Important dates to remember

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND UPCOMING EVENTS FROM VALLEY VIEW

SCHOOL DISMISSED TOMORROW, FRI-DAY, JANUARY 27 AT 11:50. NO B GROUP K.

SPIRIT WEAR SALE—INFO AND ORDER FORMS BEING SENT HOME TODAY. ORDERS MUST BE IN BY THURSDAY, FEB. 2.

YEARBOOK ORDERS MUST BE IN BY 2/3/12.
If you are unable to find your yearbook order form, but would still like to order one please fill out a piece of paper with the following information and cash or a check to HR Imaging for $10.
Student’s Name:
Teacher:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone:

VALENTINE PARTIES—TUESDAY, FEB. 14 FOR B GROUP K THRU 5TH. 2:00-2:20 RECESS-PARTIES TO FOLLOW.
GROUP A K PARTIES WED. FEB. 15-2:00-3:00.

VALLEY VIEW CARNIVAL—SATURDAY FEB. 18, 11:00-2:00. VOLUNTEERS & DONATIONS NEEDED. (CARNIVAL PLANNING MEETING, THURS, FEB 2, AT D&W CAFÉ AT 7:00 PM)

VALLEY VIEW POST OFFICE WILL OPEN FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

Sledding for Science

Today we enjoyed sledding to explore how different variables play a role into speeding down a slope. We started by going down a small slope on our bottoms, followed by on a sled on our own, and finally on a sled with a friend. We discussed how friction slowed us down at first. The children quickly learned that the steeper slope and more weight on the sled made them go faster and farther. Way to go third grade scientists:)

Spelling

It’s our first night of the new spelling program. The children are all coming home with their spelling notebooks. In the front are their spelling words, cut up in an attached baggie. Their first assignment is to do a write and draw. They are bringing home the descriptions, but a write and draw, is when the children write 6 words in a sentence to explain the meaning and draw what the other 6 words mean. Please take a moment to sign or initial the bottom and have the notebook return tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation and flexibility! I hope that the transition goes well. Please feel free to let me know how it all goes Have a lovely evening!!!

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing break! We are having a wonderful first day back, and have many things to look forward to. Rockford Schools has adopted a program that everyone will be doing. In an effort to best meet the specific needs of each child in our classroom, spelling may look different than it did. The approach is to guide your child and give them the tools to not only become a better speller, but to become a better reader and writer.

- Spelling will be called Word Study. In Word Study your child is taught to explore the sound, pattern and meaning relationships among words through various weekly assignments.

- Each child will have a word study notebook which I will provide. This will include the word or sound patterns s/he is working on for the week and the daily activities with the words.

- Each child has an bag attached to the Word Study Notebook. Weekly word sort cards are to be kept in this envelope so they can travel between home and school on a daily basis.

- The words assigned to each child are specifically chosen to meet individual needs at developmentally appropriate stages. They are meant to help your child discover patterns within words and identify the patterns in unknown words.

Next week I will introduce the word sorts and Word Study process. On Mondays, your child will be introduced to their words by going on a “Word Walk”. Throughout the week, I will continue to show them strategies that can be used for practice both at home and in school. They will be asked to study a little each night, keeping track of their work in their notebooks. On Friday, students will be expected to write their words in correct sorting groups as well as spell the words correctly without using their sorting cards. Students can earn 2 points per word: one point for correct spelling and one point for placing the word in the correct sorting group. While 12 words will be assigned to study each week, students will be tested on only 10 of them (my choice). The reason for fewer words is because the words are more difficult and I want to see full mastery of their spelling words at the end of the week.

While practicing at home it is important to keep in mind:

*Spelling is not just memorizing words for a test.

*Successful spellers use a combination of recognizing word, sound, and meaningful patterns to identify what “looks right”.

*Spelling is a process that involves 5 stages of development. Students within the same grade level can be at all different stages.

*Spelling is a tool that students will use their entire life.

*Word study helps students become better readers and writers as they continue to encounter and interpret new words each day.