A.C.C.'s Team Toombs

Valentine's Week

2012-02-12T07:32:00.000-05:00

Our Biggest hope for the upcoming week is to have everyone back to their healthy selves. Over the past 2-3 weeks we might have had one day in which we had our whole team together.
Everyone has caught right on to the 0,1 & 2 tables. They are very enthusiastic about them. This week we will be starting the 4 times tables. A great game site to reinforce this new skill is: http://www.multiplication.com/games Most of the games are terrific at this point because you can select for the games to only include the tables we have covered, therefore the children don't get frustrated with a question we have yet to work on. (We often take 5 minutes at the beginning or end of Math class to play these on the Smart Board)
We have finished our novel and are doing some concluding activities to go with it. Our big project this week will be to as a class create a Descriptive Report on the Lynx (from the story) from which we will create a slide show presentation using Power Point. Then the students will work in pairs to research another animal and create their own Power Point to present to the class on the Smart Board.
We will have a Valentine Exchange on Tuesday and the Candy Grams that were purchased last week will be delivered on that day as well.
The week of February 20th, is ACC's Winter Carnival Week, so each day there is a Dress Up theme, each particular day is not set yet but the themes will be: Beach Day, PJ/Crazy Hat Day, Neon/Crazy Sock Day, Spirit Day (ACC Clothing or our school colors Blue and Gold.)
There will also be a Skate on the morning of February 24th, any parents who are free and willing to come join us are welcome.
Thank You to Ryley and his Family for the Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes.

The Second Half of Grade 3 Begins

2012-02-05T08:11:00.000-05:00

Monday is Food/Drink order day for the month of February
Book Orders are due Friday
This week we will wrap up our novel study on Strange Lake Adventure
We started Multiplication on Thursday and the children are catching onto it very quickly. It is one of my favorite parts of math to teach, I think because it is something brand new and exciting to them.
This week we had two exciting visitors come in to read to our class. On Monday, Rachel Reeves read, Too Much Stuff and on Friday Sandra Coughlin, read us a special short story that she used to read to her children when they were little. Thank you very much ladies for coming in and sharing your love of reading. The kids loved having you in, especially Lilly and Emma.
Thank you again to Koraleigh and Tammy for the Cookies, we could really get used to your treat of the week.
A good website I recommended to the kids this week for practicing Speller Words is: http://www.spellingcity.com/ It is interactive and has lots of fun games.

It's Half Time!

2012-01-29T07:13:00.003-05:00

It is hard to imagine but this week marks the half way point for Grade 3!

We had an awesome celebration for Family Literacy Day on Friday. Many of the children brought in some of their favorite books to do a Book Talk on, and they took this roll on very seriously. On Monday there will be a draw for 2 Coles/Indigo Gift Cards for those students that did a book talk. I am sure you have all heard about our special guest that came in to read to us. Carmen Reeves did the best read of Green Eggs and Ham that I have ever seen. He had the students on the edge of their seats and so excited about the book and reading. He took it a step farther and taught them about syllables, auctioning, and trivia. Congrats to Emma A. for getting his trivia question correct. Thank you again Carmen for coming in, it will definitely be one of the highlights of their grade 3 year (Especially Faith).
Tomorrow we have Lilly's Step-Mom, Rachel coming in to read us a story. Which we are really looking forward to it. Any other parents who would like to come join our class to read, do a craft, or any special something please call or email me. Our door is always Open.
I apologize in advance to parents about the Persuasive Cell Phone Letter. I am sure you know I don't think they should have cell phones. In fact, I told them if I were their parent I would say you are too young and they cost too much. So, it was their job to use critical thinking and provide counter-arguments to convince us otherwise. Many of them did provide REALLY good reasoning, which was the main point of the assignment.
We are continuing to read Strange Lake, and at the end of many of the chapters the kids have that "OOHHH No, we can't stop there!" feeling. Next week I'll have to post the Persuasive Letter we wrote as a class to Gage Publishing Company, requesting that they put this book back into print, as you know our copies are in rough shape. These kids can be very persuasive so I really hope that we receive some kind of response, and new books would be amazing.
We are wrapping up our Addition and Subtraction Unit this week and will have a little test to see where everyone is at independently with their strategies.
We were also suppose to have a Speller Review Quiz on Friday, but when we were sent home early it was put off. A few students admitted during the Spelling Bee that they had not went over the words at all, so my plan is to continue our review this week and have the test this Friday.
There is no school on Wednesday, due to a P.D. Day for the teachers.

Thank you AGAIN to Koraleigh and her Mom for the sweet treats. You are spoiling us!

Last Week of January Already???

2012-01-21T08:18:00.001-05:00

Time is flying by, and I usually hear people say the January is the slowest month of the year. But the last 2 Fridays I said (and really meant) to the kids, "I can't believe it's Friday again Already!" And a bunch of them said the same. That is what happens when you are working with such a great team. I should also share that Mr.Martin, has even commented on this group saying, "They're the best!"
The kids are very excited about their first class novel (Strange Lake Adventure) and are really enjoying sharing it with someone at home. It is so wonderful to hear them connect with the characters and the story.
The children's writing is really starting to take off. The details and feelings they are putting into their pieces are so exciting to read.
I have started to explain to the children how I evaluate their work and how that relates to their report cards. For example if someone received a 2 (Approaching Expectations) on their work I really want them to understand what they did well and what they need to work on to get a 3 (Meeting Expectations). I am constantly encouraging them to give their best effort and go back and improve their work. Most of the students are really taking this seriously, in fact their responses are, "I don't want just a 3, I want a 4 (Exceeding Expectations)." Which is like gold to a teacher's ears.
This Friday, January 27th is Family Literacy Day. If any parents or grandparents would like to come into our class and read one of their favorite books we would love to have you in. If Friday does not suit, it could be any day. The children would be so exciting to have a family member come into our class. If you are interested just give me a call or email.
We do not have any new Spelling Words this week. We will have a review week. Thursday we will have a Spelling Bee and on Friday I will give them a little Quiz.
For anyone who ordered Pizza or Garlic Fingers at the first of the month, this Friday is the day they will be served.

Thank You to Koraleigh and her Family for the Delicious Fruit Tray this week!

This Week in Grade 3

2012-01-15T07:45:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we will start a class novel, Strange Lake Adventure. It is an older text, but the kids always love the story and even though no one in the story has an ipod or a cell phone the children in the story are very relatable. Unfortunately, they have not published any new copies of the book in a number of years so I ask that the children take extra good care of their book. We will be reading the novel mainly in class, however, as night time reading I ask that the children re-read the passages we read that day in school to improve fluency and get a deeper understanding of the story and characters. Many families in the past have share read the book at home(child reads a page, then parent reads a page) so they can enjoy and discuss the story together.
We have another quiet 5 day week this week at ACC.

Thank you to Colton and his Family for the Great Healthy Snack this week. Everyone loved the cheese and crackers.

Happy 2012 Everyone!

2012-01-07T07:58:00.000-05:00

I hope you all made lots of wonderful Christmas memories with your families. I can't believe how many of them were able to stay awake to Ring in 2012!
A huge thank you for all the Christmas Wishes and gifts. They were all very thoughtful.
We've got week one complete of the new year, and I believe the best week we've had so far this school year.
We've started the year working on Voice in our Writing, Reviewing our addition and subtraction strategies before we begin multiplication in a few weeks. We are also working on all those tricky rules for making words plural, and most exciting and interesting we started our new Social Studies program on our Beautiful Prince Edward Island. They really enjoyed finding where we are on the globe in Google Earth.
Next week is a full straight forward 5 day week, with lots of learning happening.
Good Luck to Our 4 Hockey Girls in Moncton this weekend, I am sure you'll all have lots of fun and great stories to share.
Happy Birthday this coming Tuesday to Colton! Enjoy your Special Day!
Thank you to Koraleigh and Tammy for making their Yummy Brownie Pops for the Class this week. They were very popular.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-17T08:20:00.003-05:00

Thank you to all the parents who put together the terrific costumes for your children for the concert they all looked wonderful and they did a great job at the rehearsal and I hear even better in the afternoon for you. That afternoon I was at my own son's very first concert, which as you know is such an exciting thing for a parent.
We still have 5 students to take in their gifts for our Christmas Gift Exchange. Please have those in on Monday or let me know ASAP if there is a problem in getting it in. (Thanks)
Ms. Carver finished with our class yesterday. She did a great job teaching Math to the students over the last 3 weeks.
I hope everyone has got a chance to see your child's Christmas Magazine entitled, Candy Cane. All of the information in it came directly from the students. They were very proud of their efforts yesterday when they were handed out.
Happy Be-lated Birthday to Tanner & Faith! December is definitely their favorite month of the year.

Have a Very Merry Christmas Everyone
and enjoy all the new Special Memories
you will make this year!

Last Full School Week of 2011

2011-12-11T07:38:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all the parents who have sent in ticket money, there are a few remaining out there and the draw is Thursday. So please send in money or unsold tickets as soon as possible.
Don't forget to send in permission slips for the Sound of Music. Students should take a snack that they can easily put in their coat pocket to eat during the intermission. Then we are stopping at Burger King for lunch. The students can purchase a lunch or take their regular lunch there to eat. (I know a few students did that last week.)
Thursday is our concert and as you know grade three is the Nativity scene. We have done this every year except last year when Mrs.Brennan was on leave, and some how her tickle trunk of costumes has disappeared during her absence.Whatever you can do to help out here would be appreciated. You can be creative and might have something great for your child tucked away in a closet or attic.
Shepherds and Joesph could have bath robes & hand towel for their heads
Angels can just wear white that day, there are still some old wings around
Wise men maybe some old costume jewelery, I have found some new crowns for them.
Inn Keeper could be wrapped up in an old blanket (Like a shawl?)
Mary I think is set with one of the student's blue bathrobes.

This week the students can have an open reading week at home. They can read whatever they want, it would be a great opportunity to partner read some great Christmas stories with your child. We will not have any new words of the week, instead I would like them to review over their past words to ensure they remember them.
Please send in all Student Christmas Exchange gifts by Thursday, and address them to the student your child picked, followed by 3 clues about your child, so the receiver can try to guess who picked their name. The clues could be something like: [1) I have 1 brother, 2) I play hockey 3) I live in Searletown] Let your child be creative and they can make it a challenge for the guesser. If there is any problem in getting the gift please let me know, as I want to ensure that everyone has a present under the tree for the last day when we open them.

The Best/Busiest Time of the Year

2011-12-03T07:43:00.001-05:00

Our Wyatt Heritage field trip is this Thursday. We will be gone for the morning and will be stopping at Wendy's for lunch. The students can take a packed lunch to eat there or can order from the menu. We will not be pre-ordering as we are going with the big kids (Grades4-6). Last year the grade 3s ordered on their own as well which was a great experience for them and they seemed to prefer it that way. Ms. Waite will be with them on the trip as I have an appointment that day.
Grade 3 will play the Nativity scene in the Christmas concert, which requires us to be creative with some costumes. Next week Mrs.Brennan will be giving me a list of everyone's part and we'll have a better idea of who needs certain items. (For example: Angels should wear white)
Monday is food order day for the month of December.
This Friday is Pajama Day. Students are asked to stay comfy and cozy for the day and donate a Toonie for a Turkey.
A huge thank you to all of you Parents doing so much for our school. There is a lot being asked of you and everyone is doing their part.

Birthday Girl

2011-11-27T08:10:00.001-05:00

Happy 9th Birthday to Madison! Enjoy your special day!

Here Comes Decemberrrrrrrrr!

2011-11-26T07:21:00.001-05:00

This week we will be back on track with a full five day week.
This past week tickets were sent home with the children to sell for the playground fund. Please do what you can to help out. The account is really starting to build and a new playground will SOON be a reality at The Cove with everyone's support.
If you are interested in purchasing school clothing for your child all orders are due by this Friday. If you would like to keep it a secret for a Christmas present, please feel free to email me and/or send in your request in a sealed envelop.
Book orders are due Tuesday.
Please return the small sheet that accompanied the report cards to verify you received it. I also ask that you return it unsealed in the Amherst Cove envelop it was in, so that we can recycle them next term.
We have two exciting field trips coming up in December, check out the dates on the sidebar. (Permission slips will follow soon)
Just a reminder for any families wanting to take in the Christmas Parades, the Charlottetown one is tonight and the Summerside one is on Monday night.

A huge thank you to Lilly and her family for the delicious snacks this week. She spoiled us all with chocolate covered strawberries and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They were outstanding!

Report Card Week

2011-11-19T06:37:00.001-05:00

I had a terrific week back with the kids. They ALL really impressed me with lots of excellent effort. Way to go TEAM!

On Monday Chicken Finger Orders are due at a cost of $4.00. The fingers will be served on Thursday.
Please return all Dental Consent Forms as soon as possible.
Monday I will send out a new book order. All orders are due by Tuesday, Nov.29th.
Report Cards will be sent home on Thursday. Ms.Waite was wonderful in helping us out in this area, as they would have been a challenge for me to do after being back for only a week.
There is no school on Friday, due to a School Development Day for the teachers.
This week in Math I seen huge improvements in the students work in 3 digit addition and 2 digit subtraction. They really seemed to get it. Thanks to the parents for support in helping out here. Ms.Carver will start to lead Math this week and she will introduce Telling Time, which I found out everyone will benefit from.
A very Happy 9th Birthday to Tanner!
A Huge Thank You to Jessica and her family for the Massive Fruit Tray. Everyone really enjoyed it.
To get faster at our basic addition and subtraction facts we sometimes start our math class with a 5 min interactive game on the Smartboard. They are all eager to get their turn and are pumped to get faster and improve their time. Please encourage your child to try these out at home if they have any spare time.

Addition:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/interactive/index.htm#addition
Subtraction:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/interactive/subtraction.htm

Another great Canadian site that covers all math curriculum outcomes is:
http://ca.ixl.com/math/grade-3
(If you have a child in another grade you can very easily switch grade levels.)

No Chicken Fingers

2011-11-16T18:25:00.001-05:00

I posted on the blog earlier that there would be chicken fingers for sale this Friday, that has been changed as this is our pizza/garlic finger/ sub Friday. The chicken fingers will be sold next week instead.

Mrs.Toombs is Finally Back!

2011-11-11T11:38:00.001-05:00

I think I received the warmest Welcome Back I could have ever received from the kids on Tuesday. It was so touching and showed how caring they all are. I can`t wait to get back to school with them on Monday. Ms.Waite did a fabulous job with them and I know they will miss her a lot.

The parent teacher interviews were a great opportunity for me to get caught up on how the students have been doing and any of your concerns. If there is ever anything that comes up in the future, always remember to contact me.

This week is Bully Awareness Week, so that will be our focus this week. Friday we will have a school assembly and we are asking everyone to wear pink. Later in the week be sure to ask your child why we are wearing pink ....... there is a very inspiring story behind it.
On Friday the Home and School is selling Chicken Fingers at lunch time for the children. I will have to get back to you on the price and when the orders are due.
On Thursday Ms. Erin Carver will be joining our Team until Christmas. Ms.Carver is a first year Pre-Service Teacher from UPEI. This will be a great help having two teachers in the room to give more support to the students`individual needs in Math, Reading and Writing.

November Already!

2011-11-06T18:44:00.001-05:00

Here are a few updates from Grade 3 and some information about the week to come.

We had a wonderful time on Monday with the various Halloween activities that took place at the school and in our classroom. Grade 3 also performed a short song for the school during the costume parade and did a wonderful job! We have begun exploring our knowledge of Remembrance Day and have added to this by creating questions and then researching as a class. Students have also created creative pieces of writing and have started working on editing. They have also made Acrostic Poems for Remembrance Day which have been posted on the classroom bulletin board. We have wrapped up our work on Skip Counting in Math and have moved on to Estimation and working with larger numbers. Students have also nearly finished learning how to write the alphabet in cursive writing. I've seen a lot of great work this week!

The following week (November 7th - 11th) is a short one. Here is what is going on this week in our class and at the school:

- November 7th:    Milk/Food Orders Due
- November 8th:    Parent-Teacher Interviews begin at 3pm
                             Remembrance Day Assembly for students and members of the community at 11a.m.
- November 9th:    Parent-Teacher Interviews (No School)
- November 10th: Professional Development Day (No School)
- November 11th: Remembrance Day (No School)

This week is also my final week at Amherst Cove and Mrs. Toombs will be returning as the classroom teacher on Monday, November 14th. I will have an opportunity to meet many parents at the interviews and Mrs. Toombs will be joining me then. I've had a wonderful time with the students and will miss them all.

If you have any questions or comments, you can call me at the school or reach me by email at bpwaite@edu.pe.ca

Halloween Activities

2011-10-27T18:24:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to give you all a heads-up about the Halloween events that will be taking place at Amherst Cove on Monday, October 31st.

The Leadership group and some teachers at the school have organized some fun-filled activities for the students of the school. The morning will begin with a parade of costumes which all students will have an opportunity to take part in. Students are encouraged to wear their costumes but this is by no means a requirement! There will be a variety of other activities throughout the day, I'm sure the students will really enjoy it.

We've had a great time getting in the spirit of Halloween in the Grade 3 classroom. I can't wait to spend the day with them and hope you all have a fun Halloween!

Grade 3 Updates from Ms. Waite

2011-10-15T20:43:00.003-04:00

Hello, I just wanted to take some time now to introduce myself to you. My name is Brittany Waite and I have been filling in for Ms. Toombs in your child's Grade 3 class. I have been a regular substitute at Amherst Cove so I was fortunate enough to already know this lovely class of students but have been thoroughly enjoying getting to know each of the students on a more personal level. They have all been wonderful assistants to me as we've all worked together to keep Ms. Toombs' well-established classroom routine and structure running smoothly. I have been in contact with Ms. Toombs throughout my time with the class and so I have been able to continue with her lessons with as little disruption as possible. It seems that all students have adjusted quite well to the change but I encourage you to let me know if you have any comments, questions, or concerns that I should be aware of. You can continue using the note section in your child's agenda, call me at the school, or email me at bpwaite@edu.pe.ca

Here are a few updates for you:

The Grade 3 classroom did very well in the school's fundraiser with Cole DesRoche among the top 3 sellers. Congratulations Cole!! You've all done a great job and thanks to parents for your support with this.
Students have begun keeping a log of any physical activity they participate in outside of the school in order to see the importance of being proactive with developing healthy habits and routines. If you find them running around the house more avidly than usual, this may be why!
We have just completed our author study on Arnold Lobel. All students had the opportunity to read one of his books and become the experts as they shared the story with the rest of the class. They loved being the "teacher" and all did an excellent job of participating and presenting.
In Math students have been working on developing the skill of skip counting/counting by 5s, 10s, and 25s. We have been using coins to assist us with this. Students have been practicing using coins to create a variety of dollar amounts and thinking of different ways of doing this. I'm sure they would love to count the change in your pockets or help you pay for something sometime!
Students borrowed new books at the school library this week, have begun new guided reading groups, and I have also given them a couple new books to take home to read this week.
This upcoming week is a three day week due to the annual PEITF Convention so there will be no classes on both Thursday and Friday.

Thanks for reading and again, feel free to contact me at any time!

Final Week of September

2011-09-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

It was great to see all the parents who could make it to Meet the Teacher. Sorry we had to rush through at the end. For anyone who could not make it your child should have taken home the notes from the evening.
On Meet the Teacher Night there was a sign up sheet for Healthy Snack, and I forgot to mention it, so only 5 families noticed it and signed up and there was a number of families not there. So we have lots of weeks open. If you are interested in supporting this, you can email me or write a note in the agenda and I will respond with a week that is unfilled. All the children LOVE when a little treat shows up.
Tuesday morning The Rick Hansen Team is scheduled to stop at Amherst Cove to put on a presentation! This is very exciting!
This week I will be sending home a couple of reading books for the week with your child. If they can read one each on Monday and Tuesday night, I would like them to choose one to re-read on Wednesday night to work on their fluency and expression. Then Thursday nights are an open night when the students can select anything they wish as long as it is "Just Right" for them. Everyone will be following this format for the next few months.
This year we are moving away from Speller tests on Fridays, but each week we will be focusing on specific words and Word Work skills to help improve the students written work.

Thank You to Koraleigh and her Family for the Delicious Muffins that they took in for the class this week!

Meet the Teacher Week

2011-09-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

Our Terry Fox Walk on Friday was a great success. It was very exciting for grade 3s as it is their first year to walk the Confederation Trail. We learned a lot about Terry Fox and his Dream this week. He was such an inspiration! A true Hero.
Our class is also making a HUGE contribution to the cross country team this year. Mrs. Doyle asks that team members wear gym clothes on practice days. (T-shirt & Shorts)
Last week the students handled themselves perfectly during a Fire Drill and Lock Down. They are very prepared. We were especially proud of our Maggie, when the Lock Down was initiated she was outside of the classroom and she did exactly what was expected of her - all on her own! She set a great example for others.
Thanks to all the parents who transitioned perfectly into food orders by the month, now we don't have to collect until October 3rd.
I am hoping that all of you can make it to the school on Wednesday night for Meet the Teacher Night. We begin at 6:30pm in the Music Room. If anyone is unable to make it and you have any questions or concerns please contact me.

Happy Be-Lated 8th Birthday to Makyia!

Great Books Online!

2011-09-10T11:38:00.001-04:00

If your child is ever looking for something to read at home there is an excellent site available (Tumble Books) with a huge number of free titles on it. The stories are narrated or the kids can do the reading themselves. Here's how to access it:

Go to http://www.library.pe.ca/
Under Library Services Click on TumbleBooks- E Books for Kids
Click on Index.
Now you should see a long list of titles. Click on a title.
Click View Online. Now you should be able to view the story.

** This is a great one to put in your Favorites but it seems you have to bookmark the PEI Provincial Library site to gain access.
There is a great selection of fiction and non-fiction (there are even a few chapter books), as well as games and activities to go with the stories. On our first day of school we viewed the story First Day Jitters and did the cloze activity to go with it on the Smartboard. The students really enjoyed it.

Week 1 Complete!

2011-09-10T07:23:00.002-04:00

Everyone is right back in the swing of things already, and doing a wonderful job.
Thank you to all the parents who did lots homework themselves this week. The information sheet on your child was very helpful to me and it was terrific to get all of your email addresses, it is a fast and effective way to communicate.
We started our Cursive Writing "Aa" on Friday, and we are off to a smooth start. We will continue to do one letter a day until we get through the Alphabet and by mid November we will be doing all of our work in Cursive Writing. I really like to do this at the first of the year because initially it is a slow process, but once the students get more familiar with it their speed really picks up. I will give lots of class time for this, but anyone who does not finish the letter of the day in school will have to finish up at home.
This week at ACC:

Monday I will be sending home Reading material for the week. We are doing an author study on Arnold Lobel. So they will have either Frog and Toad Are Friends or Owl at Home.
Monday is the only day this month to order Milk/Ch. Milk or Pizza/Garlic Fingers/Subs(for the 30th). So to avoid disappointment please have your orders in on Monday, as they will not be accepted after this. If your child is sick that day, when you talk to Mrs.Ranahan in the morning please tell her you want to put in an order for your child.
Friday we will be going on our school Terry Fox Run on the Confederation Trail. Permission Slips will be sent home this week.
Book Orders are due Thursday.
A friendly reminder to those parents who still need to pay the $30.00 School Supply Fee, to please send it in with your child as soon as possible.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!

Excellent First Day!

2011-09-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let all the parents know we had an excellent first day. We got to share all of our exciting summer adventures and everyone got setttled and organized in their new room.

As I am sure your child will tell you we have a new school theme and mascot. We are now known as the Amherst Cove Seadogs. I plan to have lots of hype surrounding this to embrace our ACC spirit.

If you could please fill in the sheet on your child and return it in the envelop provided that would be a great help.

First School Day of 2011-12

2011-08-31T18:50:00.004-04:00

Our 1st day of classes for students is Tuesday, September 6th. Can't wait to start the year off with 23 wonderful children!
See you soon.