Where Did the Time Go?

It's hard to believe that we have already finished the first quarter of this year.  The time truly seems to be flying by!  The students have worked hard at their learning and forming a cohesive, supportive community!

This week we implemented a new behavior check in system in the Lily Pad.  It is a great way for students to monitor themselves and to celebrate successes!  At the end of the day, if a child ends on Role Model, a Hoppygram is sent home letting families know!  This is proving to be a fabulous way for students to foster independence.  Each day the students all start on Ready to Learn.

This week students began reading about the earl history of the area we now call Madison. Our story begins 600 Million years ago... Students learned that the Precambrian Sea covered the land that is now Madison. Madison was under an ocean? It was located near the equator?  These were "WOW" moments that students had as they delved into the book, Madison City of Four Lakes, Our City Our Home.

We learned that scientists know this information because of the fossils of trilobites that were left behind. Third grade students are using an engaging and rich text full of information about the city we now call Madison. The text was put together by the MMSD social studies department and teachers in collaboration with a local historian from the state historical society. We then moved forward in time to 20,000 years ago and into the end of the ice age.  Students learned that the glacier that covered the land was as thick as 5 capitols stack on top of each other!

We then created model glaciers using pebbles and send set into ice.  Students created a flat landscape using whole wheat flour and recreated the movement of a glacier over land.  The were able to see that parts of the glacier were deposited along the way and that as the glacier plowed through the landscape, hills of soil were left in its path.  We call these moraines.

Students also learned about kettles and drumlins.

In other Marquette news…

Next week are our fall conferences.  Everyone has been scheduled for a conference and I look forward to spending some time discussion the progress of your child.  Conferences are 20 minutes long and we are jam-packed so I will be talking faster than normal. (Sorry in advance for this!) If there are issues or concerns that need more time, we can set up a separate time to continue our conversation.  Thank you for your help with this.

During conferences, the Book Fair will be open.  Make sure to visit the LMC, buy a book and support our Marquette Library!

Student council is sponsoring a food drive for Thanksgiving baskets distributed by the Goodman Community Center.  Here is a list of items that are need for these baskets.

Please send items in with your child next week and Thank You!

Upcoming Events

• November 11 and 12 - Evening Fall Conferences for the Lily Pad
• November 11-14 - Book Fair at Marquette
• November 15 - No School
• November 22 - Fusion Science Theater at Marquette
• November 28-29 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
• December 19 - Third Grade Poetry Tea
• December 21 - Jan 5 - No school
• January 6 - School Resumes