October 1, 2011 Home Note

October 1, 2011

Dear Parents,

Weaving! Weaving! The children worked on backstrap looms and a floor loom while listening to and comparing folktales that are from many different cultures (e.g. Native Americans , West Indies, China) but share weaving as an important theme. As predicted, Carol was very impressed by their focus and skills throughout her three mornings with us. It was a Wednesday afternoon’s parting marked by genuine hugs and sadness.
The children have all completed final drafts of paragraphs describing a place of personal importance. From cozy quilt caves to swirling swimming holes, each piece represents a strong start using key specific details to depict special places. They are on display in our classroom. This week we also spent time studying photos from East Africa, particularly ones that show the landscape of the savanna. Inspired by these, poetry was created and some even shared at all school meeting. Next week the children will continue applying “showing details” and paragraph organization as they choose from provided topic sentences for another short creative writing project.
Friday morning we had our second tech class. The children were given a poem, “Elephant Beans” to revise using basic word processing commands. The results, twelve unique versions, are posted on the basement hallway opposite our classroom.
PSD classes with the fourth grade have included a variety of soccer drills emphasizing ball control skills and effective use of the field in both defensive and offensive positions. We had lively 6 v. 6 scrimmages on Friday. Please help your child remember to wear/bring PSD shoes to school, particularly on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Many thanks!

UPCOMING DATES FOR THE THIRD GRADE:

Tuesday, October 11th: Second visit to Thompson House (We leave TGS at 10:30 and return by noonish)

Friday, November 4th: Hooper Institute Museum This will be part of an introduction to our New England family/farm history unit. (We leave TGS at 8:30 and return after lunch.)

Thursday, November 10th: Grafton Museum program that includes time at the museum, an exploration of a 1800’s settlement,”Howeville”, and a guided tour of Grafton Historical Society (We leave TGS at 8:30 and return by 2:00)

Tuesday, November 15th: Our third visit to Thompson House (same schedule as above, 10/11)


I hope you all are enjoying the weekend. The following is from recent Wednesday notices regarding this year’s Parent Information Night on Tuesday, October 4th. I look forward to sharing with you a sampling of third grade math lessons.

On Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30 pm, teachers of kindergarten through 5th grade will focus on mathematics in their classrooms. We hope you will come join us for an informational evening that will provide a hands-on opportunity to experience a math lesson in your child's class, as well as an overview of mathematic topics at your child's grade level. Classroom time will be followed by an opportunity to listen to short presentations by the teachers of Art, French, Music, and Library.


As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.



Sincerely,
Linda