December 3, 2009 Yearbooks on sale now for $25.00 online at www.jostens.com Vaughan's Mission Statement-- Our mission at Vaughan is to work as a community to meet the diverse learning needs of students in order to prepare them for success in a global economy. FOR OUR GIFT EXCHANGE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WE HAVE DECIDED TO DO STOCKING STUFFERS. WE ARE GOING TO PROVIDE THE STOCKINGS AND WE WOULD LIKE FOR EVERY CHILD TO BRING IN 18 SMALL THINGS THAT WILL FIT IN THE STOCKINGS. SOME EXAMPLES MIGHT BE: 18 ERASERS, 18 PENCILS, OR 18 GRIPPERS. WE ARE ASKING FOR SOMETHING SMALL THAT SHOULDN'T COST A WHOLE LOT. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO THIS, WE COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. WE WOULD LIKE FOR THE ITEMS TO COME IN DECEMBER 14TH-16TH. OUR PARTY IS DECEMBER 16TH, SO WE WOULD LIKE FOR THE CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO GET THEIR STOCKINGS AT THE PARTY. Reminders: Please remember we need you to sign agendas each night. It is your child's responsbility to ask you to sign the agenda every night and write down what they read during the week and get you to sign that. You only need to sign Behavior sheets if your child gets a check during the week. We need the students reading up to 90 minutes this 2nd 9 weeks. We figured this ended up being about 15 minutes a day or more time, if your child is not reading every night. Please remember the children need to wear or bring tennis shoes on PE days. Our New Schedule-- 7:15 – 7:50 Unpack and Begin Morning Work 7:55 – 8:15 Math RAP 8:15 – 9:05 Reading Workshop (Science and Social Studies integrated) 9:05 – 10:00 Math 10:00 - 10:50 Specials 10:50 – 11:30 Language Arts 11:36 – 12:06 Lunch 12:10 – 12:30 Recess and Study Hall 12:30 – 1:15 M/W/F Math Enrichment Tu/Th Writer's Workshop 1:15 – 2:00 M/W/F Writer's Workshop Tu/Th Science and Social Studies Ext. 2:00 – 2:10 Read-Aloud 2:10 – 2:18 Pack-up and Dismissal Calendar of Events-- (Chicken biscuits on sale every Tuesday morning for $2.50 each) Important Upcoming Dates: December 5, 2009 Reindeer Run and Breakfast with Santa December 9, 2009 Unit 5 Spelling/Sort Test December 11, 2009 Possessive Noun Test December 14, 2009 2nd 9 Week Benchmark Test in English/Language Arts December 14th-16th Send in 18 small items for stockings December 15, 2009 2nd 9 week Math Benchmark test December 16, 2009 Class Holiday Party WHAT DID WE LEARN THIS WEEK? Reading: Unit EQ: How do a I read and comprehend fictional text? How do identify characters, setting, problem and solution? This weeke we read to great books and identified the characters, setting, problem and solution in both books. Mr. Massey and I also gave individual DRA assessments on each child. This is a reading assessment to test fluency and comprehension. We are finding each child's independent level for reading. Writer's Workshop: How do I write a Creative Short Story? This week we learned all of the things that we need to include in our short realistic stries. The children started filling out story maps for each of their stories. Grammar: How do I identify singular and plural possessive nouns? We learned that possessive nouns show ownership and need an apostrophe. Spelling: Unit 5 Spelling Test and Sort. This test will be next Wednesday, December 9, 2009. The spelling words are taped in the agenda for this week. November 30th-Dec. 4th. Math: Unit EQ: How do I use my strategies to solve division problems? We have been really focusing on our division strategies. Please have your child continue to practice their multiplication facts. We are still trying to get in all of our multiplication time tests. The children are required to know their multiplication facts for 0-10 this 9 weeks. This is a Third grade standard.The children are also required to be fluent with division as well. EQ: How do I apply problem solving strategies to multiplication and division word problems? We have introduced problem solving folders to the students. Their folders have strategies in them that we will be focusing on this year. At this point, the students have been using the "draw a picture" strategy and "make a chart or diagram" with great success. As they develop the other strategies, they will become better prepared for the CRCT.IF A STUDENT CAN EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT THEY DID TO SOLVE A PROBLEM, THEN THEY ARE DISPLAYING A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT. During MATH RAP and regular math time we have focused on problem solving using our strategies. Social Studies: EQ: How do I identify the 3 levels of government and what is included in each level? We are working on a flip book and we have filled out the local government section so far. Next week, we will be working on the state and federal government.