Partial Solar Eclipse - next Monday, April 8th, approximately 10:06am-12:21pm - perfectly timed for students at school! I sure would like to have a few adults with us next Monday morning. As you've been hearing me rag on about all year, lots of kiddos in room 1321 don't listen very well. Or, at least, they listen selectively. It is NO April Fool's Day joke that one can permanently damage the retina by looking directly at the sun without proper glasses during an eclipse, even a partial one. I would like to have adults around to watch kiddos to make sure no one is harming their eyesight. If you know for sure that you will be joining us, please email me so that I know what kind of coverage I'll have.
Your child can use the glasses they saved from October, if they've kept them in the ziplock bag and not scratched them. I'll have a pair for everyone who doesn't bring theirs from home. (Yes, I purchased them in October and I purchased them again last month.)
We will be brushing up on our solar eclipse knowledge the rest of this week.
Field Trip to the Natural History Museum - We're looking forward to our third (of four) field trips this year next Wednesday, April 10th. As of this writing, I have a couple of spots left for parent chaperones. And, in fact, we won't be able to go if I don't have a full complement of parent teachers (your role on that day). Students will tour the museum in groups of 6-7 and that can't happen without parents. Please email me right away if you would like to join us. If I end up with extras, I'll give those folks first chance for our final field trip in May.
IF you haven't completed, signed, and returned the blue permission slip and $13.00 donation, please do so as soon as you are able.
Keppel Art Day on Friday, April 26th is another opportunity for parent participation at Keppel. Details about signing up have been coming through on your Parent Square notifications.
CAASPP testing is coming up the week of May 6-10. Third grade is the first time that California students take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, which is an annual assessment. The public practice site gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with the formats of the four sections (ELA Practice Test, ELA Performance Task, Math Practice Test, Math Performance Task) and the various tools at their disposal. Please go back in the archives of this blog to my post on November 7, 2017, for more information on how to use this site.
Dance with Mrs. Neel is our arts class this trimester. Be sure to set aside Tuesday, May 28th at 12:10-1:10pm to attend Dance Studio Day and see all that your child will have learned. After only one class, I don't know all Mrs. Neel has planned, but we are starting out with a dance set to Octopus's Garden by The Beatles - lots of fun!
Our class play, Social Skills: How to Interact with Human Beings, is already a success judging by students' reactions. We will be learning the whole play and all songs before I cast the parts in a few weeks. Stay tuned for our performance dates (late May or early June) and other details. Once the cast is announced, I will welcome parent volunteers during our rehearsals to help keep everyone on track, so watch for those details, too.