Thursday, April 30, 2015

4-30-15

3rd Grade News 
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
4-301-15

Biography Book Report Projects
The biography book report projects are due back to school on Monday, May 4th.  As explained to the students due to me at that time is the book, the report form, and the project that was created.  I am excited to see what the students have come up with and hear the presentations.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

May Day Baskets
Students have made May Day baskets during art class.  Students may bring small sized individually wrapped candy (Tootsie Roll, Jolly Rancher, Dum Dum sucker, etc.) to put in each students' baskets.  One piece of candy is needed for each classmate.  There are twenty-two students in the class.  Participation is strictly optional.

Math
Due to time constraints as we approach the end of the year, I have decided to skip ahead to Chapter 10 in the math book.  Third grade will be learning about time and measurement.

Science
The next topic third grade will learn about is force.  During this topic students will learn about motion, speed, work, and simple machines.

Reading/Language Arts
This week third grade is reading a biography called "Anything He Wants to Be." In this selection students read about Erik Weihenmayer, a blind man to climb Mt. Everest.  In fact, he has climbed all seven summits in the world.  In addition, he rides tandem bikes, skis, scuba dives, and run marathons.  The comprehension skill focused on fact and opinion.  Students learned that authors uses facts to support their opinions.  The vocabulary strategy focused on word roots.  Students worked on commas in grammar.  The phonics skill covered words with -augh and ough.

Results of the weekly assessment for lesson 27 have been included in the take home folder.

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, May 4th-Biography Book Report Projects Due
Wednesday, May 6th-1 Hour Early Dismissal (Please note the change from the school calendar)
Tuesday, May 12th-Spring Music Concert at Creston High School at 6 PM
Wednesday, May 13th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Tuesday, May 19th-3rd Grade Field Trip
Wednesday, May 20th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Monday, May 25th-NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, May 26th-Last Day of School 


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Thursday, April 23rd

3rd Grade News
4-23-15
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Math
Third grade continues to work on fractions.  Students have learned about fractions on a number line, related fractions and whole numbers, and fractions of a group.  The Chapter 8 test over fractions will be early (Tuesday or Wednesday) next week. A review page has been included in the take home folder to complete at your convenience.

Science
Third grade will have a test covering changes in states of matter on Monday, April 27th.

Reading/Language Arts
This week students read an expository nonfiction selection called "The Power of Magnets."  The comprehension skill focused on cause/effect and summarizing.  The vocabulary strategy covered homophones and homographs. Students worked on words with double consonants in phonics.  The grammar skill covered contractions.

Biography Book Report Projects
I hope everyone is reading and enjoying the biography book that they picked out.  Projects are due back to school on Monday, May 4th. Students will present their projects during that week. Please have your child practice his/her presentation at home.  This gives students about eleven more days to complete the assignment.  I am excited to see what the students create.  Please let me know if you have any questions.


May Day Baskets
Third grade is making May Day baskets in art class.  Students may bring one small sized piece of candy (Tootsie Roll, Jolly Rancher, Andes Mint, Dum Dum sucker, etc.)to fill their friends' baskets. The baskets are not big enough to hold a full sized candy bar from each student.  If bringing candy, please bring one for each child in the class.  There are 22 students.  Please don't send the candy to school with your child until Friday, May 1st.  


Important Dates
Wednesday, April 29th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, May 6th-3 Hour Early Dismissal
Tuesday, May 12th-Music Concert at Creston High School at 6 pm
Wednesday, May 13th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, May 20th-3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Mass
Wednesday, May 20th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Monday, May 25th-NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Tuesday, May 26th-Last Day of School





Thursday, April 16, 2015

4-16-15

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
4-16-15

This week students in 1st through 8th grades at St. Malachy School have been taking the Iowa Assessments.  The PTO has provided snacks to the students.  Parents will be notified when the results are back.

MATH
Third grade continues to work on fractions in math.  

SCIENCE
Due to Iowa Assessments, students have not had science class this week. When classes resume, students will be learning about physical and chemical changes in matter.

READING/LANGUAGE ARTS
The results of the Lesson 26 weekly assessment taken last week has been included in the take home folder.  In addition the results of the Unit 5 Benchmark test have also been included in the take home folder.

Students worked on persuasive writing this week.  I read aloud I Wanna Iguana to the class.  In the book a boy writes letters to him mother trying to convince her he needs an iguana as a pet.



DRESS CODE
There are just over five weeks left of school.  Now that the weather has gotten nicer here is a reminder about the dress code.  Especially take note of the expectations that refer to leggings.  This rule applies everyday, including Mass days.  Also please remember the bottom of the garment must extend to at least mid-thigh.  


Everyday, all-year-long expectations:
A. Clothing should be clean and free of holes, rips, or tears.
B. Clothing should be modest and allow students to maintain modesty while sitting, standing, and moving. Necklines should be high enough to provide complete coverage. The bottom of the garment must extend to at least mid-thigh.
C. Undergarments are to be covered at all times.
D. Leggings may be worn as long as the bottom of the dress, skirt or short extends to at least mid-thigh.  
E. Sleeves are required for all.
F. Winter clothing (including boots, hats, mittens/gloves, and coats) is to be worn as needed. If there is snow on the ground, boots are needed. Students not wearing snow boots will stand in a cleared area during recess. All snow gear must be taken home at the end of each week.
G. Shoes must be able to stay securely fastened to the student’s feet during activities and throughout the entire school day.
H. PE attire includes tennis shoes/athletic shoes that stay securely fastened to the feet during exercise
and activity. Girls who wear dresses or skirts should also wear shorts.
I. White t-shirts/undershirts may not be worn as outer wear.

Mass Day/Holy Day - all day attire
A. Students are expected to dress up on Mass days.
B. Dress shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, and dress slacks for boys.
C. Dresses, skirts, slacks, sweaters, turtlenecks, and blouses for girls.
D. Leggings may be worn as long as the bottom of the dress or skirt extends to at least mid-thigh.
E. No denim of any kind or color (includes skirts, shirts, pants, dresses, and jumpers) on Mass days.
F. No dress shorts, gauchos, Capri, crop pants, or split skirts on Mass days. No t-shirts, sweatshirts or athletic gear on Mass days.

MASS
Third grade is scheduled to be in charge of the mass on Wednesday, April 22nd.  Parts have been included in the take home folder.  Please feel free to join us at 9:15 AM for the liturgy.  Third, fourth, and fifth grade will be doing the mass together on Wednesday, May 20th.  There will be limited parts for students in each grade.


LAP-A-THON
Lap-A-Thon is scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd.  Money envelopes are due back to school on this day.  Students may wear athletic pants. Students may bring a water bottle to have while they are lapping.  They also may bring an electronic device with headphones for listening to music. In the past third through fifth grade have lapped first thing in the morning.  Students might want to bring an extra pair of shoes to put on afterwards in case the ground is wet.

BIOGRAPHY BOOK REPORTS
Hopefully the third grade students are enjoying the biography that they picked out.  Please feel free to read to take turns reading the book with your child.  Students learn some interesting facts about the person. Remember the project is due on Monday, May 4th.

IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, April 22nd-3rd Grade Mass
Wednesday, April 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Thursday, April 23rd-Lap-a-Thon
Wednesday, April 29th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, May 6th-3 Hour Early Dismissal
Tuesday, May 12th-Music Concert at Creston High School for Kindergarten through 8th grade students at 6 PM
Wednesday, May 13th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, May 20th-3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Mass
Wednesday, May 20th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Monday, May 25th-NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Tuesday, May 26th-Last Day of School

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Thursday, April 9, 2015

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
4-9-15

Science
Third grade has been learning about matter in science.  The learning will continue with matter learning about physical and chemical changes.

Reading/Language Arts
This week students read a narrative nonfiction selection entitled "The Foot Race Across America."  The comprehension skill focused on main idea.  The vocabulary strategy focused on the suffix of -ion.  The grammar skill covered abbreviations.  Students worked on the final syllables of -tion, -sion, -ture in phonics.

The Unit 25 assessment results are included in the take home folder.  These are yours to keep.

Third grade also worked on the Unit 5 Benchmark Test this week during center times.  The class will continue to work on next week as well.

Math
Lessons dealing with fractions have covered equal parts of a whole, equal shares, unit fractions of a whole, and fractions of a whole. 


Iowa Assessments
Students at St. Malachy will be taking Iowa Assessments during the week of April 13th-17th. Testing will take place in morning.  Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep, eats a good breakfast, and has several #2 pencils available.  Mechanical pencils are not allowed.  The PTO will be providing a light snack for the students while testing.  Iowa Assessments are just one form of testing that St. Malachy School uses to track students' progress.

Because of testing, we will not be moving ahead in the reading series.  There will be no spelling.  We will work be working on writing.  We will also finish the Benchmark 5 Assessment.

Biography Book Report Project
Third grade students have been assigned a biography book report project.  The book, directions, and necessary forms went home with the students today.  The biographies belong to Green Hills AEA.  Please take care of the book that your child brought home.   Students need to read the biography, fill out the form with the necessary damage, create one of the assigned projects, and be able to present the information to the class.  Projects are due back to school by Monday, May 4th.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the project.

Book Order
A book order was sent home in last week's take home folder.  Orders are due by Friday, April 10th.  There will be one more book order sent out in May.


Important Dates
Friday, April 10th-Book Orders Due
Monday, April 13th-Friday, April 17th-Iowa Assessments
Wednesday, April 15th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, April 22nd-3rd Grade Mass
Wednesday, April 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, April 29th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, May 6th-3 Hour Early Dismissal
Tuesday, May 12th-Kindergarten-8th Grade Music Program at 6 PM at Creston High School
Wednesday, May 13th-1 Hour Early Dismissal





Thursday, April 2, 2015

April 2, 2015

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
4-2-14

Math
Third grade is now learning about fractions.  Earlier this week the class did a fun activity exploring the idea of fractions with a Hershey's candy bar.  Ask your child about this fun and yummy activity that helped them learn about fractions.

Students from the Creston High School's FBLA came and talked to the students about saving money. The third graders decorated piggy banks.  The high school students gave out three awards along with $1 to the students for their decorated piggy banks.  Abby received "The Most Colorful Award." Denton got the award for "The Most Unique."  The "Most Money Smart Award" went to Dillon. FBLA students took picture of the piggy banks.  There is a note in the take home folder about voting for the piggy bank that you like best on Pinterest.  The student with the most likes will receive $100.

Science
The class has spent the week preparing for an upcoming test on matter.  Students completed the chapter review, then filled out the study guide with a partner.  This is the first time this year doing it that way.  I am working on making students more independent in their work.  We went over the answers in class.  The test will be on Monday, April 6th.

Reading/Language Arts
The informational text read this week was Mountains-Surviving on Mt. Everest.  Students learned about a young man's journey to climb the mountain.  The comprehension skill covered using text and graphic features to better understand what was read.  Text features include headings, captions, and bold text.  Graphic features include maps, labeled diagrams, photos, and illustrations.  The vocabulary strategy covered analogies.  An analogy is a kind of comparison in which one pair of words is compared to another.  The pairs relate by definition,  meaning, or characteristics.  Students worked on the suffixes -able, -ness, and -less in phonics.  The grammar skill reviewed adjectives and adverbs that compare.

The results from the lesson 24 reading test are included in the take home folder.  Next week students will be taking the Benchmark 5 Assessment.

Iowa Assessments
Students at St. Malachy will be taking Iowa Assessments during the week of April 13th-17th. Testing will take place in morning.  Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep, eats a good breakfast, and has several #2 pencils available.  Mechanical pencils are not allowed.  Iowa Assessments are just one form of testing that St. Malachy School uses to track students' progress.

Book Order
Included in the take home folder this week are book orders for April.  Orders are due by Friday, April 10th.  Orders may be returned to school with cash or check or submitted online at www.scholastic.com.  There will be one more book order sent out in May.

Young Writer's Conference
On Wednesday, April 8th, nine students from St. Malachy School will be attending the Young Writer's Conference at Graceland College in Lamoni, IA.  Those students include Ashlyn Baker, Makenna Brown, Cecilia Zachary, Patrick Varner, Brooklyn McKinney, Keegan Bailey, Rowan Pope, Mallory Tallmon, and Macy Adamson.  I will be accompanying these students, so there will be a substitute teacher in 3rd grade on this day. Next year, three different students from this class will get to attend as fourth graders and then again three different students will attend as fifth graders. There is also a writing conference for middle schoolers, so even more students from the class will get to attend.

Upcoming Dates
Thursday, April 1st-Sedar Meal
Friday, April 2nd-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)
Wednesday, April 8th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Monday, April 13th-Friday, April 17th-Iowa Assessments
Wednesday, April 15th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, April 22nd-3rd Grade Mass
Wednesday, April 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, April 29th-1 Hour Early Dismissal




3/28/24

 Burg's Buzz nburg@crestontstmalachy.org 3/28/24 Math The students will be taking the Topic 8 assessment covering mental math, rounding,...