You are the best!!!

Thank you, Students

Dear Grade 3’s,

What a wonderful year it has been, being your teacher.  I will always treasure the memories of the past year in my heart.

Thank you for being such lovely students, for having good manners and for showing others respect. Thank you for studying hard and for being energetic and enthusiastic, no matter what.

Every day was fun with you.

I will miss you next year.

Remember:  Always be the best that you can be!!!

Keep in touch.

Blessings,

Ms. Crous

Thank you, Parents

Dear Parents,

What a great year I had teaching the Grade 3 students!  It has been an unforgettable time and the memories of the past year will always be treasured in my heart.

I would like to thank you for the trust that you have placed in me as your child's teacher.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your child's education this past school year.

Thank you for all your help, all the treats throughout the year and for your indispensable cooperation.  It was a pleasure working with you in educating the Grade 3’s.  I truly enjoyed helping your child learn and grow, and I will miss them next year.

Have a great summer!

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous 

Arrangements for the last week of school

Dear Parents,

As the school year draws to a close, and we are nearing our final week of school before the summer holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about what I have in mind for the final week.

Monday, June 20^th:  We will finish off our curriculum.  Students will write their last Math and Science test.  I will also send home their notebooks, tests and art work on this day.

Tuesday, June 21^st:  We will have a Super Fun Day.  This involves Game Fun and Water Fun.   For Game Fun students may bring their favourite game to school, so that they can share the fun with their friends.  For Water Fun all students should pack a bag with the following things: their swim suits, sunglasses, caps, beach towels, water bottle, sunscreen, water gun, flip flops or sandals. If students have a beach ball they may bring it as well, clearly marked with their name.  

Wednesday, June 22^nd: We will have a Drive-In Movie Day.  We will end our year with a fun movie or two!  If your child would like to bring their favourite DVD to school, please can you clearly mark it with their names so that we can return it to them at the end of the day.  We will also have our end of year party together with our Drive-In Movie Day.  We will have a draw on Friday, June 17^th, to see what snack each student can prepare to share with their classmates – just to make sure we don’t end up with only soda or chips.  J

Thursday, 23^rd: We will have a picnic on our last day. (We will be going to the track and spending time enjoying our snack.)  This will replace your child’s normal snack so please can you pack your child a yummy snack as well as a drink.  I won’t mind if your child brings some candy but please keep it in moderation

School will end after lunch on June 23^rd.  Buses will leave school at 1.00pm - non-bus children should also be collected from school at this time.

 

I am looking forward making some last memories with the Grade 3’s!

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous

Movie clips and more...

Dear Parents and Students,

What an exciting way to start this week!  HIS won 1^st and 4^th places at the Dragon Boat Races 2011 on Monday!  We are very happy and grateful.  We entered three teams this year and all of them did very well.  Our A-Team won 1^st place and was outstanding!  Thank you for all your support and for cheering us on! 

Curriculum Progress in Week 18

Math:  We are busy with division by one-digit divisors.  We did the first 5 lessons of this chapter (Chapter 22).

Science:  We finished Chapter 13.  We have looked at some of the new vocabulary in Chapter 14.

English:  We did more practice on adjectives and learnt how to write better sentences by using better adjectives.  Next week we will look at adverbs.

Reading:  We finished two new stories this week, Poppa’s New Pants and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (which is the third story in Theme 6).  We had fun, interesting class discussions on these stories!

Our Student of the week is Stanford Yu.  Stanford is a very good example of friendliness and kindness.  He is always sincere and willing to share.  Congratulations, Stanford!  You are a star!

Here are some YouTube links of movie clips, taken at the Music Show on June 1^st, 2011.  (These links were saved as "Unlisted" which means that only people who know the link to the video can view it).

Grade 1

Heal the World - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tybHfV9CnWA

I just can't wait to be king - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl3ZS3Rg-GY

Grade 3

Hakuna Matata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3ajm8n0TvQ

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3xC6XM80nQ

The HIS orchestra 

Canon in D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWew5YV6bXs

Eine Kleine Nachtmusic -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCxkQ7fTI3M

The Entertainer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd0_xGyUXlE

The Cuckoo Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVKj7iAjwUs

Mr.Harris and I have experienced technical problems with the Gr.3 debate movie clip.  On Monday we will film it again.  Students, make sure you review your parts and remember to bring your cue cards to school.

Have a great weekend.  Enjoy the summer weather!

Take care!

STARS

Dear Parents and Students,

What an unforgettable week we had!  One filled with great memories.  Wednesday was  the Music and Art Show.  It was a fun day and very successful.  Students, you were fantastic on the stage!  You are definitely STARS!

Congratulations to all the Gr.3 students’ siblings who graduated on Wednesday.  Well done on completing this stage of your life so well. 

On Friday we had our debate.  It was Renewable Energy Resources VS Nonrenewable Energy.  The Gr.3’s did a wonderful job.  I will have the link to the video clips posted as soon as possible.

Curriculum Progress for Week 16:

Math:  We finished Chapter 21.  Students also wrote a test on this Chapter.

Science:  We finished Unit E and also wrote a test on this Unit.  We started with the last Unit.  Unit F is about energy and change.  The first chapter, Chapter 13 is about forms of energy.

English:  We did a lot on adjectives this week.  Not only is it part of review, but I hope that students can make use of adjectives to make their writing more colorful. 

Reading:  We will continue with Reading in a faster pace from next week. 

On Friday it was Jonathan Sun’s birthday.  Happy Birthday, Jonathan!  May you have a great year to come, filled with happiness and excellent health.  May all your dreams come true.  Thank you for the delicious pizza!

Our student of the week is Johnson Chiu.  Johnson joined our class at the beginning of this semester.  The amount of improvement he has made is tremendous.  Well done, Johnson!  You are a star!!!

Monday, June 6^th, is a National Holiday, which means no school.  It is Dragon Boat Festival and there will be dragon boat races at Nanliao Old Harbor.  HIS has also entered teams.  Please come and join the festive activities and support our teams.

Have a splendid weekend!  Enjoy the extra day off!

The Gr.3's are growing up fast! :)

Dear Parents and Students,

Another great week has passed.  It is amazing to see how much the Gr.3’s have grown...  They have learnt how to be responsible and more independent.  I am so proud!

The fire department visited our school on Wednesday and spoke to us about drowning conditions and how we should respond in drowning situations.  It was very interesting and a great learning opportunity.

Another exciting week is yet to come.  On Wednesday, June 1^st, we are having our scheduled HIS Celebration of Music and Art.  This promise to be a fun event and I invite all the parents to come have a look at some of our art projects and to come and enjoy our music show.  The Kindergarten and Gr.6 graduation will also take place on Wednesday.

The Music Show will start at 1.00pm and it will last approximately two and a half hours.  There will be no clubs on Wednesday, but the school buses are still scheduled to leave at 15.50pm.  I want to remind the Gr.3 students to please wear jeans for the music performance.  You will also wear your T-shirts, which you painted at school.  These T-shirts are at school.  Please make sure you remember to wear jeans, Gr.3’s!

Curriculum progress for Week 15:

Math:  We started our second last chapter this week.  Chapter 21 is all about multiplication by 1-digit numbers. 

English:  We reviewed what we have learnt this year and all students handed in their writing assignment on Friday.  Well done, all of you!

Science:  We finished Chapter 12 this week.  Students, please take note that you are writing Science test on Tuesday, May 31^st.  The test will be on Chapters 11 and 12.

Social Studies and Oral:  This week we had our mock-debate.  Next week Friday, June 3^rd, will be the real debate and I plan to have it recorded.  I will post the video clips on our blog as soon as possible after the debate.

Parents, I want to remind you to please inform the office if you need transfer reports for your child(ren). 

Tuesday  was Ryan Huang’s birthday and we enjoyed celebrating the event with him!  Ryan, thank you for the delicious treats!  Happy Birthday, young man!

Our student of the week is Tatsuya Ochi.  He is doing very well and his scores are looking good!  Congratulations, Tatsuya!  You are a star!

Have an enjoyable weekend, everyone!

And the winner of Spelling Bee 2011 is....

Dear Parents and Students,

Even though the week was shorter than usual, a lot has been done in the Gr.3 class.  I hope each one of you had a great time over the Mid-Semester break.

Curriculum Progress for Week 14:

Math:  We finished and reviewed Chapter 20.  On Monday, May 23^rd, we will write test on Chapter 20.  So, study hard!

English:  We finished our third and last writing section.  The Gr.3’s got their next writing assignment.  The due date for this assignment is May 27^th.

Science:  We started and did the new vocabulary of Chapter 12.  Chapter 12 is all about mixtures and solutions.

Spelling:  There was no new spelling list this week.  We practiced for the Spelling Bee and students had to study the Spelling Bee list at home.

Oral presentation:  Students got their parts for their debates.  Students, practice your parts at home.  The due date for the debate will soon be announced.  Students, make sure you have researched enough facts to have a good argument!

Next Wednesday will be a very exciting day as we will have a special service from the Fire Department.  They are coming to school to give us a demonstration and information on fires and on what to do when drowning situations might occur.  I believe that this demonstration will be very interesting and useful.

On Friday we had our annual Spelling Bee.  The Gr.3’s can be very proud of themselves.  They had excellent stage presence and showed everyone their great spelling skills.  Congratulations to Sharon Tang!  She is the winner of Spelling Bee 2011 in Gr.3.  Also well done to Ryan Huang for ending second and to Alex Lee for being third.  You are stars!!!

That brings us to Star of the Week!  Because of her first place in the Spelling Bee, Sharon Tang is also our star of the week.  Congratulations, Sharon!  You worked very hard on the spelling bee list.

Students, remember to wear your PE uniform on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Bring an extra shirt with you to school, so you can change after PE class.  Now that the weather is bringing us hot days, it feels comfortable to change into a dry, fresh shirt after PE. 

Have a splendid weekend, everyone.

Enjoy the lovely weather and take care!

IOWA and more...

Dear Parents and Students,

After a week of IOWA tests the mid-semester break has come at the right time for the students.  However, the Gr.3’s stayed positive and motivated during this tough, exhausting week.  They all made me proud!

On Monday and Tuesday, May 16^th and 17^th, there will be no school.  Please enjoy the time with your families and friends.  Enjoy the rest!

Next Friday, May 20^th, is our annual Spelling Bee.  The Gr.3’s will be performing on stage and show their spelling abilities from 10.00am – 10.30am.  Parents, you are welcome to come at 10.00am and watch your child’s performance.  The Spelling Bee will take place in the Auditorium.

Students, start working on your debate.  Next week we will start practicing in groups.

Another date to remember:  We will have a Math Test on Monday, May 23^rd. 

Our Student of the Week is Leo Hsu.  Leo is a student who stays enthusiastic and positive.  He tries his best and is very kind and helpful to others.  Congratulations, Leo!  You are a star!

Enjoy the Mid-Semester break, everyone!

Take care!

IOWA Test Schedule

Monday:  Reading Comprehension Part 1
                   Reading Comprehension Part 2
                   Vocabulary


Tuesday:  Spelling
                    Capitalization
                    Listening
                    Usage and Expression


Wednesday:  Punctuation
                          Math Concepts & Estimation
                          Math Problem Solving & Data Interpretation
                          Math Computation


Thursday:  Social Studies
                      Maps & Diagrams
                      Word Analysis


Friday:  Science
                Reference Materials

Excitement in Week 12

Dear Parents and Students,

What an exciting week!

First of all, thank you for all your energy, enthusiasm and participation on Sports Day.  You all performed very well and we had lots of fun on the sports field.  Congratulations to the Blue Team, who won!

We got our pottery back this week!  All the Grade 3’s can be very proud of their artwork; they made beautiful pottery products!

Curriculum Progress for Week 12:

Math:  The Grade 3’s surprise me every time!  They are doing so well in Chapter 20.  Decimals are a piece of cake for them!  We finished up to lesson 7 this week.

English:  We learned how to organize an opinionated essay and how to write good openings and closings paragraphs.

Reading:  We read fairy tales (in the Reading Textbook) and discussed the elements of fairy tales.

Science:  We started on Unit E and studied about matter, properties and physical and chemical changes.

Social Studies:  We wrote a test on Friday on Chapters 11 and 12.  We are also working on our debates and we are taking it step by step.

All students got their spelling words list which they can start studying to prepare for the Spelling Bee.  I know the Grade 3’s will do well!  The Spelling Bee will take place on May 20^th.  Students, start studying those words!

Next week, from Monday to Friday (May 9^th to 13^th) we will be writing Iowa Tests.  Students, make sure you sleep enough every night and eat a healthy breakfast before school.  Try your best on every test!  Remember our motto:  Be the best you can be!

Our Student of the Week is Alex Lee.  Alex is not only doing very well academically, but also on the sports field and outside of school.  Congratulations Alex!  You are a star!

To all the mothers:  Happy Mothers’ Day!  I hope you will all have a very special day!  Grade 3’s, remember to treat your moms with love and respect!  Not only on Sunday, but every day!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous

Field Trip and Much More

April 2011

Dear Parents,

As the end of the year draws near, I have below listed some important dates.  Please be sure to diarize them.

29 April - Field Trip

We are very excited about and looking forward to our field trip on Friday to the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung.  Here are just a few reminders for Friday:

1.      All children need to wear their blue HIS t-shirt to school.

2.      All students need to report to their classroom in the morning by 8:30.                                                                     (Please be on time)

3.      The departure time is 8:45 - promptly.

4.      A small snack needs to be packed.  (Students, lunch will be prepared for you by the school).

5.      All students need to stay with the class.  If a parent would like to take their child to explore by themselves, the teacher must be informed. 

6.      Students will be told that they can bring electronic games and books to entertain themselves but staff of HIS will not be held responsible should anything happen to them.

6 May - Mother’s Day

Students, take note of this important date!  J

9 – 13 - May IOWA TEST

Some of you might be aware that your child will be writing the Iowa Test from 9 – 13 May.  Here is a definition of the Iowa Test from wikipedia.org:

The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, often known simply as the Iowa Tests, are a standardized test administered by the University of Iowa and used across the United States. It tests K–12 students on various subjects, such as mathematics and the language arts. Each test subject is scored with a percentile score, comparing him or her to the overall national results, and a grade equivalent, indicating the student's progress within a hypothetical 15-year academic curriculum.

A few reminders for Iowa:

1.      Iowa testing will begin on May 9^th and continue all week.

2.      Students must be unpacked and at their desks by 8:30.  Students that arrive late will be sent to the library to wait until the class has finished the section.  Missed sections of Iowa cannot be taken at another time.

3.      Please, make sure that your student has a healthy breakfast to provide them with the energy they will need to give their best effort on Iowa.  Also, make sure your child has a healthy snack. 

4.      The Iowa test can be very tiring for students, so students will receive less homework this week. 

5.      Make sure your child has an early bedtime this week.

14 – 17 - May Mid-term Break

There will be no school from 14 – 17 May, I hope you enjoy the time together with your child

20 May – Spelling Bee

We will be having our Annual Spelling Bee on Friday 20 May.  Details will follow.

1 June – Art and Music Exhibition

We will be having our Art and Music Exhibition on Wednesday, 1 June.  Details will follow.

6 June – Dragon Boat Festival

There will be no school on 6 June.  If you are new to Hsinchu, there will be a celebration at the NanLiao Harbor

22 June – End of Year Class Party

We will be having our class party on 22 June.  Details will follow.

23 June – Last Day of School

Our last day of school is a half day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.    

Thank you for your continued support. 

Kind Regards,

Ms. Crous

crous.his@gmail.com

Happy Easter!

Dear Parents and Students,

Happy Easter!  Time flies so quickly, I can hardly believe it is Easter.

We ended the week on an extremely cheerful note.  We had an Easter Egg Hunt.  How much fun was that!  The Gr.3’s were quick and sufficient in finding their eggs.

Today is also Earth Day and the Gr.3’s are nurturing their seeds, which we planted on Monday.  We are waiting in anticipation to see the first leaf.  It is great to see what good caretakers they are.  I can see green fingers among the Gr.3’s!

We also celebrated Alex Lee’s birthday!  Happy birthday, Alex!  We wish you endless happiness, great health and excellent scores!  He treated us with DELICIOUS pizza.  Thank you, Alex.

Thank you to all the parents who came to school and met with me.  It was wonderful to see you all and have a chance to talk.  Thank you for your time and support. 

May 9^th to 13^th are the dates for the Iowa Tests, please don’t plan any trips during this week.  I want everyone to be focused and write all of the tests.  No homework will be given to the students during Iowa week.

Friday, April 29^th is our field trip day; we are all looking forward to visiting the Science Museum in Taichung.  We will be leaving at 8.45am – sharply. 

Here is a tentative plan for the day:

8.45 ~ Depart from School

10.15 ~ Arrive at Science Museum 

(bathroom visit)

10.20 ~ Walk around the Life Science Center (Try to visit the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Special Exhibition Galleries)

11.50 ~ Make our way to the Imax Theater

12.00 ~ Hubble 3D show in Imax Theater

13.00 ~ Lunch 

13.30 ~ SOS Theater  - watch Global Warming Reflections

14.00 ~ walk around Environmental Center

14.30 ~ Bird's Eye View Theater  (duration is only 12minutes)

14.45 ~ bathroom stop

15.00 ~ depart from Science Museum

16.30 ~ Arrive back at school

Curriculum Progress for Week 10:

Math:  We finished Chapter 18 and had a glance at Chapter 19.  Next week Thursday we will write a test on Chapter 18 and 19.

English:  We started Section 3 ~ Expressing and Influencing.  We are learning how to write to express our opinions.

Writing:  Students got two writing assignments.  One is writing instructions (which is due on Monday, April 25^th), and one is writing a research report (which is due Thursday, April 28^th).

Social Studies:  We are busy with Chapter 11 and Chapter 12.  (The Land Today).  We are learning about governments, elections, national holidays and symbols and much more.

Reading:  We read another story this week, A Wild Ride, which is a nonfiction story.  We also did spelling, phonics and grammar exercises in our Reading Practice Book, Theme 5.

Our student of the week is Teressa Lee.  With her excellent manners, positive attitude and hard work she is definitely a star!!!  Congratulations, Teressa! 

Have a super nice weekend and enjoy the lovely weather!

Happy Easter!!!

Dear Parents and Students,


Welcome back after Spring Break. I believe that everyone had a wonderful time taking a break from the busy school schedule. I am very glad that everyone is back safely.


What a successful and fun week back! The Gr.3’s are working hard, but we are enjoying school! We had a great time making pottery objects, decorating it and being creative. We are looking forward to receiving our end products.

This coming week there are Parent/Teacher Evenings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Parents all received confirmation on their required appointments. I am looking forward to meeting with you all.


Next Friday, April 22nd, we will have our Easter Egg Hunt here at school. This is something very exciting to look forward to, Easter is a very special time of the year. Also on April 22nd it is Earth Day. The Gr.3’s wanted to “advertise” this important date on the calendar and help focus everyone’s attention on saving the Earth. They made posters that are on display in our school!


On Monday, April 18th, we will write a Math test. Study hard, Gr.3’s! Keep up the good scores!


Curriculum progress for Week 9:


Math: We started a new unit. We learning and working with fractions.
Social Studies: We finished Chapter 10 this week.
Reading: We read a new story, The Island Below-the-Stars. Students, you can tell your parents about the story.
Science: We reviewed renewable and nonrenewable resources. The Gr.3’s are also working on a new project, in cooperation with Mr. Harris and computer lessons. The Gr.3’s have to research renewable and nonrenewable energy. They then, in their groups, have to work on questions and study the information – in order to participate in a debate. This will then include an oral presentation.
English: We finished Unit 10, Writing a Research Report. (In Week 10, students will get a short assignment on writing a research report.) They are also practicing their skills in computer class, as mentioned above.


Our student of the week is Shawn Kao. Shawn is always participating enthusiastically and trying his best in class. He is also polite and helpful towards his classmates and teachers. Congratulations, Shawn! You are a star!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!