Reminder: Publishing Party Friday!

Just a reminder that our Winter Solstice/publishing party is tomorrow, Friday Dec. 21st, from 8:00-8:45. Please note that there will be several classes having parties tomorrow morning, so parking will be tricky, especially closer to 8:20.

Please also remind your child that they are allowed to bring one comfy reading "accessory" (pillow, stuffed animal, blanket) for the afternoon.

I hope to see you tomorrow!

Winter Gear

This post was dictated to Mrs. Parkin by the students.

Dear Parents,

Winter is here! The playground is wet, slushy, and very cold. Some of us noticed today that we were not dressed appropriately for the weather. We also admit that our moms and/or dads told us that we needed to wear something different, but we didn't listen. Boy, are we sorry now!

Just a few chilly children.

We would like your help in reminding us to bring the following things to school, now that the cold weather is here:

• Boots (plus a pair of shoes or slippers to change into)
• Mittens or gloves
• Snowpants (if we want to play in the snow)
• A winter jacket (hoodies just aren't cutting it with the slushy weather!)
• A hat to keep our ears warm
• An extra pair of socks to leave in our backpacks if our feet are wet

Some of us were toasty warm at recess, and nice and dry for the afternoon!

Warm and toasty

Thanks for helping to remind us!

Sincerely,

The Students of Mrs. Parkin's Class

Week 11 in Parkinsville

This week was amazing in Parkinsville we started a researching  something that we wonder using the Nexus7s like I did most expensive car in the world, Olivia  did what seals evolved from, Will did the most expensive pet, Austin did when will the world end, Chase did how many people are in the world. In library we learned about the Dewy Decimal System of Classification. We added and subtracted decimals. We did two quick write (we get a prompt from a book and get five minutes to write about any thing). We did a opera in music. We did six on six in gym with Ms. Pachuta. In art we made the final touches on our project. In guidance we had a gallery walk with poems and chose our favorites. We hope you continue to read and stay updated. Stay tuned!

Weekly update

Written by Patrick
Edited by Olivia

Mrs.Wolinsky asked Google for a grant and won with 2 other classes around the globe receiving 25 brand -new Nexus 7s! And she chose us to use them! A Nexus 7 is run by Google, competing with the best selling i-pad! This week we have been exploring our new apps that we have downloaded for learning. Nexus 7s rock!

On the same day the rollout came we also visited the Longfellow House! The 200 year old brick house was donated by the last member of the Longfellow family to the Maine Historical Society in 1903 (I think this is what the guide said). It was fun seeing how they did things we do now without electricity. The kitchen had nothing besides a table that we use today. The second floor of the house caught fire and they rebuilt and added a third floor. The wallpaper was not the original because it would have been way too old and stinky but still furniture and instruments were original.

Math!!!!!! We started unit four which looks at decimals. Two nights ago the homework we had let us cut out the pieces of magazines that included decimals in all ways. From money to temperatures to weight there are decimals.

This has sure been an out of the ordinary week! We got new technology, had a field trip to learn about old technology, and we started using the awesome decimals.

I wonder what next week will bring???


Note from Mrs. Parkin:

Last week I handed out book order fliers to the children. I am extending the deadline for orders to this Monday, December 10th, in hopes that we can drum up a few more! In these days of budget hardships, your orders through Scholastic Book Clubs earn our class bonus points, which I can then use to purchase books for our classroom at no out-of-pocket cost to me. 

Planning on giving books as gifts this holiday season? Please consider ordering them through Scholastic! They will arrive before vacation and, if requested, I will make sure your order stays hidden away from prying eyes :) Misplaced the order form? Order online by clicking here. All online orders earn you a $5 off coupon for a future order!

The Nexus 7s are here!

Today was a VERY exciting day-- we rolled out the Nexus 7 tablets to the students! It was amazing to see the curiosity on their faces and share in their infectious enthusiasm. 

Lilly's reaction upon taking her tablet out of the box.

Several people came to help us this afternoon: Mrs. Wolinsky, Mrs. Barr, the instructional technology integrator at YHS, Mrs. Lane, and YHS alum Ben Morse. Special thanks to the parents who were able to drop by: Camden's dad Erik, Ned's mom Carolyn, Xan's mom Whitney, and Carter's mom Amie (with little sister Meredith!).

Mrs. Barr helps Kate set up her tablet

We started by creating name labels to go on the outside of the case. Next, students unwrapped the cases, which was surprisingly exciting to them! Finally, they were able to start getting to know the tablets themselves. By the end of the afternoon, students had downloaded about a dozen educational apps from the Google Play store. We even had some time for exploring the different apps! The room buzzed with students excitedly sharing what they were learning.

Students watch as I use the Elmo to model how to change the settings on the tablet

 Tomorrow during morning meeting, we will work together to develop common agreements about using the tablets. Mrs. Wolinsky will join us for this discussion. Our goal is to create a contract that will be signed by all students and parents.

Stay on the lookout for updates as we discover more about how we will use the Nexus 7 tablets to transform learning in our classroom!

 

Weekly Post

Written by Maddy and edited by Madison

At the beginning of the week some people stayed in at recess to help design a poster for the Falmouth Elementary School. This is because the second grade teacher Mr. Grover died over the weekend. All of us each decorated a paper balloon. On the next day, Lilly and Madison glued and put the poster together. Then Mrs. Parkin delivered the poster to Falmouth Elementary School. 

Also, we finished editing our personal  narratives with Mrs. Parkin.

Then, we learned how to do algebra with open sentences.  

We also did a page of broken calculator. Which is where you have a broken key on the calculator but you can use any other key. It's very hard because you don't know what the answer is. We also took the Unit 3 assessment. Then we started the unit on decimals.

Our awesome review

Written by Odin and Edited by Madison 

On Wednesday our special was Guidance. And in Guidance we worked on teamwork by designing our own picture.We each had a colored crayon and we can only use that color on the picture. It's a picture of anything . Also we learned about number story's and how to figure out if they're true or false. At the end of the week we had a substitute and her name is Mrs.Garneau. Then, with Mrs.Garneau we had a writing prompt and the prompt was about your least favorite food and a character who was trying the food for the first time. Also, we did extra math which is basically studying our math facts.We practiced our math facts on times attack. Then we had Discovery Math. For spelling we worked on adding prefixes and suffixes. All throughout this week and next week we will be having conferences with Mrs.Parkin and she will be typing our personal narrative. 

Weekly Post

Written By Harrison Edited By Madison and Emma


This was a great week in Parkinville. Last Monday, we did awesome stations to help edit our personal narratives. Last Tuesday we had our first Mock Election. Our winner was our very own... President Obama. 
On Wednesday we talked about what to do if we were stuck with a knew book. Also we learned about division.
We had our multiplication facts test. Also, we had our addition and subtraction extension facts test.
On the thirteenth we did Algebra for instance, 8+y-3+m=17. Some of us had conferences this morning. Also, we finished editing our personal narratives (they're almost done)!

In conclusion we had a lovely couple weeks in Parkinville!

Election Day Update

Today the citizens of Parkinville exercised their right to vote! Harrison, our Blogger of the Week, will have more details for you about our Mock Election in Friday's post. In the meantime, though, please ask your child for details about this exciting project that we worked on with Mrs. Colfer's third grade class. I have also included a video below, courtesy of Patrick.

Tonight's homework will extend the student's thinking about the election. Instead of a math study link, students should watch at least 20 minutes of election coverage on TV or online. They can do this tonight or tomorrow morning. They should jot down what they're hearing and noticing on a piece of paper that they will turn in, and they should be ready to discuss the results tomorrow.

-Mrs. Parkin

A Very Exciting Week :)!

Written By: Austin Blogger of the week

Edited By: Emma  

It was a fun Monday. We learned about the storm and we started a new unit in math.  We also did our times tables in math because we're starting a new unit on multiplication. We cut multiplication triangles out of our math journals so that we can practice at home. We also learned new words in math: factors, multiples, prime numbers, and square numbers. We also learned how to make a multiplication and division chart for homework.

We also finished The One and Only Ivan this week. The One and Only Ivan was one of my personal favorite books. It was a little sad at the end, but I guess Ruby was happy. I thought Ivan's happiness was a little bit in the middle because he wanted to be with a family and maybe he thought his family wasn't as comforting as Ruby's family. But he was also very very happy that Ruby had a great new home. If I were Katherine Applegate (the author), I'd let Ivan and Ruby see each other a lot.

We learned a ton about presidents and the election. We are going to vote next week on Tuesday. Unfortunately they are not going to be real votes because we have to be 18 to vote, but this is a mock election. I learned about the Electoral College and I learned about how candidates need 270 votes to win.

In conclusion, it was a very fun week!

An Amazingly Exciting and Packed Week!

Written by: Emma and Parker 

It has been a very packed week in Parkinville.  On Monday we went to the Portland symphony! It was amazing I definitely would go again. On Tuesday we went to the book fair, there are too many books in the world to choose from. On Wednesday there was Chorus which was exciting because we are starting to work on harmony in fourth grade. Thursday, we went to the Portland Museum of Art and saw the Winslow Homer exhibit and went on our final visit to the book fair.  Today we had a substitute in the morning and in art. But then our awesome teacher Mrs. Parkin came back to the full alleyways of Parkinville and we are going to finish up the week with the auction!! It was an awesomely full week of fun and buses. We are definitely looking forward to another week in Parkinville!! 

Weekly Update

The last couple of weeks in Parkinville have been very exciting!  We had three citizens graduate from desk rental!  The three lovely citizens are...  Madison W., Parker, and Patrick!  We are looking forward to the book fair and writing more in our personal narratives!  The book fair will be next week on Tuesday and Thursday.  Also, the symphony orchestra and our field trip to the National Gallery of Art will be on Tues. and Thurs.  We also finished the lovely and exciting book Chasing Vermeer!  

Week 5 Update

Written by Margaret, Blogger of the Week.

Edited by Emma, October Blog Editor. 

This week was great.  We kicked butt in the NECAP using our ninja super powers. We had a review of name collection boxes in math. We are looking forward to the last day of NECAP testing. This week was the first week of desk rental, some people bought their desk.  We started a new book called The One And Only Ivan which is this years global read, so we get do Edmodo a Facebook like thing where you can talk to kids in different states. So far we are talking to kids in Illinois. We are in mini groups to talk about the book. We are also looking forward to reading and discovering more of Chasing Vermeer.  This week was great, we look forward to more!:)   

Global Read Aloud: Previewing The One and Only Ivan

Today is our first day participating in the Global Read Aloud! We watched the trailer for The One and Only Ivan by Katharine Applegate, then read the book jacket and the first few pages. Students then jotted down what they were thinking.

Here are some of our thoughts:

• Heartbreaking. A circus that only has Ivan.
• I think this book is going to be a sad book and is probably life-changing.
• Is Ivan really happy or has he just been away from the jungle where he was born so long that he thinks he's happy in a cage?
• Why does Ivan need to protect Ruby? I wonder what's going to be "heart-breaking" in this story? I wonder how Ruby's going to change Ivan's way of seeing things?
• I think The One and Only Ivan is going to be very good. When Ivan said he had no one to protect until now, does that mean when Ruby the elephant comes he protects her?
• How will Ivan meet Ruby? What is the flash of red light? Will Stella die? How is he friends with elephants if he lives in a mall?
• Ivan and Ruby are going to be best friends forever and I think Ivan will see his family and Ruby will see his family. 
• The book seems sad. I bet he will escape from the cage and save the elephant and they will have an adventure.
• Why is Ivan alone?
• What isn't as easy as it looks?
• Does Ivan want to save someone? Is the baby elephant scared? Does the elephant want someone to save him?
• I think that Ruby (the elephant) and Ivan (the gorilla) are going to become very close friends and I think that Ivan is going to take really good care of Ruby.
• I think that at sometime in the book Ivan will try to escape.
• How will Ivan protect Ruby and what will happen to the dog and the elderly elephant? How will art relate to the story?
• I wonder, is someone going to plot against Ruby? And is he going to see his duty through new eyes to save her?
• I am thinking this book will be sad and funny and smart too. 
• It seems like Ivan does not like his life and he is all alone with no one by his side to catch him when he falls but does Ivan like his life in the mall at the video game stop?
• I wonder if Ivan's going to quit the circus and go with the elephant?
• I wonder how popular the circus is?
• Is Ivan going to protect Ruby?
• I think this book is about a fantastic friendship of Ivan and Ruby.
• I think he is going to be sad and lonely. I wonder how it is hard to be a gorilla.

Thanks to Franki Sibberson's fourth grade class for the inspiration for this preview activity!

Week 4 Update

This week was so jam-packed with learning and thinking, we didn't even have time for the Bloggers of the Week to write a post! Mrs. Parkin will try to recap it for you-- please ask your child for details!

• We read several chapters in our read-aloud, Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Students worked on using sticky notes to track their thinking, and this week they wrote their first reading response in their Reader's Notebooks based on the book. We have 23 amazing thinkers in our class! Watch a video of students working together to try to crack the pentomino code on The Parkin Space, our Gallery of Student Learning and Thinking.

• Students took the Unit 1 math assessment and they rocked it! I will be sending it home soon. Kids should continue to practice their math facts at home. Click on the Student Resources page for games and practice quizzes on ThatQuiz.org. Our goal is to accurately answer 50 facts in three minutes (for addition, subtraction, and multiplication fact families up to 10).

• We spent time practicing our test-taking strategies ninja superpowers for the upcoming NECAP test. As a reminder, test days are Oct. 2nd-4th (Tues.-Thu.) for reading and Oct. 9th-11th (also Tues.-Thu.) for math. Testing runs from 8:30-10:00 a.m. each of those days. Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before each test and eats a healthy breakfast on the day of. These little things make a big difference! Also, students should complete the packet of 2009 released items for homework over the weekend (due Monday). They should be utilizing the strategies we learned in class, which are outlined on the pink sheet they've also brought home. Watch this video to see our test-taking strategies ninja superpowers in action! (Thanks to NECAP Ninjas Odin and Madison, and Parker and Ellie!)

•  We got some exciting news the other day-- on Oct. 11th, we will have an author Skype visit! Stephen McCranie, author of the graphic novel series Mal and Chad, will virtually visit our classroom and teach us how he creates his books. I just bought the first Mal and Chad book and already it's getting rave reviews by the students! I would love for as many kids as possible to read these books before our Skype visit, so I've added them to my Amazon wishlist. 

• Speaking of wish lists, I've updated the Wish List page. Thanks so much to those of you who have purchased books, contact paper, and stickies, and thanks too for the socks so we can erase our math slates! Your generosity of time and treasure is much appreciated. Also, thanks for filling out the volunteering form. If you still want to let me know of your availability, it's not too late! I hope to get an email out about a volunteering schedule this weekend.

Thank you for your ongoing support! 

- Mrs. Parkin

Week 3 Update

Written by: Kate
Edited by: Parker

We’ve had a fun exciting wonderful  week in Parkinville.
I hope everyone enjoyed open house. We worked really hard on our Where I’m From poems. We had all lot of fun with the Classroom Economy but we have also learned about taxes
and fines and the joy of having money. Auctions have been the number one thing on are list along with spending money. In math we are learning how to use compasses (the math kind)And we are also learning about geography. We’re working very hard at finishing the books that we start. Right now as a class we’re reading Chasing Vermeer which is about a century old mystery, we’ve been using sticky notes to experience writing are thoughts down. We’re learning the joy of having a courtyard and being outside.

I hope you liked our blog post.

Google Docs Log-in Info

Today in class, students started typing their "Where I'm From" poems. However, many students need more time to finish typing, so your child may choose to continue this weekend at home, if possible.

Students can log into their YES Google account from any computer, anywhere. They can access the Google log-in page via the YES homepage. Please email Mrs. Parkin if your child has forgotten his or her log-in and password.

I hope this helps! Feel free to email with any snaffoos. I am loving reading the kids' poems!

Happy Friday!

Week 2

[This post was written by our Blog Editor, Parker. Stay tuned for next week's update which will be written by our Bloggers of the Week! Also, please ask your child about our first payday in our classroom economy-- it was action-packed! Unfortunately, we didn't get to our auction, but we plan to catch up next week.]

Here you will find each students opinion on what we learned and did this week in school and what we are excited  about for the upcoming year.
  

- Olivia learned how to write a long poem, she did the M.A.P math testing and she is excited about band.

- Kiarah learned that it doesn’t matter if you are different, Kiarah also did the M.A.P testing and she is also excited about band.

- Emma learned how to be a better mathematician, she also did the M.A.P testing this week and she also is very excited about band

- Ellie learned about line segments, she made a Where I’m from poem and she is excited about band.

- Parker learned how to right a name for an angle with the angle sign, she wrote down lots of notes about the read aloud book Chasing Vermeer and shes very excited about reading 40 books this year.

- Madison W. learned how to be a better mathematician with patterns, she did orff with Mrs. Renton, and she is excited about band.

- Camden learned that we are going to get paid for our jobs this week, he did line segments in math and he is excited about band.

- Margaret learned about geometry, she did lots of reading and writing and she is excited about the classroom economy.

- Ned learned about vertices, he wrote poems, and he is excited about the classroom economy.

- Austin learned about geometry, and he read across Amika.

- Chase learned what right angles are, he did lots of writing and he is excited about his birthday.

- Odin learned about right angles, he wrote in his readers notebook.

- Ruben learned how to be respectful, he read lots of books and he is excited about trying new things.

-Maddy .L. learned about geometry, she listened to the book Chasing Vermeer and she is excited about the upcoming auctions.

- Lilly learned about geometry, she listened to Chasing Vermeer and she is excited about our jobs.

- Carter learned about vertices he played 4-square.

- Alex learned about line segments, he played with his friends and he is excited about his new job.

Week 1

This post was written by the students of Parkinville. Mrs. Parkin was the secretary. :)

This was a wonderful, fun, creative, exciting first week in Parkinville! It was sort of difficult to get back into the routine of school, but once we were here we were happy and excited to reconnect.

We learned how to use our Student Reference Books in math. We also learned the procedures for our new classroom, for example using our new book bins with their blue stabilizer wings. 

We did several things this week. We started a new routine of Math Workshop, where students rotated to different stations in small groups. We also learned a new song ("Ground Squirrel," a.k.a "Brown Squirrel") which we sing when we need to take a wiggle break. We wrote about superpowers we wished we had. We read some books together-- especially serious ones like Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems. We watched an inspirational movie called "Caine's Arcade." We took a walk around the school and played Follow the Leader. We wrote about our hopes and dreams (on an outline of our hands), because we hope this will be the best year ever!

We are very excited about our classroom economy which will start next week! We will have jobs and earn money. However, we also have to pay expenses, like rent for our desks.  We are also excited for band and chorus. [Mrs. Parkin says, if you want to learn more about our classroom economy system, check out this link.]

It was a wonderful week in Parkinville!

Back to School!

I hope that you and your families have enjoyed this beautiful summer. I am so excited about starting this next school year with your children. Fourth grade together will be amazing!

I wanted to reach out with a couple of notes. First, I invite you all to our welcome back drop-in event this Thursday, August 30th, from 9:30-10:30. It's a great opportunity for the kids to reconnect and alleviate any back-to-school anxieties, as well as drop off their supplies. Please note that we have switched classrooms and are now in Room 302 (formerly Mrs. Colfer's room).

Second, I'd like to update our supply list. We received new desks over the summer which, while shiny and beautiful, are more limited in storage space than our desks last year. Because of this, there are some tweaks to our supply list. I am sorry to do this to those of you who have already purchased supplies! Also, we will have a communal supply system, meaning that most of the students' supplies will be shared over the course of the year. Each table group will have a caddy of supplies to use which will be replenished as the year goes on.

Here is the updated supply list. I have separated it into personal supplies (the student will use what he or she brings in) and communal supplies.

Personal supplies:

• 1 sturdy 3-prong pocket folder (for homework)
• 1 set of binder dividers with subject tabs
• 1 three-ring white binder- 1" with pockets inside

Communal supplies:

• 3 highlighters- different colors
• 1 package washable markers- fine point
• 1 dozen #2 Ticonderoga pencils
• 2 large glue sticks
• 1 package colored pencils
• 1 pair scissors
• 2 thin black flair markers (no sharpies please!)
• 1 package lined sticky notes 
• 1 box eraser tops

You do NOT need to purchase: plastic pencil box (no room!) or a 12" ruler

Optional supplies: 1 black and white composition book (we have many left over from last year)

I apologize for not getting this updated list to you sooner. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Lastly, I am in the process of updating this blog. Please check it out for news and announcements as we make our way into the school year!

I look forward to seeing you and your children on Thursday!

End of the Year Updates!

Happy Friday! I have a few brief announcements to share. These next two weeks will be action-packed!

• Monday, June 4th is the Third Grade Concert. The show begins at 7:00 p.m. but students should arrive between 6:45 and 6:55. They will wait in the classroom and we will enter as a group. I will not be in the room to supervise until 6:45. 

• Next week we are going on a field trip to the planetarium at USM. Because of the size of the planetarium, the third grade is going in two groups. Half of our class will go on Tuesday, chaperoned by Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Colfer, and the other half will go on Wednesday with me and the other two third grade classes. See your child's permission slip (in today's Friday Folder) for the date they are attending the trip and, if applicable, their chaperone. Please let me know if you have questions about this.

• I would love some help with putting together the kids' portfolios in advance of our learning celebration next Friday. If you are available for an hour or two for photocopying, hole-punching, and/or helping students put papers in their 3-ring binders, please let me know! 

• A reminder that our Learning Celebration will be on Friday, June 8th (next week!) from 7:45-8:45 a.m. Please bring a breakfast treat to share if you can, and just email to let me know what you will bring. Also, our well-received "Wax Museum" will return for an encore performance, so please make sure your child comes wearing his or her "famous person" get-up. We look forward to seeing you! 

• The next two weeks will be exciting but BUSY! Please let me know in advance if your child will be out due to doctor's appointments or planned family absences. With so much going on in terms of assessments, end of year wrap up, etc., it is helpful to know when a child will be missing.

I think that's it for now! Please continue to monitor this blog for updates over the next two weeks. As always, thanks for your continued support. It is so rewarding to look back at the year of tremendous growth these students have made!

Biography Poems & Wax Museum

It's hard to believe, but our school year is rapidly drawing to a close! Our geography unit has now wrapped up, and the kids are excited to share their brochures, commercials, and interviews with you at our learning celebration in June!

We have jumped into a mini-unit on biographies this week. Students have chosen to research a famous person from history. They will do the research in class, then write a poem about their person. Finally, they will be creating a wax museum to share what they've learned! 

To create our wax museum, each student will need to come up with a costume and props reflective of their historical person. It does not have to be anything elaborate or expensive, but the costume should help us understand who the student is portraying. The wax museum will be showcased at Grandparents Day (9:15-11:15 a.m. this Friday, May 25th) and as part of our end of the year learning celebration.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Spelling this week

The combination of the snow day and read-a-thon last week threw us off our normal spelling routine a bit. As a result, we are not doing Unit 20 in the Sitton spelling program until next week and thus there is no spelling homework this week. 


Our spelling words this week help us to kick off our Geography unit:

Yarmouth

Maine

United States

04096 [our zip code]
In addition to these four words (well, four words and a number!), students also need to correctly spell their street address.

On Thursday, the "spelling test" will be an envelope that students need to properly address to themselves. I will mail the letters on Friday and, as I told the students, if they spell the words correctly, they will receive their letter!


The purpose of this spelling "unit" is for students to understand the real-world application of these specific place names, and to learn how to properly address an envelope.

Guest Speaker: Yaeko Collier

Last Wednesday, February 29th we were lucky enough to have a guest speaker present to all third graders. Portland resident Yaeko Collier was born in Japan and she shared many different artifacts, maps, and pictures from her home country. 

We all learned a lot about Japan's culture and customs. 

When asked what was the most interesting/coolest/most memorable part of the presentation, here is how students responded:

• I think the coolest part was the emperor and empress models (Austin)
• When she showed us the helmet (Xan)
• When Ned and Ellie got dressed up (Alex)
• I didn't know Maine was part of Massachusetts (Dylan)
• When she showed the Japanese clothes because they were different from ours (Kate)
• After this, I could take a day in Japan (Patrick)
• When I dressed up (Ellie)
• My favorite part of the presentation was when she talked about the holidays and the fish [windsocks] (Kiarah)
• My favorite part of the presentation was when she showed us both of the maps so we got to see what their world looked like (Madison W.)
• The helmet (Maddy L.)
• The houses with the big fat mats on the floors (Parker)
• The helmet (Chase)
• Looking at the house (Margaret)
• The globe (Odin)
• I would love to take a trip to Japan! (Emma)
• The fish flags (Will)
• When she showed us the helmet and when Ned and Ellie got dressed up (Carter) 
• Seeing pictures of the house and the dolls (Olivia)
• Seeing how different the houses were from ours (Ned)
• When Ned dressed up (Ruben)
• All I want to do is take a trip to Japan! (Camden)
• The different maps (Lilly)

Happy Pig Day!

Today we read the hilarious book, Happy Pig Day, by Mo Willems and had our own Pig Day celebration! 

We read some Mo Willems books with friends...

 We learned how to speak Pig Latin! Here is Kiarah reading a note written in Pig Latin from Olivia.

Some of us were inspired to make Gerald and Piggie puppets and masks!

At the end of the day, we enjoyed three performances: two puppet shows and one play, all inspired by Happy Pig Day. (The videos for the puppet shows are below. Unfortunately we had some technical difficulties while filming the play, but we have some great photos courtesy of Austin!)

Starring Olivia as Gerald (Elephant).

 Starring Kiarah as Piggie. Also featuring Ruben, Odin, and Ellie.

Thanks so much to Alex and his mom, Liz, for sharing their collection of Elephant and Piggie books!

Happy vacation week!

Mid-Year Conferences: Clarification

There have been some questions regarding the timing of the Mid-Year Conferences. Your conference will last 30 minutes, beginning at the time you signed up for on PTCFast. For the first 15 minutes, your child will share his or her portfolio with you. After 15 minutes, I will join your family to share your child's progress in third grade.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. I look forward to seeing you all in the next few days!

A Peek at Our Week 2/6/12

Thank you so much to those of you who have filled out the parent survey. Based on feedback I received, I have made two changes. First, I am handing out spelling homework on Mondays so that your child has four nights to complete it. Second, I plan to send home a weekly "Peek at Our Week" newsletter so you know what we have been working on in class and what we will be learning about in the upcoming week. Please see below for an electronic version of this week's newsletter.

Haven't filled out the parent survey yet? Please click here:

Parent Survey

Also, if you haven't signed up for a conference time yet, please do so as soon as possible.  To pick a time slot, enter this link in your Internet browser:

www.ptcfast.com/reg1

At that link, you will be asked for your Entry Code, where you should enter ZTV110541

 

******

A Peek at our Week Newsletter

Mrs. Parkin

February 3, 2012

 

Upcoming Events

February 9: First night of conferences

***Please sign up if you haven’t already***

Math

• This week: We explored triangles, quadrangles, and regular and irregular polygons.  We also started drawing angles and thinking about angles as rotations either clockwise or counterclockwise.
• Next week: We’ll continue our geometry unit with explorations of symmetry, congruence, and 3D shapes like pyramids and prisms.

Spelling

• This week our core words were: best, across, during, today, however. We We’ll worked on the /ou/ and /ow/  spelling pattern.
• Next week: We’ll work on contractions.
• Next week core words: sure, knew, it’s, try, told

Reader’s Workshop

• This week: Our afternoon literacy block is flourishing with book groups, writing, listening, and word work centers. If you’re interested in volunteering during our literacy block (1:30-2:50) to read with kids, please email me.  
• What’s next: We’ll continue to practice partner reading and sharing portfolios for our upcoming conferences.

Writer’s Workshop

• This week: We used the Story Starters website (linked to our YES Educational Resources page) to do some creative writing. The kids loved this approach!
• Next week: We’ll work on Better Answers writing and begin a poetry unit.

A note on conferences…

Students are invited to attend. Conferences are 30 minutes long. For the first 15 minutes, your child will present his or her portfolio to you. After 15 minutes, I will join you. Please contact me with any questions.

Winter Updates!

We are back in the swing of things after our holiday break, snow day, and long weekend! It's hard to believe that we are almost halfway through our year-- time flies in third grade! 

I have a few brief notes to share:

• Mid-Year Conferences: I will holding conferences on February 9th and 16th in the evening, as well as the morning of the 16th. Please see my separate blog post for information about how to sign up for an appointment.

• Early Dismissals: Please be aware that our literacy block is from 1:30-3:00 p.m. daily. When students are dismissed early, it stops the flow of the reading workshop.  It interferes with students' reading stamina, disrupts any groups working together, and also makes it difficult for me when I'm assessing their reading skills. I completely understand that from time to time these disruptions are unavoidable. However, I want the students to know that our learning time together is extremely valuable. Thank you for helping me with this!

• Winter Gear: Please ensure that your child has sneakers to change into after taking off his or her wet boots. This helps keep our floors dry!

• Absences: If your will be absent from school, please call the YES office or email Lisa_Bianchini@yarmouthschools.org or Lauren_Guiney@yarmouthschools.org. I appreciate it if you also cc me on the email. 

On another note, I am so impressed with the quality and quantity of reading in our classroom! We are truly a community of book lovers-- thank you for supporting reading at home!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Mid-Year Conference Sign-Up

You are invited to sign up for a Mid-Year Conference with Mrs. Parkin. 

DATE:  February 9, February 14 and February 16
PLACE:  Mrs. Parkin's classroom
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  End of day before first conference day

To pick a time slot, enter this link in your Internet browser:

www.ptcfast.com/reg1

At that link, you will be asked for your Entry Code, where you should enter ZTV110541

If you do not have Internet access, please let me know by sending in a note with your child.

I look forward to discussing your child's progress thus far in third grade.

IMPORTANT CHANGES THIS TIME AROUND:

The format for these conferences will be different from the fall, and your child is invited to attend the meeting as well. Please plan to be in the classroom for 30 minutes. For the first 15 minutes, your child will take you on a guided tour of his or her portfolio. During that time, I will be meeting with another family. Following those 15 minutes, you and your child will join me to discuss his or her progress in third grade.

If you have ANY questions, please contact me. I look forward to meeting with you soon!