May 2nd-6th

 Upcoming Dates

May 2nd-6th - Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week

May 3rd - STAAR letters due

May 6th - Field Trip money and permission slip are due

May 10th - Math STAAR

May 11th - Reading STAAR

May 13th - Family Lunch Friday

*More information in Principal Newsletter*

May 19th - Field Trip to Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney

May 23rd  - TCE Field Day (more info coming soon)

May 27th - Last Day of School

*Early release @ 12:30pm!*

Important!! Please Read

If you haven’t already sent in your TWO letters for your child’s STAAR days, please do so by this Wednesday. May 4th!  Please see the information below about what the letters are all about!

We want to continue our tradition of having the 3rd graders open letters from their parents on the days of STAAR testing (Math - Tuesday, May 10, Reading - Wednesday, May 11). Here’s what we need from you: please write 1 letter for EACH STAAR day (2 letters total) that gives your kiddo some pep and encouragement for the big day, seal them in an envelope, put your child’s name and either an M or R (to designate if it’s the math letter or the reading letter), and send it in to school with your child. We will make sure it gets to your 3rd grader on the correct day. If you’d like to email the letters to your child’s homeroom teacher and have us print them out, that is perfectly fine as well; we’re happy to do it! Please do not mention this to your child; we’d love for each kiddo to have a happy surprise that morning from the people they love the most. Please have letters turned in by Tuesday, May 3rd.

FIELD TRIP Money and Permission Slip:

If you have not turned in your child’s field trip money ($11) and permission slip, please do so by this Friday, May 6th.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Sack Summer Hunger

Last Call for Optional End of Year Conference

May Lunch Menu

 

Math

We will continue to review and get ready for the STAAR test next week! The kiddos are doing great and have really tried to embrace attacking those word problems:

1. Reread and highlight

2. Think about the words

3. Draw a picture

4. Flag and come back

5. Take a mental moment

Science 

In Science , we will learn about animal needs, how they are met and what happens if their environment is unable to provide those needs.  We will also look at animal adaptations and how they help aid in their survival.  We will be keeping an animal diary over the next week and a half.  The kids will be able to view a specific animal through a webcam and observe their habitat and how they interact with it. 

Reading/Writing 

Social Studies 

Ms. Martin's Newsletter

April 25th-29th

 Upcoming Dates

May 2nd-6th - Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week

May 3rd - STAAR letters due

May 6th - Field Trip money and permission slip are due

May 10th - Math STAAR

May 11th - Reading STAAR

May 19th - Field Trip to Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney

May 23rd  - TCE Field Day (more info coming soon)

May 27th - Last Day of School

*Early release @ 12:30pm!*

Shhhh, it’s a surprise!

We want to continue our tradition of having the 3rd graders open letters from their parents on the days of STAAR testing (Math - Tuesday, May 10, Reading - Wednesday, May 11). Here’s what we need from you: please write 1 letter for EACH STAAR day (2 letters total) that gives your kiddo some pep and encouragement for the big day, seal them in an envelope, put your child’s name and either an M or R (to designate if it’s the math letter or the reading letter), and send it in to school with your child. We will make sure it gets to your 3rd grader on the correct day. If you’d like to email the letters to your child’s homeroom teacher and have us print them out, that is perfectly fine as well; we’re happy to do it! Please do not mention this to your child; we’d love for each kiddo to have a happy surprise that morning from the people they love the most. Please have letters turned in by Tuesday, May 3rd.

Field Trip Information!

Just a reminder that the $11 cash or check (made out to Coppell ISD) AND permission is due Friday, May 6th.

**Optional** End of Year Conference

April Lunch Menu

 

Math

We will spend the next week reviewing for STAAR. This will include specific reviewing that is tailored to what each kiddo needs to work on (versus every child reviewing every concept), small groups, and test-taking strategies. Your child has learned all the math he or she needs, and now it’s time to dot the Is and cross the Ts (finish the 7s and curve the 8s since it’s math?) so that he or she is ready to rock that math STAAR test!

Science 

In Science , we will be studying and learning about the structure and function of parts of plants.  We will also discuss the basic needs of plants and how they play a big role in our environment and food chains.

Reading/Writing 

In reading, we will overview nonfiction and apply our knowledge to answering STAAR questions. In writing, we will overview prepositions and adjectives and how to identify/use them in our writing.

Social Studies 

In social studies, we will continue to learn about historical figures and their impacts to their communities.

Ms. Martin's Newsletter

April 18th-22nd

 

Upcoming Dates

April 18th - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday

April 20th - TCE Spirit night @ Rodeo Goat 4pm-10pm

May 2nd-6th - Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week

May 10th - Math STAAR

May 11th - Reading STAAR

May 19th - Field Trip to Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney

May 23rd  - TCE Field Day (more info coming soon)

May 27th - Last Day of School

*Early release @ 12:30pm!*

Field Trip Information!

It is happening!! Woohoo!!  We will be going to the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney on May 19th! This will fit right into our Science TEKS and we are so excited!!  More detailed information is coming home in a letter, as well as a permission slip.  Here are a few time sensitive, important details:

1. We need the permission slip AND money turned in no later than May 6th.

2. We need your help!!  We would love to have you as a chaperone!  The cost for chaperones is $11.  If you would like to do this, we need the following ASAP:

1. A background check completed for THIS school year.

2. Please email your child’s teacher that you are interested

3. You will send in your money, along with your child’s.

**Optional** End of Year Conference

April Lunch Menu

 

Math

This is our final week of new learning in math! And the topic iiiissssss MEASUREMENT! Hooray! 3rd graders are expected to know all about units of measurement for capacity and weight. (Units of measurement for length were learned in 2nd grade, but of course we’ll review them.) The units of measurement in the metric system for capacity are milliliters, liters, and kiloliters. For weight, it’s grams, kilograms, and metric tons. The units of measurement in the customary system for capacity are fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons. For weight, it’s ounces, pounds, and tons. 

We will learn all about the “Kingdom of Gallon”. In the Kingdom of Gallon, there are 4 queens (quarts). Each queen has 2 princesses (pints), and each princess has 2 cats (cups). While the 3rd graders do not have to convert measurements, this is a useful way to help them remember the units and the amount each unit represents. The big skill for your kiddo will be to choose the appropriate unit of measurement for the amount that’s being measured. For example, is it more appropriate to use cups or gallons to measure the amount of water in a swimming pool? Is it more appropriate to use ounces or pounds to measure the weight of an elephant? These third graders are going to measure up during this  unit of study, I’m sure of it! (See what I did there?)

**Starting next week, math homework will be going home. This optional homework will go home on Mondays of each week and can be returned, completed, on Fridays. This work will focus on STAAR-style questions and will give your child a bit of extra practice in this area, and it will also allow parents to see the kinds of questions 3rd graders encounter on the STAAR math test. Feel free to work on an amount of questions each night that works for your family; we know schedules are busy.

Science 

Next week we will wrap up our Food Chain discussion and then take a look at what happens to food chains when there are environmental changes.  We will look at the causes and effects of Coral Bleaching.

Reading/Writing 

In reading, we will overview poetry and how to break down poems to better answer poetry questions on the STAAR. In writing, we will overview grammar rules and apply them to our own writing.

Social Studies 

In social studies, we will explore more historical figures and how they impacted our communities.

Ms. Martin's Newsletter

April 11th-15th

 

Upcoming Dates

April 15th - Regular School Day 

*Make-up from Ice Day on 2/24*

April 18th - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday

May 2nd-6th - Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week

May 10th - Math STAAR

May 11th - Reading STAAR

May 23rd  - TCE Field Day (more info coming soon)

May 27th - Last Day of School

*Early release @ 12:30pm!*

STAAR Information

STAAR test time is just around the corner! The math STAAR date for 3rd graders is Tuesday, May 10 and the reading STAAR date for 3rd graders is Wednesday, May 11. These are the only 2 STAAR tests 3rd graders take. They will take these tests on their iPad; results will be sent to you during the summertime. There is no mandatory retention of 3rd graders who don’t pass the STAAR test.

Since the beginning of the year, all third graders have been learning all the math and reading concepts they will need. What we have begun recently and will continue until STAAR time are things like test taking strategies, practicing word problems without having the teacher’s help, and strengthening our stamina for independent work. 

STAAR days are strange and different days for 3rd graders: 1) they’ve never taken a STAAR test before, 2) the entire building is quiet because 3rd-5th graders are testing at the same time, 3) the schedule of the day is different than usual 4) furniture is rearranged, so seats are in different spots, and 5) math and reading material on the walls has been taken down or covered up. In addition to test-taking strategies like what to do if I don’t know the answer and pay attention to what the question is asking, we will also prepare students for all the ways the day will be different than a normal day. Your child means much much more to us than his or her STAAR score, and we don’t think any 3rd grader should feel stress about these days; we have watched them all year long and understand that the STAAR scores are just one data point. However, we want them to be prepared for what the day is like and how to take a long test so that they will come to school on May 10 and 11 feeling ready to rock! Please let us know if you have any questions about 3rd grade STAAR.

*iPads - Please remember to send your child's iPad each day to school fully charged. 

*Headphones - Please check with your child that they have working headphones/earbuds at school. Learners have many times where they are watching a video or can listen to directions and/or books and apps that need audio. Thank you so much for your help with this!

April Lunch Menu

 

Math

This week, we will tackle elapsed time! There are 3 kinds of elapsed time telling, and we will spend a day teaching each one and then 2 days practicing this life skill. First way, easiest way: they give us the start time and the end time of the activity or event, and we have to figure out how much time passed (elapsed) between the two. 2nd way, medium easy: they give us the start time of the activity or event, tell us how much time elapsed, and we have to figure out the ending time. 3rd way, a touch tricky: they give us the ending time of the activity/event, and we have to work our way backwards and figure out the starting time of the activity/event. We will use time number lines, timelines if you will, to track all these minutes, and your smart kiddo will get it in no time. Finally, sometimes 3rd graders are required to look at an analog clock and tell the time (2nd grade skill) as a first step in the elapsed time problem, which adds another fun layer.

Science 

In Science this coming week we will dive into Food Chains.  We will look at how living organisms depend on one another and what happens if a food chain is disrupted. 

Reading/Writing 

In reading, we are going to kick off our STAAR prep by finding out strengths and areas of growth. We will begin to learn new test-taking strategies that we will apply to our reading. In writing, we will wrap up our poetry unit.

Social Studies 

In social studies we will examine new historical figures including Harriet Tubman and Hector P. Garcia and their contributions to society.

Ms. Martin's Newsletter

April 4th-8th

 

Upcoming Dates

April 15th - Regular School Day 

*Make-up from Ice Day on 2/24*

April 18th - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday

May 2nd-6th - Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week

May 10th - Math STAAR

May 11th - Reading STAAR

May 23rd  - TCE Field Day (more info coming soon)

May 27th - Last Day of School

*Early release @ 12:30pm!*

STAAR Information

STAAR test time is just around the corner! The math STAAR date for 3rd graders is Tuesday, May 10 and the reading STAAR date for 3rd graders is Wednesday, May 11. These are the only 2 STAAR tests 3rd graders take. They will take these tests on their iPad; results will be sent to you during the summertime. There is no mandatory retention of 3rd graders who don’t pass the STAAR test.

Since the beginning of the year, all third graders have been learning all the math and reading concepts they will need. What we have begun recently and will continue until STAAR time are things like test taking strategies, practicing word problems without having the teacher’s help, and strengthening our stamina for independent work. 

STAAR days are strange and different days for 3rd graders: 1) they’ve never taken a STAAR test before, 2) the entire building is quiet because 3rd-5th graders are testing at the same time, 3) the schedule of the day is different than usual 4) furniture is rearranged, so seats are in different spots, and 5) math and reading material on the walls has been taken down or covered up. In addition to test-taking strategies like what to do if I don’t know the answer and pay attention to what the question is asking, we will also prepare students for all the ways the day will be different than a normal day. Your child means much much more to us than his or her STAAR score, and we don’t think any 3rd grader should feel stress about these days; we have watched them all year long and understand that the STAAR scores are just one data point. However, we want them to be prepared for what the day is like and how to take a long test so that they will come to school on May 10 and 11 feeling ready to rock! Please let us know if you have any questions about 3rd grade STAAR.

*iPads - Please remember to send your child's iPad each day to school fully charged. 

*Headphones - Please check with your child that they have working headphones/earbuds at school. Learners have many times where they are watching a video or can listen to directions and/or books and apps that need audio. Thank you so much for your help with this!

*Snack - We have a short snack time each day. It is important that they have a healthy and nutritious snack each day to fuel their bodies. We also ask that the snack you send be completely free of peanuts/tree nuts. This will help provide a safe environment for all learners.

April Lunch Menu

 

Math

Next week is going to knock their socks off! First, we will review any and all things fractions, and then we are going to have the fraction post test! They have learned everything about fractions they need to know and are ready to show their learning like a boss! We will continue our quest of learning how to attack word problems even when we feel unsure, which translates beautifully into life skills by developing our problem solving muscles. We are nearing the end of our time for new learning this year; we really only have elapsed time and measurement left to learn this year! Can you even believe it?

Science 

Next week we will be researching some habitats.  We will look for animals and plants that are found in each habitat and how they are able to use things in their environment to survive.  We will then choose 2 to compare and contrast.

Reading/Writing 

In reading, we will wrap up our poetry unit. We will show our learning by animating one of our favorite poems! In writing, we will publish some of our favorite poems and share them with the class.

Social Studies 

In social studies, we will kick off our new history unit by exploring a few historical figures and their contributions to the world.

Ms. Martin's Newsletter