Mrs. Winstanley's Web: Newsletter for May 27, 2011

Dear Families,

I can’t believe it! This is my final newsletter for this school year. We have had such a wonderful year of learning. Thank you for being such amazing parents. I have really enjoyed working with your children this year. I hope they learned as much from me as I have learned from them. Here is what's been happening over the past week and what is planned for the final week of school.

What's Up!

1. Reading and Writing: This week we worked on comparing Traditional Fairy Tales to Fractured Fairy Tales. The students had a wonderful time reading the different versions of the traditional tales. After we worked on writing our comparison papers, we took our comparison assessment in which we compared baseball and basketball. To end the week on a fun note the students began working on Fractured Fairy Tale readers theaters. They were so excited to act out some of these funny tales like Spiderella (Cinderella), The Three Littele Elephants (The Three Little Pigs), The Cheetah and the Sloth (the Tortoise and the Hare), The Popsicle Boy (The Gingerbread Man), and Goldilocks and the Three Bullfrogs (Goldilocks and the Three Bears). Next week we will have some wonderful blocks of Daily Five time in which the students will be able to choose which Daily 5 activity they wish to work on.

2. Spelling: All done for the year J Please continue to review the words we have worked on this year over the summer.

3. Vocabulary: We will be hunting for interesting words next week in our read to self books.

4. Math: We learned about extending our multiplication and division facts this week and took our test on Thursday. This is DIFFICULT for many. Please help with homework so that they can continue to see how you can use basic facts like 8x5=40 to help with 80x50=4000. IT IS CRITICAL FOR THE STUDENTS TO KNOW THEIR BASIC FACTS! If they do not have these memorized then they should be practicing them for 5-10 minutes each night until they have them down. See below for more ideas of how to practice these facts.

5. Science: This week we learned about light and took our quiz on Friday. Next week we will be dissecting Owl Pellets! This is a wonderful activity for the students.

6. Social Studies: We have finished our project based on the movie UP. Students will be bringing their scrapbooks home next week!

7. Cursive and Keyboarding: Our social studies commercials about the West are almost done! We are enjoying using photo story to build this project. It is as much an exercise if following directions as it is a research project. The final project is looking great!

Summer Workbooks

I will be sending home summer workbooks with the students next week that I have made up to help the kids practice their skills over the summer and to keep their brains sharp until next school year. Any student who brings a completed workbook to me the first week of school will earn a prize.

Report Cards and Class Placement Letters

Students’ fourth quarter report cards will be mailed to parents/guardians by June 15^th. Families should expect to receive report cards no later than June 17^th. Amberly families will receive notification of their child’s class placement via the mail by the second week of August. Letters from the principal and the upcoming year’s teacher, along with registration materials and a requested supply list will be mailed to each Amberly student by August 15, 2011.

Be Sure to Pick Up Student Medications at School

If your child has medication in the school office, a parent/guardian will need to come and pick up the medication prior to MONDAY, JUNE 6^TH. THE AMBERLY OFFICE WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AFTER THIS DATE AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE OFFICE. Unused medication will not be sent home with elementary students. All medications left at the Amberly Elementary School office after June 6^th will be discarded.

Note: New medication consent forms with physician signatures are required for the upcoming school year for students who must take medication, both prescription and over-the-counter, at school.

2011-12 Grade Level Supply Lists

Requested classroom supplies for the 2011-12 school year will be mailed to parents/guardians with fourth quarter student report cards. An updated 2011-12 School Year Requested Supply List will also be posted on the Amberly website homepage at: http://www.portageps.org/schools/elementary/amb/default.htm. after June 3^rd.

Remember to Check Lost and Found

We have many items in the Amberly Lost and Found located by the Multipurpose Room. Before the school year is over please take time to claim any items your child may have lost. Items unclaimed by June 6^th will be donated to a local charity. Valuable items (keys, watches, etc.) that have been lost can be claimed in the school office.

Summer Tutoring List Available In Amberly Office

The Amberly office staff has compiled a list of tutors who have made us aware they will be tutoring this summer. If you are interested in seeking tutoring support for your child this summer, please come to the Amberly office to obtain a list. Please remember the tutoring list represents individuals who have made Amberly staff aware they are providing tutoring services. It is the parents/guardians responsibility to interview potential tutors and choose the one they feel will best meet their child’s needs and their family’s ability to afford the service. The school bears no responsibility for payment of or rate of student progress from the tutoring resource chosen by the parent/guardian

Behavior

Our one final word for the year is CARING. This started Monday, May 9^th. It is extremely important that we spend the rest of the year being caring towards one another and not hurting feelings. Our reward will be next week on June 2^nd.

End of the Year Celebration

To celebrate a successful year of third grade we will be watching the movie UP on the last day of school, June 3^rd. We, the third grade teachers, will be providing healthy snacks for our wonderful students.

Warm Weather and Student Dress – A note from the office

Students should not wear “short shorts”, strapless tops, spaghetti strap shirts, bare midriffs, or pants/shorts that “sag” so undergarments are in view. Flip flops should not be worn to school on gym days and/or for outside recess time. A pair of tennis shoes must be brought to school (for outside/gym) if a students chooses to wear flip flops at school. Students should also not wear any clothing to school that advertises or promotes drugs or alcohol.

More Multiplication Ideas

Keep studying those facts. We are taking 1 minute timed fact tests several times a week. The more they have memorized, the easier it will be. It is also critical for them to know their basic facts so they can use them when we do our harder multiplication and division in chapter 11 next week. Here are websites or use the flashcards we sent home earlier. If you are looking for other ideas, send me an email or give me a call!

http://www.mathfactcafe.com/