March 3

The Holland Sentinel came this week to see what we do in 3rd grade and
took this picture of our class.  

Upcoming Dates/Reminders:

• Reading Minutes due on Monday.
• Math homework will come home on Monday and will be due on Friday.
• Word work will come home on Monday and our test will be on Friday.
• March 9- The 3rd graders have been invited the attend a dress rehearsal of the 8th grade play The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes.   We will be at the Middle School from approximately 12:45-2:30.  
• March 10- Fun Night will be at Pine Ridge from 5:30-8:00.  We need lots of volunteers to make this night possible.  If you are able to help, please sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090848abad2ea31-funnight.  It would also be appreciated if 3rd graders brought in regular size candy bars to be used for prizes.  Any donations can be brought to the office.  
• March 17- End of the 3rd Quarter
• March 22 (Wednesday)-Our class will be going to the Outdoor Discovery Center.  We will be learning about Native American lifeways and voyageurs.  We will be leaving school around 8:30 in the morning and returning by 2:30.  Students will be spending the majority of the day outdoors and will need to be dressed appropriately.  They will also need a sack lunch and drink.  I am able to take 3 parent volunteers along.  Please let me know if you would like to come.  
• Spring conferences:  These will be held on Monday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 29 from 4:00-8:00 p.m.  Sign-ups begin on March 6 at 8:00 a.m.  If you are leaving early for spring break and would like to schedule an earlier conference, please contact me and we will arrange for a different time.  
• March is reading month!  A Whitecaps form came home on Thursday with your child.  Have them fill in the number of minutes they read each evening (15 minutes are required) and then return it to me at the end of the month to receive a voucher for free tickets to a Whitecaps game.  Your child's Reading minutes for class may gladly count for this as well!
• Take a look for us in the Holland Sentinel this weekend!  We had a reporter in our room this week to see what we do in 3rd grade at Pine Ridge.  The article should be published in this Sunday's newspaper.  :)

Curriculum Highlights:

Devotions:  A big thanks to Camryn and Cole for leading us in Devotions this week.  Chris DeZwaan and I also did a special devotional on Ash Wednesday to remind the students of remembering the gift of Jesus dying for us, forgiving us of our sins, and that we are so loved.  

Literacy:  We continued this week with our nonfiction research.  This week we focused on the behaviors and defenses of our animals.  Everyone is finding a lot of information, organizing their notes into cause and effect, and working on the rough draft of the chapter.  Each day it is so quiet in the room as everyone is fully engaged in the research.  It is awesome to watch and be part of!

Math:  We have begun a new unit on Fractions.  This week most of our work was hands on with manipulatives and fraction strips.  We covered what a numerator and denominator are, how to split a whole into equal parts, and how to locate fractions on a number line.

Bible:  This week we saw God lead the Israelites across the Red Sea and how His faithfulness continues to his people.  The students placed themselves into the shoes of an Israelite child and wrote a great journal entry on how they felt as they crossed the Sea.  We also began our new Bible memory passage of Matthew 28:1-10.

Social Studies:  We are focusing on Michigan's economy.  This week we learned about manufacturing, specialization, exporting and importing goods, and interdependence on other states and countries to supply things that we need.

Playing a Social Studies game with our friends

Have a wonderful weekend!
Lynae