Week of May 19 through May 23

Hello! What a beautiful weekend we had! I sure hope the cold, snowy days are behind us! It's finally here--the end of yet another school year! Thank you for sharing your child with me--I enjoyed each one tremendously! The school years go by so quickly--it's hard to believe another one is over. Please see important announcements for the week ahead.

• On Tuesday, May 20th, our class will be having an end of the year/summer birthday party. This party will take place at 2:15pm. A few parents have volunteered to help. If you haven't had the chance yet and you want to help--just contact me at school and I'll let you know what we need. Thanks in advance!

• On Wednesday, May 21st, our class will be walking over to the aquatic center for swimming from approximately 9-11. The fee is $3. Students who have a swim pass still have to pay the $3 fee. Please send this as soon as possible--I will keep it safe at school until our swimming day. Also, due to the fact that all of the other third graders in the district will be swimming, only third grade students will be allowed to swim. You are more than welcome to come and watch, however. 

• On Thursday, May 22nd, our class--along with Mrs. Zimmer's class--will watch "The Crood's" and enjoy doughnuts. This will take place in the morning. Please sign the salmon-colored permission slip that will be going home with your child on Monday (19th). "The Crood's" is rated PG and parent permission must be given before your child is allowed to view the movie. If the permission slip is not sent back your child will not be able to watch. (An alternative activity will be chosen.) 

• Friday, May 23rd is the last day of school! Just a reminder--Friday is an early release day. This means that school will be dismissed at 12:45pm. Report cards will be going home on this day--please look for the envelope in your child's backpack. 

Once again, I have enjoyed your child tremendously. The end of this school year is somewhat bittersweet for me. I will be moving on from 3rd grade after this school year. Next year I will be responsible for teaching technology to all elementary-aged students. I'm excited for this change--but 3rd grade has been my home for the past 10 years. In fact, my first '3rd graders' are graduating this year! 

Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions about the week ahead! Thanks! Have a wonderful summer, and please encourage your child to keep on reading!

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Martinez

Week of May 12th through 16th

Hello! I hope all of the mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day! We're down to the wire now!! Please see below for important announcements regarding the week ahead!

• A yellow note will be going home on Monday, May 12th regarding important dates to remember for the remaining two weeks of school. On the 2nd page of this yellow sheet there will be a paper for you to fill out if you would like to sign up to help with our summer birthday/end of the year party on May 20th (at 2:15). If you would like to help by bringing treats or planning a game please fill out and send the 2nd sheet back as soon as possible. 

• The last MAP test (Science) will be this Thursday, (May 15th) at 10:30. 

• We will be having a root beer float party on Friday, May 16th. This is a way for students to celebrate meeting their goals (at least 2 of 3) on the MAP tests.  

• Just a reminder: We will be going swimming with the other 3rd grades in the district on May 21st. The fee for this is $3. Please send the money anytime between now and the 21st. 

• This week will be the LAST spelling test of the school year. Please see below for the words. These words may be a tad more difficult than the previous words have been. 
• during
• what
• their
• said
• some
• would
• other
• could
• use
• thought
• landed
• during
• today
• example
• heard
• several
• change 
• answer
• were
• very
• called
• much
• right
• because
• name
• might
• father
• however
• room
• sea
• against
• top
• turned

Have a great week!

Mrs. Martinez :)

Week of May 5th through 9th

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the nice-weather weekend! We are closing in on the end of this school year--it's hard to believe that it's almost been 9 months! I don't know about you--but the school years seem to fly by! Please see below for important announcements regarding the week ahead.

• The students rocked it on their Reading MAP test! Horray for them! All in all, 82% of the students met their end of the year goal. All of them tried very hard! I shared each student's goal with him/her on Wednesday last week. If you would like to know what your child's goal is for reading, math, and language usage--I have taped the goals to the very back inside cover of their planner.

• This week we will be doing the Language Usage portion of the MAP test. This is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7th at 9:30am. If you know your child will be absent on this day please let me know and we will plan ahead. If your child is absent due to illness the MAP test will need to be made up when your child returns to school. 

• Also this week is our MAP Math test on Friday at 12:30. I know Friday afternoons aren't the best testing time--but since ALL grades are testing *someone* has to do it on Friday afternoon and that someone is us this week! Please let me know in advance if you know your child will be absent and we can have him/her complete the test before the testing day. 

• There are a few students who have birthdays in the summertime. Due to this, I always have an end-of-the-year/summer birthday party on the last week of school. I will tentatively schedule this party for Tuesday, May 20th. (This date may change.) We will plan on having this party from 2:15 until 3:00. If you have a child who has a summer birthday, or if you would just like to bring treats please feel free to sign up to help with this party. I will be sending a note home on May 12th; you can sign up on this letter. 

• We are going swimming with the other 3rd graders in the district on Wednesday, May 21st. We will be at the pool for a majority of time in the morning. We will be walking over and we'll be back at East Side in time for lunch. The fee will be $3. (Students who have Aquatic Center passes STILL have to pay the $3 fee.) Since this will be all third graders in the district, only third grade students will be allowed to swim. However, you are more than welcome to come and watch your child. I will be sending a note home as the date nears closer. 

• My class will be serving for the LAST time this week. Please check with me if you would like to take your child out to lunch--just to be sure he/she isn't serving on that day. Students will also serve in 4th and 5th grade. 

• Book orders will be due on Friday, May 9th. I will place the order right away to ensure that the books arrive by May 23rd. You can always order online using my classroom code--which was on the first book order form. 

• Please see below for this week's spelling words. 
• there
• then
• its
• little
• know
• different
• still
• often
• school
• once
• began
• today
• however
• sure
• knew
• it's
• try
• told
• said
• about
• would
• through
• don't
• important
• picture
• since
• across
• young
• sun
• thing
• whole
• hear

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at school or via e-mail. Have a great week!
Mrs. Martinez

Week of April 28th through May 2nd

Hello! April is about ready to be gone in a blink of the eye! I hope you had a great weekend! Please see below for important announcements regarding the week ahead.

• On Monday, April 28th our class--along with the other 3rd grade classes in the district--will participate in Worland's annual Arbor Day celebration. This will be held at the Community Complex at 12:30pm. Students NEED to bring a cold lunch--as we will be eating lunch at the Complex prior to the program. All are invited to attend! It should last no longer than 30 minutes. (We scheduled it over the lunch hour so possibly more parents could attend.)

• Forget spring, it's testing season. With PAWS and SAWS behind us--it's time to look ahead to MAP testing. This testing is done every spring and fall. The nice thing about MAP testing is that results are immediately available. This week the students will be doing the MAP Reading test. This will be on Wednesday (30th) at 9:30am. I will be letting your child know what he/she scored in the fall and what his/her goal is this time around. If students meet their goals in 2 of the 3 testing areas (Reading, Math, Language Usage) then a root beer float will serve as the reward. It is very important that your child is at school--as this test MUST be made up--which will require your child to miss regular class time for make ups. Please let me know if you know your child is going to be absent--as it might be possible to have your child complete the testing prior to his/her absence.

• This week is Bike Safety Week. Please encourage your child to always wear his/her helmet when riding a bike---this is important every day--not just during Bike Safety Week! 

• A new book order will be going home on Monday, April 28th. I'm sending it home a little early to ensure that the orders that are placed will arrive in time before school gets out. Therefore, this book order will be due on May 9th. 

• Just a reminder: There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, May 2nd. This is a teacher inservice/workday. Enjoy the long weekend! 

• See below for this week's spelling words. Mrs. Zimmer and I have decided to stick with the 3rd grade words--even though the SAWS testing is over. It is so important that your child is able to spell these common everyday words. 
• what
• were
• your
• their
• now
• through
• think
• because
• place
• something
• don't
• until
• without
• paper
• hard
• near
• sentence
• better
• there
• said
• then
• would
• could
• very
• know
• why
• air
• never
• world
• best
• across
• during
• today
• however

Have  a great week!

Mrs. Martinez

Week of April 22nd through 25th

Hello! I hope you and your family had a wonderful and restful spring break! I, for one, will be glad to get back into a routine. Please see below for important announcements for the week ahead.

• This Friday, April 25th, there are 5 students who will be joining me for a Book-It pizza party at our regular lunch time. These students brought back each and every Book-It calendar from October through March. If your child is one of the participating students he/she will receive a parent letter tomorrow. Great job and keep up the reading! 

• This week the students will be completing the last two SAWS (Student Assessment of Writing Skills) prompts. These prompts will be completed on two separate days. We will start at 8:30 on Wednesday and Friday. It is important that your child is at school on these days (and everyday) as these tests MUST be made up if they are missed.

• Starting NEXT week the students will be taking the MAP test in the areas of reading, math, language usage, and science. I will let you know the exact times on the Sunday, April 27th blog post. I will be letting your child know what his/her Fall 2013 test scores were (for reading, math, and language usage only) and also what his/her goal is this time around. My goal is for each student to meet their goal on 2 out of 3 subject areas (or all three). If students do this, they will be rewarded with a root beer float party at the end of the testing. 

• Also next week, on Monday, April 28th, the students will be taking part in the district-wide 3rd Grade Arbor Day program. This will be taking place at the Community Complex. A letter will be going home very soon with more details. I do know that STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BRING A SACK LUNCH on this day. 

• Please see this week's spelling words below.
• there
• first
• people
• new
• around
• off
• house
• don't
• world
• without
• almost
• earth
• light
• night
• picture
• being
• study
• second
• they
• been
• through
• write
• again
• together
• important
• above
• began
• year
• soon
• story
• since
• white
• ever

Once again, I apologize for not posting to the blog last week. Things got busy and hectic! Just a little side note: There are only 22 1/2 days of school left--and a lot more to learn and do!  Have a great short week!

Mrs. Martinez

Sorry!

My apologies! I'm out of town on a family trip this week and forgot to post my blog this past Sunday. I'm sorry! I know some of you have come to depend on the blog. I will resume this week on Monday, April, 21st. Thank you for understanding. Have a great spring break!

Mrs. Martinez

Week of April 7th through 11th

Hello! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend! Please see below for some important reminders for this coming week and also the weeks ahead.

• Book orders are due by April 11th. Please send the order form along with the money to school by that day. Or, you could also order online. 

• Mark your calendars for these important dates! 
• Monday, April 28th--District-Wide Arbor Day celebration--all third graders in the district will take part in this Arbor Day program at the Community Complex. This will take place over the noon hour. A letter will be going home--also, I will post specifics on this blog as the date comes nearer. All are invited to attend! 
• On Wednesday, April 30th, Wednesday, May 7th, Friday, May 9th, and Thursday, May 15th the students will take part in [district-mandated] MAP testing. MAP stands for Measures of Academic Progress. This test will provide immediate feedback as to how much your child learned in 3rd grade. Students completed MAP testing last fall and those scores will be compared to the scores they will receive on the dates mentioned above. Exact times will be given on this blog as well as in a letter that will go home as the dates come closer.
• The Student Assessment of Writing Skills (SAWS) testing window opens April 14th and closes the first part of May. In addition to MAP testing, students will have to complete this SAWS test (state-mandated). Once again, I will let you know exactly when this testing will be.  
• Fun times are ahead! Our class, along with Mrs. Zimmer's class and the other third grade classes in the district, will be going to the Worland Aquatic Center for swimming on the morning of May 21st. Once again, I will let you know more when I know more. I do know that even if you have a membership to the Aquatic Center your child will still have to pay for entry to the pool. (This has been an issue in the past.) Please call the Aquatic Center if you have any questions. 

• Please see this week's spelling words below. We are still working on everyday words. 
• were
• there
• been
• use
• long
• also
• around
• air
• might
• show
• large
• often
• took
• four
• head
• above
• kind
• began
• first
• through
• new
• too
• another
• because
• different
• off
• always
• without
• life
• almost
• live
• page
• got
• earth

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Have a great week! 

Mrs. Martinez