12/21/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

12/22/22

Happy Holidays

I wish all STM 3rd grade families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for the generous gifts. They are truly appreciated. I am so lucky to work at an amazing school with wonderful students and supportive families  . I hope everyone is able to spend time with their family and friends. My family and I will be traveling to Mesa, AZ to visit my mom who is spending her first year wintering there. The weather for the time my family will be there looks fabulous in the upper 60s and lower 70s.  I am very excited to be leaving the cold behind.

Reading Incentive Program

Please continue to keep track of the December minutes read. December calendars will be due back to school by Friday, January 6th. January calendars will be sent home with students upon returning to school on January 4th. The goal will increase to 500 minutes total.

Important Dates

Friday, December 23rd-Tuesday, January 3rd-Christmas Break

Wednesday, January 4th-Classes Resume

Friday, January 6th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, January 16th-FAST Testing Begins

12/15/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

12/15/22

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading Yonder Mountain by Robert Bushyhead. In this Cherokee legend, Chief Sky is choosing a new chief since he is too old to handle responsibilities.  Chief Sky offers a challenge to three younger men in the tribe to see who will be the next best fit to be chief. The story follows Brown Bear, Grey Wolf, and Soaring Eagle on their journeys to the top of yonder mountain. The comprehension skill covered compare and contrast. Students also worked on subject verb agreement as the grammar skill. The phonics skill focused on contractions. Students identified homophones and homographs as the vocabulary skill.

The lesson 12 weekly assessment results have been included in the take home folder.

Next week the class will NOT be moving ahead in the reading series. There will be no spelling or weekly assessment. The plan is to focus on some Christmas writing projects.

Science

Students are learning about plant and animal adaptations in science.

Math

The class was finally able to start topic 6 (area and perimeter). Topic 5 focused on more multiplication and division, and I thought the class was ready for a new concept.

Class Christmas Party

The third grade class will celebrate Christmas during the afternoon of Thursday, December 22nd. Students will need to bring a sack lunch (milk provided) to school. They will eat with their Advent Angels on this day. Caroling will take place from 12:30-1:00 PM. The students will return to the classroom for treats and a cute holiday movie. 

On the day that the Advent Angels get together, many of them exchange gifts with each other. Please know that this is a nice gesture, but certainly not required. 

Important Dates

Friday, December 16th-Flannel Day/Spirit Day $1

Monday, December 19th-Tree Topper Day

Tuesday, December 20th-"Toe"sty Tuesday

Wednesday, December 21-Mass Attire

Thursday, December 22nd-Jingle Bell Day

Thursday, December 22nd-Class Christmas Party

Friday, December 23rd-Tuesday, January 3rd-Winter Break

Friday, January 6th-Spirit Day $1

12/8/22

 Burg's Buzz

 12/8/22

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Math

The next concept the third grade class will be working on is area and perimeter. It has taken the class a few days to get throught the Topic 4 assessment due to absences due to sickness.

Science

The next unit the 3rd grade class will be studying about plants animals and their environment effects each.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade is reading Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stephens. In this trickster tale, clever Hare tricks lazy Bear into planting different types of vegetables based upon the best part from the top, middle, or bottom. Bear learns a valuable lesson about working hard to reap the results. The comprehension skill focused on theme. Students covered using quotation marks as the grammar skill. The phonics skill focused on homophones. The class also learned about idioms as the vocabulary skill.

The lesson 11 weekly assessment results have been included in the take home folder.

November Reading Incentive Results

Ten students turned in their November calendars for a total of 

6,727 minutes for the month. This is an increase over one thousand six hundred minutes from October. Nine students met the 400 minute goal for November. Those students include Brandy, Mary, Zoe, Ali, Norah, Reid, Ava, and Grayson. Zoe read the most minutes for the past month. Please continue to track the total number of minutes read each month. The goal for December is 400 minutes. The goal for January, February, and March increases to 500 minutes total.

Mass Parts

The third grade class is scheduled to lead the mass on Wednesday, December 14th. Mass parts have been included in take home folders. Please practice at home for extra practice with fluency.

 

Holiday Dress Up Days

Thursday, December 15th-Candy Candy Day-Wear red and white

Friday, December 16th-Flannel Friday

Monday. December 19th-Tree Topper Day-Wear Santa hat, Elf ears, Reindeer antlers

Tuesday, December 20th-"Toe"sty Tuesday-Festive Socks

Wednesday, December 21st-Wear Your Christmas Best-Mass Clothes

Thursday, December 22nd-Jingle Bells Day-Christmas Sweaters

Important Dates

Wednesday, December 14th-3rd Grade Leads Mass

Friday, December 16th-Spirit Day $1

Thursday, December 22nd-Bring A Sack Lunch (milk provided)

Thursday, December 22nd-Class Christmas Party

Friday, December 23rd-Tuesday, January 3rd-Christmas Vacation

12/1/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalalachy.org

12/1/22

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading the informational text Technology Wins the Game by Mark Andrews. In this selection, students learned about how technology has changed over time in variety of sports such as the helmets in football and the rackets in tennis. The comprehension skill reviewed sequencing. The phonics skill covered the sound made by oi and oy. Students worked on plural nouns as the grammar skill. The vocabulary skill reviewed the suffixes -ful, -ous, and -less.

Included in the take home folder is the lesson 10 weekly assessment that was taken the week before Thanksgiving.

Also included in the take home folder are the results of the Unit 2 Benchmark assessment. Again, this is a test that assesses how well the students are applying the concepts and skills learned in lessons 6-10. The goal is to be at or above the acceptable score.

Science

The third grade class is preparing for an assessment covering motion.

Math

Students are preparing for the Topic 4 assessment in math on Monday, December 5th.

Ugly Sweater Activity

Ugly sweaters have become a holy tradition. Earlier in the week, a blank sweater was sent home to have your child decorate. Be as creative as you can using objects that you already have at home. Ugly sweaters are due back to school on Wednesday, December 7th.

Seeking Donations

St. Malachy School is collecting items to donate to male and female residents in care facilities in Creston and Afton. Possible items to donate include lotions, games, large print books, socks, trinkets, puzzles, body spray, slippers, etc.  All donations are due at school by December 16th.

Christmas Music Concert

The St. Malachy School Christmas music concert is scheduled for Wednesday, December 7th at 6:30 PM. A permission slip has been included in the take home folder for the rehearsal practice during the afternoon. 

Important Dates

Friday, December 2nd-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, December 7th-Christmas Concert 6:30 PM

Wednesday, December 14th-3rd Grade Mass

Friday, December 16th-Spirit Day $1

Mrs. Burg is Thankful for...

 

11/17/22

 Burg's Buzz

11/17/22

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading the biography Young Thomas Edison by Michael Dooling. The students learned factual information about the early life of Thomas Edison. The comprehension skill covered main idea and supporting details. Students also learned about pronouns and antecedents. The vocabulary strategy focused on the shades of meaning of words. Students also worked on words with the sounds short o, aw, au, and al.

Next week the students will be taking the Unit 2 Benchmark Assessment. Students will also be finishing Thanksgiving stories. There will be no spelling next week.

Science

The third grade class continues to learn about motion. Students have been discussing predictable motions such as up and down, back and forth, spinning, and zigzag.

Math

The class continues to work on division fluency. Each of the divisors 0 through 10 have been covered. Again, please continue to work on multiplication and division facts at home.

Book Order

Parents have one more opportunity before Christmas to purchase quality and affordable books through Scholastic. All ordering takes place online. An email was sent with the necessary link to order. There is also a note in the take home folder pertaining to ordering books. I will submit the order on Friday, December 2nd.

Gratitude

November is gratitude month. I have many things to be grateful for in my life. Teaching and the students are something I am grateful for. I am thankful for each of the gifts that each third grader class brings to the classroom and to me. I have created a memory gift about each of the third grade students. The gift is in their take home folder.

Important Dates

Thursday, November 17th-Deliver Socks and Placements

Thursday, November 17th-PTO Meeting 6 PM

Friday, November 18th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, November 23rd-Monday, November 28th-Thanksgiving Break

Friday, December 2nd-Spirit Day $1

World Kindness Day

 World Kindness Day

November 13, 2022

Third graders at STM are asked to wear a cardigan or zip up sweatshirt or jacket  in remembrance of Mr. Rogers on Monday, November 14th.

11/10/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

11/10/22

Math

The third grade students have started learning about the process of division. Students are relating multiplication to division and using repeated subtraction to solve equations. Students have worked on using the dividers of 2, 3, 4, 5,   .

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading the story Kamishibai Man by Allen Say. In this realistic fiction selection, Jiichaan decides to return to the city from years away to recite stories and sell candy. When Jiichaan arrives, he is startled by all of the changes. He is also reminded why he quit in the first place, but receives a wonderful surprise when the children, now adults, he recited the stories to return to listen to him. The students reviewed cause and effect as the comprehension skill. The class also worked on the vowel diphthings /ow/ and /ou/ as the phonics skill. The grammar skill focused on abstract nouns. Students also reviewed dictionary skills.

The lesson 8 weekly assessment results have been included in the take home folder.

Science

The class has been learning about motion. Students have also learned about speed and direction.

STM PTO Fall Fundraiser

Read-a-Thon is the PTO's fall fundraiser for St. Malachy School.  Counting minutes and collecting donations for Read-a-Thon runs from Friday, November 11th to Sunday, November 20th. Information pertaining to Read-a-Thon has been included in this week's take home folder. The minutes your child reads for the monthly calendar can also be counted for Read-A-Thon.

Fire Prevention Poster Winners

Congratulations to the third grade students who placed in the fire prevention poster contest. Brandy-1st, Graham-2nd, and Mary-3rd. The first place poster gets sent on to the state competition.

Socktober

The third grade class continues to collect socks to donate to the Creston Matura for the Christmas giving. Donations can be brought to school through Thursday, November 17th. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. The third grade class will deliver the socks to Matura next week.

Kindness Week

During the week of Monday, November 14th-Friday, November 18th, the third grade class will be celebrating "Kindness" week. Students are asked to wear cardigans on Monday, November 14th in remembrance of Mr. Rogers. Students will also be making placements to be delivered to Homestead Assisted Living. Other kind activities are planned throughout the week.

On Thursday, November 17th, the third grade class will be delivering the socks to Creston Matura and the placemats to Homestead. A permission slip has been included in the take home folder. The class will be using Southern Iowa Trolley for transportation.

Important Dates

Friday, November 11th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, November 11th-Veteran's Day Program

Monday, November 14th-Celebrate World Kindness Day 

Wednesday, November 23rd-Monday, November 28th-Thanksgiving Vacation

Wednesday, December 7th-Christmas Concert

10/27/22

Burg's Buzz 

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10/27/22

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class the story The Harvest Birds by Blanca Guadalupe Lopez Morales. This folktale follows Juan following his dream to be a farmer. Most people in the town laugh Juan's dream, except for Grandpa Chon who gives Juan some land to see if he is able to have a bountiful harvest. Along with the zanate birds, Juan proves that dreams can come true with hard work and a belief in yourself.

The results of the lesson 7 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder.

Next week the class will NOT be moving ahead in the reading series. There will be no spelling or weekly assessment since there are only 3 days of school next week.

Science

Third grade will have a test over force on Friday, October 28th.

Math

The class continues to work on multiplication. Students were introduced the The Associative Property. An example is (3x2) X 4=3 X (2 X 4).  Students have been preparing for the Topic 3 Assessment which will be on Monday, October 31st.

Coin Wars

Winners were announced in the Creston High School "Coin Wars" this week. Congratulations to the 3rd Grade class on placing second in the private school category! The students have earned a cookie party on November 8th. In total, $14,120.68 was raised for the veterans from Union County to attend Honor Flights.

Halloween 

St. Malachy School will be celebrating Halloween during the afternoon of Monday, October 31st. The middle school wing will have games for the elementary aged students to participate in. The annual parade begins at 2:30 PM. There will be time for students to change into their costumes before the parade. Students should be able to handle getting themselves ready for the most part. I will help with buttoning, zipping, and tying.

Reading Calendars

Please return October reading calendars back to school by Wednesday, November 2nd. November calendars are included in the take home folder.

Dress Code

Beginning on Tuesday, November 1st, shorts will not longer be allowed for STM students. Shorts can return in March.

Also, please note I am still having conversations with the girls about the length of shirts that are worn with leggings. According to the school dress code policy, tops must go to the mid-thigh when wearing leggings.

Socktober

The third grade is collecting children and adult socks from now through Friday, November 11th. The socks will be donated to the Matura Christmas gift program. The activity is one of the activities that the students will be participating in for Kindness Week in November.

 

Important Dates

Friday, October 28th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, October 31st-Halloween Activities in the Afternoon

Monday, October 31st-Wednesday, November 2nd-Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:30-4:30 PM

Tuesday, November 1st-All Saints Mass

Thursday, November 3rd-NO SCHOOL (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

Friday, November 4th-NO SCHOOL

Friday, November 11th-Veteran's Day Program

10/20/22

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10/20/22

Science

Students have been learning about electricity and static electricity in class.

Math

The class continues to work on multiplication. This week students worked on the factors of 3, 4, 6,  7, and 8. All of the factors have been covered to this point. Please practice the multiplication facts at home to improve fluency. An additional five to ten minutes each day will greatly improve multiplication fluency.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade is reading the informational text What Do Illustrators Do? by Eileen Christelow. In this story, the reader learns about the process two different illustrators through the process of illustrating a book. The comprehension skill covered text and graphic features. Students reviewed synonyms as the vocabulary skill. The grammar skill focused on verb tense (present, past, and future). The phonics skill covered the three letter clusters of -str, spr-, scr-, and thr-.

The results of the lesson 6 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder.

Socktober

The third grade class will be participating in week long (November 14th-18th) kindness activities. In preparation for this week-long event, the third grade class will be participating in celebrating “Socktober” from Friday, October 21st-Friday, November 11th. Socktober started in October of 2011 with a young man donating socks to a homeless shelter. Last year there were participants from all seven continents. Even in Union County there is a need to help out.

Donations of children and adult socks will be collected at St. Malachy School, and then delivered by the 3rd grade students to our local Matura during the week of November 14th. The socks will be used in Matura’s Christmas gift program for elementary and teenage children.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Fall parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of Monday, October 31st-Thursday, November 4th. Use this link Third Grade Fall Conferences to sign up for a parent/teacher conference.

Halloween Festivities

Halloween will be celebrated at St. Malachy School on Monday, October 31st. In the afternoon, the middle school will have activities for the elementary aged students to participate in. Students will have time to change into costumes before the parade. The parade begins at 2:30 PM in the gym.

Important Dates

Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 28th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, October 31st-Halloween Activities and Parade

Thursday, November 3rd and Friday, November 4th-NO SCHOOL

10/13/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10/13/22

Parent/Teacher Fall Conferences

Parent/Teachers conferences are scheduled for the week of October 31st-November 3rd. On the 31st, 1st, and 2nd, there are times available between 4 times available between 3:30-4:30 PM. On the 3rd of November, conferences will run from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Please pay close attention to the day and time you are signing up for. The following link can be used to sign up.

3rd Grade Fall Conference Sign Up

FAST Testing

In the take home folder this week is the results of the FAST testing in both reading and math. These tests are used to see in students need interventions. Please review the results and let me know if you have any questions. Another screening will take place in the winter and again in spring.

Coin Wars

The Creston CAST and FBLA are sponsoring "Coin Wars" through Tuesday, October 11th. Change can be brought to school and deposited in the third grade bucket. All money raised will be donated for Union County Veterans to attend a Honor Flight.

Science

The students have been learning about the force of magnetism. Students were able to experiment with magnets in class.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the class is reading the narrative nonfiction selection titled Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies. In this story, students follow the bat as she leaves her roost and goes out into the night to find food. The comprehension skill covered sequencing. Students also worked on action and helping verbs as the grammar skill. The class focused on the suffixes of -ible and -able as the vocabulary skill. The phonics skill   .

The results of the Unit 1 Benchmark Assessment have been included in the take home folder. This test is different than the weekly assessment. The weekly assessments cover stories that we have read and discussed in class during the week. The benchmark tests assess the skills learned in the previous five lessons in new texts. This is the first time the students will have read the stories. The goal of the first benchmark assessment is to expose students to this type of testing. This is not a test you can work through quickly. It may require students to look back at the stories and reread. I had students take this first assessment on their own, so I could see how each student performed. I will be grouping students differently on the next benchmark test.

Math

The 3rd grade class is continuing to work on multiplication. Students worked on learning the Distributive Property of Multiplication. The class was able to practice using Pop Its. They loved it!

Important Dates

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

Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 28th-Spirit Day

Monday, October 31st-Halloween Festivities 

Tuesday, November 1st-Mass

Thursday, November 3rd-No School (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

Friday, November 4th-No School

10/6/22

Burg's Buzz

10/6/22

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Mass Parts

The 3rd grade class will be leading the mass on Wednesday, October 6th. Mass parts have been sent home in the take home folder. I have read through each speaking part with the students. Please practice parts at home. We will practice at school as well. Parents are more than welcome to join the liturgy beginning at 9:15 AM.

Science

In third grade, the class continues to learn about force. Students have learned the difference between balanced and unbalanced forces. Students have also learned about friction and gravity.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the class is taking the Unit 1 Benchmark Assessment. This test assess the understanding the reading skills (vocabulary and comprehension) that we have covered in lessons 1-5 previously. Please look the for the results in next week's take home folder.

The class is also working on personal narrative writing. I read aloud the story The Best Part of Me to the class last week. Students then chose 3 body parts, then wrote three reasons why he/she liked that specific body part. On Monday, students chose one of the body parts to write a rough draft. Students then worked with a peer on editing looking for uppercase letters at the beginning of each sentence and a period at the end of each sentence. On Tuesday, student began typing their personal narratives. I will be sharing the final copies with parents at conferences.

On Friday, the third grade students will take the lesson 6 spelling pretest. I will also hand out the packet. Missed words will be due on Monday, October 10th. The packet will be due on Thursday, October 13th. There is no school on Friday, October 14th.

Math

Students worked on problem solving using addition, subtraction, and now using multiplication to solve word problems. The third grade class will have the topic 2 math test on Friday, October 7th. Students will be tested on knowing the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. Students do not have to have 

The class will be preparing for the topic 2 test covering the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10 towards the end of the week.

Coin Wars

Creston High School  FBLA and CAST  will be having "Coin Wars" from Tuesday, October 11th through Tuesday, October 18th. Each class will try and fill a jar with coins. The class at each level with the most money collected will win a pizza party. The second place winners at each level will win a cookie party. All money donated will be donated to Union County Veterans.

Book Order

Information about ordering from the October book order was emailed to you earlier this week. A note has also been included in the take home folder. All are are due online by Friday, October 14th.

Important Dates

Friday, October 7th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, October 12th-3rd Grade Leads the Liturgy

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

Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 28th-Spirit Day $1

9/29/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/29/22

Math

The third graders have been practicing the factors of 2, 5,  9, and 10. Strategies have been taught for each factor.  Please practice solving multiplication problems at home.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading the biography Roberto Clemente-Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Students learned about the successes and difficulties that Clemente experienced. The comprehension skill covered cause and effect. Students worked on the long i sound as the phonics skill. The vocabulary skill focused on using the prefix of mis-. The class covered singular and plural nouns as the grammar skill.

Remember that Friday,  September 30th is "Baseball Day" in third grade. Students are asked to wear a baseball/softball elated clothing. That can include tshirts, jersey, and ball caps.

The lesson 4 weekly assessment has been included in the take home folder.

Next week the class will be taking the Unit 1 benchmark assessment. This test will cover the skills covered in lessons 1-5. There will be no spelling next week. The class is also going to be doing a writing project.

Science

The third grade class has been learning about force.  Students have learned about pushes and pulls. The class has also learned about weak and strong forces, as well as balanced and unbalanced forces.

Reading Incentive Program

Students in third grade at St. Malachy School are going to be participating in a reading incentive program for the months of October through March. Students will track the number of minutes read each day of the month on the calendar. This can include what the child reads individually, and the reading parents and students do together. The goal for October-December is 400 minutes. The goal increases to 500 minutes from January-March. A note explaining the reading incentive program and an October calendar is coming home in the take home folder. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important Dates

Friday, October 7th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, October 12th-3rd Grade Leads Mass

Friday, October 14th-No School (Professional Development)

Friday, October 21st-Spirit Day

9/22/22

 Burg's Buzz

9/22/22

nburg@crestronstmalachy.org

Science

The next topic the third grade class will be covering is force and motion.

Math

Unit 2 in math will begin to focus on specific factors in the process of multiplication. The factors that will be taught in unit 2 include 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. A variety of strategies will be taught for each factor. Practicing skip counting at home is a great way to practice for multiplication.

Reading/Language Arts

This week's story was an historical fiction story called Pop's Bridge by Eve Bunting. In this selection, Robert thinks his dad has the most important job in building the Golden Gate bridge as a skywalker. After a tragic accident on the bridge, Robert realizes that all of the jobs are just as important as the other. The comprehension skill focused on comparing and contrasting. Students worked on word families as the vocabulary strategy. The grammar skill the students worked on was common and proper nouns. Students worked on the long vowel sound of o using oa and ow.

The lesson three weekly assessment results have been included in the take home folder for parents to view.

Friday, September 23rd

Friday, September 23rd is a Spirit Day. Pay $1 to wear sweats. Students are asked to wear their Creston Panther gear for Homecoming. School dismisses 3 hours early and no lunch will be served. The Homecoming parade begins at 1:30 PM.

Important Dates

Friday, September 22nd-Spirit Day $1 Panther Gear

Friday, September 22nd-3 Hour Early Out

Friday, September 22nd-Homecoming Parade 1:30 PM

Friday, October 7th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, October 12th-3rd Grade Leads Mass

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

9/15/22

 Burg Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/15/22

Reading/Language Arts

This week's story was Destiny's Gift by Natasha Tarpley. In this realistic fiction story, we learn that Destiny's favorite place to be be is the bookstore owned by Mrs. Wade. When the landlord of the building decides to raise the rent,  Mrs. Wade cannot afford it. The whole neighborhood pitches in to help out, and Mrs. Wade gets a special gift from Destiny. The comprehension skill focused on  understanding characters through feelings, traits, and motivations. Students are worked on antonyms at the vocabulary strategy. The grammar skill covered compound sentences. The phonics skill focused on the vowel pairs of ai, ay, ee, ea.

The results of the lesson 2 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder.

Science

The third grade class continues to learn about scientists. This week the class read about Galielo Galilei and Louis Pasteur.

Math

The class has been working on learning the process of division. Students have been finding out the number in each group and the number of groups when dividing. Students have also practiced dividing by using repeated subtraction.

Important Dates

Friday, September 23rd-Spirit Day $1

Friday, September 23rd-3 Hour Early Out (Homecoming)

9/8/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonsmalachy.org

9/8/22

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class read the story The Trial of Cardigan Jones. In this fantasy selection, Cardigan Jones, a moose, is new in town. When Mrs. Brown's apple pie ends up missing, the townspeople are convinced that Cardigan is guilty of stealing it. Cardigan has to prove to a judge and jury that he is innocent of the crime. The comprehension skill focused on drawing conclusions. Students also worked on long vowels as the phonics skill. The vocabulary skill covered using a dictionary to figure out definitions of multiple meaning words. Student also learned about four types of sentences.

The results of the lesson 1 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder

Science

Students continue to learn about scientists and their contributions. This week the class learned about Isaac Newton.

Math

The class continue to work on multiplication strategies. Students continued to work on relating arrays to repeated addition problems and multiplication facts.

Book Order

Parents have the opportunity to order Scholastic books using the following links. Digital Flyer and Class Page There is an information sheet in the take home folder. All ordering this year will take place online.

Important Dates

Friday, September 9th-Spirit Day $1 (Iowa/Iowa State Day)

Thursday, September 15th-PTO Meeting 6 PM

Friday, September 23rd-3 Hour Early Out (Homecoming)

9/1/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/1/22

Science

Students in third grade are learning about scientists and their contributions. The class has learned about Albert Einstein and is currently studying Marie Curie.

Math

The third grade class is starting the year working on multiplication. At this point, I am teaching students about the process of multiplication. Students are relating addition to multiplication.  Students are using a number line to solve multiplication facts. 

A good way to practice for multiplication at this point is having students skip count. This can especially be helpful for the 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s, and 8s. When we get to each factor, I will teach students specific strategies.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the class is reading A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech. In this humorous fiction selection, Mr. Keene, the principal, enjoys all the learning taking place at school. He decides to have school on the weekends, holidays, and during the summer. Finally, Tillie lets Mr. Keene know that not everyone is learning since they are aren't able to be at home. The comprehension skill this week focused on story structure (setting, characters, and plot). The vocabulary skill was using context clues to figure out the meaning of words. Students worked on short vowels and words with VCCV pattern as the phonics skill. The grammar skill covered simple sentences. The class discussed subjects and predicates.

Dress Code

Just a reminder to make sure students are following the school dress code.  A couple of key expectations on the list include the following. 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. Leggings (shorts or full length) may be worn as long as the bottom of the dress, skirt or shirt extends to at least mid-thigh. Also, please remember these requirements for mass days. Students are expected to dress up on Mass days. Dress shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, and dress slacks for boys. Dresses, skirts, slacks, sweaters, turtlenecks, and blouses for girls. Leggings may be worn as long as the bottom of the dress or skirt extends to at least mid-thigh. No denim of any kind or color (includes skirts, shirts, pants, dresses, and jumpers) on Mass days. No dress shorts, gauchos, Capri, crop pants, or split skirts on Mass days. No t-shirts, sweatshirts or athletic gear on Mass days.

Important Dates

Friday, September 2nd-3 Hour Early Dismissal

Monday, September 5th-NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Wednesday, September 7th-Back to School Picnic 6 PM

Friday, September 9th-Spirit Day $1

Thursday, September 15th-PTO Meeting

8/25/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

8/25/22

First Day Pictures

Math

To start the year, the students have been reviewing addition and subtraction facts. Students are also in the process of taking the beginning of the year test.

Science

The first topic that the third grade class will be learning about is scientists and the contributions to the world.

Reading/Language Arts

This week's reading and writing activities have focused on getting to know the students and the teacher.

Next week the class will begin in the reading series. There will be a spelling pretest and post test. Throughout the week the class will be doing vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and phonics skills. At the end of the week, students will take an assessment that covers the skills discussed during the week.

Social Contract

The third, fourth, and fifth grade classes created a social contract that will be followed throughout the school year. A copy of the social contract has been included in the take home folder. Please discuss the social contract with your child at home.

Technology Contract

A use of technology contract at school is being sent home in the take home folder. Please go over it with your child, initial and sign, and return back to school.

School Pictures

School pictures at St. Malachy School are scheduled for Thursday, September 1st. Picture envelopes were sent home during the back to school night.

Important Dates

Friday, August 26th-Spirit Day-$1

Thursday, September 1st-Picture Day

Friday, September 2nd-3 Hour Early Dismissal 

Monday, September 5th-NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Friday, September 9th-Spirit Day  

5/26/22

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

5/26/22

Happy last day of school! It has been a successful school year for the third grade students. Here is a picture from the first day of school to the last day of school!

First Day of 3rd Grade

Last Day of 3rd Grade

Creston Arts Center

Included in each student's take home folder is about a writing contest to compete in. If wanting to participate, please return to the Creston Arts Center. The deadline is June 1st. The first 150 entries receive a McDonalds certificate. 1st-3rd prize will be recognized on the Creston Arts website and get a free Southern Prairie Family Fitness pass. The 1st place winner will have their writing published in the Creston News Advertiser and get a Creston Arts t-shirt.

Summer Break

Thank you for sharing your child with me during this school year. I hope everyone is able to have a relaxing and safe summer break. I hope the students take time this summer to play outside, ride their bikes, visit the library, and go swimming. I also hope the students are able to read some, practice cursive, and work on the basic math facts occasionally as well. I will see everyone back in August ready for 4th grade!