Weekly Update for January 3rd-5th, 2018

Dear Parents and Families,

I wanted to take this time to wish you all a very Happy Holidays! May this holiday season bring you precious memories with friends and loved ones as well as an opportunity to find rest from the busy school schedule. I am looking forward to the new year and the growth that it will bring with the students. Thank you all for entrusting me with their education. I thoroughly enjoy working with each and every student. 

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

                              Pictures from our Diamond Del Field Experience

Weekly Update for December 11th-15th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy Rainy, dreary Friday!  I know both the students, myself and you all included are in the final count down until Winter Break. Next week will be a week filled with fun and learning that includes our second field study with Diamond Del. Diamond Del will be visiting us on Wednesday and the students are encouraged to bring extra money to purchase items in Del's small gem store following our field study. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at LCEU!

Sincerely
Mrs. Dina Knight

Weekly Update for December 4th-8th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
Happy Friday!  This Friday was a short one but our class buckled down and got down to work! Starting on Monday, LCEU will begin their first service learning project. Our school will be collecting nonperishable items for a canned food drive with whom we have partnered with Spring Valley High School. Each day next week with have a theme in which students are encouraged to dress up and bring in a canned good. Instilling in our students the need to take care of other people outside of our learning community is so very important.  Thank you all so much for your generosity in advance. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week next week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

Marvel Monday!-Wear a  Superhero t-shirt!

Top Hat Tuesday!-Wear your favorite hat!

Wacky Tacky Wednesday!-Dress tacky!

Throwback Thursday!-Dress from any decade

Favorite Team/Player Friday!-Wear your favorite team or player’s jersey/shirt.

Weekly Update for November 27th-December 1st, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

                                     

                                     

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoying special times with friends and family. Safe travels to all who are traveling. I truly am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of your student's  educational journey.  I have 22 extra reasons to be thankful this time of year!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

Weekly Update for November 21st-22nd, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
This week has been an exciting week and one that I will not forget. On Wednesday, both the class and I received the announcement that I was voted Teacher of the Year for our campus. It felt incredible to recognized by my peers but it felt even more incredible to hear and see how proud the students in my class were. We celebrated and enjoyed every bit of the moment. Thank you so very much for sharing your children with me, I love what I do and cherish the time I spend in the classroom with your student.   I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to a short but productive week next week here at LCEU!

Sincerely
Mrs. Dina Knight

Weekly Update for November 13th-17th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Our week went well in C115. We ended our week with 2 big events, one being the visit from Fossil Frank and the other being our Veteran's Day Celebration. Our visit from Fossil Frank really intrigued the student's thinking about how life was so very different during the time that Frank's fossils were discovered. This field study provided a great parallel discussion to our science focus on habitats and also social studies as well with the various land regions in South Carolina and what fossils might be found in those regions depending on their location. So many connections to learning!

Fossil Frank was followed by our Veteran's Day celebration which honored the brave men and women who protect and serve our great nation. The students loved the Hero's parade which gave them an opportunity to show their thanks and appreciation as the Veterans and their families paraded through the grade level halls. What an amazing way to wrap up our week!

I will end this week's Blog Post with a very sincere Thank-You to all the Veterans and their families who sacrifice so much for our country. Without such brave men and women, our country would not enjoy the blanket of freedom that has been afforded to us by our amazing military. May you all enjoy the weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Dina Knight

A reminder that you are invited to attend our annual Parent University event held on Monday, November 13th from 5:30- 7:00 p.m. Here are some comments from last year's event: 

• The entire session was helpful!  The resource sheet provided will be helpful to use at home. I would attend future sessions- Extremely informative. 
• I want to go to them all- Thank You!
• Helpful hints on the websites
• Awesome- Please do more of these! 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Weekly Update for November 6th-10th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy Friday!  I wanted to let each of you know that communication folders are going home today and your student's report card will be located inside them. If your student made the Honor Roll, Third grade Honor Roll recognition will be on Wednesday, November 8th at 8:10 Upstairs in our Media Center.  With the first quarter behind us, the students and I plan to work hard in the second quarter and plan to not just make our goals but pass them!  Thank you all for all your support from home, I truly could not do what I do without your incredible support. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

Congratulations to Lucas for being the 1st Student in my class to get their Reading Counts t-shirt!  Way to go Lucas!

Weekly Update for Oct. 30th-Nov. 3rd, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

The students and I worked diligently to close our units of study to finalize grades for reports cards that are coming home next week on Friday, Nov. 3rd. It's hard to believe the 1st quarter of the school year is behind us, and I am eager to see the growth your student will experience during the 2nd quarter. During our morning meeting, the students and I discussed the importance of taking our school work seriously and I am so thankful that you as parents take this serious as well and provide your up most support at home. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

Weekly Update for October 23rd-27th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

I am sending out the blog a bit early due to Friday being a school holiday. While this was a short week, classroom C115 was very productive! The students and I began a  new unit of study in math with our focus being measuring capacity with milliliters and liters. Next week we will end our units on Temperate Forest and Native Americans with an end of unit assessment for each. Our science assessment on Forests will be Friday and our social studies assessment on Native Americans will be Thursday. Students will be encouraged nightly to study for each by bringing home text books along with their interactive notebooks. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I hope you all enjoy your long weekend and I look forward to a great week next week!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight 

Update for October 16th-20th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy Friday!  I have several announcements for the week to keep us all on the same page and ensure your student success. My first announcement is that communication folders are coming home today in book bags. In the folder, there are weekly grades along with fall pictures and our Veteran's Day Celebration RSVP. Our Veteran's Day Celebration will be held Friday, November 10th, 2017. Our celebration will include a breakfast that will begin at 7:30 and end with a hero parade at 8:45. If someone in your family is active duty military or a veteran, please encourage him/her to join us for our celebration. Students of the family member are encouraged to have breakfast and walk in the parade as well. The parade will be held inside and will cover 3rd, 4th and 5th grade halls. Only veterans, active duty military and students who belong to those individuals will be walking in the parade. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. My next announcement is concerning parent conferences. If you do not see a time on our sign up website that fits your schedule, please contact me and I will arrange something that works. I am very flexible and will accommodate any scheduling conflicts. I have bombarded you all with a tremendous amount of information, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight 

October 9th-13th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy Friday! Starting on Friday, I will begin conducting parent conferences before and after school. I used the website signup.com and sent out the link on Wednesday. If you do not see a time that is convenient for your schedule, please let me know and I will work with you to find a time that does work. I can even conference over the phone if needed. I am looking forward to meeting with you all!


Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

October 2nd-6th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Who knew there could be so much excitement about writing? Below are pictures from our class celebration to kick off our writing workshop. I have been so amazed at the talent that the students have displayed with writing their personal narrative. I expect the year to bring tremendous growth and I am excited to witness their journey. We had a very productive week in the classroom and I am looking forward to another one next week. I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight

September 25th-29th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
What a great week we had in C115! The students are working very diligently and are getting use to third grade expectations. The next week will bring their first official test in Science. The assessment will cover the Grasslands Habitat and that will take place on Friday. Please encourage your student daily to bring home their science interactive notebook so that he/she can begin to prepare to ensure success. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another exciting week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Dina Knight 

Weekly Updates for September 18th-22nd, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Our class had a very productive week considering our unexpected absence due to Hurricane Irma. Thankfully our state was spared for the most part, allowing students and myself to only miss 1 day of instruction. The highlight of our week came on Wednesday when 3rd graders participated in Sensitivity Training with our Guidance Counselor, Jessica Skinner. This is an event that aims at making students of LCEU more aware of students with disabilities or learning challenges. As you can imagine, the students of room C115 have developed a new respect for students who face such challenges  when they found themselves in numerous simulations of varying disabilities. Below are a few pictures captured in the event. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at LCEU!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for September 11th-15th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

I know that we all have been anxiously awaiting information concerning the path of the enormous hurricane Irma expected to make landfall sometime over the weekend. If school is cancelled at the beginning of next week, there will be an email and Edconnect phone call made to make you aware of the scheduling changes. I have added this week's curriculum, homework and tests for the upcoming week but please understand this will change according to the plans Miss Irma has in store for all of us. Please stay safe and dry over the weekend.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for Sept. 4th-8th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
Happy Friday! It's been a great day here in classroom C115. Our day started with an author visit from Preston Moore and Langston Thorne who are authors of the story Just a Chicken.  The two authors used their story to highlight ways the 7 Habits of Happy Kids was demonstrated by the story character Cocky. The students loved it!  Looking ahead to next week, I have decided to postpone the geography quiz until next Tuesday. After reviewing today, I wanted to give the students a bit more time. On another note, our students will take the district MAP assessment on Thursday. ELA will be taken on Thursday and next Thursday math will be given. And my last announcement is about rewards for our current school fundraiser. Students have been raising funds all week with our Read Books to Earn Bucks fundraiser and have earned wearing a hat on Tuesday along with wearing PJs on Friday. A read in will also take place on Friday. Students may bring in a blanket, stuffed animal and their favorite book to enjoy as a special treat for Reading to Earn Bucks. That is all I have for this week, I hope you all enjoy the long weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for May 15th-19th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Next Monday will begin our state standardized testing. SC Ready is our state assessment and our class will take the ELA portion on Monday and Tuesday and the Math portion on Thursday. A few tips to ensure your student is prepared for success include getting a good night's rest the night before testing, eating a healthy breakfast on the mornings of testing, and ensuring your student arrives at school in enough time to not feel rushed or anxious. The class has worked tremendously hard all year, and I am certain each student will utilize the testing as an opportunity to show what they know, and shine! I look forward to another great week at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Lemonade Testing

To end our unit on the Lemonade War Novel Study, we had a little taste test to see if students preferred pink or regular lemonade. After we tallied the results, we then created a bar graph to show our results. Here are a few pictures from our test testing!

Weekly Update for May 8th-12th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

We are on the count down to ending this school year, there are only 4 left! The students finished up both our novel study and unit on heat this week and we will be finishing up our unit on Reconstruction in social studies next week. Parents please help me remind your student that I need their full attention and focus so that we can finish up the year strong. Your support has been unwavering this year and I am so appreciative of everything you do to help us be successful in the classroom. I have no announcements as of now, but will keep you updated as I do. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Field Trip Pictures

Weekly Update for May 1st-May 5th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

I hope your weekend and this Monday finds you rested and well. The class and I had a wonderful experience at the State Museum on our field trip on Friday. Once I download the pictures I will post them to the blog. Looking at the calendar, only 5 more weeks of school, and I am certain those weeks are going to fly by!  I plan on beginning our classroom review for the upcoming state standardized assessment SC Ready. The dates for our assessment is May 15, 16, and the 18th. I just wanted to pass those dates along to minimize absences so students are present and able to take the assessment. That is all I have for now. I hope you all have a smooth and easy Monday!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for April 24th-28th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

We ended our week with a fun experience with our annual Gator Games. This is our field day in which the students enjoy a little friendly competition with their peers along with water slides and even Popsicles! Green communication folders are coming home today and in them is your student's spring pictures. If you wish to purchase some of them or the whole package please send the envelope along with payment back in the folder and any unwanted photos. If you do not wish to purchase any, please send the package back with your student. Last but not least, our 3rd grade field trip is next Friday, the 28th. We are headed to the State Museum. If your student has decided to bring a lunch from home, please send the lunch in a sack that can be disposed of, this will help with students not loosing their lunch boxes.  That is all that I have for this week and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for April 17th-21st, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Finally, the week we have all been waiting for, Spring Break is here! I sincerely hope you all relish the week ahead and enjoy not having the tedious schedule that comes along with having a student in school. Coming home today in the Friday Communication folders are grades for the week along with your student's honor roll certificate as well as your student's Spring MAP scores. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Have a restful week!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for April 3rd-7th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
  Spring Fever has officially room C115! The beautiful weather this week has us all longing for Spring Break to arrive. While Spring Break will officially begin next Friday at 11:30 with a half-day dismissal, the students and I made a pact to work hard next week and end on a productive note. I wanted to let you know that report cards go home today in the communication folders. The report card is yours to keep but please sign the pocket and return to school back in the communication folder. I hope you all plan to join us tonight at Gator Fest. I will be working an inflatable from 7 to 8, so if you're there at that time please find me to say Hello!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for March 27th-31st, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy Friday!  We officially finished MAP testing this week, and I will be soon sending home your student's progress in the communication folders. The class grew tremendously as a whole and I am so proud of their hard work and accomplishments. Looking ahead to next week, I want to remind everyone of Gatorfest on Friday, March 31st starting at 5 p.m. at the lower campus. This event is our spring carnival which includes fun games and inflatables along with yummy treats. I will be attending the event and I hope to see you all there. Students will need to purchase armbands to participate in the fun which can be purchased through our wonderful PTO, adult admission is free. There will be several raffles happening through out the night! Check out this video for more information https://safeshare.tv/x/QMBe4vEm4oU I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Picture Day is Friday, March 24th!

Don't Forget Picture Day on Friday, March 24th.
Package information went home in Communication folders on Tuesday.

Weekly Update for March 20th-24th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

I hope you all are staying warm and this email finds you all well. Tuesday, our class completed the reading section of the MAP assessment. I have to take a moment to brag on them, the whole class worked so very hard and I will be sharing the scores with you once we have completed the math portion next Tuesday. Below are a few pictures from our science unit on Matter. The students enjoyed demonstrating the properties of a solid, liquid, and gas.  Have a great weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for March 13th-15th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful week.  As I was planning this week, I noticed that not including Memorial Day, there are only 10 more Mondays until Summer Break. I know this time will most certainly fly by, but the students and I plan to use every moment as an opportunity to expand and grow. Next Tuesday will be our first occasion to distinguish just how much the students have learned, thus far. We will take the reading portion of the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) assessment on Tuesday. The following Tuesday the students will take the math portion. When all students have completed testing, I will send home the results in the Friday, communication folders. I am excited to see just how much your student has grown, as I am sure you are as well. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for February 27th-March 3rd, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

I hope this post finds you all well. We've had a few absences this week due to viruses and I have been adamant with the students to wash their hands frequently and I even placed hand sanitizer bottles at each learning club. Fingers crossed this helps!  I hope you all have a restful and germ free weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update February 20th-24th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

We had a great week here in room C115. The highlight of our week was collaborating with Round Top Elementary on World Read Aloud Day. Mrs. Sander's class and our class read together the story The Day The Crayons Went Home on a Google Hangout. Technology allowed us to read together as well as participate in a story quilt activity afterwards. After talking with the students, they enjoyed it so much that both classes have decided to collaborate more often. The pictures below are of our Hangout.  That is all that I have for the week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for February 13th-17th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

I wanted to let you all know that I am out of the classroom Friday, February 10th. I left the students in good hands and I am certain they had a great day. In my absence  I left a treat that I am certain they will enjoy. Looking ahead to next week, The Book Fair will be at our school all week. Our class time to go is Monday at 8:30 but the students can bring money all week to purchase books. Class valentine exchange will happen on Tuesday for students who want to bring them in. Also on Friday, February 17th our school will dismiss early at 11:30. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for February 6th-10th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
What a week! We have been working so hard in room C115. The students are making tremendous progress on their autobiographical writing, we have some very creative students in here! Aside from writing the students have also been hard at work in math, science and social studies. We are right on track for the year. Looking ahead, I wanted to let you all know that our class is going to exchange Valentines on Tuesday, February 14th. I will send out a class list electronically. I don't plan to have a party but will give the students an opportunity to exchange their Valentines. That is all the announcements I have for this week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Dina Knight

Weekly Update for January 30th-February 3rd, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
Happy Friday! We had a great week in the classroom, the pet rock projects that came in were so very creative and they added some fun and humor to our week. We began a new writing unit this week in which we will focus on writing an autobiography. Each student constructed a time line of events in their life and today will come home with interview questions that will need your assistance. The questions will help the student and myself with dates on your students time line such as birth, the event your student chose to write about and also a picture when he/she started third grade and one from their birth. Please know I will keep each student's photos that are sent to school in a safe place and they will be used when students share their writing piece. Thank you so much for your continued support from home, your support is a huge part of our success. One other announcement, communication folders will go home today.  If  you have a daughter and she is planning on attending the father/daughter dance tonight, the picture form will be in the communication folder.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for January 23rd-27th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,
Happy Friday! This 4 day week was fast and furious but we in the classroom made the most out if it. Today in the green communication folders will be your child's report card. The students have worked so very hard this past quarter and I am very, very proud of all their progress and hard work. I sincerely thank you all for  your support from home in helping me to prepare your student for a successful future. I think we make a great team!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to another great week here at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Knight

Weekly Update for January 16th-20th, 2017

Dear Parents and Families,

We had a wonderful week in the classroom. Our week started with the welcome of a University of South Carolina Student Teacher,  Brianna Lockaby. Ms. Lockaby will be student teaching in our classroom until April. The students are warming up to her nicely and I am super excited to have an extra set of hands to help! Aside from meeting our new student teacher, another high light from the week was our field study with Fossil Frank. Fossil Frank introduced us to his extensive fossil collection while also giving students the opportunity to dig for their very own fossils. Looking ahead to next week, Monday is a school holiday in observance of  the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr holiday. I hope you all enjoy your extended weekend and I look forward to another great week at Lake Carolina Elementary Upper Campus!

Sincerely,
Mrs.Knight