Monday, November 11, 2013

Yearbook Photos

We are scheduled to take our photos for the yearbook tomorrow, November 12th! Get your smiles ready.

Ms. Melanie

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Recent Learning in the Classroom

We've been busy learning about procedural texts and their uses. Students are currently working on creating a how-to video about a topic of their choice using iMovie. If Ms. Melanie can figure out how to share them on Blogger, you can see their work soon. The backup option is to send a flash drive to school and I'll copy them for you. The finished product should be available by the end of the week.
Mehak and Methsala putting the pieces together

Martin and Ian solved the puzzle by putting the steps in the correct order

Math work - learning about area and perimeter with geoboards

Ian collects data about cupcake decorations and flavors
 Our business planning is well underway. Last week students did a bit of market research to find out about the wants and needs of their peers.
Lots and lots of questions - Alina records some information she has gathered

Grab a Good Book and Read!

On Friday, October 25th, we participated in the Readathon. It was organized by the Student Action Council as part of the ongoing celebration of IST's 50th birthday.



Our Kindergarten Buddies

We are buddy classrooms with Ms. King's kindergarten class this year. We have met to read with each other and share our writing.




OUR BODY SYSTEMS

Ready? It's showtime!

 3W teamed up with 3R to share their knowledge from our human body unit. They sang an awesome rap, Our Body Systems, that was composed and arranged by Ms. Natalie. It was a hit, and I still get the song stuck in my head when I think about it. I'm sure the third graders will not soon forget the functions of each system they sang about and performed actions to represent.
Naomi takes the stage for her solo rap

3W showing some attitude

Time to Catch Up on Happenings in 3W!

October flew by without any posts, but the fun and learning was definitely taking place in and out of the classroom. Here are some highlights from the past few weeks.

The third graders experienced their first Interhouse sports event. Each house showed their spirit by sporting their house colors and chanting their house cheer with great enthusiasm.
Team Nyati
Team Tembo

Cherry clears the high jump

Team Kifaru

Team Mamba
Great jump, Naomi!



Alisa and Alina representing Team Mamba

Ian and Thomas watching the action

Zayed cheers for Nyati

Martin runs for Nyati


Caleb and Richard supporting Team Kifaru

Time for the long jump - You're up, Methsala!

The ladies of Team Nyati

Thanks to our marvelous PE teachers for organizing a terrific morning!


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Finding Out: One of the stages in the inquiry cycle

In our current unit, "Who We Are: Body Systems", we've been obtaining information about our bodies in several ways. On Wednesday, students choose a resource to seek answers to 3 questions.


Vicky and Caroline watched a Bill Nye science clip.

Zayed and Caleb looked at diagrams and models.

Hanson and James read books to look for information.


Many students used the "Trash or Treasure?" strategy they learned from Ms. Choan during this week's library lesson. They identified key words, then skimmed and scanned books for the answers.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Author's Chair

A recent addition to our classroom is the author's chair. It is a special place that the third grade authors sit while sharing their recently published work. We've had a few authors share already and are looking forward to more stories in the coming weeks. 

Students try to write everyday during writing workshop. When they have chosen a piece to publish and worked through all stages of the writing process, they are welcome to share their writing with the class orally, or can choose to post their work in the classroom for others to read. Please stop in and read their published work! You can find it on the yellow bulletin board in the front of the classroom.






Tuesday, August 27, 2013

It's Been a Busy Start to the School Year!

Celebrating the first birthday of the school year with juice and cupcakes. Happy birthday, Richard!

Dancing to the beat at our first assembly of the school year

Collecting data from fish glyphs using tally charts to record

Looking for patterns on a number grid


Connecting with previous knowledge about our bodies and the systems that keep us alive

Welcome and Back to School Information

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year!  We are happy that your child will be part of our learning community and are dedicated to making this a busy, productive, and remarkable year for your child.  As partners in your child’s education, we will be communicating with you often about classroom happenings, your child’s progress, and school events.  We will be using a classroom blog in addition to the grade level blog this year to post class specific updates and photos, so please watch for more information about subscribing to those in the near future. We hope this first newsletter will help answer some of your initial questions.

Homework                                           
A homework sheet will be sent home on Mondays in your child’s homework folder. Students should return their completed homework by Friday. Look for the first homework folder to come home next Monday. If your child struggles with his/her homework or needs more time than indicated, please write a note in his or her Link book and return it with the homework.

Clothing
It is expected that all students wear the IST school uniform (regular or PE on PE days) to school every day.  Please be sure to send a hat with your child for outside play: “No hat = play in the shade”.

Arrival

Our day begins promptly at 7:10 am.  The classroom opens at 6:55. Early arrivals must be supervised by a parent until school supervision begins at 6:50.  Our morning meeting begins at 7:10 and important learning begins then, so please make every effort to get your child to school on time.

Sleep
Our days begin early and are very active. To help your child get the most out of their day, please get them to bed at an early hour. Children in the 8-9 years old age range typically need 8-10 hours of sleep each night.  Getting enough sleep can make a huge difference.

Lunch/Snack/Water

To help promote a positive learning environment, it is important for your child to eat nutritious foods. Please send a nutritious snack and lunch each day. Chocolate, cookies, biscuits, candy and soda pop are not permitted. Please be sure to send a water bottle labeled with your child’s name to school each day.

Birthdays
Birthdays may be celebrated in class.  Please contact me a day in advance if you plan to send treats. You may send individual treats for students with your child and I will plan a time for sharing them during the day.  If you choose to celebrate your child’s birthday outside of school, please understand that invitations cannot be distributed in the classroom unless every child in the class is invited.

 

Health

In case of a fever, persistent or serious cold or cough, diarrhea or vomiting, please keep your child at home.  Please notify the school or me if your child will not be coming to school. If you anticipate a prolonged absence, please notify me.

Toys / Personal Items 

Please keep toys/personal items at home.  No dolls, cars, cards, balls, phones or electronic games should be brought to school.

Communication

The third grade blog along with this classroom blog will be the main tools used to share classroom happenings. Please be sure that you are subscribed to receive an email when posts have been added to the blogs. You can email me at mwipf@istafrica.com. You may also write me a note and place it in your child’s Linkbook.  Please let me know of any changes at home (parents away, new nanny, visitors, illnesses) that may affect your child. 

Meet the Team


Melanie Wipf
I grew up and attended school in South Dakota in the USA. This is my tenth year of teaching and my first year at the International School of Tanganyika. I have taught in international schools in Khartoum, Sudan and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This is my fifth year teaching at a PYP school. I love to travel and discover new places. I also enjoy being outdoors, reading, playing group sports, experimenting in the kitchen and practicing yoga.


Stephen Likonga
This is my fifth year at IST as a teaching assistant in the third grade. I am currently a student teacher at the Open University of Tanzania working toward a Bachelor of Education specializing in language subjects. I speak English and Kiswahili fluently along with a little French. I enjoy meeting children, traveling, playing soccer, and swimming.

We are looking forward to sharing this year with you and your child.  If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to ask.  Appointments can be scheduled through the school office or you can email me directly.

Sincerely,                              
Ms. Melanie Wipf
mwipf@istafrica.com