Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

Greetings Families, If your child is participating in soccer, it begins tomorrow. Third grade students will report to the gym at dismissal. They may change clothes in the locker rooms or wear their uniforms. Pickup will be on the south side of the gym at 4:15pm. Pull up to the curb, remain in your car, and your child will be loaded into your car. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, One of the things I love most about Great Hearts is their commitment to teachers’ professional development. This doesn’t only apply to classroom management or pragmatic practices in teaching, but also helping teachers grow as life long learners committed to pursuing true, goodness, and beauty.   One of the best opportunities I had last year was going to a lecture/seminar by a professor from the University of Virginia. He discussed Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book in a way I would have never considered it and it was a real benefit when it came to classroom discussions. This year, the professor is returning to lecture on the Narnia series, which will include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , one of our core literature selections. The sad aspect is that it is this Thursday, the day of our Little House on the Prairie classroom celebration. I hate that I have to miss this important class time, as it is a wonderful time for me to see students interact...

Greetings Families, Don't forget that the Canada Projects are due tomorrow. Each student should be bringing in a poster board and the packet that needs to be filled out. Some have already come in today and they are looking good! Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, This week, we will be providing students with an opportunity to give toward the playground renovation. There will be a collection point in the classroom and students can make their donation before or after school. This is not mandatory, and students and families should not feel compelled to give. This is meant to be a way for students to feel like they are apart of the community and display the virtue of generosity. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Parents, One week left before the break. The first quarter has flown by. We have hit some pretty major milestones so far. We have finished out study of geography and animal classification. We have begun out study of Canada, ecology, and multiplication. We have also finished out first book, Little House on the Prairie. Please keep in mind that students have a Canada project due this week and that our class celebration is on Thursday. If you haven’t signed up to attend or volunteer at the celebration and would like to, please click here . After the break, we will be having our Quarter 1 Parent Conferences . Please sign up for your conference here . Assessments at a Glance Monday- None Tuesday- Canada Project Due Wednesday- Little House on the Prairie Assessment Thursday- Canada Assessment, Spelling Quiz, and Science Take Home Assessment Friday- No School Lessons Language Arts Literature We will be finishing up some final activities fo...

Greetings Families, Tomorrow night, Thursday, September 24, 2015, is our Spalding and Singapore Night. The event is from 6pm-8pm. Please note that you may not bring your children to this event. Margie Clouse - Spalding presentation Lucia Pantalena- 3-5 Singapore math Toyin Atolagbe- K-2 Singapore Math Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

If you are looking for something fun and free to do this weekend, check this out : Fry's Free Weekend Sept. 19—20, 2015 9 a.m.—5 p.m. Arizona Science Center is excited to offer FREE general admission on September 19 through 20 courtesy of Fry's Food Stores to all that have a curious mind about science! Guests will be able to roam around all four levels of the Center’s hands-on science galleries from 9 a.m.—5 p.m. Special discounted tickets for IMAX® and Dorrance Planetarium shows. Don't miss it! Since it is downtown, you will have to pay for parking.

Greetings, Ms. Caro has provided a copy of the models she created to solve the math problems for the weekend. If you would like to see her work, click here . The modeling is slightly different than the way I have taught it in class, but it is basically the same and the students should be able to comprehend it.

Greetings Families, The end of the quarter is quickly approaching. Two more weeks until school is out for fall break. With that we have our Little House on the Prairie themed celebration on October 1. You can expect to see an email and SignUpGenius from the class parents some time next week. There will be a number of opportunities to volunteer and to provide items for the celebration. I hope to see many of you there. We are also in need of more classroom volunteers. A SignUpGenius was sent out for reading groups and I we are still in need of more math centers leaders. Please see the online signup for reading groups and email me or the classroom parents if you would like to volunteer for math centers. Important Dates September 24 th (Spalding/Singapore Night @ 6pm) Please come out to this event to learn more about our Spalding and Singapore programs.   September 25 TH Is a Half Day Students will be released at 12:05.   Prep siblings can be picked up...

Greetings Families, I hope everyone enjoyed their three-day weekend last week and we have another one coming up this week, well students do at least. It has been a joy getting to know the students a little better each week. It is amazing how unique each student is. Some students who are a little quieter during class can be quite characters at lunch. It has also been great getting to play dodgeball with the students and to see how good some of them are. Here are the lessons for the week and some other important information.  Important Dates Picture day is  Tuesday, September 15 th. We have  no school  on  Friday, September 18 th .  This is a teacher in-service day.  I hope your scholars enjoy another three-day weekend! There is a history project coming home and the project is  due on Tuesday, September 29th .  The goal will be to start  math centers  on Wednesday, September 23 rd . If interested in v...

Greetings Parents, If you would like to volunteer as a reading group leader, please click here to sign up. Please remember that you must be fingerprinted by Archway Arete (we have to have your card on file) and this is a first come, first serve opportunity. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Dear Families, I want to start by congratulating our scholars on finishing their first poetry recitation. I was very impressed! Each showed great courage standing before a class and their efforts paid off. We will start a new poem next week, so please start working on the recitation after the R&R weekend. Introduction : I would like to introduce the parent coordinators, or class parents, Amiee Newburgh-Dugan and Pamela Tipescu. They have graciously volunteered to serve our class and parents this year. I am meeting with them Tuesday to develop a plan for classroom volunteers, other volunteer opportunities, and other activities. Announcement : Singapore/Spalding night is no longer being held on September 9th. Please take that date off of your calendars. As soon as we reschedule I will let you know the date and time of this important event. Here is what is coming up in third grade next week: Assessments at a Glance Monday: No School Tuesday: None Wednesday: Math Assessment Thu...