Update for 3/1

     Dear Parents,

     In math, we are finishing up Unit 5 and will have our test this Wednesday, 3/2.  In science, we are continuing our Magnets unit and the test is on the calendar for next Wednesday, 3/9. 

     We will be getting into our last math unit on Measurement and Time and our last science unit on Heat next week.  The essential questions for these units are:

Telling Time… ● What strategies can I use to help me tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes? ● How can I use what I know about number lines to help me figure out how much time has passed between two events?

Liquid Volume and Mass… ● What happens when your units of measure change? ● Why is it important to know the mass of an object? ● In what ways can we determine the mass of an object? ● What units are appropriate to measure mass? ● How are units in the same system of measurement related? ● What strategies could you use to figure out the mass of multiple objects? ● What are some ways I can measure the liquid volume?

Graphing and Data… ● · How are tables, bar graphs, and line plot graphs useful ways to display data? ● · How can you use graphs to answer a question? ● · How can surveys be used to collect data? ● · How can surveys be used to gather information? ● · How can graphs be used to display data gathered from a survey?

S3P1. Students will investigate how heat is produced and the effects of heating and cooling, and will understand a change in temperature indicates a change in heat. a. Categorize ways to produce heat energy such as burning, rubbing (friction), and mixing one thing with another. b. Investigate how insulation affects heating and cooling. c. Investigate the transfer of heat energy from the sun to various materials. d. Use thermometers to measure the changes in temperatures of water samples (hot, warm, cold) over time.

Our High Tech High Touch in-house field trip on Heat is scheduled the week after spring break.  It’s hard to believe that we are so close to done!

     This Friday, 3/4 is Dr. Suess Day so your child is welcome to wear his/her favorite pj’s.  We can’t wait to see all the cuteness!  Also, please remember to keep sending in your Box Tops.  Thank you for all of your support!

Jenny M-G

Update for 2/24

Hi Parents!

      Jenn Lott and Amy Schneider here from the PTO with important information below about two BIG upcoming events!

 

BINGO!

We look forward to seeing everyone this Friday evening for BINGO night! Chairs Catherine Fuss, Paige Zaparaniuk and Julie Franklin have been hard at work planning this awesome annual event. They are in serious need of some additional BINGO prizes - small stuff you can pick up from Tuesday Morning, 5 Below or Marshall's would be much appreciated so that as many kids as possible can win Friday night! If you haven't bought your tickets yet, click here!

 

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ec3v0cxr578879e3&oseq&c&ch

 

 

AUCTION!

We wanted to make sure you are all aware that our bi-annual fundraising event, the PTO AUCTION, is coming up Friday, March 18 starting at 7 pm at Heritage Sandy Springs. This year's theme, "Celebrating Our Past, Inspiring Our Future," is a nod to Spalding's 50th anniversary as a school in 2016. The PTO hosts this event every other year and our goal this year is to raise money for arts and music education at Spalding!

 

Each family received a hand-addressed invitation today in one child's backpack. Please be on the lookout for it. The invitation contains a link to purchase tickets, though you can also click here and buy right now! http://spaldingdrivepto.schoolauction.net/auction2016

 

    Ticket Prices are as follows:

    Silver - $30.00/person

    includes one drink coupon per person

 

    Gold - $45.00/person

    includes two drink coupons per person, 10 minutes of extra bidding time and a VIP parking pass (for the first 30 cars to register).

 

 

More Auction Information

Spalding parents, Some thank you's to send out.... 

Auction Chairs: Kibbe Horne and Megan Tucker are chairing the Auction this year, with help from 

Silent Auction Committee: Heather Berry, Kacy Homans and Amy Schneider and the 

Beautiful invitations: designed by Moya Minns, with two gorgeous new logos celebrating Spalding's 50th anniversary designed by Sugandah Rosenhaft and Sean Day. 

 

Auction Raffle

As you know, tickets for the Restaurant Raffle, the Auction's bi-annual companion event, went home last week. If you need additional restaurant raffle tickets, just let us know and we will get more out to you! Restaurant Raffle chairs Anne Duhig, Bobbi Rapp and Amie Burt have secured over $1,200 in restaurant gift cards for this perennially popular fundraiser. If you see any of these parents at school, be sure to say hello as they are working super hard to raise money for our school! Remember that to encourage your child to sell 10 tickets for a free dress day! 

 

Jenn and Amy

 

"Clue" words to help solve word problems

Clue Words:
When deciding on methods or procedures to use to solve problems, the first thing you will do is look for clues which is one of the most important skills in solving problems in mathematics. If you begin to solve problems by looking for clue words, you will find that these 'words' often indicate an operation.

For instance:
Clue Words for Addition

• sum
• total
• in all
• perimeter
• altogether

Clue Words for Subtraction

• difference
• how much more
• exceed
• left

Clue Words for Multiplication

• product
• total
• area
• times
• each

Clue Words for Division

• share
• distribute
• quotient
• equally
• each

Memorize your multiplication facts in 21 days!

Dear Parents,


  Your student was exposed to many strategies for memorizing their facts in Unit 2 and Unit 3 this year as well as daily multiplication timed tests and our end of semester Multiplication Facts Ice cream party.  Unfortunately however, not all of our kiddos have memorized all of their facts.  Here are some suggestions you can encourage your student to follow at home, in the car, and everywhere in order to memorize all of their facts 0-12:
  
 Multiplication Tables in 21 days!
     Let's face in, when you don't know your times tables, it slows down your progress in math. Some things you just have to know and committing the times tables to memory is one of them. Today, we're in an information age, information is doubling faster than it ever used to and our math teachers no longer have the luxury of assisting us to learn the times tables. In case you haven't noticed, the math curriculum is much larger than it ever was.

Students and parents are now left with the task of helping to commit the times tables to memory. So let's get started:

Step 1
     First of all, you will need to be able to skip count or count by a certain number. For instance 2,4,6,8,10 or 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. Now you will need to use your fingers when skip counting. Remember back in grade 1 when you used to use your fingers to count to 10? Now you'll need them to skip-count. For example, use your fingers to count by 10. First finger or thumb is 10, second is 20, third is 30. Therefore 1 x 10 = 10, 2 x 10 = 20 and so on and so forth. Why use your fingers?
Because it's an effective strategy. Any strategy that improves speed with your tables is worth using!
Step 2
     How many skip counting patterns do you know? Probably the 2's, 5's and 10's. Practice tapping these out on your fingers.
Step 3
     Now you're ready for the 'doubles'. Once you learn the doubles, you have the 'counting up' strategy. For instance, if you know that 7 x 7 = 49, then you'll count up 7 more to quickly determine that 7 x 8 = 56.

Once again, effective strategies are almost as good as memorizing your facts. Remember, you already know the 2's, 5's and 10's. Now you need to concentrate on 3x3, 4x4, 6x6, 7x7, 8x8 and 9x9. That's only committing 6 facts to memory! You're three-quarters of the way there. If you memorize those doubles, you'll have an effective strategy to quickly obtain most of the remaining facts!

Step 4
     Not counting the doubles, you have the 3's, 4's, 6's, 7's and 8's. Once you know what 6x7 is, you'll also know what 7x6 is. For the remaining facts (and there aren't many) you will want to learn by skip-counting, in fact use a familiar tune while skip counting!

      Remember to tap your fingers (just as you did when counting) each time you skip count, this enables you to know which fact you're on. When skip counting by 4's and when you've tapped on the fourth finger, you'll know that it's the 4x4=16 fact. Think of Mary Had A Little Lamb in your mind. Now apply 4,8, 12, 16, (Mary had a....)and continue on! Once you've learned to skip-count by 4's as easily as you can by 2's, you're ready for the next fact family. Don't worry if you forget the odd one, you will be able to fall back on your doubling strategy and counting up.

Remember, being able to do math well means having great strategies. The above strategies will help you learn the times tables. However, you will need to commit daily time to these strategies to learn your tables in 21 days.
Try some of the following:

• Each day when you wake up, skip count the fact family you're working on.
• Each time you walk through a doorway, skip count again (silently)
• Each time you use the washroom, skip count!
• Each time the phone rings, skip count!
• During every commercial when you're watching TV, skip count! When you go to bed each night, skip count for 5 minutes.If you stick it out, you'll have your tables memorized in 21 days!

Update for 2/16

Here are the current "I Can" statements for math in Unit 5:

In this unit, students will:


● Develop an understanding of fractions, beginning with unit fractions.


● View fractions in general as being built out of unit fractions, and they use fractions along with visual fraction models to represent parts of a whole.


● Understand that the size of a fractional part is relative to the size of the whole. For example, 1/2 of the paint in a small bucket could be less paint than 1/3 of the paint in a larger bucket, but 1/3 of a ribbon is longer than 1/5 of the same ribbon because when the ribbon is divided into 3 equal parts, the parts are longer than when the ribbon is divided into 5 equal parts. Students are able to use fractions to represent numbers equal to, less than, and greater than one.


● Solve problems that involve comparing fractions by using visual fraction models and strategies based on noticing equal numerators or denominators.


● Recognize that the numerator is the top number (term) of a fraction and that it represents the number of equal-sized parts of a set or whole; recognize that the denominator is the bottom number (term) of a fraction and that it represents the total number of equal-sized parts or the total number of objects of the set


● Explain the concept that the larger the denominator, the smaller the size of the piece


● Compare common fractions with like denominators and tell why one fraction is greater than, less than, or equal to the other


● Represent halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths using various fraction models.


Our "I Can" statements for Science on magnets and Social Studies on Economics are:

S3P2. Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.

a. Investigate to find common objects that are attracted to magnets.

b. Investigate how magnets attract and repel each other.

SS3E1 The student will describe the four types of productive resources:

a. Natural (land)

b. Human (labor)

c. Capital (capital goods)

d. Entrepreneurship (used to create goods and services)

SS3E2 The student will explain that governments provide certain types of goods and services in a market economy, and pay for these through taxes and will describe services such as schools, libraries, roads, police/fire protection, and military.


SS3E3 The student will give examples of interdependence and trade and will explain how voluntary exchange benefits both parties.


a. Describe the interdependence of consumers and producers of goods and services.


b. Describe how goods and services are allocated by price in the marketplace.


c. Explain that some things are made locally, some elsewhere in the country, and some in other countries.


d. Explain that most countries create their own currency for use as money.


SS3E4 The student will describe the costs and benefits of personal spending and saving choices.

Fill Your Hearts project update 2/11

 Thank you for your participation in the Fill Your Hearts Project!!!  All of the items are being taken to CHOA this afternoon.  So  far, we have over 100 bags of supplies packaged up to deliver.  We appreciate all of your support!!