Math Time Fun

As a warm-up in math today we played addition war... who ever said math isn't fun is just plain wrong! Remember to practice those basic addition facts - it will make multiplication soooooo much easier! :)

Index Card STEM Challenge

Another fun, challenging STEM activity in the books! :) Well, actually we are going to continue building some more on Monday! Oh, and I had to throw in a picture of Owen's super clean desk! :)

Another STEM Challenge

Today students were asked to create the tallest free-standing structure they could using only spaghetti noodles and marshmallows. One group was so successful that they built three different structures (Way to go Takoda, Magdalen, and Camden!!). I sure loved watching the students encourage one another and collaborate with each other so well.

Happy Heart

Few things in life make my heart happier than seeing students engaged in a good book! It is so fun to see these students LOVING to read every day! Also, Carson made the world's perfect cursive "j" the other day, so I had to snap a picture! :)

Sure do love this group of kids!

STEM Challenge Fun!

Today we did our first, of many, STEM challenges! Inspired by the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, students were encouraged to build the tallest bean stalk possible using twenty-five pipe-cleaners. Ask your child to tell you what STEM stands for (they will earn them $50 if you write it in their planner!).

TESTING!!!

Mark your calendars: our class will be taking our MAP/NWEA tests on September 15th, 16th, and 17th! We will take these reading, language, and math tests once this Fall and then again in the Spring.

Week of August 31st

What a great first three days together! I am truly looking forward to the upcoming year with these fabulous kiddos! 

In reading this week we will start our first unit of Lead 21.  Our theme question is: How do the changes around us make us who we are?  We will focus on the skill of determining important information.  We will also meet with our first inquiry groups this week and practice working together as a team. 

This year we have a new math series called Go Math!  I am pretty excited to get started with it!  In math this week we will learn about the identity property of addition (adding zero) and the commutative property of addition (order property 4+5=5+4). We will end the week practicing estimating sums. 

In social studies we will be discovering where in the world our community is, and in science we will start with some STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities. In a few weeks we will begin Project Lead The Way (forces of flight and simple machines).  

Homework (will come home in Tuesday folder): math review and a reading log (students should be reading for at least 15 minutes every night). 

We will have our spelling pretests every Monday and our spelling tests each Friday.

Also, tomorrow (Tuesday) we will also take the SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory) just to get a feel for our beginning of the year reading level.  We will take this test every quarter to see growth. It is fun to watch the kids make amazing growth with their reading!

Have a great week! :)

Reminders/Upcoming Events

What a FABULOUS first day! I can already tell this is going to be a truly amazing year. What a sweet, kind group of kiddos!

A couple reminders:
* Please make sure your child has a water bottle at school
* If you haven't done so already, please send $6 so your child can buy an assignment notebook.
* If you could send a thing of Wet Ones for when we have sticky hands, I would be so grateful (our room doesn't have a sink).
* Please sign up for my Remind 101 messages. Simply text:  @9aca7 to the number 81010.

Upcoming Events:

September 3rd: PTA meeting @ 8:30
September 17th: Open House @ 6:00
September 18th: Picture Day
September 18th: Ice Cream Social from 5:30-7:30

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Hello! My name is Mrs. Peterson and I am SO very excited for an amazing year together. I am looking forward to meeting you soon!

Here is a little about me:

* I was born and raised in Billings (my mom was a teacher and I always knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps).
* I went to college at the University of Montana and MSU-Billings - majored in Elementary Education with a minor in Reading.
* This is my eighth year at Arrowhead (formerly Miss Michel). I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.
* My husband, Nick, is an electrician and has a serious passion for the outdoors (hunting, fishing, kayaking, etc.).
* My son, Bennett, is almost two and is constantly cracking me up. I am sure you will get sick of my Bennett stories this year. :)
* In my free time I enjoy reading, gardening, spending time outside with my family, camping, perusing Target, and going to concerts.
* My favorites include: sushi, white chocolate lattes, and Baby Ruth candy bars.

Here are some pictures of me and my family:

Summer Already?!?

I honestly cannot believe the school year is almost over. I have truly LOVED this group of kids and feel honored to have spent the year as their teacher. They will forever have such a special place in my heart! Thanks for such a great year! Have a good summer and don't forget to come visit me next year. :)

Donation to St. Johns

Last week, our class raised almost $200 to donate to St. Johns and Mission Ridge (for them to use to beautify their gardens). Today, we got to take the donated money up and help plant some flowers with a few of the residents! Fun times :)