May 1, 2013
Last week we celebrated Earth Day by focusing on our responsibility to help preserve the rain forest. Students felt very passionate that we should take action. They brought in unwanted toys to create an Estimation Jar. At the Spring Festival, participants paid 2 tickets to make a guess. In the end, there were 232 toys and Caiden in the 5th grade guessed it exactly! He won the whole jar of toys. We raised almost $300.00, which will be donated to the Nature Conservancy. We researched and learned that we could help preserve an acre of the rain forest for $50.00 an acre. That means we will help preserve 5 acres!  Also at the Spring Festival, one of our classmates, Geo, performed Native American dances. Geo really enjoys this type of dancing that shows his heritage.  Check out how fabulous he looks in traditional Native American clothing with his brother and sister.
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
April 8, 2013
Last week I began teaching cursive writing to the students. There is a lot of enthusiasm about learning this. My guess is that they feel it is another step to growing up. Although teachers no longer require cursive writing in the older grades, it is good for fine motor development. In addition, students need to be able to read it. If they don't know what each letter is, they cannot read the words. Therefore, I'm spending about 10 minutes each morning introducing a new letter. They have a pack... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
March 11, 2013
In your child's Friday Folder, a Parent Welcome letter from Scootpad.com was included. This letter gives you information about how your 3rd grader can log onto Scootpad and how you can keep up with his/her progress. This is a new computer program for us, so we are all learning it together. It has math and reading practice for students to complete. In addition, I can assign assignments for students to work on. Students will enjoy posting on the "Class Wall' as well. Let me know if you have any... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
March 4, 2013
Friday, March 8th is the end of our unit under the theme How We Organize Ourselves. Students will be presenting this posters and dressing up to represent the career of their choice. Please join us starting at 2:45 p.m. Students should dress up to the best of their ability for their career of their choice. They should not go out and buy anything, but instead they should get creative with the materials they have at home. Please let me know if you have any questions. Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
February 21, 2013
Just a reminder to kids and to let you know that the second semester ends on March 1. This is the last day to AR quiz this trimester. On March 8 (this is the same day as our Student Career Day), we will be having the second semester awards ceremony. If your child is receiving an award at this awards ceremony, you will be notified next week. Again the categories are: Excellent and Perfect Attendance, IB awards (one boy and one girl per class) and Most Improved and Exceptional Achievement in Re... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
February 15, 2013
TCAP is right around the
corner!
Reading – February 26th and 27th
Writing – March 12th and 13th
Math – March 19th-20th
All testing will begin at 9:30am
Test-Taking Strategies
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Luck Isn’t Enough – Learn in the classroom and
practice what you learn!
·
Don’t Rush – Speeding through the test doesn’t
help!
·
Read Directions Carefully – They are there for a
reason!
·
Read the Questions First – Find out what you... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
February 15, 2013
Mark your calendars for Friday, March 7 when students will be sharing their end of the unit projects for our current unit How We Organize Ourselves. Students will be presenting their projects showing their career choice, necessary education, and budget. They will also dress appropriately for their career. Please join us for another exciting end of the unit event! It will begin at 2:45. Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
February 14, 2013
Today we had a great day with our JA teacher, focusing lessons about the topic "Our City." Lessons included city zoning, creating blueprints and construction, opening a restaurant, writing newstories and banking. I have a few photos posted in the photo gallery. In addition, this week we have been focusing on the student question, "How did the boy get a lot of money?" This question came from looking at a picture of a young boy with money. As a result, we have been learning about creating good m... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
February 13, 2013
One of our parents, Cindy Koder, Haven's mom, has come in two times for about 10-15 minutes to teach our class some visualization strategies for relaxation and focus. The purpose to help students prepare their minds for a positive, productive day. I thought these would be great strategies for students to use any time, but especially as we head into TCAP testing. In our first session, she helped students visualize a "safe place" in their mind where they feel relaxed, happy and their best selve... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
February 4, 2013
On Thursday, we have 15 third grade parents share their careers with the third grade students. It was very interesting and a huge success. It was a great way to kick off our new unit called Money Makes the World Go 'Round under How We Organize Ourselves. Please head over the Photo Gallery to see photos from this event. A special thanks goes out to Heather Berg, Marinka Kartilija, Stephanie Ring, Tana Lucero, Kimberly Lemme, and Heather Holtzinger. They have students in our class and took tim... Continue reading...
Posted by Melissa Capozza.
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