Good Morning Families,

This week your children will wrap up units in both Reading and Math class with Unit Tests.  We’ll begin the week testing reading, and end the week testing math.  Both tests are long, so breaking them up a bit each day won’t be too overwhelming.  We are done with spelling, so you won’t see a list coming home.  In my Math class, you can expect review homework to come home Monday and Tuesday.  I may also send home a practice math facts sheet at some point, as well.

On Wednesday, Arnold will celebrate the fact we earned 50,000 Character Coupons during the course of the year!  Your child is encouraged to dress as his/her future career for Career Day.

Your child likely brought home a note regarding our last day fishing trip to Bowling Lake.  If you’re planning on joining us, just fill out and return the bottom form, and then register as a volunteer.  That will give me an idea of who to look for on May 24th.  If you have already signed up to be a volunteer recently, there is no need to do so again.

I typically spend May preparing the kids’ “School Days…” portfolio.  They are just about finished, as is a DVD collection of the year in pictures.  The kids will receive these items on May 22nd.  This is a labor of love, but a couple of keepsakes I hope your child holds onto forever.  I will also send out a link to the video, so you can download it onto your computer.  I would also be happy to transfer it to a flash drive, if you would like.  Just send one to school, and make sure there is 2 GB of memory free.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families,

Time really is flying by in room 702.  This week we’ll wrap up our last “normal” week of the year in Reading.  The kids will have one more spelling list this week, as we tackle Unit 6, Week 5.  Poetry will be the theme of the week, and the kids will ready a variety of different poems for our lessons.

In Math, we’ll continue to learn about Geometry this week.  Parallelograms, quadrilaterals, rhombuses and trapezoids will be dancing in their heads as we’ll learn the difference and similarities of those and other shapes.  This can be tricky, so my goal is to help the kids with the first portion of their homework.  Hopefully by the end of the unit the kiddos will become experts on shapes.  We didn’t get Friday’s lesson finished, so I anticipate homework tonight, Tuesday, Wednesday and perhaps Friday.  As always, as the lesson goes, so goes the homework!  🙂

In Social Studies, we’ll dive into the history of Lincoln during the next couple of weeks.  Our trip to Memorial Stadium was a great success, and an awesome way to kick off learning about how Lincoln came into existence.  Thanks to all the parents that joined us on the trip!

Finally, the Student Council will be selling Mother’s Day Flowers all week for $1 each.  Your child will have an opportunity to purchase flowers every day this week, if interested.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families,

This week your child’s classroom will have the opportunity to tour Memorial Stadium!  As you know, the tour for our room is on Wednesday, May 2nd, from 10:30 to 11:30.  We’ll leave the school by 10:00, and return right by noon.  This trip supplements our study of the history of Lincoln, and we’re so excited to bring one of Lincoln’s most historical landmarks to life!  Please have your child dress for the weather, wear Husker gear if you have any, and definitely wear comfortable shoes.  Hopefully we’ll get good weather, but regardless, we’ll get to run out on the Memorial Stadium field rain, snow, sleet or shine!

In Reading, this week is Unit 6 Week 4.  We’ll spend the week reading about a variety of animals, and how we can help protect them.  We will have spelling this week, so expect a list to come home tonight.

In Math, we’ll continue to learn about customary and metric measurements.  By the end of the week we’ll move on to study geometry and learn about various shapes.  In my Math class, I’m expecting to assign homework on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  I always wait to see how the lessons go, but that is my plan.

I have spent a lot of time the last few week preparing the kids’ year-end portfolios, and I have to admit I’m getting pretty nostalgic!  I have enjoyed your children immensely this year, and will be devastated on the last day of school.  This is a group of young people I will never, ever forget.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

This week, your child’s class will be working on goal setting.  Our “Essential Question” for Unit 6, Week 3 in reading is, “Why are goals important?”  We’ll be addressing that question all week, and the kids will write a personal goal to work towards.  Even though it’s a short week, we will have spelling words to learn.  Hopefully your child brought home a list this evening.

In Math, we’ll begin our final Unit of the year on Tuesday.  In Unit 7, we’ll discuss liquid capacity and weight with customary and metric measurements.  We’ll also spend time on Geometry and learn more about shapes.  This week, I anticipate my Math class having homework on Wednesday, and perhaps Thursday.

Just a reminder that our field trip to Memorial Stadium is coming up next week.  I did a poor job of proofreading the field trip note last week, and the dates and days didn’t match.  To be clear, our trip is on Wednesday, May 2nd.  If you can attend on May 2nd, that would be great!  Just be sure and sign up as a volunteer via the link below, and you’re good to go!

Level II Field Trip Chaperone/Volunteer

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families!

I hope you all had a nice “spring” weekend and didn’t freeze!  Ah, Nebraska.  🙂

This week will be a fairly normal one for your children.  We are in Unit 6, Week 2 in reading, which means your child will bring home a spelling list this evening.  How ironic given the current temperatures, that our theme of the weak is “weather.”  Most of our stories will center around weather, and how devastating severe weather can be.

In Math, we’ll conclude the week with our Unit 6 Test.  We’ll review in the days prior to the exam, and you can expect review homework from my class on Monday and Wednesday, most likely.

I hope you all had a chance to look at the photo links I sent over the weekend.  I heard from a couple of parents this weekend they did indeed work, so you should be able to save photos of your child, if interested.

Just a reminder that in a few weeks on May 2nd we’ll be touring Memorial Stadium.  We’ll leave school by 10:00, tour from 10:30 to 11:30, and return to school by noon.  I will be sending home an informational letter soon, but keep that date in mind if you want to join us for the tour!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

The calendar says spring, the temperature says winter, but to your kids it’s the end of test season!  🙂

This week most kids will complete the Math portion of the state assessment.  These tests will take place on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 2:30, approximately.  I’m a little nervous about these exams, because our curriculum is new, and the test is new, as well.  I’m crossing my fingers we have prepped the kids in every way possible for this challenge!

The most important thing is they try their best, and let the scores add up in the end.  Since this will be a big test week in Math, there will likely not be any homework in my Math class, with the exception of perhaps Wednesday.  I’ll play that lesson by ear and see how the kids do during the lesson.

In Reading, we’re starting Unit 6, our final unit of the year.  We will have spelling this week, so the kids should have brought home a list today.  Crazy to think we’re in the stretch run of school!

Thanks for reading, and thanks again for doing all you can to help your kids come to school ready to learn, especially on test days!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a great break and were able to spend some quality time with your families…in spite of the snow.  Grrrrrr!

This week the kids will continue with spring testing, which feels like a season in itself!  We’ll conclude Unit 5 in reading with our Unit Test.  As a result there will be no spelling words.

In Math we’ll continue our practice solving various word problems.  In my Math class, I’m anticipating homework on Wednesday for Lesson 6-6, and Friday for lesson 6-7.  I’ve allotted a bit of time on Friday for the kids to work on their assignment, so hopefully they can finish most of the work in class.

I will be gone on Thursday and Friday this week, as my brother and I will attend the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, GA.  It’s a lifelong dream for me to attend, even though it kills me to be gone from school!  I’m sure the kids will be fine, but I’ll sure be thinking of them while I’m gone.  Hopefully those will be the only remaining days I will be gone this year!

Have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families!

This week most kids will take the NSCAS Reading Test.  The test will take place on Monday and Wednesday mornings, from about 11:00 to 12:00.  Because of these exams, coupled with a four day week, we will not be having a spelling list.  We’ll still study the skills of the words during the week, but will skip the test on Thursday.

If your child doesn’t test Monday, that means he/she has accommodations regarding the test.  Kids with accommodations will likely begin testing this week also, but on a slightly different schedule and pace.

In Math we’re continuing to practice a variety of word problems.  You’ve probably seen from the homework we’re practicing using Math Mountains to find the two addends and the sum, or two factors and the product of a problem.  I know word problems can be tricky, so thank you for all the help you’ve provided at home!

In my Math class, you can expect homework to come home on Monday for Lesson 6-3, and Wednesday for Lesson 6-4.  We’re supposed to have homework on Thursday before break, but I will provide time in class for that assignment so they don’t have homework over the long weekend.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a restful Spring Break, and I especially hope your child is ready for the homestretch of third grade.  I can’t believe it’s already the 4th quarter of the year, and I’m already sad my time with your kids is drawing to a close.  We’ll just have to soak up every moment and have a great finish to the year!

We are into Unit 5 Week 4 in reading, and the kids should have brought home a spelling list today.  Remember, the Literacy Homework assignments have ended, so no need to look for those.  Those assignments were designed to help the kids get ready for next week’s big state reading test.  Most kids will take that test on Monday and Wednesday of next week, from 10:30 to 12:00.  If you can help your child get a good night of rest before those dates, and a good breakfast the morning of, it will certainly help your child stay focused during those exams.

In Math we’ve started Unit 6, which is mainly focusing on solving various types of word problems.  Almost every lesson is designed to take two days, so you can expect Math homework to come home about every other day.  For example, my Math class will have homework for lesson 6-1 on Tuesday, lesson 6-2 on Thursday and lesson 6-3 the following Monday.  That is subject to change depending on the flow of each day’s lesson, but hopefully we can keep that pace.

That’s about all the thoughts rolling around my head at the moment.  Thanks for reading a have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Parents and Guardians!

This week, the kids at Arnold will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday and “Read Across America Week.”  We’ll read a different Dr. Seuss classic book each day, and the kids will have a chance to celebrate each book by wearing certain clothes or bringing items from home to share with the class.  The following are the books we’ll read, as well as the special celebration item.

Monday – “The Cat in the Hat” – Wear your favorite hat

Tuesday – “Fox in Socks” – Wear crazy or mismatched socks

Wednesday – “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” – 3rd Graders wear blue clothes

Thursday – “If I Ran a Zoo” – Bring a small stuffed animal

Friday – “There is a Wocket in My Pocket” – Bring something to share with the class that fits in your pocket

We will have spelling this week, and the kids will also have a Literacy Homework assignment.  I’ve been very impressed with the return rate of these assignments!  Thanks for reading with your child and helping him/her return them on time.

In Math, we will take our Unit 5 test on Tuesday and Wednesday.  In my Math class, we’ll only have one homework assignment the entire week.  That will be a review assignment on Monday evening.

To celebrate the end of the quarter, the kids will partake in a fossil dig on Friday afternoon.  This fun activity allows the kids to excavate a fossil from a plaster of Paris mold.  It’s really fun, but can get a little messy!  I’d encourage your child to wear clothes Friday that can get a little dirty. 🙂

Lastly, I have been told…much to my chagrin…that I have to attend a training session on Wednesday.  So for the second time in two weeks I have to miss school.  I can’t tell you how much that drives me crazy!  Your kids did great during my absence last week, and I’m sure they will do fine again this week.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter