Already December... Hello Families! December 04, 2008 Francis Kofi African Drumming Fundraiser Performance for HPE     Mr. Francis Kofi will perform at Highland Park Junior High Auditorium on Thursday, January 29th  at 7pm. Mr. Kofi is a drummer and dance instructor from Ghana. He has fourteen years of experience teaching traditional African drumming, dance, and song to children in the United States and abroad.     All of the proceeds will be used to purchase authentic African drums to support music and dance instruction at Highland Park Elementary and to enrich our international curriculum focus.     Spread the word and bring your friends and family to enjoy a wonderful evening of drumming and African dance.     Reserved tickets  are available in the office at Highland Park Elementary or you can buy tickets at the door. (Suggested donation - $5.00 per ticket - more if you can, less if you can't). Thank You!!     We would like to thank everyone for attending conferences this fall. It was nice to see you and we feel the conferences were very smooth! It was our first time having student led conferences and we are looking for feedback. Please reflect upon your visit with us, and let us know if you have any suggestions for the spring.     Some questions to ask yourself about conferences: 1. Did you feel you understood how your student was progressing? 2. Was the arrangement conducive to the conference? 3. Did you feel there was enough student work shown? 4. Did you like the ringing of the bells to keep conferences on time? 5. Is there anything you would like to see and the next conference?     You can either write the answers to these questions in your learners’ planner or send the appropriate teacher an email! An Action Step     Tess Albert-Stauning, a kindergartener in Mrs. Lilja’s class, brought in an article from National Geographic for Kids for Tuesday Newsday about mosquitos spreading malaria. They found out that the disease kills 3,000 children per day, mostly in Africa!     After reading the article, the students wanted to help save lives, so they decided to collect money to help buy treated mosquito nets to put over beds. They will send all money collected to Be a Star, save a life/NGK Malaria No More.     The kindergarteners were so moved to action, that they have asked other classes to get involved! So, to help our friends in Mrs. Lilja’s class, we are also asking for donations to help the kids in Africa. Each mosquito net costs $10 but you can donate any amount!     If you would like to read the article or if you would like more information, please go to … www.MalariaNoMore.org/BeAStar Math: Multiplication and Division     We have finished the third unit in the Everyday Math Curriculum on measurement. The students are now learning about multiplication and division.     They are expected to know the following skills by the end of this unit: 1. Know 0,1,2,5, and 10 multiplication facts with automaticity. 2. Write the number that is 100 and 1000 more or less. 3. Use the Commutative Property of Multiplication and the Multiplicative Identity Property. (Turn around rules: 3 x 5= 15 and 5 x 3 = 15) 4. Find areas of rectangles. 5. Estimate and use a rule/strategy to solve multiplication problems. 6. Create, identify and extend numerical patterns using addition and subtraction. 7. Solve a multiplication number story using arrays, mental math, paper and pencil algorithms, or calculators. Use a number sentence to record your solution.     Don’t forget to play math games at home to promote mastery of skills! Games like Addition Top-It, Name that Number, and Multiplication Top-It can be played with a regular deck of cards while Multiplication Baseball can be played with a couple of dice! Nutritional Snacks     We are thrilled when the students bring in snacks, either for snack time or for a birthday or special treat. Saint Paul Public Schools has a wellness policy that HPE would like to adhere to. We are asking that if your learner brings in a snack, it should be a healthy snack such as fruits, vegetables,  crackers or cheese.     If your learner would like to bring in cupcakes for their birthday, we ask that the cupcakes are small. Sugars are good in moderation! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us! Sincerely, Mrs. Teresa Vogelgesang and Ms. Diane Zanter 3rd Grade Teachers Important Dates! September 24th Early Release Day September 26th Fall Picture Day MATH Night October 6th Site Council 4:45pm PTA Mtg. 6:00pm October 16th & 17th NO SCHOOL! State Teacher Meetings October 23rd Halloween Carnival October 24th NO SCHOOL! Conference Prep October 27th Picture Retakes October 29th Early Release Day