It was wonderful spending time with the Temescal grown ups for Back-to-School-Night! If you missed it look for a folder in your child’s backpack with information and a letter from your child for you to respond to, as well as a Technology Responsible Use Policy form to sign. Please return both as soon as possible if you haven’t already.
We especially enjoyed seeing you interact with your child’s third grade work and hearing your hopes and dreams for the year. We share many of the same goals as you and have already started supporting the children with risk taking, tackling math with positive attitudes, and making new friends in Temescal and beyond!
In math last week we continued to delve deep into number sense with math games, the Number of the Day, and adding with and without regrouping.
Our “I Am” pieces integrated poetry writing, leaf collecting and rubbings, and watercolor art, and also helped us learn more about ourselves and each other. The final products are stunning and unique.
For reading workshop we continued to discover “just right” books and “just right” reading spots. One-on-one reading assessments continue while students Buddy Read to practice fluency, and supporting and complimenting each other while reading out loud.
You are welcome to join us Friday mornings from 8:00 to 9:00 for Family Reading. The first Friday of the month we typically have an all-school assembly starting at 8:50 so our time with you will be shorter that day.
We ended the week with Super Science and Art! The Temescal scientists enjoyed a hands-on exploration of magnets and made their own compasses, and Julianne led us in an art project creating beautiful compass roses. Observations and discoveries will be documented in our S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) journals.
The Zones of Regulation curriculum helps us all to identify our feelings throughout the day. We brainstormed descriptive words for each of the zones: green (“relaxed, big ball of sunshine, gooood”), yellow (“crazy, good but a little too excited, frustrated”), blue (“low energy, lazy, tired, ledt out”), and red (“fed up, want to scream, angry, so sad that you feel mad”). Next we brainstormed tools to help us move from one zone to another noting that all feelings are normal and okay to have.
Our working definition of mindfulness in the third grade is “paying attention to what is happening right now in the moment.” This is much more than being still and breathing! We practice mindfulness through games, activities, and even tried mindful eating. We all tried kiwi berry while eating mindfully, many for the very first time!
If your child’s birthday is approaching, please contact us to plan a birthday celebration in the classroom. Please read this separate birthday blog post for more details . . .
Photo day is this Wednesday (9/23)! Practice those smiles . . .
