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Monthly Archives: September 2018

October 1st, 2018 – Conference Week

Hello Families!

October has arrived, so it must be time for Fall Conferences!  The conference schedule is attached to the weekly email, and can be found on the class web page.  I’m looking forward to visiting with you all, and sharing the good news about your child’s progress.

We wrapped up a lot of testing last week, and this week our routine will return to normal.  We’ll begin Unit 2 in reading this week, and spelling will resume, as well.

In Math, we started Unit 2 last week by exploring 6s multiplications and divisions.  This week, we’ll solve area word problems, as well as explore 8s and 7s.  It seems like my homework predictions for my Math class are rarely correct, but I’m anticipating assignments on the following dates.

Monday – Homework 2-2

Tuesday – Homework 2-3

Wednesday – No Homework

Thursday – Homework 2-4

Friday – Homework 2-5

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

 

 

September 24th, 2018 – Testing Week!

Good Day Families!

This week, your poor, poor children will get tested to death!  🙂  In reading, we’ll take our Unit 1 Test, which we will spread out over 2-3 days, so it’s not so overwhelming.  Because it’s a Unit Test week, there will be no spelling words this week.

In Math, we will also take the Unit 1 Test.  We will also spread this out over 2 days, and maybe a third day in case kids didn’t get finished.  This is the only “official” grade the kids will have for Math in quarter 1.  Therefore, 1s and 2s might be a common score on report cards.  Don’t panic if you see one of those grades, knowing this is the only grade your child has been given at this point.  With practice and hard work, grades will get evened out during the course of the year as we take more assessments.  Due to all the testing, I’m only anticipating one new homework assignment this week.

Monday – Unit 1 Test

Tuesday – Unit 1 Test

Wednesday – Unit 1 Test/Reteach

Thursday – Homework 2-1

Friday – No Homework

Conferences are coming up on October 2nd and 4th.  I’ve attached a conference schedule to the weekly email, and will post it on the web site, as well.  Most of you signed up at Back to School Night, but there were a few names I didn’t see.  Therefore I slotted you into one of the few openings I had.  Hopefully the times work for everyone!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

September 17th, 2018 – Constitution Week

Good Morning Families!

This week the kids will celebrate “Constitution Day” by learning about the United States Constitution, and learn how our country came into existence.  Our reading theme for the week matches perfectly, as the kids will learn also learn about the “National Mall” in Washington, D.C., as well as a number of other famous landmarks in America.  This is always a special week for me, as I love learning about history.  You can expect a spelling list to come home this evening, as we wrap up week 5 of Unit 1.

In Writing, we’ll begin a couple week process of researching a president and writing a mini-report.  The kids are blessed to have some wonderful digital resources, and we’ll learn how to take notes, write a rough draft, and then type a final draft.  I hope to have this completed by conferences, so you can see the finished product.

In Math this week, the kids will explore multiplication and division with 1s and 0s, and learn to identify and write word problems.  Towards the end of the week we’ll begin reviewing for our Unit 1 Test in Math next week.  In my Math class, I’m planning on assigning homework on the following dates.  However, if we have a rough lesson or something doesn’t go well, I may have to amend the following.

Monday – No Homework

Tuesday – Homework 1-15

Wednesday – Homework 1-16

Thursday – Homework Test Review 1

Friday – Homework Test Review 2 (possibly?)

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

September 10th, 2018 – Calm Bodies and Calm Minds

Hello Families!

This week our reading focus will be on problem solving, and how problems can lead to new ideas.  We’ll learn some neat lessons through our stories, and understand how persistence and patience can pay off with solutions to problems.  We will have spelling this week, so you can expect the list from Unit 1, Week 4 to come home Monday evening.

This week in Math, we’ll explore 4s, 1s and 0s with multiplication and division.  Last week, my class struggled during a couple of lessons, and our homework schedule was a bit off.  I think…yes, think…the kids will have homework on these nights (below) this week.  Most kids are doing a nice job returning their assignments on time.  Thanks for your help at home making sure your child stays caught up on his/her work.

Monday – No Homework

Tuesday – Homework 1-12

Wednesday – Homework 1-14

Thursday – No Homework

Friday – Homework 1-15

This week we’ll also take time to introduce and practice uppercase cursive letters during writing class.  Cursive is usually a fun skill to practice, so hopefully the kids will enjoy the lessons.

Lastly, you may recall your child was taught “Second Step” lessons each week in 2nd grade.  Those are continuing in third grade, and we generally have a new lesson every Monday.  They are designed to help kids overcome problems and struggles at school with academics and peer relations.  We’ve been working very hard on having a calm body and calm mind each day, and have been practicing extensively, especially when we transition from subject to subject.  This has been a real struggle at times, but we’ll keep plugging away to make each minute of our day successful and productive.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

September 4th, 2018 – Morrill Hall Week

Good Morning Families!

This week your child will embark on his/her first field trip of the year.  On Thursday, we’ll leave Arnold around 12:00, and tour Morrill Hall from 12:30 to 2:15 (or so), before we return to school.  As the note home stated, parents are welcome to attend this trip, but the museum charges $7 for any non-student to enter.

I was also informed today that parents will need to go online and register as a “Level III” volunteer through LPS.  The link below will take you to the site, and I’m told it just takes a few minutes to sign up.  If you have done this in the past 2-3 years, your registration is still current.  However, it might be wise to sign up again, if you’re not sure.

https://wapp.lps.org/gold/volunteer/volunteer.cfm

This week in reading, “Communities” will be our theme and we’ll learn about different cultures and backgrounds through our stories.  Though it’s a short week, we will still have spelling, and you can expect a practice list to come home tonight.

In Math, we’ll continue our study of multiplication and division, and explore 3s and 4s this week.  Tentatively, homework will look like this for my Math class this week.

Tuesday – Homework 1-10

Wednesday – No Homework

Thursday – Homework 1-11

Friday – Homework 1-12

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter