RES Fun Run -- Saturday!

On Saturday October 3rd, 2015 Richmond Elementary School will host a FUN RUN  at the Volunteers Green in Richmond!  This awesome family event will include a kid friendly half mile obstacle course, and a 5K and 5K relay!

5K and 5K-RELAY and Kids ½ Mile FUN run

Saturday October 3^rd, 2015 --  9am

Location:  Richmond Volunteer’s Green

Bring the whole family and enjoy a morning of being outside with friends and neighbors running to support students at Richmond Elementary School.  All money raised at this event will support enrichment opportunities for students at RES.

Pre- Registration is now open on line until October 2^nd 2015.

To Pre-register go to:

http://tinyurl.com/2015RESFunRun

Pre-Registered Racers Sign in at 8:30 am

Race Day Registration Sign in at 8:15 am

Kids Race: 9am Start

Kids ½ mile will begin at the park and loop around the soccer field.  All entrants will receive an award.

5K Race: 9:15 am Start

5K will consist of three loops around the park area.  Relay teams will be allowed, so consider running with your spouse and making them do two loops while you do one!

Please note: This is a FUN RUN!  The course is narrow in some areas, which will not cater to passing, AND times will not be recorded!   Raindate (if severe weather):  Sunday, October 4^th, 2015

If you have questions about the event, or are interested in volunteering to help organize this great day, please contact Darcie Rankin at darcie.rankin@cesuvt.org.

Writing Celebration! #tcrwp

It's time for a celebration!

 

We're celebrating the conclusion of our first Writing Unit of Study: Crafting True Stories in a big, big way!!

 

Thursday, October 1st, 2015

10:30-11:30 am

RES Library

Our 3rd grade authors will be sharing their stories from 10:30-10:50...listen to as many as you can to celebrate the fabulous writing (& learning) that has been accomplished in our first six weeks of school!

Then, Superintendent Alberghini, our storytelling mentor throughout the unit, will share another of his childhood tales with us...it's sure to be a great celebration of words!!

 

Global Read Aloud 2015 #gra15 #grafiat

 

This year, our 3rd grade classes will be participating in a project called the Global Read Aloud.  This project will start October 5th and will run for approximately 6 weeks.  The idea behind it is very simple; teachers around the world read the same book aloud to their students and then use technology to share the reading experience with these other classrooms.  

During the project, our class will be reading Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt and connecting with students around the world who are reading the same book.  We will use technology tools such as Skype, Padlet and our team twitter (@RESGrade3) to facilitate these connections and conversations.  In fact, our first connection will be on Friday when we "Mystery Skype" with a 3rd Grade Team from somewhere in the world!!



Here's a link to a book trailer we watched about the book.  FIAT Book Trailer

We are very excited to connect with others, especially since more than 200,000 students are already signed up to participate.  This project will allow for our students to use technology tools in a meaningful way, as well as learn about other cultures, all while listening to a fantastic read aloud.  


If you would like more information about the Global Read Aloud, feel free to visit the website www.theglobalreadaloud.com.

Self checkout station at the RES library

This is a guest post from our library media specialist, Beth Redford.

The RES library has a new self checkout station! Third and fourth graders have new library cards that they keep in their classrooms. They have learned to use the station and check out their own books.  Now they can come to the library any time and check out new books, even if I am out of the library or busy teaching a class. This means the library is accessible for the whole school day, every day, whenever our fantastic RES readers need new books. Second graders will be learning to use the self checkout station later this year as well.

Did you know that family members can get accounts at the RES library? This is a great thing to do especially if your child is a new reader who may go through several "skinny books" in a week. Parents can get library cards and check out books at the self checkout station as well. Stop by the library and I will make you your own library card! - Beth Redford, RES Library Media Specialist

We're featured on the RESVT Podcast!

Last week, Mr. Berry joined our 3rd grade writers during Writing Workshop to hear a mini-lesson from Mrs. Ayer and listened in while Superintendent Alberghini shared his "Bear Trap" story with us.

Listen in...

Superintendent Storyteller, Extraordinaire! #tcrwp

Last week, we were surprised to welcome Superintendent John Alberghini into our 3rd grade to tell us a story from his childhood.  In writing workshop, we're learning to use our "storyteller's voice" instead of the usual "news reporter voice" of our previous writing.  Lucky for us, Mr. Alberghini has lots of stories to share from his childhood growing up in Derby Line, Vermont.

We noticed that Mr. Alberghini used a funny lead in his story and shared a lot of information about the characters, mostly his sisters, Gina and Debbie.  We certainly remember which sister was the trouble-maker!

We're using Mr. Alberghini's story as a mentor for our own story writing, referencing it for the various pieces of our 3rd grade checklist and working to make our stories the best they can be!

Thank you, Mr. Alberghini, for taking time from your busy day to visit with us and support us in our writing!

And, thank you, Mr. Berry, for coming to our classrooms to video this story for our future use!

Writing Workshop

We use the "Writing Workshop" approach for writing instruction in 3rd grade.  The following slideshow will explain how and why we do what we do for writing instruction.  It will also provide answer to frequently asked questions AND provide families with ways to talk about and celebrate writing at home!

 

(Slideshow adapted from Two Writing Teachers blog, with permission.)

The Stoplight of Internet Safety!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Clip Art from: http://www.clipartbest.com/cliparts/Kin/MEE/KinMEEReT.jpeg[/caption]

As third graders prepare to begin using Chromebooks for the first time, we are working to establish routines and expectations with students.  Mrs. Rankin stopped by each of our classrooms this week for a conversation about internet safety using the metaphor of a stoplight.  Each class discussed their ideas of what websites and activities might fall into each category of the stoplight.

Green Light: These are websites that are approved by teachers, parents/guardians or other adults and students can use these websites with confidence knowing they are safe.  Examples include: Fastt Math, Edutyping, PebbleGo, or anything on the CESU "Great Sites for Kids" page.

Yellow Light:  These are websites that should be used with caution.  Perhaps they require a sign-in or email address, or there is a "chat" feature that can be used.  These are sites that students should use carefully, under the supervision of an adult and stopping to ask questions if necessary.  Examples include: Penguin Jump.

Red Light: These are sites that should not be used by students because the material is inappropriate or unsafe for students.  If students happen upon one of these sites, they should either shut off their computer or find an adult immediately to help.

As we continue throughout the year, we will continue to revisit this discussion.  Please feel free to use this analogy at home, too, as you have your own family discussions about online safety.