10-27-16

3rd Grade News

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10-27-16

Science

Third grade continues to study animals. Students are learning about animal instincts. Migration and hibernation are two specific behaviors students have learned about. Students have also studied learned behaviors.  Students also learned about camouflage and mimicry as forms of protection for animals.

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-. Students learned about using commas in a series in grammar.

Please check the take home folder for the test results from lesson 7. These are yours to keep.

Since next week is filled with a variety of activities and a shortened week with an early dismissal on Thursday and no school on Friday, third grade will not be moving ahead in the reading series. This week third grade is covering lesson 8, so the class will resume in the reading series the week of November 7th with lesson 9.

Math

Students are working on reading and interpreting data. Students have looked at tally tables and frequency tables. Student have also read and made picture graphs.

Halloween

St. Malachy School will celebrate Halloween on Monday, October 31st. Costumes need brought to school, and students will change prior to the parade. The Civics Club will have fun activities for the students to participate in before the parade. The parade begins at 2:30 PM. Parents are welcome to come and watch the parade.

Reading Calendars

October reading calendars are due back to school by Thursday, November 3rd. Pizza certificates for October will be sent home on this day as well for all students meeting the monthly goal. Please make sure a parent totals the number of minutes read and signs the calendar being turned in. A November calendar has been included in the take home folder for next month. The goal is 400 minutes

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 3rd from 1:00-5:00 PM and 6:00-9:30 PM. School dismisses at 11:50 AM on this day.  No hot lunch will be served. There is no school on Friday, November 4th. If you have not signed up for a conference, please do so.

All Saint's Day

Tuesday, November 1st is All Saint's Day. There will be mass on this day, and students are required to dress up. There is no mass on Wednesday, November 2nd. Music will be on Wednesday as well.

Important Dates

Friday, October 28th-Spirit Day (free)

Monday, October 31st-Halloween Activities and Parade in PM

Tuesday, November 1st-All Saints Day Mass

Thursday, November 3rd-11:50 AM Dismissal

Thursday, November 3rd-Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, November 4th-NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, November 9th-Mass at 9:15 AM
Friday, November 11th ($1)
Tuesday, November 15th-Muffins with Mom

10-20-16

3rd Grade News

10-20-16

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

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.

The results of the lesson 6 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder for parents to view. These are yours to keep.

Math

Chapter 2 has the students interpreting and analyzing data. Students will be looking at charts, tables, and graphs.

Science

Students are continuing to learn about animals. Students are studying the classification of animals. 

Food Pantry of Iowa

This Friday third grade will be walking to the food pantry to volunteer our time in helping others. The class will leave school around 1:15 PM and return around 2:00 PM. It would be a good idea for students to wear tennis shoes since we are walking.

October Book Order

A book order was sent home in last week's take home folder. Orders are due by Friday, October 21st.

All Saints Day Mass

All Saints Day in on Tuesday, November 1st.  There will be mass on this day, and students are required to follow mass dress code. There is no mass on Wednesday, November 2nd.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences at St. Malachy School are Thursday, November 3rd from 1-5 PM and 6:00-9:30 PM. Please sign up for a twenty minute time slot at the link provided. 2016 Fall Conferences School dismisses for the day at 11:50 AM. No hot lunch will be served at St. Malachy. There is no school on Friday, November 4th.

Important Dates

Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day ($1)

Friday, October 21st-Walk to Food Pantry to Volunteer in PM

Saturday, October 22nd-Spaghetti Supper and Carnival 5-7 PM

Wednesday, October 26th-Prayer Service at 9:15 PM
Monday, October 31st-Halloween Activities in PM
Tuesday, November 1st-All Saints Mass at 9:15 PM
Thursday, November 3rd-Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, November 4th-NO SCHOOL

Animal Research Reports

Animal Research Reports

In science third grade students are learning about animals. Specifically students have studied about the five group of vertebrates that include mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and reptiles. Students have been assigned one of the animal groups already. Each student needs to pick an animal within that group to research. He/She will look up online information about the animal during library class this Tuesday. I will also have books available to help with the research. Students will then take the information that they find to write an informational report. Being about to write an informative piece is one of the third grade benchmarks.

10-13-16

3rd Grade News

10-13-16

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

MATH

Third grade students have taken the chapter 1 math test covering addition strategies, subtraction strategies, and estimation. Students will be making corrections if necessary. Please look for tests to come home next week for parents to view. 

Chapter 2 will focus on representing and interpreting data. Students will be using charts, tables, and graphs.

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).

Last week third grade students took the Unit 1 Benchmark test. The results have been included in the take home folder. These tests assess the students' understanding of the skills taught in the five stories discussed.

SCIENCE

Third grade continues to learn about animals. Students have studied mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. Students are gong to be researching an animal in library next week.  We will use the information found to write an informational report.

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. Orders are due by Friday, October 21st.

MASS

There is an all school mass on Wednesday, October 19th. If your child has a part, it has been included in the take home folder.

SPAGHETTI SUPPER/CARNIVAL

St. Malachy School's annual spaghetti supper and carnival is scheduled for Saturday, October 22nd. The event runs from 5-7 PM. Each family is asked to donate $5 to help offset costs.  In addition, each family is asked to bring a dessert (brownies, cakes, bars, cupcakes). These will be divided between the supper and cake walk at the carnival. An email from Mrs.Simmons went out earlier this week asking for parents to sign up to volunteer to bring supplies and to volunteer their time helping cover shifts for the spaghetti supper. Thanks for supporting our school.

IMPORTANT DATES

Friday, October 14th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

Monday, October 17th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

Wednesday, October 19th-Mass at 9:15 PM

Thursday, October 20th-Mrs. Burg Attending Science Standards Training

Thursday, October 20th-PTO Meeting at 6 PM

Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day ($1)

Saturday, October 21st-Spaghetti Supper and Carnival from 5-7 PM
Monday, October 31st-Halloween Activities at School

10-6-16

3rd Grade News

10-6-16

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Reading/Language Arts

Third grade has been busy taking the Unit 1 Benchmark Test. This test assess how students apply skills learned. By the end of the week, students will have completed a "Reading and Analyzing" section that covers comprehension. Student read passages and answer multiple choice questions covering skills that have been taught in class. Students are also completed a "Revising and Editing" section that assesses phonics and grammar skills. This time we are completing the "Reading Complex Text" together. In this section, students read a passage and wrote down the answers to comprehension questions. Students will be completing this section on their own on the Benchmark Unit 2 test next time. Please look for the results of the Benchmark Unit 1 in next week's take home folder.

In addition to the testing, the class has been writing Halloween stories. Students are using steps in the writing process (prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing) to complete the narratives. Parents will be able to see the final copy of the story at conferences.

Next week third grade will resume in the reading series with lesson 6.  Because there is no school on Friday, October 14th, the spelling post test and weekly reading assessment will be on Thursday, October 13th.

Science

Third grade is learning about animals. Students have learned about the basic needs of animals. We have compared those needs to plants' needs. Students are also learning about specific animal groups that include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Math

Students are working on subtraction problems with regrouping. Please continue to practice the basic facts at home.

Important Dates

Friday, October 7th-Spirit Day ($1)
Friday, October 7th-Optional Sack Lunch Day
Wednesday, October 12th-Mass at 9:15 AM
Friday, October 14th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)
Monday, October 17th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)
Wednesday, October 19th-Mass at 9:15 AM
Thursday, October 20th-PTO Meeting at 6 PM
Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day ($1)