Dear Incoming Third Graders,
My name is Mrs. Potgeter and I am very excited to be your child’s third grade teacher this year. I hope that you are having an amazing summer and are resting, relaxing, and most importantly reading!!! I can’t wait to hear about your summer adventures and wonderful books you’ve read and enjoyed.
The third grade teachers have an exciting year planned for all of you. We will be working on many activities, projects and learning new concepts this year. Third grade is a year of many firsts. It’s our introduction to multiplication and division with multi-step story problems, learning various technology uses, exploring new genres, writing in cursive and of course learning to be more independent.
We will be focused on building a community of learners. As a community, we will share all of our school supplies, practice communicating clearly, problem solve together, learn to disagree respectfully, and have fun making new friends! Our number one job, at school, will be LEARNING and to succeed we need everyone doing their part. Preparing students for life’s next step means giving all students opportunities to learn how to have empathy for others, be flexible, resilient, persistent and optimistic! This is going to be an amazing year!!
The following items are only recommendations/suggestions for school supplies:
(Remember ALL items, except backpacks, will be shared with the whole class. If you have special notebooks, pencils, erasers, supply box, etc... I ask that you keep them at home for working on homework and special projects).
I am looking forward to meeting everyone at North Oakview’s Open House scheduled for Wednesday August 21 from 5-6;30 pm. We hope to see you there.
Our first official day of school is Monday August 26, 2018. Be sure that your child packs a healthy snack, knows what they are doing for lunch and how they are getting home. The transportation office can be reached at 616.361.3480. For further information regarding the 2018-2019 school year, visit the North Oakview website: http://nvps.net/north-oakview
*To find current classroom information visit: http://potgeterthird.weebly.com/
*Best way to get in touch with me: email ([email protected])
*Throughout the year, if there is a change of plan for your child or a change in their daily transportation call the office directly at 616.361.3450.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
4/22/19
wbte.drcedirect.com/MI/portals/mi
Please click the link above to be brought to the M-Step practice website. Here, you can practice using the tools for both the ELA and Math M-Step.
Updates 4/19/19
Students have been busy in third grade. We have been working hard to get ready for the M-Step, STAR, and F and P which are all coming up in the next few weeks. In reading we have been continuing daily mini lessons and reading groups and our focus has been on nonfiction. I have never had a class that has such a strong love for reading like this one does. It is so wonderful to see every day :)
In Math we are working on Unit 6: Fractions. This is a short unit and our test is scheduled for next week Friday, 4/26. Look for their quizzes and workbooks to come home by Wednesday.
In science we will continue learning about the traits of plants and animals. We are specifically looking at how animals can make physical adaptations over time based on their environment. We are comparing the adaptions of plants and animals while developing our knowledge of climate and climate zones. We will be using various credible resources to gather and compare data.
In Social Studies we are working on a unit called The History of Michigan. This unit looks way back to the 1500's and we have been learning about the Chippewa (Ojibwe), Potawatomi, and The Ottawa tribes. We have learned about how these people lived and all of the things they needed to do to have food, shelter, and clothing. We also compared Michigan now to Michigan back then and found many similarities and differences. Our final project of the year consists of each student choosing one of the above tribes to focus on. We will be researching these tribes and typing up our final drafts.
Throughout the month of April in technology class, students will be working on activities such as creating and reading graphs/charts, working with fractions on a number line, finding area & perimeter, and reading & responding to narrative stories. One of our big focuses this year has been on reading the screen carefully. It's very important that students take time to read the screen looking for scroll bars, using the tools provided - when applicable and taking time to read all directions carefully. These skills will be extremely important when taking online assessments like M-STEP
I will continue to send email updates to give reminders for when our spring testing is. Feel free to email me if you need anything at all :)
Updates 3/22/19
We have been busy in third grade! In Reading, we have been going to our new intervention reading groups now for a few weeks and it's been going great! Our focus has been on biographies and after Spring Break we will be focusing on other nonfiction.
In Math we are just finishing up Unit 5. You will notice in your child's Friday Folder today that I sent home math workbooks along with their quizzes from the unit. We will review Monday and Tuesday and take the test on Wednesday next week. Please go over some of the blank workbook pages with your child before Wednesday. They should also be bringing home a review page on Monday that can be used to prepare for the test. We will do part of the review sheet together and the rest of the problems can be done at home.
One new thing I am going to start allowing next week in class is gum chewing. Another one of the third grade classes does this and has found it to help students focus so we are going to give it a try. Please only send sugarless gum with them. Students are aware of all of the gum chewing expectations as we went over them in detail today :) They do not have to bring gum to school, it's just an option if you would like them to.
I cannot believe it is almost Spring Break! It has sure come fast!!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Spring Break :) As always feel free to email me if you need anything at all! I hope to see some of you at Family Fun Night tonight!
Update 1/18/19
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and was able to spend time with your families! This week we started our winter F and P testing and also had our STAR test. We will continue the F and P through next week. In math we have begun unit 4 which focuses on area and perimeter. Students have been enjoying getting the manipulatives out and practicing measurement, perimeter, and area. In reading our main focus has been on mysteries. We have been reading Judy Moody's Mini Mysteries as well as a mystery read aloud titled Unleashed. Students have been stepping into the detective shoes and learning about all aspects of mystery stories. As always feel free to email me anytime with questions or concerns. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay WARM!!! :)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
Update 11/5/18
Hi Third Grade Families! Thank you to everyone who made it out to the Halloween party! It was a great success and we had a ton of fun! Here are some updates on what we have been working on the past few weeks.
Reading: I have begun pulling daily reading groups for reading. We have been going back and forth between our chosen library books and reading on EPIC during read to self time. We have been focusing on comprehension during our reading groups.
Math: We finished out first unit that focused mainly on multiplication and division. We have begun unit 2 which focuses on bar graphs, pictographs, line plots, and measurement. This is a much shorter unit so expect the quizzes and workbook to come home before the test which will most likely be some time in the middle of November.
Technology: we have learned how to copy and paste information. Students began this lesson by opening several tabs. Next, we learned how to navigate between Kiddle, Google Classroom and a Google doc. We spent time looking for facts about Michigan’s Great Lakes that we could highlight and copy. Then we learned how to navigate back to the google classroom to paste the information along with the URL of where we found our interesting facts. This week we spent time becoming familiar with the format of Google Classroom. Students are now able to answer questions about what the stream looks like, how to find assignments, how to turn in & unsubmit class work. The biggest surprise this week was learning that Mrs. Potgeter and Miss Ingle also have access to our Google Classroom….which means they can post assignments for us to work on
Science: Our focuses in science have been:
Social Studies: In Social Studies we have been working on our Michigan symbols project. Each student has researched and chosen a symbol to focus on. They've been using kiddle to research and write down facts about their symbol and then typing each fact onto a google doc. At the end of the project students will have the choice of creating a poster or creating a 3-D replica of their symbol.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I cannot believe that in just a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving already!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
Michigan Kids Social Studies: www.michigan.gov/kids/0,4600,7-247-49069-56001--,00.html
Social Studies Games: https://www.learninggamesforkids.com/us-state-games/michigan.html
9/17/18 Constitution Day Information and Games: https://bensguide.gpo.gov/games
Update 9/14/18
Hi third grade families! We have been working hard these past few weeks in third grade!
In Language Arts we have been practicing read to self and read to someone. These are what we will do every day with our reader's workshop so we have been practicing a lot! We have also gotten online and used a website called "Epic" where we have created our student accounts and read books online! If your student wants to go onto epic at home they should know how to get there through the student portal. Our classroom code is cib1318.
In Math we have been working hard learning multiplication! We have begun with drawing pictures of story problems and using methods such as repeated addition and drawing a picture to solve. This week we have begun filling in hundreds charts for each multiple so we can begin to see that patterns with the different multiples.
In Science students have been looking at different questions. These include
Dear Incoming Third Graders,
My name is Mrs. Potgeter and I am very excited to be your child’s third grade teacher this year. I hope that you are having an amazing summer and are resting, relaxing, and most importantly reading!!! I can’t wait to hear about your summer adventures and wonderful books you’ve read and enjoyed.
The third grade teachers have an exciting year planned for all of you. We will be working on many activities, projects and learning new concepts this year. Third grade is a year of many firsts. It’s our introduction to multiplication and division with multi-step story problems, learning various technology uses, exploring new genres, writing in cursive and of course learning to be more independent.
We will be focused on building a community of learners. As a community, we will share all of our school supplies, practice communicating clearly, problem solve together, learn to disagree respectfully, and have fun making new friends! Our number one job, at school, will be LEARNING and to succeed we need everyone doing their part. Preparing students for life’s next step means giving all students opportunities to learn how to have empathy for others, be flexible, resilient, persistent and optimistic! This is going to be an amazing year!!
The following items are only recommendations/suggestions for school supplies:
(Remember ALL items, except backpacks, will be shared with the whole class. If you have special notebooks, pencils, erasers, supply box, etc... I ask that you keep them at home for working on homework and special projects).
I am looking forward to meeting everyone at North Oakview’s Open House scheduled for Wednesday August 22 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. For third graders the welcome back party will be from 5:30 - 6:30 pm and our open house will go from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. We hope to see you there.
Our first official day of school is Monday August 27, 2018. Be sure that your child packs a healthy snack, knows what they are doing for lunch and how they are getting home. The transportation office can be reached at 616.361.3480. For further information regarding the 2018-2019 school year, visit the North Oakview website: http://nvps.net/north-oakview
*To find current classroom information visit: http://potgeterthird.weebly.com/
*Best way to get in touch with me: email ([email protected])
*Throughout the year, if there is a change of plan for your child or a change in their daily transportation call the office directly at 616.361.3450.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
My name is Mrs. Potgeter and I am very excited to be your child’s third grade teacher this year. I hope that you are having an amazing summer and are resting, relaxing, and most importantly reading!!! I can’t wait to hear about your summer adventures and wonderful books you’ve read and enjoyed.
The third grade teachers have an exciting year planned for all of you. We will be working on many activities, projects and learning new concepts this year. Third grade is a year of many firsts. It’s our introduction to multiplication and division with multi-step story problems, learning various technology uses, exploring new genres, writing in cursive and of course learning to be more independent.
We will be focused on building a community of learners. As a community, we will share all of our school supplies, practice communicating clearly, problem solve together, learn to disagree respectfully, and have fun making new friends! Our number one job, at school, will be LEARNING and to succeed we need everyone doing their part. Preparing students for life’s next step means giving all students opportunities to learn how to have empathy for others, be flexible, resilient, persistent and optimistic! This is going to be an amazing year!!
The following items are only recommendations/suggestions for school supplies:
(Remember ALL items, except backpacks, will be shared with the whole class. If you have special notebooks, pencils, erasers, supply box, etc... I ask that you keep them at home for working on homework and special projects).
- Backpack (labeled with your first & last name)
- 1 inch hardcover 3 ring binder
- 1 pack of #2 pencils
- 1 pack of mechanical pencils (0.5mm)
- 2 packs of post it notes
- 1 = 24 pk of crayons
- 6 glue sticks (Elmer’s are the best)
- 1 spiral bound notebook - wide ruled
- 1 box of band aids
- 2 packs of Clorox Bleach Free wipes
I am looking forward to meeting everyone at North Oakview’s Open House scheduled for Wednesday August 21 from 5-6;30 pm. We hope to see you there.
Our first official day of school is Monday August 26, 2018. Be sure that your child packs a healthy snack, knows what they are doing for lunch and how they are getting home. The transportation office can be reached at 616.361.3480. For further information regarding the 2018-2019 school year, visit the North Oakview website: http://nvps.net/north-oakview
*To find current classroom information visit: http://potgeterthird.weebly.com/
*Best way to get in touch with me: email ([email protected])
*Throughout the year, if there is a change of plan for your child or a change in their daily transportation call the office directly at 616.361.3450.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
4/22/19
wbte.drcedirect.com/MI/portals/mi
Please click the link above to be brought to the M-Step practice website. Here, you can practice using the tools for both the ELA and Math M-Step.
Updates 4/19/19
Students have been busy in third grade. We have been working hard to get ready for the M-Step, STAR, and F and P which are all coming up in the next few weeks. In reading we have been continuing daily mini lessons and reading groups and our focus has been on nonfiction. I have never had a class that has such a strong love for reading like this one does. It is so wonderful to see every day :)
In Math we are working on Unit 6: Fractions. This is a short unit and our test is scheduled for next week Friday, 4/26. Look for their quizzes and workbooks to come home by Wednesday.
In science we will continue learning about the traits of plants and animals. We are specifically looking at how animals can make physical adaptations over time based on their environment. We are comparing the adaptions of plants and animals while developing our knowledge of climate and climate zones. We will be using various credible resources to gather and compare data.
In Social Studies we are working on a unit called The History of Michigan. This unit looks way back to the 1500's and we have been learning about the Chippewa (Ojibwe), Potawatomi, and The Ottawa tribes. We have learned about how these people lived and all of the things they needed to do to have food, shelter, and clothing. We also compared Michigan now to Michigan back then and found many similarities and differences. Our final project of the year consists of each student choosing one of the above tribes to focus on. We will be researching these tribes and typing up our final drafts.
Throughout the month of April in technology class, students will be working on activities such as creating and reading graphs/charts, working with fractions on a number line, finding area & perimeter, and reading & responding to narrative stories. One of our big focuses this year has been on reading the screen carefully. It's very important that students take time to read the screen looking for scroll bars, using the tools provided - when applicable and taking time to read all directions carefully. These skills will be extremely important when taking online assessments like M-STEP
I will continue to send email updates to give reminders for when our spring testing is. Feel free to email me if you need anything at all :)
Updates 3/22/19
We have been busy in third grade! In Reading, we have been going to our new intervention reading groups now for a few weeks and it's been going great! Our focus has been on biographies and after Spring Break we will be focusing on other nonfiction.
In Math we are just finishing up Unit 5. You will notice in your child's Friday Folder today that I sent home math workbooks along with their quizzes from the unit. We will review Monday and Tuesday and take the test on Wednesday next week. Please go over some of the blank workbook pages with your child before Wednesday. They should also be bringing home a review page on Monday that can be used to prepare for the test. We will do part of the review sheet together and the rest of the problems can be done at home.
One new thing I am going to start allowing next week in class is gum chewing. Another one of the third grade classes does this and has found it to help students focus so we are going to give it a try. Please only send sugarless gum with them. Students are aware of all of the gum chewing expectations as we went over them in detail today :) They do not have to bring gum to school, it's just an option if you would like them to.
I cannot believe it is almost Spring Break! It has sure come fast!!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Spring Break :) As always feel free to email me if you need anything at all! I hope to see some of you at Family Fun Night tonight!
Update 1/18/19
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and was able to spend time with your families! This week we started our winter F and P testing and also had our STAR test. We will continue the F and P through next week. In math we have begun unit 4 which focuses on area and perimeter. Students have been enjoying getting the manipulatives out and practicing measurement, perimeter, and area. In reading our main focus has been on mysteries. We have been reading Judy Moody's Mini Mysteries as well as a mystery read aloud titled Unleashed. Students have been stepping into the detective shoes and learning about all aspects of mystery stories. As always feel free to email me anytime with questions or concerns. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay WARM!!! :)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
Update 11/5/18
Hi Third Grade Families! Thank you to everyone who made it out to the Halloween party! It was a great success and we had a ton of fun! Here are some updates on what we have been working on the past few weeks.
Reading: I have begun pulling daily reading groups for reading. We have been going back and forth between our chosen library books and reading on EPIC during read to self time. We have been focusing on comprehension during our reading groups.
Math: We finished out first unit that focused mainly on multiplication and division. We have begun unit 2 which focuses on bar graphs, pictographs, line plots, and measurement. This is a much shorter unit so expect the quizzes and workbook to come home before the test which will most likely be some time in the middle of November.
Technology: we have learned how to copy and paste information. Students began this lesson by opening several tabs. Next, we learned how to navigate between Kiddle, Google Classroom and a Google doc. We spent time looking for facts about Michigan’s Great Lakes that we could highlight and copy. Then we learned how to navigate back to the google classroom to paste the information along with the URL of where we found our interesting facts. This week we spent time becoming familiar with the format of Google Classroom. Students are now able to answer questions about what the stream looks like, how to find assignments, how to turn in & unsubmit class work. The biggest surprise this week was learning that Mrs. Potgeter and Miss Ingle also have access to our Google Classroom….which means they can post assignments for us to work on
Science: Our focuses in science have been:
- Identifying the environmental needs of plants and animals
- Comparing and analyzing environmental and hereditary traits
- Discovering natural methods to grow over-sized fruits and vegetables
- Finding connections between the life cycles and environmental needs of fruits, vegetables, animals, and humans
Social Studies: In Social Studies we have been working on our Michigan symbols project. Each student has researched and chosen a symbol to focus on. They've been using kiddle to research and write down facts about their symbol and then typing each fact onto a google doc. At the end of the project students will have the choice of creating a poster or creating a 3-D replica of their symbol.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I cannot believe that in just a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving already!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter
Michigan Kids Social Studies: www.michigan.gov/kids/0,4600,7-247-49069-56001--,00.html
Social Studies Games: https://www.learninggamesforkids.com/us-state-games/michigan.html
9/17/18 Constitution Day Information and Games: https://bensguide.gpo.gov/games
Update 9/14/18
Hi third grade families! We have been working hard these past few weeks in third grade!
In Language Arts we have been practicing read to self and read to someone. These are what we will do every day with our reader's workshop so we have been practicing a lot! We have also gotten online and used a website called "Epic" where we have created our student accounts and read books online! If your student wants to go onto epic at home they should know how to get there through the student portal. Our classroom code is cib1318.
In Math we have been working hard learning multiplication! We have begun with drawing pictures of story problems and using methods such as repeated addition and drawing a picture to solve. This week we have begun filling in hundreds charts for each multiple so we can begin to see that patterns with the different multiples.
In Science students have been looking at different questions. These include
- What are life cycles?
- How do we know if something is alive?
- What do plants and animals have in common about their life cycles?
- How do plants and animals differ in their life cycles?
- What do all living things have in common?
In technology class this week, we focused on respectful and responsible tech usage. Students had time to view a few short video clips that highlighted appropriate ways to handle and care for chrome books. We discussed the importance of being responsible with our "digital footprint." Students are now aware that everything they do on chrome books leaves a digital footprint and with that comes a great sense of responsibility to make good choices.
Our second goal for the week was to have all students learn their username/email, password and to get logged in successfully. Once we have that down, next week we will practicing our typing skills through a program called Typing.com. In this program students will begin learning about correct finger placement on the keyboard through differentiated typing lessons. The goal is for students to use both hands while typing to help increase their fluency. We are off to a great start!
In Social Studies we have begun our unit on the geography of Michigan. We have learned some cool facts about the state we live in! We have also starting learning about the lakes and other states that are around us! We have created some pictures and posters to help us remember these things.
Don;t forget Friday Folders go home today!
Dear Incoming Third Graders,
My name is Mrs. Potgeter and I am very excited to be your child’s third grade teacher this year. I hope that you are having an amazing summer and are resting, relaxing, and most importantly reading!!! I can’t wait to hear about your summer adventures and wonderful books you’ve read and enjoyed.
The third grade teachers have an exciting year planned for all of you. We will be working on many activities, projects and learning new concepts this year. Third grade is a year of many firsts. It’s our introduction to multiplication and division with multi-step story problems, learning various technology uses, exploring new genres, writing in cursive and of course learning to be more independent.
We will be focused on building a community of learners. As a community, we will share all of our school supplies, practice communicating clearly, problem solve together, learn to disagree respectfully, and have fun making new friends! Our number one job, at school, will be LEARNING and to succeed we need everyone doing their part. Preparing students for life’s next step means giving all students opportunities to learn how to have empathy for others, be flexible, resilient, persistent and optimistic! This is going to be an amazing year!!
The following items are only recommendations/suggestions for school supplies:
(Remember ALL items, except backpacks, will be shared with the whole class. If you have special notebooks, pencils, erasers, supply box, etc... I ask that you keep them at home for working on homework and special projects).
- Backpack (labeled with your first & last name)
- 1 inch hardcover 3 ring binder
- 1 pack of #2 pencils
- 1 pack of mechanical pencils (0.5mm)
- 2 packs of post it notes
- 1 = 24 pk of crayons
- 6 glue sticks (Elmer’s are the best)
- 1 spiral bound notebook - wide ruled
- 1 box of band aids
- 2 packs of Clorox Bleach Free wipes
I am looking forward to meeting everyone at North Oakview’s Open House scheduled for Wednesday August 22 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. For third graders the welcome back party will be from 5:30 - 6:30 pm and our open house will go from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. We hope to see you there.
Our first official day of school is Monday August 27, 2018. Be sure that your child packs a healthy snack, knows what they are doing for lunch and how they are getting home. The transportation office can be reached at 616.361.3480. For further information regarding the 2018-2019 school year, visit the North Oakview website: http://nvps.net/north-oakview
*To find current classroom information visit: http://potgeterthird.weebly.com/
*Best way to get in touch with me: email ([email protected])
*Throughout the year, if there is a change of plan for your child or a change in their daily transportation call the office directly at 616.361.3450.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Potgeter