February 15th - 19th

Happy Valentine's Day!!!  I hope you all found a fun way to celebrate!!  We had a great day on Friday!  Everyone followed directions while playing with their electronics and we enjoyed our Valentine's!

This week we will have a spelling test.  Keep studying hard at home!  They are doing such a great job each week!!

Our book is officially finished and will be sent off to be published today!  We are so excited to share this with each of you!  You will be amazed at how well they did and how much we all learned!!

Our class will be presenting the Living Stations of the Cross on March 16th at 2pm.  We chose our parts last week.  Many of them have lines to memorize.  These need to be memorized by February 25th.  Please read through the script with them.  The readers need to practice reading their parts and the actors need to know the script really well so they know what they are supposed to be doing.  We will be practicing at church a lot in the coming weeks.

Conferences will be the week of February 22nd - 25th and these are by request.  We will be holding conferences on Tuesday the 23rd.  We will be sending an email to those we feel we need to meet with.  If you would like a conference and don't receive an email please contact us and we will be more than happy to schedule one with you.

Continue working on multiplication facts at home.  The students are really cruising through their timed tests.   We even have a couple of students who are on their last test already!  Remember, they must master all multiplication facts through 12 in order to earn the ice cream party in May.

February Calendar
16th - Get Active 3pm-4pm

19th - 8:15 Mass

23rd - Get Active 3pm-4pm

23rd - Third grade conferences by request

24th - 8:15 Mass

26th - No School

Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Cowart and Ms. Ploederl

February 8th - 12th


What a great week we had last week!!  It was nice to see so many of you throughout the week!  My favorite had to be roller skating night!  What a fun time it was!!

This week students will bring home a spelling list.  Please continue to study each night!!

We will be working on finishing our book that we are publishing.  Please get the order forms to us by the end of the week.  We need all forms turned in even if you are not going to order a book.  If everyone turns in the order form we receive a classroom book for free.  Thanks for helping us out!!

In math we are going to continue working on subtraction with larger numbers.  Timed tests are still going very well!  Students should be studying every night for at least five minutes.  I can tell right away who studies and who doesn't.  They need to pass all of the tests in order to earn the ice cream party.

Continue to encourage your child to read on RAZ.  They should be reading on this every night and then parents are to sign the RAZ sheet.  Thanks!


February Calendar
9th - Magic Show at St. Mary's in pm

10th- Ash Wednesday 8:15 Mass/ Early release at 12:30

12th - 8:15 Mass and rosary

19th - 8:15 Mass

24th - 8:15 Mass

26th - No School

Have a wonderful week!!

Mrs. Cowart and Ms. Ploederl

February 1st - 5th

Happy Catholic Schools Week!!!  It was nice to see so many of our students at Mass today.  I love watching them sing in front of church.  They sure did a great job!!

This week is going to be a fun week!  We will get in some normal instruction when we are able.  There will not be a spelling list this week.  All guided reading groups have homework to be working on that is due on Thursday.

In science we are working on landforms.  We have created a landform book that includes definitions and pictures of landforms.

In math we are working on ungrouping or borrowing with larger numbers.  Subtraction with zeros is always tricky.  We are drawing place value pictures to help us understand how to ungroup twice.  Keep studying those math facts!  They are doing an amazing job with their timed tests!  This week we will still try to get two tests in.

February Calendar

1st- Book Character Day- Dress as your favorite Book Character/ Read in

2nd- St Edward Day-Hop in AM/Magic Show in PM

3rd- Career Day- Dress in whatever you'd like to be when you grow up- Craft and Cards

4th- Grooovy Day- Dress like you are from the 70's /Rollerskating at Night 5:30-7:30

5th- Grandparents Day/ 8:15 Mass/ Early release at 11:30

10th- Ash Wednesday 8:15 Mass/ Early release at 12:30

12th - 8:15 Mass

19th - 8:15 Mass

26th - No School

Have a great week!  Hopefully we don't get snowed in!!

Mrs. Cowart and Ms. Ploederl

January 25th - 29th

We are officially half way through the year.  This week starts the third quarter!  These third graders have learned so much this year and I can't wait to see what the second half of the year has in store.

We started our new reading groups last week.  We have groups reading George's Marvelous Medicine, Cam Jansen, Number Our Stars, and Magic Tree House books.  The students will be writing their guided reading in their student planners this time.  They will indicate what day they are due.

There will be a spelling test on Monday along with their pre-test for the week.  Continue helping them study each night because their grades show how much they study.

In math we are adding and subtracting larger numbers.  The timed tests are going so well!!!  I love how much they want to pass!

Next week is Catholic Schools Week.  Please try to attend Mass on Sunday!  The school sits together and the students have all of the parts.  It is such a fun experience!!  Then there is a pancake/porkie breakfast right after.  Hope to see many of you at the breakfast!  If you haven't done so, please turn in the permission slips and forms for the week.  We need to get a count as soon as possible.  Thanks!!

Calendar:

January:

29th- Mass at 8:15 am

31st- (SUNDAY) Catholic Schools Week Mass 8:30 am

(All students- Breakfast and Book Fair to Follow) 

February: 

1st- Book Character Day- Dress as your favorite Book Character- Read in

2nd- St Edward Day- Dress in St. Edward clothes or colors/ Hop in AM- Magic Show in PM

3rd- Career Day- Dress in whatever you'd like to be when you grow up- Craft and Cards in PM

4th- Groovy Day- Dress like you are from the 70's/ Rollerskating at Night

5th- Grandparents Day/ Mass and Early Release

Have a great week!!!

Mrs. Cowart and Ms. Ploederl

January 18th - 22nd

I hope everyone is staying warm!!  We will probably have some indoor recesses coming up.  Please still send hats, mittens, boots, and snowpants.

This week the students will learn their new reading groups and we will begin meeting with them.  We will predict what is going to happen in our new books.  Students are responsible for getting their guided reading finished on time.  They will lose points if they are late.  They are given at least two days to complete the work, so it should not be a problem.

We are off to a wonderful start on our timed multiplication tests.  There is no doubt that there are many who are studying very hard and are challenging themselves.  We will only take two tests this week since we don't have school on Friday.  Studying five minutes every night will help them to master these facts.  I do give them some time to practice in school, but they are realizing they also need to practice at home.  Thanks for your help!

We made 3D snowman as seen from above.  They are going to now write an expository essay on how to build a snowman.  They are starting to understand how to write an essay with a beginning, middle, and ending paragraphs.

January

20th- Mass

22nd -  No School

29th - Mass

31st- Catholic Schools Week Mass and breakfast  - All students attend 

31st- Feb 5th Catholic Schools Week - watch for dress up days and daily activities all week - Grandparents Day is February 5th and an early release

Have a wonderful week!!!  If you have questions or concerns, please let us know.

Mrs Cowart and Ms Ploederl

January 11th - 15th

Go Pack Go!!  If you are a fan, it was a great day!!

This week will be a cold one!  Hopefully we will be able to go outside and we will if the windchill is above 0.   Please help remind your student to bring hats, mittens, boots, and snowpants to school each day.

There will be a spelling list coming home this week.  Keep up the great job studying!!

Students are expected to read on Raz each night.  Ms. Ploederl will check to be sure they are reading.  She also receives reports to let her know what areas each student needs to work on.  We ask that you only sign the sheet if they actually read.

We are starting strong with our multiplication timed tests.  They are so excited to take them and I find them studying during their free time.  In math we are also working on place value and word problems.

January

15th- Mass

20th- Mass

22nd -  No School

29th - Mass

31st- Catholic Schools Week Mass and breakfast  - All students attend 

31st- Feb 5th Catholic Schools Week - watch for dress up days and daily activities all week - Grandparents Day is February 5th and an early release

Have a wonderful week!!!  If you have questions or concerns, please let us know.

Mrs Cowart and Ms Ploederl

January 4th - 8th

Happy New Year!!!  I hope your Christmas vacation was one to remember.  I had a very nice vacation.  We spent a couple days in downtown Chicago and went to the Science and Industry Museum.  It was great to show my own kids the museum that I used to take my third graders to for our annual field trip when I taught in the suburbs.

We will be finishing our Guided Reading groups this week and begin testing the students to see if they can move up a level.  Reading at home is a great way to help them in addition to our groups.  The more they read the better readers they will become.  It would be great if each student was reading 20 - 30 minutes each night.  Raz Kids is a great asset if they are having a difficult time finding books they enjoy.

There will be a spelling list coming home this week.  This class is very good at studying their words.  Many weeks we have almost all A's.

In math we will begin a new unit of addition and subtracting with larger numbers.  We will also begin our timed tests for multiplication.  Each student will be given a ziploc bag with their name on it.   I will give them flash cards to put in their bags every time they pass a test.  They will get their 0's and 1's on Monday.  The first test will be on Wednesday of this week and will only be 0's and 1's through 12.  They will have two minutes to complete 25 problems.  I allow them to miss or get one wrong and still pass.  Knowing multiplication facts by memorization is a standard for third graders.  If the students pass all of the tests they will be invited to an ice cream party in May.  This party is only for the kids who really put in the work to learn their facts.  They are all capable of learning them and have four and a half months to do so.  I give a timed test two to three times every week.  If they practice for 5 minutes every night they will pass!  There is a great app on the ipad called Timed Test Arcade.  You set up the test and which facts they practice.  It does cost a couple of dollars, but it is totally worth it.  I have it on my school ipad and will allow the students to practice in class also.

In Science we are going to be learning about landforms.  This is a fun unit with a lot of activities and research.

January

8th- Mass

15th- Mass

20th- Mass

22nd -  No School

29th - Mass

31st- Catholic Schools Week Mass and breakfast  - All students attend 

31st- Feb 5th Catholic Schools Week - watch for dress up days and daily activities all week - Grandparents Day is February 5th and an early release

Have a wonderful week!!!  If you have questions or concerns, please let us know.

Mrs Cowart and Ms Ploederl