12/18/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

12/18/25

Math

In addition to completing the Topic 4 assessment this week, the students also worked on a math packet that reviewed multiplication, division, and word problems using all four operations.

Friday, December 19th

The dress-up day for Friday, December 19th, is Christmas Vacation. Students can either wear ugly sweaters or pajamas. Students also need to bring a sack lunch. Advent Angels will eat lunch together. Following lunch, students will sing carols in the gym.

Students can bring a gift for their Advent Angel. Please know this is not a requirement.

Stocking Stuffers

Many students need to replenish their school supplies, such as crayons, pencils, and erasers. These would make great stocking stuffers for students.

Reading Incentive Program

A January reading calendar has been included in the take home folder. The goal for the next three months increases to 500 total minutes. December calendars are due back to school on Monday, January 5th.

Christmas Break

There is no school from Monday, December 22nd, through Friday, January 2nd. School resumes on Monday, January 5th.

Important Dates

Friday, December 19th-Dress up Day (Christmas Vacation-ugly sweaters or pajamas)

Friday, December 19th-Bring a Sack Lunch

Monday, January 5th-School Resumes

Wednesday, January 7th-1 Hour Dismissal

Friday, January 9th-Spirit Day $1

Happy Holidays

I wish all St. Malachy third grade families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for the gift of allowing me to teach your children each day. It is exciting to see the progress that students have made so far, and I look forward to the educational learning experiences to come.

12/11/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

12/11/25 

Science

Since we have reached the end of a unit, the plan is to wait until we return to school in January to start the next topic, organisms and their environments. 

Reading/Language Arts

The second play in Module 4 is "Gigi and the Wishing Ring" by Gail Herman. In this Italian fairy tale, a young man goes out to discover the world in hopes of finding riches. He meets an old woman, who gives him her cat, dog, and a magic ring. The only stipulation is that Gigi isn't supposed to tell anyone about the secret ring. Then, Gigi meets Maliarda, a beautiful girl, and eventually tells her about the ring. Maliarda uses the ring to send Gigi and his pets to the top of the highest mountain. The pets get down from the mountain and have a mouse steal the ring back. The pets wish for Gigi to return from the mountain. Gigi uses the wishing ring to send Maliarda to the cold mountain.

The comprehension skills that will be covered include retelling, understanding elements of drama, and theme. The decoding skill covers the /ou/ sound. Students will identify and write plural nouns as the grammar skill. The vocabulary skill

Next week, the class will take the selection quiz on the story. Students will not take a module assessment.

The results of the Module 3 assessments have been included in the take home folder.

Math

The third grade class is preparing for the Topic 4 assessment. The test will be on Monday, December 15th.

Dress Up Days

Monday, December 15th-Christmas Character

Tuesday, December 16th-Christmas Plaid

Wednesday, December 17th-Christmas Best (mass attire)

Thursday, December 18th-Shiny, Festive, and Bright

Friday, December 19th-Christmas Vacation (ugly sweater or pajamas)

Friday, December 19th

Advent Angels will be eating lunch together on Friday, December 19th. Students will need to bring a sack lunch. Afterwards, the whole school will sing Christmas carols in the gym. Parents are more than welcome to join us in caroling.

Students are allowed to bring their Advent Angel a Christmas gift. Please note this is not a requirement. 

Christmas Break

School will not be in session for Christmas break from Monday, December 22nd-Friday, January 2nd. I hope that all 3rd grade families can spend time with those they love. My husband and I will be traveling to Mesa, AZ, to spend the week at my mom's house. This is such an enjoyable week for me, as it's the longest amount of time I get to spend with my adult children since they no longer live at my house.

School resumes for students on Monday, January 5th.

Important Dates

Friday, December 12th-Reconciliation for 3rd graders

Wednesday, December 17th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, December 19th-Bring a Sack Lunch

12/7/25

Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalchy.org

12/7/25

Math

The 3rd grade class has been ta;ught the divisors of 0-10. Students need to continue practicing the division facts. Being able to multiply and divide fluently is a third grade math standard. The class will complete the Topic 4 assessment before Christmas break.

Science

The class will take an assessment on the topic of motion on Wednesday, December 10th. The students completed a study guide with a partner this past Friday. We will check the study guide tomorrow in class.

Reading/Language Arts

Module 4 focuses on stories told as plays. The first play the class is reading is "The Saga of Pecos Bill" by Edward O'Reilly. Students will take the weekly assessments along with the spelling post-test on Tuesday, December 9th.

Advent Angels

Advent Angel activities begin this week. Students have been paired up with another student in the building and will partake in several Advent-themed activities over the next two weeks.

Mass

Mass this week will be celebrated on Monday, December 8th, due to it being the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This holy day of obligation is a Catholic feast celebrating Mary's conception without sin. There will be no mass on Wednesday, December 10th. There will be no PE class on Monday. PE classes will be on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Students will go to Library on Monday.

Christmas Dress Up Days

Monday, December 15th-Christmas Character Day

Tuesday, December 16th-Christmas Plaid

Wednesday, December 17th-Christmas Best Dress Up

Thursday, December 18th-Shiny, Festive, and Bright

Friday, December 19th-Ugly Sweater

Important Dates

Monday, December 8th-Mass (Feast of the Immaculate Conception)

Wednesday, December 10th-PE Class (tennis shoes needed)

Wednesday, December 10th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, December 12th-Donations for Nursing Home Residents Due

Friday, December 12th-Reconciliation for Grades 3rd-8th

Wednesday, December 17th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, December 19th-Sack Lunch and Caroling with Angels

Christmas Break

School is NOT in session from Monday, December 22nd, through Friday, January 2nd. School resumes on Monday, January 5th.

 

12/4/25

Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
12/4/25 

Christmas Music Concert

The music concert was a wonderful performance by the St. Malachy student body and Mrs. Warner. It definitely puts you in the Christmas spirit.

Vacation

My husband and I had a wonderful time on our anniversary trip to Cabo San Lucas. It was nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. I was definitely not ready to return to the cold, snowy weather in Iowa.

Important Dates

11/20/25

Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
11/20/25 

Reading/Language Arts

The third graders are reading Why is the Statue of Liberty Green written by Martha E. H. Rustad and illustrated by Holli Conger. In this narrative nonfiction story, students learn factual information about The Statue of Liberty by following students on a field trip. The comprehension skills covered identifying the central idea and providing evidence to support it, identifying the author's purpose for writing the story and providing evidence that proves the purpose, and being able to figure out the literary elements of the narrative section of the story. Students also worked on distinguishing between concrete and abstract nouns. The decoding skill focused on the silent letters kn, wr, gn, mb, and rh). The vocabulary skill covered the prefix of im-.

The spelling post and weekly assessments will be completed on Thursday, November 20th. The class will start on Module 4 upon returning from Thanksgiving break.

Science

During science class, the students learned about being able to predict patterns of motion. These patterns include up/down, back and forth, circular, and zigzag.

Math

Since the class has started learning about division, the students worked on identifying fact families. Just as addition and subtraction are related operations, so are multiplication and division. One of the strategies taught for learning division facts is to use the multiplication facts. The class has practiced the divisors of 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Book Order

A Scholastic book order was sent home in last week's take home folder. Please remember that orders must be placed online by Wednesday, December 3rd. If ordering a Christmas gift for your child, please notify me by email. I can notify you when the book order arrives.

Reading Incentive Program

November calendars are due back to school by Wednesday, December 3rd. I will hand out the awards for those students who meet the goal upon returning back to school on December 4th. A December calendar will go home with students next week.

Mrs. Burg Absent From School

As a reminder to parents, I will not be at school on Tuesday, November 25th, Monday, December 1, Tuesday, December 2nd, or on Wednesday, December 3rd. My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on November 25th. We are taking a vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico. The substitute will be Mary Brown. I do plan on telling the students of my absence from school this Friday. My plan is to attend the Christmas concert on the evening of Wednesday, December 3rd.

Thanksgiving Break

School will not be in session beginning on Wednesday, November 26th, through Sunday, November 30th. School resumes on Monday, December 1st.

Read-A-Thon Fundraiser

Read-A-Thon information is coming home in the take home folder today. St. Malachy's PTO will be holding its fall fundraiser beginning on Monday, November 24th and running through Sunday, December 7th. Students track their minutes read throughout the two weeks and gather sponsors to pledge money. All money and reading logs need to be turned back into school by Tuesday, December 9th. 

Because this is a fundraiser, money raised will be used to repair the cement work in the outdoor commons area and to provide funds for the future outdoor classroom. There are prizes that the students can also win. There will be an award for the student who reads the most minutes and who is the top fundraiser per grade band. All students who raise $50 or more will be entered into a raffle for an Amazon gift card. There is also an award for the top fundraising class and the class with the top minutes read.

Minutes can be counted towards both the monthly reading minutes and the Read-A-Thon fundraiser.

Sweatpants Fundraiser

Students can pay $20 to wear sweatpants (no pajama bottoms) throughtout December. The only stipulation to this is not being able to wear sweatpants on Wednesdays due to mass. All of the money raised in this fundraiser will go towards the cost of the outdoor classroom. If your child wants to participate, please have the money turned in by Tuesday, December 2nd.

Important Dates

Friday, November 21st-Spirit Day $1

Tuesday, November 25th-Mrs. Burg Absent from School

Wednesday, November 26th-NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

Thursday, November 27th-NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Day)

Friday, November 28th-NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

Monday, December 1st-Mrs. Burg Absent from School

Tuesday, December 2nd-Mrs. Burg Absent from School

Wednesday, December 3rd-Mrs. Burg Absent from School

Wednesday, December 3rd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, December 3rd-Christmas Music Concert 6 PM

Friday, December 5th-Spirit Day $1

 

 

 

 

 

 

11/13/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
11/13/25

Math

The class has finished the multiplication units in the book and will move on to learning the division facts.  Students still need to work on their multiplication fluency. The better the students know their multiplication facts, the easier it will be for them to learn the division facts.

Kindness Week Charity Project

Thank you to everyone who donated to the noisy change collection. In total $342 was collected. Donations are still being accepted until the end of the week.

Book Order

A book order has been included in the take home folder. Books make a great Christmas gift. If you would like to order books as a gift for your child, please email me, and I will notify you when the order arrives. All orders are placed online and are due by December 3rd.

Important Dates

 Friday, November 14th-End of the 1st Trimester

Wednesday, November 19th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, November 21st-Spirit Day

Thanksgiving Break

There will be no school on Wednesday, November 26th, through Friday, November 28th. School is not in session due to Thanksgiving break. School will resume on Monday, December 1st.

11/6/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
11/6/25

Science

As the class learns about motion, students have studied what speed is and how to calculate it.

Reading/Language Arts

The story that the 3rd graders are reading is The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. In this narrative nonfiction selection, the reader follows a young girl and her mother, who were commissioned to sew a large flag to fly over Fort McHenry, allowing the British to see it from afar. The flag became a symbol of pride, courage, and hope for the girl as it continued to stand as the war came to an end.

The comprehension skills focus on text structure, retelling, and vocabulary related to specific content areas. The decoding skills have students working with the sounds of /j/, /k/, and /kw/. Students are also identifying where commas go when there are words in a series of nouns and verbs. The vocabulary skill covers the suffixes of -er and -est.

Math

The students are preparing for the Topic 3 math assessment. This test will cover the factors of 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. It will also focus on the student's ability to use the Distributive Property to solve multiplication problems. 

Kindness Week

The 3rd grade class will be celebrating Kindness Week from Monday, November 10th through Friday, November 14th. Each day, there will be a fun dress-up day and an activity related to kindness. There is a note in the take home folder about each dress up day. There is also a note in the take home folder about the charitable act that the third grade class will be partaking in. In years past, Kindness Week has always been such an enjoyable time for the students.  

Resident Artist

On November 10th, 11th, and 12th, artist Gre Preslicka will be at STM assisting all classes in creating a mural. The 3rd grade class will be painting on Monday, November 10th. I suggest students don't wear new clothing or bring a large t-shirt to put over themselves while they are painting.

Important Dates

Friday, November 7th-Spirit Day $1

Monday. November 10th-3rd grade with the resident artist 

Wednesday, November 12th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, November 12th-Advent Night 6 PM

Friday, November 14th-End of the 1st Trimester

10/30/25

 Burg's Buzz 
10/30/25
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

I enjoyed discussing students' progress in third grade with parents at conferences. Thank you for taking the time to attend. I appreciate the books that were also donated to the classroom library.

Dress Code

Shorts will no longer be allowed when students return to school on Monday, November 3rd.

Also, remember that if wearing leggings, the bottom of the garment needs to extend to at least mid-length.

Reading Calendars

October reading calendars are due back to school on Monday, November 3rd. A parent needs to ensure that the total number of minutes read is recorded and sign the calendar. November calendars were sent home with parents at their conference.

Important Dates

Thursday, October 30th-NO SCHOOL

Friday, October 31st-NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, November 5th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, November 7th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, November 12th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, November 14th-End of the 1st Trimester

  

10/23/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10/23/25

Math

The class has been introduced to the factors of 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 when practicing the multiplication facts. Students have now been taught the factors from zero through ten. We will continue to practice multiplication at school, but learning each of the factors is also the responsibility of the students at this point.

Science

The next topic that the third grade class will study is motion.

Reading/Language Arts

During Module 3, students will learn about important U.S. documents and symbols. The stories in this module will be nonfiction.

The story the class is reading this week is called The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl. Told by James Madison, the fourth president, the students learn why the U.S. Constitution was developed, who wrote it, and when it was written. The story also breaks down the three main parts of the Constitution: the preamble, the articles, and the amendments. The comprehension skills focused on during the story have included summarizing, central idea, text structure, and text/graphic features. Students have also been identifying the tense (present, past, and future) of verbs. The decoding skill focused the the three letter blends of str-, scr-, spl-, spr-, and squ-. The vocabulary skill covered the prefix of dis- and the suffixes of -y and -less. Testing will not take place until next week due to the amount of information in the story and the skills to cover. On Friday, a copy of the story The U.S. Constitution will be coming with each student. Please have your child read this story to an adult over the weekend.

The results of the Module 2 testing have been included in the take home folder.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for next week. I look forward to talking to parents about their child's progress in third grade. During each child's conference, I will be discussing academics and behaviors. There is a note in your child's take-home folder if you would like to discuss anything additional. Please complete and return it to school with your child before your scheduled conference next week.

Halloween

Halloween will be celebrated at school on Wednesday, October 29th. Students do NOT have to dress up for Mass next week. Costumes should be brought to school. Time will be given before the parade to change. No weapons are allowed to be brought to school. There is NO early out on this Wednesday. The parade begins at 2:15 PM. Parents may take their child when the parade is done, but must come to the third grade classroom before the child is released to leave the building.

Reading Incentive Program

October calendars are due back to school on Monday, November 3rd. I will be tracking the minutes read throughout the entire six months for all students, so please return the October calendar to school. November calendars will be sent home with parents at conferences.

Dress Code

As of November 1st, shorts are no longer allowed to be worn. Shorts cannot be worn again until March.

A reminder for girls who wear leggings to school, that the bottom of the dress, skirt, or shirt must extend to at least the mid-thigh. If the sweatshirt plans on coming off during the day for PE or any other reason, then the shirt being worn underneath it must also follow this same rule. This applies to any type of leggings being worn. Dress code violation slips will be sent home for repeat offenders. The consequences for violating the dress code are on the school's website.

Important Dates

Wednesday, October 29th-Picture Retakes 8 AM

Wednesday, October 29th-Halloween Parade 2:15 PM

Thursday, October 30th-NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, November 5th-1 Hour Early Out

Friday, November 7th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 31st-NO SCHOOL

10/16/25

Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
10/16/25 

Reading/Language Arts

The comprehension skills covered in Dear Dragon include visualizing, analyzing characters, and point of view. We also looked at elements of poetry. The grammar skill focused on action verbs and the being verbs (am, is, are, was, and were). Students reviewed long and short vowel words as the decoding skill. As the vocabulary skill, students worked on the suffixes of -y and -ly.

The students have also been working on a writing project entitled "The Best Part of Me." Parents will get to read their child's work at conferences.

Science

In addition to learning about electricity, students also learned about static electricity and electromagnets.

Math

The third grade class has been introduced to the Distributive Property when multiplying. This property states that a multiplication fact can be broken apart into the sum of two other multiplication facts. An example of this includes

7X8 = (5X8) + (2X8), so 7X8= 40+16, then 7X8=56.

Topic 3 in our math books covers the remaining factors of 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences are scheduled for the week of October 27th. Please sign up for one conference time slot that works best for your family's schedule. Mrs. Levine sent out a link at the beginning of the week. Conferences are scheduled for Monday, October 27, and Tuesday, October 28th, from 3:40 PM to 7:00 PM. The last time I checked, the only time slot left on Monday is from 6:40-7:00. On Wednesday, October 29, conferences are from 3:40 PM-5:00 PM. Conferences are in the morning on Thursday, October 30, running from 8:00 AM-11:00 AM. There is NO school on Thursday, October 30th, or Friday, October 31st. I look forward to discussing your child's progress in school with parents during conferences.

Halloween Activities

Due to Halloween falling on a day when there is no school, St. Malachy will be celebrating it on Wednesday, October 29th. The middle school will have activities for the students to participate in during the afternoon. The parade will take place at 2:15 PM (no early out) in the gym. No weapons are allowed with costumes. Parents are allowed to take their child after the parade. I will need parents to come to the third grade classroom to pick up their child.

Important Dates

Friday, October 17th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, October 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, October 29th-Picture Retakes 8AM

Wednesday, October 29th-Halloween Parade 2:15 PM

Thursday, October 30th-NO SCHOOL

Friday, October 31st-NO SCHOOL

10/9/25

Burg's Buzz
10/9/25
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org 

Science

The class is learning about electricity. Students have learned how electricity reaches their homes. We have also discussed alternative ways to generate electricity without the burning of coal, such as solar and wind energy.

Reading/Language Arts

Today the class started reading the fantasy story entitled Dear Dragon by Josh Funk. This delightful tale follows George and Blaise, two pen pals who discover that their seemingly ordinary correspondence holds a magical twist. As they exchange letters, sharing their lives and dreams, they find common ground, learn to appreciate their differences,  and embark on a journey that brings their two worlds closer together.

There will be more information about the skills covered in this story next week.

Math

The Topc 2 math test, covering the multiplication factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10, will be administered on Friday, October 10th.

Mass

The 3rd grade class will lead the mass on Wednesday, October 15th. Your child's mass part has been included in the take home folder. If your child has a speaking part, please practice with him/her at home. We will practice the parts at school, but any additional help at home will be greatly beneficial. In third grade, a teacher no longer goes up to the podium with the children. 

There will also be a noisy change collection during this mass. Monetary contributions will help support faculty and staff experiencing health challenges.

Smart Watches

Along with not being able to have cell phones during the school day, students are not allowed to have smart watches or other communication devices. They can keep them in their bookbags to have access to them before arriving and after leaving the school grounds.

School Picture Retakes

Picture retakes at St. Malachy School are scheduled for Wednesday, October 29th. They are scheduled to start at 8 AM.

Important Dates

Wednesday, October 15th-3rd Leads Mass

Wednesday, October 15th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, October 17th-Spirit Day $1

 Monday, October 20th-Flu Shots Clinic (For Those Signed Up)

Wednesday, October 22nd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

10/2/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10/2/25

Science

The third grade class has been learning about magnetic force. Students have had the opportunity to experiment with magnets.

Math

The third grade students continue to work on multiplication using the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. The class has started playing games. Students also took their first timed tests covering the factors of one and two.

I am sure there have been parents wondering why the factor of 9 has been included with these factors, since counting by nine isn't easy. I am including two videos that show two different strategies students can use when multiplying by 9. Finger Trick for Multiplying by 9s and Product Adds Up to 9.

Reading/Language Arts

The story the class is reading is entitled The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera. In this memoir, the students learn how Juan felt as he went to school for the first time at the age of eight, not knowing the English language.  Students continued to work on understanding figurative language and identifying text and graphic features throughout the text as the comprehension skills. The phonics skills focused on words with with long i sound in their spelling. The vocabulary strategy covered the prefix of dis-. Students identified singular and plural nouns as the grammar skill. This story will continue into next week.

FAST Testing

The results of the reading FAST testing have been included in the take home folder. Interventions are determined by the CBMReading (WPM) and Accuracy.

Reading Incentive Program

During October through March, the third grade students have the opportunity to participate in a reading incentive program. A note containing all of the details has been included in the take home folder. Also included in the folder is an October calendar to record the number of minutes read each day.

Important Dates

Friday, October 3rd-Spirit Day $1

Monday, October 6th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

Tuesday, October 7th-Mrs. Burg Away from School

Wednesday, October 8th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

9/25/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
9/25/25

Math

Topic 2 will focus on the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. This week, students practiced solving problems using the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, and 9. Any additional practice that can be provided at home using the factors practiced at school will be very beneficial to your child. There are tons of resources offered online for practicing the basic multiplication facts. Walmart and Dollar Tree also sell flashcards.

Science

The class has been learning about types of forces, including friction and gravity.

Reading/Language Arts

Third grade is now working on Module 2. Students will build knowledge about how people use words to express themselves, with a focus on poetry and letters. Students will read texts in which the characters share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

This week's story, Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh, is a realistic fiction story about two cousins, one living in Mexico and one living in the United States, who write letters to each other. Throughout the story, the cousins learn about the similarities they share as well as the differences between the two. The reader is also introduced to Spanish words that promote cultural awareness of Mexico. The comprehension skills involved students working on retelling, understanding point of view, and text/graphic features. Students worked with the prefixes of re- and pre- as the vocabulary strategy. The decoding skill focused on words with the long o sound. Students identified common and proper nouns as a grammar skill.

The results of the Module 1 assessments have been included in the take home folder. The selection quiz is five questions over the story that was read throughout the week. The module assessment is a new reading followed by multiple choice questions and one short answer question covering previously learned skills. There is also a short paragraph that students answer multiple questions relating to the grammar skill that was learned during the week.

FAST Testing

The results of the math FAST testing are in the take home folder. The CBMmath Automaticity tests a student's math fact fluency. Beginning in the 3rd grade, the test includes multiplication and division. If your child is below the benchmark score, please remember that the students are just now learning the multiplication facts. Typically, big gains are achieved during the winter screening due to the amount of instruction and learning that will take place over the next few months. The aMath test assesses a broad range of math skills. This is the assessment that is used to determine if a student needs an intervention. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Friday, September 26th

Friday, September 26th, Creston High School is celebrating its Homecoming football game. This will be a Spirit Day at St. Malachy School. Pay $1 to wear sweats/hat. Students should come dressed in their Creston Panther gear. School lunch on Friday will be a grape Uncrustable, apple slices, string cheese, a cookie, and milk. School will dismiss 3 hours early due to the parade. Please notify the school of any changes to your child's dismissal plans for the day. STM will have a float in the parade. Parents do need to accompany their child on the float.

Important Dates

Friday, September 25th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, September 25th-3 Hour Early Out

Wednesday, October 1st-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, October 3rd-Spirit Day $1

Monday, October 6th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

9/18/25

Burg's Buzz

 9/18/25

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Math

The third grade class has learned the processes of multiplication and division. The Topic 1 Assessment 1 will be on Friday, September 19th. A practice assessment was completed in class and is coming home in the red folder today. It shows examples of problems that students will be solving. Students do not have to have any of the facts memorized at this time. They just need to know how to use the strategies learned in class to solve the problems.

Science

Students are learning about types of forces. The class has explored the differences between balanced and unbalaced forces.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade students are reading the fantasy story Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt. The students read about another unique character who fears the unknown world beyond his home. The comprehension skills the class is working on include making inferences, identifying text and graphic features, point of view, and theme. The class covered using the suffixes of -ful and -less as the vocabulary skill. The phonics skill focused on the long a (ai, ay, ea) and long e (ea, ee, ie, and e) sounds. The grammar skill was distinguishing between simple and compound sentences. Students were introduced to using coordinating conjunctions, such as "and," "but," "or," and "so," to join two simple sentences and create a compound sentence.

Testing for this story will be on Monday, September 22nd.

Important Dates

Friday, September 19th-Spirit Day $1

Tuesday, September 23rd-Homecoming Pep Rally

Wednesday, September 24th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, September 26th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, September 26th-3 Hour Early Dismissal (Homecoming)

 

9/11/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/11/25

Reading/Language Arts

This week, the class is reading a story by Megan McDonald, Judy Moody-The Mood Martian. Students learn about another unique character. Comprehension skills covered included monitoring and clarifying, figurative language, and literary elements. Students identified the four types of sentences: statements, questions, commands, and exclamations. The phonics skill focused on long vowel words. As a vocabulary skill, students worked with the prefix non-.

The spelling post test and assessments for this story will be on Friday, September 12th.

Science

The third grade class continues their conversation about force.

Math

This week, the 3rd grade students learned about the process of division. Students practiced dividing a total number of objects into equal groups. They also divided to find out how many equal groups there were when given the number of people in each group. Students practiced the strategy of repeated subtraction to solve division problems.

Green Valley Field Trip

Kindergarten through fourth grade students will visit Green Valley State Park on Monday, September 15th. The bus will be leaving STM around 9:30 AM. Students should make sure they are dressed for the weather. As of right now the expected high on Monday is eighty-six degrees. Students do need to wear tennis shoes. Please no sandals or crocs. Activities planned included a nature hike, gaga ball, using the playground, playing on the beach, using a parachute, and sidewalk chalk. Your child will need to bring a sack lunch with a drink for the field trip. Students may also bring their water bottles if they wish. The bus will return to STM around 2:15 PM.

FAST Testing

Three times throughout the school year, students will be given the statewide math and reading screeners. Students take these assessments on their chromebooks. One of these reading assessments involves students reading aloud to the teacher. Words per minute and accuracy are recorded. This test will be administered on Thursday, September 18th. There will be a substitute in the classroom on this day as I pull students to be tested.

Extra Curricular Activities

One of my goals as a teacher each year is to attend one outside of school event for each student in my class. I enjoy seeing the students participate in activities. Being an empty nester, this is one of the things I miss. I have attended flag football, volleyball games, dance recitals, basketball games, wrestling matches, soccer games, and running races. If your child has an event that he/she would like me to attend, please let me know the date and time. I will see how it fits into my schedule.

Music at Mass

If your child is interested in playing the piano or an instrument at Mass, there is a link to a Google form on the school's website that needs to be filled out. You will be contacted by the school once your request has been approved. The third grade class will lead the mass on October 15th, January 21st, and April 22nd.

Important Dates

Monday, September 15th-Green Valley Field Trip (K-4th)

Wednesday, September 17th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Thursday, September 18th-Substitute for FAST Testing

Friday, September 19th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, September 24th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

9/4/25

 Burg's Buzz 

9/4/25

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Science

The first topic the third grade class is learning about is force. Students have identified pushes and pulls that cause forces to happen. The class also discussed strong and weak forces.

Reading/Language Arts

The class finished Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match. Thursday will be spent taking the spelling post test, the weekly assessment (questions over the story), and the module test (a cold read that assesses students on the skills and strategies worked on).

On Friday, the class will have a pretest and read a different story.

Math

The class continues to learn about the process of multiplication. This week, students used a number line to skip count and solve problems. Students also made arrays to model multiplication problems. The Commutative (Order) Property of Multiplication was also introduced to the class. An example of this is 4x5=5x4.

Class Meeting

The third grade class is scheduled to have weekly class meetings on Wednesday afternoons. The discussions and activities that the class does will focus on social-emotional learning. Enclosed in the take home folder is an interview form for your child to complete. Your child needs to interview a parent about he/she got their name, The child should be the one writing down the answers. During our class meeting on Wednesday, September 10th, the children will be sharing information that was learned from the interview.

School Picture Day

School picture day at St. Malachy is scheduled for Thursday, September 11th. Order forms were sent home in last week's take home folder. I have received a few order forms back. Please let me know if you need a new one sent home.

September Book Order

Included in your child's take home folder this week is a Scholastic Book order.  Scholastic offers books at affordable prices for parents to purchase for their children's reading interests. All ordering is done online. The closing date for ordering from the September catalog is Friday, September 19th.

Green Valley Field Trip

A field trip to Green Valley State Park has been planned for the students at St. Malachy School. The students in grades kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth will have their trip on Monday, September 15th. There is paperwork in the take home folder that needs to be completed and returned to school. Students will need to bring a sack lunch on this day. Also, please have students wear tennis shoes. There will be some walking on the trails.

Parents are more than welcome to meet us at the park. Please note that if you plan on joining, please make sure your background screening is completed. This is required by the Diocese for all adults who attend field trips. Please contact Mrs. Simmons with any questions pertaining to this.

Important Dates

Friday, September 5th-Spirit Day $1 (Iowa Hawkeyes/Iowa State Cyclones)

Wednesday, September 10th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Thursday, September 11th-Picture Day

Monday, September 15th-Green Valley Field Trip