Hello Families!

This week the majority of kids in 3rd grade will take the much anticipated Nebraska State Assessment for English Language Arts (NeSA-ELA).  Those exams will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, from 10:00 to 12:00.  Your kids will have enough to worry about this week, so we are not having spelling or reading homework.  I think they deserve a break, considering the magnitude of those tests!  Please help your child get a good night of rest, a healthy breakfast and encourage him/her to simply do the best that he/she can!!!

Report cards will be coming home on Thursday.  As always, sit down with your child and have a chat regarding their grades.  I tell them all the time that EFFORT is EVERYTHING!  I hope their work equates to 3s and 4s, but 1s and 2s are simply reminders of what we need to keep practicing.  Life and school are a process, and we’ll keep working hard in 4th quarter to master all the skills of third grade!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families!

I hope you all enjoyed Spring Break and got to enjoy some nice weather with your families.  Now, the fourth quarter is upon us, and your child’s classroom is in for a busy end of the school year.

This week will seem pretty normal.  We’ll have spelling words, Literacy Homework, Math Homework, etc.  Our final preparations for the NeSA-ELA exam will continue this week, as well.  You might call this week the calm before the storm, because most kids will take the state reading exam next week, or the following week.  I will be sending home a more detailed letter with those dates and times this week, so be on the look out for that information.

These big exams often bring extra anxiety to students and teachers.  However, we have been preparing for these tests all year long and there really shouldn’t be any big surprises on the test.  Effort truly is everything to me.  If they try their best, then I will be happy.  It’s as simple as that!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Parents and Guardians,

Hard to believe we have come to the last week of third quarter.  Time sure does fly by!  It really feels like Spring has arrived, though I know we still probably aren’t out of the woods with winter.

It was great visiting with you all last week during conferences.  I hope I communicated how proud I am of your kids.  Even grades of 1s or 2s have promise, particularly if the student is working hard.  Grades, school and life in general are all about the “process” of learning, in my opinion.  We’ll keep working hard this last quarter and I’m confident everything will turn out as it should.

Your kids will see a pretty normal week of school.  We’ll have spelling, we’ll have Literacy Homework, and as we begin Fractions and Decimals, we’ll have regular Math homework.  As a celebration, the third graders will end 3rd quarter Friday by watching “Balto” in the afternoon.  A number of reading groups read the story of Balto, and the movie is just as entertaining.

I hope you all have a great week, and thanks always for reading.

Eric Wachter