Ms.Carey's Weekly Update

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a great weekend! There's officially only 9 school days of the year 🌞😄😎

I am so excited for all of the end of year festivities, but I'm sad to see my first ever class to go!! They have been so great and we have grown together so much over the year, I will never forget about this year!

We will be having a little 3rd grade end of year celebration on Friday, May 22 on the field at 10:00am-11:00am.

As a grade, we had earned a summer treat from Wish Week so we will be enjoying those, playing a couple of field games, and just celebrating the year with each other.

I am sure you have heard about the design-thinking project we have started designing this week. I am so excited for the students to begin constructing their prototypes. Their ideas and models are so great so far and I can't wait to see them come to life.

That being said, I told the students on Friday to start collecting materials that they are going to need to build these prototypes. They should start bringing these in on Monday, so we can start building in class.

Some examples of materials are cereal boxes, other cardboard, plastic water bottles, cotton balls or something for padding if needed, aluminum foil, or whatever else your student may need!

See below for what we will be doing this upcoming week and ways to support your student at home!

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Thanks so much,

Sierra Carey

Specials:

ART this week!

Literacy:

Reading: This week students will participate in Reader’s Theater. Reader’s Theater is a great way to have some fun while building reading fluency. Students will be placed into groups that focus on a Reader’s Theater script, and then practice reading their roles in their groups. By the end of the week, each group will perform an oral reading of the script for the other two groups.

Writing: This week, students will continue their design-thinking projects. Students will design a product at school that will be the result of their empathizing with those who live in areas with severe weather or natural disaster. Students should collect the materials they need for their prototype to bring in on Monday. We will be spending the week constructing prototypes and practicing presenting their prototype with their partner to classmates.

Math:

This week, we will begin our lesson on area and perimeter of shapes. Students will learn that while area tells how much space a shape covers, that perimeter tells you the total distance around the shape. In addition, students will work to find rectangles with the same area, but different perimeters. Likewise, they will find rectangles with the same perimeters, but different areas. Lastly, students will find unknown side lengths of a perimeter.

I highly recommend continuing to practice math fluency facts at home to help students become more confident and automatic with their multiplication. A few minutes of practice each day makes a big difference! I also sent some multiplication flashcard sets home before break but if your student didn't get one/needs a new one, please let me know!

A great site for practicing facts: https://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards

Science/ Social Studies:

Students will be staying with homeroom teachers to work on prototypes this week.

22MAY | 3rd Grade Celebration on the Field @ 10-11am

25MAY | NO SCHOOL - happy Memorial Day

26MAY | KINDIE FIELD DAY

27MAY | 1ST-4TH GRADE MARKET DAY @ 9-10am

28MAY | KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION @ 9-10:30am

29MAY | 6TH GRADE CONTINUATION @ 9-10am

29MAY | LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS - full day

Please be sure to check and sign your students planner nightly. Homework can change.

This semester, I will be offering a pizza party for students who complete their homework 80% of the time. I will be checking turned-in reading logs and math homework for tickets like last semester, but I will also be keeping track of who turns in Reading Logs to earn a pizza party at the end of the semester.

If your kiddo is ever stumped on a part of their homework, please write a note in their planner or email me so that I can be sure to help them

Monday: Read/Log, possible Math practice from Math teacher

Tuesday: Read/Log, possible Math practice from Math teacher

Wednesday: Read/Log, possible Math practice from Math teacher

Thursday: Read/Log, possible Math practice from Math teacher

Friday: Read/Log

Reading Logs:

Our Third Grade Goal is to read at least 100 minutes each week. How you and your student want to break up the 100 minutes each week is up to you. Reading logs will come home each Monday and are due the following Monday. Please be sure your student puts their name on their reading log. Please have them record the date, the title of their book they read, and their minutes each night on their log. One night a week please have your student write a response to what they are reading. There are ideas for ways to respond to their reading on the back of the reading log. Students should write a 3-5 sentence response. When your student completes their reading log, please total their minutes, sign, and return it to school on the following Monday.

1. Toys vs Fidgets- Students have been having difficulty distinguishing between toys and fidgets, and we are starting to see toys brought to school again. Please encourage your student to keep toys and fidgets at home. Toys can be distracting in the classroom, and they sometimes get lost or misplaced. They have also begun creating conflicts during recess. Additionally, students are not allowed to have fidgets during CMAS testing. Thank you for your support in helping keep our classroom focused and organized.

2. iReady through CLEVER at home; Did you know your child can access iReady at home through CLEVER? It's easy, and it looks the same as it does here at school. iReady lessons continue on the path that your student is on here at school. If your student is home sick and you are looking for school work for them to do, iReady reading and math lessons would be perfect!

Your child can use this link to access Clever from home Student Clever link, then sign in with their Dcsd email and password or Clever badge. I have extra Clever Badges to put in your child's planner, if you are interested.

3. Market money has been introduced!

Hi! My name is Sierra Carey and I am thrilled to be part of the Cherokee Trail community. This is my 1st year teaching, but I have wanted to be a teacher since before I can remember, so I am living out my dream! I just graduated from the University of Utah with my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a Minor in Special Education.

My classroom centers on a positive, supportive learning environment where every student feels valued and accepted. I strive to make learning engaging and exciting for all, while encouraging confidence and motivation.

Outside of school, I like to spend time with my loved ones and friends, travel, and support all the Colorado sports teams!

I truly believe that parents and teachers are partners in a child’s educational journey. Your insights and support are invaluable in helping your child succeed, so please feel free to reach out to me at scarey2@dcsdk12.org with any questions or anything else you and your students might need!

Please let me know how I can support you and your child!