thank you, again, for spending the day with us.

We will be finishing up our last week of school with some "out of this world" fun activities. Whether you love sports, games, pets, rockets or talents there's something for everyone to enjoy.  Check out our list of fun for the week!

Kickball Tournament!
We have taken to the field! We are in the middle of our third grade kickball tournament, using our kicking, running, and passing skills, while championing our two most important rules: have good sportsmanship and have fun! We played our first two games last week and have two more games on Monday and Tuesday of this week at 2:10 p.m.  Feel free to come cheer us on!

Paper Airplane Races and Popsicles! 
This Tuesday, June 4 we will be having a fun measurement activity that involves paper, airplanes, meter sticks, and popsicles.  Students can bring paper airplanes from home or make their own at school for our races that day.  Do you know the best way to fold a paper airplane?  What does it take to go the distance?  We're going to compare and contrast and find our for ourselves!

Talent Show!
Each third grade class held its own talent show last week and we were privileged to enjoy some amazing talents that we don't get to see everyday at school.  Students then voted for their top favorites and we will be holding a final grade level talent show in the gym on Tuesday, June 4th at 10:30 a.m.  The sky's the limit when it comes to third grade talents!

Pet Day!
Woof! Woof!  As soon as morning announcements are finished on Wed., June 5th, students will bring chairs outside and sit in a circle for Pet Day (about 8:30 a.m.). Animals will only be outside and should come with a leash or a cage. They should also be safe and comfortable with a large group of children around them. Volunteers who bring pets should have completed the Canyons District Volunteer application and be wearing an Altara Visitor nametag, after checking in at the office. Volunteers must bring pets, stay with them the entire time, and take them home immediately following Pet Day sharing.  We are excited to learn all about our students' animal friends!

Bottle Rocket Launch!

We're celebrating our last science unit on Force, Motion, and Gravity with a grade level rocket launch on Wednesday, June 5th. To prepare for the launch, we're collecting 2-Liter soda bottles and duct tape to make the rockets at school.  Students are welcome to bring the materials any time before Wednesday.

Field Day!
On Thursday, June 6th, 9:30-11:30 a.m., students will be rotating through eight stations created by the third grade teachers and run by our wonderful parent volunteers. If you volunteered for Field Day, please arrive and check in at the office by 9:25 a.m.  Our picnic lunch out on the lawn begins at 11:30 a.m. and all are welcome to join us!  Please check the weather for suitable attire, and, if needed, bring hats, sunscreen, and water bottles. Let the games begin!
                                                          

It's Time To Show 'Ya What We Know!

Whew!  We are off and running with end of year review as well as end of year tests.  Our last language arts CRT test is scheduled for Thursday, 5/16.  We will begin at 8:30 a.m. so please have your student on time to participate.  Our math CRTs are scheduled for the mornings of Monday 5/20, and Tuesday 5/21. Your students are doing a fabulous job of being serious test takers.  It is really important to them, and they are trying so hard to make you proud!  You can help them by making sure they are rested and have eaten a good breakfast before school.  Thanks for all of your support!

 

Click above to see...Rock This Test!

Play On!...Realistic Fiction Game Boards

It's almost Book Report time...This month we will be reading Realistic Fiction (a story that really could happen) and then creating a game board to play with our buddies in class.  All directions and rubric are found inside homework folders.  I am including two examples for you to help while creating your own :) If you need a game board template you can try the following sites:

 

Word Board Game Templates

Printable Board Games

More Board Games
Board Game Template  

Playing Card Templates

Thank You!

Dear Parent,
Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Thank you so very much for all the generous gifts and well wishes last week for Teacher Appreciation.  Everything was noticed and greatly appreciated!  The students were so excited to share in a fun week and I was touched by every gesture, small or large.
Thank you again for everything :)

Liberty and Freedom

Students are currently engaged in a Social Studies unit on Patriotism and Citizenship. Last week we spent a great deal of time reading, writing, and learning about the Statue of Liberty. We will continue our study this week learning about more patriotic symbols such as the flag, the Capital, the Declaration of Independence, and the Liberty Bell.   Ask your child what interesting facts they are learning about America's patriotic symbols.

Click on the picture to learn more about the Statue of Liberty from a news report commemorating its 125 birthday

Children of Many Colors Still Going Strong

Thanks for coming to our class program last Thursday.  I hope that you were able to see your student shine and enjoy watching their spectacular talents!  All students were fantastic and worked hard to make a program a success! 
This week in Reading Street, we will be reviewing all topics and skills from the last five weeks.  Our "Big Idea" has been focusing on what happens when two ways of life come together.   We have learned a lot about differences in dress, food, homes, language, etc.  It has been wonderful hearing your students share their backgrounds and cultures.  The stories in Unit 5 tell us about people from different cultures and how they adapt to new environments. 

See Us Shine!

We are fine tuning our singing, dancing, and speaking parts for our program this Friday.  We will be dancing to the song, Children of Many Colors- that is exactly how we want to look.  We would love to see a  variety of cultural costumes for all students.  Please look around your house and find items that reflect culture or promote a variety of color with skirts, shirts, sashes, head coverings, etc. Please let me know if this presents a problem for anyone :) Our program begins Friday, 4/12 at 9:30 in Altara's gym.   Come see us shine!