6.4.15 Crew News

Last Crew News:

Celebrations & Closure This crew really touched my heart! It has been such a pleasure getting to know your children and helping them grow. When you think back about favorite teachers from your childhood, you remember how they made you feel, more than the specifics about what you learned. I don't want to discount all the amazing learning we did- Bent's Fort, human body, energy & matter, multiplication, and much more- but my hope is that each of my students walks away from 3rd grade remembering how much I believe in them. I hope they will remember to have a growth mindset and that they can do anything they set their mind to. I hope they will hold on to the confidence that they showed during portfolio presentations and never stop believing in themselves. It has been such a wonderful year, and I am so thankful to have shared this journey with them. ~Ms. Lauren

Highlights of our Last Week Together:

*Report Card Conferences- Students were thrilled to compare their beginning of the year work with now and celebrate their growth from this year. Me too! We took special care to write comments that reflected the growth and next steps. These comments are an excellent opportunity to have your child share with you and show you examples from his/her notebooks and black binder. It is amazing to hear students that are so aware and take such ownership of their learning!

*Perspectives Final Projects- To finish our study of perspectives, students identified something that changed their perspective this year. They used creativity to share how their thinking changed. It was fun to hear our students made connections to the ideas of perspectives changing, multiple perspectives, and cause/effect.

*Creative fiction stories- This unit generated so much enthusiasm for writing, and then we ran out of time to finish/share these. Your child is welcome to log into their google account to share what they have with you.

*Piano Songs- My mother (who is visiting from California) played songs during our morning meeting on Tuesday. Music and singing is such a nice way to start the day!

*Packing Room- Wow! I really appreciate students and volunteers helping me take down the room. It made things feel full circle to design the room at the beginning of the year and pack it up at the end.

*Tuesday Fun- Ice cream sundaes and Goldilocks & the Three Bears

*Words of Wisdom- See below!

*Last Day Fun- All School Drum Circle, Perspectives Presentations, Tie- Dye Shirts, and Crew Appreciation Circle.

We are crew!

Words of Wisdom

Throughout the year, we have analyzed inspirational quotes. I asked students to think about all that they have learned about themselves this year and write their own words of wisdom. Here is what they came up with. This absolutely melts my heart!!!

"Be yourself no matter what."

~Charlie R.

"Your friends are the most important thing. Rely on each other."

~Nathan

"Even if you are nervous, you can still be brave."

~Natalie

"You can do anything if you try."

~Aiden P.

"Always appreciate the things you have." 

~Tessa

"Let your fear go."

~Guy

"Believe in yourself so others can believe in you."

~Mira

"Have the confidence to do anything."

~Cheyenne

"Be kind, be happy, and be the best."

~Dan-Anh

"Show imagination with your words and actions."

~Rylan

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade when you can order pizza from just around the block."

~Cutter

"Don't call yourself ugly, call yourself a beautiful monkey."

~Kaden

"Be yourself no matter what happens or when."

~Logan

"Be the person you want to show the world."

~Kelby

Be kind and be the best person you can."

~JJ

"Don't let something get in your way."

~Tristan

"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."

~Adin S.

"Don't let your fear take control. Take control over your fear."

~Ethan

"Help people."

~Charlie V.

"Be nice and kind to others even when things are bad."

~Rachel

"Always do what you have to do and then enjoy your life."

~Alyssa

"Water does not always cheer you up. Maybe watermelon can."

~Carter

"When life gives you lemons, you can't make lemonade because you don't know sugar or water."

~Henry

Here are some suggestions for over the summer:

*Read lots of great books! (Audio or text). Mix it up with reading with an adult, to a sibling, or independently.

-Khan Academy is an online resource that students can use to keep practicing grade appropriate skills.

*Practice multiplication facts. 4th grade teachers have told me that they loose almost all their fact memorization over the summer.

Go outside. Play. Be creative. Make memories. Have fun!

On a personal note... exciting news! I will be teaching kindergarten next year! I am thrilled! :)

6.1.15 Monday Fun!

Announcements for tomorrow (Tuesday):

Bring a backpack : Students will need a backpack tomorrow to bring home their notebooks, math journals, and black binder.

Ice cream Sundae Social: A huge thanks in advance to all the parents who are sending items in! :)

Movie Afternoon: Ms. Chelsea loaned us a movie from Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater to watch at the end of the day. Students may bring ONE item to snuggle with (pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal).

Tie Dye Fun... A HUGE thank you to Jenny for donating all the supplies, and a HUGE thank you to Jody, Trang, Lora, Jennifer, Brandy, Jody, and Brianna for volunteering! Tips for parents at home: -Keep the shirt in the bag for at least 6 hours after school. -Before Wednesday, USE THE GLOVES that are in the bag with the shirt. Rinse the shirt very well in cold water in a sink (this can be messy and the dye will stain hands if you don’t wear gloves). -After rinsing well, wash and dry the shirt by itself in the washer/dryer with a little soap. -Have your child WEAR their shirt to school on Wednesday. Lights...Camera...Hollywood! We had fun with the red carpet today. :)  The Most Famous Third Grade Teacher You Have Ever Met No pictures please... ;)

5.28.15 Crew News

Announcements:

Teacher appreciation: Thank you so much for all the kind words and thoughtful acts during the past month. Our school really goes above and beyond in making teachers feel appreciated! THANK YOU! 

Also, on a personal note, my triathlon has been postponed to mid-June. It was suppose to be this Saturday. It is my first one, so I have anxiously been counting it down. It has been neat to share my stories of pushing myself outside my comfort zone with the kids. Bummer that that our rainy weather was not cooperating for trail conditions. If you don't mind, I will send out an email for you to share with the crew about how it went. They have been so supportive! :)

Calendar Updates: 

June 3: Last Day of Third Grade!

June 4: Report cards sent via email
Make sure you check out the Weekly Renaissance ELOB Newletter that has important dates for next year!

Report Card Comments... This year, I want to involve students in writing their comments for their process reports. This week and next, I will meet with each student to review areas of growth and challenge in third grade.  To prepare for their conference with me, students analyzed work samples from throughout the year, and they reflected on learning that they are most proud of.  Ultimately, this will prepare students to share their progress report with YOU. By having more student collaboration, this will make this document more meaningful and increase student ownership of their progress report.  Meanwhile... We are wrapping up our units of study. In math, we are concluding a unit of fractions and division. In reading, we are doing a final round of literature discussion groups. In writing, students are writing creative fiction stories. For expedition, we have been thinking of our other's perspectives and how we can apply what we have learned to our own lives. As an authentic opportunity for collaboration, our third graders interviewed Ms. Kathy's kindergarten crew about their first overnight voyage to Camp Elim. It was so much fun to see our kids show empathy and support when video-recording their responses.  Later during our debrief, students were able to make connections about similar perspectives they had or differences. This all supports the idea that there are multiple perspectives, perspectives can change, and perspectives influence actions/relationships.  Reading buddies after the interview Our 3rd graders sent some encouragement to the 6th graders for their portfolio presentations on Wednesday. Their kindness was much appreciated!

5.21.15 Crew News

Announcements:

YEARBOOKS: If you ordered a yearbook, it went home in Thursday Folders today. If you would like to purchase one, the office has a few extras. $20 Cash or Check

Calendar Updates: 

May 25: Memorial Day/ No School
May 26: Dress like a superhero day!

June 3: Last Day of Third Grade!

June 4: Report cards sent via email
Make sure you check out the Weekly Renaissance ELOB Newletter that has important dates for next year!

Perspectives Change... Students were shocked to find out what followed the peaceful times at Bent's Fort. We created a timeline to track the following events about the Gold Rush, Bent's Fort, the Treaty of Fort Wise, Cheyenne "dog soldiers" fighting back, and then the Sand Creek Massacre. We are building knowledge about these events to analyze how perspectives and actions changed.  Students traveled does the timeline... When revisiting the guiding questions, students have made some great progress into thinking deeply about multiple perspectives and how perspectives influence actions. Guiding Questions: 1. What makes a perspective? 2. What might cause a perspective to change? 3. In what ways does cause and effect impact actions and relationships? Hand prints: A Renaissance Tradition... Every May, students put a hand print on their drum to mark the passing of a school year. It is hard to believe that my time with this wonderful crew is coming to an end! The following pictures warm my heart... :)