June 3, 2019
Just like that, we are down to our last week of third grade…
Thank you to everyone for the wonderful breakfast celebration! It was such a delightful treat for everyone!
This week will be a busy one for us! Tomorrow is PLAY DAY! Please make sure your child wears comfortable clothing for outside play. Tennis shoes are a must! I’d suggest shorts, a hat, and sun protection! Also, make sure your child brings a water bottle with his/her name clearly marked.
Relays will follow play day starting at 11:15. Your child knows if they are part of the relay team. You’re welcome to come and watch if you can do so.
After play day, we have movie day. I’ll be playing Because of Winn-Dixie. If I am missing your child’s permission slip (due to the PG rating), another is enclosed. Please send this in tomorrow, or your child will not be allowed to watch the movie.
We also have a special art presentation in the afternoon as a “reward” for Manchester’s participation in the art project through The Fresno Art Museum.
On Wednesday we will have our pillowcase signing, board games, and ice cream party. We have sprinkles, caramel topping, and marshmallows so far. One parent is bringing whipped cream. If you have something fun to add to for our ice cream party, please send it in by Wednesday. Thank you! Also, please make sure your child has a plain light-colored pillowcase by Wednesday. Don’t forget a good board game to play with friends!
Thursday will be our final day of third grade! Dismissal will be at noon, and the bus schedule will allow for early dismissal time. “Brunch” will be provided, or your child can bring a light lunch.
I have had the best year imaginable with this class of students! Their enthusiasm for learning and zest for life has kept me entertained and smiling all year! Your assistance as parents has been amazing, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of families to be in my “final” class. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the help, kind words, fun stories, giggles, and great memories. Your children are beautiful little human beings, and I hope you’ll keep in touch with me through the years and tell me the great things they are doing in life. ([email protected])
I thank you again for everything you did to make our third-grade year a fantastic one! I wish you happy and safe summer! Remember to make sure your child stays on top of his/her skills and spends some time reading and keeping up on his/her math facts. I also think time spent writing and editing their work is also a helpful skill in preparation for fourth grade.
Make special memories this summer!
ILYVM,
Lisa Gatewood
May 13, 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all of the wonderful notes and treats last week. I felt very special, and had a wonderful week! All of the teachers enjoyed Teacher Week, and thanks to all who had a hand in making the week so special for us!
I hope everyone had a very nice Mother’s Day, and enjoyed the treasures that were created by your child. I loved their writing pieces, and I hope they made your heart smile.
Testing is behind us, and I’m proud of the children for their determination and effort that was put into the test. Let’s remember that this is just ONE MEASURE of your child’s abilities. Results should come to you over late in the summer.
This week will be finishing up projects to share with you on Thursday night. Open House is from 5:30-7:00 p.m. I hope you are all able to join us, as the kids are very proud of the work they have accomplished in class.
This week is also our Scholastic Book Fair. We previewed the wonderful books today, and our time for shopping is TOMORROW at 1:30 p.m. If your child would like to make a purchase, tomorrow is the perfect day, as sometimes towards the end of the week, items become unavailable. Students can also go during open times this week, including Thursday night. A complete list of events is enclosed in today’s folder. Tomorrow is a special evening for children and a guest! (If you are interested in helping with the book, fair,
Also, we are collecting coins each day for K-kids to help to put books in the hands of children who don’t have them. Tomorrow is nickels, Wednesday is dimes, Thursday is quarters, and Friday is whatever donation you’d like to bring. The class that brings in the most money will get an ice cream party! Winning class also gets the fun of shopping for books for the class library!
Wednesday morning, we will be having a short test on reading (DRP). This reading score will show their progress from the start of the year.
Homework this week is to prepare for a HOW-TO REPORT. Children will sign up for a day and time in class. Please read the enclosed paper and let me know if you’d like to come and watch your child’s presentation. We’ll do our best to book around everyone’s busy schedules.
Dates to know:
May 15—DRP test
May 16—Open House 5:30-7:00
May 21—Art of the Word at Fresno Art Museum
May 31—Memorial Day
June 3—Academic awards for 3rd grade at 9:30 a.m.
June 6—Last day of school!
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns!
You’re the best!
Lisa
May 6, 2019
Dear Parents,
Testing continues this week on Wednesday and Thursday. I must applaud all of the students for giving English/Language Arts their best effort. Everyone was calm, worked diligently, and gave their full effort to the tasks. This week, math will be tested. Thank you for helping to keep appointments in the afternoon. Thanks also for making certain the kiddos get a good night of rest and a healthy breakfast in the morning. Water and a healthy snack was also a great help last week.
We are all working on putting together our animal boards this week in class. The kids are doing it all themselves, so you’ll be surprised at their hard work at Open House next Thursday! We look forward to sharing them with you as well as many other projects. If the students are behind, they do have the chance to do some work on their Google classroom at home. Please note that it MUST be their work and parents should not assist other than refocusing attention and guiding your child through the process. They know if they are behind, so please ask your child how their report is moving along.
Besides animal reports, we will be finishing up our art project for the Fresno Art Museum. We’ll also be writing a fable to go with our art piece.
We look forward to seeing the talent show this week! Congratulations to Barbara, Ace, Jazlyn, Julia, and Morgan for making it to the finals! They are so brave and I’m so proud of them!
Dine-out Night is Wednesday evening at THE HABIT. Please bring the flyer enclosed in today’s folder. It’s a delicious and easy way to support Manchester!
I wish all mothers and grandmothers a special Mother’s Day. I know that your child thinks the world of all of you. May you feel special and smile all day long!
Have a great week!
Lisa
April 29, 2019
Dear Parents,
This week begins our state testing! We will start on Wednesday and Thursday this week with English Language Arts (reading and writing). Next week we continue with Math testing on Wednesday and Thursday. Please remember that each child should have a set of earbuds or headphones, and I will ask that they stay at school so that we can make sure and have them on testing days. The best way to assist your child is by making sure that he/she gets a good night of rest, and has a healthy breakfast each morning. Also, make sure that any appointments are in the afternoons, and that children arrive to school on time with a positive attitude ready to do the best job possible!J A hug and a sweet reminder to do well goes a long way! I also recommend a healthy snack for recess, and a water in class to keep hydrated.
I will be sending home progress reports next week with the Monday folder. Hopefully the children who have been sick or have been away will have some time this week to catch up on all activities.
WordMasters results are coming home today. The kids have done so much better with each test! I am very proud of their hard work this year.
Math tests on area and perimeter will be coming home after the students who were absent complete the test. They did a great job on this unit!
We continue with the same projects in class this week (animal reports, Because of Winn-Dixie, geometry, informational writing). We’ll also be doing our art project for the Fresno Art Museum and writing a fable to go with the artwork. Our main focus, of course, will be preparing for testing and focusing on the actual test.
The talent show is coming up! I am excited about all the talented kids in my class who tried out whether they made it or not! That takes such courage! I’ll do my best to keep you up on the schedule for practices. I think that the teacher that is running the show has had some emergency business that changed the schedule. I do apologize. Always feel free to call the office if you unsure of the practice dates.
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Lisa
April 23, 2019
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed your spring break! Welcome back!
We are in the “final sprint” of our school year, as we look to our state testing and finishing projects for open house. We have a lot to get done, and will be hard at work to accomplish everything. We discussed the importance of following rules, giving full effort to all tasks, and finishing tasks in a timely manner. It’s my usual “pep talk” that occurs at this time of the year in hopes of avoiding “summeritis.” It’s a great time, also, for you to discuss your end of the year goals and expectations with your child.
Our state testing will begin next week, on Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll begin with language arts on these days. (May 1 and 2) Mostly this will be accomplished in the morning and should be finished before lunch. The following Wednesday and Thursday (May 8 and 9) will be our state testing on our math standards. Any help in keeping appoints after school, or in the afternoon is very appreciated. While there is time for make-ups, I find the children rush the test to return to class. When we test as a team, we always are focused and do much better. The best way to help your child is to make certain that he/she gets a good night of rest, has a healthy breakfast, and give positive encouragement to do the best job possible.
We will be having our final WordMaster’s test of third grade on Thursday. The children should review the words in preparation. We’ll do a game or two in class to make sure we remember the definitions after all this time. As a reminder, all three lists of words from the start of the year may be included!
We are reading the book, Because of Winn-Dixie, which brings great topics of conversation and subjects to ponder. It’s always a favorite “read” each year, and the kids are enjoying the story a lot. It fits in nicely with our unit on animals.
Our animal reports are moving along. Just a reminder that if the children get behind or are absent, they may have work that to do at home to keep up with the class.
In math, we will finish our unit on fractions this week and will test out of the chapter on Friday.
Thank you to all the kids that helped at EXPO Night! What a fun family event!
This Friday will be FUN FRIDAY JAMBA JUICE at lunch recess! The weather will be perfect for a cool treat!
With the weather warming, I have told the class that I highly recommend a refillable water bottle with a sports top (for low chance of spilling). I also warned them that I get the air going right away in the morning so it’s semi-cool in the heat of the day. A light sweatshirt might be needed early in the day, but by lunch time, they’ll be most appreciative of having a cool room.
Dates to Remember…
May 1, 2, 8, & 9- CASSP Testing!
May 16- Open House
May 27- Memorial Day
A few needs to get us through to the end of the year include Kleenex, antibacterial wipes, and pencils! Please supply your child with a good bunch of pencils for his/her personal use. (Please don’t buy the mechanical pencils. They break and slow the children down. Thank you!
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Lisa
April 8, 2019
Dear Parents,
Here we are to our last week before spring break. That is so hard to believe. Time really does fly! (idiom J) It is a normal, busy week at Manchester despite the vacation in front of us.
Expo Night is Thursday, April 11. I am looking for students to run the science project between 5:00 and 6:30. I want children to enjoy the evening and have time to walk around and explore the fun, but if they can donate 20-30 minutes at our booth, I’d certainly appreciate it. They also may “walk-up” and join the fun. I will be there the whole time to assist the kids, so it’s a low-pressure job. I have a few shifts covered, so if your child can help, please let me know. New this year, we have a photo opportunity with SNAKE MAN for $3.00. Please join us if you can!
We have finished our biography reports, and what a great job the kids did! We look forward to sharing them with you at Open House on May 16. We have a lot to share, and we always look forward to showing parents how hard we work in class and how creative we are with our class projects.
This week, we continue with our animal reports. All students need at least one book as a resource. They may also use computers to find additional information.
In reading, we are starting a new book that the kids will love, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. This book brings up a lot of great conversations, and we’ll do a lot of journaling as we analyze this story. I know the kids will love the writing style, and will seek out other books by this award-winning author when we are finished reading this award winning story.
In math, we continue with area and perimeter, and will be starting our geometry unit. Most of the children have memorized their multiplication facts and passed their timed tests. They will begin division by the end of this week. Your child knows what number they are on for their tests. If they are behind, spring vacation is a good time to work on multiplication and division facts! If these facts come easily to the kids, math will be much easier in fourth grade. Don’t forget to read a great book, too! Keep those skills and brains going!
On Friday we will culminate our biography unit by having a Dr. Seuss Day! We will do a lot of special activities that will keep our minds and bodies busy in anticipation of vacation. It will also be a fun way to end our biography unit.
Vacation will begin this Friday at 3:05 (after school J) and we will return to school on TUESDAY, April 23. I hope you all have a wonderful spring vacation! May it be filled with educational opportunities, laughter, and great fun!
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Enjoy!
Lisa
March 18, 2019
It’s another busy week at Manchester GATE!
Tomorrow is our trip to the San Joaquin River. Please see my other note for details. Please make sure your child dresses comfortably for being outside. Everyone should bring a refillable water bottle.
Report cards are going home today. Please look over your child’s report card carefully, and have a talk about finishing strong. It’s not uncommon for students to let their effort grades slip as spring approaches. Being too social is also an issue that prevents work from being finished on time. I’m happy to conference with anyone about your child’s grades. Please contact me if you’d like to talk. Remember that receiving a “U” or a “P” in any category means that he/she will not be receiving an academic award this quarter. Awards are given in the classroom for the 3rd quarter.
Our Cat Haven field trip is next week on Thursday, March 28. We also have a trip coming up to The Fresno Art Museum. There is no fee for the Art Museum, so please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
Congratulations to Morgan Sanders for her great performance at Fresno State at the Peach Blossom Festival! I’m proud of all of the kids who tried out and tried out something new.
If your child is taking part in Manchester’s Pinewood Derby, please have your cars to school Thursday morning. The official race will be on Saturday.
Spring Picture Day is on Wednesday. Only those students who turn in the forms that went home last week (along with the money for the package) will have their pictures taken. Comb that hair and smile!
All magazine orders should be submitted by FRIDAY. This will be our last day to order! Prizes will be handed out when all tallying is complete. Thank you for support! Our candy orders will arrive before the spring break.
Students should be working at home on their BIOGRAPHY BOTTLES. These are due NEXT FRIDAY. Also, the last group of WordMaster’s Vocabulary words are due on Friday. Quite a few students did not turn in words last week. Please make sure that your child is working on these words this week. We’ll have a few weeks to work with the words in class before our final test of the year. Remember that all of the words from the entire year may be on this test.
We had a great visit from our Zoomobile! The kids always enjoy learning about animals. We will start our animal reports this week. Some of the students have a book on an animal from our library. I have many books to share with the students in class. But if one particular animal is chosen, a trip to the library may be needed.
Book orders are due on Wednesday. Start collecting for summertime reading!
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
With thanks for your support,
Lisa
Classroom Needs: Wipes for hands and desks, pencils, and glue sticks. Thanks to those who have sent in supplies!
March 11, 2019
Dear Parents,
It’s at this time of year that I realize how fast our time is going by. We’re approaching the end of our third quarter in third grade. Next Monday, March 18, you’ll find grades in your child’s folder, so this is a week to make sure that everything is completed on ATLAS.
This week we have our ZOOMOBILE presentation on Wednesday. The children always love this hands-on learning opportunity.
I have two permission slips that need returning. Next week we have our trip to the San Joaquin River (March 19-no fee). Cat Haven is on March 28. The fee for this and Zoomobile is $20.00.
The children are enjoying reading their biography books. Some are ready to take their notes and start their “pizza box” biography report. We’re also working on point of view with read-aloud books.
In writing, the students are creating an opinion piece based on one of the read-aloud stories. They are focusing on WORD CHOICE and having VOICE in their writing piece. Editing on their own will also be a big and necessary part of this assignment.
In math, we continue with fractions and area/perimeter. Our focus is comparing fractions and learning to add and subtract fractions.
Homework this week includes learning the definitions of ten more WordMasters vocabulary words. Also, students should be working on a model of the person they are learning about in their biography. Directions went home last week. All students will need to use a large plastic bottle to create their person and a Styrofoam ball for the face/head.
Please let me know if you have any questions. This project is due on Friday, March 29.
Our magazine and chocolate sale continues this week.
Finally, we have a few class needs.
Have a great week!
Lisa
March 5, 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you to everyone for all of the support you gave with our “Vacation to Mars” play. Your assistance with the stage decorating, your help with lines at home, and your cookie donations were appreciated! I am so proud of the kids, and I hope you enjoyed our performance. It always makes me smile! Now back to our “normal” routines…
We’ll play “catch-up” a bit this week, but also will begin our biography study, which the kids are very excited about! In math, we continue with fractions, and continue memorizing our basic multiplication and division facts. Please make sure your child gets back in the habit of practicing facts each evening. Reading should also be done each evening as part of homework. In writing, we will do a fun “quick write” with our opinions and a touch of persuasion before formally writing an opinion paper. Informational writing will be done with our biography study. In science, we’ll be focusing on our study of animals.
In addition to reading and math facts, a list is coming home today with our next list of WordMaster words. For homework, each student should look up the first five words. I will be grading these papers, so students should do neat work, write a definition, draw a picture, and write a sentence using capital letters and punctuation. Also, directions are enclosed for creating a model of the person that your child is studying in our biography unit. Please note that your child will have several weeks to accomplish this BOTTLE MODEL. If you have any questions, or need anything from school that I can supply, please let me know.
Enclosed in today’s folder is a permission slip for Cat Haven if it has not already been turned in. The cost of this trip AND the cost of a zoomobile visit is a total of $20.00. Parents interested in being a chaperone should submit $10.00 for Cat Haven. You will probably need to carpool on your own, as it will be a tight fit on the bus. This will be on March 25. NOTE THAT STUDENTS MUST BRING A LUNCH FOR THIS FIELD TRIP!
Enclosed is also a permission slip for our trip to the San Joaquin River on March 19. There is no fee for this trip. We’ll travel by bus, but chaperones are welcome. Driving may be necessary depending on the number of volunteers we have on this day. PLEASE SUBMIT BOTH PERMISSION SLIPS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
We are starting cursive this week. As a teacher, I believe that cursive is very important to learn. For some students, cursive is easier than printing. I also feel strongly that for students to read manty historical documents, they should know how to READ cursive. I will take a minimum amount of time teaching the letters each Monday, and the students will have the entire week in class to finish the packet of work. If they do not finish, I will instruct them to bring the set of work home to finish Thursday evening. I will have them knowing all lower case and upper case letters in about 6 weeks.
Our magazine and chocolate sale is in full swing! This really is a great way to renew your favorite magazines! The chocolate is always a hit for Easter. This is a great fundraiser for our school. It’s also very easy for family members and friends to order online. I believe our first “turn-in” is this Thursday.
I have instructed the students to check ATLAS as I have corrected everything that has been submitted. We are close to the end of our third quarter, so keeping up on all assignments is a must.
Finally, Kona Ice will be here on Friday!
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks again for all of your support! You are simply THE BEST!
Lisa
Feb. 19, 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all the Valentine notes and sweet treats! Thank you, also, for making it such a great day for the children. We really had a fun day, and the kids felt super special! To quote Noah, “This is the best Valentine’s Day EVER!” I hope you enjoyed your special frame and poem from your child.
We are really working hard to prepare for our play. Please make sure your child is practicing at home if assistance is needed. This week begins, “NO SCRIPTS.”
We are still in need of volunteers for Friday’s stage set-up. Please let me know if you are able to assist. I only have one volunteer at this point from our classroom. It goes very quickly if we have a lot of helping hands! We’ll start around 9 and hopefully will be finished before recess or lunch at the very latest.
I have also only heard from one or two that can donate cookies for our celebration after our performance next Thursday. If you are able to bring a few dozen cookies, please let me know. The kids really enjoy having a treat, taking pictures, and visiting a bit with family and friends. Please plan on joining us for a wonderful play, Vacation on Mars! (Thursday, Feb. 28, 6-7ish. Children should arrive at the classroom between 5:15 and 5:30.)
Progress reports are enclosed in today’s folder. Please take a look, look for any problem areas, check ATLAS for missing assignments, and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Please sign the progress report and return it this week.
Track try outs are this week! 3rd grade will start tomorrow. If your child is interested in running, high jump, long jump, or discus throwing, this is a great sport for them! Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes for try-outs this week.
Our WordMasters test will be next week. This week’s homework is to review the definitions of words, READ every night, practice math facts, and please catch up on any assignments that he/she is behind on. This quarter I typically see a drop in effort, and unfortunately, a drop in grades. Pep talks about giving best effort and pushing through until the end of the year are helpful at home.
Hopefully you can join us at Me-N-Ed’s Dine-Out Night this Thursday evening! See the flyer that is enclosed for more details.
Pennies for Patients continues this week. Thank you for all the kind donations! TWIN DAY will be this Thursday. Students can come dressed as a twin, and pictures will be taken for $1.00 per photo. Twinsies on Thursday!
We have some needs in the classroom! Please help if you are able to supply any of the following:
Have a great week! Please let me know if you are able to help decorate our stage and/or if you can help by supplying cookies after the performance.
I’m thankful for you!
Lisa
Feb. 12, 2019
Dear Parents,
I’m hoping your nice long weekend was enjoyable! The best part is that we have another long weekend on honor of Presidents’ Day this weekend!
What that means for our classroom is attempting to squeeze everything in while we have shortened weeks and play practice for our Vacation on Mars play!
Pennies for Patients continues this week. Thursday is SUPERHERO PICTURE DAY. Students can come dressed as a superhero. Pictures will be taken for $1.00 donation. They’re quite cute photos and worth the dollar! Also on Friday there will be donuts for sale. All donations support children with leukemia. Our upper grade K-Kids are working hard on this fundraiser. Thanks for your support. Twin Picture Day will be next week. I’ll keep you posted on the date.
Don’t forget about our special event TOMORROW! I’ll be in the classroom from 3:15 until 5:30. Or you may send a bag STAPLED SHUT with your child’s name on it and I will send you a photo J
Thank you to Mrs. Dodson and Mrs. Willingham for supplying a treat and a water for our celebration. Valentines may be brought tomorrow. Please remember that this is optional, but I do request one for everyone if your child is participating in the Valentine exchange. Thank you also for DONUTS from Morgan’s wonderful uncle! I promised a treat since all of the kids passed their reading and math Interim Test, and Morgan took the orders and even had them delivered by her Grandpa! The kids really enjoyed their treats.
I had a whole bunch of kids forget their homework last Friday. I don’t assign much, and I do try and give extra time for bigger projects. This is a good time to remind students of the importance of being responsible and putting that folder in their backpacks each evening. Progress reports will be in the folders next Tuesday. This is a good time to check ATLAS and make sure that your child is current on everything.
Homework this week is “the usual.” Each child should read each evening, and practice math facts. All students know which multiplication fact they need to practice for passing the quiz. It’s not my favorite way to test them, but I am finding that it is forcing some students to get busy memorizing them. There is also a Scholastic News that will be graded and is due on Friday. In addition, our WordMasters test will be coming up soon. Reviewing those words will be helpful for the test.
In today’s folder are details for the Saroyan writing contest. I had about 15 kids who are interested, and there are prizes! I’ve run off the information with dates and the theme for the writing piece for all students. I’d love to have some kids enter!
Bricks for Kidz was a wonderful experience last week. The kids had a great time creating robots that actually zipped across the room! Then they got to add pieces to the robot to create a robot that might help humans in some way. It was great fun.
Our same units of study continue this week. We are reading Who was Dr. Seuss? and learning how to take notes when we start our biographies next week (hopefully). We are finalizing a few writing pieces and learning some tips that many kids are making errors on in their grammar/spelling. We are studying fractions in math. It’s tough at first, but it will become easy with practice and guidance. In science, we’re doing some space and some animals. Our next big project will be an animal report. Our science teacher is raising salmon in the classroom, some I’m adding in some science to go along with his units.
Please read the enclosed notes with details about our play. All parts have been cast, and we’re looking forward to a great production! We hope to see you all on Feb. 28 at 6:00 for our VACATION ON MARS production!
Have a great week.
Lisa
Feb. 4, 2019
Happy February! This will be a busy month for our classroom.
Good luck to those students who tried out today for Peach Blossom Competition! Children who are working on a book for Young Author’s Faire have until Feb. 22 to turn in books to me.
Play announcements will be made this week. Everyone has an important part, and together, you are in for an exciting lesson about our solar system! Remember to mark your calendar for Feb. 28 for our evening performance for family and friends. Our show will be at 6:00 in the cafeteria. We are looking for volunteers to bring cookies to share following our performance. If you can help by donating cookies, please let me know. We’d like to have a variety to share with both classes and their families/friends. If you can help by supplying cookies, please let me know so that we can be certain that we have enough for everyone to enjoy.
If you have not returned the Valentine cards, please submit $10 or return the envelope with the valentines.
We are also collecting the blue “bubble sheets” that went home last week with information on our school. If you still have it, please send it in.
Coming home today is your child’s scores on our Interim test that we took last week. All of the children were in either green or blue, which is considered “passing” in both language arts/reading and math. I’ll be looking at the areas that we need to focus on as a class as we move forward. Students that are in the lower part of the green in reading, please help by having your child read every evening. It’s so important that reading is a regular part of their homework. In math, the students are moving along well with their facts. Please ask your child which one he/she is testing on in class, and regular practice with facts is also essential each evening. Please let me know if you have any questions on these tests.
Pennies for Patients kicks off today. If you have spare change to donate, we are thankful. Every little bit helps to fight childhood leukemia.
Make sure that you are collecting items for our secret! I’ll look forward to seeing you on the 13th. If you CANNOT make it, and can’t supply items, please let me know so that I can make sure that all students feel special on this day of fun.
Remember that the next two Mondays are holidays!
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
With thanks for your great support,
Lisa
Jan. 7, 2019 (I got the year right!)
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope your vacation and holidays were restful and some fun was enjoyed by everyone. I thank you all for the wonderful holiday gifts. I was very touched by all of the notes, cards, and kind gifts. I am blessed to have your children and such sweet parents in my classroom. I hope you also enjoyed your gift from your child! I thought they were precious!
Today our report cards go home. What a way to start the new quarter! Please sign the report card and return it to me. (I’ll return the report card.) I just want to know that everyone saw their child’s grades. Everyone did a fine job, but this is a great time to talk with your child about any areas that may need improving for the next quarter ahead. Areas that third graders always need to remember at this time of year include the following:
Our awards assembly for third grade is Thursday at 2:00 in the cafeteria. Parents are welcome to join us if your schedule allows it. You should be able to tell if your child is getting an award based on his/her report card. A 3.0 grade point average without any UNSATISFACTORY (U) or POOR (P) effort or behavior grades means that your child is getting an award. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Today will be a transition day as we attempt to get back into the swing of routines. We’ll be doing a lot of writing and goal setting, as well as having time to talk about our vacations. We’ll also be reviewing school and classroom rules. Classes tend to need them after being on vacation for so long.
Coming up in February, we have our PEACH BLOSSOM competition. Students that would like to try-out should be working on memorizing a poem. Also, we have YOUNG READERS’ FAIRE that is quickly approaching. Students who would like to write a QUALITY story and illustrate it in a book form might want to be writing at home. They are welcome to any school supplies that I can help with. These are OPTIONAL activities, and I have gone over them since the start of the year with the kids. I’ll be discussing both competitions again this week. Please let me know if you have questions.
Today you will also find the list of words for our next WordMaster’s Challenge. We’ll be doing MOST of the work with these words in class. Any extra work that can be done at home to help to memorize the definitions of these words is always helpful. Please remember that the last set of words will also be on this quiz in a few weeks.
Again, welcome back to school! I hope your week is wonderful!
2019 blessings,
Lisa
Dec. 10, 2018
Alas, we are to our final week of third grade in 2018. Personally, I need a few more weeks to be ready and finished, but I know the kids won’t go for that! It’s going to be a busy week for us!
Thank you to everyone that took the time to come to our Native American Museum Night! I thought the kids did an awesome job presenting, and I was very proud of their hard work.
Today we had a guest presentation from Bricks for Kidz. They learned about friction and created a top from Legos along with a “launcher.” After they made the basic design, they experimented to create a top that was symmetrical and we tested whose creation could spin the longest. They did a great job and had a lot of fun.
Our field trip to Meux Home is on Wednesday. I am still missing a few permission slips. If you are interested in driving, please let me know. At this point, I believe we have just enough drivers. If there are any changes in your plans, please let me know immediately. If your child is missing his/her slip, there is another one in today’s folder. PLEASE SEND A BOOSTER SEAT FOR THIS TRIP IF YOUR CHILD NEEDS ONE.
Our field trip to see “Elf” is on Friday. If your child is missing the permission slip, there is another one enclosed. Please turn these in immediately so that we can all attend. I have five tickets for chaperones. We do travel by bus on this trip. I will be in contact with parents when I look at the list of chaperones and check with other classes on their parent numbers. Hopefully we can all attend!
Friday afternoon, we will play “minute to win it” games. We are still in need of
mini-marshmallows, toilet paper, and wrapped regular sized candy canes. If you can help by sending in any of these items, it’s very appreciated. I know the kids are going to have fun!
We also still need ONE TREAT for a celebratory snack. A big bag of MOOSE MIX would be fun, but anything that is easy will make the kids happy. I have hot apple cider for the kids and cups ready to accompany a snack. Get in contact with me if you can help by supplying a treat/snack for the kids.
Friday is also PAJAMA DAY. It’s not mandatory, but it sounds like fun to go with our buddies to see Elf in our jammies! If your child doesn’t have warm pajamas, a sweat suit of some kind is a great way to go. Please be sure that shoes are appropriate for school (tennis shoes or slippers with a hard bottom).
Grades are closing on Monday and report cards go home our first day back. I have corrected everything this weekend, and just need to input it into the computer. Be sure to check this week to see if your child is missing anything due to illness, sports, music, or orchestra. I’ll go over any missed assignments with the kids this week.
Pieology Dine-Out Night is this evening. Please see the enclosed folder for details! It’s a great way to support our school.
There will be Cross Country pictures taken on Thursday. Everyone should wear their shirts for the photo! You will have a chance to purchase the team picture this year. Also, the CROSS COUNTRY FINALS are on Thursday. Please be sure to return the permission slips. Congratulations to all who made it, and know that I’m proud of all of my runners. They all did a great job this year!
I wish you all holiday filled with love, laughter, and tender moments where your heart swells! You’re blessed with beautiful children, and I know that their excitement and joy brings the same joy to you. Enjoy…relax…laugh…celebrate…and make beautiful memories.
May the year “2019” be a year full of learning adventures for everyone!
Thanks for all your great support this year. You are wonderful parents, and I’m so blessed!
Blessings,
Lisa Gatewood
Dec. 4, 2018
December has arrived, and with the final month of our 2018 year, comes a flurry of adventures!
*mini marshmallows
*regular sized candy canes (not mini)
*toilet paper (on the roll)
We need a lot! If you can help, please send them in!
There will be a lot of grading done in the last few weeks of have before the break. Please make sure that you are checking ATLAS. I do have a lot to catch up on. Grades close before vacation and report cards go home the day we return.
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Also, thank you for all your blessings and well-wishes for my mom! She is doing well and is going home tomorrow!
With thanks,
Lisa
Nov. 13, 2018
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed your Veterans Day weekend. It’s a short, but very busy week ahead.
We are finishing Charlotte’s Web this week. The kids have really enjoyed this book. I’ll be grading their work that they have done with each chapter over vacation. This will be a huge part of their reading grade. We’re worked on many skills along the way.
We are also reading nonfiction text as we learn about the Native American tribal regions. We’re writing about our findings and preparing for our Native American Museum Night on Dec. 5. The children’s “at home” portion of this unit is to create a “dwelling” based on the tribal region they are studying in class. This information went home last week. The children should be working on it as part of their homework this week. They might also use some of their vacation to work on it if you’re not heading out of town. They will also have the week after vacation to complete this project. Remember that it needs to be on a surface that is about the size of a laptop computer (NOT BIGGER, PLEASE). The rest of the work we will be doing in class, unless your child gets behind.
In science, we continue learning about how animals have changed through time. Thank you to everyone that helped on our field trip to the Fossil Discovery Center. It was an excellent trip.
In math, we continue working on multiplication facts. We’ll be learning the different multiplication properties this week (Associative, distributive, and identity). It is so important that the children work on their facts at home. The children who don’t have them memorized are having a very hard time keeping up with the math. This is part of their homework and should be worked on each evening. We are working on them in class as well, but reinforcement at home is needed for some of the students. Reading is also very important each night.
Besides the Native American project, reading, and math facts, there is a Scholastic News for homework that will be graded and is due on Friday.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving week! May it be filled with smiles, great stories, delicious food, new and old family traditions, and an abundance of laughter. Make wonderful memories…
I will look forward to hearing the children’s stories on Monday, Nov. 26.
Many blessings,
Lisa
Oct. 30, 2018
It’s a busy week (in four days) at Manchester GATE! This week brings our “spooktacular” science fun tomorrow, and our wonderful carnival on Friday.
Thank you to all that donated for our class basket. Thanks so much to Mrs. Lincoln for purchasing the NERF items and putting it all together. It looks fantastic, and we have a great donation for the carnival!
We still have TWO SPOTS OPEN for our slide booth on Friday night. I promise that I will be there the whole time checking in and making sure that all is going well, but I really need two people to “man the booth” from 7:30-8:00. If you can assist, or if you have an older child that can help during that time period, please text me or drop me a note (301-0118). I know a lot of you are working the silent auction, but hopefully we can come up with two more helpers for the evening.
Even if you can’t volunteer, I hope that you will attend. It’s a great evening of fun for all, and our silent auction is always a great shopping extravaganza. Thank you so much for supporting our wonderful school. I’ll send out a reminder with volunteer times for our booth for Friday night. Thank you to everyone for the hard work that goes into this event. Our carnival starts at 5:00 and ends at 8:00 on Friday, Nov. 2.
PLEASE NOTE! I WAS GIVEN THE WRONG PERMISSION SLIP for our study trip to The Fossil Discovery Center. OUR TRIP IS ON THURSDAY, NOV. 8 (rather than Wednesday, the 7th.) I am going to use the same form, but for parent helpers, I do apologize! I hope that you can still join us on the 8th. Can you please text me if you are still able to help, or if you didn’t sign up but would like to join us? Again, I apologize for any problems this may cause. Please make certain your child has turned in his/her permission slip by this Friday, Nov. 2. The cost is $8.00 for students and $7.00 for parents.
In your folders today is your child’s scores from our Interim test that we took a few weeks back. It’s important to look at the scores and areas that your child did not master. These will be focus areas for our classroom to work on as we move through this quarter. The two best ways of helping is to make sure that your child is reading and practicing math facts at home. Please make sure that your child is taking the time to do both each evening as part of his/her homework. Please let me know if you have any questions about these results. In addition to reading and math facts, I have a Scholastic News for homework this week. Reading, marking the text, and answering the questions is a skill we always need to practice.
Cross country shirts went out today. The cost is $10. Please send in the money in an envelope with your child’s name on it and I’ll get it to Mr. Painter. Their first meet is this Thursday at Manchester! It’s always fun to cheer on our class! Please make sure that those on the team wear their shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes for the meet on Thursday. You’re welcome to come and watch! (Please remember to avoid the bus parking!)
Congratulations to Bridgette, Matthew, and Ace who did a great job at the chess tournament! I love the variety of activities our kids take part in at Manchester!
Limo lunches are coming up! Please make sure that you submit the permission slip if you raised $250 for the jog-a-thon.
Grandparents Day is also around the corner. For third graders it will be on Friday, Nov. 16. Tickets are $8.00 and are available in the office.
Cakes for the cake decorating contest are due on Friday morning for those that would like to be part of this competition.
In between all of that fun, we’ll be finishing up our Fresno County map and starting our Native American unit this week. In reading we are continuing with Charlotte’s Web and learning figurative language and parts of speech. We will continue to work on our WordMaster vocabulary words and play with analogies so that we’re ready for the test. The word work that we have done in class should be coming home this week and next. Hold on to these definitions for extra practice at home. In writing, we’re focusing on using WORD CHOICE to bring more life into our writing. In science, we continue with animals as we move into our field trip next week. In math, we are working on multiplication and the distributive property.
The students will have another piece of work added to the Artsonia website. We learned our first element of art, LINE, and made our face with CRAZY HAIR. They turned out very cute.
Remember that Nov. 12 will be a holiday in honor of Veterans Day.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Have a great week at Manchester School!
With thanks for all your great support,
Lisa
Oct. 1, 2018
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all the support for our fund run, and to those who came out to cheer us on! Now comes the time to collect pledges. You can still support our classroom even if you didn’t return the pledge sheet. I’d love for everyone to at least pledge $30 so that each child can get a Manchester shirt with this year’s logo for spirit day each Friday. Pledges are due by October 9 so that prizes can be ordered.
This week we go to the fair on Thursday. We will leave by bus after attendance, and will return for a late lunch at 1:00. I will have a few free tickets for parents. Enclosed in today’s folder is one free ticket to the fair if you filled out the survey a few weeks ago. This would be great to bring if you receive one. We can purchase tickets at the fair and divide the cost if we need to do so. I believe there will be room on the bus for all parents. Or parents can carpool there. If you do this, please plan on following the bus and tell them you are with our school, and they should not charge you for parking. I’ll have an agenda for you Thursday morning. Our focus will be on the Fresno County historical exhibit, Fresno crops, and if we have time, the Bugology exhibit is always popular with the kids. Please note that we will not be making souvenir or food purchases on this trip. The students will receive a free ticket to return to the fair. Hopefully you can return to see what the children learned and then hit that cinnamon bun line!
We are in need of plastic water bottles for a science project. (16.9 oz-indiidual sized) If you have any to spare, please send them in.
We had a great dot day! We have a few projects to finish up this week, but will continue to refer back to this book all year. How will you make your mark on the world?
Book orders are going home today. There are some great books in these orders. The easiest way to order is online at Scholastic.com. Our class code is inside FZRWP, and can also be found inside your child’s homework folder. Please submit orders by next Wednesday. Let me know if I should keep any books a secret for birthday or holiday gifts.
Our school carnival is in the planning. Each classroom is responsible for creating a basket. Thank you to Mrs. Lincoln for volunteering to put our basket together. There is a letter enclosed that explains our basket how you can help. She is taking donations and will do the purchasing for a NERF basket. We’ll also be looking for parents to help run our booth for half an hour. I’ll have a sign-up sheet at conferences. We are also taking collections of cases of water and soda for our carnival. If you can help, please label them with Room 20. The class that gets the most donations gets a treat!
In today’s folder is your CONFIRMED conference date and time. For those that didn’t sign up, I have enclosed a form with a time and date I am holding for our conference. Please let me know if there is a better date or time, and I will do my best to accommodate you. Conferences will be held the week of October 15. Children will be dismissed at 2:05 all week. Bus schedules will be one hour earlier. I look forward to talking to you about your child. Bring your questions and concerns!
Enclosed also in today’s folder is a permission slip for a visit to The Fresno Art Museum on Oct. 24th. We are attending with our 3rd grade buddy class, Mrs. Connelly. We are in need of drivers for this trip. (Fingerprinting is required.) We will tour the museum as part of our study of Fresno County, and will do an art project. The cost of the trip is $5.00. I am paying the remaining cost out of our jog-a-thon money. ($3.75 per child). The cost went up, but it’s such a great trip that I know everyone will enjoy and learn from. Students who bring in $200 or more for the jog-a-thon will not have a cost for any of the field trips or speakers for the remainder of the year.
We have run into situations in class where the students are in need of headphones or earbuds. Some children had them, but then brought them home. I’d like to have one pair for each student that can just remain in the classroom. They can be purchased inexpensively at Target or Walmart, and even Dollar Store has them. Please supply your child with a pair so that they can use them in the classroom. Please help your child to get a pair so that they don’t miss out on technology projects in class.
Our first Fresno Unified Interim test is around the corner. This week we will test in Language Arts on Wednesday morning. Next week we will test in Math on Tuesday, October 9th. Please try to schedule appointments around these dates. Don’t put a lot of pressure on your child. I always keep my goal on being ready for the end of the year test, and consider this practice to make sure we are on the right path. Encourage your child to take the time needed to do well, and to put forth his/her best effort.
Friday we will celebrate OREO DAY. We will be doing some “stacking” and comparing our counts with other third graders across the world. It will be a fun ending to our week.
If you are interested in supplying a treat for our Halloween celebration, please let me know. I am looking for one or two treats and a drink. We will have a day of science and art fun, but a few healthy snacks spread out throughout the day will make our celebration even more special. I have some easy ideas if anyone is interested, please let me know. I try to stay away from sweets on this day since many trick-or-treat and get an abundance of sugary treats. Our day will be educational for those that are concerned about a holiday party. It feels like a party, but we are learning! We do not dress up for Halloween.
Our curriculum for the week will include:
Reading: Charlotte’s Web (Character traits, Main Idea, Answering questions using text evidence)
Author’s Study: Patricia Polacco (Skills to pay attention to when reading that help us comprehend the story)
Writing: Narrative writing—Adding a hook, strong conclusion, transition words, “silver dollar” words, and dialogue to make our writing richer
Math: Graphing and Multiplication
Social Studies: Fresno County
Science: Structures & Adaptations, Fossil Evidence, Classification
Remember that grades close on Friday. Please make sure that your child has turned everything in by checking ATLAS. I will be continuing to add grades this week.
Due to a busy week with field trips and grades closing, homework this week will be to read and practice math facts. If there is any work that needs making-up, this will be part of your child’s homework this week.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns!
I am thankful for you!
Lisa Gatewood
Sept. 24, 2018 OUR JOG-A-THON IS TUESDAY!
Dear Parents,
Thank you to all the wonderful chaperones that assisted on our field trip to The Underground Gardens! It was a great day of learning for all, and the perfect way to start our Fresno County unit in Social Studies.
Permission slips for our next trip have been sent home. I am enclosing another if I don’t have your child’s returned yet. It is DUE BY THIS FRIDAY, please. The cost is $4.00 for our bus. Entrance to the fair is free for students. I also will have a number of free tickets for parents who can help chaperone on this day. I will need parents to be fingerprinted since we will separating into groups. I’m sure the reports will be in for those that recently got fingerprinted. (Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to do this. I know it is a hassle, but it is just all in the name of safety. Thanks for your understanding.) If we get more volunteers than tickets, I believe the cost is $5.00. We can divide the cost up depending on the number of volunteers. All of third grade is attending, so it may be necessary for parents to drive on their own and meet us there. Carpooling is a great idea! I’ll know more as the remaining permission slips come in.
TOMORROW (Tuesday) IS OUR JOG-A-THON! This is a very important fundraiser for classrooms, so your support and pledges are greatly appreciated for the year ahead. Hopefully everyone can bring in enough to at least get a Manchester shirt with our new school logo. ($30) $100 will bring your child a shirt and a hat. Remember that $200 will get your child a shirt, hat, water bottle, plus FREE FIELD TRIPS AND GUEST SPEAKER COSTS COVERED FOR THE YEAR. $250 brings all prizes and a limo lunch with Mrs. Gengozian! Please support our classroom! Also make sure your child wears clothes and shoes comfortable for running. Water is essential! Hats and sun protection may also be necessary for your child. Parents are welcome to join us for the fun! Our theme is “Favorite Sports Team” this year. All pledges are due to school by Oct. 9 to get credit for prizes.
We had so much fun with SNAIL OLYMPICS last week! I hope your child told you all about it. We celebrated later than expected, so I moved DOT DAY to this Wednesday. This day centers on the book, The Dot, by Peter Reynolds. It is
a great story about being creative, being kind, and making a mark on the world with whatever talents you may have! We’ll have a great day.
Ukulele club started Friday morning at 8:30 in M-2. I am sure your child can still attend if he/she is interested. A few other clubs are starting this week. Crochet will start on Tuesday at lunch (after eating) in Room 26 with Ms. Console. Zentangle Club will start Wednesday at lunch with Ms. Rayburn in Room 4. We’ll talk about these clubs in class. The kids who join should be there each week. It’s not meant to just “pop-in” whenever they feel like going. They are both wonderfully clubs that the children always enjoy each year.
Please be sure to sign up for a conference this week if you are not already scheduled. The week of October 15 is conference week and the children will be dismissed at 2:05 all week. Bus schedules are adjusted. I’ll send home reminders of the times next week, and for those that are not signed up, I will schedule you into an open time slot. I look forward to learning more about your child!
Oct. 5 is our last day of the first quarter. Please make sure that you and your child monitor grades and makes certain that all assignments are turned in so that there are no surprises on report cards.
Room 20 will have the pleasure of doing art with Ms. Yamamoto this Wednesday and Thursday.
Our curriculum for the week will include:
Reading: Finish analyzing Frindle - character traits, story structure
Writing: Writing personal narratives
Math: Unit 1 final test (Tuesday), graphing, multiplication
Science: Forces
Social Studies: Study of Fresno County
Language: Subjects and predicates, parts of speech
Art: Elements of art
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns! I wish you all a wonderful week. I hope to see you on Tuesday at the jog-a-thon!
With thanks for all your support,
Lisa
Sept. 17, 2018
THE UNDERGROUND GARDENS FIELD TRIP WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY!
Dear Parents,
This week brings a lot of adventures in Room 20!
Today we meet for the first time to do reading and writing with our third grade and sixth grade buddies. We hope to have a fun book published in the next few weeks.
Wednesday will bring our trip to The Underground Gardens. If you are signed up to chaperone, please come to school with your child and be ready to go immediately after attendance is taken. We will leave just after around 9:10 and be back to school around between 11:15 and 11:30. I will have directions for you in the classroom. Please make sure your car has gas the night before, as there is no time to stop. They start the program when we are all there, and they are open to the public right after we leave. Thank you to everyone that recently got fingerprinted for volunteering. There is a certain amount of time that is needed for clearance, so until I get word from downtown, I can only allow you to drive your child. You are welcome to join in with another group of kids/parents if you’d like to do so. I hope by our next field trip we will have everyone cleared. We are looking forward to a great day with lots of new information to share about this Fresno County destination.
Please remember to be collecting pledges for our GATER FUND RUN! This is a very important fundraiser for our school and especially for our classroom.
This week we will finish up our unit on snails and have our SNAIL OLYMPICS. The kids are really looking forward to this grand event. They have been working on informational posters, and have learned a lot about these special little critters. I’m sure they are filling you with more snail facts than you ever wanted to know about them!
On Friday we will celebrate DOT DAY which is a special day in honor of Peter Reynolds’s book, The Dot. We will do a variety of activities that promote being creative, growth mindset, and making your mark in the world. It will be a lot of fun for the kids, so be sure and ask them about their day.
We finished our first story, Frindle, and I believe the kids really enjoyed it. We will be reading some nonfiction this week and I’ll be introducing some websites that we’ll be using in the classroom. We’ll start Charlotte’s Web soon.
As we finish snails, we will be starting Social Studies with mapping skills and learning about Fresno County. Our field trip to Underground Gardens will start us off!
In math, we are working on subtraction, and we’re almost done with our unit.
Don’t forget to sign up for a conference in October if you have not done so already! I have the schedule in the classroom. You can also drop me a note and let me know your availability.
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
With thanks for your support,
Lisa
Sept. 10, 2018
Dear Parents,
Busy times are on the horizon…
1. Fund Run paperwork is coming home today. Please remember that this is the one fundraiser where the classroom gets the biggest chunk of the proceeds. All support is greatly appreciated! Each child that earns $30 will get a Manchester t-shirt with our logo for the year, Gater Today, Greater Tomorrow. For $100 children get the shirt and a hat. For $175, a water bottle is included. With $200 dollars the students get all three plus free field trips for the year. For $250 a limo lunch is included. The money earned will go towards art activities, hands-on science manipulatives, crafts, etc. Please support our classroom! But, PLEASE do not allow your child to get pledges door-to-door from unknown neighbors. Safety is my top concern at all times. Our theme this year is YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM! Thank you in advance for your help!
2. Picture Day is tomorrow! Wear your best smile!
3. Tomorrow evening is also Chipotle Dine-Out Night! Remember to bring the flyer that is enclosed in today’s folder. Thanks again for supporting Manchester!
4. Remember that Wednesday morning we will be doing our DRP (Degrees of Reading Power) testing. Please be on time and encourage your child to do his/her best job possible. I’ll have the findings for you at our October conference.
5. Remember to drop me a note or stop in to sign-up for a conference time in October. The schedule is on my white board right when you walk into the classroom.
6. Manchester GATE is in need of parents to be on our School Site Council. They only meet once a month and it is a great and easy way to make a difference at our school. If you are interested, please contact the office. (248-7220)
7. Deficiency notices are due out Wednesday. I prefer to send things home on Monday, so I will have them in next week’s folder.
8. We are still in need of quite a few packages of REGULAR OREO COOKIES for an upcoming project. Remember that it needs to be the original Oreo and off-brands cannot be used since we’ll be comparing our data with schools across the country.
9. I have added several art pieces to Artsonia. You can only view your child’s work by signing up and giving your approval. I have sent two forms home, but if you still want to sign-up, let me know, and I can send you the information.
10. Homework this week will be to do the assignment on Spelling City (online). The information to access this site is inside your child’s homework folder. Please also make sure that your child is READING and adding to his/her genre sheet. Please submit this sheet when it is completed. Also, each child should be studying math facts in his/her favorite way. I highly recommend using Mr. Figura’s website for lots of games and activities.
Our Curriculum for the Week:
Reading: We continue with our reading of Frindle. The kids are really enjoying this story. We are using it to learn the elements of a story, and techniques an author implements that really grab our attention and keep us wanting to read on and on. The goal is to apply these techniques in our own writing.
Writing: We have been writing several class books while learning that IDEAS for stories come from anywhere and everywhere. We’ll be starting our own Personal Narrative stories this week in writer’s workshop. We are fine-tuning our writing by learning the importance of using complete sentences, punctuating correctly, and using our resources to edit our work.
Science: We continue with our Snail unit this week. They love their snails!
Science Lab: The students are learning about FORCES.
Math: The kids are working hard to learn mental math strategies along with the PROPERTIES OF ADDITION (Identity Property, Commutative Property, and Associative Property).
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns! I believe we are off to a great start this year. The kids are doing a great job adjusting to third grade, and I am really enjoying each and every child. They are bonding as a team and working together beautifully! We have a great group of Room 20 Learners this year!
Classroom Needs: KLEENEX! We have already had a few colds. Thanks to those that have already contributed. For those that have not shared a box of Kleenex, please send one in for all to share. Thank you!
With thanks for your support,
Lisa
Sept. 4, 2018
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We are now in “full swing” in Room 20. Parent helpers are welcome to begin this week. I have contacted most of you. If I haven’t, I will be in touch soon.
Enclosed in today’s folder is YOUR CHILD’S SPELLING CITY code. (It’s glued/taped on the child’s portion of the folder.) This will be used as part of the homework. As I said at Back-to-School Night, I’m not going to overwhelm the kids with homework. I am going to do spelling with high frequency words that I am finding the kids are misspelling in their writing. They should also be reading and practicing math facts (flashcards, games, or Mr. Figura’s website). Soon, I will be using another math site, Khan Academy, but I don’t want the children to be overwhelmed. I will introduce each site in class. This week I have also enclosed a Scholastic News to read and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. This will be graded! Please make sure your child is taking the time to answer the comprehension questions by going back and rereading the articles for the answers. This is a very important skill for third graders to learn.
Also enclosed is information how to sign up for ARTSONIA if you have not already signed up. Your child’s first piece of art will be posted this week. It’s fun to share it with family members and get comments from loved ones. Artsonia also has cute little gifts that you can order with your child’s artwork.
If you have not turned in your child’s permission slip for The Underground Gardens, please make sure it is turned in this week. Our trip is on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Thank you to everyone that has volunteered to drive! We have a lot, so I am going to have to see if there is a cap on the number of adults that can attend. It just gets a little crowded in the small spaces. Hopefully we can accommodate everyone.
Remember that picture day is Sept. 11. Wear a smile and get that broccoli out of your teeth! Information and envelopes for collections were sent home last week. You can send in the money and desired package any time on or before the day of photos.
Fingerprinting is now being done at Parent University at 850 E. Blackstone. There are new forms for anyone not fingerprinted. They can be picked up in the office. Remember that all drivers and chaperones for field trips MUST be fingerprinted. Once you are fingerprinted, it’s good until your child is in 12th grade!
Room 20 will be doing DRP testing in reading next Wednesday. Sept. 11. This is a reading test to find out a baseline score of where your child is currently performing. The goal is to make a lot of progress this year from the first test in September. I’ll share these scores with you at conferences. If you are not signed up for a conference time in October, please come on in and sign up in Room 20, or feel free to drop me a note and I can sign you up for an available time slot.
Next week you will have your child’s first progress report. Most of the children are doing a great job in class, but if there are a lot of absences and missing work, or if work is not being completed in class, you may see some zeros that have an impact on the grades. I put zeros so that the children know that something is missing. (If it does not get turned in, I change the score to a high F so that it is easier to make up.) But, the goal is for the children to self-monitor and learn to keep up on work in class. Sometimes children may need extra time at home to finish tasks, or it may require spending some recesses to catch-up. Please look at these progress reports carefully, and please let me know if you have any questions.
Kona Ice is coming on Friday! This will be a great treat after a hot week!
Curriculum for the Week:
Reading: Frindle, our first class book we’re reading together
We’ll discuss elements of a story and character traits
Writing: Why do authors write? (PIE) Ask your child what that stands for…
We’ll also talk about the first trait as we begin writing workshop, IDEAS…
How to write a complete sentence (PQA—Put the question in the answer!)
Math: Rounding, place value, Compatible Numbers
Art: Self-Portrait with goals for 3rd grade
Science: Snails—What do they need to live? What is their favorite food? Are they really slow?
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a great (short) week!
Lisa
August 27, 2018
Dear Parents,
We are off to a great start in Room 20! I thank you for sending in the supplies your child needs for success in 3rd grade and all the forms that are required. We are currently in first place for winning a party for the most support for PTA. But I know a teacher that wants to take that from us! Please consider joining the PTA. The cost is $10.00 and our PTA does great things for our school (benches, technology, classroom support, etc.) We also encourage you to watch the newsletter from Mrs. Gengozian and join us for meetings once a month. It’s a great way to get involved and meet wonderful parents.
We are in need of REGULAR OREO COOKIES for a special project in September. They must be the original cookie (no DOUBLE STUFF or off-brands) as we will be comparing data with other schools across the country. If you can help to supply one package of regular Nabisco Oreo cookies, I would appreciate it very much.
Please make sure that you have returned the permission slip for The Underground Gardens. The cost is marked on the form. I am enclosing another form if you have not submitted it by this time. We do need drivers. Fingerprinting is essential to be a driver.
Book orders are due by Wednesday. The code is inside of the folders, and online ordering is easiest. Checks can be sent in along with the order form if you can’t order online.
Remember that headsets are also needed in class. We will begin working with our computers this week.
Monday is our first holiday! Whew! We need it after three weeks of school. Have a great Labor Day.
Picture Day is coming up! Please see the enclosed note in your child’s folder.
I do have a bit of homework. There is a list on your child’s side of the folder.
Curriculum for the Week:
Reading: Genres in reading and we will begin our first book together!
Math: Properties of addition and rounding
Writing: Why do writers write? Focus on NARRATIVE and topics for writing
Science: What do snails need to live?
We continue to work on how to have a POSITIVE GROWTH MINDSET. This will set us up for success for our 3rd grade year.
I have the schedule for conferences in October hanging in my room. Several parents have not signed up for a time. Please try to stop by and sign up so that there are no conflicts for conference week. I always look forward to meeting you and getting to know more about your child.
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
With thanks for all your great support,
Lisa
Just like that, we are down to our last week of third grade…
Thank you to everyone for the wonderful breakfast celebration! It was such a delightful treat for everyone!
This week will be a busy one for us! Tomorrow is PLAY DAY! Please make sure your child wears comfortable clothing for outside play. Tennis shoes are a must! I’d suggest shorts, a hat, and sun protection! Also, make sure your child brings a water bottle with his/her name clearly marked.
Relays will follow play day starting at 11:15. Your child knows if they are part of the relay team. You’re welcome to come and watch if you can do so.
After play day, we have movie day. I’ll be playing Because of Winn-Dixie. If I am missing your child’s permission slip (due to the PG rating), another is enclosed. Please send this in tomorrow, or your child will not be allowed to watch the movie.
We also have a special art presentation in the afternoon as a “reward” for Manchester’s participation in the art project through The Fresno Art Museum.
On Wednesday we will have our pillowcase signing, board games, and ice cream party. We have sprinkles, caramel topping, and marshmallows so far. One parent is bringing whipped cream. If you have something fun to add to for our ice cream party, please send it in by Wednesday. Thank you! Also, please make sure your child has a plain light-colored pillowcase by Wednesday. Don’t forget a good board game to play with friends!
Thursday will be our final day of third grade! Dismissal will be at noon, and the bus schedule will allow for early dismissal time. “Brunch” will be provided, or your child can bring a light lunch.
I have had the best year imaginable with this class of students! Their enthusiasm for learning and zest for life has kept me entertained and smiling all year! Your assistance as parents has been amazing, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of families to be in my “final” class. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the help, kind words, fun stories, giggles, and great memories. Your children are beautiful little human beings, and I hope you’ll keep in touch with me through the years and tell me the great things they are doing in life. ([email protected])
I thank you again for everything you did to make our third-grade year a fantastic one! I wish you happy and safe summer! Remember to make sure your child stays on top of his/her skills and spends some time reading and keeping up on his/her math facts. I also think time spent writing and editing their work is also a helpful skill in preparation for fourth grade.
Make special memories this summer!
ILYVM,
Lisa Gatewood
May 13, 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all of the wonderful notes and treats last week. I felt very special, and had a wonderful week! All of the teachers enjoyed Teacher Week, and thanks to all who had a hand in making the week so special for us!
I hope everyone had a very nice Mother’s Day, and enjoyed the treasures that were created by your child. I loved their writing pieces, and I hope they made your heart smile.
Testing is behind us, and I’m proud of the children for their determination and effort that was put into the test. Let’s remember that this is just ONE MEASURE of your child’s abilities. Results should come to you over late in the summer.
This week will be finishing up projects to share with you on Thursday night. Open House is from 5:30-7:00 p.m. I hope you are all able to join us, as the kids are very proud of the work they have accomplished in class.
This week is also our Scholastic Book Fair. We previewed the wonderful books today, and our time for shopping is TOMORROW at 1:30 p.m. If your child would like to make a purchase, tomorrow is the perfect day, as sometimes towards the end of the week, items become unavailable. Students can also go during open times this week, including Thursday night. A complete list of events is enclosed in today’s folder. Tomorrow is a special evening for children and a guest! (If you are interested in helping with the book, fair,
Also, we are collecting coins each day for K-kids to help to put books in the hands of children who don’t have them. Tomorrow is nickels, Wednesday is dimes, Thursday is quarters, and Friday is whatever donation you’d like to bring. The class that brings in the most money will get an ice cream party! Winning class also gets the fun of shopping for books for the class library!
Wednesday morning, we will be having a short test on reading (DRP). This reading score will show their progress from the start of the year.
Homework this week is to prepare for a HOW-TO REPORT. Children will sign up for a day and time in class. Please read the enclosed paper and let me know if you’d like to come and watch your child’s presentation. We’ll do our best to book around everyone’s busy schedules.
Dates to know:
May 15—DRP test
May 16—Open House 5:30-7:00
May 21—Art of the Word at Fresno Art Museum
May 31—Memorial Day
June 3—Academic awards for 3rd grade at 9:30 a.m.
June 6—Last day of school!
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns!
You’re the best!
Lisa
May 6, 2019
Dear Parents,
Testing continues this week on Wednesday and Thursday. I must applaud all of the students for giving English/Language Arts their best effort. Everyone was calm, worked diligently, and gave their full effort to the tasks. This week, math will be tested. Thank you for helping to keep appointments in the afternoon. Thanks also for making certain the kiddos get a good night of rest and a healthy breakfast in the morning. Water and a healthy snack was also a great help last week.
We are all working on putting together our animal boards this week in class. The kids are doing it all themselves, so you’ll be surprised at their hard work at Open House next Thursday! We look forward to sharing them with you as well as many other projects. If the students are behind, they do have the chance to do some work on their Google classroom at home. Please note that it MUST be their work and parents should not assist other than refocusing attention and guiding your child through the process. They know if they are behind, so please ask your child how their report is moving along.
Besides animal reports, we will be finishing up our art project for the Fresno Art Museum. We’ll also be writing a fable to go with our art piece.
We look forward to seeing the talent show this week! Congratulations to Barbara, Ace, Jazlyn, Julia, and Morgan for making it to the finals! They are so brave and I’m so proud of them!
Dine-out Night is Wednesday evening at THE HABIT. Please bring the flyer enclosed in today’s folder. It’s a delicious and easy way to support Manchester!
I wish all mothers and grandmothers a special Mother’s Day. I know that your child thinks the world of all of you. May you feel special and smile all day long!
Have a great week!
Lisa
April 29, 2019
Dear Parents,
This week begins our state testing! We will start on Wednesday and Thursday this week with English Language Arts (reading and writing). Next week we continue with Math testing on Wednesday and Thursday. Please remember that each child should have a set of earbuds or headphones, and I will ask that they stay at school so that we can make sure and have them on testing days. The best way to assist your child is by making sure that he/she gets a good night of rest, and has a healthy breakfast each morning. Also, make sure that any appointments are in the afternoons, and that children arrive to school on time with a positive attitude ready to do the best job possible!J A hug and a sweet reminder to do well goes a long way! I also recommend a healthy snack for recess, and a water in class to keep hydrated.
I will be sending home progress reports next week with the Monday folder. Hopefully the children who have been sick or have been away will have some time this week to catch up on all activities.
WordMasters results are coming home today. The kids have done so much better with each test! I am very proud of their hard work this year.
Math tests on area and perimeter will be coming home after the students who were absent complete the test. They did a great job on this unit!
We continue with the same projects in class this week (animal reports, Because of Winn-Dixie, geometry, informational writing). We’ll also be doing our art project for the Fresno Art Museum and writing a fable to go with the artwork. Our main focus, of course, will be preparing for testing and focusing on the actual test.
The talent show is coming up! I am excited about all the talented kids in my class who tried out whether they made it or not! That takes such courage! I’ll do my best to keep you up on the schedule for practices. I think that the teacher that is running the show has had some emergency business that changed the schedule. I do apologize. Always feel free to call the office if you unsure of the practice dates.
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Lisa
April 23, 2019
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed your spring break! Welcome back!
We are in the “final sprint” of our school year, as we look to our state testing and finishing projects for open house. We have a lot to get done, and will be hard at work to accomplish everything. We discussed the importance of following rules, giving full effort to all tasks, and finishing tasks in a timely manner. It’s my usual “pep talk” that occurs at this time of the year in hopes of avoiding “summeritis.” It’s a great time, also, for you to discuss your end of the year goals and expectations with your child.
Our state testing will begin next week, on Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll begin with language arts on these days. (May 1 and 2) Mostly this will be accomplished in the morning and should be finished before lunch. The following Wednesday and Thursday (May 8 and 9) will be our state testing on our math standards. Any help in keeping appoints after school, or in the afternoon is very appreciated. While there is time for make-ups, I find the children rush the test to return to class. When we test as a team, we always are focused and do much better. The best way to help your child is to make certain that he/she gets a good night of rest, has a healthy breakfast, and give positive encouragement to do the best job possible.
We will be having our final WordMaster’s test of third grade on Thursday. The children should review the words in preparation. We’ll do a game or two in class to make sure we remember the definitions after all this time. As a reminder, all three lists of words from the start of the year may be included!
We are reading the book, Because of Winn-Dixie, which brings great topics of conversation and subjects to ponder. It’s always a favorite “read” each year, and the kids are enjoying the story a lot. It fits in nicely with our unit on animals.
Our animal reports are moving along. Just a reminder that if the children get behind or are absent, they may have work that to do at home to keep up with the class.
In math, we will finish our unit on fractions this week and will test out of the chapter on Friday.
Thank you to all the kids that helped at EXPO Night! What a fun family event!
This Friday will be FUN FRIDAY JAMBA JUICE at lunch recess! The weather will be perfect for a cool treat!
With the weather warming, I have told the class that I highly recommend a refillable water bottle with a sports top (for low chance of spilling). I also warned them that I get the air going right away in the morning so it’s semi-cool in the heat of the day. A light sweatshirt might be needed early in the day, but by lunch time, they’ll be most appreciative of having a cool room.
Dates to Remember…
May 1, 2, 8, & 9- CASSP Testing!
May 16- Open House
May 27- Memorial Day
A few needs to get us through to the end of the year include Kleenex, antibacterial wipes, and pencils! Please supply your child with a good bunch of pencils for his/her personal use. (Please don’t buy the mechanical pencils. They break and slow the children down. Thank you!
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Lisa
April 8, 2019
Dear Parents,
Here we are to our last week before spring break. That is so hard to believe. Time really does fly! (idiom J) It is a normal, busy week at Manchester despite the vacation in front of us.
Expo Night is Thursday, April 11. I am looking for students to run the science project between 5:00 and 6:30. I want children to enjoy the evening and have time to walk around and explore the fun, but if they can donate 20-30 minutes at our booth, I’d certainly appreciate it. They also may “walk-up” and join the fun. I will be there the whole time to assist the kids, so it’s a low-pressure job. I have a few shifts covered, so if your child can help, please let me know. New this year, we have a photo opportunity with SNAKE MAN for $3.00. Please join us if you can!
We have finished our biography reports, and what a great job the kids did! We look forward to sharing them with you at Open House on May 16. We have a lot to share, and we always look forward to showing parents how hard we work in class and how creative we are with our class projects.
This week, we continue with our animal reports. All students need at least one book as a resource. They may also use computers to find additional information.
In reading, we are starting a new book that the kids will love, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. This book brings up a lot of great conversations, and we’ll do a lot of journaling as we analyze this story. I know the kids will love the writing style, and will seek out other books by this award-winning author when we are finished reading this award winning story.
In math, we continue with area and perimeter, and will be starting our geometry unit. Most of the children have memorized their multiplication facts and passed their timed tests. They will begin division by the end of this week. Your child knows what number they are on for their tests. If they are behind, spring vacation is a good time to work on multiplication and division facts! If these facts come easily to the kids, math will be much easier in fourth grade. Don’t forget to read a great book, too! Keep those skills and brains going!
On Friday we will culminate our biography unit by having a Dr. Seuss Day! We will do a lot of special activities that will keep our minds and bodies busy in anticipation of vacation. It will also be a fun way to end our biography unit.
Vacation will begin this Friday at 3:05 (after school J) and we will return to school on TUESDAY, April 23. I hope you all have a wonderful spring vacation! May it be filled with educational opportunities, laughter, and great fun!
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Enjoy!
Lisa
March 18, 2019
It’s another busy week at Manchester GATE!
Tomorrow is our trip to the San Joaquin River. Please see my other note for details. Please make sure your child dresses comfortably for being outside. Everyone should bring a refillable water bottle.
Report cards are going home today. Please look over your child’s report card carefully, and have a talk about finishing strong. It’s not uncommon for students to let their effort grades slip as spring approaches. Being too social is also an issue that prevents work from being finished on time. I’m happy to conference with anyone about your child’s grades. Please contact me if you’d like to talk. Remember that receiving a “U” or a “P” in any category means that he/she will not be receiving an academic award this quarter. Awards are given in the classroom for the 3rd quarter.
Our Cat Haven field trip is next week on Thursday, March 28. We also have a trip coming up to The Fresno Art Museum. There is no fee for the Art Museum, so please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
Congratulations to Morgan Sanders for her great performance at Fresno State at the Peach Blossom Festival! I’m proud of all of the kids who tried out and tried out something new.
If your child is taking part in Manchester’s Pinewood Derby, please have your cars to school Thursday morning. The official race will be on Saturday.
Spring Picture Day is on Wednesday. Only those students who turn in the forms that went home last week (along with the money for the package) will have their pictures taken. Comb that hair and smile!
All magazine orders should be submitted by FRIDAY. This will be our last day to order! Prizes will be handed out when all tallying is complete. Thank you for support! Our candy orders will arrive before the spring break.
Students should be working at home on their BIOGRAPHY BOTTLES. These are due NEXT FRIDAY. Also, the last group of WordMaster’s Vocabulary words are due on Friday. Quite a few students did not turn in words last week. Please make sure that your child is working on these words this week. We’ll have a few weeks to work with the words in class before our final test of the year. Remember that all of the words from the entire year may be on this test.
We had a great visit from our Zoomobile! The kids always enjoy learning about animals. We will start our animal reports this week. Some of the students have a book on an animal from our library. I have many books to share with the students in class. But if one particular animal is chosen, a trip to the library may be needed.
Book orders are due on Wednesday. Start collecting for summertime reading!
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
With thanks for your support,
Lisa
Classroom Needs: Wipes for hands and desks, pencils, and glue sticks. Thanks to those who have sent in supplies!
March 11, 2019
Dear Parents,
It’s at this time of year that I realize how fast our time is going by. We’re approaching the end of our third quarter in third grade. Next Monday, March 18, you’ll find grades in your child’s folder, so this is a week to make sure that everything is completed on ATLAS.
This week we have our ZOOMOBILE presentation on Wednesday. The children always love this hands-on learning opportunity.
I have two permission slips that need returning. Next week we have our trip to the San Joaquin River (March 19-no fee). Cat Haven is on March 28. The fee for this and Zoomobile is $20.00.
The children are enjoying reading their biography books. Some are ready to take their notes and start their “pizza box” biography report. We’re also working on point of view with read-aloud books.
In writing, the students are creating an opinion piece based on one of the read-aloud stories. They are focusing on WORD CHOICE and having VOICE in their writing piece. Editing on their own will also be a big and necessary part of this assignment.
In math, we continue with fractions and area/perimeter. Our focus is comparing fractions and learning to add and subtract fractions.
Homework this week includes learning the definitions of ten more WordMasters vocabulary words. Also, students should be working on a model of the person they are learning about in their biography. Directions went home last week. All students will need to use a large plastic bottle to create their person and a Styrofoam ball for the face/head.
Please let me know if you have any questions. This project is due on Friday, March 29.
Our magazine and chocolate sale continues this week.
Finally, we have a few class needs.
- Hand wipes
- Glue Sticks
- Tissue
Have a great week!
Lisa
March 5, 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you to everyone for all of the support you gave with our “Vacation to Mars” play. Your assistance with the stage decorating, your help with lines at home, and your cookie donations were appreciated! I am so proud of the kids, and I hope you enjoyed our performance. It always makes me smile! Now back to our “normal” routines…
We’ll play “catch-up” a bit this week, but also will begin our biography study, which the kids are very excited about! In math, we continue with fractions, and continue memorizing our basic multiplication and division facts. Please make sure your child gets back in the habit of practicing facts each evening. Reading should also be done each evening as part of homework. In writing, we will do a fun “quick write” with our opinions and a touch of persuasion before formally writing an opinion paper. Informational writing will be done with our biography study. In science, we’ll be focusing on our study of animals.
In addition to reading and math facts, a list is coming home today with our next list of WordMaster words. For homework, each student should look up the first five words. I will be grading these papers, so students should do neat work, write a definition, draw a picture, and write a sentence using capital letters and punctuation. Also, directions are enclosed for creating a model of the person that your child is studying in our biography unit. Please note that your child will have several weeks to accomplish this BOTTLE MODEL. If you have any questions, or need anything from school that I can supply, please let me know.
Enclosed in today’s folder is a permission slip for Cat Haven if it has not already been turned in. The cost of this trip AND the cost of a zoomobile visit is a total of $20.00. Parents interested in being a chaperone should submit $10.00 for Cat Haven. You will probably need to carpool on your own, as it will be a tight fit on the bus. This will be on March 25. NOTE THAT STUDENTS MUST BRING A LUNCH FOR THIS FIELD TRIP!
Enclosed is also a permission slip for our trip to the San Joaquin River on March 19. There is no fee for this trip. We’ll travel by bus, but chaperones are welcome. Driving may be necessary depending on the number of volunteers we have on this day. PLEASE SUBMIT BOTH PERMISSION SLIPS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
We are starting cursive this week. As a teacher, I believe that cursive is very important to learn. For some students, cursive is easier than printing. I also feel strongly that for students to read manty historical documents, they should know how to READ cursive. I will take a minimum amount of time teaching the letters each Monday, and the students will have the entire week in class to finish the packet of work. If they do not finish, I will instruct them to bring the set of work home to finish Thursday evening. I will have them knowing all lower case and upper case letters in about 6 weeks.
Our magazine and chocolate sale is in full swing! This really is a great way to renew your favorite magazines! The chocolate is always a hit for Easter. This is a great fundraiser for our school. It’s also very easy for family members and friends to order online. I believe our first “turn-in” is this Thursday.
I have instructed the students to check ATLAS as I have corrected everything that has been submitted. We are close to the end of our third quarter, so keeping up on all assignments is a must.
Finally, Kona Ice will be here on Friday!
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks again for all of your support! You are simply THE BEST!
Lisa
Feb. 19, 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all the Valentine notes and sweet treats! Thank you, also, for making it such a great day for the children. We really had a fun day, and the kids felt super special! To quote Noah, “This is the best Valentine’s Day EVER!” I hope you enjoyed your special frame and poem from your child.
We are really working hard to prepare for our play. Please make sure your child is practicing at home if assistance is needed. This week begins, “NO SCRIPTS.”
We are still in need of volunteers for Friday’s stage set-up. Please let me know if you are able to assist. I only have one volunteer at this point from our classroom. It goes very quickly if we have a lot of helping hands! We’ll start around 9 and hopefully will be finished before recess or lunch at the very latest.
I have also only heard from one or two that can donate cookies for our celebration after our performance next Thursday. If you are able to bring a few dozen cookies, please let me know. The kids really enjoy having a treat, taking pictures, and visiting a bit with family and friends. Please plan on joining us for a wonderful play, Vacation on Mars! (Thursday, Feb. 28, 6-7ish. Children should arrive at the classroom between 5:15 and 5:30.)
Progress reports are enclosed in today’s folder. Please take a look, look for any problem areas, check ATLAS for missing assignments, and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Please sign the progress report and return it this week.
Track try outs are this week! 3rd grade will start tomorrow. If your child is interested in running, high jump, long jump, or discus throwing, this is a great sport for them! Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes for try-outs this week.
Our WordMasters test will be next week. This week’s homework is to review the definitions of words, READ every night, practice math facts, and please catch up on any assignments that he/she is behind on. This quarter I typically see a drop in effort, and unfortunately, a drop in grades. Pep talks about giving best effort and pushing through until the end of the year are helpful at home.
Hopefully you can join us at Me-N-Ed’s Dine-Out Night this Thursday evening! See the flyer that is enclosed for more details.
Pennies for Patients continues this week. Thank you for all the kind donations! TWIN DAY will be this Thursday. Students can come dressed as a twin, and pictures will be taken for $1.00 per photo. Twinsies on Thursday!
We have some needs in the classroom! Please help if you are able to supply any of the following:
- Antibacterial wipes (for cleaning our desks after we “write on them)
- Hand wipes (for cleaning ourselves after painting)
- Pencils!
- Kleenex
- Gel Sanitizer
Have a great week! Please let me know if you are able to help decorate our stage and/or if you can help by supplying cookies after the performance.
I’m thankful for you!
Lisa
Feb. 12, 2019
Dear Parents,
I’m hoping your nice long weekend was enjoyable! The best part is that we have another long weekend on honor of Presidents’ Day this weekend!
What that means for our classroom is attempting to squeeze everything in while we have shortened weeks and play practice for our Vacation on Mars play!
Pennies for Patients continues this week. Thursday is SUPERHERO PICTURE DAY. Students can come dressed as a superhero. Pictures will be taken for $1.00 donation. They’re quite cute photos and worth the dollar! Also on Friday there will be donuts for sale. All donations support children with leukemia. Our upper grade K-Kids are working hard on this fundraiser. Thanks for your support. Twin Picture Day will be next week. I’ll keep you posted on the date.
Don’t forget about our special event TOMORROW! I’ll be in the classroom from 3:15 until 5:30. Or you may send a bag STAPLED SHUT with your child’s name on it and I will send you a photo J
Thank you to Mrs. Dodson and Mrs. Willingham for supplying a treat and a water for our celebration. Valentines may be brought tomorrow. Please remember that this is optional, but I do request one for everyone if your child is participating in the Valentine exchange. Thank you also for DONUTS from Morgan’s wonderful uncle! I promised a treat since all of the kids passed their reading and math Interim Test, and Morgan took the orders and even had them delivered by her Grandpa! The kids really enjoyed their treats.
I had a whole bunch of kids forget their homework last Friday. I don’t assign much, and I do try and give extra time for bigger projects. This is a good time to remind students of the importance of being responsible and putting that folder in their backpacks each evening. Progress reports will be in the folders next Tuesday. This is a good time to check ATLAS and make sure that your child is current on everything.
Homework this week is “the usual.” Each child should read each evening, and practice math facts. All students know which multiplication fact they need to practice for passing the quiz. It’s not my favorite way to test them, but I am finding that it is forcing some students to get busy memorizing them. There is also a Scholastic News that will be graded and is due on Friday. In addition, our WordMasters test will be coming up soon. Reviewing those words will be helpful for the test.
In today’s folder are details for the Saroyan writing contest. I had about 15 kids who are interested, and there are prizes! I’ve run off the information with dates and the theme for the writing piece for all students. I’d love to have some kids enter!
Bricks for Kidz was a wonderful experience last week. The kids had a great time creating robots that actually zipped across the room! Then they got to add pieces to the robot to create a robot that might help humans in some way. It was great fun.
Our same units of study continue this week. We are reading Who was Dr. Seuss? and learning how to take notes when we start our biographies next week (hopefully). We are finalizing a few writing pieces and learning some tips that many kids are making errors on in their grammar/spelling. We are studying fractions in math. It’s tough at first, but it will become easy with practice and guidance. In science, we’re doing some space and some animals. Our next big project will be an animal report. Our science teacher is raising salmon in the classroom, some I’m adding in some science to go along with his units.
Please read the enclosed notes with details about our play. All parts have been cast, and we’re looking forward to a great production! We hope to see you all on Feb. 28 at 6:00 for our VACATION ON MARS production!
Have a great week.
Lisa
Feb. 4, 2019
Happy February! This will be a busy month for our classroom.
Good luck to those students who tried out today for Peach Blossom Competition! Children who are working on a book for Young Author’s Faire have until Feb. 22 to turn in books to me.
Play announcements will be made this week. Everyone has an important part, and together, you are in for an exciting lesson about our solar system! Remember to mark your calendar for Feb. 28 for our evening performance for family and friends. Our show will be at 6:00 in the cafeteria. We are looking for volunteers to bring cookies to share following our performance. If you can help by donating cookies, please let me know. We’d like to have a variety to share with both classes and their families/friends. If you can help by supplying cookies, please let me know so that we can be certain that we have enough for everyone to enjoy.
If you have not returned the Valentine cards, please submit $10 or return the envelope with the valentines.
We are also collecting the blue “bubble sheets” that went home last week with information on our school. If you still have it, please send it in.
Coming home today is your child’s scores on our Interim test that we took last week. All of the children were in either green or blue, which is considered “passing” in both language arts/reading and math. I’ll be looking at the areas that we need to focus on as a class as we move forward. Students that are in the lower part of the green in reading, please help by having your child read every evening. It’s so important that reading is a regular part of their homework. In math, the students are moving along well with their facts. Please ask your child which one he/she is testing on in class, and regular practice with facts is also essential each evening. Please let me know if you have any questions on these tests.
Pennies for Patients kicks off today. If you have spare change to donate, we are thankful. Every little bit helps to fight childhood leukemia.
Make sure that you are collecting items for our secret! I’ll look forward to seeing you on the 13th. If you CANNOT make it, and can’t supply items, please let me know so that I can make sure that all students feel special on this day of fun.
Remember that the next two Mondays are holidays!
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
With thanks for your great support,
Lisa
Jan. 7, 2019 (I got the year right!)
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope your vacation and holidays were restful and some fun was enjoyed by everyone. I thank you all for the wonderful holiday gifts. I was very touched by all of the notes, cards, and kind gifts. I am blessed to have your children and such sweet parents in my classroom. I hope you also enjoyed your gift from your child! I thought they were precious!
Today our report cards go home. What a way to start the new quarter! Please sign the report card and return it to me. (I’ll return the report card.) I just want to know that everyone saw their child’s grades. Everyone did a fine job, but this is a great time to talk with your child about any areas that may need improving for the next quarter ahead. Areas that third graders always need to remember at this time of year include the following:
- finishing work on time
- giving full effort to each task
- reviewing work before it is submitted
- being less social in class
- reading daily (at home)
- memorizing math facts (at home)
Our awards assembly for third grade is Thursday at 2:00 in the cafeteria. Parents are welcome to join us if your schedule allows it. You should be able to tell if your child is getting an award based on his/her report card. A 3.0 grade point average without any UNSATISFACTORY (U) or POOR (P) effort or behavior grades means that your child is getting an award. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Today will be a transition day as we attempt to get back into the swing of routines. We’ll be doing a lot of writing and goal setting, as well as having time to talk about our vacations. We’ll also be reviewing school and classroom rules. Classes tend to need them after being on vacation for so long.
Coming up in February, we have our PEACH BLOSSOM competition. Students that would like to try-out should be working on memorizing a poem. Also, we have YOUNG READERS’ FAIRE that is quickly approaching. Students who would like to write a QUALITY story and illustrate it in a book form might want to be writing at home. They are welcome to any school supplies that I can help with. These are OPTIONAL activities, and I have gone over them since the start of the year with the kids. I’ll be discussing both competitions again this week. Please let me know if you have questions.
Today you will also find the list of words for our next WordMaster’s Challenge. We’ll be doing MOST of the work with these words in class. Any extra work that can be done at home to help to memorize the definitions of these words is always helpful. Please remember that the last set of words will also be on this quiz in a few weeks.
Again, welcome back to school! I hope your week is wonderful!
2019 blessings,
Lisa
Dec. 10, 2018
Alas, we are to our final week of third grade in 2018. Personally, I need a few more weeks to be ready and finished, but I know the kids won’t go for that! It’s going to be a busy week for us!
Thank you to everyone that took the time to come to our Native American Museum Night! I thought the kids did an awesome job presenting, and I was very proud of their hard work.
Today we had a guest presentation from Bricks for Kidz. They learned about friction and created a top from Legos along with a “launcher.” After they made the basic design, they experimented to create a top that was symmetrical and we tested whose creation could spin the longest. They did a great job and had a lot of fun.
Our field trip to Meux Home is on Wednesday. I am still missing a few permission slips. If you are interested in driving, please let me know. At this point, I believe we have just enough drivers. If there are any changes in your plans, please let me know immediately. If your child is missing his/her slip, there is another one in today’s folder. PLEASE SEND A BOOSTER SEAT FOR THIS TRIP IF YOUR CHILD NEEDS ONE.
Our field trip to see “Elf” is on Friday. If your child is missing the permission slip, there is another one enclosed. Please turn these in immediately so that we can all attend. I have five tickets for chaperones. We do travel by bus on this trip. I will be in contact with parents when I look at the list of chaperones and check with other classes on their parent numbers. Hopefully we can all attend!
Friday afternoon, we will play “minute to win it” games. We are still in need of
mini-marshmallows, toilet paper, and wrapped regular sized candy canes. If you can help by sending in any of these items, it’s very appreciated. I know the kids are going to have fun!
We also still need ONE TREAT for a celebratory snack. A big bag of MOOSE MIX would be fun, but anything that is easy will make the kids happy. I have hot apple cider for the kids and cups ready to accompany a snack. Get in contact with me if you can help by supplying a treat/snack for the kids.
Friday is also PAJAMA DAY. It’s not mandatory, but it sounds like fun to go with our buddies to see Elf in our jammies! If your child doesn’t have warm pajamas, a sweat suit of some kind is a great way to go. Please be sure that shoes are appropriate for school (tennis shoes or slippers with a hard bottom).
Grades are closing on Monday and report cards go home our first day back. I have corrected everything this weekend, and just need to input it into the computer. Be sure to check this week to see if your child is missing anything due to illness, sports, music, or orchestra. I’ll go over any missed assignments with the kids this week.
Pieology Dine-Out Night is this evening. Please see the enclosed folder for details! It’s a great way to support our school.
There will be Cross Country pictures taken on Thursday. Everyone should wear their shirts for the photo! You will have a chance to purchase the team picture this year. Also, the CROSS COUNTRY FINALS are on Thursday. Please be sure to return the permission slips. Congratulations to all who made it, and know that I’m proud of all of my runners. They all did a great job this year!
I wish you all holiday filled with love, laughter, and tender moments where your heart swells! You’re blessed with beautiful children, and I know that their excitement and joy brings the same joy to you. Enjoy…relax…laugh…celebrate…and make beautiful memories.
May the year “2019” be a year full of learning adventures for everyone!
Thanks for all your great support this year. You are wonderful parents, and I’m so blessed!
Blessings,
Lisa Gatewood
Dec. 4, 2018
December has arrived, and with the final month of our 2018 year, comes a flurry of adventures!
- Please make sure to have your permission slips for Meux Home and for our play with our buddy classes turned in by THIS FRIDAY, please. The cost for Meux Home is $4.00 (parents are $10) and the Elf play is $10 for students for the play and transportation. (Parent chaperones are $6.00) WE ARE IN NEED OF DRIVERS FOR MEUX HOME on Dec. 12th. If you can help, please fill out the back of the permission slip with your insurance information. (Fingerprinting must be completed.) Please send booster seats on Wednesday, Dec. 12th for Meux Home if your child needs one.
- Tomorrow is Room 20’s SHOPPING DAY at the holiday shoppe. This is optional, of course. Please send any money in an envelope so that it doesn’t get misplaced or lost.
- Tomorrow is also our evening for our Native American Presentations. From 5:45 to 6:30, please come and listen to your child’s MUSEUM DOCENT PRESENTATION and learn about other tribal regions in California from some of the other students and classes in third grade. I look forward to seeing you! The children did a GREAT job on their shelters. I am so impressed!
- If you have any money donations for our SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS program sponsoring some families that have children in Valley Children Hospital, we are happy to collect $2.00 donations. If you can sponsor a child by providing a toy or clothing item, please send in the paper so that a size/gift idea can be requested. Thank you for all your kindness. It means the world to the families.
- This Friday there is a movie night and Polar Express will be shown from
- Please send in or place your Scholastic Book order by TOMORROW. I’d like to get that sent in in hopes of having the books before our vacation.
- Since we have our Elf field trip on Friday, Dec. 14, we are just going to have some fun “MINUTE TO WIN IT” games in the afternoon. We are in need of the following items for this afternoon of fun:
*mini marshmallows
*regular sized candy canes (not mini)
*toilet paper (on the roll)
We need a lot! If you can help, please send them in!
- I’d love to have one special treat for the afternoon. If you’d like to send something for the end of the day, please contact me. (We don’t need a lot, so please don’t send something without me knowing in advance. I hate wasting food, and don’t like the kids to leave with stomach aches.)
- WordMaster scores will be coming home soon. For a first time test, we did okay. I welcome you to take the test and see what score you get! The kids will get better each time they take it. PLEASE SAVE THE WORK THAT THE KIDS DID. We have two more tests, and the words from the first test will be on the tests to come this year.
There will be a lot of grading done in the last few weeks of have before the break. Please make sure that you are checking ATLAS. I do have a lot to catch up on. Grades close before vacation and report cards go home the day we return.
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Also, thank you for all your blessings and well-wishes for my mom! She is doing well and is going home tomorrow!
With thanks,
Lisa
Nov. 13, 2018
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed your Veterans Day weekend. It’s a short, but very busy week ahead.
- Cross Country permission slips are enclosed for those on the team. The next meet is Friday.
- Grandparents Day is also on Friday. Tickets can be purchased in the office.
- Next week we are off for the week to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and friends.
- We have our Native American speaker on Thursday. Please make sure that you have sent in $7.00 to cover the cost of this speaker and art activity. (The kids are going to love it!)
- Progress reports are coming home today. I do have some additional grading that needs inputting, so all grades are subject to change quickly. Some late work is sitting in my bin right now. Watching grades on ATLAS is the best way to stay up to date on grades and missing activities. The children also know how to access their ATLAS account to look at grades and assignments.
- We have a lot of work to do in four days!
We are finishing Charlotte’s Web this week. The kids have really enjoyed this book. I’ll be grading their work that they have done with each chapter over vacation. This will be a huge part of their reading grade. We’re worked on many skills along the way.
We are also reading nonfiction text as we learn about the Native American tribal regions. We’re writing about our findings and preparing for our Native American Museum Night on Dec. 5. The children’s “at home” portion of this unit is to create a “dwelling” based on the tribal region they are studying in class. This information went home last week. The children should be working on it as part of their homework this week. They might also use some of their vacation to work on it if you’re not heading out of town. They will also have the week after vacation to complete this project. Remember that it needs to be on a surface that is about the size of a laptop computer (NOT BIGGER, PLEASE). The rest of the work we will be doing in class, unless your child gets behind.
In science, we continue learning about how animals have changed through time. Thank you to everyone that helped on our field trip to the Fossil Discovery Center. It was an excellent trip.
In math, we continue working on multiplication facts. We’ll be learning the different multiplication properties this week (Associative, distributive, and identity). It is so important that the children work on their facts at home. The children who don’t have them memorized are having a very hard time keeping up with the math. This is part of their homework and should be worked on each evening. We are working on them in class as well, but reinforcement at home is needed for some of the students. Reading is also very important each night.
Besides the Native American project, reading, and math facts, there is a Scholastic News for homework that will be graded and is due on Friday.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving week! May it be filled with smiles, great stories, delicious food, new and old family traditions, and an abundance of laughter. Make wonderful memories…
I will look forward to hearing the children’s stories on Monday, Nov. 26.
Many blessings,
Lisa
Oct. 30, 2018
It’s a busy week (in four days) at Manchester GATE! This week brings our “spooktacular” science fun tomorrow, and our wonderful carnival on Friday.
Thank you to all that donated for our class basket. Thanks so much to Mrs. Lincoln for purchasing the NERF items and putting it all together. It looks fantastic, and we have a great donation for the carnival!
We still have TWO SPOTS OPEN for our slide booth on Friday night. I promise that I will be there the whole time checking in and making sure that all is going well, but I really need two people to “man the booth” from 7:30-8:00. If you can assist, or if you have an older child that can help during that time period, please text me or drop me a note (301-0118). I know a lot of you are working the silent auction, but hopefully we can come up with two more helpers for the evening.
Even if you can’t volunteer, I hope that you will attend. It’s a great evening of fun for all, and our silent auction is always a great shopping extravaganza. Thank you so much for supporting our wonderful school. I’ll send out a reminder with volunteer times for our booth for Friday night. Thank you to everyone for the hard work that goes into this event. Our carnival starts at 5:00 and ends at 8:00 on Friday, Nov. 2.
PLEASE NOTE! I WAS GIVEN THE WRONG PERMISSION SLIP for our study trip to The Fossil Discovery Center. OUR TRIP IS ON THURSDAY, NOV. 8 (rather than Wednesday, the 7th.) I am going to use the same form, but for parent helpers, I do apologize! I hope that you can still join us on the 8th. Can you please text me if you are still able to help, or if you didn’t sign up but would like to join us? Again, I apologize for any problems this may cause. Please make certain your child has turned in his/her permission slip by this Friday, Nov. 2. The cost is $8.00 for students and $7.00 for parents.
In your folders today is your child’s scores from our Interim test that we took a few weeks back. It’s important to look at the scores and areas that your child did not master. These will be focus areas for our classroom to work on as we move through this quarter. The two best ways of helping is to make sure that your child is reading and practicing math facts at home. Please make sure that your child is taking the time to do both each evening as part of his/her homework. Please let me know if you have any questions about these results. In addition to reading and math facts, I have a Scholastic News for homework this week. Reading, marking the text, and answering the questions is a skill we always need to practice.
Cross country shirts went out today. The cost is $10. Please send in the money in an envelope with your child’s name on it and I’ll get it to Mr. Painter. Their first meet is this Thursday at Manchester! It’s always fun to cheer on our class! Please make sure that those on the team wear their shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes for the meet on Thursday. You’re welcome to come and watch! (Please remember to avoid the bus parking!)
Congratulations to Bridgette, Matthew, and Ace who did a great job at the chess tournament! I love the variety of activities our kids take part in at Manchester!
Limo lunches are coming up! Please make sure that you submit the permission slip if you raised $250 for the jog-a-thon.
Grandparents Day is also around the corner. For third graders it will be on Friday, Nov. 16. Tickets are $8.00 and are available in the office.
Cakes for the cake decorating contest are due on Friday morning for those that would like to be part of this competition.
In between all of that fun, we’ll be finishing up our Fresno County map and starting our Native American unit this week. In reading we are continuing with Charlotte’s Web and learning figurative language and parts of speech. We will continue to work on our WordMaster vocabulary words and play with analogies so that we’re ready for the test. The word work that we have done in class should be coming home this week and next. Hold on to these definitions for extra practice at home. In writing, we’re focusing on using WORD CHOICE to bring more life into our writing. In science, we continue with animals as we move into our field trip next week. In math, we are working on multiplication and the distributive property.
The students will have another piece of work added to the Artsonia website. We learned our first element of art, LINE, and made our face with CRAZY HAIR. They turned out very cute.
Remember that Nov. 12 will be a holiday in honor of Veterans Day.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Have a great week at Manchester School!
With thanks for all your great support,
Lisa
Oct. 1, 2018
Dear Parents,
Thank you for all the support for our fund run, and to those who came out to cheer us on! Now comes the time to collect pledges. You can still support our classroom even if you didn’t return the pledge sheet. I’d love for everyone to at least pledge $30 so that each child can get a Manchester shirt with this year’s logo for spirit day each Friday. Pledges are due by October 9 so that prizes can be ordered.
This week we go to the fair on Thursday. We will leave by bus after attendance, and will return for a late lunch at 1:00. I will have a few free tickets for parents. Enclosed in today’s folder is one free ticket to the fair if you filled out the survey a few weeks ago. This would be great to bring if you receive one. We can purchase tickets at the fair and divide the cost if we need to do so. I believe there will be room on the bus for all parents. Or parents can carpool there. If you do this, please plan on following the bus and tell them you are with our school, and they should not charge you for parking. I’ll have an agenda for you Thursday morning. Our focus will be on the Fresno County historical exhibit, Fresno crops, and if we have time, the Bugology exhibit is always popular with the kids. Please note that we will not be making souvenir or food purchases on this trip. The students will receive a free ticket to return to the fair. Hopefully you can return to see what the children learned and then hit that cinnamon bun line!
We are in need of plastic water bottles for a science project. (16.9 oz-indiidual sized) If you have any to spare, please send them in.
We had a great dot day! We have a few projects to finish up this week, but will continue to refer back to this book all year. How will you make your mark on the world?
Book orders are going home today. There are some great books in these orders. The easiest way to order is online at Scholastic.com. Our class code is inside FZRWP, and can also be found inside your child’s homework folder. Please submit orders by next Wednesday. Let me know if I should keep any books a secret for birthday or holiday gifts.
Our school carnival is in the planning. Each classroom is responsible for creating a basket. Thank you to Mrs. Lincoln for volunteering to put our basket together. There is a letter enclosed that explains our basket how you can help. She is taking donations and will do the purchasing for a NERF basket. We’ll also be looking for parents to help run our booth for half an hour. I’ll have a sign-up sheet at conferences. We are also taking collections of cases of water and soda for our carnival. If you can help, please label them with Room 20. The class that gets the most donations gets a treat!
In today’s folder is your CONFIRMED conference date and time. For those that didn’t sign up, I have enclosed a form with a time and date I am holding for our conference. Please let me know if there is a better date or time, and I will do my best to accommodate you. Conferences will be held the week of October 15. Children will be dismissed at 2:05 all week. Bus schedules will be one hour earlier. I look forward to talking to you about your child. Bring your questions and concerns!
Enclosed also in today’s folder is a permission slip for a visit to The Fresno Art Museum on Oct. 24th. We are attending with our 3rd grade buddy class, Mrs. Connelly. We are in need of drivers for this trip. (Fingerprinting is required.) We will tour the museum as part of our study of Fresno County, and will do an art project. The cost of the trip is $5.00. I am paying the remaining cost out of our jog-a-thon money. ($3.75 per child). The cost went up, but it’s such a great trip that I know everyone will enjoy and learn from. Students who bring in $200 or more for the jog-a-thon will not have a cost for any of the field trips or speakers for the remainder of the year.
We have run into situations in class where the students are in need of headphones or earbuds. Some children had them, but then brought them home. I’d like to have one pair for each student that can just remain in the classroom. They can be purchased inexpensively at Target or Walmart, and even Dollar Store has them. Please supply your child with a pair so that they can use them in the classroom. Please help your child to get a pair so that they don’t miss out on technology projects in class.
Our first Fresno Unified Interim test is around the corner. This week we will test in Language Arts on Wednesday morning. Next week we will test in Math on Tuesday, October 9th. Please try to schedule appointments around these dates. Don’t put a lot of pressure on your child. I always keep my goal on being ready for the end of the year test, and consider this practice to make sure we are on the right path. Encourage your child to take the time needed to do well, and to put forth his/her best effort.
Friday we will celebrate OREO DAY. We will be doing some “stacking” and comparing our counts with other third graders across the world. It will be a fun ending to our week.
If you are interested in supplying a treat for our Halloween celebration, please let me know. I am looking for one or two treats and a drink. We will have a day of science and art fun, but a few healthy snacks spread out throughout the day will make our celebration even more special. I have some easy ideas if anyone is interested, please let me know. I try to stay away from sweets on this day since many trick-or-treat and get an abundance of sugary treats. Our day will be educational for those that are concerned about a holiday party. It feels like a party, but we are learning! We do not dress up for Halloween.
Our curriculum for the week will include:
Reading: Charlotte’s Web (Character traits, Main Idea, Answering questions using text evidence)
Author’s Study: Patricia Polacco (Skills to pay attention to when reading that help us comprehend the story)
Writing: Narrative writing—Adding a hook, strong conclusion, transition words, “silver dollar” words, and dialogue to make our writing richer
Math: Graphing and Multiplication
Social Studies: Fresno County
Science: Structures & Adaptations, Fossil Evidence, Classification
Remember that grades close on Friday. Please make sure that your child has turned everything in by checking ATLAS. I will be continuing to add grades this week.
Due to a busy week with field trips and grades closing, homework this week will be to read and practice math facts. If there is any work that needs making-up, this will be part of your child’s homework this week.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns!
I am thankful for you!
Lisa Gatewood
Sept. 24, 2018 OUR JOG-A-THON IS TUESDAY!
Dear Parents,
Thank you to all the wonderful chaperones that assisted on our field trip to The Underground Gardens! It was a great day of learning for all, and the perfect way to start our Fresno County unit in Social Studies.
Permission slips for our next trip have been sent home. I am enclosing another if I don’t have your child’s returned yet. It is DUE BY THIS FRIDAY, please. The cost is $4.00 for our bus. Entrance to the fair is free for students. I also will have a number of free tickets for parents who can help chaperone on this day. I will need parents to be fingerprinted since we will separating into groups. I’m sure the reports will be in for those that recently got fingerprinted. (Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to do this. I know it is a hassle, but it is just all in the name of safety. Thanks for your understanding.) If we get more volunteers than tickets, I believe the cost is $5.00. We can divide the cost up depending on the number of volunteers. All of third grade is attending, so it may be necessary for parents to drive on their own and meet us there. Carpooling is a great idea! I’ll know more as the remaining permission slips come in.
TOMORROW (Tuesday) IS OUR JOG-A-THON! This is a very important fundraiser for classrooms, so your support and pledges are greatly appreciated for the year ahead. Hopefully everyone can bring in enough to at least get a Manchester shirt with our new school logo. ($30) $100 will bring your child a shirt and a hat. Remember that $200 will get your child a shirt, hat, water bottle, plus FREE FIELD TRIPS AND GUEST SPEAKER COSTS COVERED FOR THE YEAR. $250 brings all prizes and a limo lunch with Mrs. Gengozian! Please support our classroom! Also make sure your child wears clothes and shoes comfortable for running. Water is essential! Hats and sun protection may also be necessary for your child. Parents are welcome to join us for the fun! Our theme is “Favorite Sports Team” this year. All pledges are due to school by Oct. 9 to get credit for prizes.
We had so much fun with SNAIL OLYMPICS last week! I hope your child told you all about it. We celebrated later than expected, so I moved DOT DAY to this Wednesday. This day centers on the book, The Dot, by Peter Reynolds. It is
a great story about being creative, being kind, and making a mark on the world with whatever talents you may have! We’ll have a great day.
Ukulele club started Friday morning at 8:30 in M-2. I am sure your child can still attend if he/she is interested. A few other clubs are starting this week. Crochet will start on Tuesday at lunch (after eating) in Room 26 with Ms. Console. Zentangle Club will start Wednesday at lunch with Ms. Rayburn in Room 4. We’ll talk about these clubs in class. The kids who join should be there each week. It’s not meant to just “pop-in” whenever they feel like going. They are both wonderfully clubs that the children always enjoy each year.
Please be sure to sign up for a conference this week if you are not already scheduled. The week of October 15 is conference week and the children will be dismissed at 2:05 all week. Bus schedules are adjusted. I’ll send home reminders of the times next week, and for those that are not signed up, I will schedule you into an open time slot. I look forward to learning more about your child!
Oct. 5 is our last day of the first quarter. Please make sure that you and your child monitor grades and makes certain that all assignments are turned in so that there are no surprises on report cards.
Room 20 will have the pleasure of doing art with Ms. Yamamoto this Wednesday and Thursday.
Our curriculum for the week will include:
Reading: Finish analyzing Frindle - character traits, story structure
Writing: Writing personal narratives
Math: Unit 1 final test (Tuesday), graphing, multiplication
Science: Forces
Social Studies: Study of Fresno County
Language: Subjects and predicates, parts of speech
Art: Elements of art
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns! I wish you all a wonderful week. I hope to see you on Tuesday at the jog-a-thon!
With thanks for all your support,
Lisa
Sept. 17, 2018
THE UNDERGROUND GARDENS FIELD TRIP WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY!
Dear Parents,
This week brings a lot of adventures in Room 20!
Today we meet for the first time to do reading and writing with our third grade and sixth grade buddies. We hope to have a fun book published in the next few weeks.
Wednesday will bring our trip to The Underground Gardens. If you are signed up to chaperone, please come to school with your child and be ready to go immediately after attendance is taken. We will leave just after around 9:10 and be back to school around between 11:15 and 11:30. I will have directions for you in the classroom. Please make sure your car has gas the night before, as there is no time to stop. They start the program when we are all there, and they are open to the public right after we leave. Thank you to everyone that recently got fingerprinted for volunteering. There is a certain amount of time that is needed for clearance, so until I get word from downtown, I can only allow you to drive your child. You are welcome to join in with another group of kids/parents if you’d like to do so. I hope by our next field trip we will have everyone cleared. We are looking forward to a great day with lots of new information to share about this Fresno County destination.
Please remember to be collecting pledges for our GATER FUND RUN! This is a very important fundraiser for our school and especially for our classroom.
This week we will finish up our unit on snails and have our SNAIL OLYMPICS. The kids are really looking forward to this grand event. They have been working on informational posters, and have learned a lot about these special little critters. I’m sure they are filling you with more snail facts than you ever wanted to know about them!
On Friday we will celebrate DOT DAY which is a special day in honor of Peter Reynolds’s book, The Dot. We will do a variety of activities that promote being creative, growth mindset, and making your mark in the world. It will be a lot of fun for the kids, so be sure and ask them about their day.
We finished our first story, Frindle, and I believe the kids really enjoyed it. We will be reading some nonfiction this week and I’ll be introducing some websites that we’ll be using in the classroom. We’ll start Charlotte’s Web soon.
As we finish snails, we will be starting Social Studies with mapping skills and learning about Fresno County. Our field trip to Underground Gardens will start us off!
In math, we are working on subtraction, and we’re almost done with our unit.
Don’t forget to sign up for a conference in October if you have not done so already! I have the schedule in the classroom. You can also drop me a note and let me know your availability.
Have a great week! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
With thanks for your support,
Lisa
Sept. 10, 2018
Dear Parents,
Busy times are on the horizon…
1. Fund Run paperwork is coming home today. Please remember that this is the one fundraiser where the classroom gets the biggest chunk of the proceeds. All support is greatly appreciated! Each child that earns $30 will get a Manchester t-shirt with our logo for the year, Gater Today, Greater Tomorrow. For $100 children get the shirt and a hat. For $175, a water bottle is included. With $200 dollars the students get all three plus free field trips for the year. For $250 a limo lunch is included. The money earned will go towards art activities, hands-on science manipulatives, crafts, etc. Please support our classroom! But, PLEASE do not allow your child to get pledges door-to-door from unknown neighbors. Safety is my top concern at all times. Our theme this year is YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM! Thank you in advance for your help!
2. Picture Day is tomorrow! Wear your best smile!
3. Tomorrow evening is also Chipotle Dine-Out Night! Remember to bring the flyer that is enclosed in today’s folder. Thanks again for supporting Manchester!
4. Remember that Wednesday morning we will be doing our DRP (Degrees of Reading Power) testing. Please be on time and encourage your child to do his/her best job possible. I’ll have the findings for you at our October conference.
5. Remember to drop me a note or stop in to sign-up for a conference time in October. The schedule is on my white board right when you walk into the classroom.
6. Manchester GATE is in need of parents to be on our School Site Council. They only meet once a month and it is a great and easy way to make a difference at our school. If you are interested, please contact the office. (248-7220)
7. Deficiency notices are due out Wednesday. I prefer to send things home on Monday, so I will have them in next week’s folder.
8. We are still in need of quite a few packages of REGULAR OREO COOKIES for an upcoming project. Remember that it needs to be the original Oreo and off-brands cannot be used since we’ll be comparing our data with schools across the country.
9. I have added several art pieces to Artsonia. You can only view your child’s work by signing up and giving your approval. I have sent two forms home, but if you still want to sign-up, let me know, and I can send you the information.
10. Homework this week will be to do the assignment on Spelling City (online). The information to access this site is inside your child’s homework folder. Please also make sure that your child is READING and adding to his/her genre sheet. Please submit this sheet when it is completed. Also, each child should be studying math facts in his/her favorite way. I highly recommend using Mr. Figura’s website for lots of games and activities.
Our Curriculum for the Week:
Reading: We continue with our reading of Frindle. The kids are really enjoying this story. We are using it to learn the elements of a story, and techniques an author implements that really grab our attention and keep us wanting to read on and on. The goal is to apply these techniques in our own writing.
Writing: We have been writing several class books while learning that IDEAS for stories come from anywhere and everywhere. We’ll be starting our own Personal Narrative stories this week in writer’s workshop. We are fine-tuning our writing by learning the importance of using complete sentences, punctuating correctly, and using our resources to edit our work.
Science: We continue with our Snail unit this week. They love their snails!
Science Lab: The students are learning about FORCES.
Math: The kids are working hard to learn mental math strategies along with the PROPERTIES OF ADDITION (Identity Property, Commutative Property, and Associative Property).
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns! I believe we are off to a great start this year. The kids are doing a great job adjusting to third grade, and I am really enjoying each and every child. They are bonding as a team and working together beautifully! We have a great group of Room 20 Learners this year!
Classroom Needs: KLEENEX! We have already had a few colds. Thanks to those that have already contributed. For those that have not shared a box of Kleenex, please send one in for all to share. Thank you!
With thanks for your support,
Lisa
Sept. 4, 2018
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We are now in “full swing” in Room 20. Parent helpers are welcome to begin this week. I have contacted most of you. If I haven’t, I will be in touch soon.
Enclosed in today’s folder is YOUR CHILD’S SPELLING CITY code. (It’s glued/taped on the child’s portion of the folder.) This will be used as part of the homework. As I said at Back-to-School Night, I’m not going to overwhelm the kids with homework. I am going to do spelling with high frequency words that I am finding the kids are misspelling in their writing. They should also be reading and practicing math facts (flashcards, games, or Mr. Figura’s website). Soon, I will be using another math site, Khan Academy, but I don’t want the children to be overwhelmed. I will introduce each site in class. This week I have also enclosed a Scholastic News to read and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. This will be graded! Please make sure your child is taking the time to answer the comprehension questions by going back and rereading the articles for the answers. This is a very important skill for third graders to learn.
Also enclosed is information how to sign up for ARTSONIA if you have not already signed up. Your child’s first piece of art will be posted this week. It’s fun to share it with family members and get comments from loved ones. Artsonia also has cute little gifts that you can order with your child’s artwork.
If you have not turned in your child’s permission slip for The Underground Gardens, please make sure it is turned in this week. Our trip is on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Thank you to everyone that has volunteered to drive! We have a lot, so I am going to have to see if there is a cap on the number of adults that can attend. It just gets a little crowded in the small spaces. Hopefully we can accommodate everyone.
Remember that picture day is Sept. 11. Wear a smile and get that broccoli out of your teeth! Information and envelopes for collections were sent home last week. You can send in the money and desired package any time on or before the day of photos.
Fingerprinting is now being done at Parent University at 850 E. Blackstone. There are new forms for anyone not fingerprinted. They can be picked up in the office. Remember that all drivers and chaperones for field trips MUST be fingerprinted. Once you are fingerprinted, it’s good until your child is in 12th grade!
Room 20 will be doing DRP testing in reading next Wednesday. Sept. 11. This is a reading test to find out a baseline score of where your child is currently performing. The goal is to make a lot of progress this year from the first test in September. I’ll share these scores with you at conferences. If you are not signed up for a conference time in October, please come on in and sign up in Room 20, or feel free to drop me a note and I can sign you up for an available time slot.
Next week you will have your child’s first progress report. Most of the children are doing a great job in class, but if there are a lot of absences and missing work, or if work is not being completed in class, you may see some zeros that have an impact on the grades. I put zeros so that the children know that something is missing. (If it does not get turned in, I change the score to a high F so that it is easier to make up.) But, the goal is for the children to self-monitor and learn to keep up on work in class. Sometimes children may need extra time at home to finish tasks, or it may require spending some recesses to catch-up. Please look at these progress reports carefully, and please let me know if you have any questions.
Kona Ice is coming on Friday! This will be a great treat after a hot week!
Curriculum for the Week:
Reading: Frindle, our first class book we’re reading together
We’ll discuss elements of a story and character traits
Writing: Why do authors write? (PIE) Ask your child what that stands for…
We’ll also talk about the first trait as we begin writing workshop, IDEAS…
How to write a complete sentence (PQA—Put the question in the answer!)
Math: Rounding, place value, Compatible Numbers
Art: Self-Portrait with goals for 3rd grade
Science: Snails—What do they need to live? What is their favorite food? Are they really slow?
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a great (short) week!
Lisa
August 27, 2018
Dear Parents,
We are off to a great start in Room 20! I thank you for sending in the supplies your child needs for success in 3rd grade and all the forms that are required. We are currently in first place for winning a party for the most support for PTA. But I know a teacher that wants to take that from us! Please consider joining the PTA. The cost is $10.00 and our PTA does great things for our school (benches, technology, classroom support, etc.) We also encourage you to watch the newsletter from Mrs. Gengozian and join us for meetings once a month. It’s a great way to get involved and meet wonderful parents.
We are in need of REGULAR OREO COOKIES for a special project in September. They must be the original cookie (no DOUBLE STUFF or off-brands) as we will be comparing data with other schools across the country. If you can help to supply one package of regular Nabisco Oreo cookies, I would appreciate it very much.
Please make sure that you have returned the permission slip for The Underground Gardens. The cost is marked on the form. I am enclosing another form if you have not submitted it by this time. We do need drivers. Fingerprinting is essential to be a driver.
Book orders are due by Wednesday. The code is inside of the folders, and online ordering is easiest. Checks can be sent in along with the order form if you can’t order online.
Remember that headsets are also needed in class. We will begin working with our computers this week.
Monday is our first holiday! Whew! We need it after three weeks of school. Have a great Labor Day.
Picture Day is coming up! Please see the enclosed note in your child’s folder.
I do have a bit of homework. There is a list on your child’s side of the folder.
Curriculum for the Week:
Reading: Genres in reading and we will begin our first book together!
Math: Properties of addition and rounding
Writing: Why do writers write? Focus on NARRATIVE and topics for writing
Science: What do snails need to live?
We continue to work on how to have a POSITIVE GROWTH MINDSET. This will set us up for success for our 3rd grade year.
I have the schedule for conferences in October hanging in my room. Several parents have not signed up for a time. Please try to stop by and sign up so that there are no conflicts for conference week. I always look forward to meeting you and getting to know more about your child.
Have a great week, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
With thanks for all your great support,
Lisa