Miss Pellin's Post
January 7th – January 11th

Many thanks for all the wonderful gifts this holiday season. Please have a happy and safe holiday season. I look forward to seeing you “next year.” Happy New Year!

Prairieview School will be going on a field trip to the Tivoli Theater to see the movie The Polar Express on Friday, December 21st. Remember to bring a sack lunch to school.

After the break we will be celebrating the respect pillar of character counts. Remember to wear yellow on Friday, January 11th. We will be having our December reading party on Friday, January 11th as well.

The First Week of 2008 at School:

English: As we return to school, we will complete our narrative essays. We will also begin to review verbs.

Spelling: We will be studying “List 15.” We will have a pretest on Monday, January 7th. The final test will be on Friday, January 11th.

Reading: We will be examining stories to identify the sequence of events. The students will be asked to read and summarize a story's content.

Math: We will continue multiplication. This week’s mad minutes will focus on 4’s. The class will begin Chapter 4 which begins with problems involving time.

Social Studies: We will begin studying the traditions and cultures of people around the world (Chapter 3).

Science: We will conclude our study of matter. Condensation, the water cycle, and chemical changes will be the major topics.

Things to Remember:

Monday 1/7: There will be a Spelling list “List 15” pretest.
Friday 1/11: There will be a Spelling list “List 15” test. We will have our December reading party.

*Friday 12/21: We will be going on a field trip to see the Polar Express!

January Spirit Days:

Jan. 11 – Wear yellow for respect.

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
December 17th - December 21st

We are all looking forward to winter break. Between now and then there is a lot to accomplish! I am so proud of both of my classes’ hard work (notice the plural possessive).

There will be no winter holiday party. Instead of having winter holiday parties this year, Prairieview School will be going on a field trip to the Tivoli Theater to see the movie The Polar Express on Friday, December 21st. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to help with the winter holiday party, but this will not be necessary. We will also go on a gym field trip (bowling) on Thursday, December 20th. Please return signed field trip permission slips as soon as possible!

This Week at School:

English: After going over the many parts of an excellent narrative paragraph including writing with voice, good beginnings, and using time order clues, we will continue to write our narrative essays. The goal for this week is to produce a rough draft from our graphic organizers, to review it, and to finish a final essay. I will be handing out a new more detailed rubric to help the students understand what is required. Please disregard the earlier version.

Spelling: There will be no spelling due to our field trips.

Reading: Tuesday, December 18th we will be having a vocabulary quiz on the Egyptian words I sent home Thursday, December 13th. We will have our final Egypt test on Friday, December 21st.

Math: We will have a Chapter 3 test on addition and subtraction of large numbers including word problems on Wednesday, December 19th. The study guides are due on Monday, December 17th. Please have students practice addition, subtraction, and problem solving using examples from their textbook. Along with the study guide, this will help the students prepare for the test.

This week we began multiplication. We had our first mad minute quiz on Friday, December 14th on multiplying by 2’s. Students will be taking a mad minute quiz every week for a grade. They will be introduced to a new multiplication fact on Monday and quizzed on Friday. Students will have 2 minutes to complete 26 problems. My goal is for each student to complete at least one fact each week. If they don’t meet this goal, they will continue to take the mad minute during class and recess time until it is passed. There is a website (www.multiplication.com) you can go to that has worksheets available to use for practicing multiplication. Also, flashcards were part of 3rd grade school supplies, so these can be used for studying.

Social Studies: This week we will focus on Science.

Science: We will have a quiz on our study of matter (experiments 1-5) on Thursday, December 20th. We will complete a matter study guide in class on Monday, December 21st. We have been studying the design of experiments. It is important to change only one variable (the independent variable) at a time.

Things to Remember:

Tuesday 12/18: There will be a vocabulary quiz on Egypt. We will be testing our ice insulaters.

Wednesday 12/19: There will be a Chapter 3 test in Mathematics.
Thursday 12/20: The non-fiction book report project is due. This change was due to the field trip on the December 21st. We will be going bowling after lunch for gym. Your child can bring money for snacks at the bowling alley, but it is optional.
Friday 12/21: We will be going on a field trip to see the Polar Express! We will have math for 30 minutes including the multiplication mad minute quiz. There will be a final test on our Egyptian reading unit.

December Spirit Days:

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
December 10th - December 14th

We have only a few short weeks left until the winter holiday break! The class has been working very hard, but there are still many exciting things to learn about before break. I expect the students to answer with complete sentences, correct capitalization, and punctuation. Please remind them that every sentence has an end mark.

I would like to give a special thank you to everyone who donated money or presents to our family. You sent a very special message to a family who needed our extra help!

There will be no winter holiday party. Instead of having winter holiday parties this year, Prairieview School will be going on a field trip to the Tivoli Theater to see the movie The Polar Express on Friday, December 21st. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to help with the winter holiday party, but this will not be necessary. We will also go on a gym field trip (bowling) on Thursday, December 20th. Please return signed field trip permission slips as soon as possible. Also please return your signed report card envelopes.

This Week at School:

English: This week the class will concentrate on writing their own narrative essay. They will begin by filling out a graphic organizer. Then students will turn their graphic organizer into a rough draft. By the end of the week we will begin the editing process.

Spelling: This week we will be studying spelling “List 15.” We will have a pretest on Monday, December 10th. The final test will be on Friday, December 14th.

Reading: Cleopatra and King Tut will be the highlight of our readings on Egypt. We will have reading comprehension checks on the readings. We will also be emphasizing new vocabulary words associated with the unit.

Math: We will begin working on multiplication on Monday, December 10th! A packet will be sent home containing the multiplication facts that the students need to learn. We will also continue to work on Chapter 3 focusing on subtraction of large numbers and word problems.

Social Studies: This week we will focus on Science.

Science: We will begin the study of “matter” this week. The first experiment will introduce the concept of scales for measuring matter. We will also learn about the states of matter through “hands on” experiments!

Things to Remember:

Monday 12/10: There will be a Spelling pretest.

Friday 12/14: Where your school colors! There will be a final Spelling test
Thursday 12/20: The non-fiction book report project is due. This change was due to

the field trip on the December 21st.
Friday 12/21: We will be going on a field trip to see the Polar Express!

December Spirit Days:

Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
December 3rd - December 7th

I enjoyed meeting and talking with each of your during the parent/teacher conferences last week. I am looking forward to a great second trimester. There will be some grading changes for the second trimester. The homework will be 5 points instead of 10 points. Each late slip will receive a 1 point deduction from the subject area's grade.

Monday, December 3rd is the last day to place your yearbook orders! Please make your $9.00 checks payable to Lifetouch. The yearbook order forms were sent home with your child last week. If you lose yours just send an envelope with the student’s name, grade level, and my name on the outside (and the check on the inside). In any case, it is important to have my name on the outside of your envelope since Lifetouch cannot match you child with their teacher.

Gifts for our adopted family are due on Wednesday, December 5th. We only have two gifts so far. Many more are needed! There will be no winter holiday party. Instead of having winter holiday parties this year, Prairieview School will be going on a field trip to the Tivoli Theater to see the movie The Polar Express on Friday, December 21st. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to help with the winter holiday party, but this will not be necessary. We will also go on a gym field trip (bowling) on Thursday, December 20th. Please return signed field trip permission slips as soon as possible. Also please return your signed report card envelopes.

This Week at School:

English: We will be working on narrative writing. We will be learning about lead sentences, main ideas, supporting sentences and closing sentences – the main parts of a paragraph and a narrative paper.

Spelling: This week we will be studying spelling “List 14.” We will have a pretest on Monday, December 3rd. The final test will be on Friday, December 7th.

Reading: We will continue to read about Egypt this week. Mummies, pyramids, pharaohs, Cleopatra, and more will be part of our studies!

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will continue to work on 2 and 3 digit addition, subtraction, and rounding. At the end of the week we will begin multiplication!

Social Studies: This week, we will finish our study of Chapter 2 with a look at our nearby urban community of Chicago! There will be a chapter test on Thursday, December 6th.

Science: We will begin the study of “matter” next week.

Things to Remember:
Monday 12/3: This is the last day to order yearbooks.
Wednesday 12/5: Adopted family gifts are due.
Thursday 12/6: There will be a test in Social Studies on Chapter 2.
Friday 12/7: We will have our reading party at lunch. If you choose to bring a sack

lunch, please do not have peanuts in it!

Thursday 12/20: The non-fiction book report project is due.

This change was due to the field trip on the December 21st.
Friday 12/21: We will be going on a field trip to see the Polar Express!

December Spirit Days:

Dec. 7 - Character Counts Day

Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
November 26th - November 30th

Miss Pellin’s class has worked very hard for the entire first trimester. This effort has resulted in many excellent grades! I am so proud of this class’s achievements! There is no time to rest, however. We start the second trimester on Monday! Study will move from largely review of second grade concepts to the study of new material.

I look forward to visiting with each of you at the Parents/Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 26th; Tuesday, November 27th; and Wednesday, November 28th. The schedule can be found below, if you have any questions please email me at the address below. There is no school on Friday, November 30th.

Let Buona do the cooking on Friday, November 30th and let District 66 reap the rewards! I will send home a flyer on Monday, November 26th explaining the details! Our next Prairieview “Spirit” Day will be on December 7th.

Orders for yearbooks are now being taken. Please make your $9.00 checks payable to Lifetouch. No orders will be accepted after Monday, December 3, 2007. The yearbook order forms were sent home with your child last week. If you have lost your order form just send an envelope with the student’s name, grade level, and my name on the outside (and the check on the inside). In any case, it is important to have my name on the outside of your envelope since Lifetouch cannot match you child with their teacher.

This Week at School:

English: We will finish our study of punctuation with a Chapter 5 quiz on Wednesday,November 28th. We will begin a unit on narrative writing. By looking at examples of narrative writing, we will discover that articles have a particular organization or order.

Spelling: This week we will be studying spelling “List 13”. The final test will be on Thursday, November 29th.

Reading: We will start a unit on Egypt. We will begin by reviewing vocabulary words. It is important to recognize the difference between fact and opinion when reading about history.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will begin Chapter 3 this week. This chapter begins with addition and subtraction of three and four digit numbers.

Social Studies: We will begin our study of Chapter 2 with a look at rural communities. The unit focuses on the comparison of rural, suburban, and urban communities.

Science: Our exploration of physical sciences will begin in December with a unit on matter.

Things to Remember:

Wednesday 11/28: There will be an English Unit 5 quiz.
Thursday 11/29: There will be a Spelling "List 13" final test. Book orders are due.
Friday 11/30: No school! Please have a safe and fun week-end!

Monday 12/3: Yearbook orders are due. Social Studies Chapter 2 study guides are due.

Wednesday 12/5: Adopted family gifts are due.

Parent/Teacher Conference Schedules:

Monday, November 26th:

3:00-3:15: Darrell

3:15-3:30: Fatima

3:30-3:45: Marissa

3:45-4:00: Olivia

4:00-4:15: Kayla

4:15-4:30: Allison

4:30-4:45: Charlie

4:45-5:00: Gina

Tuesday, November 27th:

3:00-3:15: Gabriella

3:15-3:30: Danielle

3:30-3:45: Sam

3:45-4:00: Claire

4:00-4:15: Zakariya

4:15-4:30: John Luca

4:30-4:45: Nick

Wednesday November 28th:

4:45-5:00: Keyerra

5:00-5:15: Jakub

5:15-5:30: Cannon

5:30-5:45: Jack

5:45-6:00: Kelsey

6:00-6:15: Trent

6:15-6:30: Sarah

6:30-6:45: Kyle

6:45-7:00: Emily

December Spirit Days:

Dec. 7 - Character Counts Day

Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
November 19th - November 23rd

We are learning a lot about making inferences from text and pictures as we read. Everyone did very well on there health test last Thursday! Health Fest was also a success. Thank you to all the parents who sent in the healthy treats! In the future, I will post my blog on Fridays. This will give you the entire week-end to check my blog.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. School will be out beginning Wednesday, November 21st. I look forward to visiting with each of you at the Parents/Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 26th; Tuesday, November 27th; and Wednesday, November 28th. If you have any questions on the schedule email me at the address below.

Monday, November 26th:

3:00-3:15: Darrell
3:15-3:30: Fatima
3:30-3:45: Marissa
3:45-4:00: Olivia
4:00-4:15: Kayla
4:15-4:30: Allison
4:30-4:45: Charlie
4:45-5:00: Gina

Tuesday, November 27th:

3:00-3:15: Gabriella
3:15-3:30: Danielle
3:30-3:45: Sam
3:45-4:00: Claire
4:00-4:15: Zakariya
4:15-4:30: John Luca
4:30-4:45: Nick

Wednesday, November 28th:

4:45-5:00: Keyerra
5:00-5:15: Jakub
5:15-5:30: Cannon
5:30-5:45: Jack
5:45-6:00: Kelsey
6:00-6:15: Trent
6:15-6:30: Sarah
6:30-6:45: Kyle
6:45-7:00: Emily

A Special Holiday Project! Each year Prairieview runs a service project around the holidays. Our efforts will benefit two organizations: a cancer family and a children's shelter. Each classroom at Prairieview has a family or an individual that is in need at this time. In addition to the cancer families, we will also be making donations to LutherBrook, a shelter for less fortunate boys and girls.

This year our class has a very special family. Our family includes:

~Jason(cancer patient) -7 years old –male
~Mom
~Dad

Sadly, Jason has cancer. Not only does this family struggle with the stress of treatments and illness, but they are less fortunate than us financially, too. In order to make this a special holiday, we have “adopted” them. If you could send in a NEW, not used, present for one or more of the family members that would be greatly appreciated.

Directions:
*Please wrap the gifts if they are not food items.
*LABEL the item with what it is with a post it note.
*Label who it is for

Some ideas for NEW (not used) gifts include, but are not limited to:

Jason: (age7) age appropriate games/toys, books, crafts, winter hat/gloves, sports gear, etc.

Mom: bath and body, perfume, jewelry, candles, kitchen accessories, picture frames/albums, gift certificates, gift baskets, slippers, etc.

Dad: tools, sports gear, tasty treats (not home baked), kitchen accessories, gift certificates, gift baskets, slippers, etc.

Gift certificates to consider:
Jewel, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, K-Mart, Sears, JC Penney’s, Carson Pierre Scott, Chili’s, TGIFridays, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King, ETC.

Our classes gifts will be delivered before Christmas along with a freshly cut tree donated by Strong Landscaping.

Gift for LutherBrook: We are accepting Cash or Target gift cards in any denomination. This goes towards gifts on the children's wish list and toward a special holiday party! This is greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your support!

***ALL DONATIONS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5th!

This Week at School:

English: As a review of DOL, we will be working on Chapter 5 in our English book. This chapter reviews what we have learned on punctuation.

Spelling: There will be no spelling list for this short week.

Reading: We will continue to work on making inferences from story text and pictures. Students will be reading stories and making inferences about the characters feelings based on the text.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will conclude our study of T Charts with a quiz on Tuesday, November 20th.

Things to Remember:

Tuesday 11/20: There will be a “T” chart quiz for my math class.
Wednesday-Friday 11/21-23: Thanksgiving Holiday, have a great turkey day!
Nov. 26, 27, and 28: Parent/Teacher Conferences

December Spirit Days:

Dec. 7 - Character Counts Day
Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day
Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear



Contact Information:
Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

November 12th - November 16th

Last week: I enjoyed everyone’s travel brochures. I think I will spend my next vacation in El Paso. I was pleased with the classes work on “nouns.” We also enjoyed making “synonym” rolls last week.

Most of you have already signed up for Parent/Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 26th, Tuesday, November 27th and Wednesday, November 28th. Check for a reminder of your conference time in your child’s binder. Please send back the bottom half of the sheet with your child confirming that this time is acceptable as soon as possible. Please join the teachers Friday, November 16th in wearing your favorite sports team wear.

This Week at School:

Science: This week we will concentrate on Social Studies.

English: This week we will be wrapping up Daily Oral Language. We will have a DOL quiz on using quotations correctly of Friday, November 16th. As a review of DOL we will be working on Chapter 5 in our English book which emphasizes punctuation. Look for a DOL study guide on Monday, November 12th.

Social Studies: This week we will concentrate on Social Studies. Students will learn about the culture, geography, and history of several communities in the United States. Then we will contrast these communities with both our own and with Timbuktu. There will be a Chapter 1 test on Friday, November 16th.

Spelling: The spelling list this week includes several Word Wall contractions.

Reading: We have been reading the story Mulan. A key learning goal for this book is to understand the vocabulary words in the story. There will be an open book comprehension and vocabulary check on Monday, November 12th. For the rest of the week, we will focus on the reading strategy inferencing.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will continue to learn about T Charts. These “Make-A-Table” problem solving strategies help students to graphically solve story problems.

Things to Remember:

Monday 11/12: There will be a Spelling “list #11” pretest. There is an ISAT Lesson 2 reading quiz. Students can use their Illinois reading workbook to study.
Wednesday 11/14: Your Social Studies Chapter 1 study guide is due.

Friday 11/16: There will be a Social Studies Chapter 1 Test. There will be a final Spelling “list #11” test and all worksheets are due. We will have a DOL quiz today. Where your favorite sports team jersey today!

* November/December Spirit Days

Nov. 16 - Favorite Sports Team Wear

Dec. 7 - Character Counts Day

Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

November 5th - November 9th

The class enjoyed a “boo”tiful week. Luckily I found my courage just in time for the Halloween festivities. There were ghosts and goblins everywhere! The class also enjoyed our field trip to Robert Crown. The activities there reinforced the healthy habits that we have been learning during our health unit.

The Prairieview roller skating party is Tuesday, November 6th from 4 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.. Remember to return your permission slip if you plan to attend. Friday, November 9th is “Spirit Day” at Prairieview. Please join the teachers and wear school colors!

This Week at School:

Science: This week we will finish our chapter on human health. We will have a chapter test on Thursday, November 8th. We will celebrate what we have learned at Healthfest 2007 on Friday, November 9th. Please send some healthy snacks with your child on Friday to help with the festivities.

English: We are finishing our study of plural and possessive nouns. All students should be able to recognize nouns are the subjects of sentences. They need to be able to identify proper nouns. The chapter test will be on Wednesday, November 7th. Unit 3 will begin with a study of verbs.

Spelling: We return to the “normal” spelling schedule. This week we will work on “List 10” beginning with a pretest on Monday, November 5th. Many of these words have double endings. The final test will be on Friday, November 9th.

Social Studies: We continue to study communities. This week student travel brochures will be due on Tuesday, November 6th. I am looking forward to traveling around the country with the class.

Reading: Reading for factual content requires careful attention to the text being read; repetitive reading of the material to find each detail, and a moment of reflection to consider the information being read. This is a difficult, but important life skill. Please practice with your child on material that they enjoy. Our next independent reading party will be Friday, November 9th. If your child qualifies please send a sack lunch without peanuts for our classsroom party. This week we will start reading Mulan. Students will learn new vocabulary and will be working on the inference reading strategy.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will be taking the Chaper 1 test on Monday, November 5th. On Tuesday we will begin Make-a-Table problem solving. Tables are one strategy for solving math story problems. We will be learning the strategy by solving problems together in class. This type of strategy is one area of emphasis on the coming ISAT tests. Look for a packet and a letter of explanation in your students to be left at home folder.

Things to Remember:

Monday 11/5: Lesson 10 spelling pretest.

Tuesday 11/6: The Prairieview Skating Party will be from 4 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. Make sure your permission slip is in! Information can be obtained from jlattime@ccsd66.org.

Wednesday 11/7: There will be an english chapter test on nouns.

Thursday 11/8: There will be a science chapter test on human health.

Friday 11/9: School Spirit Day join the teachers and wear your Prairieview colors. We will have our independent reading party for those students who qualify. Bring a lunch for a great time! There will be a lesson 10 spelling test. All spelling worksheets are due. Healthfest 2007 will be held in our classroom!

* November/December Spirit Days

Nov. 16 - Favorite Sports Team Wear

Dec. 7 - Character Counts Day

Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

October 29th - November 2nd

The class worked very hard on their descriptive Haunted House stories. Each story was creative, colorful, and classy! I was scared just reading them! I want to thank both my students and their parents for making this a wonderful project.

Friday, November 1st is “Spirit Day” at Prairieview. We will be emphasizing the caring pillar of Character Counts! Please wear red with the teachers! School picture retakes are Tuesday, Oct. 30th. Students must have original picture packets in hand to have a retake. If your child was absent on the first picture day, they will have to have their original order envelope with them at the time of retakes. We will have a field trip to Robert Crown on Wednesday, Oct. 31st.

Halloween: We will have a math period to begin the day. The fun will continue with a trip to Robert Crown (without costumes) from ~9:00-11:30. We return after our normal lunch time so we will have lunch in the room. Please send a sack lunch without peanuts to school this day. After eating, we will change into our costumes for our school wide parade. The whole school parade will be from 1:15-1:30 outside (weather permitting). If your child would like to dress up at school, please send their costume with them in a large bag labeled with their first and last name. After the parade we will return to the room for a party.

Here are some guidelines to follow when choosing a costume:
1. We only have 15 minutes for costume changes. Please make sure your child can change into his/her costume easily and by themselves. If the costume can be worn over there clothes, then both the time to change and the chances of losing any clothes is minimized.
2. If the costume involves make up, please do not send your child with it on that morning. Remember that your child has to be able to apply it themselves.
3. Please do not send any weapons (guns, swords, etc.) as part of the costume. Save those for trick-or-treating.
4. We will not have time to change back into our clothes for dimissal. Your child will wear their costume home.

Our classroom party will be on Wednesday, October 31st at 1:30-2:20. Thank you to all the parents who have been involved in the planning. Any parents who have been contacted to help at our party should arrive no earlier than 1:15.

This Week at School:

Science: We will have a field trip to Robert Crown on Wednesday, Oct. 31st to review our study of the human body and health. Don’t forget to turn in your child's permission slip.

English: Plural and possessive nouns are the “subjects’ of our studies. This unit will be completed Thursday, November 1st with a chapter test coming either at the end of this week or early next week. A study guide will be sent home on Tuesday, October 30th.

Social Studies: The students are learning about communities. We began studying the history, geography, and life in El Paso, Texas. This week each student will make a brochure about a U. S. city. Some of the brochures will require some extra research.

Spelling: This week is extremely short, so we will not be having a challenge list. There will be a Halloween theme to the word list. Those students achieving 100% will not have to take the final test. However, all students need to complete the activities.

Reading: Our reading continues to focus on factual content. Each student is learning to read and review a story in order to receive the most information from it. The book posters were all presented enthusiastically. I am encouraged to read many books this weekend! Our next independent reading party will be November 9th. Keep on reading.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will finish our money change unit this week. Next week we will begin Make-a-Table problem solving. Tables are one strategy for solving math story problems. We will be learning the strategy by solving problems together in class. This type of strategy is one area of emphasis on the coming ISAT tests.


Things to Remember:

Monday 10/29: There is a Teacher Institute. No school today – have a great day off!
Tuesday 10/30: School photo retakes will be at 8 am (bring packet). There will be a Halloween spelling pretest.
Wednesday 10/31: It is Halloween at school! The Prairieview Halloween Parade will be starting around 1:15 pm. We will also be visiting Robert Crown! Don’t forget to send a snack lunch without peanuts with your child!
Friday 11/2: There will be a special Halloween spelling test! Join the teachers in wearing red (Caring) for Character Counts Day.

* November/December Spirit Days

Nov. 2 - Character Counts Day – Caring means wear red!

Nov. 9 - School Spirit Day

Nov. 16 - Favorite Sports Team Wear

Dec. 7 - Character Counts Day

Dec. 14 - School Spirit Day

Dec. 21 - Holiday Wear

Contact Information:
Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
October 22nd - October 26th

Last week the class began to study nutrition and health. This is an opportunity to have your children recognize the balanced meals you have been making. It is also a chance to see if they might begin to have healthier eating habits. The students have been doing extremely well on the spelling tests! Congratulations to all the spelling "bee" masters.

Friday, October 26th is “Slipper Day” at Prairieview. Please join the teachers and wear your favorite slippers to school! School picture retakes are Tuesday, Oct. 30th. Students must have original picture packets in hand to have a retake. If your child was absent on the first picture day, they will have to have their original order envelope with them at the time of retakes.

This Week at School:

Science: We are learning about exercise, germs, and drugs (good and bad). We will have a field trip to Robert Crown on Wednesday, Oct. 31st as part of this unit. Don’t forget to sign your child's permission slip. Students have a food pyramid booklet due Monday, October 22nd. Those students who have already turned their booklets in did a great job!

English: In the beginning of the week the class will finish working on their "Haunted House" paragraph. The excitement and energy which each student has applied to this project has been very special! As part of our English curriculum, we are studying types of nouns. We will focus on common nouns, proper nouns, singular nouns, plural nouns, and nouns in the subject of a sentence.

Social Studies: The class continues to work on hemispheres, the equator, the poles, etc. We will have a quiz on Monday, October 22rd. We are beginning a new Social Studies unit on communities. This is Chapter 1 in their Social Studies book. During this unit each student will "travel" to cities across the US and around the world.

Spelling: This week will review all the words and spelling rules that have been covered over the past seven weeks. There will not be a pretest. There will be a sample test on Wednesday, October 24th. Student should use this test as a study guide for the review test on Friday, October 25th.

Reading: Our current unit features non-fiction animal stories. This week students will continue to read animal stories and answer reading comprehension questions. Examples of the stories and their responses can be found in their reading folders beginning Monday, October 22nd. We are also presenting our monthly book reports. This month students need to make a poster advertising the book they read. This is due Friday, October 26th. Remember to keep up with your independent reading! Our next reading party will be November 9th.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class continues to work on place value and rounding. This week we will start working with money. Your child should be able to determine the correct change for common store transactions. If you have not already sent coins with your child, remember to do so Monday, October 22nd. We will be counting change this week. Next week Miss Pellin's Store will be open for business. Only students making the correct change can make a purchase. Pretty soon you'll recognize that your child is "changing."

Things to Remember:

Monday 10/22: Permission slips for the Robert Crown field trip are needed. There will be a Social Studies quiz on hemispheres. Send coins for math.

Wednesday 10/24: There will be a sample spellling test.
Friday 10/26: There is a spelling review test. Your book report, Advertise a Book Poster, is due. There is a Character Counts assembly. Wear you slippers to school!

* Tuesday 10/30: School photo Retakes (bring packet)

* Wednesday 10/31: We will visit Robert Crown this day.

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

October 15th - October 19th

Last week the class took a field trip to see the new playground equipment that the entire third grade helped to make a reality last year. It is always fun to visit your alma mater! The class finished our science chapter on the human body. This week the class had our first quiz on the oceans and continents; I was pleased with the excellent work turned in by the class. Thanks to those parents sending coins and candy for our Money Math Unit.

Friday, October 19th is crazy hat day at Prairieview. Please join the teachers and wear your favorite crazy hat! Friday, October 26th is slipper day.

Don’t forget that on Wednesday, October 17th we will have an early dismissal at 11:00 am. Also, Thursday evening, October 18th from 6:30-8:15 pm Prairieview will host a book fair. This will be a great time to find books for independent reading. Don’t forget those students reading at least 20 minutes a day for 28 days will be welcome to attend our reading party on Friday, November 9th.

This Week at School:

Science: We have begun a 3-4 week long health unit on nutrition. One state goal for third grade is for each student to be able to identify the eating practices which promote health and prevent illness. Students need to be able to recite the USDA Food Pyramid and to recognize the importance of eating a variety of foods. This week each student will be making a nutrition booklet that contains information about the grains, fruits/vegetables, meat and dairy food groups.

English: We are continuing to work on descriptive writing. Each student will be learning that writing has several steps. This process includes brainstorming, pre-writing, rough drafting, editing and then making a final document.

Social Studies: We have finished working on continents and oceans. This week study will turn to hemispheres, the Prime Meridian, the equator, and the poles. We will be making posters about the different hemispheres in the world.

Spelling: There will be a spelling “List 7” pretest on Monday. These words often are plural nouns ending in “lves.” The final test will be on Friday. The words are beginning to get more difficult!

Reading: We will begin a differentiated reading unit focusing on animals. Students will be working in groups reading stories, finishing workbooks, etc.. This unit focuses on reading comprehension.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will work on place value, rounding and working with money. Those students who can correctly use coins will find it is a “sweet” learning experience.

Things to Remember:

Monday 10/15: There will be a spelling “List 7” pretest. There will be a DOL quiz.
Wednesday 10/17: There will be an early dismissal at 11 am. There will be an Reading Quiz on prefixes, suffixes, and compound words before we leave.
Thursday 10/18: There will be a book fair at Prairieview from 6:30-8:15 pm.
Friday 10/19: There is a spelling “List 7” test. Spelling Workbook pages and challenge activities are due.

Contact Information:

Email address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: 783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

October 8th - October 12th

Last week everyone enjoyed the Goo, Glob, and Guts presentations. We also had a special reading party for those students who completed 28 days of reading 20 minutes each day. It was a lot of fun!

This week will be a short week (Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day). Our class will take a field trip to visit the Elizabeth Ide new playground. Remember to return a signed permission slip for the Elizabeth Ide new playground field trip by Tuesday, October 9th. In Math, my class will finish working on rounding and will be working on currency. Look for a letter asking that your student bring in coins. The coins will be returned. As part of this project, the students will gain hands on experience using money in a class candy store.


Friday, October 12th is “Spirit Day” at Prairieview. Please wear your favorite Prairieview shirt or school colors! Each Friday in October will be a “Spirit Day.” October 19th wear a crazy hat. October 26th is slipper day.

It is now easier to get in contact with Prairieview staff and to find my blog! There is now a direct link to the staff directory link on our district homepage - http://www.ccsd66.org. You can also reach it directly at http://www.ccsd66.org/Directory.htm .

This Week at School:

Science: We will continue to review for the “Human Body” final test on Tuesday morning. Students need to be able to explain the function and key parts of each of the six major human body systems. Please use study guides and overviews to assist students in preparing for the unit test. The final test will be in the afternoon on Tuesday, October 11th next week. On Wednesday we will begin a health unit. We will be talking about ways to stay healthy. We will also learn more about graphing and students will make their own pictograph.

English: We are continuing to discuss descriptive writing unit. This week we will emphasize descriptive words including similes, color words, and sensory words. We will also discuss how to pick a topic.

Social Studies: Our map skills unit will continue with the study of the continents and oceans. We will have a graded review over the world's continents and oceans on Friday, October 14th. A study guide will be sent home on Tuesday.

Spelling: There will be a spelling “List 6” pretest on Tuesday. These words often are plural nouns ending in “es.” The final test will be on Friday. Please keep studying. Everyone continues to do an excellent job!

Reading: We are ending The Chalk Box Kid reading unit this week. We will work on summarizing the story and on character traits this week. We will also review the new vocabulary we learned from The Chalk Box Kid.

Math: Miss Pellin’s math class will work on rounding, exact numbers and estimated numbers, and handling and using currency. There will be a graded checkpoint review over the first half of Chapter 1 later this week. The checkpoint review will be open book. Towards the end of the week look for a letter describing the coins that your child should bring to school in a baggie. The money will be returned. The coins will allow the students to experience making change, buying and selling items. We will also work on “Mad Minutes” for subtraction. Students will be given two weeks to achieve 100% on their subtraction tests. The last “Mad Minute” test on subtraction will be given Monday, October 15th.

Things to Remember:

Monday 10/8: No School: Columbus Day
Tuesday 10/9: There will be a spelling “List 6” Pretest. Permission slips are due for the Elizabeth Ide field trip. There will be a science Chapter 1 unit test!
Wednesday 10/10: There is a class field trip to the Elizabeth Ide Playground!
Thursday 10/11: There will be a Social Studies quiz on the continents and oceans.
Friday 10/12: There is a spelling “List 6” test.

*Thursday 10/18: After school there will be a Book Fair!

Miss Pellin's Post

October 1st - October 5th

Last week the class enjoyed Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. The applesauce was delicious! Thank you to all of the families who donated supplies to make our celebration special. This past week the class completed their life-size human bodies including all the important organs, bones, and muscles. Everyone now has “inside” knowledge of the human body.

Thursday, October 4th all students who have completed 28 days of reading 20 minutes each day will be invited to a special reading party! Please have your completed reading log turned in on Wednesday, October 3rd, if you want to join the party. The party will be in the room during lunch. Please bring a lunch from home or order a hot lunch. There will be a video and special treats for the students. Remember reading every day is not only enriching, but it is fun!

Friday, October 5th is the first “Spirit Day” at Prairieview. Please join the teachers in celebrating Character Counts by wearing green! Each Friday in October will be a “Spirit Day.” October 12th wear school colors. October 19th wear a crazy hat. October 26th is slipper day.

This Week at School:

Science: Our human body study will continue with the digestive and respiratory systems. Key concepts include the four steps by which the digestive system turns food into a form that can be used by body cells. Other concepts include the path by which the respiratory system brings oxygen to the body and removes carbon dioxide. Students will get study guides for the Chapter 1 (Human Body Systems) midweek. The final test will be on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

English: We will begin a descriptive writing unit. This writing will emphasize using descriptive words to make stories exciting! Visualizing is an important part of descriptive writing. Students need to "see" the scene in their mind. Then they can write with words that make the reader "see" the same scene.

Social Studies: We will begin Social Studies with a review of the compass rose. Your child should be able to find each of the directions (North, South, East, West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest) on a map. On Monday, October 1st we will have a scavenger hunt! The students will work in groups and by correctly following compass rose directions will find prizes hidden all over Prairieview. There will be a directions quiz on Tuesday, October 2nd.

Spelling: There will be a spelling “List 5” pretest on Monday. These words often are plural nouns ending in “y”. The final test will be on Friday. Please keep studying. Everyone is doing an excellent job!

Reading: Our studies of The Chalkbox Kid will focus on character traits and the ordering of story events. Independent reading will be emphasized and we will have a party on Thursday, October 4th. Don’t forget to turn in your independent reading folder by Wednesday October 3rd.

Math: All math classes will meet only three days this week due to the Goo, Glob, and Guts presentations. This math news is for Miss Pellin’s math class only. Please check your child's math teacher's blog for news from their class. Miss Pellin’s math class will work on rounding both numbers and currency. We will also work on “Mad Minutes” for subtraction. Students will be given two weeks to achieve 100% on their subtraction tests. The last “Mad Minute” test on subtraction will be given Friday, October 12th.

Things to Remember:

Monday 10/1: There will be a spelling “List 5” pretest. We will have Goo, Glob, and Guts in the classroom (in place of math).

Tuesday 10/2: This is the last Magazine Turn-in Day. There will be a directions quiz in Social Studies.

Wednesday 10/3: Independent reading folders are due.

Thursday 10/4: There will be a reading party during lunch.

Friday 10/5: There is a spelling “List 5” test. Spelling Workbook pages and challenge activities are due.

*Mon. 10/8: No School: Columbus Day

Miss Pellin's Post
September 24th - September 30th


Last week was a short week that included OSLAT Tests. We continued our study of the human body – working on the circulatory and the nervous system. We also began to place the organs within life-size cutouts of the human body. One key 3rd grade learning goal in health is that students should be able to place organs within the body and understand their function. Last week the class worked very hard on standarized testing, the human body, and on their other subjects.

Wednesday is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. We will be having a celebration! A note will be sent home on Monday as a reminder. Your child will be asked to bring in a peeled, cored, and sliced apple to school on Wednesday to be used to make applesauce for the class. We are looking for donations of small bowls, spoons, and apple juice to use on Wednesday. If this is something you are interested in helping with, please email me or send the items in any day before Wednesday. Thank you in advance for your help!


This Week at School:

Science: Our human body study will continue with the nervous system. Key concepts for this week include “dominance”. If your child is left-handed, remember to let them know that they are in their “right” minds. The body systems unit ends with studies of the respiratory and digestive systems next week. The final test will be on Friday, October 5th.

English: We will be finishing work on sentences (Unit 1). There will be a test on Friday, September 28th, (new date!) covering the four sentence types and identifying the two sentence parts – subjects and predicates. Students can prepare for the test by reviewing their workbook pages and worksheets, reading through the textbook lessons for unit 1, and by taking the chapter review quiz in the textbook. Your child can bring both completed worksheets and the textbook home any day this week to get started studying for the test.

Social Studies: We will begin Social Studies with a review of the compasss rose. Your child should be able to find each of the directions (North, South, East, and West) on a map. There will be a directions quiz on Tuesday, October 2.

Spelling: There will be a spelling “list 4” pretest on Monday. These words often are plurals ending in “s” or “es”. The final test will be on Friday. Please keep studying. Everyone is doing an excellent job!

Reading: Our studies of The Chalkbox Kid will focus on character traits and the ordering of story events.

Math: This math news is for Miss Pellin’s math class only. Please check your child's math teacher's blog for news from their class.

Miss Pellin’s math class will continue to study Chapter 2. This week’s work will focus on subtraction strategies and properties. Tests for this week will include “Mad Minute” quizzes (every day for two weeks until all students achieve a perfect score) and a Chapter 2 test on addition and subtraction facts (Tuesday, September 25). Students who achieved a perfect score on the Chapter 2 pretest will not have to take the test.


Things to Remember:

Monday 9/24: Spelling “List 4” pretest
Tuesday 9/25: Magazine orders should be turned in today. There will be a Chapter 2 math test for my math class.
Wednesday 9/26: It is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday! Please send in your peeled, cored, and sliced apple today for a special activity.
Thursday 9/27:
Friday 9/28: There is a spelling “List 4” test. Spelling Workbook pages and challenge activities are due. English Unit 1 test