November 5-9

Special thank you to our parent volunteers for the Capitol Trip!
Davanee's mom, Hazel's mom and Sanjith's dad, thank you all for helping make our
field trip possible and special!

Reminders:

November Events

• November 6 - Adventure Dash Kick-Off
• November 7 - Donna Bowman Author Visit, 3rd-5th
• November 9 - Skate Night @ Playland Skate Center
• November 13 - 3rd Grade Program/PTA Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
• November 16 - Adventure Dash Fun Run
• November 19-23 - Thanksgiving Break
• November 30th - 4th Grade Jazz workshop- We will have a different schedule this day!

Buddy Time-

We had a lot of fun meeting with our buddies to help them sort candy and fill in a graph. 

Reading-

This will be our last week in poetry. We will be talking about reading
strategies we can use with poetry to help us understand poems better.
We will be looking for the theme of poems we read, comparing poems and
using what we know about figurative language to help us analyze poems.

Writing-

We will continue to work on writing poems in our journals and publish final
pieces of poetry to turn in for a grade by the end of this week.

Social Studies-

We will be looking at how Texas was colonized during the era that Mexico
was its own country and Texas was part of Mexico. We will discuss historical
figures like Stephen F. Austin and arrival of the Old 300.

Spelling-

Practice words each night and try sorting them using the cards as well
as writing them and doing practice spelling tests. The spelling test will be on Friday.

Writing Homework:

Student choice! Choose 3.

• Who is your favorite athlete and why? What is your favorite sport?
• Write a haiku.
• Describe your Halloween costume.
• Create a poem about dreams like Langston Hughes.
• What do you like about your academy and why?
• Write a poem (free verse or rhyme).
• Write about your favorite day of the year.
• What grade would you teach and why?
• What did you do for Halloween?

October 29-November 2

Thank yous!
Special shout-outs to Yoonie and Davanee's moms for coming in
to share wonderful books with us! The kids loved sharing books that
are special to your families. Also, a big thank you to our friend Mr. Baird
for coming by to read to our class in his cow costume.

Reminders:

• October 28 - Trunk or Treat, 2:00-4:00 p.m. flagpole side
• October 29th- Field Trip- Capitol Building- be sure to pack a lunch
• October 30th- report cards go home
• October 31st- Halloween- no costumes, toys, candy  at school

Academics-
Reading-
We are continuing our unit on poetry and will be working on
figurative language and types of poems. We are finished with book
groups for a while and will be working on responding to our individual
reading books. We will review good fit books to go along with this.

Writing-
We will finish with writing sensory and
figurative language in short pieces. Then we will be
looking at different types of poems such as Haiku.

Social Studies-
We will be looking at "Colonizing Texas." We will
be talking about how Texas moved from Spanish rule to becoming
part of the independent country of Mexico. We will then go into how the first
Americans were allowed to move to
Texas after agreeing to be Mexican citizens and set-up colonies.

Homework-
Please remind your child to read for 20 minutes a night,
study spelling and practice math.

Writing Homework- Ungraded practice.

1. If you could build a dream house, what rooms would it have?

2. What would it be like to live on the moon?

3. Invent and describe a new food.

October 22-26

Reminders:

• October 20 - Sock Hop, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
• October 22-26 - Red Ribbon Week
• October 21-27 - FYI - Read Aloud to a Child Week- we would love to have parent readers!
• October 28 - Trunk or Treat, 2:00-4:00 p.m. (details coming soon)
• October 29th- Field Trip- Capitol Building- be sure forms are in!
• October 30th- report cards go home
• October 31st- Halloween- no costumes, toys, candy  at school

Academics-
Reading-
Next week we will have a DCA over the topics
covered in reading during the first nine weeks.
We will be starting poetry on Tuesday. We will be
starting with looking at poetry vocabulary,
figurative language and sensory language.
This unit will go on for 3 weeks.

Writing-
In writing we will be completing an on demand writing first on Monday.
This is the writing were they show us what they can do in an hour
without lessons. So far we have gone through
two expository papers with guidance the whole way.
Now they will do it on their own.
Then on Tuesday we will be starting poetry.
We will start with writing sensory and
figurative language in short pieces before moving
into full poems next week.

Social Studies-
This will be our last week on Texas Missions and the Spanish mission system
before moving on to "Colonizing Texas." We will
be talking about how Texas moved from Spanish rule to becoming
part of the independent country of Mexico. We will then go into how the first
Americans were allowed to move to
Texas after agreeing to be Mexican citizens and set-up colonies.

Writing Homework- Ungraded practice.

1. Write a paragraph (or more) from the point of view of
a either a conquistador (like Cabeza de Vaca, Pineda, Cortez, etc.)
or a Native American (like the Karankawa tribe who lived on the coast).
What did each group think when they saw each other for the first time?
Remember to tell me what point of view you are writing from!

2. Use ten of your spelling words in a story!
(bonus: use ALL of your spelling words in a story!)

3. What are some advantages of having a four day school week?
What are some disadvantages?

October 15- October 19

Conferences:
Thank you so much for meeting with me to discuss your child and their needs.  If anything comes up as the year goes on and you have a question or a concern, then please contact me.  I'm happy to help be a support for both you and your child this year. 

Reminders:
October 15 - Math Information Night at CVMS for Elementary Parents, 6:00 p.m.
October 20 - Sock Hop, 4:00-6:00 p.m.

October 28 – Trunk or Treat, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Trunk or Treat

Halloween is right around the corner and we’re proud to announce that Caraway will be hosting a FREE Trunk or Treat for kids of all ages on Sunday, October 28, from 2-4pm.  This is an opportunity for kids (and the young at heart) to put on their spooky, cute or even creepy costume and trick or treat from car trunk to trunk.  

In order to make this event a success, we are looking for volunteers to decorate their trunks and pass out candy.  Get your Halloween creative juices flowing! Best decorated trunk wins a prize.

We are also asking for candy and goody donations for the event.  Starting October 15th, donations can be placed in the “candy monster” that will be located by the front cafeteria entrance.

More information and sign up opportunities can be found at:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E4CA9AD29A57-trunk

If you aren’t interested in decorating your trunk or donating candy, we still welcome your family to attend so get in the spirit.  Prizes will be awarded for best costumes!

Additional questions can be directed to Lindsey Nicosia at lindsey.barringer@gmail.com.

Academics:

Reading: 
We will be comparing Fiction and Nonfiction Text this week using Bookflix.  We will also be looking at analogies and main idea as we are reading.  We will also be wrapping up our book groups and getting in our final reading journal entries.

Social Studies:
In social studies we will be looking at the spanish mission system after the explorers of Spain and France first went through the area.  This is the time in Texas history that missions were built, like the Alamo in San Antonio, to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism.

Writing:
We will continue working on our second expository writing piece. This time we made a list of topics to use and chose the one we wanted to write about.  So all our papers are very different.  By the end of the week we will be finished with our writing and ready to share our final copy.  Next Friday we will have an on demand writing.  This is were students are given a prompt and they show what they can do on their own following the expository model we have gone through twice at that point.

Spelling:
We will be starting another unit of spelling next week. We will spend some time in class working on them, but please remind your child to work on them at home, too.  Writing them multiple times, using an app, practice spelling tests are all great, but remember to have them sort the words and look at the pattern in the words, too.  We want them to use the pattern and sort to be able to apply these rules to other words that are not on the list.

Homework

Reading 20 minutes a night books of the student's choice.

Math 10 minutes a night.  IXL is not working now- our subscription is up! As soon as Dream Box is up and running I will send this out.  This is what it will be: http://www.dreambox.com/

Until then, you can use flashcards or do any online practice from the Carway website. 

Spelling 5-15 minutes a night as needed. 

Study for tests as needed. 

These times are flexible, but are a guide to what your child 
should be doing. 

Optional Writing Homework:

Think of your most valued possession. Explain why it is so important to you.

Explain why it is so important for kids to attend school.

Are you the oldest, middle, youngest or only child in your family? Explain what you like or dislike about your position.

October 10-12

Reminders:

Remember that there is no school on Monday and Tuesday.  
Tuesday is our conference day. 

Bike Rodeo Caraway's 2018 Bike Rodeo, which only happens  every other year,is scheduled for  Saturday, October 6th, from 10am-12pm at  the Caraway's parking lot.  There will be a raffle for a FREE bike from Empire  BMX, FREE helmets to the first 50 students,  helmet fitting and bike tune-up stations, and  a bike course set-up to learn how to ride safely.   Watch a BMX bike stunt show and grab some  food from Rosarito's Taco truck. We need parent volunteers to make this event happen,  so please sign up  here: https://goo.gl/XQprac.  Hope to see you there! Dates to Remember: Oct 6th – Bike Rodeo  10 a.m.-12 p.m. Oct 8th– No school for students Oct 9th– No school for students - Parent-Teacher conferences Oct 10th - Bond Presentation/PTA Meeting 6:30-7:30 p.m. Oct 11th – International Walk and Bike to School Day Oct 15th - Math Information Night at CVMS 6:00 p.m. Oct 20th - Caraway’s 80s Themed Sock Hop (4:00 - 6:00 p.m.) Academics Next Week We only have a three day week, so there are a few  differences next week from a normal week.  Spelling- This is only a three day week so we will not be starting  a new spelling until.  We will have students review spelling  words and get caught up on grammar practice in the  classroom.  Writing- We just finished our first expository writing piece and we will  go into creating another piece this week.  We will start out  with brainstorming ideas to write about and then focus on a  good lead. Our last paper we only focused on using a good  thesis, so now that we have that in place we will work on a  strong lead.  Reading- Now that we have talked about elements of both fiction and  nonfiction text we will look at some examples of both that  have the same them to compare. We will be using Bookflix  as one way to compare fiction and nonfiction text before  using two reading passages on giraffes that are from each  genre.  Library-We also have library check-out this Wednesday.   The kids can go to the library any day, but checkout is a  good time to make sure that they do not have overdue  books.  Homework Reading 20 minutes a night books of the student's choice. Math IXL 10 minutes a night.   Spelling 5-15 minutes a night as needed.  Study for tests as needed.  These times are flexible, but are a guide to what your child  should be doing.  Ungraded, practice homework prompts for this week: 1.Challenge: Use 8 of your spelling words in a story! Remember to use words in the correct context as well as spell them correctly:) (Extra challenge, use all of your spelling words in a story!) 2.Have you ever experienced a challenging time where you had to be responsible? Describe a time where you have shown the life-skill of responsibility. 3.Who is one person you would like to meet and why?