Gingerbread Houses

December 16

Upcoming Dates/ Reminders:

• Reading minutes are due Monday
• No word work this coming week due to the many Christmas activities
• Tuesday- December 20.  We will be caroling at Resthaven on 40th street from 1:15-1:45.  The plan is to walk to Resthaven so bundle your kids up!  However, if it is as cold as today, we will be getting a bus.  
• Wednesday- December 21.  Gingerbread Houses in the gym from 8:30-10:00.  The class is SO excited for this event and I am thrilled to have so many of you joining us!
• Positive Options- Wednesday, December 21.  Right after Gingerbread houses, Positive Options (formally Lakeshore Pregnancy Center) will be at Pine Ridge for a special chapel to collect all of the items we have been gathering for them.  Our class has brought in 106 baby items!  Thank you for blessing Positive Options in this way.
• Thursday- December 22.  Class Christmas Party from 2:15-3:00.  A huge thank you to Sara Wierenga, Christi Nadig, and Patti Laninga for planning this event for the kids.
• Friday- December 23.  Math game day at the Middle School.  We will be walking to the Middle school as well so once again make sure your child has their warm snow gear ready to go!  We will be at the Middle School from 9:15-10:00.
• Luke 2:6-20 is due on Friday, December 23.  I will have students recite it to me on this day if they have not turned in their form from home.  
• December 26- January 8  Christmas Break

Curriculum Highlights:
Reading:  Our book clubs are coming to a close.  I wish all of you could hear the kids as they discuss their books.  They are looking for evidence in their books to prove their thinking as they meet with their peers and the discussions are so rich!

Writing:  We finished editing our personal narratives this week and began working on our final copy.  We will be having our Writing Celebration next week with Mrs. DeZwaan's class.

Bible:  We read about Laban and Jacob this week and how both of these men would deceive each other.  We saw how God continues to bless Jacob as he leaves Laban and goes back to his family and home to his brother Esau.  We saw forgiveness with Esau and how God heals relationships.
We are also focusing on the Christmas story and we are busy reciting Luke 2:6-20 each day in class.

Science:  We continued our unit called Changes in Motion this week as we learned about force, variables, friction, and gravity.  All of our lessons involve fun experiments which the kids love.

Math: We concluded our unit on time, measurement, and graphing this week and completed our Math test today.  Look for these tests to come home next week!

Blessings!
Lynae

December 9

Upcoming Dates/Reminders:

• Reading Minutes are due Monday.
• Word work will be given on Monday with a test on Friday.
• Math test:  Our next test will be Friday, December 16.  I sent home the review this week. It is due back on Wednesday, December 14.  Have your child circle any problems that are difficult and I will be sure to reteach that concept to him/her.  
• Supplies:  A few students are getting low on pencils, erasers, and dry erase markers.  Please check with your child to see if they are in need of more supplies.  Our class "extra" supply bin is running low.
• Clorox Wipes:  We are doing a great job of staying healthy and wiping our desks down each day.  If you are able to donate more wipes, I would greatly appreciate it!
• Swimming lessons are in full swing and the kids are doing great!  Our time was shoved back a bit this week so we are now at the pool from 1:35-2:20.  
• December 20- (Tuesday) Resthaven has requested the the 3rd grade "choir" return and sing to the residents.  We will be at the Resthaven on 40th Street from 1:15-1:45.  
• December 21- (Wednesday)  Gingerbread Houses.  See the link at the top of the blog to sign up to help.  We will be creating these from 8:30-10:00 in the gym.  
• December 22- (Thursday)  3rd Grade Class party from 2:15-3:00.  A HUGE thank you to Sara Wieringa, Christi Nadig, and Patti Laninga for helping organize the party.  
• December 23- (Friday) Cardboard arcade game day at the Middle School.  The 7th graders have been busy creating these games and have invited us to come play.  We will be at the Middle School from 9:15-10:00 that morning.
• Positive Options:  Instead of doing a student gift exchange, we are collecting items for Positive Options.  There will be a special chapel on December 21 where we bless Positive Options with the items we collected.  Currently our class has 74 items.  Thank your for your generosity.  
• MUSIC NOTE FROM MRS. BOER - Your child came home with a NAVY FOLDER with a music review sheet in it. The expectation is that that navy folder goes back and forth to school and home. Eventually it will be holding recorder music and sometimes a homework page. When your child brings it back to school on music days, they receive a sticker to put on it as a way to keep track of how often they remember to bring their folder to school.  Your child has music on Thursdays. 

Curriculum Highlights:
Reading:  Book clubs continue in the classroom!  The students are diving in deep with responding to the teaching points each day and are very thoughtful in their group discussions.

Writing:  We added a lot of sensory details, thoughts, and feeling to our narrative writing.  This work was done with our writing partner.

Math:  This week we focused on reading a creating mulidigit graphs.  Our next Math test will be next week Friday.

Bible:  This week we read about Jacob marrying Leah and Rachel.  We saw how Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah yet God chooses to bring his salvation plan out of one of Leah's children, Judah.

Science:  We are busy learning about the force of motion through experiments!  Here are some photos from our week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lynae

December 2

 Upcoming Dates/Reminders:

• Reading Minutes are due on Monday
• Word work will be given on Monday with a test on Friday.
• December 5-16.  Swimming lessons begin!  We will be at the pool from 1:25-2:10.
• December 14-(Wednesday) The Parent team is providing a Christmas luncheon for the staff and I would love to attend.  If you are willing to supervise the class for lunch from 11:55-12:15 please email me at lstielstra@hollandchristian.org.
• December 21- (Wednesday) Gingerbread houses!  We will be creating these in the gym from 8:30-10:00 a.m.  See the link at the top of the blog to learn more details and sign-up to help.
• December 22- (Thursday) Class Christmas Party from 2:15-3:00 p.m.  I would love to have two or three parents plan a few games/activities for this event.  I have had one mom offer to bake treats for the class.  If you are able to help please contact me at lstielstra@hollandchristian.org
• December 23- (Friday) Cardboard arcade game day at the Middle School!  The 7th graders have been busy making arcade games in their Math class and have invited the 3rd graders to come and play!  We will be walking to the Middle School and having fun with the 7th graders from 9:15-10:00 a.m.
• Positive Options- Instead of doing a student exchange for gifts, Pine Ridge is collecting baby items for positive options (formally Lakeshore Pregnancy Center).  Our class has a nice collection of items right outside our classroom door and we are excited to bless Positive Options in this way.  Currently we have collected 39 items.
• December 26-January 8- Christmas Break
• MUSIC NOTE FROM MRS. BOER - We will begin recorders second semester. The cost of a new recorder is $5. You can pick one up in the office for a Christmas stocking stuffer or you can wait until the New Year.

Curriculum Highlights:
Reading:  Our book clubs continue with rich discussions each day.  Every child has now completed the first book in the book series that he/she reading and began the second book today.  We are busy comparing and contrasting the two books in the series.

Writing:  This week we worked at crafting a lead and conclusion for our personal narratives.  Students worked with a partner to ensure that they included setting, dialogue, action, and even a question in these parts of their writing.  I am very impressed with the quality of writing that I am seeing.

Bible:  This week we saw Jacob lie to Isaac and take Esau's blessing.  Jacob flees from his brother Esau and yet we see how God is faithful to Jacob as He comes to him at Bethel and promises to care for him.  We see God's salvation plan unfolding through the family of Jacob.  We have also begun to memorize Luke 2:6-20.  A copy of this passage will come home next week.

Science:  We have begun a new unit called Changes in Motion.  This week we experimented with different variables that can affect motion while playing with toy cars.

Math:  We have been busy adding and subtracting time on clocks and number lines.  Since we are starting graphing (and swimming) next week I gave the class a peek at the test today.  They did all of the measurement and time problems on the test.  Before Christmas break they will once again get the test back and complete all of the graphing questions as well as check over the problems that they completed today.  Keep on practicing telling time at home!

Have a great weekend!
Lynae