Open House Newsletter - St. Paul Public Schools

Email
My email address is [email protected]. Email is my preferred method of
communication, as it tends to be less disruptive to the school day and also
allows me time to respond thoroughly to any questions or concerns. That being
said, please keep in mind that the school day is always very busy and when I am
with students I will not have time to check my emails. This generally means that
I will not have a chance to read or respond to emails until after school, or before
school the next day. If you need to communicate an urgent matter that needs attention before the
end of the day, please call the office at 651-221-1480 and leave a message with
Mme Tellier. If you would like to discuss any questions or concerns in more detail, I would be
happy to schedule a meeting with you either before or after school.
Website
The district has recently
transitioned our website to
a new host. Unfortunately
we have lost many of the
resources that were
previously on our site. We
will be working on restoring
them as soon as possible. To get to our website, go to
www.frenchimmersion.spps
.org > Classrooms > Third >
Scholl.
We will also be trying out
Schoology this year. I plan
to provide access to our
classroom newsletters,
homework assignments,
master spelling and verb
lists, links to French books
online, and much more. Students will be able to
access Schoology in class
and at home. More
information to come soon! Monthly Newsletters
Towards the end of each month I will send out a
newsletter by email, or in your child’s
communication folder, with an overview of the
upcoming month. Newsletters will include
information about our current units of study,
school-wide reminders and announcements,
specialist schedule, important dates and events,
etc. For small reminders or new information
that comes up between these newsletters, I will
send an email or text (see below).
Remind
I will be periodically sending out updates about
field trips, homework assignments, and
classroom/school events. You can choose to
receive these messages via email or text
message.
To sign up, simply text @sch016 to 81010 or log
on to remind.com/join/sch016. Rest assured
that you will not receive advertisement texts/
emails and your phone number will remain
private. For more information visit
www.remind.com. Communication
My goal is to establish good communication with all of you. Please do
not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Teacher Responsibilities
Student Responsibilities
.Keep students safe.
.Teach each student at
.Take care of yourself and others.
.Respect others, the materials, and the
his/her level.
environment.
.Make learning
.Follow adult directions.
.Try your best.
.Speak French.
interesting & enjoyable.
Responsive Classroom
We will be using Responsive Classroom techniques in our room. This approach
emphasizes teaching children to take care of themselves, each other, and the
school environment so that everyone can learn at his/her best. You’ll notice a
strong emphasis on students setting goals for their own learning and taking
responsibility for reaching those goals. The Responsive Classroom approach includes the following main parts. We will
be using some or all of these in our classroom this year. Morning Meeting- Children gather for 15-20 minutes every day to greet each
other, share news, do a group activity, and look forward to the day ahead. This
daily routine builds community, creates a positive climate for learning, and gives
children practice in a wide range of academic and social skills. Rules and Logical Consequences- The teacher and children discuss rules for the
classroom that will allow everyone to do his/her best learning. When children
break the rules, there are clear and non-punitive consequences that help them
learn from the mistake. This approach teaches responsibility and self-control. Take a break- A child who is just beginning to lose self-control is asked to take a
break in a designated area to regain self-control so they can do their best
learning. An equally important goal is to allow the class’s work to continue.
Classroom Organization- Arranging materials, furniture, and displays in ways
that encourage learning, care, positive social interaction, and independence.
Growth Mindset
We will be working on developing a growth mindset this year. “Growth mindset”
refers to the belief that basic abilities can be developed through dedication and
hard work; this view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential
for great accomplishment. Students who embrace growth mindsets—the belief
that they can learn more or become smarter if they work hard and persevere—
may learn more, learn it more quickly, and view challenges and failures as
opportunities to improve their learning and skills.
Behavior Expectations
At the beginning of the year we will spend a fair amount of time
discussing rules, expectations, and consequences. Students will be
given the chance to share their ideas of how our classroom should
look, sound, and feel as well as role play various situations and how
best to handle them. Afterwards all students will sign an agreement
to follow the rules laid out below.
Paper assignments will be handed out in weekly packets, organized
by the skills we will be working on during the upcoming week.
Homework Packets
• Packets will be handed out on Friday afternoons.
• Before leaving each day, students will copy down their homework assignments
• Students may choose to complete homework assignments early, but will still
need to turn in the assigned pages on the due date for full credit.
• Packets will be collected on Fridays; students who have finished all of the
assignments for the week will be able to participate in free choice time.
Literacy
Students will have a one-page literacy assignment each night, covering one of
several literacy skills. Generally these assignments will follow this schedule:
Friday- English writing prompt*
Monday- French verb conjugation practice
Tuesday- English reading text** and comprehension questions
Wednesday- English spelling and grammar practice
Thursday- English reading text** and comprehension questions
*Students are expected to write a full
page responding to the prompt. They
should use the entire length of each
line on the page. This is an
opportunity for students to use
creative thinking and practice proper
punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
Please encourage your child to use a
dictionary when needed.
**The reading texts are at the expected 3rd
grade reading level and reflect the 3rd grade
reading standards. Students should do their
best to read the text themselves, but they
may need some parent support. When
answering the comprehension questions,
students are expected to highlight or
underline where they found their answer in
the text.
Math
Students will have a two-page^ math assignment each night. Assignments will
either correspond to our current math standard, or be a review of previouslytaught material. Assignments should only take 15-20 minutes to complete; please let me know if
your child is frequently struggling to finish the two pages in a timely manner.
^Math questions usually take up more space on the page, and often require additional
space for students to show their work. homework
on the cover page of the packet. This helps students learn to be responsible for
their own work.
• Assignments are due the day after they are assigned. In order for me to check
their assignment, students are expected to turn in their entire packet each
morning.
IMPORTANT NOTE
As much as I would like to, I will not always have time to check each assignment
for complete accuracy. Often, I will only be able to quickly verify that each
student generally understood the assignment and completed the work. It would help your child immensely if you could discuss the assignment with
them as they are working, or go over the correct answers with them after they
have finished. Math on ixl.com
Username: s------@lnfi (student ID number)
Password: lnfi------ (first name)
Some Helpful Tips…
• Students often enjoy working on IXL, so please encourage them to continue
practicing a skill until they master it (they will earn a gold medal on the site).
However, skills do not have to be mastered in one sitting, so if your child is
struggling with a particular skill, practicing for about 15 minutes is sufficient
for the day. • The website will show an explanation of how to solve the problem if it was
answered incorrectly. However, I often find that kids will skip over this step
without trying to understand where they made a mistake. In this case it can be
extremely helpful to have a parent there to slow them down and go over the
explanation with them. • Students also have access to practice materials from other grade levels, so
please feel free to use lower level skills for review and to build confidence, or
higher level skills to provide a challenge.
Self-Directed Reading
Students are expected to read at least 30
minutes per night… but feel free to do more!
“Reading” can mean your child reading to him/
herself, reading to you, or being read to by an
adult or sibling. Reading can and should be
done in any language your child is comfortable
with. Please have your child record the book they
read and how long they spent reading on the
cover page of their homework packet. I will keep a running total of all recorded
minutes read. Students will earn special
recognition in class for every 25 hours spent
reading at home.
Literacy Online
If you have internet access
and a device at home, you
may want to check out these
websites for additional
literacy practice:
• Tumblebooks.com
• Username: spps
• Password: media
{English, French and
Spanish}
• Iletaitunehistoire.com {French}
• Duolingo.com {many
languages}
• etc.usf.edu/lit2go {English}
homework
For additional math practice, students have a school-provided account on
ixl.com. Students can log on by going to ixl.com and entering:
Beginning(0-1 correct)/Developing(2 correct) Students
with a beginning or developing understanding will be given
further instruction and practice. On Friday they will have
another opportunity to take the quiz.
P- Proficient(3 correct)/E- Exceptional (4 correct)
Students who have mastered the current skill will expand
their understanding with related enrichment activities.
Fact Fluency
In third grade students will memorize the
multiplication tables. Students are expected to
know to up to 10x10 by the end of third grade.
We will have timed multiplication tests;
students will be asked to complete 25 problems
in 3 minutes. Students will move on to the next
level if they have 23+ questions correct.
*If your child is not yet able to complete basic addition/
subtraction facts quickly and accurately (without needing to
count), please continue to practice with them. If you would like
to borrow flashcards or need ideas of other ways to practice,
please let me know.
Reading Comprehension
It is commonly said that prior to third grade
students are “learning to read” and in third
grade and beyond students are “reading to
learn”. Therefore, we will spend much of the
year working on reading comprehension
skills in both French and English. Students
will practice finding the main idea/supporting
details, determining cause and effect
relationships, writing summaries, making
inferences, and more. We will use a
combination of workbooks and chapter books.
Writing
We will have six writing
units this year. Students
will be graded on both their
participation in the writing
process and the final
project.
⇒ Poetry: Students will
review the writing process
and create simple poems.
⇒ Informative (Tour du
monde): Our class will
study a country and create
an informational display on
our classroom door.
⇒ Science Fair: Students
will choose a topic and
design an experiment at
school before completing
the experiment and
collecting data at home. ⇒ Fiction: Students will
study the elements of plot
and create their own work
of fiction.
⇒ Informative (Planets):
Students will choose one
planet to research in a
group and will create a
Power Point presentation.
⇒ Memoir: Students will
choose three memories
with a common theme and
write a short book
reflecting on their
importance/impact.
Social Studies
We will be integrating Social
Studies into English reading,
French reading, and math. We
will study the following units:
⇒ US Government
⇒ Ancient Mesopotamia
⇒ Ancient Egypt
⇒ Ancient Greece & Rome
⇒ Ancient China
⇒ St. Paul History
⇒ Economics
Curriculum
Math
Our math will be organized as a two-part program
to support and challenge all students. 1. Math Lesson: Lessons are based on MN state
standards. The assigned homework page will be
based on this lesson. We will especially focus on
the 40 skills that the district has designated as
high priority for students to master by the end of
third grade. Each week students will study and
practice one skill in depth. We will study
vocabulary, do problems, and play games. On
Friday, students will be given a four-question quiz
to assess their progress with the skill.
2. Classroom Rotations: Students will be
distributed amongst the four third grade
classrooms based on their quiz results from the
previous week.
Je suis
Tu es Il/elle/on est
Etre
Nous sommes Vous êtes Ils/elles sont
Je vais
Tu vas Il/elle/on va
Aller
Nous allons Vous allez Ils/elles vont
Prendre
Je prends
Nous prenons
Tu prends
Vous prenez
Il/elle/on prend
Ils/elles prennent
Je finis
Tu finis
Il/elle/on finit
Finir
Nous finissons
Vous finissez
Ils/elles finissent
J’ai
Tu as Il/elle/on a Avoir
Nous avons Vous avez Ils/elles ont
Je fais
Tu fais
Il/elle/on fait
Faire
Nous faisons
Vous faites
Ils/elles font
Je parle
Tu parles
Il/elle/on parle
Parler
Nous parlons
Vous parlez
Ils/elles parlent
J’aime
Tu aimes
Il/elle/on aime
Aimer
Nous aimons
Vous aimez
Ils/elles aiment
Afterwards, we will discuss the past tense with the same high-frequency verbs.
J’ai été
Tu as été
Il/elle/on a été
Etre
Nous avons été Vous avez été
Ils/elles ont été
J’ai eu
Tu as eu
Il/elle/on a eu
Aller
Je suis allé(e)
Nous sommes
allé(e)s J’ai fait
Tu es allé(e)
Vous êtes allé(e)s
Tu as fait
Il/elle/on est allé(e) Ils/elles sont allé(e)s Il/elle/on a fait
J’ai pris
Tu as pris
Il/elle/on a pris
Prendre
Nous avons pris
Vous avez pris
Ils/elles ont pris
J’ai fini
Tu as fini
Il/elle/on a fini
Finir
Nous avons fini
Vous avez fini
Ils/elles ont fini
J’ai parlé
Tu as parlé
Il/elle/on a parlé
Avoir
Nous
avons eu
Vous avez eu
Ils/elles ont eu
Faire
Nous avons fait
Vous avez fait
Ils/elles ont fait
Parler
Nous avons parlé
Vous avez parlé
Ils/elles ont parlé
Aimer
J’ai aimé
Nous avons aimé
Tu as aimé
Vous avez aimé
Il/elle/on a aimé
Ils/elles ont aimé
Finally, we will introduce the imperfect past tense, using only four verbs.
J’étais
Tu étais
Il/elle/on était
Etre
Nous étions
Vous étiez
Ils/elles étaient
J’avais
Tu avais
Il/elle/on avait
Avoir
Nous avions
Vous aviez
Ils/elles avaient
Je jouais
Tu jouais
Il/elle/on jouait
Jouer
Nous
jouions Vous jouiez
Ils/elles jouaient
Je faisais
Tu faisais
Il/elle/on faisait
Faire
Nous faisions
Vous faisiez
Ils/elles faisaient
French Verb Conjugations
By third grade students are able to understand the basic idea of conjugating verbs.
We will begin the year studying high-frequency verbs in the present tense.
1
2
Tous les bébés
aiment barboter.
Mais la baleine
a un problème :
son baleineau
a bu trop d’eau.
3
Cent kilomètres à pied,
ça use, ça use.
Cent kilomètres à pied,
ça use les souliers.
4 Lundi matin, l’empereur,
sa femme et le petit prince
sont venus chez moi
pour me serrer la pince.
Comme j’étais parti,
le petit prince a dit:
«puisque c’est ainsi, nous
reviendrons… demain!»
Vive le vent, vive le vent
vive le vent d’hiver!
Qui s’en va sifflant, soufflant
dans les grands sapins verts…
Oh! Vive le vent, vive le vent
vive le vent d’hiver
qui rapporte aux vieux enfants
leurs souvenirs d’hier.
8
5
Un panda géant
attendit longtemps
assis sur un banc
la venue du printemps.
6
Un chasseur
sachant chasser
sait chasser
sans son chien!
7
10
Des baleines dans une
rivière,
des guêpes en hélicoptère,
des sorcières sans leur
balai,
ça ne se verra jamais!
Un éléphant danse
sur une assiette en faïence.
Sur une fourchette,
un phoque fait des galipettes.
«ils sont tous fous»,
dit la fourmi au hibou.
J'ai besoin de shampoing.
J’en cherche dans tous les
coins,
mais point de shampoing!
Il y en a dans le magasin
au rond-point,
mais c’est trop loin!
11
Il était une fois
trois petites oies
qui allaient au bois
ramasser des noix
pour les offrir au roi.
Une araignée sur mon
miroir,
un agneau dans mon tiroir,
une cigogne dans ma baignoire!
Et toi, petite musaraigne,
vas-tu prendre aussi mon
peigne?
13
16
Les avions de papier
dans le ciel vont et
viennent.
Qui sera le premier?
Le tien, le mien
ou bien celui d’Étienne?
Quinze zèbres dans un zoo:
le premier se trouvait beau,
le deuxième faisait le sot,
les treize autres, sur un
trapèze,
s’envolaient comme des
oiseaux!
14
Au royaume des nuages,
9
le soleil est sage.
Au royaume des orages,
le tonnerre fait rage.
Au royaume des images,
je suis toujours sage.
12
Il fait des grimaces à
gogo,
ce garçon est rigolo.
Il grignote des croissants,
ce garçon est très
gourmand!
15
Il pleut,
il mouille,
ouille, ouille!
J’ai les yeux qui mouillent
comme ceux d’une
grenouille.
17
18
Il est vexé!
il veut,
il exige
d’exquises excuses.
C'est l'histoire
d’un hibou ahuri
qui huhule
dans l’herbe haute.
Dictée (French Spelling)
Every other week students will be asked to study a few sentences for a
traditional French ‘dictée’. The sentences are simple rhymes based on a
common French sound that students will be studying during reading.
They will be expected to write the sentences using proper spelling,
grammar, capitalization and punctuation.
1
2
3
4
Compound Words
headline
campfire
wildfire
fireproof
firecrackers
headway
headband
headache
Synonyms
brave
daring
thrilled
delighted
careful
cautious
brag
boast
Precise Language
Antonyms
rough
smooth
dull
sharp
lost
gained
deep
shallow
5
6
7
8
Homophones
way weigh
close clothes
threw through
to
two
too
Prefixes
nonstop
inactive
nonsense
incomplete
dishonest
incorrect
disapprove
disagreement
Suffixes
dangerous
careful
successful
joyous
harmless
peaceful
poisonous
delightful
Roots
telephone
photograph
earphone
microphone
photocopy
symphony
9
10
11
12
Compound Words
skateboard
football
outfield
overtime
touchdown
swimsuit
teammate
basketball
Synonyms
obey
follow
ruin
spoil
thaw
melt
calm
peaceful
Precise Language
Antonyms
fact
fiction
right
left
problem
solution
fail
succeed
(big & little)
teeny
undersized
immense
massive
oversized petite
puny
vast
(good & bad)
caring
gifted
loyal
kind
awful
bland
horrible
wicked
13
14
15
16
Homophones
new
knew
your
you’re
its
it’s
Prefixes
underground
underline
subtitle
submarine
underage
subway
subtotal
underwater
Suffixes
refreshment
sadness
darkness
sickness
kindness
treatment
movement
punishment
Roots
memory
remember
recycle
motorcycle
unicycle
cyclone
memento
cycle
English Spelling Words
Every other week we will study a different grammar concept, such as
prefixes, suffixes, compound words, homographs, etc. Spelling words
will be based on these concepts and will generally contain eight
words. All of the spelling lists for the year are listed here:
Water Bottles
Hydration is important! Please send a water
bottle for your child to keep at school all year
long. This will help us avoid long lines at the
drinking fountain, allowing more time for
instruction! Birthdays
If you would like to send treats for your child’s
birthday, please send non-food items only. The
district’s Wellness Policy strongly discourages
supplying sweets at school. Some alternative
ideas include pencils, erasers, bouncy balls,
bubbles, etc.
Daily Schedule
*May be revised as we settle into the new school year.
9:25 – 9:40 Morning Work
9:40 – 10:00 Morning Meeting
10:00 – 10:45 Math Lesson
10:45 – 11:30 Reader’s Workshop
11:30 – 12:10 Writer’s Workshop
12:10 – 12:40 Recess
12:40 – 1: 10 Lunch
1:10 – 1:35 Skills
1:35 – 2:25 Specialist
2:25 – 3:00 Math Rotations
3:00 – 3:55 English
3:55 – 4:10 Homework, Backpacks & Snacks
4:10 Dismissal
Transportation
Please remember to send a note
or call the office before 3:30pm if
there is any change to your
child’s after school routine. Just
a reminder, parent pick-up takes
place in the cafeteria. Please
wait for your child in the cafteria
so we can keep our hallways
clear for classes going to the
gym/buses.
Specialist Rotations
We will be seeing specialists on a
two week rotating basis. The
schedule will be listed in our
classroom newsletters. Our
specialists this year are listed
here; please contact them
directly about their classes.
Technology: Mme Lacey
[email protected]
Science: Mme Bissoy
[email protected]
Phy. Ed.: Mme Ananou
[email protected]
Music: Dr. Lamb
[email protected]
Media: Mlle Warde
[email protected]
Field Trips
In third grade we will go on several educational field trips. We do our best to
schedule these trips well in advance, but sometimes opportunities arise at the
last minute that are too good to pass up. You will receive more information about
each trip as soon as we have confirmed the details. Some trips have been paid for by grants but others will require a small fee; you
can send money to school or pay online at pay.spps.org. We will not need parent chaperones for most of our trips, but for some of our
more involved trips, such as Lac du Bois or the MN Zoo, parent chaperones are
vital! If you are interested in chaperoning you will need to fill out an
authorization form for the district to conduct a background check.
miscellaneous
Afternoon Snack
We will be taking a few minutes before
dismissal to have a snack. When students are
hungry they often have a hard time focusing
and complain of stomachaches or headaches.
Please send a small, healthy snack for your
child to eat at this time.