Week 9

JC had a birthday a few weeks ago that somehow was written down as 30^th October .. so we celebrated his birthday this week. Happy Birthday J.C.! I hope you had a great day.

Mid-term exams are on Monday and Tuesday. I hope that you all received the exam schedule. If not here is our 3B schedule for the two days.

Monday

Study time until 8:30am

We will start the Humanities exams a bit earlier than on the schedule because we need to do both WSS and English before 10am.

Then there will be a break until the Chinese exam at 11:10am.

After lunch I would like the students to each tie their own Tshirt before we dye them. (If anyone is available from 2 to 3pm I would really appreciate some help to make sure that the bands are tied tightly)

The final exam of the day is CSS at 3:20pm

Tuesday

The Math exam will start at 8:10am (so please do not be late for school)

There will then be a study time until the Science exam at 10:10am

At 11:10 they will go to music and after lunch we have the UNICEF closing ceremony

They will have a regular PE class at the end of the day.

Remember to rest the night before each exam and just relax between each exam. I am sure you will all do well.

I have send home all the workbooks from this quarter so please will you remember to select two or three pages from each subject to bring back to school to put into our time capsule. These pages will be part of your portfolio for the year.

After mid-term exams we will begin chapter 4 in Math which covers Measurement.

In Science we will make our desert and rain forest dioramas before moving onto the next chapter.

In WSS we will be looking at conflict resolution and the services provided by community governments.

In English (because the next two weeks have a lot of extra activities in them) we will take two weeks to do Theme 2 Week 4 lessons. Our story is written by Jon J Muth who wrote Stone Soup based on a fable from Europe. He rewrote it and illustrated it so that it takes place in China. In phonics we look at the Consonant Blends str, scr, and spr; and our Grammar focus is on Singular and Plural Nouns.

We have continued reading the African folk tale, Kabuka and the Magic Calabash. Kabuka has finally found Zaka (the evil magician) and the Magic Calabash. He has even managed to get the calabash which was guarded by enchanted baboons and was in the middle of a pond containing crocodiles! The only problem for poor Kabuka now is “How is he going to get out of the cave without Zaka or the Baboons catching him!” I guess we will find out next time!

A great big thank you to everyone for all the hard work you have put into the UNICEF project, especially the Carnival on Wednesday. It has been a busy term so far but it has been well worth all the effort. Wednesday’s carnival was wonderful and I think everyone had a great time.

We started off in class having a donut eating competition.

We then all had a great time decorating cookies and creating edible monsters.

It was great seeing everyone dressed up in fun costumes. (Spider-man lost his ability to spin a web so had to climb the pole instead!)

I had fun face painting .. and here are some of the finished works of art!

To officially end off the UNICEF project there will be a closing ceremony on Tuesday after exams. The Grade 3 to 6 students will sing “Tell me why?” but I am not sure what the rest of the program will entail. Please will you all wear your yellow (or white) tshirt and blue jeans (or shorts) on Tuesday for this performance.

The next activity coming up soon is “Field day” on 14^th November. Here are some pictures of 3B practicing during P.E.

Here are some photos of the masks Mr. Pousen helped everyone make in art class.

I hope you all have a great weekend. See you on Monday, 3b!

Mrs.DB

Week 8

2009 – 2010 Week 8

We have celebrated three birthdays recently: Jasmine, Nicholas, and mine. The three of us had ice-creams on Thursday to celebrate.

In a weeks time we have mid-term exams; on Monday 2^nd and Tuesday 3^rd November. I will email you study guides for each subject but the main thing to remember is to just read the questions carefully and think about what you are being asked. Don’t stay up late the night before each exam and just relax between each exam. I am sure you will all do well.

This week I will send home all the workbooks from this quarter but remember to just focus on the study guide and don’t worry about trying to review everything in your workbooks.

Please will you look through your workbooks and select three pages from each subject to bring back to school to put into our time capsule. These pages will be part of your portfolio for the year.

I took photographs of the Endangered animal project and here are a couple of well planned and thought-out posters.

Ricky used his space in a creative way by adding a door in the middle.

Alica used her space really well and was very creative in her use of color and labels.

In Math this week we will be completing the chapter on addition and subtraction. You are all doing so well on this section.

In Science we will be completing the chapter on ecosystems by looking at Water Ecosystems and reviewing vocabulary from the chapter. We will also be looking at the main rainforests and deserts in the world.

In Western Social Studies we will be looking at laws and how the government uses trial by jury to make sure that laws are obeyed.

In English we will read a story about how animals talk and start looking at the Main Idea and Details; in phonics we learn the sounds ou,ow, oy, and oi; and our grammar focus is Abbreviations.

We have continued reading the African folk tale, Kabuka and the Magic Calabash. Kabuka has now gone down a long dark tunnel and into a cave where he found the key that the Great Milimo told him to find. Don’t forget to get regular updates on Kabuka’s adventure from your children.

We have had a lot of UNICEF projects recently and I would like to thank you all for participating so enthusiastically in the Walk-a-thon, Raise your voice, and the coin collection. We have two more events left, the Carnival and the closing ceremony on Tuesday 3^rd November after our mid-term exams.

Don’t forget, this week is the UNICEF Carnival on Wednesday. Thank you to all the parents who have been involved in organizing our booth and volunteering to be there on Wednesday to help out. I am looking forward to seeing your costumes 3B … I have some prizes for the most creative ideas!

See you on Monday, 3b!

Mrs.DB

Week 7

2009 – 2010 Week 7

What an amazing job you all did on Friday night at the “Raise your voice” concert. You all worked really hard to memorize the words and get the song right. It was great to see you all on the stage, singing so beautifully. Well done, you are all stars!

One thing I would like to mention about the concert is behavior. I was a bit disappointed by the bad manners shown by some of the students. During a performance it is respectful to sit down and keep quiet and not to talk or walk about until there is a break between performances. My evening was really spoiled by having to walk around and remind students to sit down and be quiet. Most of you behaved beautifully but there are a few of you who really need to learn to act more responsibly.

It was a test-full week this week and you all did a great job staying focused and concentrating for each test. I am really proud of all your achievements, you can be happy with your results.

For the next few weeks in Math, we will be reviewing and learning all about addition and subtraction.

In Science for the rest of the month we will be looking at various ecosystems – such as deserts, forests, grasslands, and water.

In Social Studies we start Unit 2 Chapter 3 which is all about Citizenship and Government. We start off by reading a story about Jane Addams who started a community center.

Next, in English we read about Aero (a police dog) and Officer Mike. We will also continue looking at fact and opinion. Our phonics focus will be consonant digraphs- ch, tch, sh, sh, wh, and (h)w. In Grammar we will learn about common and proper nouns.

Mid term exams take place at the beginning of November. In Math, Science, and Social Studies you will be tested on the first three chapters of your text books. In English the test will cover the first theme and a few lessons from the second theme. I will send out a more detailed study guide in a couple of weeks. However, you can start preparing by regularly reviewing the vocabulary (usually in yellow in your text book) for each subject.

It was Jasmine’s birthday this week. I hope you had a great day Jasmine.

We have continued reading the African folk tale, Kabuka and the Magic Calabash. Kabuka has met the Great Milimo and with Gondo's help has found the city of the birds. We left him curled up in a safe spot wondering how he is going to find the key that the Great Milimo told him to find. Don’t forget to get regular updates on Kabuka’s adventure from your children.

Thank you for contributing to our coin collection; when I counted it all up on Friday I discovered we have raised NT1758. Well done everyone!

Our UNICEF Carnival is coming up very soon on Wednesday 28^th October from 11am to 3pm. Don’t forget to finalize your costumes. I am looking forward to seeing your creative ideas.

See you on Monday, 3b!

Mrs.DB

Week 6

2009 – 2010 Week 6

Firstly, a great big thank you to you all for helping me this week. Thanks to Mr. DB and Mr. Steven for teaching on Wednesday so that I could rest and get better, thanks to all the parents who did lunch duty and stayed longer to take care of the children, and to all of 3b for being so understanding of your “grouchy” teacher this week.

We did lots of review and finishing off chapters this week but the most important thing about this week was the Science project presentations. It was great to watch all the students who we so well prepared and did a fantastic job. There are a few things to improve however, such as making sure that you use cue cards, make eye contact with your audience, and speak loudly.

Ricky, Joshua, and Nicholas spoke about the Rhino.

Yao, Jasmine, and Nina spoke about the Polar Bear.

Richard spoke about the Giant Panda, and Alica about the Taiwan Black Bear.

Jason, Gloria, Jolene, and Sandra spoke about the Red Panda.

Elijah and JC spoke about the Grey Wolf.

Sonia and Nicole spoke about the Asian and African Elephant.

Jonathan spoke about the Cheetah, and Justin spoke about the Golden Lion Tamarin.

Victor spoke about the Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, and Wesley spoke about Killer Whales.

This Wednesday is flag ceremony so don’t forget to dress in yellow (or white) and blue.

We have continued reading the African folk tale, Kabuka and the Magic Calabash. Kabuka has met the Great Milimo and with Gondo's help is on the way to the city of the birds. Don’t forget to get regular updates on Kabuka’s adventure from your children.

Next week we have lots of tests.

Monday – Story Town Theme 1 Test

To review for the test:

1. Go through vocabulary and spelling of all five lessons but concentrate on lesson 5
2. Review phonics and grammar for all five weeks

Tuesday – Science Ch 2 Test

To review for the test:

1. Use your text book pages A38 to A87 and concentrate on vocabulary words in yellow
2. Review traits of Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians

Wednesday – Social Studies Unit 1 Test

To review for the test:

1. Use your text book pages 1 to 57 and concentrate on vocabulary words in yellow.
2. Review the parts of a map on p 42 – 43
3. Use the Test preparation on p 62 and 63 to help you review

Thursday – Math Ch 2

To review for the test:

1. Use your text book pages 50 to 85 and look at new vocabulary words.
2. Use the test preparation on page 92 – 93 and 94 – 95 to help you review

Good luck with your preparation

Thank you to everyone who has returned your UNICEF walk-a-thon sponsorship money. For those of you who are still collecting your sponsorship money, please remember to bring it in on Monday.

Remember to bring in your coins this week for the coin collection competition - NT1, NT5, NT10, NT50 . Let's see how much money we can raise.

On Wednesday the Grade 5 have their lunch time food sale so don’t forget to bring money to buy a tasty treat.

Friday 16^th is our performance on Declan Galbraith’s “Tell me Why?”. Rehearsals are going really well and here are a few notes about the performance.

• You need to be at school at 6pm on Friday 16^th October 2009
• The performance will start at 6:30pm
• It will take place in the school gym
• There are 10 groups performing
• Everyone needs to pay NT50
• We hope that all parents, friends, and other family members will come and watch the performance.
• You need to wear blue jeans, sneakers, and a plain colored shirt. (Please show me the shirt you will wear before Wednesday 14^th October)
• You need to have memorized your words by our rehearsal on Tuesday 13^th October.

You are all doing a fantastic job … keep it up!

Wednesday 28^th October from 11am to 3pm is the Halloween Carnival. Don’t forget to start getting your creative ideas going so that you can dress up in some really innovative costumes.

See you on Monday, 3b!

Mrs.DB