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!

International Day 2011 - KENYA