Recent class news, happenings and photos
Update: New pictures posted!
Lunch on the Lawn will take place Friday, 4/25! Come join your child for lunch from 11:50 - 12:30 out on the grass. Most families plan to bring a blanket or chair to sit on, and often pack/bring a special lunch to enjoy together with fellow families and friends!
Here are few examples of previous Simutown storefronts. The children are encouraged to be as creative as they can to make their storefronts stand out. Boards will be provided from the classroom teacher and sent home on Monday, 4/28. They will be due 5/23.
***Do NOT decorate the left or right side panels. Only decorate the large center space.
State testing (CAASPP) for third grade will take place the week of May 5th - May 9th. We are preparing for the test in class.
Please do not let them (or yourselves as parents) "stress" about the test. It will only make it difficult for your child to do well in May. Your children need to know that they are smart, capable, and have every potential to rock the test!
As eight and nine year old children, they should NOT be overly concerned with being perfect or how they perform on the state test. They should know that they only need to do their best and to understand that it is the mistakes we make that make us better. Please partner with me to positively encourage and empower the children. Remind them that you love them and are proud of them, and you just want them to do their best!
Please visit the CAASPP website to view practice tests. Click on the green “Student Interface” icon to view what a sample test looks like. Step-by-step pictures are below. We will be completing the practice tests in class as well as other practice work.
Please understand that the data collected from state testing is not utilized for third grade report cards, nor is it used for fourth grade placements. It is just a collection of data to analyze the school as a whole.
Headphones/Smart Watches:
Each student must have wired headphones/earbuds for testing. It is best if your child has personal headphones to use at school; we will provide one if necessary (though they are not always the most comfortable). Students may not use Bluetooth enabled earbuds (i.e. Apple AirPods or wireless Beats headphones). Additionally, students may not wear “smart watches” during the week of testing.
Parent Homework:
Your child should have brought home a white envelope with index cards inside. Please read Mrs. Dyer’s “CAASPP” email for instructions on what to do. Parent homework is due April 25th.
Try to make sure your child is not absent for reasons other than illness the week of May 5th. Make-up tests will take place, but it would be best to keep students in class for the testing schedule.
One of the highlights of third grade is our Simutown project. Simutown is a classroom program that simulates business, banking, and civic activities. Your child will have an opportunity to start and run a business and become involved in local government. The program has strong content components in math, social studies, economics, consumer skills, and language arts. This week, your child’s homework is to begin brainstorming ideas for their Simutown store. Each child will open up his/her own store and sell his/her own handmade products. The third graders will use “SimuBucks,” our town currency to buy and sell their products. Students in previous years have “sold” a variety of items such as drawings, plants, bead jewelry, hand drawn trading cards, self-created comic books, bookmarks, handmade wallets, flower pens, pet rocks, crafts made from recycled products, decorated pencil cups, and many, many more creative ideas. One year, a student even had a fortune telling booth!
Please review the Parent Letter and help your child think of idea that will cost you little or no money; help your child be resourceful (nowadays, Pinterest has become an excellent resource)! You can even view Mrs. Dyer´s Pinterest board for ideas. This is not a project that is intended to require any families to purchase store-bought items to sell. The students should be CREATIVE and IMAGINATIVE when deciding their store ideas. Encourage your child to think outside of the box as we cannot have duplicate ideas. Each child will need 60-80 items prepared ahead of time to sell. Please note that due to possible allergies, we cannot allow food products to be sold. More detailed information is to come.
If you have questions, feel free to email me (ericadyer@iusd.org). Simutown is an exciting project, and like the Living Museum, it is one of the most memorable events of third grade!
Students will be working on their Animal Report project for the next few weeks. Some of the work is done in class, but some of the work must also be completed at home. Each student will have a large manila envelope with the animal report instructions and pacing guide.
Students must select an animal (living or extinct) to research and find an informational book and an Internet article using a credible source on their animal. The book may be a hard copy or an electronic book (i.e. on a Kindle). Students who bring me their book sooner will get their first choice on animal topics (there will be no duplicates). There are MANY possible choices. Here is a list of animals that have been already selected.
All students will have an opportunity to check out a book from our school library on our library day (but of course, some students may want to get a headstart before our assigned library day). Previous years' samples are below.
Animal Report Components:
Folder:
(front) Large, hand-drawn illustration of the animal with large lettering for the name. Student name and number written along the vertical tab.
(center) Photo gallery with at least six photos with captions; The captions should give factual details that match the photo.
(back) A minimum of four "creatives." Students may choose to use given templates or design their own!
Informative Report:
Typed report that follows formatting guidelines; printed and inserted into the folder
Be sure to check all edits and revise your rough draft before printing.
Diorama:
Foreground with a large printed picture, large lettering for the animal name
Background with illustrations of the animal's natural habitat
Students will also utilize the Internet to research information. They will also need to find, print, and highlight important facts in at least one article. Possible research websites are below, but there are countless more online!
Today, April 2nd, is Autism Awareness Day. In fact, all of April is Autism Awareness Month. Some of you may know that before my time here at Woodbury, I was a one-on-one behavioral therapist and I worked with children with autism. These children will always hold a special place in my heart. Every one of my clients had such unique personalities, and I loved every single one of them.
Autism is a “neurological and biological disorder that typically affects children between the ages of 18 months to five years of age. According to the CDC, autism currently affects 1 in 36 children (data from 2020). In 2016, 1 in every 54 children were diagnosed. In 2014, the statistics were 1 on 68. And in 2012, it was 1 in 88. It is estimated there are over 1 million people in the United States alone with autism. Autism affects each individual differently and at different levels of severity. Some people with autism are severely affected, cannot speak, require constant one-on-one care, and are never able to live independently. While others who have less severe symptoms, can communicate, and eventually acquire the necessary skills to live on their own” (TACA Now website). Typically, autism affects individuals in five key areas: communication (both verbal and nonverbal), social skills, behaviors, learning, and medical issues.
Working with children with autism has changed my perspective on education all together. It is astounding how varied the symptoms can be from one child to another. While one child may display communication skills both receptive and expressive, he or she may also display behaviors that may cause injury to him/herself or others. Another child may have no self-help skills such as eating, dressing, bathing, or toileting, in addition to repetitive self-stimulatory behaviors such as spinning or obsessively lining up objects. What some people may also not be aware of is that some individuals with autism can blend into their surroundings with their peers and may seemingly display no obvious traits of autism. However, these individuals may have struggles identifying and coping with social cues. The combination possibilities are endless. But no matter what the symptoms are or how severely impacted the child is, any amount of growth, progress, or development is a reason to celebrate.
The video that I’ve included in this post is TACA’s Hope After Diagnosis video (July, 2010). I’ve had the blessed opportunity to work with Lisa and her son Jeff, (who by the way is a recent a graduate of Concordia University, is the most endearing and hilarious kid ever, and someone who I will never, ever forget). This video makes me cry every single time I watch it and see Jeff sing. Please watch it whether you know someone with autism or not.
If you have a child with autism, or if you know a family who has an individual with autism, please know that support and services are available! You are not alone. Talk About Curing Autism Now (TACA Now) is an organization that began in the year 2000 in the living room of a mother named Lisa who had a son with autism named Jeff. She wanted to create a support system for families with autism that wasn’t just a monthly meeting of moms crying and complaining about how hard their life was because of their child. Instead, she wanted a support system that was proactive in finding answers to all of the questions linked to autism. TACA began with just a few families meeting together at Lisa’s house. Fast forward to today, TACA serves thousands of families across the United States and has Chapters operating in over 20 states!
Lisa also has a blog called Real Help Now that provides a wealth of information to anyone who is seeking help. And again, if you have a child with autism, or if you know a family who has an individual with autism, please know that support and services are available! Contact TACA Now, and their friendly staff will provide you with the information you need!
Since it is Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to share another video about the amazing organization that is TACA (Talk About Curing Autism). Please take the time to watch the video; it is about 13 minutes long. If you know someone with autism, please know that help and resources are available. Contact TACA now!
Woodbury Elementary will be on Spring Break from March 24th through April 4th. School will resume on Monday, April 7th.
Encourage your child to read and practice math facts throughout spring break! As soon as we return to school, we will be picking up right where we left off and the students will need to be ready to learn!
I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Spring Break!
UPDATE: 3/21/25: We did it! Our school reached $100,000! This is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen our community reach such a high goal, but it’s all for supporting our students! Thank you, Room 14 Families, that donated. We couldn’t have done it without your support! Take a look at the extra fun we had because we reached our pledge goals!
Woodbury families, our annual Jogathon is coming soon on Wednesday, March 12th. Our goal is $100,000! This will help us keep our STEAM Lab lessons for our students!
In 2020, Mrs. Dyer’s class was in FIRST PLACE with a record-breaking $4,350!!! Please help us achieve first place again!
You and your child(ren) can collect pledges ONLINE, from friends and family anywhere in the world! It's EASY to collect pledges onlinefrom friends and family anywhere in the world! Just follow the steps on www.woodburypta.org. If you have technical issues, you may contact (888) 598-7510.
All students are highly encouraged to gather as many Jogathon pledges as possible! This is a big fundraiser for our PTA and the proceeds generated benefit our students and our entire school greatly.
Some of the pledge prizes include:
$25+ in pledges will receive a custom 2025 commemorative pin
$100+ in pledges will receive an exclusive Woodbury Lunch Box (+ above prizes)
$150+ in pledges will receive a custom Woodbury backpack (+ above prizes)
Our run time is 11:15 - 11:30, and our theme color is YELLOW. Please come out to cheer on our kids around the jogging route!
This is our biggest fundraiser and one of the most exciting things our PTA does all year!
Additional Incentives:
Raise $50,000 by March 1: Teachers will wear inflatable costumes and run in a race!
Raise $100,000 by March 15: Mr. Finley and Mrs. Snyder will get a shaving cream pie-to-the-face!
Every student who gets a donation will be entered for a lottery prize:
Donations by 2/25: Student will be a principal for a day and the family will have a reserved parking spot for the rest of the year!
Donations by 3/1: Student will win $100 Scholastic dollars for our Book Fair or Scholastic.com
Below are photos from previous years.
UPDATE: 3/21/25: We had so much fun at the Book Fair today! Thank you, Mrs. Kwok, for volunteering and helping our kids shop!
Students and families (including any out-of-town family members who may want to purchase books as gifts) will be allowed to shop online for an assortment of books. Students will have an opportunity to shop in person with their class.
Room 14 will also have a classroom wish list of books to add to our classroom.
Payment Options:
Send cash with your child. Place the cash in an envelope with your child’s name on it.
Set up an e-Wallet set up for your child to shop with.
Families can also choose to shop online.
