December 'Round the World!

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to Benny for being our marvelous MVP last week. We enjoyed to learning more about our special friend when he shared his banner with us.

Also, congratulations to Luke, Sam, and Varun for being three of the winners to have lunch with author, Nathan Hale! Way to Go!

What another wonderful week in Third Grade! Participating in the Hour of Code, programing Spheros, and listening to holiday music from the Grisham Band, Orchestra, and Choir were some of the highlights! These days seem to just be flying by, and our winter break is approaching soon.

I am super excited for you all to join us for the December ‘Round the World performance on Wednesday, December 12th at 8:00 a.m. This magical musical definitely puts me in the holiday spirits. I am so proud of our 3rd graders, and a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Martin!

Also, I truly appreciate you all for sending in permission slips, STAAR forms, and jars to school. Thank you for your continued support!

Enjoying your children,
Mrs. McDonald

                                          3rd GRADE and CCE CAMPUS NEWS

December Character Trait: FLEXIBLE

DECEMBER AROUND THE WORLD
Please continue to work on speaking parts!  Many students have them memorized, but need to speak with enthusiasm!

Performances are at 8:00 a.m. on 12/11 & 12/12.  Please have students come either in costume (American, Hanukkah, Diwali, Chinese and German scenes) or prepared to get into costumes here (African, Spanish, and those borrowing costumes)  

​Hair needs to be fixed/combed. Students will need a change of clothes. The plan is to hang up costumes and send them home that afternoon for the performance on Wednesday morning and apply the same procedure.  If you have any questions please let me know! I appreciate your help!

FIELD TRIP
Third grade students are going on a field trip to see The Nutcracker at the Long Center this Thursday, December 13th. We plan to leave around 11:00 and returning after our lunch period. We will be eating at approximately 10:30 in our classrooms, so students should bring a lunch from home and a small snack for our return.  Third graders will dress up for our ballet experience, so we will not be wearing CCE t-shirts. I just LOVE The Nutcracker!​

HOUR OF CODE
We were very excited with programing last week. Our technology support, Ms. Owen, walked us through the “hour of code” available through our website on the Student Links page and introduced us to coding a Sphero (which will be apart of the 3rd Grade STEAM project). This was impressive and just might light the spark for future careers. Ask your children about it!

RECESS
During these winter months we just wanted to remind families that we do go out to recess each day as long as it's not raining.  Some days may be chilly so please dress your child appropriately and send them with things that will keep them warm at recess on these cold days.

WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY
Our class holiday party is on Wednesday, December 19th  from 2:00 - 2:50. All parents are invited to attend. Hope to see you! As another reminder, due to school policy and space limitations, siblings are not allowed at the party. This is a special time for third graders and their parents so please set up childcare plans.

WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY CHILDCARE
Childcare will be available for siblings (at least 1 year old) during the Winter Holiday Parties scheduled for Wednesday, December 19th.  We provide this service since younger siblings are not permitted in the classrooms during parties. You may drop your child off at 1:55 p.m. and the center will be open until 3:00 p.m.  A donation of $8 per child is requested (cash only). Reservations are required and will be accepted until Monday, December 17th or until space fills up. (Further details will be provided when reservations are made)  To make a reservation, please email our Family Support Specialist Lisette Castaneda at lisette_castaneda@roundrockisd.org. Please include the name and age of the child(ren) you will be dropping off and a contact phone number.  

HOMEWORK
MATH UPDATE:  We are working to connect multiplication and division facts. This is very difficult when you don’t know your multiplication facts.  Please work on instant recall of basic facts during the holiday break!  

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 Education Galaxy, 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 December 10-14, 2018
Math -  Connection between Multiplication and Division
Reading - Biographies and Autobiographies​
Writing - Personal Narrative
Spelling - No Spelling This Week
Social Studies - Communities
Science - Earth’s Natural Forces

IMPORTANT DATES
Tues, December 11th- December 'Round the World Performance for school--8:00 am
Wed, December 12th - December 'Round the World Performance for parents--8:00 am
Thur, December 13th - Gr 3 Field Trip, The Nutcracker
Fri, December 14th - Author Visit - Nathan Hale
Wed, December 19th - Winder Party Day
​December 20 - January 7th - Winter Break, No School