10/23/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10/23/25

Math

The class has been introduced to the factors of 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 when practicing the multiplication facts. Students have now been taught the factors from zero through ten. We will continue to practice multiplication at school, but learning each of the factors is also the responsibility of the students at this point.

Science

The next topic that the third grade class will study is motion.

Reading/Language Arts

During Module 3, students will learn about important U.S. documents and symbols. The stories in this module will be nonfiction.

The story the class is reading this week is called The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl. Told by James Madison, the fourth president, the students learn why the U.S. Constitution was developed, who wrote it, and when it was written. The story also breaks down the three main parts of the Constitution: the preamble, the articles, and the amendments. The comprehension skills focused on during the story have included summarizing, central idea, text structure, and text/graphic features. Students have also been identifying the tense (present, past, and future) of verbs. The decoding skill focused the the three letter blends of str-, scr-, spl-, spr-, and squ-. The vocabulary skill covered the prefix of dis- and the suffixes of -y and -less. Testing will not take place until next week due to the amount of information in the story and the skills to cover. On Friday, a copy of the story The U.S. Constitution will be coming with each student. Please have your child read this story to an adult over the weekend.

The results of the Module 2 testing have been included in the take home folder.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for next week. I look forward to talking to parents about their child's progress in third grade. During each child's conference, I will be discussing academics and behaviors. There is a note in your child's take-home folder if you would like to discuss anything additional. Please complete and return it to school with your child before your scheduled conference next week.

Halloween

Halloween will be celebrated at school on Wednesday, October 29th. Students do NOT have to dress up for Mass next week. Costumes should be brought to school. Time will be given before the parade to change. No weapons are allowed to be brought to school. There is NO early out on this Wednesday. The parade begins at 2:15 PM. Parents may take their child when the parade is done, but must come to the third grade classroom before the child is released to leave the building.

Reading Incentive Program

October calendars are due back to school on Monday, November 3rd. I will be tracking the minutes read throughout the entire six months for all students, so please return the October calendar to school. November calendars will be sent home with parents at conferences.

Dress Code

As of November 1st, shorts are no longer allowed to be worn. Shorts cannot be worn again until March.

A reminder for girls who wear leggings to school, that the bottom of the dress, skirt, or shirt must extend to at least the mid-thigh. If the sweatshirt plans on coming off during the day for PE or any other reason, then the shirt being worn underneath it must also follow this same rule. This applies to any type of leggings being worn. Dress code violation slips will be sent home for repeat offenders. The consequences for violating the dress code are on the school's website.

Important Dates

Wednesday, October 29th-Picture Retakes 8 AM

Wednesday, October 29th-Halloween Parade 2:15 PM

Thursday, October 30th-NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, November 5th-1 Hour Early Out

Friday, November 7th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 31st-NO SCHOOL

10/16/25

Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10/16/25 

Reading/Language Arts

The comprehension skills covered in Dear Dragon include visualizing, analyzing characters, and point of view. We also looked at elements of poetry. The grammar skill focused on action verbs and the being verbs (am, is, are, was, and were). Students reviewed long and short vowel words as the decoding skill. As the vocabulary skill, students worked on the suffixes of -y and -ly.

The students have also been working on a writing project entitled "The Best Part of Me." Parents will get to read their child's work at conferences.

Science

In addition to learning about electricity, students also learned about static electricity and electromagnets.

Math

The third grade class has been introduced to the Distributive Property when multiplying. This property states that a multiplication fact can be broken apart into the sum of two other multiplication facts. An example of this includes

7X8 = (5X8) + (2X8), so 7X8= 40+16, then 7X8=56.

Topic 3 in our math books covers the remaining factors of 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences are scheduled for the week of October 27th. Please sign up for one conference time slot that works best for your family's schedule. Mrs. Levine sent out a link at the beginning of the week. Conferences are scheduled for Monday, October 27, and Tuesday, October 28th, from 3:40 PM to 7:00 PM. The last time I checked, the only time slot left on Monday is from 6:40-7:00. On Wednesday, October 29, conferences are from 3:40 PM-5:00 PM. Conferences are in the morning on Thursday, October 30, running from 8:00 AM-11:00 AM. There is NO school on Thursday, October 30th, or Friday, October 31st. I look forward to discussing your child's progress in school with parents during conferences.

Halloween Activities

Due to Halloween falling on a day when there is no school, St. Malachy will be celebrating it on Wednesday, October 29th. The middle school will have activities for the students to participate in during the afternoon. The parade will take place at 2:15 PM (no early out) in the gym. No weapons are allowed with costumes. Parents are allowed to take their child after the parade. I will need parents to come to the third grade classroom to pick up their child.

Important Dates

Friday, October 17th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, October 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, October 29th-Picture Retakes 8AM

Wednesday, October 29th-Halloween Parade 2:15 PM

Thursday, October 30th-NO SCHOOL

Friday, October 31st-NO SCHOOL

10/9/25

Burg's Buzz
10/9/25
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org 

Science

The class is learning about electricity. Students have learned how electricity reaches their homes. We have also discussed alternative ways to generate electricity without the burning of coal, such as solar and wind energy.

Reading/Language Arts

Today the class started reading the fantasy story entitled Dear Dragon by Josh Funk. This delightful tale follows George and Blaise, two pen pals who discover that their seemingly ordinary correspondence holds a magical twist. As they exchange letters, sharing their lives and dreams, they find common ground, learn to appreciate their differences,  and embark on a journey that brings their two worlds closer together.

There will be more information about the skills covered in this story next week.

Math

The Topc 2 math test, covering the multiplication factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10, will be administered on Friday, October 10th.

Mass

The 3rd grade class will lead the mass on Wednesday, October 15th. Your child's mass part has been included in the take home folder. If your child has a speaking part, please practice with him/her at home. We will practice the parts at school, but any additional help at home will be greatly beneficial. In third grade, a teacher no longer goes up to the podium with the children. 

There will also be a noisy change collection during this mass. Monetary contributions will help support faculty and staff experiencing health challenges.

Smart Watches

Along with not being able to have cell phones during the school day, students are not allowed to have smart watches or other communication devices. They can keep them in their bookbags to have access to them before arriving and after leaving the school grounds.

School Picture Retakes

Picture retakes at St. Malachy School are scheduled for Wednesday, October 29th. They are scheduled to start at 8 AM.

Important Dates

Wednesday, October 15th-3rd Leads Mass

Wednesday, October 15th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, October 17th-Spirit Day $1

 Monday, October 20th-Flu Shots Clinic (For Those Signed Up)

Wednesday, October 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

10/2/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10/2/25

Science

The third grade class has been learning about magnetic force. Students have had the opportunity to experiment with magnets.

Math

The third grade students continue to work on multiplication using the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. The class has started playing games. Students also took their first timed tests covering the factors of one and two.

I am sure there have been parents wondering why the factor of 9 has been included with these factors, since counting by nine isn't easy. I am including two videos that show two different strategies students can use when multiplying by 9. Finger Trick for Multiplying by 9s and Product Adds Up to 9.

Reading/Language Arts

The story the class is reading is entitled The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera. In this memoir, the students learn how Juan felt as he went to school for the first time at the age of eight, not knowing the English language.  Students continued to work on understanding figurative language and identifying text and graphic features throughout the text as the comprehension skills. The phonics skills focused on words with with long i sound in their spelling. The vocabulary strategy covered the prefix of dis-. Students identified singular and plural nouns as the grammar skill. This story will continue into next week.

FAST Testing

The results of the reading FAST testing have been included in the take home folder. Interventions are determined by the CBMReading (WPM) and Accuracy.

Reading Incentive Program

During October through March, the third grade students have the opportunity to participate in a reading incentive program. A note containing all of the details has been included in the take home folder. Also included in the folder is an October calendar to record the number of minutes read each day.

Important Dates

Friday, October 3rd-Spirit Day $1

Monday, October 6th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

Tuesday, October 7th-Mrs. Burg Away from School

Wednesday, October 8th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

9/25/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
9/25/25

Math

Topic 2 will focus on the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. This week, students practiced solving problems using the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, and 9. Any additional practice that can be provided at home using the factors practiced at school will be very beneficial to your child. There are tons of resources offered online for practicing the basic multiplication facts. Walmart and Dollar Tree also sell flashcards.

Science

The class has been learning about types of forces, including friction and gravity.

Reading/Language Arts

Third grade is now working on Module 2. Students will build knowledge about how people use words to express themselves, with a focus on poetry and letters. Students will read texts in which the characters share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

This week's story, Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh, is a realistic fiction story about two cousins, one living in Mexico and one living in the United States, who write letters to each other. Throughout the story, the cousins learn about the similarities they share as well as the differences between the two. The reader is also introduced to Spanish words that promote cultural awareness of Mexico. The comprehension skills involved students working on retelling, understanding point of view, and text/graphic features. Students worked with the prefixes of re- and pre- as the vocabulary strategy. The decoding skill focused on words with the long o sound. Students identified common and proper nouns as a grammar skill.

The results of the Module 1 assessments have been included in the take home folder. The selection quiz is five questions over the story that was read throughout the week. The module assessment is a new reading followed by multiple choice questions and one short answer question covering previously learned skills. There is also a short paragraph that students answer multiple questions relating to the grammar skill that was learned during the week.

FAST Testing

The results of the math FAST testing are in the take home folder. The CBMmath Automaticity tests a student's math fact fluency. Beginning in the 3rd grade, the test includes multiplication and division. If your child is below the benchmark score, please remember that the students are just now learning the multiplication facts. Typically, big gains are achieved during the winter screening due to the amount of instruction and learning that will take place over the next few months. The aMath test assesses a broad range of math skills. This is the assessment that is used to determine if a student needs an intervention. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Friday, September 26th

Friday, September 26th, Creston High School is celebrating its Homecoming football game. This will be a Spirit Day at St. Malachy School. Pay $1 to wear sweats/hat. Students should come dressed in their Creston Panther gear. School lunch on Friday will be a grape Uncrustable, apple slices, string cheese, a cookie, and milk. School will dismiss 3 hours early due to the parade. Please notify the school of any changes to your child's dismissal plans for the day. STM will have a float in the parade. Parents do need to accompany their child on the float.

Important Dates

Friday, September 25th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, September 25th-3 Hour Early Out

Wednesday, October 1st-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, October 3rd-Spirit Day $1

Monday, October 6th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

9/18/25

Burg's Buzz

 9/18/25

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Math

The third grade class has learned the processes of multiplication and division. The Topic 1 Assessment 1 will be on Friday, September 19th. A practice assessment was completed in class and is coming home in the red folder today. It shows examples of problems that students will be solving. Students do not have to have any of the facts memorized at this time. They just need to know how to use the strategies learned in class to solve the problems.

Science

Students are learning about types of forces. The class has explored the differences between balanced and unbalaced forces.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade students are reading the fantasy story Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt. The students read about another unique character who fears the unknown world beyond his home. The comprehension skills the class is working on include making inferences, identifying text and graphic features, point of view, and theme. The class covered using the suffixes of -ful and -less as the vocabulary skill. The phonics skill focused on the long a (ai, ay, ea) and long e (ea, ee, ie, and e) sounds. The grammar skill was distinguishing between simple and compound sentences. Students were introduced to using coordinating conjunctions, such as "and," "but," "or," and "so," to join two simple sentences and create a compound sentence.

Testing for this story will be on Monday, September 22nd.

Important Dates

Friday, September 19th-Spirit Day $1

Tuesday, September 23rd-Homecoming Pep Rally

Wednesday, September 24th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, September 26th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, September 26th-3 Hour Early Dismissal (Homecoming)

 

9/11/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/11/25

Reading/Language Arts

This week, the class is reading a story by Megan McDonald, Judy Moody-The Mood Martian. Students learn about another unique character. Comprehension skills covered included monitoring and clarifying, figurative language, and literary elements. Students identified the four types of sentences: statements, questions, commands, and exclamations. The phonics skill focused on long vowel words. As a vocabulary skill, students worked with the prefix non-.

The spelling post test and assessments for this story will be on Friday, September 12th.

Science

The third grade class continues their conversation about force.

Math

This week, the 3rd grade students learned about the process of division. Students practiced dividing a total number of objects into equal groups. They also divided to find out how many equal groups there were when given the number of people in each group. Students practiced the strategy of repeated subtraction to solve division problems.

Green Valley Field Trip

Kindergarten through fourth grade students will visit Green Valley State Park on Monday, September 15th. The bus will be leaving STM around 9:30 AM. Students should make sure they are dressed for the weather. As of right now the expected high on Monday is eighty-six degrees. Students do need to wear tennis shoes. Please no sandals or crocs. Activities planned included a nature hike, gaga ball, using the playground, playing on the beach, using a parachute, and sidewalk chalk. Your child will need to bring a sack lunch with a drink for the field trip. Students may also bring their water bottles if they wish. The bus will return to STM around 2:15 PM.

FAST Testing

Three times throughout the school year, students will be given the statewide math and reading screeners. Students take these assessments on their chromebooks. One of these reading assessments involves students reading aloud to the teacher. Words per minute and accuracy are recorded. This test will be administered on Thursday, September 18th. There will be a substitute in the classroom on this day as I pull students to be tested.

Extra Curricular Activities

One of my goals as a teacher each year is to attend one outside of school event for each student in my class. I enjoy seeing the students participate in activities. Being an empty nester, this is one of the things I miss. I have attended flag football, volleyball games, dance recitals, basketball games, wrestling matches, soccer games, and running races. If your child has an event that he/she would like me to attend, please let me know the date and time. I will see how it fits into my schedule.

Music at Mass

If your child is interested in playing the piano or an instrument at Mass, there is a link to a Google form on the school's website that needs to be filled out. You will be contacted by the school once your request has been approved. The third grade class will lead the mass on October 15th, January 21st, and April 22nd.

Important Dates

Monday, September 15th-Green Valley Field Trip (K-4th)

Wednesday, September 17th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Thursday, September 18th-Substitute for FAST Testing

Friday, September 19th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, September 24th-1 Hour Early Dismissal