Hi Families!
"You're here! You're finally here!" The narrator of the storybook, You're Finally Here!, says to its readers. We opened this school year by reading this together. Some of our students are new to the school, some new to the program, and I, new to balancing two children at the beginning of this school year. I think it would be safe to say that we were all eagerly (or anxiously) anticipating the start of school. This silly bunny narrator helped to break the ice with his welcoming message and set the tone of excitement and enthusiasm in Sally Borden Program Third Grade. After this, we were off and rolling to a successful start! Students spent the first few days of the academic year getting acquainted with the school, classroom, and each other; by week two's end, they were settling into a nice routine. The students seem to be thoroughly enjoying each other: giggling together, sharing stories, playing cooperatively, and offering to help one another. A theme of past, present, and future seemed to surface. We reflected on our summers, writing about our varied experiences and sharing special items that shed a little more light on who we are. We celebrated who we are presently by completing our "Learning Circles" where we identified our strengths and "growing edges". We presented these during a share with the entire third grade. We discussed learning diversity and students were just as surprised by what they have in common with each other than by how they differ. We also watched a SAG actor read Thank You, Mr. Falker on the Storyline Online website. This is an autobiographical book, written by Patricia Polacco, about her experience growing up with dyslexia, and the teacher that changed her life and taught her to read. Some students were quite moved by the story and drew parallels to experiences they have had in their academic life. This led to the first of many candid conversations about learning differences and it was beautiful to see students supporting one another as they opened up and shared about difficult moments in their learning history. We also got excited about all the growth to come this year while making our time capsules that will not be opened until the last week of school. Inside we put an interview of our favorite things, a self-portrait, and a piece of string cut to each of our heights that we measured with a variety of measuring tools. We began our study of Monarch butterflies and have watched the transformation happen before our very eyes! We will have a field trip to tag butterflies before their journey to Mexico on Friday, October 5th. I hope that your child has come home excited about school. I will be making phone calls to each family so that we can talk about how the transition to school has gone, answer any questions you might have, and discuss the goals you have for your child this year. I hope to see you on Thursday night at 6:30 for Parents' Night. Enjoy the weekend! Mrs. Tavares
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2019
Categories |
Mrs. Tavares' 3rd Grade | Newsletters |