Friday, October 30, 2015

Thursday, October 29, 2015

October 29, 2015

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10-29-15

Math
Third grade continues to interpret and analyze data in tables and graphs.  Students have read and made picture graphs.

Please continue to work on those basic addition and subtraction facts at home.

READING/LANGUAGE ARTS
This week third grade read a realistic fiction story called "Kamishibai Man."  In this story an elderly Japanese man remembers how he used to ride his bicycle into town where her would tell stories to children and sell them candy, but gradually, fewer and fewer children came because televisions began appearing in homes.  Years later the man returns to town to discover things have greatly changed.  In the end he is surrounded by familiar faces, the children he used to entertain have returned, all grown up and more than eager to listen to his stories with their children again.  The comprehension skill covered cause and effect. The vocabulary skill focused on using a dictionary.  The phonics skill worked on -ow and -ou sound as in the words town and cloud.  In grammar students learned about abstract nouns. Examples include courage, delight, and freedom.


SCIENCE
Third grade continues to learn about animals. Students have learned about animals that are threatened, endangered, and extinct.  There will be a test next week covering the topic of animals.


HALLOWEEN 
Students at St. Malachy will participate in fun Halloween activities during the afternoon of Friday, October 30th.  The parade begins at 2:30 PM. Students may bring costumes to school to change into prior to the parade beginning.


PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Conferences at St. Malachy are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd from 3:20-5:00 PM and Thursday, November 5th from 1:00-5:00 PM and 6:00-9:30 PM.  There is no school on Friday, November 6th.  I still have a few parents that need to sign up for a conference time. Click on the link http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f044dacac2da5f94-mrs or call Sarah in the office.


READING INCENTIVE PROGRAM
The November reading calendar has been included in the take home folder.  The goal is 400 minutes total.

Signed October calendars will be accepted until Thursday, November 5th.  Certificates will be sent home in next week's take home folder.  Please make sure to total the number of minutes that your child read during the month.


DICTIONARIES
This past Wednesday the Creston Elk's Lodge presented each third grade with a dictionary. These are theirs to keep.  This is a great reference source for your child to keep and use. Thank you to the Elks for such a great gift.


IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, October 30th-Halloween Parade at 2:30 PM
Tuesday, November 3rd-Parent/Teacher Conferences (3:20 PM-5:00 PM)
Wednesday, November 4th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Thursday, November 5th-11:50 AM Dismissal
Thursday, November 5th-Parent/Teacher Conferences beginning at 1:00 PM
Friday, November 6th-NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, November 11th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Friday, September 13th-Spirit Day
Wednesday, November 18th-1 Hour Early Dismissal








Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thursday, October 22, 2015

3RD GRADE NEWS
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10-22-15

MATH
Third grade has been learning about tables and charts.  Students are learning how to gather and interpret data.  Students have learned about tally table and frequency tables,

The chapter 1 test covering addition and subtraction strategies was sent home for parents to review and sign today.  Students were given tests back to correct and give 1/2 a point back if the got the correction right. As a class we are moving ahead to chapter 2.  We will continue to work on addition and subtraction throughout the year.  Future lessons will review addition and subtraction strategies. Any extra practice with addition, subtraction, and estimation that you can do at home will be beneficial to your child.  Also practicing the basic facts would be great as well.

READING/LANGUAGE ARTS
This week students read the folktale "The Harvest Birds" in which a young man has a dream of living off the land.  The townspeople doubt his abilities, but Juan Zanate believes in himself.  With the help of some "friends" he achieves his goal. The comprehension skill covered drawing conclusions.  The vocabulary strategy focused on context clues.  In grammar students learned when to use commas.  The phonics skill focused on the silent letters of wr- and kn-.

SCIENCE
Students have are learning about animal behavior.  Students have learned about instincts such as hibernation and migration.  There are also learned behaviors that an animal can acquire from its parents.  Students have also learned about camouflage and mimicry as ways an animal can protect itself.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 5th from 1:00-5:00 and 6:00-9:30. Since there are not enough time slots for twenty-three students I have added times for conferences with parents on Tuesday, November 3rd from 3:20-5:00 PM.  I am hoping I am able to accommodate all parents on these two days.  Please sign up by using the following link below.

HALLOWEEN
St. Malachy School will celebrate Halloween during the afternoon of Friday, October 30th.  The civics club has activities planned for the students.  Students can bring their costumes to school and will change before the parade.  The parade begins at 2:30 PM.  Parents are welcome to come watch.

IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, October 23rd-Spirit Day (Pay $1 to wear sweats)
Wednesday, October 28th-1 Hour Early Out
Friday, October 30th-Halloween Activities in the Afternoon
Tuesday, November 3rd-Parent/Teacher Conferences from 3:20 PM-5:00 PM
Wednesday, November 4th-1 Hour Early Out
Thursday, November 5th-11:50 AM Dismissal (NO HOT LUNCH)
Thursday, November 5th-Parent/Teacher Conferences from 1:00-5:00 and 6:00-9:30 PM
Friday, November 6th-NO SCHOOL
.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Thursday, October 15, 2015

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10-15-15


This past Monday I attended a training about incorporating a computer science curriculum into the classroom. On Mondays from 10:20-11:00 AM, third grade students will begin Code Studio.  Each course experience is a blend of "unplugged" activities as well as online learning. The skills students will be working on include creativity, collaboration, communication, persistence, and problem solving.  Skills the students will learning also correlate with common core standards.

SCIENCE
This week students have learned traits about amphibians, fish, and reptiles to add to what was previously learned about mammals and birds.  We are comparing the traits of each group.

READING/LANGUAGE ARTS
The informational text read this week entitled "What Illustrators Do?" presented facts about the job of an illustrator.  The comprehension skill covered text and graphic features.  The vocabulary strategy focused on synonyms.  The phonics skill covered three letter clusters (scr, str, str, and thr).  Students worked on verb tense (present, past, and future) for the grammar skill.

In this week's take home folder are the results of the Unit 1 Benchmark test and the Lesson 6 weekly test.  The benchmark assessments are more difficult than the weekly tests. Students have to read passage and answer questions pertaining to what was read. The purpose of the benchmark tests is to see if students are applying skills learned in class over the previous lessons.  The Benchmark Tests are divided into four subtests.  For this first time, I only had the students complete one of the tests.  This was was the Reading and Analyzing section. This test assesses vocabulary and comprehension. Specific vocabulary skills covered include antonyms, word families, context clues, dictionary, and prefixes. The comprehensions skills include story structure, compare/contrast, story message, conclusions, literal/non literal meanings, cause/effect, analyze illustrations, understand characters, and author's word choice.  These are skills that will be covered again in the year.  The hope is students get 25 or more correct on this section. The hope is the scores improve on future tests.  The Unit 2 Benchmark test will be in November after conferences. These results are yours to keep.


MATH
Students took the chapter 1 math test covering addition and subtraction strategies today.  After checking the tests, students will do corrections then tests will be sent home.  

Chapter 2 will focus on reading and analyzing graphs. 

BOOK ORDER  
A book order was sent home in last week's take home folder.  Book orders are due on Friday, October 16th. Please send the order form and cash/check back to school or submit the order online at www.scholastic.com.


IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, October 16th-Book Orders Due
Wednesday, October 21st-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Friday, October 23rd-Spirit Day
Wednesday, October 28th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Friday, October 30th-Halloween Activities and Parade
Wednesday, November 4th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Thursday, November 5th-Dismiss at 11:50 AM
Thursday, November 5th-Parent/Teacher Conferences 1:00-9:30 PM
Friday, November 6th-NO SCHOOL


Thursday, October 8, 2015

Thursday, October 8, 2015

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10-8-15

Spaghetti Supper and Carnival
The St. Malachy PTO Spaghetti Supper and Carnival is scheduled for Saturday, October 10th.  Supper is served from 5:00-7:00 PM.  The carnival runs from 5:30-7:00 PM.  All families are asked to bring one dessert. The desserts will be divided among the supper and the cake walk.  There are two raffles.  One is a 50/50 raffle.  The other is for a 35lb meat bundle from Weaver Meats in Afton. Volunteers are still needed.  Let the PTO know if you can help in anyway. This is a great family event that benefits the St. Malachy School PTO and therefore benefits St. Malachy School.

Professional Workshop
I will be absent from school on Monday, October 12th, to attend a Code Studio workshop. The substitute will be Miss Shelley Carter.

Music
In last week's take home folder there was a note from Mrs. Mullin about needing to bring $5 to school to cover the cost of a recorder.  If you have not yet sent the money to school with your child, please do so. 

Math
Students have been working on subtraction with regrouping.  We have also subtracted using place value.  Students continue to work on estimation while solving subtraction problems. 

The math textbook book is divided into multiple lessons.  As a class we work through the lessons and problem together.  Students get exposure to different strategies.  After practicing the skill students complete a worksheet on their own to apply the skills learned. Students also correct problems that they miss. I am looking to see that the students can do the problems correctly, and if they miss a problem they can go back and find their mistake. There maybe some worksheets students miss more on than others.  Hopefully providing time to do corrections gives the student a better understanding of the concept.

As of right now, I have am hoping to have the Chapter 1 Math test on Thursday, October 15th.   Students will complete a review that covers concepts learned.  A practice page will also be sent home next week for extra review.

Science
Third grade is learning about animals.  Students have learned about traits of mammals and birds.

Reading/Language Arts
Students are reading a narrative nonfiction selection called "Bats Love the Night" in which readers learn about the night activity of bats.  The comprehension skill covered sequence of events.  The vocabulary skill focused on the suffixes of -able and -ible.  The phonics skill went over long and short vowel words with VCV pattern (camel, president, shiver). The grammar skill focused on verbs (action and being).

This past week students have been taking the Unit 1 Benchmark test.  Students read a passage then answer vocabulary and comprehension questions.  The questions cover skills and concepts covered in Unit 1 (the first five stories). Please look for the results in next week's take home folder.  

October Book Order
A book order has been included in the take home folder. Orders may be returned to school with cash or check (payable to Mrs. Burg) or submitted online at www.scholastic.com with a credit card.


Important Dates
Friday, October 9th-Spirit Day (Pay $1 to wear sweats)
Saturday, October 10-Spaghetti Supper and Carnival
Monday, October 12-Mrs.Burg at Professional Development (Substitute)
Wednesday, October 14th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, October 21st-Back to The Future Day (More info will be sent home)
Wednesday, October 21st-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, October 28th-1 Hour Early Dismissal



Thursday, October 1, 2015

Thursday, October 1, 2015

3rd Grade News
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10-1-15

3rd grade is excited to have a new student in the classroom.  Charles Rudolf joined our class this past Monday. Charles has a  younger brother, Matthew, in second grade here at St. Malachy.  He is nine years old and lives in Casey, IA.  Welcome to St. Malachy, Charles!

Reading/Language Arts
Third grade read a biography this week about Roberto Clemente, a baseball player from the Pittsburgh Pirates from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.  The comprehension skill covered cause and effect.  The vocabulary strategy focused on the prefix mis-. The phonics skill covered long o.  In grammar students worked on singular and plural nouns.  The vocabulary skill focused on the prefix mis-.

Next week third grade will be taking the Unit 1 Benchmark test. This will cover skills learned throughout the first five lessons. Testing will take place during the scheduled center time.  During the scheduled reading/language arts time, third grade will be moving ahead in the series.  This test is more difficult than the weekly tests.  These students see whether students are applying the skills they have learned.

Math
Third grade continues to work on subtraction.  We have used a variety of strategies, such as a number line, friendly numbers, and place value, to solve problems. 

Science
Third grade is now learning about animals. Students have identified the needs of animals such as oxygen, water, food, and shelter.  We also discussed the differences between plant and animal cells.

Prayer Service
Third grade will be leading a prayer service on Wednesday, October 7th. Father Halbur is out of town that day.  Parts have been sent home in the take home folder.  Half the class will participate in this prayer serrvice and the rest of the class will be in the next mass on November 25th. If your child does not have a part in this prayer service, he/she will have a part in the next one.  If your child has a speaking part, please practice the part with your child at home.  All the extra practice helps.

Reading Incentive Program
An October calendar to record minutes read each day has been included in the take home folder. Please record the number of minutes read at home each day.  The goal for the month is 400 total minutes.  At the end of the month, please return the calendar to school.  The calendar needs a parent's signature.  If the goal is met, please circle the reward your child wants.

Spaghetti Supper
There is information in the take home folder pertaining to the spaghetti supper.  Also please refer to this website to donate food items.  https://stmalachy.bringit.bz/public/6eaf51

Important Dates
Friday, October 2nd-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)
Wednesday, October 7th-3rd Grade Prayer Service at 9:15 AM
Wednesday, October 7th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Friday, October 9th-Spirit Day (Pay $1 to wear sweat pants)
Saturday, October 10th-Spaghetti Supper
Wednesday, October 14th-1 Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, October 21st-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,...