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Wrapping up 2025 in Room 8

What a week for third graders...with more to come next week!
We've continued to learn about Nevada County's Golden history, including the legend of the tommyknocker, taught primarily by our own special visitor "Tommy!" Next week's lessons will include hardrock mining (you'll hear about "Cousin Jack") and the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad. This will all culminate with our Cornish pasty lunch on Friday. Thank you for all the sign-ups that will make this possible. We have everything accounted for to make the pasties, but still need to have them baked! If you'll be here to help kids make their pasties from 8:15-9:30 and can then take pasties home to bake, we'd sure appreciate it (and if you can do dishes while they bake...an added bonus!).
Speaking of donations - the cider and cookies were a hit today, and such a special way to celebrate our writing - today the kids wrote the final copy of their introduction! Three paragraphs to recopy next week, and we will be able to practice reading the speeches before the kids bring them home to present to the family - you are in for a special experience!
We started the day today with our Kindergarten Buddies and ended it with Mrs. Paz (PRSD School Board President) as our Mystery Reader.
Enjoy your weekend!
I know it's busy, but thank you for prioritizing our canned food drive as you shop. In these first weeks we have collected 135 cans! If you're shopping this weekend, please consider including items for the less fortunate in our community. Can we double it? Hit 300? THANK YOU!

Winter Wishes is Coming!

PTC Needs YOUR Help! To make this year’s event magical for our students, we need all volunteer spots filled. Whether you can help with setup, cleanup, work a shift, or donate sweet treats—your support makes a huge difference. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084EABAD29A2FE3-60775996-winter

 

Gingerbread House Competition

Show off your family’s creativity in our festive Gingerbread House Competition! Enter your gingerbread masterpiece for a chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place prizes. Complete the entry form below—rules and details are included. Entry forms are due by Monday, December 8: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFqZlw1PPCDxY9EDIpZeCpekgMEZbSmrlsCLOhppc1bdIYdg/viewform

 

Mistletoe Mall (During Winter Wishes!)

A fun, affordable way for families to pick out special gifts for the important people—and pets—in their lives!

How It Works:

  • Kids and parents are welcome to shop
  • All gifts are brand NEW and start at just $0.25 (most items range from $1–$6)
  • Free gift-wrap station available
  • Gifts for Mom, Dad, siblings, grandparents, friends, and pets
  • Located in the ELO-P play lab (next to the big playground on the blacktop)
  • Cash & cards accepted

This special tradition depends on VOLUNTEERS—thank you in advance for helping make it possible!

 

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!

Santa arrives at 5:50 PM and you’re welcome to take photos with him from 6–8 PM in the MPR

 

Holiday Caroling

Join us for festive caroling in the MPR at:
5:15 PM | 6:15 PM | 7:15 PM
Songbooks will be provided to follow along, color, and take home!

 

Warm Wishes,

AS PTC Board 

 

Math Games

Families,
Your children practiced their math facts today in an enjoyable way. In groups of three, they played one of our Jump card games. I was asked by a student where they came from - how great to see the desire to have a home copy of these games, and the fluency with math facts that will come with their use! If you're interested, I've added an Amazon link to these games on the wish list in the sidebar of this site if you'd like to purchase a set for your home (or the classroom - if so, thank you!).
Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Veterans and those who currently serve our country from our community and your families.

Halloween Fun at Alta Sierra

Sign-up Slots still available:
It sounds like many families had memorable fall breaks! Your children used their experiences to complete an SPO (this is the graphic organizer we talked about at conferences - a Single Paragraph Outline).
Halloween excitement has certainly returned with our students! We will start the day on Friday with the annual Halloween Parade (8:15 or so - please join us and take pictures!). We'll have festive learning activities throughout the day in Room 8. If you're available to stay for the first one after the parade, the more hands available to help students, the better! It will also be the time when students are asked to remove costumes - if you're here for the parade, perhaps you can bring the costume home to keep it safe for Trunk-or-Treat or other evening fun.
Whether you are able to join us in the morning or not, we do have some items on a sign-up that would help us out - thank you for your generosity.
 

Thursday Envelope & Conferences

The Thursday envelopes are filled (thank you, Mrs. Richardson), but in our busy minimum day schedule, did not get distributed. I will plan to hold onto them, rather than send them home on a Friday before a break! As we said at our conferences, they would have been fairly light this week, since most of the materials were sent home with you after we met. On that note - thank you for being here to meet about your child's progress and plan for success.
Enjoy your Fall Break - it sounds like many families have exciting plans.

Common Sense parent communication
The home connection piece from today's Digital Citizenship lesson - thank you for the conversations you have with your children as we work together to prepare them to be great citizens - including digitally.
jat flyer
Parent Volunteers - please let me know if you will be available as one of our official "lap markers." All others are welcome to join us on the field to cheer on our third graders.
From our Jog-a-Thon Committee:
PTC is asking you to inform your lap markers:
1. Assign 5 or so students to each parent
2. Mark only your assigned students
3. Be aware that some little kids will stop at all teachers because they just don't get the process.
4. Ask parents to stay to collect all of the lap cards and help in the MPR to count laps.

Room 8 Sign-Ups

Room 8 Families,
If you haven't already done so, I invite you to sign your child up for his or her "Golden Eagle" week in Room 8. Next week is still available, or you might want to plan ahead for a birthday week or when you know you'll have a little extra time to put together a small poster. The sign-up is in the sidebar of our website. While you're there, please consider signing up to be a Mystery Reader, and for a time that will work best to meet to discuss your child's progress and plan for success at parent-teacher conferences next month.
Be sure to ask your child today how the first day of our school's "Stop, Think, Choose" challenge went. Have a great week.

Reminders: Toys & cards

Hello Families,
We're off to a great start this week in Room 8. All classes took time today to review playground and line-up expectations, now that we've gotten into routines these first weeks of school. Please be sure to review the contents of your child's backpack and remind the kids about what items are suitable for school and what should be left home (we've had enough toys and Pokemon cards at school that a reminder is warranted for students across grade levels).
Next week, we'll have a school wide focus/contest: Stop, Think, Choose. Mr. Bivens presented the ideas, a video starring Alta Sierra students, and song at our Friday assembly. This might be good vocabulary to talk about at home and even utilize - the consistency will no doubt benefit students. Thank you for all you do.

Classroom Community

Families, it was impressive to see, on day 9 of third grade, the way your children supported and encouraged one another when lightning and a nearby fire brought about big feelings. The kids handled themselves incredibly well, and it was great to be able to deliver reassuring updates from the office of the amazing and efficient work of our fire and emergency workers. I know that may include some of you and your neighbors - thank you to all who worked to keep our school and community safe today.
I look forward to seeing you Thursday evening for Back to School night.

Welcome to Room 8!

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year. I look forward to a great first week of school as we embark on a positive year of learning and growth. I will continue to add to this webpage - please be sure to subscribe so that you will be notified each time I make a post or changes to a page. I look forward to meeting you and partnering as an educational team for your child.

pennants on classroom wall
Pennant Request!
It's never too early to instill aspirations of higher education. I have found that when students share a pennant from the college or university attended by a parent or family member, important conversations are started in the classroom, from "I want to go to ____ for college" to "Did you see that college basketball game?" Even the latter lets us talk about the fact that UCLA is a school, and that some of the students represent that school as part of the basketball team. Please consider donating a pennant from a college or university attended by parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles... We have a good collection started on the walls of Room 8. To avoid spending money on a duplicate, feel free to check with me before you purchase - we can still have your child point out the pennant and share who went there, what they studied, what they do now, etc. Thank you!