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News from Room 501

Spring Break: I hope each of you has a wonderful time with your children. Many of you are traveling so I have not assigned homework this week and I will not assign it during WASL testing. I feel the kids need a break; however, I always want to encourage reading even on vacation. Taking along a good paperback to read on the plane or before bed is still a good habit to get kids into. They will turn in reading logs over the two weeks of WASL.

Testing: WASL testing for the third grade will begin at 8:40 Tues April 15^th. We will start with reading testing Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings the first week. Math testing will be April 22^nd Tuesday and April 24^th Thursday mornings. Unless your child is sick, please make every effort to have you child at school on those five mornings. It is always much easier for your child to take the test with the class than have to take a make with other students. Most children are done by 10:45; however, they are allowed to have the as much time as necessary to finish. If you need to make an appointment, the afternoon should be fine. We will not test, as a class, on Wednesdays, but the EA’s will do make up tests those days.

We hope your children will get plenty of rest and eat a good breakfast during these two weeks. Again, this is a celebration of what they have learned thus far. It will be helpful to the fourth grade teachers to see their strengths and know the area that need more work. I sincerely hope the children do not get too anxious about taking this test. They are only third graders. There will be plenty of time later on worry about final results.

Reading: Eager Reader: Our class has really been doing a great job with reading. We achieved our Eager Reader goal a week early and kids still continued to read. Most of them well exceeded their weekly goals.

Biography reports were a great success. I was thrilled with how far we have come in presenting to a group. Many had obviously practiced at home first and really demonstrated confidence. The writing has certainly improved too. Most were able to write as their character and showed they had really enjoyed their books. It was a treat to see how they have grown as learners.

Rocks and Minerals: We have begun a great unit with many hands on experiences with rocks and minerals. This is always a unit that students get very involved with. Having Bob Jackson introduce it was a great way to get the children enthused.

Fees: Thank you to all the parents who sent in the fees for Anne Burns’ masks and Bob Jackson’s presentation. Without your help we are not able to give your children these great experiences.

If you have not had the opportunity to send in your check, please make out a check to Endeavour for $ 11.50.

HAVE A GREAT BREAK!              Jan Robinson robinsonj@issaquah.wednet.edu