Newsletter Week of August 28th

Good morning parents,

I hope you all had a great weekend. Just a friendly reminder that we have three days of school next week. It was a busy week in 3AH, we have been building our stamina in reading and writing, and have set goals for how much we hope to accomplish in a session. This week will begin on a day 3 and finish on day 5.

Reading

Students will begin to set clear reading goals such as the amount of pages read during independent reading time and track their progress towards these goals. Students will also learn how to work with their reading partner to become even better readers.

Writing

Students will learn that writers use descriptive details of movement, sounds, actions, etc. to show the story rather than tell it. Students will also write using a storyteller’s voice.

A storyteller’s voice shows not tells

-describing the actions that took place

-using dialogue

-describing what we saw, smelled, tasted or felt

-describes what the storyteller sees around him/ her

Math

Students will continue to practice time to the nearest minute as well as solve elapsed time word problems. One strategy is to use a number line with the start and end time.

Social Studies

Students will learn how to use map keys and the compass rose to interpret and gain information from various maps.

Please take a minute to look at our ES Parent Learning Connection. Here you will find information and resources of our units in Mathematics and Literacy.

Week of August 28th and September 4th. Please complete 3 activities and bring to share on Thursday, September 7th.

Math: School starts at 8:00 and finishes at 2:45. Zain says we are at school for 6 hours and Aurora says we are at school for 6 hours and 45 minutes. Who is correct? Prove it with words, pictures, and/or numbers.	Language arts: Find a book at home that you believe to be a good fit or within reach book. Explain to someone how you know your book is just right for you. Then, record your start and finish times and the number of pages you read at home.	Language arts: Watch 5 minutes of your favorite TV show with your child, but turn the sound off and practice storytelling to each other what is happening.  Make sure you include: dialogue, details, actions and inner thinking.
Math: Practice your fact fluency (addition or subtraction numbers 1-20) Flashcards, online, games, worksheets, cards.	Social Studies: List the times you have used a map. How do maps help us?	Other: Play a board game with your family.

Remember: Reading is just what we do. It is expected each night.

Math Facts

Dear parents,

Here is a link to a pdf full of math games to build your child's fluency for addition and subtraction. Although it is labeled grade 2, the games included are great practice. These games help to build their understanding of math facts. You and your child can pick and choose which games to print off. Most of them only require dice. Please let me know should you have any questions.

Free Dress Day

This Friday is our first Free Dress Day...

As always we ask that the students bring RM5 as a donation to a local organization. This week's donation will be going to the Children's Cancer Hospital. 

We frequently donate to this hospital as it's a place where 5th grade Red Hats go to volunteer their time. 

The money goes to the nurses who work at the hospital and they, in turn, give it to patients in need of a little financial help. 

Your donation goes directly to those who need it most.

Thank you and know that you are making a difference in our local community.

Sincerely,

Max Mangelsdorf

Red Hat Coordinator

Class Individual Photo's

Hello 3AH parents,

I wanted to inform you that we will be having our individual photos this Monday at 1:50. Your child can come to school dressed-up for their photo. Our whole class photo will be on Wednesday. For the whole class photo, your child is expected to wear their uniform.

Thank you, Alasdair

Newsletter Week of August 21st

Week of August 21st

Good morning parents,

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Last week was a very busy week, building our reading and writing stamina and setting up our classroom agreements. During the open house, I hope you get the opportunity to see your child's hope and dream for this year. This is their goal for the academic year. It is great to see our community coming together. If there is any parent interested in being our room mom or dad, please send me an email and let me know. I will be asking at the open house for a room parent. If you are interested before then, please do let me know. I hope to see you at Open House Monday evening.

This week will begin on a day 4.

Reading

We will begin our first reading unit: Building a Reader’s life. Students will learn to choose books that are just right for them and to monitor as they read so they can spend their time reading lots of books with accuracy and comprehension

Writing

We will begin our first writing unit: Crafting True Stories. This week students will learn how to find ideas for stories. Students can think of an important person or place and list the moments that happened. Then students choose one of these moments and begin drafting their story. Students will also set clear reading goals and track their progress towards their goals.

Math

We will begin our first math unit on Measurement.

In this unit students will:

• Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes.
• Solve elapsed time, including word problems, by using a number line diagram.
• Reason about the units of mass and volume.

Social Studies

Students will begin to learn about what makes a map and what tools help us to read a map such as a compass rose, map key, symbols (landforms), etc. If you have any maps at home that you would not mind the class looking at, please send them to school with your child to share.

Please take a minute to look at our ES Parent Learning Connection. Here you will find information and resources of our units in Mathematics and Literacy.

Great article from NYT on children and reading.

Week of August 21st. Please complete 2 activities and bring to share on Friday, August 25th.

Math: Make records of important times of the day (wake-up, dinner, going to school, getting home from school, etc.) and practice telling how long between activities ( I have 23 minutes between dinner and home learning).	Language arts: Act out your personal narrative - be sure to think about the actions, dialogue, and feelings when you act.	Language arts: Make a list of how you make your reading the best it can be at home (choosing a comfy spot, reading new genres, etc)
Math: Practice your fact fluency (addition, or subtraction) Flashcards, online, games, worksheets, cards.	Social Studies: Study a map you have at home. List what makes a map (map key, compass, colors)	Other: Go for a walk with a friend or family. Talk about the best part of your day.

Remember: Reading is just what we do. It is expected each night.

Classroom Rules

Dear 3AH families,

We have been talking a lot during these early weeks of school about our learning goals for this school year. The students and I have articulated many goals for ourselves.  Some of these goals are: to make new friends, to get better in Math, and to write longer books.

To create a climate where all students can achieve their goals, we have created the following agreements for our classroom:

1.    Be responsible

2.    Be respectful

3.    Be safe

You can help us at home. Please refer to these agreements often with your child. We are all working together to create a safe and caring community of learners. I appreciate your support. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about these agreements or my approach to classroom discipline.

Swim Dates

Semester 1 2017 - Swimming Information

The first Swimming lesson for the year will take place on Day 3 Monday 28th August please remind both your students and parents of the expectations as we have been doing in P.E. Also see the days and dates your students/class will be in the pool.

Swimming Class

Students will need to bring

• Swimsuit

• Towel
• Long hair to be tied back

Goggles and swim caps are optional. There is no "ISKL school swimsuit". Appropriate swim attire (one piece swim suit or swim bottoms and rash shirt).  

If students forget their swim gear, they can borrow a swimsuit if available or they can use their PE uniform. If students cannot swim for any reason, a detailed email or note must explain why.

Semester 1 Water Safety & Survival Swimming Days & Dates

Start Date: August 28th

Finish Date: December 4th

Swim Carnival December 8th

Gail Smith - Day 1 & 2

Tim Fischer - Day 3 & 4

Amy Simpson - Day 5 & 6

Tuk - Day 2

Gail Smith Day 1: Grade 3 Odd: Arman/Kiara

1. Tuesday September 5th
2. Thursday September 14th
3. Monday September 25th
4. Tuesday October 3rd
5. Friday October 13th
6. Friday October 27th
7. Monday November 6th
8. Tuesday November 14th
9. Wednesday November 22nd
10. Thursday November 30th

Tuk Day 2: Grade 3 Tiny/Colby/Lotte

1. Wednesday September 6th
2. Friday September 15th
3. Tuesday September 26th
4. Wednesday October 4th
5. Monday October 16th
6. Monday October 30th
7. Tuesday November 7th
8. Wednesday November 15th
9. Thursday November 23rd
10. Monday December 4th

Tim Fischer Day 3:  Grade 3 odd Liam/Sebastian/Salam

1. Monday 28th August
2. Thursday 7th September
3. Monday 18th September
4. Wednesday 27th September
5. Thursday 5th October
6. Tuesday 17th October
7. Tuesday 31st October
8. Wednesday 8th November
9. Thursday 16th November
10. Friday 24th November

Tim Fischer Day 4:  Grade 3 even Joshua/Wendy/Shada/Ava/Tiger

1. Tuesday 29th August  
2. Monday 11th September
3. Tuesday 19th September
4. Thursday 28th September
5. Friday 6th October
6. Tuesday 24th October
7. Wednesday 1st November
8. Thursday 9th November
9. Friday 17th November
10. Monday 27th November

Amy Simpson Day 5:  Grade 3 Odd Ethan

1. Wednesday August 30
2. Tuesday September  12
3. Wednesday September 20
4. Friday September 29
5. Wednesday October 11
6. Wednesday October 25
7. Thursday November 2
8. Friday November 10
9. Monday November 20
10. Tuesday November 28

Amy Simpson Day 6:  Grade 3 even Nicole/Oscar/Hamdan/Nadia

1. Monday September 4
2. Wednesday September 13
3. Thursday September 21
4. Monday October 2
5. Thursday October 12
6. Thursday October 26
7. Friday November 3
8. Monday November 13
9. Tuesday November 21
10. Wednesday November 29

Newsletter Week of August 14th

Week of August 14th

Good morning 3AH parents,

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend. We had a fabulous first week of school. I saw students making new friends and showing so much enthusiasm for being in third grade! This second week of school we will continue to discuss the Melawati Way and delve into the SLRs (Schoolwide Learning Results). We continue to build our classroom communities and routines. Also this week, students will have MAP testing.

This week we begin on day 5.

Reading: Students will learn that readers make plans to set themselves up for the best possible reading lives, and then they put those plans into action. We will build our stamina in reading as well as passion!

Writing: Students will build their stamina, writing across pages with details, facts, and opinions.

Students will begin to learn about the writing process that includes: Planning/Rehearsing, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing. Our first unit of writing will be Personal Narrative. Students will begin to develop personal narratives based on real experiences or events from their lives.

Math: Students will continue to establish math routines and expectations that will prepare students for the Mathematics classroom. The focus will be on developing a growth mindset towards mathematics and setting norms for group work.

Social Studies: We will begin our Mapping unit. Students learn about map features, the types of maps and how to read them. They will also explore how landforms impact the lives of people in the area.

Please take a minute to look at our ES Parent Learning Connection. Here you will find information and resources of the upcoming units in Mathematics and Literacy.

Announcement

August 8, 2017

Dear 3AH Families,

I am so excited to be able to learn with your family this year! Please know that parents are an important part of our learning community and I welcome your participation.

This is my fourth year at ISKL. Before that, I was a teacher in Kuwait, at the American School of Kuwait. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I am married to Ms. Smillie (3ES). Outside of the classroom, I enjoy canoeing, skiing, and traveling. I have additional qualifications in special education and mathematics. I hope you will feel welcome at school and should you have time to volunteer on a regular basis (or occasionally), please let me know.

Each Sunday you will find an update in the announcement section of our class blog. Please make it a habit to check here for information about what is going on in class. You can simplify this by subscribing to the blog so that you will get a notification each time it is updated. There will not be whole class emails from me this year, all whole class communication will be via the class blog. In a few weeks, the students will also begin blogging. More information about this will follow, but know that everyone LOVES comments!

Third grade is an exciting year and I am lucky to be able to work with your children this year. I hope you will be able to come in for a brief “Getting to Know You” chat. I am happy to schedule these 10-minute appointments before or after school. Please email me some times you are available and I will confirm. I can also meet during specialist classes (except days 3 when I have regular meetings). You are your child’s first teacher and this is a chance for me to learn from you more about teaching your child.

More information about the third-grade program will be shared at Back to School Night (August 21st for grade 3 parents). Please feel free to contact me throughout the year if you have questions or concerns. The easiest way to reach me is via email (ahamilton@iskl.edu.my). Thank you for loaning me your child for the year.

Best,  Alasdair Hamilton