March is here already, but we’re still working hard!  Next Friday, March 14, is a Professional Development day so there will be no school.

Standardized testing for the third graders is right around the corner.  Our class’ test dates are as follows:

April 8—writing test

April 14–Language test

April 21–Math test

You play an important part in helping students give their best performance on this test.

Even though this assessment is a snapshot—one single perspective – it is important that our students have every advantage to do their very best.

We don’t want to cause test anxiety, rather we want our students to be as prepared as possible. There are many ways in which you can help your child put his/her best foot forward. The following guidelines can help set our students up for success:

Continue To:

Read to/with your child; make time to discuss what you’ve read. Encourage reading for pleasure regularly.

1. Know when school projects are due and provide support to help your child complete them.
2. Provide a regular, quiet place for your child to read or complete school projects.
3. Set high expectations for work quality and school attendance.
4. Take an active interest in what your child is doing in school. What is he or she learning? Parents who communicate daily with their child about what they are learning build a strong foundation to demonstrate that learning.

Start a New Routine:

1. Allow your child to practice at least three times a week (no more than 15-20 minutes) on ixl.com. This website, if used effectively, will help them to practice transferring the hands-on learning they do in the classroom to a technological device similar to what will be used to test their academic proficiency in the Spring.

http://www.ixl.com

1. Because this year’s test also includes a writing/typing portion, it is important that your child be comfortable with typing. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ is a fun site the children enjoy. Encouraging proper typing skills will help them to transfer the writing lessons they get in class to a computer device. (Home projects are welcome to be typed or handwritten)

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child’s education.