Parents,

What a great turnout for conferences! Thank you all for arranging and adjusting your busy schedules to fit within the conference times I was able to offer. I enjoyed speaking with each of you in hopes of making this 3rd grade year the best ever for your child.

Oral presentations (speeches), completed in the classroom and scored by me using the state scoring rubric, are required for 3rd grade by the state of Oregon. Children will prepare for speeches on “Heritage” and will present to the class in December.

In early November, I will start a project with all students called “All About Me.” This will culminate in a folder completed by each child that can be used as a visual for the presentation in December. Some children will prefer to come up with their own speech rather than using the About Me folder. Some different ideas that have been used in the past that relate to the Heritage theme are; heritage country, a tradition of your family, a celebration of your family, a story about an ancestor.

I will be sending more information, criteria for the speech and a copy of the State scoring rubric home with your child so that you can understand the process more completely. In the meantime, there will be one or two sheets coming home with your child for homework that are a part of the About Me folder. Children will need your assistance with parts of that. Other parts will be completed in the classroom. Children will also need to have many speaking practice opportunities with you (in late November and early December) before they actually present their heritage info to the class.

I hope to have all of the information regarding the presentations to you by November 12.

More snack when you have a chance please! The crackers that you’ve sent thus far have been perfect, but we’re running low.

Room Parent: The person/people who do this job, make calls or e-mail parents when help is needed for a special school event i.e. Field day at the end of the year, Jog-a-thon, etc.

Art Volunteer: Our class goes to Art on Tuesday from 1:10-2:10. You would be helping Mrs. Jeppsen-Minyard in the art room.

Phone Tree Callers: It would help to have 2 more parents that are willing to make emergency calls “if” necessary. Right now, there are two parents that are responsible for calling 12 parents each. If we had two more parents, the callers would each have to call only 6 parents. This would make the calling more timely for all and easier on the callers. We have not had to actually activate the phone tree in 2 or 3 years, so it’s a job that may not come up at all.

Correcting math papers at home: In my math group, if students get finished with their required work for the day, they are encouraged to work on “extras.” Many love the self choice and self challenge of this work. I find however, that I am unable to get all of the extras corrected in a timely manner. If you were willing to take on this job, I would send the math book home with you on a Friday for weekend correcting.

Sincerely,

Linda Weckesser :-)