CHARACTER TRAIT:  Courtesy                                                  

Reference:  Colossians 4:6

Bible Verse:  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Definition:  Respectful words and ways

Opposite:  Rudeness

SPELLING:  Lesson 25

Pattern Words-Hard and Soft C

1.  icicle

2.  cycle

3.  cities

4.  close

5.  scale

6.  cabin

7.  place

8.  circle

9.  pencil

10.  score

11.  notice

12.  advice

13.  clothes

14.  service

15.  ascend

16.  colorful

17.  balance

18.  descend

High-Frequency Words

19.  airplane

20.  modern

Challenge Words

*  Meux

*  entrepreneur

Due to the field trip on Friday to the Meux Home Museum, we will take our Spelling Test and Bible Verse Test on Thursday of this week.

PARENT CORNER

POWER GRADE

During the past 3 weeks we have   experienced network outages which caused teachers to encounter Power Grade challenges.  Thank you for your patience as these issues are being addressed near the end of the third quarter.  I will be sending home graded work in Red Folders on Monday. Please note that the grades may not show up in Power Grade on Monday but are stored on class lists until they can be safely inputted.  You will want to turn in any missing work, re-dos, or absent work you find in your Red Folder by this Friday.  There may be other assignments to address after Power Grade is up and running again.  The end of the quarter is next Friday, March 13 we will do the best we can to remedy the situation and close the quarter with all assignments turned in.

SPRING PICTURE DAY

On Tuesday, March 3, 2014 all students will be photographed with an exciting spring background.  No money is needed on Spring Picture Day.  A proof picture and order instructions will be sent home for purchase if desired.  Sorry, a “Retake Day” will not be scheduled.

END OF THIRD QUARTER

Just a reminder that the end of the third quarter is Friday, March 13.  All re-do assignments available may be turned in by this Friday, March 6.   Thank you!

MATH TEST 

There will be a math test over Chapter 7 Geometry and Measurement this Thursday, March 5.  A pre-test will be sent home as a guideline to study and prepare the test on Thursday.  It will be the math homework for the week.  Please return the study guide on Thursday with your Red Homework Folder.

MEUX HOME MUSEUM/HISTORIC WALKING TOUR

As part of our Unit 3 Community History study in Social Studies, our 3^rd graders will take a private tour of the Meux Home Museum on Friday, March 6^th.  We will also take a “Historic Walking Tour of Fresno” as we relive Fresno’s early pioneer beginnings by visiting such sites as St. John’s Cathedral, Sheriff Collin’s home and stables, Santa Fe Railroad Station, Fresno Water Tower, and Brix Mansion.  Student admission has been prepaid through tuition fees.

FCS AUCTION

The FCS auction is underway!  This is our largest fundraising event each year.  The auction is a great way to donate to our school.  Your donations will bless the lives of many children at Fresno Christian Schools.  Our third grade class has been asked by the Auction Committee  to create a “Garden” themed basket.   Begin thinking about an item you might like to purchase and add to our garden  spring theme.  

There is a list of suggested items outside our classroom door as well as a letter than went home with the list last week.  However, you can bring anything that fits the theme of our basket.  If there is too much for one basket, the items will be auctioned  separately. You may contact Jen Alberta at 273-6045 for any questions you might have regarding our Auction Class Basket.

Due to fiscal reasons for individual tax deductions, we have been asked to send all items for our “Garden” theme third grade basket directly the Central Office where they will be registered and parents will receive a tax donation receipt.

We are asking each child’s family to contact family, friends, neighbors, and merchants to make a donation to our auction.  Students will be given a ticket for every 10 points they earn in donations.  I am hoping that each family will find that special something to donate to the auction.  I would like to encourage you to support this event by giving or getting donations of services, trips, items, desserts, and/or dinner tickets.  You may send donated items to the Central Office.  Non-refrigerated desserts may be delivered on Friday, March 13.  Please deliver all desserts requiring refrigeration on the day of the auction.  The dinner/silent and live auction will take place Saturday, March 14th, from 5:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the FCS Gym.

PHYSICAL FITNESS TESTING

Here is the schedule for the third grade Physical Fitness Testing:

Shuttle Run – Wednesday, March 4 @ 12:30 PM

Partial Curl-Ups – Friday, March 6 @ 12:30 PM (To be rescheduled to due field trip!)

Sit & Reach – Wednesday, March 11 @ 12:30 PM

Pull/Push/Hang – Friday, March 13 @ 12:30 PM

Mile Run – Friday, March 18 @ 12:30 PM

Please note you will find in your Red Homework Folder a the Third Grade Physical Fitness President’s Challenge for Qualifying Standards pertaining to 8 & 9 year old Presidential and National Award Scores provided by Mrs. Whipple.

BEFORE SCHOOL

Just a friendly reminder that all students need to have a pass from the yard duty teacher to be in Building 5 before school.  Students should report directly to the playground between 7:30-7:55 AM unless accompanied by an adult.

 GET A WAY LUNCH WITH MRS. FRASER & A FRIEND

Be sure to look for a “GET-A-WAY LUNCH WITH MRS. FRASER AND A FRIEND” at the FCS Auction Dinner Night!  This is for a current third grader and friend at FCS.  It will be listed in the Silent Auction section and will go to the highest bidder!

SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDER

The month of March features 3 different themed exciting book orders including:

Grades K-6:  Spring Gift Themes

Lucky 3rd Grade:  Favorite series, early chapter books, sports, nonfiction animal books with photos and facts, science, and spring selections

Lucky Grades 2-3 Books:  Best-selling series, humor, true-life survival accounts,  space, fairy tales, spring themes

You may order from any or all book orders.

Remember On-Line orders only at scholastic.com/readingclub.  Use our one-time Class Activation Code when you register:  L9NJ4  Orders are due Monday, March 31.

 COMING ATTRACTIONS MARCH

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Friendliness

Reference:  Proverbs 17:17

Bible Verse:  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Definition:  Knowing, liking, and accepting another person the way God made him or her

Opposite:  Excluding others

SPELLING WORDS:  Lesson  23

Pattern Words- Compound Words

1.  cannot

2.  himself

3.  herself

4.  without

5.  suitcase

6.  anybody

7.  everyone

8.  landmark

9.  afternoon

10.  roadblock

11.  something

12.  anywhere

13.  northwest

14.  proofread

15.  downstairs

16.  throughout

17.  watercolors

18. underground

High-Frequency Words

19.  electric

20.  business

Challenge Words

*  technology

* innovation

PARENT CORNER

A VALENTINE THANK YOU!

Thank you for all of the beautiful thoughtful gifts, chocolates, cards, and other goodies showered  upon me this Valentine’s Day.  I feel truly blessed by your outpouring of kindness.  Our Valentine’s Day class party was wonderful!  Thank you to all who were able to join us and to all those who generously provided delightful crafts and goodies.  The children could hardly wait for their party to begin and enjoyed it so much because of you!!

AUCTION

The FCS auction is underway!  This is our largest fundraising event each year.  The auction is a great way to donate to our school.  Your donations will bless the lives of others.

I would like to encourage you to support this event by giving or getting donations of services, trips, items, desserts, and/or dinner tickets.  The dinner/silent and live auction will take place  on Saturday, March 14th, from 5:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the FCS Gym.

PHOTOS NEEDED FOR MEMORY BOOK

Several of you have taken some lovely photographs at our field trips or various events during this school year.  We would be greatly blessed to have a CD  of these photos to download for the memory book.   If you can help with this, please send no later than this Friday.

TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION SAN JOSE FIELD TRIP

LET’S GO!  We are in for an awesome field trip to the Tech Museum this Thursday!!  The Tech Museum of Innovation is designed to focus on inspiring the innovator in everyone it reaches.  Third graders will enjoy hands-on and interactive exhibits, divided among themed galleries, to provide a truly memorable experience. The Tech is the only museum to offer visitors of all ages the unique comprehensive Silicon Valley experience with hands-on, interactive experiences in genetics, earth sciences, alternative energy, virtual design, microchips and lots, lots more!

ARRIVAL:  On Thursday, February  19th parents and students should arrive by 6:00 AM.  THE BUS WILL ROLL OUT AT  6:15 AM and return at 5:30 PM.  Please park your vehicles in the FARTHEST southeast tree-lined corner parking lot near Fir Street of Peoples Church Campus.  Peoples Church has instructed us not park in front of the church near the world globe.  This area is for church events. 

EXPECTATIONS:  All students and parents will check in with Mrs. Fraser before boarding the bus.  Parents will board the bus first, spreading out to cover the entire bus.  Children will sit their parents.  Students without parents will sit across the aisle from chaperones, who will assist with supervision.  Any student unwilling to cooperate with supervising chaperones will not be invited to join the class on the next field trip.

CHAPERONE RESPONSIBILITIES:

**Supervise your group at all times.  This includes bus behavior, rest stops at Casa De Fruita, visits to the restrooms, exploring  the museum’s  three floors of galleries, using on-board escalators or elevators, lunch in the Cesar Chavez Park area with the class, shopping in the Tech Store, or visits to the Tech Cafe.  Be on time for arrivals and departures.

SURPRISE BLESSING FOR CHAPERONES:

After confirming our field trip plans with The Tech Museum yesterday, the Tech representative was  so impressed that our class had 24 chaperones instead of 3 coming from Fresno.  The adult fee will be waived and there will be no charge for adult chaperones on this trip!!!!!  What a blessing!!!!!  If  you have paid your $17.00, you may stop by the Central Office this week and receive a full refund.  Now you have extra spending money for the trip!! Praise God!!!!!

VOLUNTEER PARENT CHAPERONES:

1)  Amy Deffenbacher

2)  Kelly Mynderup

3)  Jen Alberta

4)  Becky Covington

5)  Brenda Rocha

6)  Tina Stephen

7)  Desiree Rocha

8)  Kevin Sue

9)  Jaime DeGroot

10)  Judy Williams

11)  Indra Gunawan

12)  Deanna Hazelton

13)  Martha Fierro

14)  Vincent Neal

15)  Nancy Flores

16)  Griselda Chavez

17)  Michelle Garcia

18)  Monique Mason

If a larger capacity bus happens to arrive Thursday morning, the following chaperones are welcome to join us on the bus.   Otherwise, these parents are welcome to follow the bus in their own vehicle or carpool together:

19)  Quint Marquez

20)  Sara Heath

21)  Tonia Loeffler

22)  Ian Myderup

23)  Rene Cavazos

24)  Petricia Gonzalez

NEW VOLUNTEER POLICY FORM:

All parent chaperones will need to complete the new Volunteer Policy Form before attending, if you haven’t already done so. These forms are available in the office and can be turned into Mrs. Roberts when completed. She will let me know who has been cleared to attend the field trip.  If your child will not be able to attend please let me know that as well. This will free up a seat for another parent.  All students are expected to ride the bus and I encourage all the chaperones to ride the bus as well. We look forward to a GREAT trip!

STUDENTS SHOULD BRING:

Food and drink for  morning and afternoon snacks

Sack lunch and drink with their name

(Sack lunches will be packed in boxes and loaded under bus in storage)

Jacket or sweatshirt

Book to read

Small pillow/and or small blanket

Spending Money ($10.00)  for the TECH Gift Shop/Optional

*WEAR YOUR FCS CLASS FRASER PRAISER  FIELD TRIP T-SHIRT

(This is required by The Tech to recognize specific groups without identifying names of children for security reasons.) 

*NO TOYS, ELECTRONIC DEVICES, OR CELL PHONES ALLOWED

TALENT SHOW

Our annual FCS Elementary Talent Show will be Fri.,  Feb. 20th.  If your child is interested, please fill out the lavender form that came home last week. If you need a new form,  please check with Mrs. Roberts.  This is always a very fun evening.

McTEACHER’S NIGHT 

Thursday, February 26th from 4:30 – 8:00pm we will be hosting a McTeacher’s Night Fellowship FUNdinner to, (first and foremost) gather together for fellowship and also raise money for our school. This night has raised around $800 for us in the past. The students LOVE to see our faculty AND staff in the real world…won’t you please come and support this event?

PHYSICAL FITNESS TRAINING

Mrs. Whipple has begun preparing our third graders for the Physical Fitness Testing which is in March. Please remember to wear tennis shoes each Wednesday and Friday to avoid any injuries. Thanks!

COMING ATTRACTIONS

FEBRUARY

Thursday, February 19 – Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose Field Trip (6:00 AM to 5:30 PM)

Friday, February 20 – PST Elementary Talent Show 7:00-8:30 PM

Thursday, February 26 – McTeachers Night at McDonalds/Cedar and Herndon

Friday, February 27 –  On-line Scholastic Book Orders Due

MARCH

Friday, March 6 – Meux Museum  and Historic Walking Tour of Fresno (8:00 AM to 12:30 PM)

March 23-27 – Stanford Achievement Testing

Friday, March 27 – Easter Party (1:20-2:40 PM)

APRIL

Friday, April 17 – Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies Field Trip (8:00 AM -2:00 PM)

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Loyalty

Reference:  John 15:3-4

Bible Verse:  Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.

Definition:  Supporting someone even when the going gets tough

Opposite:  Unfaithfulness or double-mindedness

SPELLING:  Lesson 22

Lesson 22 Phonics:  Contractions

1.  it’s

2.  I’m

3.  let’s

4.  we’ll

5.  you’d

6.  that’s

7.  they’ll

8.  we’re

9.  you’re

10.  aren’t

11.  they’d

12.  they’ve

13.  there’s

14.  couldn’t

15.  weren’t

16.  might’ve

17.  wouldn’t

18.  shouldn’t

High-frequency Words

19.  direct

20.  captain

Challenge Words

*  president

*  Washington

PARENT CORNER

PARENT CONFERENCES

Thank you for the time spent together during Parent/Teacher Conference Week.  It was very helpful to connect, listen to you share your thoughts and insights, learn more about your family, celebrate progress, and set new goals together.  I appreciate your support, prayers,  and encouragement in this journey of education together with your child.

 VALENTINE’S WEEK

The third graders are learning about the greatest command Jesus gave us: to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor (your study buddy sitting beside you) as much as you love yourself.  Our devotions this week will focus around what it means to be a loyal friend and  love at  all times by knowing, liking, and accepting another person the way God made them.

VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY

Friday, February 13, our class will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a party from 1:20-2:40 PM.  Students may choose to participate in exchanging valentines.  A class list was provided so that all students can be included in the valentine exchange.   Please bring your valentines on the DAY of the party, not any earlier.  Thank you!

It is not too late to check the Valentine’s Party sign-up sheet posted by our classroom door.   Stop by to see if there is something you might like to help with our third graders’ special day.

A pizza lunch in our classroom will be provided for our third graders on Friday so you will not need to pack a lunch but just a morning snack.

MEMORY BOOK

This is a request  to all who have taken pictures of our class this year.  I would appreciate it if you could put them on a CD and send it to school. This would include all our field trips,  Christmas program, and parties.  We are in need of pictures for our Yearbook, which is prepared online. Many thanks!

TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION SAN JOSE FIELD TRIP

We are finalizing plans for the field trip to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose on Thursday, February  19th.  We will be leaving at 6:00 AM and returning by 5:30 PM.

The following parents have volunteered to serve as chaperones.  Chaperones, please be sure to pay your admission fee of $17.00 to Central Office (designated to our Third Grade Account) no later than this Friday, February 13th.

1)  Amy Deffenbacher

2)  Kelly Mynderup

3)  Jen Alberta

4)  Becky Covington

5)  Brenda Rocha

6)  Tina Stephen

7)  Desiree Rocha

8)  Kevin Sue

9)  Jaime DeGroot

10)  Judy Williams

11)  Indra Gunawan

12)  Deanna Hazelton

13)  Martha Fierro

14)  Vincent Neal

15)  Nancy Flores

16)  Griselda Chavez

17)  Michelle Garcia

18)  Monique Mason

19)  Quint Marquez

20)  Sara Heath

21)  Tonia Loeffler

22)  Ian Myderup

23)  Rene Cavazos

24)  Petricia Gonzalez

All parent chaperones will need to complete the new Volunteer policy form before attending, if you haven’t already done so. These forms are available in the office and can be turned into Mrs. Roberts when completed. She will let me know who has been cleared to attend the field trip.  If your child will not be able to attend please let me know that as well. All students are expected to ride the bus and I encourage all the chaperones to ride the bus as well. We look forward to a GREAT trip!

Students should bring: Food and drink for snacks, a SACK lunch and drink with their name, a jacket or sweatshirt, and a book to read.

**They may bring spending money for the gift shop. (Optional.)

FCS AUCTION

The FCS auction preparation is underway!  This is our largest fundraising event each year.  We are excited about setting our goals even higher than last year.  The auction is a great way to donate to our school.  Your donations will bless the lives of others.

Please start thinking about your gift or donation. We are asking each child’s family to contact family, friends, neighbors, and merchants to make a donation to our auction.

I am hoping that each family will find that special something to donate to the auction.  I would like to encourage you to support this event by giving or getting donations of services, trips, items, desserts, and/or dinner tickets.  The dinner/silent and live auction will take place Saturday, March 14, from 5:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the FCS Gym.

FEBRUARY

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATUM AUWAE!

Friday, February 13 – Happy Valentine’s Day! / Party 1:20-2:40 PM

Monday, February 16 – No School / Presidents’ Holiday

Thursday, February 19 – Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose Field Trip (6:00 AM to 5:30 PM)

Friday, February 20 – PST Elementary Talent Show

Friday, February 27 –  On-line Scholastic Book Orders Due

MARCH

Friday, March 6 – Meux Museum  and Historic Walking Tour of Fresno (8:00 AM to 12:30 PM)

March 23-27 – Stanford Achievement Testing

Friday, March 27 – Easter Party (1:20-2:40 PM)

APRIL

Friday, April 17 – Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies Field Trip (8:00 AM -2:00 PM)

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Love

Reference:  I Corinthians 13:4

Bible Verse:  Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Definition:  Meeting another’s needs unselfishly

Opposite:  Putting my own needs first

SPELLING WORDS:  Lesson 21

Pattern Words-R-Controlled Vowels: (eer, err, ur, ure)

1.  deer

2.  steer

3.  turns

4.  error

5.  purse

6.  hurry

7.  nurse

8.  curve

9.  merry

10.  nature

11.  picture

12.  errand

13. pasture

14.  purpose

15.  cheerful

16.  fracture

17.  surprised

18.  adventure

High-Frequency Words

19.  bottom

20. straight

Challenge Words

*  quadrilateral

*  parallelogram

PARENT CORNER

IN APPRECIATION

Our class would like to thank Mrs. Michelle Garcia, a health care professional and Kaiden’s mom, for visiting our classroom last Thursday.  She taught third graders all about allergies and asthma in the San Joaquin Valley.  Ask your child to share with you health tips they learned during her time with us.  Children also worked together on an Allergy Booklet to review important facts learned in class.

PARENT CONFERENCES

This week we begin  parent conferences from February 2-6 for grades 1-6.   Monday through Friday are minimum release days with dismissal at 12:00 PM.   I look forward to meeting together with each of you as we share together about the progress your child is making in third grade.

WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATE

Thank your for your tremendous support and cooperation during The World’s Finest Chocolate Fundraiser!  Our class did a fantastic job!

PEACH BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Congratulations to the following elementary students who were selected last Monday, January 26 at the FCS Peach Blossom Assembly as representatives to California State University, Fresno in spring for the Peach Blossom Festival!

PHYSICAL FITNESS TRAINING

Mrs. Whipple has begun preparing our third graders for the Physical Fitness Testing which is in March.  Please remember to wear tennis shoes each Tuesday and Thursday to avoid any injuries.  Thanks!

VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY

Friday, February 13, our class will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a party from 1:20-2:40 PM.  Students may choose to participate in exchanging valentines.  A class list was provided so that all students can be included in the valentine exchange.   Please bring your valentines on the DAY of the party, not any earlier.  Thank you!

There will be a Valentine’s Party sign-up sheet posted by our classroom door on Monday, February 2.  Stop by to see if there is something you might like to help with our third graders’ special day.

A pizza lunch in our classroom will be provided for our third graders on the day of our party so you will not need to pack a lunch but just a morning snack.

TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION SAN JOSE FIELD TRIP

We will be traveling to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose on Thursday, February  19th to spark students’ fascination for science and technology.  Students will explore interactive exhibit galleries and hands-on experiences.

We will be leaving at 6:00 AM and returning by 5:30 PM.  If you would like to be a chaperone THE DEADLINE IS THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7th.  Please email me by Friday, February 7th,  as I will have a limited number of chaperones on a chartered bus. There will be no siblings or other family members allowed on this trip.  There will also be a sign-up sheet at parent conference appointments next week.  Please kindly understand that I will not be able to take any parents at the last minute who wish to join.

The following parents have volunteered to serve as chaperones:

1)  Amy Deffenbacher

2)  Kelly Mynderup

3)  Jen Alberta

4)  Becky Covington

5)  Brenda Rocha

6)  Tina Stephen

7)  Desiree Rocha

8)  Kevin Sue

9)  Jaime DeGroot

10)  Judy Doubleu Williams

11)  Indra Gunawan

12)  Deanna Hazelton

***WE HAVE ONLY 6 SEATS LEFT ON THE CHARTERED BUS.  IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SERVING AS A CHAPERONE ON THE TECH MUSEUM TRIP, YOU MAY EMAIL ME AT cfraser@fresnochristian.com as soon as possible.

All parent chaperones will need to complete the new Volunteer policy form before attending, if you haven’t already done so. These forms are available in the office and can be turned into Mrs. Roberts when completed. She will let me know who has been cleared to attend the field trip.  If your child will not be able to attend please let me know that as well. All students are expected to ride the bus and I encourage all the chaperones to ride the bus as well. We look forward to a GREAT trip!

Students should bring: Food and drink for snacks, a SACK lunch and drink with their name, a jacket or sweatshirt, and a book to read.

**They may bring spending money for the gift shop. (Optional.)

Admission fee for students has been covered by tuition fees.  Adult Chaperone school group-rate admission will be $17.00.  All money transactions will be handled through the FCS Central Office and paid the Third Grade Account.  One check from the school will be made payable to the Tech Museum.   If you are one of the 17 chaperones, please pay your admission fee to the Central Office by Friday, February 6.

FCS AUCTION

The FCS auction preparation is underway!  This is our largest fundraising event each year.  We are excited about setting our goals even higher than last year.  The auction is a great way to donate to our school.  Your donations will bless the lives of others.

Please start thinking about your gift or donation. We are asking each child’s family to contact family, friends, neighbors, and merchants to make a donation to our auction.

I am hoping that each family will find that special something to donate to the auction.  I would like to encourage you to support this event by giving or getting donations of services, trips, items, desserts, and/or dinner tickets.  The dinner/silent and live auction will take place Saturday, March 14, from 5:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the FCS Gym.

SPIRIT DAYS

Just a a reminder that every Friday is SPIRIT DAY at Fresno Christian.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

FEBRUARY

February 2-6 – Parent Teacher Conferences / Early Dismissal at 12:00 PM

Monday, February 9 – No School / Lincoln’s Birthday

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATUM AUWAE!

Friday, February 13 – Happy Valentine’s Day! / Party 1:20-2:40 PM

Monday, February 16 – No School / Presidents’ Holiday

Thursday, February 19 – Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose Field Trip (6:00 AM to 5:30 PM)

Friday, February 20 – PST Elementary Talent Show

Friday, February 27 –  On-line Scholastic Book Orders Due

MARCH

Friday, March 6 – Meux Museum  and Historic Walking Tour of Fresno (8:00 AM to 12:30 PM)

March 23-27 – Stanford Achievement Testing

Friday, March 27 – Easter Party (1:20-2:40 PM)

APRIL

Friday, April 17 – Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies Field Trip (8:00 AM -2:00 PM)

BIBLE VERSE

Character Trait:  Seeker

Reference:  Jeremiah 29:1

Verse:  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Definition:  Searching to know more of who God is

Opposite:  Lack of interest in the things of God

*This week students will write their Bible verse without a line prompt form.  Third graders should write the character trait, reference, and verse with spacing between words.  (It is not required to write the definition and opposite meanings.)  

SPELLING

LESSON 20  Pattern Words:   R-Controlled Vowels (air, ear, er, ir )

1.  stir

2.  first

3.  silver

4.  chair

5.  learn

6.  early

7.  stairs

8.  skirts

9.  heard

10.  nearly

11.  fearful

12.  airport

13.  answer

14.  upstairs

15.  thirteen

16.  covered

17.  together

18.  shepherd

High-Frequency Words

19.  engine

20.  symbol

Challenge Words

*  temperature

*  thermometer

**This week third graders will be required to write the first fifteen words in cursive on their spelling test.  Next week students will begin writing all spelling words in cursive.

PARENT CORNER

PEACH BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Congratulations to the following students who were chosen to compete in our Oral Interpretation Assembly on Monday, January 26th from 12:30-1:30 PM in the North Lobby Chapel!

Tryphena Gunawan

Madilyn Hazelton

Mallory Loeffler

Adrianne Paderna

All students did a fabulous job in presenting their poems to the class and should be proud of their accomplishments!  Parents are all welcome to attend the finalist round of the 1st-3rd grade Oral Interpretation Assembly. Students will be selected to advance as representatives of Fresno Christian Schools to the Peach Blossom Festival held at California State University, Fresno in early spring.

Parent conferences will be held next week, February 2-6 for grades 1-6.   Monday through Friday are minimum release days with dismissal at 12:00 PM.   Please return your conference confirmation by Friday of this week if you have not already done so.   If you need to reschedule, please call Mrs. Roberts  at 292-7704 – ext 103.   I look forward to sharing with you the progress your child has made.

TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION SAN JOSE FIELD TRIP

We will be traveling to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose on Thursday, February  19th to spark students’ fascination for science and technology.  Students will explore interactive exhibit galleries and hands-on experiences.

We will be leaving at 6:00 AM and returning by 5:30 PM.  If you would like to be a chaperone THE DEADLINE IS  FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7th.  Please email me by Friday, February 7th,  as I will have a limited number of chaperones on a chartered bus. There will be no siblings or other family members allowed on this trip.  There will also be a sign-up sheet at parent conference appointments next week.  Please kindly understand that I will not be able to take any parents at the last minute who wish to join.

All parent chaperones will need to complete the new Volunteer policy form before attending, if you haven’t already done so. These forms are available in the office and can be turned into Mrs. Roberts when completed. She will let me know who has been cleared to attend the field trip.  If your child will not be able to attend please let me know that as well. All students are expected to ride the bus and I encourage all the chaperones to ride the bus as well. We look forward to a GREAT trip!

Students should bring: Food and drink for snacks, a SACK lunch and drink with their name, a jacket or sweatshirt, and a book to read.

**They may bring spending money for the gift shop. (Optional.)

MATH

During the next few weeks our class will be learning about geometry and measurement.  You can expect to see work that  provides practice with identifying and classifying plane figures and solid figures as well as with finding area, perimeter, and volume.

WRITING

This third quarter we will focus on learning to write fictional narratives or stories.  We will study about story elements including characters (imaginary people, animals, or creatures), the setting (time and place), the plot (sequence of events), the villain (someone or something that causes a problem), the conflict (a problem), and the resolution (how the problem is solved).

Third graders will learn how to develop a plot with a beginning, middle, and end.  They will also develop the characters and setting by using strategies like dress-ups, action, descriptive detail, and dialogue to make their stories interesting.  We will also focus on correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

READING COUNTS PROGRAM

Our Reading Counts Program is up and going in third grade!  Mr. Hyatt, our Computer Technologist, is teaching computer lab with our new ipads for elementary every Monday morning.  You will find a weekly “Student Reading Report” printed each Monday in your child’s Red Homework Folder.  It logs the progress your third grader makes each week.  It will show the titles of books your child has read independently and the score received after completing a comprehension quiz.  Students must have a 70% or above to receive points toward goal levels of recognition.  This week students should read a minimum of two books and successfully pass the comprehension quizzes as  part of their reading grade.

Students may also take quizzes at home under adult supervision.

SCHOLASTIC READING INVENTORIES

The second component of the Scholastic reading program is an reading tool  to measure reading comprehension.  Students take an inventory once a month to measure the growth in their lexile comprehension level.  By the end of the third grade students should be reading in a lexile range of 500-800 and beyond.  The more they read, the more the scores will grow.

CANDY GRAM FUNDRAISER 

The California Junior Scholarship Federation (an organization promoting scholarship for service) at Fresno Christian Junior High is conducting its annual Candy Gram fundraiser. The money collected will be used for books for a local group in the Fresno area.

CJSF will be selling the candy grams for $1 beginning Tuesday, February 3 and ending at 3 P.M. on Thursday, February 12, 2015. The candy grams will be distributed on Friday, February 13, 2015. If you pay by check, make them payable to Fresno Christian Schools and indicate CJSF on the memo line. If you or your child wish to purchase any candy grams, you may ask your child’s teacher for forms, or call the high school office (299-1695 ext. 4), and Mrs. Belmont will see that you get the forms you need.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDER

The January Scholastic Online Book Order  is due Friday, January 30th.  You may place your order online and pay by credit card at scholastic.com/reading club.  Use the one time class activation code:  L9NJ4.

VALENTINE’S PARTY 

We will celebrate on Friday, February 13th.  Our party will be from 1:20 PM – 2:40 PM.  The children will exchange valentines with each another.  Please be sure  your child brings a valentine for everybody.  A class list will be provided for your convenience.   Please bring your valentines on the DAY of the party, not any earlier.  Thank you

COMING ATTRACTIONS

JANUARY

Monday, January 26 – Peach Blossom Assembly Grades 1-3 North Lobby Chapel 12:30-1:15 PM

FEBRUARY

February 2-7 – Parent Teacher Conferences / Early Dismissal at 12:00 PM

Monday, February 9 – No School / Lincoln’s Birthday

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATUM AUWAE!

Friday, February 13 – Happy Valentine’s Day! / Class Party 1:20-2:40 PM

Monday, February 16 – No School / Presidents’ Holiday

Thursday, February 19 – Tech Museum of Innovation San Jose Field Trip (6:00 AM to 5:30 PM)

Friday, February 20 – PST Elementary Talent Show

MARCH

Friday, March 6 – Meux Museum  and Historic Walking Tour of Fresno (8:00 AM to 12:30 PM)

March 23-27 – Stanford Achievement Testing

Friday, March 27 – Easter Party (1:20-2:40 PM)

APRIL

Friday, April 17 – Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies Field Trip (8:00 AM -2:00 PM)

Spirit Day is every Friday. Please wear your favorite FCS shirt.

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Humility  

Reference:  Philippians 2:3

Bible Verse:  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Definition:  Allowing God His rightful place at the center of my life and giving Him the glory of praise I might receive  

Opposite:  Pride or self-importance

SPELLING

LESSON 19  Pattern Words:   R-Controlled Vowels

1.  yours

2.  share

3.  warm

4.  worry

5.  fourth

6.  course

7.  report

8.  corner

9.  before

10.  depart

11.  storms

12.  careful

13.  worker

14.   market

15.  warning

16.  shortest

17.  seashore

18.  forgotten

High-Frequency Words

19.  noisy

20.  mountain

Challenge Words

*  vitamins

*  minerals

PARENT CORNER

Third graders are enjoying the experience of sharing their poems in class.   They are all doing a great job!   All students should have their poems memorized  by Thursday and should be putting on their finishing touches with hand motions, facial expressions, or gestures.

Classroom participants will be selected for  on Friday, Jan. 23rd.  No parents will attend on  this day.  Keep practicing at home, as there are only a few days left before our classroom participants are chosen.

PEACH BLOSSOM ASSEMBLY

Parents are invited to the Finalist Round of the Peach Blossom Assembly, Monday. Jan. 26th at 12:30 PM in the North Lobby Chapel.

MATH

There will be a math test on Friday, January 23 over Chapter 6 Multiplication Facts.  A pre-test will be sent home to review in preparation for the test on Friday.  Students may turn in Red Homework Folders on Friday of this shortened week.  Be sure to review factors of 6, 7, 8, and 9.

WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATES FUNDRAISER

The children are doing a wonderful job selling chocolates!! Check out  your World’s Finest Chocolate boxes  from now until January 31st. Please turn in your money in the envelopes enclosed in your boxes to the campus secretary, Mrs. Roberts, not your teachers , (student’s name and teacher need to be written on them).

VALENTINE’S PARTY

 We will celebrate on Friday, Feb. 13th.  Our party will be from 1:20 – 2:40. The children will exchange valentines with one another. Please be sure  your child brings a valentine for everybody.  A class list will be sent home next week so that you can include all students.

BIBLE

This week the story of Genesis shifts to Joseph in Chapter 37.  Running through the Joseph stories is one theme:  the mystery of God’s providence.  The stories our third graders will study show God working out his purposes in spite of and through human evil.  Genesis 37 identifies Joseph as his father’s chosen and the one to whom God gave a dream.  This week we will study the story of how Joseph is despised by his brothers and sold into slavery and eventually finds himself in Potiphar’s house, an Egyptian official.  We will learn about Joseph’s God-given ability to interpret dreams.

HEALTH/SCIENCE

We have been studying about “Shaping Up My Choices” and Food Group Finds.  Students have a Family Homework assignment along with the weekly math homework.  Look for the Lesson 2 “My Dinner Foods” in your RED FOLDER.  Complete the student activity and family activity together and return in your RED FOLDER by Friday, January 23rd.  

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Elementary conferences are scheduled for the week of February 3-7.  School is dismissed at 12:00 PM each day during that week.  Your scheduled appointment time will be included in your child’s Red Folder on Tuesday, Jan. 20th. Please sign and return by Friday, Jan. 30th.  If you need to change your time, please call Mrs. Roberts at 299 1695, ext. 103.

KID’S CLUB

Parent volunteers are needed to lead Kids’ Clubs this spring.  Kids’ Clubs are fun activities like arts & crafts, sports and games, and food creations that the kids participate in during the second half of lunch recess.  PST is looking for parents who want to volunteer 25 minutes of their time to lead a club this spring.  We’ll give you an idea if you don’t have one and even supply the materials.  You don’t need to be crafty or have teaching experience, just a desire to spend a little time with children.  A flyer will be coming home with your child this week.  Flyers are due back by Friday, January 23rd. Please contact PST’s Kids’ Club Coordinator, Jennifer Dansby, at 681-4605 or jenniferdansby@sbcglobal.net.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

JANUARY

Friday, January 23 – Classroom Peach Blossom Presentations

Monday, January 26 – Finalist Round Peach Blossom Assembly – 12:30 PM – North Lobby Chapel (All Invited)

 BIBLE

Character Trait:  Generosity

Reference:  Psalms 11:5

Verse:  Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Definition:  Freely sharing with others from what God has allowed me to have

Opposite:  Selfishness or holding on to things instead of sharing

SPELLING WORDS:  LESSON 18

This week is a review week.  Please review all words from Lessons 13-17.  You will find a study list of words attached to your newsletter on Monday.  There will be a multiple choice test this Friday.  Next week in Lesson 19 we will continue to write 5 more words in cursive as we study our weekly 20 words and 2 challenge words.  This will make 10 words to practice writing in cursive.

PARENT CORNER

WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATE IS HERE!

Our World’s Finest Chocolate candy bar FUNdraiser began this Friday, January 9th and will run through Friday, January 30th.

LAST FRIDAY we began checking out cases of candy (containing 60 bars each) next to the pick up point, (PC Pirate Ship), from 2:30 until about 3:30. You may pick up chocolate boxes to sell every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, (same times) until the FUNdraiser ends.

Parents must sign the chocolate out for the students to sell. Students will be responsible for selling all 60 bars. Once candy is issued, no returns will be accepted. You do not pay up front for the chocolate boxes.

Please use the small envelope provided in each case to turn in your money once each case is sold. Any checks should be made to Fresno Christian PST. A prize sheet will be posted in the elementary office window, and on the checkout table.

APPLEBEE’S DINING TO DONATE

Please mark your calendars to come fellowship and support FCS at our FUNdinner coming up on January 15th at Applebee’s on Herndon and Cedar! Bring the attached flyer so FCS will receive 15% of the proceeds.

Thank you for supporting our school through these successful FUNdraisers!

Fresno Christian PST Board

Please note that every THURSDAY is Library Day from 12:30-1:15 PM for our third grade class.  Students should be returning their books two weeks or sooner.  They are required to check out 3 Red Star Books from the recommended reading list in the library each week.  They may keep their library books up to TWO weeks before they are overdue.

Please keep library books stored in student backpacks while at home so that their Red Star Books go back and forth to school every day.  Children have a routine to pull Red Star Books out  of their backpacks after lunch for daily Sustained Silent Reading.   Much reading time is wasted when children do not have their reading books to complete their independent reading assignments to be prepared for READING COUNTS.  Students are required to read a minimum of 1 Red Star Book per week and take a quiz with a passing score of 70% or above.

READING COUNTS GOALS

As students read RED STAR BOOKs and take quizzes on the computer, each book is assigned a point value.  Students will earn points toward award certificate levels:

Special Reading Certificates
BLUE – 25 POINTS
RED – 50 POINTS
BRONZE – 100 POINTS
SILVER – 250 POINTS
GOLD – 500 POINTS

 Year-End Awards

100 points- Ice Cream Party

500 points- Pizza Party Lunch

ACADEMIC END OF THE YEAR MATH REWARDS

COMING ATTRACTIONS

JANUARY

Tuesday, January 13 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAITLYNNE HOOD!!

Wednesday, January 14 – Peach Blossom Poem Due

Thursday, January 15 – Applebee’s Fellowship and Fundraiser  Night/Cedar and Herndon

Monday, January 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday – No School

Friday, January 23 – Classroom Peach Blossom Presentations

Monday, January 26 – Finalist Round Peach Blossom Assembly – 12:30 PM – North Lobby Chapel (All Invited)

CHARACTER TRAIT:  Encouragement

Reference:  Romans 15:2

Bible Verse:  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Definition:   Supporting others in ways that inspire hope, courage, or confidence in others 

Opposite:  Gossiping

SPELLING

Lesson 17:  Pattern Words–Words with the (o) Sound

1.  loss

2.  also

3.  stall

4. haul

5.  fault

6.  often

7.  rainfall

8.  almost

9.  always

10.  caught

11.  bought

12.  lawyer

13.  authors

14.  naughty

15.  yawned

16.  daughter

17.  awesome

18.  thoughtful

High Frequency Words

19.  beside

20.  distance

Challenge Words

*presidio

*pueblo

Cursive:  Beginning third quarter, students will start to take their spelling tests in printing and cursive.  Third graders will be graded for spelling credit in printing and progress will be observed in cursive for handwriting.  This week the first 5 spelling words will be required in printing and cursive.  We will add 5 more words each week until we reach the required 20 words plus challenge words.  After several weeks, the training wheels of printing will be removed and spelling tests will be in cursive only.  You will be informed in a future newsletter which week the cursive-only requirement starts for spelling.

PARENT CORNER

WINTER WELCOME!

What a peaceful and restful Christmas with family and dear friends!  I trust all of you had a wonderful Christmas vacation enjoying the holidays together with your loved ones.  May the presence of Jesus be our guiding light!  Happy New Year!

IN APPRECIATION

I wish to deeply thank all of the FCS families  for the beautiful expression of love given to all Fresno Christian teachers and staff in receiving a Christmas donation gift check.  We appreciate your generosity in making our family Christmas special.  May God’s peace dwell in your hearts.  All of the teachers and staff also wish to to thank the Parents Serving Together Board for the festive Christmas bag filled with wonderful, thoughtful holiday delights! What a special  gift of that was!  May God’s blessing you rest upon you as serve our school.

I also wanted to thank all of you third graders along with your moms and dads for the goodness of the Lord.  Your thoughtful, individual holiday gifts made Christmas so special to me.  Thank you for your cards of encouragement.  My heart was moved by your giving spirit at this time of year.  The Christmas Class Gift Basket was absolutely wonderful!!!  I thank God for each one of you and your presence in my life.  He is exceedingly great and you have been the light of His love.

BIBLE

In January Unit 3 focuses on the start of the great nation of Israel, begins with the story of Jacob’s 12 sons and God’s blessings on Jacob with many sons. We will read the story of how Jacob flees from Laban to return to Canaan, the land God had promised to his family.  God wrestles with Jacob at the Jabbok River  as angels meet Jacob as he sets out on the final leg of his trip back to Canaan.  It is here that Jacob receives his new identity–Israel (he who strives with God.) This week we will see how God heals broken hearts and Esau is able to embrace and forgive his brother, Jacob for stealing his birthright and blessing.

 MATH

During the next few weeks our class will be learning more about multiplication of whole numbers.  You can expect to see work that provides practice in multiplying with 6, 7, 8, and 9.  We will learn about the Associative Property which means that the way factors are grouped does not change the product.  We will be introducing the variable n in this chapter.  N is just a symbol to show a missing number.

PEACH BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Third grade students were instructed to begin selecting poems before Christmas to memorize for the Peach Blossom Festival.  Requirements for third grade include:

A minimum of 12-16 lines (3-4 stanzas)

Identify the title and author at the beginning of the selection

Choose selections that allow children to “bring to life” their pieces through their voice and and gestures

Poem of integrity and value

Appropriate selection for age

Vocal variety in volume, rate, pitch

Hand and/or Body Movements

Eye Contact

Creativity Utilized

Meaning and Emotion

Naturalness and Sincerity

We will read poems together in class.  Students should each choose a different poem.  Once selected, students should begin to memorize their poem on a daily basis at home with parental guidance.   A “Helpful Hints” guide sheet for memorizing and presenting the poem will be sent home with the newsletter to assist parents on tips for a great, effective presentation.  Please continue to work individually with your child on these steps.  We look forward to sharing our favorite poems with our classmates.  Thank you for your cooperation in helping your children learn their poems.

Your child needs to choose a poem and send a copy of it to school by Wednesday, January 14th.  Students may select from a variety of sources.  The school has a grade level resource book with Associated Christian Schools International collection of poems  and elementary speech materials for third grade including classic poets and more contemporary poets like Robert Louis Stevenson, A. A. Milne, Helen Steiner Rice, David McCord.  There are many poetry books at school in our classroom and in the library.  Parents are welcome to look on-line for poems and have your child submit a copy for approval.

All students are expected to memorize a poem as part of their oral language grade for third quarter in language.  Our class oral interpretation speech meet for evaluations will be Friday, January 23rd.  This will be for students only.  On Monday, January 26th, those chosen will advance to the finalist round in our Peach Blossom Assembly at 12:30 PM in North Lobby Chapel.  All are invited to attend for this Assembly.  Judges will select students to represent our school at the California State University, Fresno Peach Blossom Festival in early spring.

READING

There will be no book report project assigned this month as students will be busy memorizing poems for the oral presentation in Oral Language.  Students will have the next 3 weeks to practice and prepare the presentations of their oral poetry.  We will continue our leveled reading adventures in reading groups.

WRITING

This third quarter we will focus on learning to write fictional narratives or stories.  We will study about story elements including characters (imaginary people, animals, or creatures), the setting (time and place), the plot (sequence of events), the villain (someone or something that causes a problem), the conflict (a problem), and the resolution (how the problem is solved).

Third graders will learn how to creatively develop a plot with a beginning, middle, and end.  They will develop the characters and setting by using strategies like dress-ups, action, descriptive detail, and dialogue to make their stories interesting.  We will also focus on correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

JANUARY SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS

Scholastic HAPPY NEW YEAR Book Orders will be sent home today.  All orders must be placed on-line.  You may order from more than one catalogue listing.  You may place your order online by  January 30.  Use our One-Time Class Activation Code:  L9Nj4

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will begin Unit 3 Community History this week with Chapter 5 How Communities Began.  Lesson 1 will include Exploring California and rulers who sent Spanish, English, and Russian explorers to California.  We will follow routes on a map.  We will learn about early communities including Spanish missions, presidios, and pueblos.  We study how to  read a time line.

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

Our class is starting a program to learn more about nutritional, healthy eating and physical-activity choices called “Shaping Up My Choices.”  We will discover how to build balanced meals using a food grouping system, name the nutrients of each food group, balance breakfast, lunch, and snacks with healthy choices, read the Nutrition Facts label on food packages.  We will also learn about serving sizes of foods, learn about the benefits of being physically active, and learn about healthy beverage choices.

*After some of the lessons, students will bring activities home that you as parents can do together.  I would also like to invite a parent who is in the health or medical field to come and share with the children about their profession. Let me know if you would be willing to come and share with us. The children are so proud when  mom or dad or grandma or grandpa come to our classroom and share. 

WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATES

PST will start distributing boxes of THE WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATE on Wednesday,  January 7th for our New Year’s Fundraiser. Easy to sell and still only $1.00 each!  Parents MUST sign for the boxes of chocolate. Students cannot sign them out on their own.  (Once opened, the boxes CANNOT be returned.)  More details will be given to the students this week. Have fun selling lots of chocolate!!!!!

APPLEBEE’S FELLOWSHIP FUNDINNER

BOX TOP TREASURE DAY

Just a reminder that this Friday, January 9th is a Box Top Collection Day so be sure to bring in your pre-counted boxtops on Friday.

SPIRIT DAY

Remember that every Friday is Spirit Day!  So be sure to wear your favorite FCS spirit wear on Fridays!!

COMING ATTRACTIONS

JANUARY

Monday, January 5 – Happy New Year!  School resumes

Monday, January 5 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRYPHENA GUNAWAN!!

Monday, January 5 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVA FLORES!!

Wednesday, January 7 – World’s Finest Chocolate Kick-Off Fundraiser Begins

Wednesday, January 7 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB MYNDERUP!!

Tuesday, January 13 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAITLYNNE HOOD!!

Wednesday, January 14 – Peach Blossom Poem Due

Monday, January 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday – No School

Friday, January 23 – Classroom Peach Blossom Presentations

Monday, January 26 – Finalist Round Peach Blossom Assembly – 12:30 PM – North Lobby Chapel (All Invited)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

PARENT CORNER

IN APPRECIATION

Thank you dear parents for such a wonderful Friday Christmas caroling with our class!!  WOW!!  What blessing for the residents, children and for all of us!  The picnic lunch and beautiful playground was wonderful!  The time together was precious!! Thank you for all your help in the classroom and provisions of food and supplies throughout this semester.  God has been so good and we now enter the most beautiful season of the year.  Jesus is the reason for this magnificent season!!  My heart is full of gratitude and I pray your families will enjoy this time of celebration in honoring Christ’s birth as you spend time together with your family and close friends.  May God’s peace rest upon you. . . .

BIBLE VERSE TEST AND SPELLING TEST

There will be no new Bible verse or Spelling Test this week.  Merry Christmas!!

ELEMENTARY CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Come celebrate a very special holiday tradition tomorrow evening, Tuesday, December 9th in the Peoples Church Auditorium.  The Elementary Christmas Program will start at 7:00 PM.  Children will sit by class.  This will be a dress-up evening for the children in their Christmas Holiday Best! We look forward to a beautiful evening for all of your family and friends!!

TOGETHER WE CAN

Thank you for all who have given so generously to the food drive for the Pinedale community during this Christmas  season.  It has been wonderful to see the buckets fill up, knowing we are helping those in need, all in the name of JESUS!

CHRISTMAS FLEECE BLANKETS

What a tremendous response we received for the fleece fabric to make and tie soft, warm blankets for the homeless and for women and children in shelters for the abused!!  WOW!!   Monday, December 8th Mrs. Mary Lou Savage will come to our classroom at 12:30 PM right after lunch to teach the 3rd graders  how to tie blanket knots and complete them. When they are finished, Mrs. Savage will lead us in a  prayer to bless the blankets that will go out to serve and minister to those in need.  If you would to join us and lend a helping hand with the children tying knots, you are very welcome!!  

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS

This week  we will be complete our benchmark assessments in writing,  math, and reading.  

SECRET ANGEL

Last Friday our class exchanged names and will be blessing classmates with kind notes and thoughtful deeds this week.  On Thursday, December 11th   third graders will bring a gift  (no more than $5.00) for their secret friend and reveal the person they have been blessing. Above all, keep it a secret.  Do not put the name of the child to whom the present goes, but put your own child’s name on the tag (who the gift is from.)  We will exchange gifts the last hour of the day at 1:30 PM and have a Happy Birthday Cake for Jesus.   Students should be prepared to share Christ-like traits about their Secret Angel before they reveal the name of the student they have been praying for and blessing.

LOST AND FOUND

Parents and students, you are welcome to please check the Lost and Found rack. Lots of nice items will be going to charity if not claimed by Friday the 12th. Thank you!

END OF SECOND QUARTER

Our second quarter ends on December 12th.  Please check your child’s grades on Powerschool and send in any late work, missing assignments, re-do’s NO LATER THAN THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11th.  Grades will be finalized and posted online in PowerSchool on Tuesday, December 16.

SKATING PARTY

Friday, December 12th, third graders will have a pancake and sausage breakfast  at 8:00 AM sharp.  At 9:10 AM we will load up and head to Cal Skate for our elementary Christmas Skating Party beginning at 9:30-11:30 AM.

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET RETURNED YOUR TRANSPORTATION PLANS, PLEASE DO SO BY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH SO THAT I CAN ARRANGE CARPOOLS FOR STUDENTS NEEDING RIDES  TO CAL SKATE AND RETURNING TO FCS CAMPUS.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMPT HELP WITH THIS. A CARPOOL PERMISSION FORM WILL THEN BE SENT HOME ON WEDNESDAY FOR AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSPORT CHILDREN NEEDING RIDES THE SKATING RINK.

All skating fees for third grade students are pre-paid through our class account. Parents and siblings that skate will need to pay the $6.50 for each skating session at the door. Non-skating parents who would just like to come and watch kids skate will need to pay an entrance fee of $3.00 at the door. Parents that wish to be a spectator at one session and skate at the other session need to pay $9.50. Roller blades may been worn but they must have flush bolts, (no sharp exposed bolts/screws). If your skates have a heel brake it must be in good condition, no screw showing. Roller blades will be inspected by Cal Skate employees and if they do not meet the standards, you will need to use roller skates. Children are free to leave directly from Cal-Skate for Christmas vacation if that works best for you. School is dismissed at 12:00 PM.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Tuesday, December 9 – K-6 Christmas Program @ 7:00  PM Peoples Church Sanctuary