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, and estimation on Friday, March 28th.

Reading/Language Arts

Module 8 will focus on inventors and inventions.  This week the third grade class is reading a biography called Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed our Lives by  Gene Barretta.  The author shows the "now and then" of specific inventions by Thomas Edison.  Comprehension skills covered include identifying text and graphic features, making inferences, text structure, and central idea. Students also reviewed adjectives and adverbs as the grammar skill. The decoding skill focused on prefixes and suffixes. Reference sources such as dictionary/glossary and the Greek word root graph and the suffix  -logy were  the skills covered as the vocabulary strategy.

Next week will be spent reviewing and taking the ISASP practice tests. There will be no spelling. Students will also work on reading and writing poetry.

Science

Students  are learning about the differences between weather and climate.

Reading Incentive Program

Please return March reading calendars to school by Tuesday, April 2nd.

Biography Book Reports

Students are bringing home information about a biography book report. There are several steps involved in completion of this project. The first thing that needs to be done is your child reading the biography that he/she picked out.  The next step would be to have your child fill out the report form answering each of the questions. I have included two of the forms In case of mistakes. Only one needs to be turned in. Next, your child should pick one of the projects and create it. Finally, your child should practice his/her presentation at home so they are prepared to present to their classmates.  Everything is due back to school by Wednesday, May 1st. Presentations will take place on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

A "Biography Bash" will take place on Friday, May 10th from 2:00-3:00 PM in the school gymnasium. Parents, grandparents, and special guests will be able to view all of the students' projects.

Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)

During the week of April 8th, students in grades third through eighth will be taking the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) standardized tests. These tests are administered on student Chromebooks.  These tests are important in showing academic growth, but do not want students to be stressed about them.  I want your child's testing experience to be positive and successful. Students should get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, arrive at school on time, and be encouraged to do their best. In your child's take home folder is a note card and an envelope.  Please write an encouraging note to your child on the note card. The note card should be returned in the envelope back to school by Friday, April 5th. I will distribute the note card to your child prior to testing.

Important Dates

Friday, March 29th-Read My Shirt Day

Friday, April 5th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, April 8th-Friday, April 12th-ISASP Testing 

Friday, April 12th-Glow Day

Friday, April 19th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

3/21/24

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
3/21/24

Science

The third grade class is learning about severe weather. Students have learned about thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards.

The students continue to work on their weather research papers.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading The Storyteller's Candle by Lucia Gonzalez. In this historical fiction selection, it is the winter of 1929, and cousins Hildamar and Santiago have just moved to enormous, chilly New York from their native Puerto Rico. As Three Kings' Day approaches, Hildamar and Santiago mourn the loss of their sunny home and wonder about their future in their adopted city. When a storyteller and librarian named Pura Belpré arrives in their classroom, the children begin to understand just what a library can mean to a community. The comprehension skill helped students recognize characteristics of historical fiction, synthesize information, and covered literary elements and figurative language. The grammar skill focused on comparing adjectives. Students also worked on compound words as the vocabulary strategy. The decoding skill focused on words with /oo/.

Math

Students have been rounding numbers to the nearest ten and hundred. The students have been estimating sums and differences.

Book and a Bagel

On Thursday, March 28th, each student plus one guest is invited to come to the classroom from 7:45 AM-8:30 AM to enjoy reading/listening to a book and have a bagel for breakfast.

There is note in the take home folder. Please fill it out with who will be your child's guest and return back to school.

Sedar Meal/Crosswalk

St. Malachy School will be participating in a sedar meal on Thursday, March 28th. Sack lunches are not allowed unless the student has a medical note. Following the meal, students and staff will participate in the Crosswalk starting at the school and walking to Holy Spirit Church.  Each student will need to wear a white shirt to school on this day. An all school picture will be taken at the church. A permission slip has been included in the take home folder. Please complete and return back to school.

Important Dates

Friday, March 22nd-Spirit Day $1

Monday, March 25th-Reading Gives You Superpowers Day

Tuesday, March 26th-Wild About Reading Day

Thursday, March 28th-Book and a Bagel Event (7:45-8:30 AM)

Thursday, March 28th-Sedar Meal/Crosswalk

Friday, March 29th-Reading Makes Me Glow Day