OPEN HOUSE ON FRIDAY!!

Hello, everyone! I'm hoping that many of you are visiting my blog sometime this week!! I have a few pieces of information to share with you!!

1. If you are planning to attend the Open House on Friday, you will be going on a classroom scavenger hunt, so make sure to leave at least 15 minutes for your visit!

2. KIDS...if you'd like to "move into your desk" and get it all set up for the first day of school, please feel free to bring your school supplies on Friday. You may visit the classroom anytime between 3pm and 4pm and then head outside for ice cream!!

3. PARENTS...please remember that Friday is for getting to see the classroom, become familiar with the new setting, and meet ME...if you have any questions, please email me or give me a call...I will get right back to you!

karen.wills@fcps.org or 240-236-2173.

I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you on Friday!!

Welcome to 3rd Grade Magnet!!

Hello! I am guessing that many of my "soon to be" students (and parents) are visiting this website and I wanted to welcome you to the third grade magnet program! I am thrilled to be teaching third grade and very excited about the year ahead!

I am starting to go into our classroom this week to get things ready for all of us. I can't wait to get in there and begin getting organized!!

I hope I get a chance to meet you all at the Open House scheduled for Friday, August 22nd from 3pm-4pm...you can get a look at our room, see where your desk will be on the first day of school, and meet ME!

Feel free to write an email to me (karen.wills@fcps.org) and let me know your thoughts about the upcoming year or just some information about YOU! I would love to hear from you!

Back from the Beach...Again!!

I promised to blog at the end of July and I'm only two days late!! Just got back from Rehoboth Beach again...a wonderful time and I got an even better picture than the last one...don't you think?!

I know many of you are getting ready to buy school supplies...isn't that exciting!?

Have a great rest of the summer...school is right around the corner!!

Hello! How is your summer?!

Hello!! We just got back from a week at Rehoboth Beach...it was so nice to get away and spend time with my family! I hope each of you are having a wonderful summer!! Can you believe you're going to be fourth graders?! I can...I am very proud of each one of you and know you will love 4th grade and Mr. Flitton!

If you are a new visitor to this blog...welcome! I know that my upcoming third graders may be visiting this site and I want you to know that I am so looking forward to the Fall and our third grade year together!!

I would love to hear from all of you...let me know how your summer is going or what your thoughts are about the upcoming school year...send me an email and I promise to write you back! karen.wills@fcps.org

Can you believe that Tuesday is July 1st? Time is flying...please enjoy it and I'll post again at the end of July!

I can't believe we're done...

I have to say that when I took over, at the end of February, I thought June 13th was quite a ways off...holy, moly time flies. I have had so much fun with your kids...they are a WONDERFUL group and I am going to miss them very much. I am so happy that they will always be my "first class at Urbana"! I can only hope that they learned 1/2 as much from me, as I learned from them! :-)

I wish all of you a safe and happy summer and look forward to seeing you all next Fall. Please visit the school website over the summer for up to the minute news. I also plan to blog a bit over the summer...so check back every once in a while!


Your children are welcome to email me... karen.wills@fcps.org ...I'll make sure to email them right back!

P.S.

The kids performed their plays this week for the other third grade classes...and they were FANTASTIC!! Our plays were titled, "Once Upon a Hundred Years Nap", "Two Pigs, A Wolf, and A Mudpie", and "Cinderella Outgrows the Glass Slipper". The scripts were very funny, and your kids did an amazing job! Some of you have budding actors/actresses on your hands!!

Have a great weekend!

I'm BAAAACK!

Rose Hill Manor
Well...I certainly did miss your kids! My family had a wonderful time in Tennessee and my son had a beautiful wedding, but I was happy to come home to your kids! I missed the field trip, but I am grateful to the two parents who sent pictures of the day...I used them to compile a video for you and your child to view. As you watch the video, use the pause button and allow your child to tell you about each place at Rose Hill Manor that they visited and it's importance. I had the kids write paragraphs and draw pictures on their return...once again I was blown away by their work. They wrote some amazing pieces. Those paragraphs went home in the Take Home Folders today...please take a minute to review that paragraph and watch the video with your son or daughter.

Cinderella Photo Story
Also while I was away, your child had a Photo Story assignment of his/her own. We have been having fun with fairy tales lately. We performed take offs of different fairy tales for our play performances, we've written persuasive paragraphs to the Fairy Godmother Agency, and keeping with the theme, your child completed a Photo Story (video) retelling the story of Cinderella. We are spending a good part of next Monday afternoon viewing each other's stories...they are getting a big kick out of their work...and as usual, I'm impressed!

SCRABBLE
Something else we're going to do next week is have a SCRABBLE tournament. I thought that would be a fun way to bring a game into our week while keeping it educational. Each of these kids has an amazing vocabulary and now we're going to use them to win Scrabble! I had two students bring Scrabble games today...but if I could find 3 or 4 more games, we'd be set. Check at home to see if you have one we could borrow. I would greatly appreciate it.

Next Week
There are a lot of other things going on next week...we will see the 5th grade play, our school will have a band and chorus performance, and the Frederick County Public Library will come in to do a program on Summer Reading. Speaking of reading...on Monday, your child will be bringing home a recommended summer reading list forwarded to me by the magnet office. I would suggest you look at the 4th and 5th grade suggestions when helping your child find new and different books to read this summer. I know, being a Mom, how hard it is to keep up the reading and math facts...but please trust me when I say, as a teacher, it is SO IMPORTANT!!! So, do the best you can and keep those kids reading!!

I know some of you may have been frustrated this week that your child was not bringing home homework. I apologize...but after being away for a week, I was lucky just to have each day planned...I couldn't think a whole lot past 3:30, so the homework never came into play. Think of it as the beginning of summer! :-)

By the way...it is official...I'm teaching fifth grade magnet with Mr. Esko next Fall...thanks to all of you for supporting me in getting a permanent position. I'm thrilled to be working at Urbana!

As always, please call me with a question or comment. I enjoy hearing from you.