February 5, 2010
VALENTINE'S PARTY: On Friday we will have a party to celebrate Valentine's Day. Tina Zientek and Kathryn Moshier, our homeroom mothers, have organized the party. Valentine's Day is one of the designated party days, so your children will splurge on sweet treats. The highlight of this party is opening cards from their classmates. Wrapped but undecorated Valentine boxes may come to class on Monday. We will be decorating them on Wednesday. Please remember that if your child chooses to bring Valentines, he/she needs to include one for each classmate.
ROBOLAB: Thank you to Tina Zientek, Andrew Morris, and Trudy Moon for volunteering to help with RoboLab. The students will be building a car and programming it to start on command. They will also build a ferris wheel and used a solar panel to power it. It's not too late to volunteer! Let Lavonna Gonzales know if you can help by contacting her at lavonnawrites@hotmail.com.
VOLUNTEERS: Please remember that all volunteers must be registered with our Raptor system. A volunteer is different than a visitor!!! If you are planning to work with the children in any way, you must go online and register. It's simple to register. Go to the CCE website and click on PTA. Then click on "Volunteer Application Required". This will lead you to RRISD's online application form for volunteers. It takes 72 hours for your application to be processed.
There will be a lot of volunteer opportunities later in the year as well. We will be taking a field trip to McKinney Roughs and we always like to have several parents with each class. We also have an art field trip later in the year. We have a Fishing Day at Trailhead Park as part of our end-of-year camping unit. To volunteer at any of these events, you must be registered with the system for the 2009-2010 school year. Last year's registrations were purged!
SOIL AND JARS NEEDED: During the week of February 14-18, we will be conducting investigations using soil. Each child needs to bring a quart sized plastic Zip Loc bag of soil. Since we will be comparing soil samples, we need soils from several locations. Please try to find samples in natural areas where the soil hasn't been enriched with fill dirt, potting soil, etc. If you plan on traveling out of town, please collect soil in outlying areas. We will also be using jars with lids. If you have a quart size mayonnaise-type jar with a tight fitting lid, please send it. (I only need 5 for the whole class.)
Soil samples (and jars if you have one) are due on Monday, February 14. Last year one of my students brought soil which had been burned in a grass fire. Pretty neat!
PUPPETS: As a culminating activity for our Folktale unit, students will be creating a puppet for a character in a puppet show. Characters were assigned today. A letter went home today in the Homework Folder about how to create a puppet or where to look for other ideas. If your child does not give you the letter today, please ask him/her for it. The completed puppet is due back to school by Tuesday, February 16.
TIME LINES: Make sure you take the time to visit the upstairs hallway. It is lined with third grade time lines. We would love for you to enjoy seeing the wonderful pictures of all the third graders. We will keep them up until after the Valentine's Party.
FRIENDSHIP: This month we are looking for students who show the trait of Friendship. Please congratulate your child if he/she arrives home wearing a "I was a friend today!" sticker.
SUPER STAR: Seanne is our Super Star next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Laurie