May 2, 2011

Dear Parents and friends of DCS third grade,

Thanks to all that came and made our annual community service clean-up day a success on Saturday!!

We are writing our biographies and turning them into podcasts for you to view when you come to DCS Open House and Learning Celebration night on May 10 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. 

Our bean plant studies are continuing in the greenhouse and the questions the students wanted to answer in the experiments are beginning to be answered. This is the coldest spring in fifteen years and our plants in the greenhouse are just waiting for some warm sunny days to take off. The broccoli family crops LOVE this weather and have shown the most growth to date.

We continue to take data in our citizen backyard feeder project as well. Our resident family of squirrels have put the feeders to the test and have given the class some amazing observations! They are crafty!! 

If you haven't had a chance to check in on the three eaglets and their parents at http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles give them a try. Incredible view of the raising of eaglets and the work it takes to accomplish such a task.

In math, we are finishing Unit 9 this week and have learned how to multiply two digit by two digit numbers. This class has taken lattice multiplication to a new level in third grade. The math facts are coming along, thank you for all of your hard work practicing them at home as well. Math fact automaticity is crucial to the upper grades.

Third grade took part in the City of Columbus Arbor Day Tree Planting ceremony in front of the Mayor's office on Friday morning. Three of our students were chosen to help plant the tree, Austin Lietha, Matt Fuerstenberg and Mariah Schroeder. Look on the third grade DCS website for pictures of the event.

We had high school visitors last Friday for the first annual reading carnival. Students came and interacted with third grade students through the shared love of reading. The third graders were able to show the high schoolers how to play Multiplication Baseball (an Everyday Math app on iTunes, which could be great summer fun) on their iPods in class. Some of the third graders were beating the high school students. 

I have explored some of the Scholastic catalogs online and have one last offer to purchase books this year. Please go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Our class activation code is: GYHKZ. To be sure that we get the books before the end of the year, please place your order by May 27. There are plenty of opportunities to continue your child's progress in reading this summer with the choices you will find on Scholastic.com. Thank you to all that have made online orders, the book certificates have brought many new reading books into third grade!

Please look for May's Community Learning Services "What's Up" Newsletter on our third grade website at www.discoverycharter.net

If you haven't turned the field trip fees for the Cave of the Mounds and Geology Museum trips for your child, please do so at your earliest convenience. Let me know if there are extenuating circumstances.

Some upcoming dates to remember:

May 10--Cave of the Mounds trip

May 10--DCS Open House and Learning Celebration 6:00-7:30 pm

May 18--Opera at CMS-1:30 pm. Our own Ben Cremers will be part of the music performance.

May 20--Trip to DCS woods

May 25--Trip to the Geology Museum

May 27--Early Dismissal and last book orders are due

May 30--Memorial Day No school

Thank you for your continued support.

Jeannie Coughlin