Today your child brought home their social studies ISN (Interactive Student Notebook) and the test from Chapter 1: Understanding the Geography of the World. As you will read in more detail in the letter attached to the test, we completed that test together. I like to "teach the test" by walking kids through the first test in each subject area each year. The Chapter 2 test: Finding Places in the United States will be given on Thursday. Students are permitted to refer to their ISN when taking the test, so make sure that your child has theirs at school on Thursday.
At the beginning of the year, in GUSD there are various initial assessments given, such as the i-Ready diagnostic tests in reading and math. In the spring, third graders will take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) that assesses English language arts and math for students throughout the state. In room 1321 we are now starting to use assessments that are a part of different curricula that we use.
Today your child brought home their social studies ISN (Interactive Student Notebook) and the test from Chapter 1: Understanding the Geography of the World. As you will read in more detail in the letter attached to the test, we completed that test together. I like to "teach the test" by walking kids through the first test in each subject area each year. The Chapter 2 test: Finding Places in the United States will be given on Thursday. Students are permitted to refer to their ISN when taking the test, so make sure that your child has theirs at school on Thursday. It was definitely Science Friday in room 1321! We started the day watching part of the livestream of Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch as they completed the first ever all-female space walk outside the International Space Station (ISS). We watched on NASA TV, which doesn't have the space walk on now, of course, but they do have other interesting programs, including some from the ISS.
Then we ended the day with one of Doug's Mystery Science Mini presentations, called How do earthquakes happen? We all learned a lot, and the timing was perfect after the Great California ShakeOut yesterday. You can view the presentation for the next ten days by clicking here. Red Ribbon Week begins on Monday with twins day (Buddy Up Against Drugs) --- Students are invited to pick a friend and dress alike. Tuesday's theme is Be a Drug-Free Super Hero, so students may wear superhero gear (no masks). Wednesday is silly sock day (Put a Sock on Drugs) and the fifth grade committee will have socks for sale after school on Monday. On Thursday we will all wear red and pledge to be drug-free. (Refer to the small flyer that came home yesterday in the Thursday folder.) Great California Shakeout - As you may have heard, Californians from one end of the state to the other will be practicing what to do in case of an earthquake. At Keppel, we will be practicing not only evacuation procedures, but also staff committee assignments. Please be sure to remind your child how important it is to practice so that we're ready if there is an earthquake while at school, and ask your child tomorrow evening how it went.
Lunch Applications - As you know from Ms. Tonoli's all-call last night, it it critical that every GUSD family submit an lunch application. If you have not already submitted yours, please click here to do tonight. Thanks! Social Studies - As part of our mapping unit, students plotted the distance from Glendale to a variety of famous U.S. landmarks. I've added links to some of those places on the Links page of this website --- a fun research project for home, if you want to use it. Little Red Hot - If you have not already done so, please discuss with your child their costume for our upcoming Theater performance on Tuesday, November 19. Also, all parts (except narrators) should be completely memorized by now and actors sure of when to come in with their lines. In theater class we are working on "blocking" --- the movements of actors on stage. Scholastic Book Orders - This month's book orders are due this Friday, October 18, either online or paper order form returned with payment. Pasadena Art Night - Enjoy a free evening of art, music, and entertainment as Pasadena's most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors. This semi-annual event includes 22 institutions and five shuttle routes, all free! Among the 22 institutions open 6:00-10:00pm with no admission charge are Kidspace, Armory Center for the Arts, and the Pasadena Central Library. There are also five free shuttle routes running between the various sites so you won't waste time looking for parking. Click here for all the details.
Who invented the alphabet? If you have ever wondered, you'll want to ask your child because today we watched Doug's Mystery Science mini answering that question. Click here to view the presentation. Dr. Ekchian stopped by ... TWICE! GUSD's new superintendent, Dr. Vivian Ekchian, was on campus this morning and we got to see her twice! That's because she first visited our classroom, and then she came by the library while we were there. We enjoyed her brief visit, and, when asked what the superintendent does, she told us that she works to make sure every student receives an excellent education so they can be successful in whatever education and career they enter. Dictionary from The Elks - Today all third graders were given a paperback dictionary by the local Elks group. This is a nationwide effort in which the Elks give a dictionary to every third grader, and we've been looking forward to receiving ours. George and Randy pointed out that this dictionary has a very extensive reference section, and we took some time at the end of the day to explore that part. Among our favorite finds are:
McTeacher Night - One of Keppel's annual fundraisers is coming up this Thursday when teachers and administrators will help out at McDonald's on Central Ave, 5:00-8:00pm. A portion of the sales from that time period will be donated to the school. If your family decides to participate, please (as adults) be mindful that we are the face of Keppel to the community on this night, and please hold your child to appropriate behavior expectations. Although you'll see lots of Keppel teachers present (including me, 5:00-6:00pm) parents are responsible for their own children at this off-campus activity. Also, please keep in mind that parking in the structure is tight, and street parking is metered (bring your quarters). PTA Fundraiser - This Friday, October 11, is the last day of our fundraiser. Please make sure to turn in all coupons (filled out and signed by parent) and turn in paper order forms with payment by that day. You'll find more detailed information in this week's Thursday folder. Flu season is here - You may be seeing the same thing in your newsfeed as I am --- flu season has begun and the first flu-related deaths have been reported. Of interest to parents: this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend one form of the vaccine over the other (shot or nasal spray). Predicting the severity of the upcoming flu season is imprecise at best, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control continue to call for everyone older than 6 months to get the flu vaccine annually (unless one's doctor advises against it due to specific health concerns for that patient). Click here to access the LA County Public Health Influenza (flu) page. Today's Thursday folder has the i-Ready parent reports for reading and math from the diagnostic tests given in September. Attached to those reports is a two-sided Homework Update that you'll want to read. It details the expectations for typing.com, i-Ready, Newsela, and Khan Academy. Please know that even if something isn't circled for your child, they may still work on it, but the items I have circled are the priority. Please let me know if you have any questions.
This week's homework page has some fun video links - be sure to check them out. The Mystery Science mini about shooting stars is especially informative! Last night's homework included instructions to sign onto Khan Academy and show you some items. I heard this morning from one student saying they were unable to logon, that it was requiring a class code. I thought it was set up to be a one-click logon through Clever.gusd.net. If you are having trouble, please let me know. I don't know whether it's a glitch with one account or if the whole thing is messed up. Thanks! |
AuthorDebbie Bamberger is thrilled to be a part of the Keppel team and honored to share this year with twenty-six amazing children. Archives
May 2024
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