Nitzanim Third Grade's Blog

Here are a bunch of “odds and ends” for you this week…

Hebrew Poetry Contest:  Ravsak sponsored a poetry contest earlier this year open to all Day School students and this year’s theme was “Biblical Characters.”  Our third graders wrote poems about Joseph, and many of them made it all the way through the process of editing and submitting their poems.  If your child finished this special project in class a few months ago, they have just received a wonderful certificate from Ravsak.  Yasher Koach!

Goodbye to Moreh Jeff:  This Friday night at Temple Beth Am, Moreh Jeff will be honored for his wonderful contributions to his community, and all SJCS families are invited to attend.  Services are from 6:15-7:15pm.

Box Tops for Education:  We have 423 Box Tops ready to submit, and we’d like 500!  If you have any Box Tops at home, please send them in on or before Friday, May 25 for our next submission!  Every Box Top is worth ten cents to SJCS!

Sunshine!  When we are lucky enough to have warm, sunny days in Seattle, we are also lucky enough to have a very warm classroom in the afternoon.  Please make sure your child has a water bottle that they can refill in the afternoon, and thank goodness we have a nice fan that helps to keep us cool.

Famous Israelis:  All final copies of reports are now completed, and we are moving into drawing portraits of our Famous Israelis.  We will be delivering our reports over the next two weeks, and learning how to take notes on someone else’s “report”, so that we will all learn about each of the Famous Israelis.  A final open-note quiz will be forthcoming to complete this unit.

Thank you:  to all our parents who volunteered on our recent Trip to Israel.  We had a great time, and could not have done it without you!  Thank you Marcy PG, Pamela, Suzie, Rob, Amy and Andrew.

As always, be in touch with any questions or comments.

Morah Amee

asherer@sjcs.net

     Nitzanim finished their ITBS practice tests yesterday. On Monday, we will begin the actual testing first thing in the morning, which will be our scheduled time on all the IBS testing days.
     In Language Arts, we finished all of our grammar work dealing with the conventions of the English language (and there are many!). We continue working with fractions in Math, and you might want to ask your child what a numerator and a denominator are. I like to explain that the denominator represents our ‘sample space’, or the total equal parts into which the one is divided. Next week we will be starting a Math project, dealing with algorithms, which we will start in class and possibly complete at home. Integrating Art and Social Studies, students did construction art with Morah Bibi and created Greek kylexes, or drinking cups.
     Needed: Parent Volunteers! Nitzanim has our final field trip planned for Monday, June 4th. We will tour both my garden and then the garden of my friend and neighbor, Rita Moore (the native plant specialist who has helped the past seven years in planting gardens at SJCS), while integrating some wonderful hands-on exploratory lessons. Nitzanim will eat their lunch outside on the deck, stairs, or on the benches (visible from the deck) and enjoy nature. Kosher lunch for parents will also be provided. If time permits, we can walk to the lake and see if the ducks are still there! We will leave school at 10:00 a.m. and be back at school by 1:30 p.m. Morah Amee will be joining us. If you would like to volunteer to drive and chaperone, please e-mail me at pdoulatshahi@sjcs.net. I will also provide a slip to return to school on next Monday’s Spelling/Homework List. This always is a fun and educational trip for students, and all parents are more than welcome. Also, we’re calling all parents who love to garden! Nitzanim plans to install our native plant garden on Friday, May 25th. It will be between 11:15 a.m. and 12:25p.m., and we will need at least two parent volunteers. Again, please e-mail me or fill out the slip attached to Monday’s homework list.

Wishing you all a Happy Mother’s Day and Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Paulette

We’ve been very busy in Math this past week.  Unit 7′s lessons were completed and students took its assessment on Wednesday.  We then started Chapter 8, which deals with fractions.   In Social Studies, students read Chapter 6 (“Red Rock Country”, dealing with the Navajo) with a partner, and then each partner group did a presentation to the class.  Nitzanim seems to find this fun and challenging.  In Language Arts, we are completing our final grammar instruction before testing begins. 

Speaking of testing, I hope you all had the opportunity to read the letter sent home on Thursday regarding the third grade ITBS testing.  If not, here is the information again, with areas that I added highlighted in bold:

Dear 3rd grade families,

The ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) testing will take place 5/14, 5/15, 5/17, 5/21, 5/22 and 5/23, with make-up sessions on 5/24 and 5/25.  Practice tests and test taking strategy lessons will take place next week.  We will be taking practice tests  in third grade starting on Monday, 5/7 through Thursday, 5/10  of next week.

Please support the assessment process by:  making sure your child gets a good night sleep on test nights;  providing a healthy breakfast;  sending extra snacks (testing makes kids hungry);  being on time to school on test days, or even ten minutes early to provide schmooze time;  and, avoiding making appointments during test days.

The ITBS results are expected mid-June and will be mailed to you.  At SJCS this assessment is for internal purposes only.  We use the data to track growth over time for each student and as a tool to measure the success of our school programs.  This is NOT a high-stakes test.  The results will NOT become part of your student’s permanent record. Please feel free to contact haMorah Paulette or haMorah Chrys with any questions.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Chrys Hunstiger                                Paulette Doulatshahi                                      Amee Sherer                                                                                                                                            chunstiger@seattlejcs.org           pdoulatshahi@seattlejcs.org                     asherer@seattlejcs.org

Have a great weekend!  Morah Amee joins me in thanking you again for all the wonderful treats last week.  We both felt very appreciated!

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Paulette

Today your child is bringing home TWO folders.  One is green, and is our first Joseph folder.  Each one is different, and has different pages in it so that I could best differentiate the levels of learning for the class.  Do not worry if some pages are incomplete.  The basic skills were all acquired, and I have looked through each student’s folder on a regular basis to make sure that the concepts were being grasped.  We finished these before Pesah break, but I wanted to look through them one last time before sending them home.  Enjoy!  There is a great deal of learning that happened in chapter 37 of Bereshit – the beginning of the Joseph story.  We are now working on chapter 39.  (Chapter 38 is all about the story of Dina – and takes a break from telling Joseph’s story.)  These green folders stay home and are yours to keep.

The second folder coming home today is blue, and is filled with information about your child’s Famous Israeli.  I have taught the process of highlighting information, taking notes, and categorizing the different pieces of information according to what we are looking for in each of the four paragraphs they will write for this one-page report.  All rough drafts are due in class on Monday.  They should bring back their entire folder, with the rough draft inside.  More directions will be found on the homework cover sheet.  I had hoped to have all rough drafts completed in class, but several children really need more one-on-one attention and, hopefully, you will have some time this weekend to work with them on the rough draft if it is not already completed in class today.

We are busy getting ready to “fly” to Israel next Thursday, and are so glad that so many of you will be able to come with us for the Trip!  Don’t forget to sign up to volunteer on the sheet outside the front office to let us know if you can also help with set up/cooking and/or stations in Israel.  We cannot do these incredible programs without our amazing parent volunteers!

Also, several students took home their kippot to put them in the freezer and have not brought them back to school.  Please send kippot with your child tomorrow.

Please be in touch with any questions you may have.

Todah!  Thank you!

Morah Amee  asherer@sjcs.net

In General Studies, a packet of corrected papers is going home today for parent’s review and signature.  Just so you know, you will see that the recent Unit 6 Everyday Math (EDM) assessment, and it has been divided into two grades:  Part A (designed for summative purposes); and Part B (designed for formative purposes).  The questions in Part A give me information on how the children are progressing toward grade-level goals, or comprehending the material taught in a unit.  This is the material they are required to know.  Part B provides information about a student’s current knowledge and abilities so the teacher can plan future instruction more effectively.   Right now, we are more than halfway through Unit 7, learning about square numbers, writing equations using parentheses, and having fun playing multiplication bingo.  

Also, I hope you all received my e-mail sent Wednesday evening.   Five of ten Everyday Mathematics IOS Apps will be free from April 25th through April 28th, 2012.  The following apps will be free and available via the iTunes App Store:  Addition Top-It; Monster Squeeze; Equivalent Fractions; Beat the Computer; and Divisibility Dash!  To learn more about the game apps go to https://www.mheonline.com/apps/.    This is a great way for students to pass time and gain math skills.

We had a wonderful celebration of Israel’s 64th Birthday yesterday.  First, we blended with our gan buddies and made Israeli flags, with blessings/wishes for Israel on the back, and then we “paraded” into first grade where we picked up the 4th graders who were doing the same activity with the 1st graders and they joined our parade.  From there, singing “Am Yisrael Chai” with Morah Shoshana on guitar, we picked up 2nd grade and their 5th grade buddies who had also just made flags, and as an entire school, we paraded into the gym and into a big circle to sing some of our favorite Israeli songs and share some of our blessings.  It was such a beautiful sight to have the whole school singing and waving flags and parading together, and I always know that I am teaching in the right place when I am moved to tears during an all-school celebration like this.  Then we sang Hatikvah and Happy Birthday.  Afterwards, we went upstairs to the Beit Midrash with 4th and 5th grade and heard Ariel Green (an alumni of SJCS) share with us about his recent time in Israel as a volunteer soldier with the Israeli army.  Ask your child what they learned about being in the Israeli army from Ariel!

The class also enjoyed skyping this week with Isaac Lyss-Loren in Jerusalem and got to hear all about how he celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut there!

Thanks for all the great tchatchkes that you have sent  in – keep them coming!  And don’t forget to sign up to join us for the Trip to Israel on May 10 – sign up sheet is outside the front office.

Our class meeting this week focused on teasing and what kinds of responses one might have to hearing someone tease.  We talked about how you really have three choices:  you can join in the teasing, you can walk away or say nothing, or you could try saying something like “That sounds like teasing to me.  Please stop.”  The third choice is obviously the most difficult, but perhaps the most helpful if it is done in a respectful way.  Of course, the person doing the teasing would need to respond by saying “Thank you.  I didn’t realize that what I was doing was hurting someone’s feelings.  Thanks for pointing that out to me.”  Also a very difficult thing to do – acknowledge and honestly reflect on our own behavior.  We talked about how this is a difficult thing for adults to do as well, so they should feel very proud of themselves for even trying to help a situation, and to feel free to ask an adult for help at any time.  We continue to be impressed with the conversations that come out of our weekly class meetings.

Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend,

Morah Paulette and Morah Amee

We had a wonderful model seder yesterday.  Thank you so much to all of the parents who came and helped out with set-up, sat at a table with children during the seder, and cleaned up.  Your children were amazing leaders and should be well-prepared to help lead your seders at home this year.  Their beautiful handmade Haggadot are coming home today.  They include lots of great songsheets, midrashim, and ideas to enhance your seders.  Enjoy “kvelling” from your children!

Today we will experience “biur chametz” – the burning of the bread crumbs – and will play a culminating Passover game with our 4th and 5th grade buddies.  Then it will be time to go home and clean, organize our rooms and enjoy the holiday of Passover with friends and family.  As you are cleaning out your homes, be on the lookout for and tchatchkes that you can donate to our upcoming Trip to Israel.  The third graders are “in charge” of running the shuk this year, so they are particularly interested in having great items to sell.  All tchatchkes can begin to come to school right after Spring Break.

Right after Break, we will begin our unit on Israel that will culminate in our Trip to Israel on Thursday, May 10.  Please put the date on your calendars and plan to join us in Israel!  It is always a highlight of the year, and we count on our many parent volunteers to make it happen.

In Language Arts, students did  such an amazing job on their personification stories that we are going to make an illustrated book!  In Math, we have been focusing on polygons in our Geometry unit, making new figures using straws and twist ties with each new lesson; it is challenging but a great way to remember all the different oplygons characteristics and names.  Please make sure your son or daughter continue to practice all Math facts, especially multiplication, during these day off.

We wish you all a wonderful Passover Holiday - hag Pesach Sameach!

Morah Amee and Morah Paulette

Both Morah Amee and I agree that it was great to see all of you at Parent-Teacher Conferences, and have the time to talk in depth about your wonderful children.  Thanks again to our terrific chefs, Marci G. and Suzie D., and their helpful sous-chefs, Anna L. and Devorah for those delicious meals with phenomenal desserts.   

As we discussed during conferences, Morah Diane Z. was in our room after last Wednesday’s class meeting, to discuss this topic:  “Everyone gets annoyed and bothered by things that others do.  How do you deal with the feelings that come up when you’re upset and annoyed?  What can you do to take care of yourself?”   If we don’t deal with these upset feelings, but rather keep them inside, it might lead to stomach aches, headaches and other physical hurts.  Students also insightfully noted that you might hurt someone back through rumors or comments.  With Morah Diane, the class brainstormed positive ways to handle upset feelings.  Since we are a team, we thought that it would be useful for not only teachers and students, but for parents, to be aware of these culminating ideas.  So, here’s a list of what students decided they can do instead:  

• take deep, slow breaths;
• walk away and give yourself some space to think and feel calmer;
• find a friend to hang out with;
• picture what you might want to do or say to that person, but not necessarily do it;
• think about something you enjoy doing to help you relax;
• depersonalize, or think, “Maybe that person is having a hard day”.  (It’s not about me);
• do something that you enjoy doing (ex. reading);
• do something physical (punch a pillow, move around, etc.); and finally,
• try to address the problem through talking with the person (if they are ready and willing).

Morah Diane stressed the word resilience, or the power to bounce back from something.  She observed that as human beings, we do not always have the power to change what a person does or says that upset us, and we don’t always have the power to change a situation that bothers us.  However, we do have the power to change how we think about it and what we do to take care of ourselves and our own upset feelings.

I also received an important reminder from Morah Bibi regarding upcoming clay classes.  She will offer two afternoon make-up sessions, but ALL clay building projects MUST be completed by April 4th, before Pesach Break. The two afternoon make-up sessions are Thursday March 29th and Tuesday, April 3rd. (The times are both 3:30- 5:00 p.m.)  She stressed that she must have all pieces glazed and to the kiln by May 9th at the latest, for the required turn-around before May 20th Art Walk. There is only one glazing make-up session, on May 7th, Monday afternoon, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.  So … please mark your calendars for the Nitzanim Clay Art Times, and thank you in advance for not scheduling doctor or dentist appointments on those days and times:

• Clay Building Classes are March 30 from 9:20- 10:10 a.m.
• Ceramics Glazing Classes are April 27 from 9:20 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.

Also, I will be out this coming Wednesday, March 28, and Morah Amee will be teaching all day.  We planned this, because in April, I will be teaching one day for Morah Amee.  As it works out, that is the morning the entire school goes to Kline-Galland. 

PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT YOUR FAMILY ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE MODEL SEDER ARE DUE WEDNESDAY (with the exception of our families that have been asked to bring flowers – those want to come in next Monday or Tuesday right before the model seder so that the flowers won’t wilt.) Morah Mihal sent out an all-school e-mail last Friday afternoon, so make sure to check and see what your family has been assigned to bring, or feel free to ask Morah Amee.  Thank you for your help making our model seder a success, and please note that the sign-up sheet for volunteers is up outside the main office.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail either one of us at pdoulatshahi@sjcs.net or asherer@sjcs.net.

Morah Paulette and Morah Amee

It’s Science Fair time!  Tomorrow morning between 8:15 until 8:30 a.m., Nitzanim students should bring their Science display board to the room.  At 8:30 a.m., we will be taking our projects directly to the gym, where third, fourth, and fifth grades will be setting up their displays until 8:45 a.m.  If you’re late arriving at school for any reason, please let you son or daughter unpack upstairs, and then meet us in the gym.  The Science Fair will be held in the SJCS gym from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evening, March 15th.  If you have conflicts in your schedule, please remember that you do not have to be there exactly at 6:30 p.m., nor is attendance mandatory.  FYI, most of the General Studies time on Thursday, March 15th, will be devoted to the Science Fair.  On Friday, March 16th, third grade students will be presenting their biography projects to second, fourth, and fifth grades  between 8:35 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  (Please note: Parents, just be here in the morning if you weren’t able to come Thursday night and want to hear your son or daughter read.)

Lunch reading-aloud update:  As you know, I have been reading  The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and I notice some students engaged in other books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  These are wonderful books if your child wants the challenge of reading books above grade level.  I am reading some wonderful final drafts of personification stories, and hope to invite parents into the classroom to hear these soon.  Also in Language Arts, since we have been learning many new ‘conventions’ of grammar this year, next week we will start “Days” in class where students daily correct five types of mistakes made in writing.

In Math, we should be able to complete EDM’s Unit 5 by next week.  Please continue to review multiplication math facts at home.  Researchers say that for the average student, it takes 25 repetitions (or sessions of practice) to transfer these facts from students short-term into their long-term memories.

Finally, please check the Cursive section of your child’ white three-ring binder.  We finally were able to complete all the capital Cursive letters, and each Nitzanim student did a terrific job!  Any remaining — or incomplete pages due to an absence — should be completed at home whenever time permits.

If you have any questions about tomorrow’s Science Fair, or anything else that concerns you, please feel free to contact me anytime at pdoulatshahi@seattlejcs.org.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening!

Morah Paulette

There are so many mitzvahs to do!  In third grade, we are mindfully taking the time to learn about mitzvot and we are doing mitzvot all the time.  Last week we had the opportunity to participate in many of the mitzvot associated with the holiday of Purim:  listening to the megillah, giving gifts of food to friends, and giving gifts to those less fortunate than us.  This week we turn our attention to the mitzvot of the upcoming holiday of Passover, and begin think about what “slavery” looks like.  We all have our own kind of “slavery” – a narrow place in our hearts or minds – a “tough” place for us – a challenge – that allows us to relate to our ancestors and the very real life of slavery that they endured.  As we counted up all the personal needs items that we collected for the 100th Day of School, and sorted them into categories, and counted them, we talked about the many blessings we have and the “slavery” that so many people in our society have to endure without toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion…all the things that we may take for granted in our daily lives.  We will be providing the opportunity to collect food for National Hunger Week as well as books, as we participate in the Half Pint Book Collection for Half Price Books.  These two opportunities give us the motivation to do some “spring cleaning” as we ready our homes for Passover – to donate food that we might not need or use during Passover, and to share some stories with others who may not have as many books as we do.  Look for donation bins under the Tz’dakah caterpillar the week of March 19-23 - Bring a can of food and/or a book to donate when you come for your parent/teacher conference!

Our formal study of Passover begins with review of the 14 parts of the Seder and how they all connect to the story of leaving Egypt, as well as an introduction of new melodies and songs to some old favorites.  Our Tal Am unit of Passover will take us through much of this learning, and we will also be blending quite a bit with 4th and 5th grade to learn the various parts of our own Model Seder that we will lead this year.  Put Tuesday, April 3 on your calendar to join us for the Model Seder – we always need volunteers and it is a highlight of our year!

Our study of the Sh’ma continues.  Look for a booklet coming home this week that your child made to show the various themes and order of the blessings before and after the Sh’ma.

Also, NO HOMEWORK from me tomorrow night (Thursday) due to the Science Fair.

Morah Paulette and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming conferences, and having the opportunity to learn from you and with you about your child’s progress thus far.

Warmly,

Morah Amee

Nitzanim has transitioned wonderfully from Mid-Winter Break right back into the swing of things.  We are working diligently on a fun, yet difficult EDM Unit 5 dealing with Place Value, getting used to reading and using larger numbers in the hunderds of thousands, then millions.  You might ask you child, “How much is 30,000 + 4,000 + 800 + 30 + 9?”.  Also, please continue to practice math multiplication facts at home whenever possible, especially the more difficult 6 though 9 times tables.  FYI, this week Morah Chrys has been testing all students on their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts (0 through 5) .  I hope your son or daughter has had the time to complete their first multiplication 100-problem timed test that went home on Tuesday (along with a packet of graded papers for your signature).

In Language Arts, we have completed reading all our friendship stories.  Please come into the room to see their wonderful persuasive paragraphs displayed in bar graph form!   Students had to answer —  and persuade/convince me as to why — ”Out of all the friendship stories we’ve read, who would you choose to be your best friend? Why?”  Yesterday, we started a new L.A. unit on City Wildlife, and read a fun example of a personification story, “Make Way for Ducklings”.  Next, students will start writing their own personfication stories where they become the animal, utilizing fun sounds and verbs that correspond to their choice (for example, quacked and waddled).

Integrating L.A. and Science, we first read expository text together, and then with partners, to locate answers to questions.  We observed that fictional reading is usually done automatically, while expository text requires rereading.  In class, we actually located the answers in paragraphs, or discussed how we had arrived at the correct answer.  FYI, here are the most recent due dates for the Science biography:  Monday, February 27th, the research and reading should be well under way; and on Friday, March 9th, the report rough draft is due.   In Social Studies, students read Chapter 3′s “Majestic Peaks and Deserts” with a partner, and then nine different groups became the teachers presenting questions and anwsers found in their reading.  

Finally, we have our third field trip scheduled to the University District Food Bank on Tuesday, March 6th.  Thank you to Suzi Dadoun, Marcy Porus-Gottlieb, Jen Rubenstein and Ron Yancey who have volunteered to drive and chaperone.  Nitzanim will leave school between 9:10 to 9:15 a.m., and return to school at 10:45 a.m.  These  four parent drivers can fit 18 students in their various cars, so we are set to go!   However, if you still want to join us, you are more than welcome.  You can fill out the slip attached to this week’s homework, or notify me by mail at: pdoulatshahi@sjcs.net.  Thank you, parents, for all  you do!

Emjoy the upcoming weekend – Morah Paulette