Norris News
10/13/11 – 10/19/11
Shout Outs:
Homework: The following students have had perfect 6/6 effort on homework since our program began: Amanda and Katie, Justin, Nicholas, and Mia! You guys are just like Anthony Reynoso and look at all he achieved! Well done and keep up the great work.
AR: Our class has read and passed 362 AR books already this year. Yahooooo! We’ve read a total of 424 books and have passed 362 of them which makes our percentage read and passed a little low (80.7%) but we are slowly making progress in this area. We want to get to the point where every child can read a book, recognize if they understand it or need to re-read and then pass the test proving a job well done. Our classroom is goal is to read one or more books than last year’s class at 1,038 books at a third grade level or higher! Come on! Let’s blow them away! (Get it. Blow as in our AR balloon board!)
Here are a few individual stand outs: Amanda has jumped into the lead with 28 books read and passed! Maddie has read 24 books and passed 22 quizzes, Chloe has read and passed 21, Kaitlin has read 20 and passed 19, Katie has read and passed 19, Arath has read 20 and passed 19, along with Grace who also read 20 and passed 19! Keep reading your little hearts out! Who will be our next Reader Leader?
IXL: As of 10/6/11, Amanda, Nick, and Katie are neck-in-neck with 52, 50, and 48 math standards mastered. Logan is hot on their tail with 35 followed closely by Chloe who has mastered 33 skills! You all are little, hard working mathematicians.
AR IRP– The Biography Vests are amazing! Your children are so proud of the work they did and each of them learned so very much! Well done!!!!! I still need biography vests from the following students: 8, 17, 20, 21, 24. Please turn them in today.
Our second Independent Reading Project is underway. It can be any genre your child wishes to explore and it is due 11/21st. Here are a few helpful hints:
1. Choose a full length book at your child’s reading level. Start reading today. Don’t waste time without a book.
2. Choose from a variety of genres. I posted a list of genres to the reference section today. Read carefully.
3. Print a copy of the Characterization and Summary Template form from the web site. Complete it. This is your sloppy copy and it must be turned in. (Look for another completed sloppy copy summary to come home in the next few weeks on Charlotte’s Web. As soon as all four groups complete reading the book in class, I will help each student complete a Summary Characterization form in class. This will help your child understand what is required on the last three Independent Reading Projects and it will give you a sample to study.)
4. Have an adult edit the sloppy copy.
5. Choose a project from the web site.
6. Here you have two choices. You can have your child re-write the sloppy copy into a “final copy” while incorporating it into the project or print another Summary Characterization form, re-write the sloppy copy on it and turn both in.
7. Practice your short 5 min. oral presentation. Do not plan to read your summary. I won’t let you. Just know enough about the characters to describe them and be able to tell us a summary of the main points of the book. Use your project as a visual aid, show the book to the class if it’s available, and have a gimmick if you want to. For example, test the other students on vocabulary words, pass out stickers, or involve them in the presentation in some way. Everyone likes to be involved. Remember, we have 26 students so you must be prepared to present in about 5 min.
8. Take pride in your work and plan ahead so these come in well done and timely. This is a very important lesson in itself. You have 42 days to complete the book, write, edit, and re-write the final draft into a project, and practice the oral presentation.
Weekly Tests
Please continue to review missed concepts on our weekly tests. Kaitlin and her family are doing a really nice job correcting and reviewing classroom work and tests. This will serve Kaitlin very well. Hard work pays off. Our goal is to have all students move forward with mastery.
Characters in Literature Party
Dear Parents,
On Friday, October 28th, our class will be celebrating wonderful characters in literature as we celebrate with the Wizard of Oz. The day will include a costume parade (9:00 a.m.), assembly (time unknown), center activities (10:45 – 12:20), and the viewing of the movie (1:05 – 2:50). (Note: I’m worried the times may change slightly due to the school wide assembly scheduled for this day. I’m trying to get a time for the assembly and I will make adjustments to our schedule as soon as I can.)
First, your child will need to dress as one of the many characters in the Wizard of Oz. Please allow your child to participate by dressing up in costume. No matter what your child says at home, he or she will feel left out if he/she does not participate. This day is in no way a holiday celebration. It does coincide with a holiday, but we are focusing on how to recognize and write great characters and to recognize and incorporate all the necessary components of a well written story. This is a cumulative activity that concludes a month long study of these essential components.
Your child can choose from the following characters: Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Farmers, Aunt Em, Wizard of Oz, Munchkins, Toto, Flying Monkey, Talking Tree, Emerald City Citizens, Wicked Witch of East or West, Glenda the Good Witch, and so on. Thankfully, these costumes can be made easily at home and are some of the least expensive and easily found costumes on the internet. Any character in the book is acceptable as long as the costume is appropriate for school. Absolutely no blood or violence is allowed.
Secondly, I will need parent volunteers and supplies for the following centers. Please highlight this donation section below, click file, click print, click selection, and click print. This will allow you to print only this section. Then, complete the form and return it to me as soon as possible. Feel free to also e-mail me with how you can help in lieu of printing the form. I will note your donation or return the form to you asking you to pick some other way to help if someone else has already chosen your item/service. I will need all supplies, in class, by Thursday, October 27th.
Master List Update –
1. Pumpkin Decorating
*Parent volunteer to run this center. (10:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.) ______
Parent to donate 5 small pumpkins _Lacie Klink______
Parent to donate 5 small pumpkins__Lacie Klink______
Parent to donate 5 small pumpkins______
Parent to donate 5 small pumpkins______
Parent to donate 5 small pumpkins______
Paints, paper bowls, and brushes provided by Mrs. Norris
2. Bobbing for Apples
*Parent volunteer to run this center. (10:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.)
Lacie Klink_____
Parent to donate two bags of Apples (30 – 40 apples)______
26 small clean towels and tub provided by___ Mrs. Norris______
3. Harvest/Seasonal Cookie Decorating
*Parent Volunteer to run this center. (10:45 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.______
Parent to donate 4 cans of white frosting__Lacie Klink______
Parent to donate food coloring: (yellow, orange, black, red, green, brown….) ______
Parent to donate 52 + cookies to decorate______Parent to volunteer other seasonal candy toppings______
Reynolds’s Wrap, plastic bowls, and plastic knives provided by Mrs.
Norris.
4. Rope a Doughnut
*Parent to run this center (10:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.)______
Parent to donate 30 – 35 kid-appreciated doughnuts with a 24 inch string already tied around each doughnut. This is the class favorite! ______
5. Holiday Crafts and other activitiesprovided by Mrs. Norris
6. Parent volunteers are encouraged to dress up but it’s not required. Come on! Have some fun!
7. Treat Bags from Lacie Klink
IXL -
I told you I would include a weekly list of standards your child should be able to play with little or no help. They are as follows:
A1 – A 12
B1 – B9
C1 – C16 (We started third grade addition last week. We will quickly work our way through the various skills found in this section.)
E1, E2 and
F1 – F13
I1, I2
L1 - L5
My son and I played IXL and this is what we learned. We both realized that a student can play and pass a standard by answering 28 questions correctly. It took us approximately 1 min. to pass a standard. Obviously, it is much more difficult for a child. However, we did learn something really invaluable. As your child is watching the percentage of mastery for the skill being played, we found that it can dip drastically with missed questions. What does this mean? If your child is playing along, 15% mastery, 30% mastery, 85% mastery, 96% mastery…. And then he/she misses a question, the percentage for mastery can drop back to 75% or 80% mastery. The point is, teach your child not to guess. Guessing really has steep penalties in this program. Instead, train him/her to use pencil and paper to “really” figure problems out, re-read, draw pictures…..Also, when a problem is missed, train him/her to use the explanation box so the next problem can be answered correctly the next time.
Ticket To Read
I only require 1 passage, read and passed with a score of 80% or better for Ticket to Read. Your child may choose to do more. (Some students have strange user names and passwords for this program. I’m trying to get them changed to the standard nine digit number and name+3 format but use the program assigned log-in information until further notice.) * Update – they still have not been able to fix all passwords to the prescribed format but all students can log in and play. If your child is having difficulty logging in, please send me a note. Thank you!
Some students are still have difficulty logging in because the program is not saving the password in the 9 digit and name plus grade format. As a matter of fact, some user names and passwords are changing at will and it’s very annoying! We are trying all we can from our end to get the Ticket to Read programmers to fix this problem. Until then, I have a technical support line you can call from home and ask for assistance directly from Ticket to Read personnel. I’m hoping this will get them to fix this difficulty more quickly. The technical assistance number is 1-888-399-1995.
Engrade.com – Is my free on-line grade program and can be accessed at school and at home. If you have not yet signed up to view your child’s grades on-line, its not too late and it’s free and easy. Your access code was sent home with you at Back to School night. If you did not come, it was sent home in your child’s homework folder. This is not mandatory, only a fun and convenient way to see our child’s grade. If you’d like the access code again, please e-mail me. Some parents are having difficulty using their code. You need to go to engrade.com and “sign up” as a parent. Just type in the code exactly as I sent it, answer a few short questions, agree to their terms of use, and you’re in. Please e-mail me with difficulties.
PTA - Thank you for joining PTA. It’s not too late to become a member. Keep sending in those box tops.
October Carnival –
Fall Festival Hoe Down!
Games, Giant Slide, Obstacle Course, Food, Photo Booth, Pie Eating Contest, Cow Pie Toss, Local Vendors and more!
When: Friday, October 21st from 5 – 9 p.m.
Where: Alta Murrieta Field
Cost:$5.00 Presale or $6.00 at door (A Presale order from was sent home today. Look for it. It’s bright yellow! Presales end on October 20th)
Parents are free! In addition, your child will need a nominal amount of spending money for the food vendors and fund raising booths for each grade level.
Help Needed:We need each child to bring a bag of candy and at least 1 can of temporary hair color. (Any color)
We also need volunteers to help with our hair color - fundraising booth, to run our third grade “free” game booths (King of the Stump and Golfing!), and to set-up/clean up before and after the event. Older students who need community service hours are welcome.
As usual, please e-mail that you:
1. Read this on Norris News
2. That you can donate the needed colored hair spray and bag of candy.
3.Will volunteer for the following time spots:
Set up: Between 3:30 – 5:00 ______
5:oo – 5:30______
5:30 – 6:00______
6:00 – 6:30______
6:30 – 7:00______
7:00 – 7:30______
7:30 – 8:00______
8:00 – 8:30______
8:30 – 9:00______
Clean up: After 9:00 until done______Many hands make light work!
Alta Gives Back – Bring one of the following items to the carnival as a donation towards Operation Christmas Child and receive a free raffle ticket: pencils, pens, crayons, markers, small notepads, bar soap, wash cloth, comb, brush, socks, jump rope, yo-yo, or hard candy.
Canned Food Drive - We are having a food drive from October 3 – October 21. If you can donate canned food to our LOCAL FOOD providers, please send them in.
Web Site - You only need to check my web site on Thursday or Friday. Each Thursday or Friday, please read and respond to Norris News, start our new vocabulary and spelling, and print or write up a new reading log for the week. Some of you may also elect to print the vocabulary Thinking Maps and 2 - 100 problem math fact worksheets as well. I will not update the site repeatedly throughout the week so there is no need to check it repeatedly.
Check your child’s backpack every night. Give positive feedback or support where needed. Please spend extra time supporting and correcting missed concepts on weekly tests.
UQIA – on weekly comprehension test means – Use Question in Answer. It’s required and your child will get half credit just for copying the question into the answer. Our master at this is Justin!!!! Go Justin.
CS – means write your response in a complete sentence. (Subject/Predicate, capital, and some kind of end mark)
Vocabulary (Back) – support your child if they are continuing to miss the dictionary skills found on the back of each vocabulary test. For some reason, some students just have a really hard time and may need repeated one-on-one instruction.
Homework Summary
Every Day – read and log it, multiplication facts, IXL
As Needed with pre-tests – vocabulary, spelling, other activities
Ticket To Read – Read and pass one passage with 80% or above
If your child does not have internet access for any reason, he/she must come to class. Six computers are available before school, after school, recess, and lunch.
If your child needs something printed, just have them ask. Remember, a printer is not necessary. Simply work the 6 study areas in ways that do not require a printer. (Or ask me.)
***** Now begin to look at your child’s study methods and activities and compare them to quiz and test scores. If your child is not being successful, change the method of study. It’s a wonderful gift to learn how to learn!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Norris