Mr. Jaureguy's Classroom Web Site

Important Info

3/16	Temecula History Report info sent home! Carnival Basket donations needed and appreciated.
3/18	Modified Day . . . 1:13 Dismissal Juice-It-Up GATE Testing
3/20	"My Planet, Your Planet" Performance 2:15 in MPR
3/23	Spring Break Begins
4/6	School resumes!
4/8	Modified Day...1:13 Dismissal Juice-It-Up
4/21	Temecula History Reports Due Presentations begin

I am really impressed by the content and evidence included in the weekly response journals, but am really excited by the "Free Writes" and the personality or voice, as it's called, that really shines through . . . way to go 3rd Graders!!!! This week there will be no journal writing for homework, just reading, and I will NOT collect the homework sheets since it is only 1 week until Spring Break. The Temecula History Report is due about 2 weeks after break, so get started on it now, spend some time over break working on it , and finish it up during the 2 weeks back & be ready to present your report during the week of April 21 . . . I'll set up a schedule in 2 weeks!!!!

8:58 - 9:15	Morning Work Roll, lunch count, homework collection Read 4 Today & Write 4 Today Announcements and Flag Salute
9:15 - 10:00	Language Houghton Mifflin instruction Vocabulary, skills development, comprehension, & strategies
10:00 - 11:00	Reading Rotations Small groups Independent reading & response Independent & group activities, skills reinforcement
11:00 - 11:05	Read-a-Loud & Snack
11:05 - 11:15	Recess
11:15 - 12:30	Writing Spelling Cursive Writing process, strategies, grammar, & skills development
12:30 - 1:15	Lunch
1:15 - 2:15	Mathematics Math review & warm-up Direct instruction/Practice Wednesday will be devoted to Multiplication
2:15 - 3:00	Science/Social Studies Mon./Tues.: Science Switch Thursday: Social Studies Friday: Clubs
3:00 - 3:22	Homework/Clean-up/Closing
*Thursday:	9:15-10:00 Computers 10:05-11:05 PE 11:20-11:55 Library

Grading Policy:

5 (92-100%)	Advanced Performance
4 (80-91%)	Proficient Performance
3 (70-79%)	Basic Performance
2 (60-69%)	Minimal Performance
1 (0-50%)	Does Not Meet Standards

Accelerated Reader

What is Accelerated Reader?

Students choose books at their appropriate reading levels.
Visit School library website to search for available titles at your child's AR level and to ensure that the school has the quiz for that book.

Student reads the book at their own pace.

Student takes a Quiz. Student gets immediate feedback on the reading and vocabulary progress.

In your child's homework binder is a section entitled AR.

In this section, you will find your child's AR reading level as well as their first AR goal that should be attained by Nov. 3.

Quizzes are generally worth 1-3 points depending on length of book and reading level.

If the child scores < 60%, NO points are earned; if the child scores >= 60%, that percentage of the points is earned.

In 3rd Grade, AR does NOT count towards the student's grades but next year it DOES. So...we are trying to get the students comfortable with the program, reading AR books and taking exams. IF they do reach their 6-week goals, they get to participate in the AR PARTY! So....that seems to be a good motivater for the kids.

Second Trimester Newsletter - Holiday Madness

Welcome Back!!! I hope everyone had a restful, yet thankful Thanksgiving Break . . . but now it's back to the schoolwork grind. Merrily, it's only for a few grueling weeks then 2 more weeks of festive fun Interplanetary Jammin' Your kids have been practicing songs for Interplanetary Jammin' . . . a space production including every 3rd grade class here at CHES!!! In this production, a specific class has taken a song about some aspect of space learned in Science class, and will perform these lessons with some dance moves to educate, as well as entertain, the school and you!! Before break, they practiced the songs and discussed the narrator's parts in class only. Now, practicing with the entire 3rd grade, they will need to memorize the songs, practice some nifty moves and dances, and get ready for two school performances and one parent presentation. Mark your calendars . . . December 12th at 2:15 PM is the official parent performance and everyone is invited to share in the learning and entertaining of Interplanetary Jammin'. . . BE THERE!!! Language Arts: READING: Fantasy and realism are explored in trimester 2 with seven very different stories. In theme 3, your kids will focus on fantasy with some really incredible stories. They begin their adventure with Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey, then onto The Mysterious Giant of Barletta by Tomie DePaola to finish off December, when they get back in January they will read Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen and finish these incredible stories with The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg. In theme 4, Animal Habitats, your kids study nature with expository or scientific stories. They begin this study with Nights of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan, then move to Seal Surfer by Michael Foreman and finally, Two Days in May by Harriet Peck Taylor. They end their study of animals with the novel Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat as a core literature study There will be two small Genre Projects as long term home projects. . .one will be about myths & legends in Jan., and the other a biography study in late February. In theme 1, using context clues to find meaning to unfamiliar words, as well as differentiating between main idea and supporting details continue to be a focus in reading. Your kids will also study story structure, drawing conclusions, making inferences & predictions, following directions and the use of a dictionary and thesaurus to study words. In theme 2 they will practice comparing & contrasting, differentiating between fact & opinion, as well as make judgments & evaluate the author's purpose. WRITING: Your kids are busy finishing up their expository paragraphs about the planets and soon will put together a planet booklet. Late next week, descriptive paragraphs will be introduced and modeled, thus the new focus of writing for January. The writing process is very important at this stage and much emphasis is being placed on writing a good topic sentence with at least three supporting details that explain or help the reader picture the concepts being related by the reader. They also spent a lot of time learning about the many different types of hooks to lure the reader in & assembled booklets as reminders, but in the new year they will focus on the many different ways to conclude a paragraph with interesting endings!!! They will also concentrate on verbs . . . present time, past time, and future time (Tenses for oldies like me!), and some irregular verbs and helping verbs. They continue to work on capitalization and punctuation, adding dialogue to their growing stores of knowledge. Your kids will also begin journaling in class a couple times a week, and as a “Free Write” at home least once in the new 2-week period format. Hopefully, journaling a few times a week will help those students who struggle to get their thoughts from mind to paper, and allow students who love to write an additional outlet!! CITY PROJECT: Every year Temecula holds a contest for every 3rd grade student to prepare a presentation about some aspect of Temecula's history . . . and CHES participates fully!! For the past few years CHES has provided the first and second place winners in all of the city and schools!!!! We're very proud of our students and what they are able to create. It is a home project and includes many options in which to choose. The criteria is established by the city, and the winners are chosen by a city panel . . . but the project is graded by me! More info will be passed onto your child when the city forwards it to us . . . it's a great project based on your child's interests and individual style of learning. MUSIC NEWS: Music has finally arrived at CHES . . . and your kids will be receiving instruction every week through March!!! Mrs. Freeman is the new music teacher and comes highly recommended and with much enthusiasm and talent!! She believes that a final performance is paramount . . . the “end -all-and-be-all” to a well planned program. She's no stranger to hard work and does not believe in “practice makes perfect,” but in “perfect practice.” This philosophy leads students to a greater appreciation of their accomplishments. So, get ready to attend a culminating performance this March!!

Homework Sheets: There have been some changes on the Homework sheets . . . so as to avoid confusion, I've decided to reemphasize the changes in this Newsletter as well. First of all, the homework sheets will be for a 2-week period and copied back-to-back. That means that the due date changes from Monday of every week, to Friday of the second week! I've also expanded the parent comment area and included a spot to notify parents of journal scores, missing assignments, and facts that need to be studied. You should expect the homework to come home on the 2nd Friday afternoon, completed with pertinent information for the previous 2-week period. I hope this will help with communication and notification of students who neglect to complete homework and class work on a more consistent and manner. If there is any new information that needs to be added to the 2nd week, I'll have the updates included on the website and will let your kids know as an addition to a homework night!!! Journal Scores: 5 Advanced Performance 4 Proficient Performance 3 Basic Performance 2 Minimal Performance 1 Does Not Meet Standards MATHEMATICS: This trimester your kids continue to master the multiplication facts . . . to automaticity!!! Wednesday is still dedicated to multiplication, but if they are struggling to pass a certain table, how about 5 minutes a day practice every night until they are successful??? For the next couple of weeks, your kids will be studying division. They begin by relating division to multiplication using fact families as a basis while learning several strategies to help solve simple problems . . . such as repeated subtraction, drawing a picture, or maybe even using a number line!!!! Then they move into more difficult division problems, dividing by larger numbers and determining unit costs . . . although not a standard, the algorithm will be introduced They continue division well into January, then begin a unit of study on measurement, customary and metric, and end the trimester studying shapes and figures with geometry!! SCIENCE: Currently, a study of space is underway!! Your kids are studying patterns found in the sky including day and night, seasons, and the moon phases. They will end with a look at star constellations. Every child should be looking at the moon to get an idea of the changes it undergoes in a month's cycle . . . and completing the calendar. Have them check the internet or with a friend to fill in any missing days, as well as clean it up . . . making the calendar nice & neat for a grade on the Dec. 10!!! In January they will begin a study living things and their environments, survival mechanisms, and any adaptations! SOCIAL STUDIES: When school resumes in 2009, 3rd grade Social Studies moves from the Mission Period into the Rancho Period and then into Temecula history. Your kids will learn about the early explorers & pioneers who settled into this great valley shrouded in the mist, and how they contributed to Temecula's development and growth. They will trace Temecula's changes . . . from a land under Spanish rule, to one under Mexican rule and finally to one under American rule. They will learn about the different religious and cultural contributions to this regions development, and how early economies influenced the present day local government. During the middle part of February, each class will take a walking tour of Temecula's Old Town so they'll develop a better understanding of some of the ideas & concepts learned in class, as well as peak some interest in a contest. Trimester 2 hilights December: 1 First Day back from Thanksgiving 3 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 5 Cool Critters Assembly 8 Holiday Shoppe Opens 10 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! New Science Project Due Date Moon Observations Due 12 Interplanetary Jammin' Performance Awards Assembly 16 Kinder Caroling 17 Winter Program Spectacular 19 PJ Day . . . Winter Celebration! Winter Break Begins January: 5 First Day back from break 7 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! Genre Report Handed out 16 Progress Reports Go Home 14 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 15 70's Day 17 Field Trip to Old Town 19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ... No School 21 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 28 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 30 Awards Assemblies Februrary: 4 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 5 Genre Reports Due 9 Lincoln's Birthday ... No School 11 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 16 President's Day ... No School 18 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! Genre Reports Handed Out (Due March 18) 25 Minimum Day ... 1:13 dismissal!! 26 Award Assemblies Report Cards Go Home