Weekly Update

Happy Spring, Everyone!

I hope you were able to enjoy some extra time with your children this week during Spring Break. I'm excited to see everyone back at school tomorrow. I can't believe we have less than 2 months left in the school year! Please make a note of these dates on your calendar:

Friday, April 12 - Mother/Son Dance at Piedmont Church

Tuesday, April 16 - ELA Milestone Test 3rd Grade

Wednesday, April 17 - ELA Milestone Test 3rd Grade

Thursday, April 18 - ELA Milestone Test 3rd Grade

Friday, April 19 - 3rd Grade Colonial Day! Students can dress up as colonists. More info coming home this week!

Wednesday, April 24 - Math Milestone Test 3rd Grade

Thursday, April 25 - Math Milestone Test 3rd Grade

*4th & 5th grade students are taking the Milestone test on different days than 3rd grade. This is a change from previous years.

A word about Georgia Milestones: I am excited for our students to get to "show off" how much they have learned so far in 3rd grade! We have worked hard to learn the curriculum. Tests can be scary for kids, but I will do my best to keep everyone calm and make it as normal a day as possible. On testing days, we will spend a short portion of our mornings completing a section of the Georgia Milestone, then we're back to normal and will even have some extra recess! We will review some this week for the ELA (reading & writing) portion of the test. At home, you can help by making sure your child has enough sleep each night, eats a good breakfast at home or school, and gets to school on time. Please remember this is just one measure of your child's ability. The people who will grade these tests don't know that your child is an amazing artist or talented athlete, or future scientist, or even a budding comedian! This group of students has impressed me all year with their knowledge, persistence, and hard work! I know it will show when we begin testing next week. As always, please let me know if you have any questions about how testing works. Here is the study guide from the Georgia Department of Education if you're curious about question types: Milestone Study Guide 

Homework: This week, we will have reading, math and spelling homework. Spelling words will be written in your child's agenda on Monday to be studied throughout the week in preparation for Friday's quiz. Math and reading activities will be sent home on Monday to be turned in on Friday. The reading homework looks a little different this week. Please be sure your child is referring to the passages when answering questions. We have been encouraging students to underline words from the text to help them find the correct answers. 

There will be NO HOMEWORK the weeks of April 15th and 22nd due to Milestone testing!

Here is a look at our learning this week:

In reading, we will continue our adventure with Peter Pan. We have been working on using context clues and finding text evidence to answer comprehension questions as we read the text. 

In writing, we will review what informational and opinion writing pieces look like. During one section of the Georgia Milestone, students will read two short passages and then write (type) either an informational or opinion essay based on what was read. We will practice that this week in preparation for next week's ELA Milestone.

In social studies, we are continuing our study of the Thirteen Colonies. This week, we will focus on the Southern Colonies.

In math, we will learn about measuring volume and capacity. Your child should become familiar with the terms gram, kilogram, liter, and milliliter. Check your food and drink labels at home for these terms. Throughout the week, we will work on solving word problems that involve these types of measurements. Encourage your child to create their own word problem based on items you have at home such as, "If one bag of chips weighs 195 grams, how much would 2 bags of chips weigh?"

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about anything. Have a great week!