Stock Up in the New Year

Please remember to replenish your child's school supplies. I am sending home their pencil cases for this reason. We particularly need stick glue and white glue. Hopefully there will be lots of good sales. Thankyou for your help.

Merry Christmas!!

Today the Social Studies test is coming home. Please sign and return it.Tomorrow we will have a quiet Christmas celebration. Your child is welcome to bring a board game to play.If you send in treats please remember that we are a peanut free classroom.I want to wish everyone a very safe,happy and healthy Christmas vacation.See you in 2012!!!

Another Day to Study

It is a busy time of the year, so, we have decided to have the Urban and Rural test on Tuesday December 20th. This gives your child one extra day to study. Your child should have brought home their Social Studies book which includes a study sheet. Please read over all the notes with your child but focus on the study sheet.

Upcoming Tests Before Christmas

I do apologise for scheduling tests at this busy time but the alternative of leaving them until after Christmas seems worse. We will have a Math Test on Chapter 9, Length, Perimeter and Area on Wednesday December 14th, 2011. We will have a Social Studies Test On Urban and Rurual Communities on Monday December 19th, 2011. A social studies study sheet will be sent home soon.

Milk Cartons Needed!!!

One of our Christmas art projects will be a gingerbread house. Your child needs a small milk carton to act as the structure. Please send them in asap.

Social Studies

Our social studies program involves the comparison of urban and rural communities. We are studying farming, fishing,and forestry communities just to name a few. As well,we will expand on map and globe skills and eventually create a map of an imaginary community.

Language News

In our reading program we are beginning to work on inference questions. These are questions where your child has to "read between the lines". We are working on reading an article or a story but then citing evidence from the text as well as giving our opinion. This requires that your child reread the text to identify specific information that may be helpful in their answer.
In our writing program we are writing persuasive letters on a variety of topics.Your child has to identify counter-arguments(reasons why the answer to their request would be "no")and then argue against those counter- arguments so that they can persuade someone to do something.Be ready, because their letter may be addressed to you!!!!!!!!!!
Thankyou to everyone for supporting our Current Events. Some of the topics have been very interesting.

Math Unit- Chapter 9 - Length, Perimeter and Area

We are currently working on Chapter 9.Our Learning goals are to measure length (centimeters /meters and kilometers),measure perimeter(distance around a figure)and measure area(the space a figure covers). This is a very short unit so we will try to have the test before Christmas.

Math Test

We will be having a Math Test on Wednesday November 23rd ( I am at a conference on Tuesday so this is different than originally planned). It is on Chapter 2 lessons 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,13 and 14 only.

Science Test

We will be having a Science Test on Tuesday November 15th, 2011. Your child has brought home their science book along with a study sheet. We have studied in class but it may be helpful to review at home. Thanks for your support.

Remembrance Day

Tomorrow Friday November 11, 2011 the Grade Three classes will be part of the Remembrance Day assembly. We will begin about 10:45am. If possible,please have your child wear red.

November Update

Many of our school supplies such as glue are running out. Please replenish your child's school supplies. Also, please make sure that your child has a pair of indoor running shoes to wear. Thankyou to everyone who sent in Halloween treats. We had a great afternoon together and I was able to take lots of photos for our Memory Books. Progress reports will be going out soon. If you wish to come and discuss your child's report card please call the office as they create each teacher's schedule.

We Say Goodbye

We have to say goodbye and good luck to our classmate Krizma. She and her family are moving to the United States. Krizma has been a wonderful addition to our classroom community and we will miss her.

Black and Orange Day on Monday October 31st, 2011

On Monday we will have a quiet party to celebrate Halloween. Your child may bring a board game to play. If you are sending treats please send enough for all the students (17) and be sure that they are nut free.Have a fun, safe Halloween evening.

Math- Patterns in Addition and Subtraction- Chapter 2

In math we have started chapter 2. This chapter teaches your child strategies they can use to add and subtract. It is also very helpful if your child has a very sound knowledge of number facts to 20. Please practise this at home if you have time.We will be adding and subtracting with regrouping, so you will see drill sheets coming home as we practise. If you are out shopping and want to pick up a math book that has similar practise pages, your child will benefit from working at home. We will also be applying our knowledge to solve problems. We will be starting a take home math program in November.As always it will be optional.

Writing News

So far we have learned to write a paragraph. We know that it must have the following parts:
1/a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph will be about
2/several supporting sentences that provide details about the topic
3/a closing sentence that refers back to the topic sentence

We have written many paragraphs both together and independently. Your child has also practised revising and editing their work by using checklists that they keep in their writing folders.Currently we are finishing up paragraphs that will be handed in to be evaluated according to a rubric that was reviewed and given to your child before they wrote their last paragraph. A rubric is a chart that sets out all the things that will be evaluated and shows how your child have they can achieve level 4 work.

Reading strategies

In our classroom we are implementing a program which gives your child many reading comprehension choices.Each month I will teach new options and we practise those choices during guided reading. So far we have learned:
1/ as you read, stop periodically and check to make you are understanding what you are reading
2/ back up and re-read if you are not clear
3/ look at a word you don't know and make sure it looks right, sounds right and makes sense (ask your child to show you the actions for this)

4/ pay attention to interesting vocabulary as you read. You can use it when you are speaking or writing

Current Events

Tomorrow your child will bring home an explanation and calendar for Current Events. This is a chance for your child to prepare a short talk to present to the class. Please consult the notice coming home for details. Each child is responsible for three talks throughout the year. I will try to remind them a week ahead of their date.

Tests in Grade Three

I understand that the word "test" creates some anxiety for both students and parents. Please understand that my goal is to study with your child in class so that home study is a bonus and not a requirement. We review together and if your child has worked hard they will be prepared. In math, we usually take several questions directly out of the textbook so that your child is familiar with them. I do expect your child to be able to put their math textbook in their backpack when I remind them each night. I do not check backpacks. They must learn to be responsible!!

Math Test

We will be having our first math test on Thursday October 5th.It will be on Chapter 5 Sorting and Data Management. Each student has been given a numbered math text in order to help them study. Please return the text each day as we need them for math lessons in class. Please take good care of these books as the replacement cost is about $42 per text!!! I suggest you study a little bit each night. We have covered every lesson so review the math principles of each lesson with your child and do one or two questions from each lesson. If you have any questions please call me at the school.

Take Home Reading Program

Our Take Home Reading Program will begin this Friday. If you signed up, you will receive a zippered bag ( for you to keep !!). It will contain your child's book, a Response Journal and instructions. There are suggestions for how to read with your child. In grade 3 we focus on comprehension. Many children read words but that doe not necessarily mean that they really think about what they are reading. There is also a weekly schedule of activities your child can do each day.Books are returned each Friday. If your child is reading a lengthy book they may bring the book home again until finished.I will check their Response Journals for completeness and may give suggestions.

Terry Fox

We are collecting "Toonies for Terry" this week as we get set for our Terry Fox run on Friday. Our run is Friday September 30th at AV Graham School from 10:30 am-12 nooon.If you would like to join us and/ or help supervise, you are welcome to do so. Please meet us at AV Graham.

Meet the Teacher Night

This is just a reminder to come out for Meet the Teacher Night. It is Wednesday September 21st from 5:30pm-7pm.The BBQ is thanks to our SAC committee. Classrooms will be open for you to visit.

Thanks !

Thanks to everyone who has sent in school supplies, agenda money ($8), photo money ($5), replies regarding our Take Home reading program and letters regarding your children. I realize that is a long list !! I would like to wrap everything up asap, so, if you still have things to send in, please do so as soon as you can.
We had a great first week. While we are trying to ease into things, we will be picking up the pace soon.I will be calling everyone after about 2 weeks to let you know how your child is adjusting to grade 3. If you have any concerns please contact me at the school.

Our First Day

We had a great first day today! Your children have brought home a lot of reading material. Please take a moment to look at everything.There are lots of changes this year with the balanced day, new bell times and new teachers for gym, library, drama and dance. It will take us a while to get adjusted. We have a great class and when I did the "name quiz" I knew everyone's names. I did tell Kayla, Claire and Katie that I might mix them up on occasion but I will try not to !!

Welcome to Grade 3 !!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy summer. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and having a great year in Grade 3.I will be posting information on our Blog on a regular basis. This will include important dates, birthday celebrations, upcoming tests and assignments as well as information for parents who wish to do extra work with their children at home. Grade 3 is a challenging year with very high academic expectations. However, we have to remember that school is all about having fun and looking forward to coming to school each day. We will work through the challenges together.

It's Been a Great Year !!

Thankyou to everyone who came out to our Crossover Celebration!! The students did a great job and it was wonderful to have the comfort and coziness of the K of C hall.
Thankyou for your support during the year. It has been an honour to have your child in my class and I hope they all leave Victoria School with fond memories. Good luck to everyone as they move forward to Vista Academy,AV Graham and D M Eagle.

EQAO

Our class is working very hard to do their best work during our EQAO testing. We take frequent breaks for downtime so that the students do not get too tired. I am very proud of their efforts. As soon as we are finished our testing next week, we will start to practise for our Grade 3 Crossover. It will be a very pleasant evening for everyone. Thanks to our Parent Council for renting the K of C Hall, on Lacasse in Tecumseh, as our venue.

May is busy too !!!

I hope all of our mother's had a great day on Sunday. It was certainly a very beautiful day. Your children worked very hard on their Mother's Day gifts and I hope you will cherish them forever. Thankyou to all the parents who volunteered to come on our field trip to Heritage Village. We will have to meet you at Heritage Village as the bus is filled with our three grade 3 classes. We are looking forward to a great day. If you did not order lunch please make sure that you send a lunch as all food had to be pre-ordered. Students auditioning for the Talent Show have been given audition times on Tuesday and Thursday. Hot Dog Day has been moved to Thursday for the grade 3 students this week. Please check this Blog for more updates regarding upcoming events.

Easter Celebration on Thursday

On Thursday April 21st, 2011 we will have a quiet Easter celebration. Rumour has it that the Easter bunny may leave some eggs in the classroom!! Your child is welcome to bring a board game to play in class in the afternoon.

April is a Busy Month !!

First I want to congratulate Tressa who will be representing our school at the County Wide Skipping Competition On Saturday April 2nd at Sandwich Secondary School.
We are working with A V Graham and one of their grade 6 classes to support a Toonie Drive for the Japan Earthquake. All proceeds will go to the Red Cross. All students who bring in a Toonie (or more) will be treated to a special movie Friday afternoon on April 8th.
We have just completed a short and straightforward math unit on Probability. Review questions and a list of vocabulary will be sent home Monday. Due to our continued loss of math textbooks I will no longer be sending home textbooks prior to a math test.
In Science we have been learning about Forces and how they relate to the design of toys. Details about the project will be sent home shortly.

Balanced Day

Thanks to all who completed the ballot for the balanced day vote. Please send in your ballot no later than tomorrow Thursday March 24, 2011.

March Break

I just want to wish everyone a happy, restful and well deserved March Break !!

Pancake Day

Pancake Day was a great success thanks to all the items sent in by the parents including drinks, cutlery, plates, fruit and whipped cream. The students really enjoyed their morning. We even had a few small tummy aches from eating too much !!

Toy Day- Thursday February 17th

Students are asked to bring in a small toy that they can spin, roll, bounce or slide. By studying toys and how they move, students will eventually be able to design their own toy in our "Toy Factory".

Welcome to Our New Blog!!

  I have set up this Blog to keep you up-to-date with all the exciting things that go on in Mrs. LaBute's grade 3 class !! This will replace our monthly newsletter (which is much better for the environment). If you sign up as a "Follower", you will get Email notifications when I add posts to the Blog.
 This month we are finishing up our Narratives. Most students are close to finishing their publications and are excited at the prospect of going to other classes to read their stories. They have done a great job and should be very proud of themselves.
   Thankyou for all the hard work that went into the Pioneer House projects. Other classes toured our "Village" and were able to admire the projects and ask questions.
   In math we are studying Geometry and in Science we are beginning our unit entitled "Toy Factory". Stay tuned for more details. We have great things planned!!