FALL IS IN THE AIR!

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to Elly for being our MVP this week! We enjoyed learning more about our special classmate when she shared her banner with us on Monday!

Happy Birthday to Sam today!!  

FRIDAY FEAST: Yummy! Thank you to the PTA and 5th Grade Parents for providing the faculty and staff with a delicious Italian lunch yesterday. This is a welcomed treat on a Friday after a long week. These monthly feasts are very much appreciated.

CONFERENCES: Meeting with parents is an enjoyable time to share with each other your child's strengths and the opportunities for growth. We know it is hard to schedule these, but feel it is always worth the time. Parents and teachers on the same page will make this an enjoyable year. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to our annual Teacher/Parent Fall Conferences. 

LOOK FOR IT…Thank you to our dedicated Third Grade Room Parent Team, Jeanette Dunbar and Veena Hosur (Mrs. McDonald), Sarah Hutson and Nancy Lewis (Mrs. Biggers), Erin Neal (Mrs. Chrane), and Sharon Marone (Ms. Thurin), who will help ensure a fun-filled, rich and educational experience for your child. A letter will be coming come in the Tuesday folder regarding our Annual Third grade events and activities. Class donations will be due no later than Wednesday, October 24th. Please remember, your donations help provide supplies for our special events. Also, keep a look out for communication coming via our fabulous Homeroom Moms, Jeanette and Veena. We truly appreciate all your support!

Enjoying your children,
Mrs. McDonald

3rd GRADE and CCE CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

FROM THE COUNSELOR 
Character Word for October: ENCOURAGING 

COMPREHENSION HELP
Several parents have asked about how to help with reading comprehension.  First, have an honest discussion about how you as an adult read. Talk about how when reading a recipe or instructions even adults must go back into the material to clarify information.  If you are a reader of novels discuss how when you lose your train of thought you might go back and reread a chapter. Most third grade comprehension questions are very concrete, meaning that a reader can go back into the passage to “prove” their answers.  That requires patience, attention to detail, and self-discipline which are not always traits of most nine year olds. Going over missed comprehension questions from their Tuesday folder and locating the information also reinforces the idea that most of the time the answers are there if the time is taken to find them.  Some children spend so much of their energy when decoding words that comprehension IS a skill they struggle with. That’s why at this age we teach them strategies like not only going back into the passage to prove an answer, but also taking time to “stop & jot” to reflect on what they understand or do not understand about either a paragraph or a series of paragraphs.  

UIL PRACTICE BEGINS NEXT WEEK
Just a friendly reminder that practice for UIL starts next week. Please see the schedule below to find your student's practice days and coaches. Students will meet in room 116 after school and will be picked up by their coach for practice. They will be dismissed by their coaches and escorted from the building via the front entrance after practice. Please wait in the covered patio area for your student. If you have specific questions about practices, please reach out to your event coach. Thank you!  

**ART WILL NOT BEGIN PRACTICE UNTIL OCTOBER 15TH**
Art (4th and 5th Grades ONLY) Practice MONDAYS FROM 3:00- 3:30 Coach- Mrs. Shay Force
Spelling (3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades ONLY) Practice MONDAYS FROM 3:00- 3:30  Coach- Mrs. Kim Morris
Music Memory (3rd, 4th and 5th Grades ONLY) Practice TUESDAYS FROM 3:00- 3:30  Coach- Mrs. Donna Owen
Oral Reading (4th and 5th Grades ONLY) Practice TUESDAYS FROM 3:00- 3:30  Coach- Mrs. Jean Riggins
Ready Writing (3rd, 4th and 5th Grade ONLY) Practice TUESDAYS FROM 3:00- 3:30  Coach- Ms. Ashley Gibson
Creative Writing (2nd Grade ONLY) Practice THURSDAYS FROM 3:00-3:30 Coach- Mrs. Joni Biggers

BOOK STUDY
Parent Book Study of The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Leman will meet this Wednesday,  October 3rd from
8-8:45 a.m.
Please join us in Room 171 to discuss chapters 1-3.  Happy Reading!

HELP US HONOR OUR VETERANS!
Please help our CCE 5th Graders honor our VETERANS during the CCE Veterans Day celebration scheduled for Friday, November 9th at 8:00 am AND during their musical "We Will Not Forget" scheduled for Tuesday, November 13th following the 5:45 pm PTA meeting.  We would like to create a video montage honoring VETERANS in our CCE Community as we sing the song "We Will Not Forget" to close our program, AND with Mrs. Weir's (Art) leadership, the 5th graders will be creating a remembrance wall in the main CCE hallway using these photographs.

Please scan a photo of a VETERAN and include their name and branch of the service on or under the photo.  Veterans can be family members, neighbors and/or friends. We would prefer a digital photo, but we are able to scan photos for you if needed.

Please email your photos to Debbie Martin (Music) at Debbie_Martin@roundrockisd.org ASAP!  We must have all photos by Friday, November 2nd for them to be included in the presentation.

Thank you for helping our CCE 5th graders honor our Veterans!  We hope you will join us for the programs on Friday, 11/9 at 8:00 am and Tuesday, 11/13 following the 5:45  pm PTA meeting.

HOMEWORK
Planners are completed daily.  Please check and initial your child’s planner nightly.

Students are required to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per night and record a quick response on their reading logs. Signed logs are DUE every Wednesday. Book Bucks are earned with every 100 minutes read. Students can “purchase” books from our “Book Buck Libraries” with 10 book bucks. 

Nightly reading is crucial to your child's overall reading success. Reading should be an interactive process, so please remember to initial or sign your child's log before turning it in on Wednesday.

Students should practice math skills 10 minutes nightly.  This could be anything from a free math app, to flashcards or even a series of problems written by a parent.  

Each FRIDAY students will receive spelling lists and work. Practice spelling the words correctly and complete the homework packet due each THURSDAY. Spelling Tests will be administered on Fridays.  

UNITS OF STUDY for October 1-5, 2018
Math - 3-4 Digit Addition and Subtraction Strategies 
Reading - Introducing Poetry
Writing - Crafting a narrative poem
Spelling - Unit 6
Social Studies - Communities
Science - Mixtures

IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, October 2-31: Parent Book Study, Room 171
Monday, October 8: Student Holiday – Parent/Teacher Conference Day
Tuesday, October 9: Student Holiday – Staff Development Day
Friday, October 12th - PTA Movie Night, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 13th -  Green Team Work day, 10:00 a.m. 
Wednesday, October 17th - Bush’s Spirit Night, 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Monday-Friday, October 22-25 - Red Ribbon Week
Friday, November 9 - Veterans’  Day Program, 8:00 a.m.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Dear Parents,

Our fall conferences are quickly approaching. You will be receiving a reminder email from Sign-Up Genius soon with your scheduled day and time. Please email me if you need to reschedule your appointment. If you have not done so, please send in your child's conference goal sheet as soon as possible.  I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your 3rd grader’s goals for this year. 

Happy Birthday to Varun last Thursday!

Finally, planners are your child’s best friend! Be sure to review his/her planner and important dates at the end of this newsletter. Thank you!

Enjoy your weekend! Play hard, read lots, and clip those box tops! The box top competition ends  soon.

Gratefully,
Mrs. McDonald

                                         

3rd GRADE and CCE CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

FROM THE COUNSELOR  
Character Word of September: WELCOMING

BOOK BUCKS
Thank you to the families who have donated funds to our Book Buck Library!  We are almost at 100% participation!  A few students made a book purchase this week and many more are close to making their first purchase! You may send in your check payable to Scholastic books at any time!

CCE FAMILY WELLNESS NIGHT
As families get busier, "together time" seems more difficult to achieve.  Please come and join us on Tuesday, September 25th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. for some creative, engaging time with your child. There will be games a plenty hosted by our two awesome CCE coaches. 

UIL REGISTRATION
It's UIL time! UIL competition is open to students in grades 2nd through 5th. If you are interested in signing your student up for UIL competition, please complete the form below. All entries must be received by Friday, September 28th. No late entries will be accepted. Please read the directions and descriptions carefully before making your selections. Practices for events will begin the week of October 1st. Thank you for supporting UIL! 
UIL Registration Form link

HOMEWORK
Planners are completed daily.  Please check and initial your child’s planner nightly.

Students are required to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per night and record a quick response on their reading logs. Signed logs are DUE every Wednesday. Book Bucks are earned with every 100 minutes read. Students can “purchase” books from our “Book Buck Libraries” with 10 book bucks. 

Nightly reading is crucial to your child's overall reading success. Reading should be an interactive process, so please remember to initial or sign your child's log before turning it in on Wednesday.

Each FRIDAY students will receive spelling lists and work. Practice spelling the words correctly and complete the homework packet due each THURSDAY. Spelling Tests will be administered on Fridays.  

UNITS OF STUDY for September 24-28, 2018
Math - 3-4 Digit Addition and Subtraction Strategies 
Reading - Inferencing and Drawing Conclusions 
Writing - Drafting and Publishing a Personal Narrative
Spelling - Unit 5
Social Studies - Communities
Science - Changes in Matter

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, September 24 - Flu Clinic
Tuesday, September 25th - Family PE/Wellness Night, 6pm-7pm
Thursday, September 27th -  Author Visit with Sean Easley 
Monday, October 8: Student Holiday – Parent/Teacher Conference Day
Tuesday, October 9: Student Holiday – Staff Development Day
Friday, October 12th - PTA Movie Night, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 13th -  Green Team Work day, 10:00 a.m. 
Monday-Friday, October 22-25 - Red Ribbon Week
Friday, November 9 - Veterans’  Day Program, 8:00 a.m.

3rd Grade is Awesome!

Dear Parents,

Thank you for attending our Back to School Night. I hope you left with a good idea of what goes on here each day. It’s a very busy place! Our classroom is buzzing with learning throughout our entire day.

Also, thank you for signing up for a fall conference time! Please click on Fall Conferences to sign up if you have not already reserved a spot. Most of my conferences will take place on Monday, October 8th. This is a student holiday, so I am holding them throughout the day.  Fall conferences are a great time to learn more about how to help your child with reading, writing, spelling, and math. In third grade, the conferences are parent-teacher conferences, so, if possible, please make childcare arrangements for your 20-minute slot.  Your third grader will also be providing input into the conference before the adults get together to talk about his/her goals.

This week, you received a conference goal sheet to complete.  Thank you to those of you who have already returned your form.  If you have not doneso already, please return your completed form, MVP letters and Book Buck Library contributions to me by Friday, September 21, 2018 so that I may prepare for our meeting. I look forward to discussing your child’s goals for 3rd grade!

Many thanks for the donations to our Book Buck Library program! You have been extremely generous, and I truly appreciate it. I will be placing our Scholastic order soon, as I work to stock our Book Buck Library.

Education is truly a partnership between parents and teachers.  Our goal is to produce lifelong learners. Thank you for reading my newsletter.

Enjoying your children,
Mrs. McDonald


                       3RD GRADE AND CCE CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE
Please refer to the district calendar before making travel plans.   Per the District Handbook, State Law requires attendance unless your child is sick or has a school related absence.   If your child is sick, please use the “Report an Absence” button on the Canyon Creek Elementary website. Doctors notes are requested if your child visits a Doctor or is absent  5 or more days. Failure to comply with Compulsory Attendance could result in Truancy Measures as outlined in the District Parent / Student Handbook (pages 29-31).
https://roundrockisd.org/parents/student-parent-handbooks/

Please call Cynthia Quesnel at 512-428-2802 if you have Attendance questions.

P.E./ WELLNESS NIGHT
Come join us for CCE Family P.E. and Wellness Night September 25th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. There will be activities and games to play including Table Ball, Toss & Catch Challenges, a Jump Rope Challenge and others.

COFFEE CHAT  - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th 7:45 - 8:15 a.m.
Mark your calendars (please note the new date) for our Coffee Chat with Mrs. Crawford. You will have an opportunity to visit and meet some of our new staff!

Also, please click on this survey link to let us know what topics you would like to hear about this school year. 

PARENTS INTERESTED IN GIFTED SERVICES (TAG)
There is a district meeting on September 27, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. for parents whose students are NOT currently in the TAG program but are interested in learning more about it. This is an overview of information on services the district provides. Again this is for parents of students that are not in the TAG program currently. The meeting is at Round Rock High School.

HOMEWORK
Planners are completed daily.  Please check and initial your child’s planner nightly.

Students are required to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per night and record a quick response on their reading logs. Signed logs are DUE every Wednesday. Book Bucks are earned with every 100 minutes read. Students can “purchase” books from our “Book Buck Libraries” with 10 book bucks.

Nightly reading is crucial to your child's overall reading success. Reading should be an interactive process, so please remember to initial or sign your child's log before turning it in on Wednesday.

Students should practice math skills 10 minutes nightly.  This could be anything from a free math app, to flashcards or even a series of problems written by a parent.  Once Education Galaxy is set up for your child, he/she will be able to practice math skills at home on that website.  I will send home your child's login info as soon as it is available.  The link below has some suggestions for free math apps. 
Free Math Apps

Each FRIDAY students will receive spelling lists and work. Practice spelling the words correctly and complete the homework packet due each THURSDAY. Spelling Tests will be administered on Fridays. 

UNITS OF STUDY for September 17-21, 2018
Math - 3-4 Digit Addition Strategies
Reading - Using text evidence when answering questions about my reading
Writing - Writing tips to improve our paragraphs, drafting a personal narrative
Spelling - Unit 3
Social Studies - Constitution and Bill of Rights
Science - Changes in Matter

IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, September 19th - Bush’s Spirit Night, 4:00-7:00 pm

Tuesday, September 25th - Family PE/Wellness Night, 6:00-7:00 pm

Thursday, September 27th - Coffee Chat for parents, Library - 7:45-8:15 am

Wednesday, Oct. 2-Oct. 31 - Parent Book Study, Room 171

Welcome Parents to Back to School Night!

Dear Parents,

We have our Back to School Night this Tuesday, September 11th at 7:00 in our classroom, right after the PTA meeting.  This is a time for you, as parents, to see and hear many of the things your third grader will be doing throughout the year.  I'm sure you have some questions for me as well. There will be lots of information shared so we will begin promptly at 7:00. Thank you for setting up childcare arrangements for this evening.

See you Tuesday,
Mrs. McDonald

3RD GRADE AND CCE CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

MVP PENNANTS
Due Monday, September 10th

EDUCATION GALAXY
We are so excited about  Education Galaxy, a digital reading and math practice opportunity for our 3rd graders. More information coming very soon. 

​LANGUAGE ENRICHMENT CLASSES  
Spanish language classes begin Sept. 10th.  Thank you to all that donated to PTA. Our PTA generously pays for this program.

FROM THE COUNSELOR
Character Word of September: WELCOMING

BOX TOPS
It's that time of year again.  The annual BOX TOP competition has began.  Please send in box tops to help our school.  The top classes get a prize.

PEACH JAR
In an attempt to save paper, many Tuesday folder papers are now being sent electronically. If you have not subscribed to Peach Jar, please do so as soon as possible through this link. Without a subscription, you may miss something important! There are a lot of after school enrichment programs being offered!

HOMEWORK
Planners are completed daily.  Please check and initial your child’s planner nightly.

Students are required to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per night and record a quick response on their reading logs. Signed logs are DUE every Wednesday. Book Bucks are earned with every 100 minutes read. Students can “purchase” books from our “Book Buck Libraries” with 10 book bucks. 

Nightly reading is crucial to your child's overall reading success. Reading should be an interactive process, so please remember to initial or sign your child's log before turning it in on Wednesday.

Students should practice math skills 10 minutes nightly.  This could be anything from a free math app, to flashcards or even a series of problems written by a parent.  The link below has some suggestions for free math apps.
Free Math Apps

Each FRIDAY students will receive spelling lists and work. Practice spelling the words correctly and complete the homework packet due each THURSDAY. Spelling Tests will be administered on Fridays.  

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, September 10th - MVP pennants are due

Tuesday, September 11th - Open House Night & PTA General Meeting
6:00 pm -- Kinder, 1st, and 2nd Grades Open House
6:30 pm -- PTA General Meeting
7:00 pm -- 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades Open House

Friday, September 14th - Kona Ice, after school

Wednesday, September 19th - Bush’s Spirit Night 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 20th - Coffee Chat for parents/Library 7:45-8:15 a.m. 
                                    Picture Day

Tuesday, September 25th - Family PE/Wellness Night 6:00-7:00 p.m

Happy Labor Day!

Dear Parents,

I hope you are all enjoying your long Labor Day weekend!  Remember, there is no school Monday, September 3rd.  

A special thank you to London's mom, Jeanette, and Sanmita's mom, Veena, for volunteering to serve as our homeroom parents. I appreciate their willingness to help and know they will be supported by all the wonderful parents in our classroom! 

Gratefully,
Mrs. McDonald


          3RD GRADE AND CCE CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

MVP PENNANTS
Students brought home their “Most Valuable Person” pennants on Tuesday.  They have directions with them and are due Sept 10. Think of it as making an “all about me” poster on a pennant size poster!   I am excited to learn more about our classroom family when they share their pennant with the class.

TUESDAY FOLDERS
Each Tuesday afternoon, please spend some time going over your child's Tuesday folder work with them. It's important that the children see how well they completed their work. The corrections I make are really to benefit my students. If there is a “Correct and Return” paper in the folder, please spend time going over that work with your child, making corrections, then put a parent signature on it and return it the next day. Sometimes all it takes is a little more practice, as mastery is around the corner.
​
PLANNERS 
I appreciate you reviewing your child’s planner on a nightly basis. It sure makes for a smooth day when we are prepared. 

LIBRARY
Our class visits the library each Tuesday!  Please remind your child to bring their books back to school on Library day. We have the opportunity to check out books and enjoy a lesson from Mrs. Bamford.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, TUESDAY, SEPT. 11TH
Please make every effort to attend Back to School Night Tuesday, September 11th. We will be discussing all kinds of important information. We ask that only parents attend. 
The night’s schedule is:
6-6:30 Meet the teacher for Kinder-Grade 2
6:30-7:00 PTA meeting
7-7:30 Meet the teacher for Grades 3-5

CHOICES, CHOICES
Each day there are four daily lunch entree choices available from the cafeteria. Several students continue to arrive unsure of their decision. Please review the menu each morning, and send your child knowing which choice they’d like, #1, #2, #3, or #4. Also, I have a few students buying treats or ice cream on a daily basis. You may want to have a discussion about this at home if you wish there to be limits. 

LUNCH WALK AND TALK
Lunch Recess is now Lunch Walk and Talk. We are giving 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students the opportunity to get some fresh air and socialize with their friends, while walking the track. Unfortunately we do not have the staff available to monitor a recess at lunch time. During regular recess time, we require 3 teachers on duty to make sure kids are safe. When we don’t have 3 sets of eyes outside, we have concerns about safety.

PTA NEWS!
Have you joined the CCE PTA? It is not too late! Please join here.

IT’S PTA BOX TOP TIME!
Thank you to Luke for being the first to turn in lots of Box Tops!

CCE’s annual Box Top Collection Competition runs Sept. 4-28h. Classes compete to bring in the most Box Tops and win prizes! Thanks for making this such a fun and important fund-raising opportunity for CCE! Bonus Box Tops are the key to your class’ victory. HEB runs a promotion (Sept. 5 - 18) in whereby if you purchase 10 Box Top items you receive 60 bonus Box Tops and if you purchase 15 Box Top items you receive 100 bonus Box Tops. Parents can also download the Bonus Box Tops App and get 50 Bonus Box Tops at Walmart when purchasing 5 Box Tops items in a single transaction and scanning the receipt with the app. Get 100 Bonus Box Tops at Sam’s Club for purchasing 3 Box Tops items with the app. Normally, more than half the money raised is from Bonus Box Tops. As such, each student that brings Bonus Box Tops (certificates or emails from the app) of 50 Box Tops or more will also receive a small prize from the prize basket provided by the PTA.

Class Prizes: The winning class receives a pizza party provided by Papa John’s Pizza at Volente Plaza. Second place receives an in class ice cream sundae party provided by HEB. Third place receives an in-class donut party provided by HEB. Fourth place receives an in-class popsicle party provided by HEB. And fifth place receives 3 free ice cream certificates per student to Dairy Queen.

Contact Cory Vessa at vessacory@hotmail.com  if you have any questions. Please clip and send box tops to school during our competition time. 

FROM THE COUNSELOR
September is here and it is time to kick off our FIRST character word of the month! Our character word for September is WELCOMING! In September, if your teacher sees your child caring for others, then your child will get a sticker to wear all day so that other students will know that you demonstrated our Character Word of the Month! And thank you, parents, for supporting the Character Counts program by reinforcing our word of the month at home!! Go Comets!!

WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS!
If you plan to be a volunteer, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, you MUST complete the volunteer application AND receive approval each school year. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the 2017-2018 school year.
Click here for more information and the application link.

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, September 3rd - Holiday, No School

Thursday, September 6th - WATCH DOG Kick-Off, 6:00pm, Cafeteria

Monday, September 10th - MVP pennants are due

Tuesday, September 11th - Open House Night & PTA General Meeting
6:00 pm -- Kinder, 1st, and 2nd Grades Open House
6:30 pm -- PTA General Meeting
7:00 pm -- 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades Open House

Friday, September 14th - Kona Ice, after school

Wednesday, September 19th - Bush’s Spirit Night, 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 20th - Coffee Chat for parents/Library, 7:45-8:15 a.m.

Tuesday, September 2th - Family PE/Wellnees Night, 6:00-7:00 p.m