September 25-29, 2017

Language Arts: Saturdays and Teacakes  by Lester Laminack. This mentor text will provide the students the opportunity to notice proper nouns, infer evidence, and discuss the elements of a memoir.

Mentor Sentence: Every Saturday she had hot biscuits, sweet butter, and Golden Eagle Syrup waiting on the kitchen table.

Vocabulary: Week 5 vocabulary Quiz Wednesday, October 4th - focus on suffix -able

Tier 2 Words

claim - to say that something is true when someone may say it is not true (states the purpose of the argument);  to say that something belongs to you

position - a point of view that is taken on a question; the place where someone or something is

defend - to speak or write in support of someone or something that is being challenged; to fight in order to keep someone or something safe

redundant, gesture, acknowledge, clutch, persevere, agreeable, reasonable, capable

Social Studies:

• Locate major topographical features on a US map: Rivers - Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, & St. Lawrence; Mountain Ranges - Appalachian & Rocky
• Locate and describe equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.
• Map and globe skills: use a letter/number grid system to determine location, compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
• Information Processing Skills: Identify social studies reference resources to use for a specific purpose.

Cows Really Moo Over Hay Sometimes (rivers west - east in order)

Math: Weekly focus: NBT.2 - Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place  value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction

Homework:

* Read 20 minutes nightly

* Study vocabulary  - quiz October 4th on week 5 words
* IXL, Mobymax, xtramath

* Some students - orange fluency folder (read nightly and answer questions)

Important Dates:

Vocabulary Week 5 - Wednesday, October 4

Conference Day - Friday, October 6

Fall Break - Monday, October 9

Stone Mountain Field Trip - November 2nd

DA$H -

Technology:

Students have log-ins for the following programs and can practice at home: IXL, xtramath, MobyMax. If you need this information, and have lost the letters that went home, please email and I will be happy to share with you.

Conference Sign-up

Complete the form following the link to sign-up for a fall conference. This is the same link that was emailed out. If you have already signed up, there is no need to sign-up again. I will be sending assigned time home next week. Thank you for your continued support.

https://goo.gl/forms/uTzvurS0Gq2RhEkr1

September 18-22, 2017

Language Arts: Describe characters in a story (their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events).

Mentor Sentence: He was always at the end of the line, always at the foot of the class, a forlorn tag-along. Crow Boy

Vocabulary: Week 4 vocabulary Quiz Friday, September 22 - focus on suffix -less

Convince, swiftly, rely, rare, precise, suggest, support, careless, fearless, scoreless, harmless

Social Studies:

• Locate major topographical features on a US map: Rivers - Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, & St. Lawrence; Mountain Ranges - Appalachian & Rocky
• Locate and describe equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.
• Map and globe skills: use a letter/number grid system to determine location, compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
• Information Processing Skills: Identify social studies reference resources to use for a specific purpose.

Math: Weekly focus: NBT.2 - Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on price value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. Addition with regrouping quiz: Friday, September 22nd

Homework:

* Read 20 minutes nightly

* Study vocabulary  - quiz September 22nd on week 4 words
* IXL, Mobymax, xtramath

Important Dates:

Book fair continues through 9/19

Grandparent lunches continue through 9/18

9/19 - Picture make-up day (send letter with child if you want your child’s picture retaken)

September 22 - addition with regrouping quiz & character traits quiz

September 26 - rivers & mountains identification quiz

DA$H t-shirt

DA$H T-shirt sizes needed

The DA$H for Excellence is on Friday, October 20. Each child at Rocky Branch will receive a free DA$H T-shirt on the day of the event. PLEASE complete the form below to request the size t-shirt that would best fit your child! If you have more than one child at Rocky Branch, complete a separate form for each child!

Student DA$H T-Shirt Size Request

September 18-22, 2017

Vocabulary Quizlet Week 4

Field Trip form coming home today

Below you will find a copy of the field trip form that is in Friday folder today. Please return ASAP!

September 15, 2017

Dear Third Grade Students, Parents, and Guardians,

We are excited to inform you about a wonderful field trip opportunity! We will be taking an excursion to the PowWow Festival located at Stone Mountain, Georgia. This trip will be Thursday, November 2, 2017.

    Some of the learning experiences that will be offered to the students include:

• Experience the central role of dance in native culture as Native Americans from across the U.S. and Central America with dance and drum demonstrations.

• Learn about primitive skills such as flint-knapping, bow making, fire starting, open fire cooking, and pottery. Crawl inside a tipi and other traditional native dwellings. Teachers and students participate in interactive experiences such as an encampment showing the lifestyle of local and regional historic Native American cultures.
• Visit the artists' marketplace, where world-renowned Native and Native-inspired artists and crafters demonstrate their skills and offer hand-crafted items for sale.

The cost for the field trip will be $24.00. This includes cost of ticket, gas, and bus drivers. Please pay for the trip in full on or before Friday, September 22nd.  Please make checks payable to RBES, and submit them to your child’s homeroom teacher. Hopefully, all students will be able to participate in this exciting opportunity. We do not want expenses to be a factor in any student not attending the trip. Please notify your child’s homeroom teacher should you need financial assistance.  If you feel that you will need financial assistance, please notify your homeroom teacher as soon as possible and make every effort to pay as much of the trip expense as possible.  If you are interested in helping defray the cost for another student, you can include that (with an explanation) with your child’s payment.

Stone Mountain offers souvenirs to be purchased at the festival. If time allows, your child will have an opportunity to purchase something. Please send your child with additional money, no more than twenty dollars, the day of the trip if you want him/her to purchase a souvenir.

                                                                                                                The Third Grade Teachers

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign below showing you have received this information, and return the bottom slip to your child’s homeroom teacher.

Child’s name Parent/Guardian signature

Please check one of the following.

_________My child will be attending. _______ My child will not be attending.

________My child will need to PURCHASE a school lunch.  ________ My child will BRING their own lunch.

Volunteer Training

Did you miss one of the Volunteer Training Sessions? If so, we have one last make-up session on September 18 from 2 - 2:30. Please join if you are interested in volunteering this year at RBES!

September 11 -15, 2017

Welcome back from another long weekend!

Language Arts: We are continuing to use the mentor text Do Unto Otters  by Laurie Keller. We will continue to explore the difference in character traits  (both physical and behavioral) and emotions and how they play a part in the message the author is trying to convey to the reader.

Mentor Sentence: It’s always good to have a considerate neighbor.

Vocabulary: Week 4 vocabulary Quiz Friday, September 22 - focus on suffix -less

Convince, swiftly, rely, rare, precise, suggest, support, careless, fearless, scoreless, harmless

Social Studies:

• Locate major topographical features on a US map: Rivers - Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, & St. Lawrence; Mountain Ranges - Appalachian & Rocky
• Locate and describe equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.
• Map and globe skills: use a letter/number grid system to determine location, compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
• Information Processing Skills: Identify social studies reference resources to use for a specific purpose.

Math: Weekly focus: NBT.2 - Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on price value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction

Looking ahead in math: Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Homework:

* Read 20 minutes nightly

* Study vocabulary  - quiz September 22nd on week 4 words
* IXL, Mobymax, xtramath

Important Dates:

Book fair continues through 9/19

Grandparent lunches continue through 9/18
9/15 - Elementary night at NOHS football game - ticket went home in Friday folder

9/19 - Picture make-up day (send letter with child if you want your child’s picture retaken)

9/19 - STEAM night 6 - 8 p.m.

9/21 - Vision & hearing checks

Technology:

Students have log-ins for the following programs and can practice at home: IXL, xtramath, MobyMax. If you need this information, and have lost the letters that went home, please email and I will be happy to share with you.

Please read **Attendance**

**Parents** It has been brought to the school's attention that Rocky Branch needs to work on our attendance rate.  Please be aware of the county's attendance policy below and help Rocky Branch lower our percentage of absences and maximize academic learning time.**

Attendance/Tardy Reminders

Excused Absences

1.  Excused Absence for Medical Reasons: Absences for which a student requires attention from a health care professional (i.e. doctor, dentist, psychiatrist, etc. . .) will always be excused when a note from the professional is provided to the school.

2.  Parent Note Excused Absence--Maximum of 5 Parent notes per school year.  

Unexcused Absence: Any absences beyond the five (5) parent excused absences, except those supported by documentation from a health care provider, are considered unexcused.

Tardy: A student is tardy if he/she arrives after the start of the school day or leaves before the end of the school day, missing no more than three (3) hours. Arriving late or leaving early for a medical appointment can be an excused tardy as long as documentation from a medical professional is provided. 

September 5 - 8, 2017

Hope you all had a great, long weekend!

Language Arts: Our mentor text this week is Do Unto Otters  by Laurie Keller. We will continue to explore the difference in character traits  (both physical and behavioral) and emotions and how they play a part in the message the author is trying to convey to the reader.

Mentor Sentence: It’s always good to have a considerate neighbor.

Vocabulary: Assessment on week 2 & 3 words will be Friday, September 8th. Words for Week 4 will go home on the 11th.

Week 2 words: assemble, grumble, calculate, elegant, privilege, identify, determine; What does the prefix “pre-” mean and how does it change the meaning to a word?

Week 3 words: pause, gasp, ancient, observe, brief, locate, interpret, unruly, unexpected, unhealthy, uneasy; What does the prefix un- mean and how does it change the meaning to a word?

Science: Solar Oven construction begins Wednesday.

Social Studies: Next week, we will begin looking at the following standards:

• Locate major topographical features on a US map: Rivers - Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, & St. Lawrence; Mountain Ranges - Appalachian & Rocky
• Locate and describe equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.
• Map and globe skills: use a letter/number grid system to determine location, compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
• Information Processing Skills: Identify social studies reference resources to use for a specific purpose.

Math: Weekly focus: Round numbers to the nearest 10 and 100 and apply to real-world problems.

Looking ahead in math: Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Homework:

* Read 20 minutes nightly

* Study vocabulary (test over week 2 words & week 3 words: September 8)

* Weekly grammar & math ws

* Study for Science Heat summative

Important Dates:

9/8-14 Book Fair (our scheduled time is 9/8 at 9:30)

9/12 - Picture make-up day (send letter with child if you want your child’s picture retaken)

9/21 - Vision & hearing checks

Technology:

Students have log-ins for the following programs and can practice at home: IXL, xtramath, MobyMax. If you need this information, and have lost the letters that went home, please email and I will be happy to share with you.