Week of September 26-September 30

Thank you to all of our volunteers who made Special Friend's Day even more special! We truly appreciate you! We are so glad so many special friends were able to come.

Calendar Dates

September 30- Spelling Test and homework due

October 7- Fall Conferences (more information to come)
October 7 & 10- No School 

A Peek at Our Week

In reading we will continue our unit on genre. We will continue learning about story elements and how they fit into the genres we read. We will continue writing about our reading and making our connections as we read. 

In writing, learners will continue learning about the writing process.  We will have fun writing using Story Starters to help us brainstorm topics and generate details.  

In math, our learners will be working through a choice board to showcase all of their learning from the first month of school. We will review all of the skills we have learned so far, such as representing numbers in multiple ways, comparing numbers, and rounding numbers. We will also review all of the vocabulary we have learned over this unit.

In science this week, we are diving into our learning about force and motion. We are excited to begin our labs for this unit and will continue to build our science vocabulary.

In social studies, learners will continue showing their understanding of geography and maps. We will work on creating a map of our own creative island, which includes cities, landforms, a map scale, compass, title, and border. Then, we will begin studying landforms.

Important Reminders

Homework: 

• Reflex Math: Reflex Math is officially up and running! It is a school-wide expectation that all of our learners are using Reflex Math for 3 times a week for 15 minutes a night. Please make sure your child is getting their green light every time they log on! To log in to Reflex Math go to: www.reflexmath.com Enter your teacher's username: for 3A/3B it is lheath, for 3C/3D/ 3E it is courtrice. Select your class. Select your name. Enter your password that you use for logging in at school.
• Spelling Choiceboard: Our first spelling choiceboard is due 9/30. We will also have a spelling test this day. 

Cafeteria expectations: 

It is a school-wide expectation that when the lights are off, our voices are off. Please help us with following these when you are eating with your child in the cafeteria.

Background Check

Please take a minute to fill out a background check.  It only takes a few minutes and the link is below.  You will need to have completed a background check to volunteer at school and attend special events and field trips.  You must complete a new background check each school year. http://www.coppellisd.com/Page/22

Character at TCE

Citizenship Quality: Patriotism

Life Principal: Courage
Town Center Common Courtesy: When a substitute teacher is present, all class rules still apply. 

September 19-September 23

What a great week of learning we've had in Third Grade! Our kids had so much fun doing their first week of Texan Town with the older grades. We have been so proud of all of their hard work, and we are looking forward to another wonderful week.

Calendar Dates

September 23rd- Special Friend's Day (10:30-11:30)

September 23rd- Fall Family Picnic

October 7- Fall Conferences (more information to come)

A Peek at Our Week

In reading, learners will continue studying different literary genres. We will also be learning about story elements in fiction texts, such as characters, setting, problem and solution, and plot. We will write about our reading and begin working of different products to show our learning and understanding. 

In writing, learners will continue learning about the writing process. They will use editing and revising strategies on an expository essay about their favorite experience of summer. 

In math, our learners will be learning how to round numbers to the nearest hundreds place. They have worked so hard at rounding to the nearest tens, and have become pros! They will also be learning how to round and estimate numbers to solve addition and subtraction problems.

In science, we are going to be investigating changing states of matter, as well as making and separating our own mixtures. The kids are absolutely loving our science labs, and we are excited to start diving into our force, motion, and energy unit. We will spend the last couple days of the week learning about Newton's laws of motion. 

In social studies, learners will continue showing their understanding of geography and maps. We will work on creating a map of our own creative island, which includes cities, landforms, a map scale, compass, title, and border. 

Important Reminders

Teachers Out Monday: On Monday, our team will be out for an assessment and planning day. If you need anything or have a change with your child, please contact the front office.

Cafeteria expectations: It is a school-wide expectation that when the lights are off, our voices are off. Please help us with following these when you are eating with your child in the cafeteria.

Character at TCE

Citizenship Quality: Patriotism

Life Principal: Resiliency
Town Center Common Courtesy: Use a respectful tone when asking for things.

September 12-16

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through our blog. We've had such a great THIRD week of THIRD grade! We are looking forward to another wonderful week of learning with your children next week.

This morning we had a visit from Officer Freeman. She spoke to us all about Patriot Day (September 11th), and she told us about her career as a police officer. We loved getting to talk about being a HERO with her!

Calendar:
September 18th- September 23rd- Fall Book Fair
September 23rd- Special Friend's Day
September 23rd- Fall Family Picnic (5:30-7:30)

A Peek at our Week:
In reading, learners will continue learning about different literacy genres. Learners' knowledge will be pre-assessed, and then they will work through a choice board to show their understanding.

In writing, learners will begin learning about the writing process. We will work through brainstorming, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing to create a expository writing sample. We will also review transition words to make our writing flow more naturally.

In social studies, learners will continue studying geography. They will work on understanding map skills, including a compass rose, scale, grid system, and map symbols. Then, learners will be creating their own map. Be looking for our first flipped lesson to be coming home early next week.

This week in science, we will be finishing up our last investigation in the measurable properties of matter. Towards the end of the week we will introduce our force, motion, and energy unit.

In math, our learners will continue to be comparing and ordering numbers. We have been so proud of all of their hard work so far! We will also begin learning all about rounding. Our learners will be able to round to the nearest tens and hundreds place.

Character at TCE:
Citizenship Quality of the Month: Patriotism
Life Principle: Curiosity
Town Center Common Courtesy: When having a conversation, it is polite to make eye contact and respond.

September 6th-September 9th

Thank you so much for checking out our Third Grade blog! We had such an incredible week on learning. We have loved getting to know your children even better, and we can't wait for another great week next week!

Calendar Dates:

September 5th- Labor Day (NO school!)
September 8th- Picture Day
September 18th-September 23rd- Fall Book Fair
September 23rd- Special Friend's Day/Fall Family Picnic

Announcements 

Labor Day: Remember that we will have no school on Monday! Enjoy the day with your families!
Family Pictures: If you have not sent in a family picture with your child, please do so soon. We love having our families represented in our classrooms. You can also e-mail your picture to your child's teacher.
Reflex Math: We are still waiting for all of our learners to be imported into the system, so it will be another week before we begin Reflex Math!
Blue Cards: Please be sure and return your child's blue emergency contact card ASAP! Thank you!
Top Ten Things About Third Grade: Over the past week, we have asked our learners about the top ten things about third grade. We created a video for curriculum night, and here is the link:
Link for Video

A Peek at our Week:

Character at TCE
Citizenship Quality of the Month:  Patriotism
Life Principle: Problem Solving
Town Center Common Courtesy: It is disrespectful to use gestures to express frustration.



In math, we have been learning all about very large numbers (up to the hundred thousands place!). This week we will focus on comparing and ordering those larger numbers. 

In science, we are becoming masters of all things matter! We will be reviewing the states of matter and beginning to classify matter according to its properties. We will be investigating the measurable properties of matter including: sink or float, mass, magnetism, and temperature. Towards the end of the week we will begin to explore changing states of matter.  

In reading, learners will begin learning about different literacy genres. Learners' knowledge will be pre-assessed, and then they will work though a choice board to show their understanding. 

In writing, learners will begin learning about the writing process. We will work through brainstorming, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing to create an expository writing sample.

In social studies, learners will begin studying geography. They will work on understanding map skills, including a compass rose, scale, grid system, and map symbols. Then, learners will be creating their own map. 

Homework: 

After consideration, we would like to align the spelling homework with the Reflex Math start date, which will be later in September. We will use these weeks to practice our homework and structure in class so that learners are aware of the expectations of spelling homework. No list will be coming home for homework until the middle of September. 

Welcome Back!

Hello 3rd Grade families!

We are so excited for a great year of learning ahead! Here is a little about your third grade team of teachers.

3A Katie Tonemah

This is my fourth year at Town Center. We are doing great things at this school and I am proud to be a part of this community of educators and learners. We are going to have a great year in 3rd grade! I can't wait to see your children grow and I can't wait to get to know them.

3B Logan Heath

This is my first year at Town Center. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to instill a love of math and science in your children. I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing school, and I look forward to a fantastic school year with wonderful 3rd graders!

3C Beth Parker

This is my 16th year in education and my 9th year at TCE!  I am so excited to begin this school year with this amazing group of third graders! Reading is my favorite thing to do ( other than shopping!) so I am very excited to teach the kids in Language Arts and Social Studies. My son is a kindergartener this year as well here at TCE. So not only do I get to teach at one of the best schools in Coppell, I get to be a parent here too!!

3D Courtney Rice

This will be my fourth year of teaching at Town Center.  I absolutely adore being at this school and learning along side such wonderful educators. I love teaching math and science because I love getting to explore new ways to solve problems. I'm looking forward to a great year of learning and growing with your children!

3E Erin Naughton

This is my 13th year of teaching, and my third year to teach third grade. I have two sweet children, a daughter who is four, and a son in Kindergarten at TCE this year.  I love being part of this Coppell Community, and I'm excited to teach and spend time with your children! 

We would like to share our contact information with you as well. Click here to see an enlarged version.


Here's a peek at what we are learning this week!

This week in reading, learners will understand literacy in their own lives. We will discuss our favorite books and how we can be lifelong readers and writers.

This week in writing, learners will begin to learn and review grammar and parts of speech, including complete sentences, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

This week in social studies, learners will begin understanding their place and importance in our community. 

In Math we will be learning all about place value. Our learners will be able to read and write numbers up to the hundred thousands place! They will be able to represent these numbers in multiple ways.

This week in Science we will be setting up our science journals. We will also be exploring the scientific method and learning about science safety. We will start our unit all about matter this week as well. 

We look forward to a wonderful year of learning and exploring with your children! Please let us know if you have any questions.

Important Dates:
September 1st- Curriculum Night
September 5th- Labor Day (No school!)
September 8th- Picture Day
September 23rd- Special Friend's Day/Fall Family Picnic

Announcements
Family Pictures: If you have not sent in a family picture with your child, please do so soon. We love having our family represented in our classrooms. You can also e-mail your picture to your child's teacher.
Family Tree Picture: Our whole school will be making a large family tree mural. More information about this is coming home in your child's binder today! 
Lunch: In the cafeteria, we have an expectation that when the lights are off, our voices are off. If you are eating lunch with your child in the cafeteria, please make sure to help us model these expectations! 
Peanut Free Snacks: Please make sure your child is bringing a peanut free snack for snack time. All of our classrooms are peanut free. 


Character at TCE:
Citizenship Quality: Patriotism
Life Principal: Citizenship
Town Center Common Courtesy: When the National Anthem plays, stand and show your respect.

Contact Information

We would like to share our contact information with you. The best way to get in contact with any of us is through email. We hope you find this helpful! Click on the picture to enlarge it.

How to Use This Blog

Hi there,

We would like to take a moment to explain HOW to use this blog. There are quite a few great and important key features on the right side bar that we'd like for you to know about.

SEARCH THIS BLOG
On the right sidebar, there are several ways to search this blog, should you be looking for something specific. First, you can use the search bar to search for a keyword or topic. Also, you can look through the blog archive for specific dates of a blog post organized by month. In addition, you can use the labels feature to click to browse by keyword or topic. As we go on, you will see all of these search features grow, and hopefully you will be able to find information easily.

TWITTER FEED #tce3rdgrade

Throughout the year, all third grade teachers will be posting pictures and snapshops of our learning and experiences at TCE. To help you find these tweets easily, we will use the hashtag #tce3rdgrade. Anytime you are on Twitter, you can search this hashtag. We have also embedded those tweets on our blog. Within this box, you will be able to see all tweets we've marked #tce3rdgrade. We are excited to share our learning and experiences with you this way. 

TRANSLATOR

Google has a translator widgit available on their blogs, so we decided to include it in the sidebar of our blog. We aren't sure how reliable it is, but we hope it will be a good resource to any families and students who speak multiple languages or are just learning English. 

We hope this is a helpful start to reading our blog!