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

8/28/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

8/28/25

Welcome to 3rd Grade

It has been a GREAT first week of school in third grade! The students are learning the daily routines. I will post a blog each Thursday morning. I also make announcements and post pictures on my school Facebook page (Burg's Buzz at St. Malachy School). This is a private page that only parents/grandparents of students in third, fourth, and fifth grade are a part of. 

Social Contract

This week, the third, fourth, and fifth grade students created a social contract. The guidelines that were established are expected to be followed throughout the school day. This includes when students are in the classroom, at specials, and at recess. A copy of the social contract will be sent home next week in the take-home folder. Please place this in a location where your child can read it regularly as a reminder.

Math

The first topic that the third-grade class will cover is multiplication. This week, students have worked on relating multiplication to repeated addition.

Reading/Language Arts

Module 1 focuses on characters. The stories within the module will focus on the traits of characters. The first story that the class will be reading is Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown. This realistic fiction story is about a lively girl who explores how individuality makes us different.

The class also started spelling this week. An email explaining how spelling works in 3rd grade was sent out yesterday. A hard copy of the note is being sent home in the take home folder.

Dress Code

Here are some reminders about the school's dress code. Students in third grade must wear shoes that stay securely fastened to their feet. This means shoes must have a back on them. The other expectation is that when a student wears leggings, the bottom of the shirt, skirt, or dress must extend to the mid-thigh. I have had discussions with the students about the dress code.

Classroom Fridge

A note was sent home with parents at Meet the Teacher about the "fridge" in our classroom. Students are asked to bring in a fridge worthy picture of themselves to put up. Below is a photograph of what the fridge looks like now. There is still plenty of room for photographs from students who have not brought one in. 

Important Dates

Monday, September 1st-NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Wednesday, September 3rd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, September 10th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Thursday, September 11th-Picture Day

5/29/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org 
5/29/25

Math

The third grade class finished the year doing a review of math concepts.

Reading/Language Arts

The class finished reading Poppy by Avi this week.  It is an enchanting story that uses the themes of bravery, friendship, and the triumph of good over evil. There are other books in this series as well for students to read.

School Year

It's hard to believe that the 2024-2025 school year is complete. My heart is full of gratitude and joy as I reflect on the learning and growth that the students and I have experienced together. Each third grade student has grown academically, socially, and spiritually. I have enjoyed getting to know each student through the school year. I hope your child has learned to take chances, know that it is ok to make mistakes, and not give up when things get hard. Thank you, parents, for your unwavering support that you have provided to me as your child's third grade teacher. Throughout the summer, I hope you can build upon the wonderful progress that your child has made throughout third grade.

I hope that all families have a wonderful summer. I will be keeping each third grade family in my prayers. May your summer be filled with God's abundant blessings.

Last Day of School Schedule

9:00 Field Day Activities

10:45-Silly String by PTO

11:00-Lunch Served by PTO

12:00-8th Grade Clap Out

12:10-Dismissal

Important Dates

June 23rd-27th-Vacation Bible School at STM

VBS Registration

  

5/22/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
5/22/25

Math

This week, the students have been working on subtraction. Students solved problems by using the partial differences strategy using a number line. The class also used the regrouping strategy.

If your child has not passed all of their basic facts on XtraMath, please continue to have them practice at home this summer. I have sent information to students who are not enrolled online in the take home folder.

Reading/Language Arts

The class continues to read the novel Poppy. We are about halfway through the book. The students are really enjoying it.

FAST Testing

The results for the spring FAST screening have been included in your child's take home folder. Every student made growth throughout the school year. Please continue to have your child work on their reading and math fluency during the summer. Five to ten minutes a day will help keep students on track.

Bringing Home Supplies

Students will bring home the supplies in their desks on Thursday, May 29th. Please make sure your child comes to school with an empty book bag. I have talked with the third graders about taking things home in their lockers ahead of time. I plan on sending home your child's writing portfolio with them this Thursday.

Last Day of School

Field day will take place on Friday, May 30th, beginning at 9:00 AM. Students should wear tennis shoes for running around outside. Lunch will also be served by the PTO, grilling hamburgers. School dismisses at 12:10 PM.

Important Dates

Monday, May 26th-Memorial Day (NO SCHOOL)

Thursday, May 29th-Take Home Supplies

Friday, May 30th-Field Day 9:00 AM

Friday, May 30th-12:10 PM Dismissal

5/15/25

Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

5/15/25

Reading/Language Arts

The third-grade class is reading the book Poppy by Avi. The story follows Poppy, a deer mouse, navigating life in Dimwood Forest. Poppy has to deal with a fierce owl, Mr. Ocax, and she faces challenges. Throughout the story, the class will work on vocabulary and comprehension skills that we covered throughout the year.

The results of Module 8 have been included in the take home folder.

Science

This week has been spent learning all about corn for the upcoming field trip. Students have learned about the process of planting and harvesting corn. They have also learned about the many uses of corn.

Math

The third grade class is working on addition with regrouping. Students started by solving addition problems by finding partial sums. This involves the students adding the sums using place value (hundreds, tens, ones). From using that strategy, students then moved on to using the standard algorithm.

Important Dates

Friday, May 16th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, May 21st-Spring Music Concert 6 PM

Monday, May 26th-Memorial Day (NO SCHOOL)

Friday, May 30th-Field Day 9 AM

The last day of school is Friday, May 30th. 

School will dismiss at 12:10 PM.

 

5/8/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

5/8/25

Math

The remainder of the school year will be spent on covering adding and subtracting regrouping.

Science

The students were given the challenge to design and build a shelter. Students were given specific criteria for success such as could the shelter stand on its own and did the shelter stay dry on the inside when water was dripped on it. Students also had constraints to deal with such as a budget of $10 to buy supplies and only class time to build the shelter. The shelters will be tested Thursday during science class.

Reading/Language Arts

This week, the class read Edison's Best Invention. In this opinion essay, the author claims that Edision's best invention is the light bulb. The author's text includes evidence to support to his claim.  The comprehension skills covered included summarizing, ideas and support, and text and graphic features Students also worked on plurals as the decoding skill. The vocabulary skill focused on the Latin roots of vis, mem, and cent. The students were introduced to complex sentences as the grammar skill.

This was the last week for the class to use the reading textbook. Students will bring home their reading book. The stories can be read over summer break.

There will be one more spelling test next week. It is an end of the year test. It will include one word from each of the twenty-four lists.

Biography Book Report Projects/Presentations

Overall, the students did a wonderful job on their biography projects, presenting to the class, and showing off their projects during the Biography Bash. A completed rubric is coming home in the take home folder for each student.

On the Trail of Iowa Corn Field Trip

On Thursday, May 15th, the third grade class will be attending the "On the Trail of Iowa Corn" event in Greenfield. Heath Mitchell, Lee Madison, and I will be driving/chaperoning the trip. We will the school at 8:45 AM and return back to school around 2:30 PM. Students need to wear tennis shoes for this field trip. Please, no open-toed shoes. Lunch is provided as well. Please complete the permission slip for your child, and have him/her return it back to school.

Mrs. Levine's Retirement

 

After 47 years of teaching first grade at St. Malachy School, Mrs. Levine is retiring from teaching after this school year. Please feel free to pass along this message to anyone you might know who had Mrs. Levine as a teacher. We are trying to reach as many of her former students as possible. Besides working with Ann for the past nineteen years at STM, my own children also had the privilege of being taught by her.

Important Dates

Thursday, May 8th-Glow-A-Thon

Friday, May 9th-Mrs. Burg Absent From School

Thursday, May 15th-On the Trail of Iowa Corn Field Trip

Friday, May 16th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, May 21st-Spring Music Concert

Monday, May 26th-Memorial Day (No School)

Friday, May 30th-Field Day 9AM

Friday, May 30th-3 Hour Early Dismissal

5/1/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

5/1/25

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading The Bumpy Ride by Sharon Katz Cooper. In this informational text, students learn the history of the bicycle starting in 18 . The comprehension skills reviewed included making and confirming predictions and author's purpose. Students worked with the prefixes re- and un- and the suffixes -less and -ness as the decoding skill. The vocabulary skill covered the prefix of ex-. The class was introduced to possessive nouns and pronouns.

Students will be presenting their biography projects during language arts time on Friday.

Science

Now that students have learned about engineers and the design process, the plan is to put the skills into action. The students will be presented with the following problem. Students will be challenged to build a shelter from given supplies such as toilet paper tubes, paper plates, straws, aluminum foil, craft sticks, wax paper, and tape. Each supply will cost an amount. Students will be given a budget of $10 to purchase their supplies. Their shelter will be successful if it can stand on its own, keep dry on the inside, and stay on budget.

Math

Students have been working on estimating sums and differences. The class has also been working on addition and subtraction word problems.

Biography Projects

The time has finally arrived. The biography projects are due tomorrow, Friday, May 2nd. Upon arriving at school on Friday, students should bring their project to the classroom.

The Biography Bash will be held on Tuesday, May 6th, beginning at 2 PM in the gym. Parents, grandparents, and other family members are welcome to come and view the projects.

FAST Testing

I will be testing students' reading fluency for the spring screening of FAST during the afternoon of Wednesday, May 7th.

On the Trail of Iowa Corn Field Trip

The third grade class has been invited to the "On the Trail of Iowa Corn" event taking place on Thursday, May 15th. This event is sponsored by several Adair County organizations. It takes place at the Neely-Kinyon Research Farm, which is south of Greenfield, and at the Adair County Fairgrounds. It is a day of learning about corn and all its uses. Every year that I have attended, I have learned something new. Also, lunch is provided.

For this trip, we will be using parent as drivers/chaperones. I will be one of the drivers. I have had one dad volunteer to drive. I need one more parent who can drive for this field trip. The car being driven needs to be able to hold at least five children in the backseat. Also, anyone driving has to complete the required online training required by the Diocese before the field trip. Please let me know if you would be willing to volunteer.

Important Dates

Friday, May 2nd-Spirit Day $1

Friday, May 2nd-Biography Projects Due

Tuesday, May 6th-Biography Bash 2 PM in Gym

Wednesday, May 7th-Fluency FAST Testing

Thursday, May 8th-Glow-A-Thon

Thursday, May 15th-On the Trail of Iowa Corn Field Trip

5/24/25

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
4/24/25

Science

The class has started discussing the difference between wants and needs.

Math

Students continue to work on using mental math strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. Students are also working on rounding to the nearest 10 and 100.

Reading/Language Arts

Module 8 focuses on inventors and their inventions. This week, the class read Timeless Thomas-How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta. In the biography. The comprehension skill covered making inferences, text/graphic features, the central idea, and text structure. Students also worked with prefixes and suffixes as the decoding skills. The grammar skill reviewed adjectives and adverbs when comparing. The class learned about the Greek root graph and the suffix 

-logy.

In the take home folder are the results of Module 7 assessments.

Clean Up Day

Clean up day is scheduled at St. Malachy for Friday, April 25th. Students should wear clothing that can get dirty. Third grade students are asked to bring a rake and work gloves to school. Also, a $1 donation is asked from each student to purchase flowers for the school steps.

 

Biography Book Report Projects

The students are down to one week left to finish their biography projects and have their presentations prepared for the class. Projects are due on Friday, May 2nd.

Important Dates

Friday, April 25th-Clean Up Day (Bring a Rake)

Friday, May 2nd-Spirit Day $1

Friday, May 2nd-Biography Projects Due

Tuesday, May 6th-Biography Bash 2 PM

Wednesday, May 7th-FAST Fluency Testing (Substitute in Room)

Thursday, May 8th-Glow-A-Thon

4/17/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

4/17/25

Math

The next topic the third-grade students will cover is addition and subtraction. They will learn strategies and properties for adding and subtracting. The students will also work on estimation and mental math.

Reading/Language Arts

We continued this week discussing The Storyteller's Candle by Lucia Gonzalez. The comprehension skills covered literary elements and figurative language. Students worked with adverbs that compared verbs as their grammar skills. The vocabulary skill covered compound words. The decoding skill focused on words with the /oo/ sound, such as mood and wood.

Please continue to have students study spelling words for each list. Some students post test scores reflect not putting effort into learning missed words.

Science

The class will next work on an engineering and design unit. Students will learn about the necessary criteria for success and any constraints they may encounter.

Mass

The third grade class will lead the mass on Wednesday, April 23rd. Your child's part has been included in the take-home folder. The third grade students will also play their recorders during the mass.

Adopt-a-Peep

Each third grade student will be adopting a Peep. Students will name their Peep and create a home for it. It is your child's job to take care of their Peep until next Tuesday. They will bring their Peep home and back to school each day. Students will also be keeping a journal. There is a note being sent home in the take home folder containing more details about this project.

Important Dates

Thursday, April 17th-Seder Meal (Bring a Sack Lunch)

Friday, April 18th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, April 21st-No School (Teacher PD)

Wednesday, April 23rd-3rd Grade Lead 

Friday, April 25th-Mrs. Burg (Personal Day)

Friday, April 25th-Clean Up Day

Friday, May 2nd-Biography Book Reports Due

4/10/25

 Burg's Buzz

4/10/25

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

ISASP Testing

Earlier in the week, the 3rd grade students took the Reading and Math assessments. ISASP testing continues today with LA/Writing section. 

Science

The students are finishing up their weather reports. They will also complete the unit review and study guide in preparation for an assessment over weather and climate next week.

Math

The class continued to review perimeter and area. There will be no topic test on identifying quadrilaterals and finding perimeter and area. 

Reading/Language Arts

The class started reading The Storyteller's Candle on Wednesday by Lucia Gonzalez. Set in New York City during the Great Depression, this historical fiction story is the tale of two children having moved from Puerto Rico. These children find out that the library has a place for everyone in the community. 

The class will be covering this story through next week. The spelling post test and reading assessments will be on Wednesday, April 16th.

Seder Meal/Crosswalk

The annual Seder Meal and Crosswalk will take place on Thursday, April 17th. As Christians, we celebrate this Passover meal to remember how Jesus rescued us from the slavery of sin. Death has passed over us and offers us eternal life.

This year it has been decided that the students need to bring a sack lunch for after the sedar meal. Milk will be provided.

The crosswalk will take place after lunch. Throughout the walk, we will go through the Stations of the Cross. Students are asked to wear a white shirt. An all school photo will be taken at Holy Spirit Church.

Biography Book Report Projects

The biography projects are due back to school on Friday, May 2nd. I see on the note that was sent home that it says Wednesday, May 2nd. Sorry for the confusion.

Important Dates

Friday, April 11th-Wear Basketball Team Jersey

Thursday, April17th-Sedar Meal/Crosswalk

Friday, April 18th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, April 21st-NO SCHOOL (Teacher PD)

Wednesday, April 23rd-3rd Grade Leads Mass

Friday, April 25th-Clean Up Day at STM

4/3/25

 Burg's Buzz
4/3/25
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Math

The third grade students have been learning about perimeter and area.

Science

The class continues to research weather and climate topics. The students are using an AI website called MagicStudent to generate questions. Students were then given information about the question asked. It also links student friendly websites for students to do additional searching for information.

Reading/Language Arts

This week, we have discussed test-taking strategies and practice assessments to prepare for the Reading, Language Arts, and Writing ISASP tests.

Reading Incentive Program

The results for March have been calculated. The total minutes read were 7,181. The goal was met by Natalie, Ellee, Hallea, Grayson, Maddox, Asher, Locklyn, Addy, Mosley, and Claire. Natalie read the most minutes for March.

ISASP Testing

ISASP testing will take place next week. Tbe 3rd grade students will take tests on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Here are a couple of things to remember for next week. Students should get a good night's sleep, eat a fulfilling breakfast, and come to school with a good attitude and ready to take a test. Testing will start around 9:00 AM each day.

There is a note in your child's take home folder from me. Please give it to your child over the weekend.

Book Order

In this week's take home folder is a book order. Scholastic offers wonderful books at affordable prices. Now is a great time to stock up for your child's summer reading. All orders are completed online. The due date is Friday, April 18th.

Important Dates

Thursday, April 3rd-Art Museum Field Trip

Friday, April 4th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, April 7th-ISASP Testing

Tuesday, April 8th-ISASP Testing

Thursday, April 10th-ISASP Testing

Thursday, April 17th-Seder Meal/Crosswalk

Friday, April 18th-Spirit Day $1

3/27/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

2/27/25

Reading/Language Arts

This week in third grade, the class is reading One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul. In this biography, students learn about Isatou Ceesay from Gambia, Africa. As a child, she begins to see all of the plastic that is creating piles of trash in her village. It's not until Isatou is an adult that she comes up with a plan to reuse the plastic bags to make purses to sell in the city. This also helps clean up the village she has lived in. The comprehension skills include making inferences and understanding the text structure. Students are working on irregular plurals as the decoding skill. The grammar skill introduces students to adverbs. The vocabulary strategy will cover the suffixes of -ness and -able.

Due to Reconciliation and the field trip to the public library earlier this week, the class has not covered all of the work that needs to be done. The spelling post-test and weekly reading assessments will not occur until Monday, March 31st. The rest of next week will be spent completing the ISASP practice tests.

Science

Each student has started researching their topic for their research paper.

Math

The next topic in math will cover two-dimensional shapes. Students will learn about the different types of quadrilaterals. The vocabulary that will be introduced includes polygon, vertex, concave, convex, angles, parallel, perpendicular, trapezoid, parallelogram, rectangle, rhombus, and square.

Reading Calendars

March calendars are due back to school on Tuesday, April 1st. No more calendars will come home with the students, but still continue to have your child reading at home

ISASP Testing

The Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress are assessments aligned with the Iowa Core standards that provide a clear picture of student learning outcomes. Students in grades third through eighth will be taking these assessments during the week of April 7th. Next week the students in third grade will be taking practice tests to prepare for these assessments.

Students need to be encouraged to put forth their best effort when completing these tests. Included in the take home folder is a note card and an envelope. Please write an encouraging and motivational note to your child on the note card. The note card should then be sealed in the envelope. Please write your child's name on the front and decorate it. Send the sealed envelope back to school with your child. I will give the students their note prior to beginning the testing. Please have them returned back to school by Friday, April 4th.

 

Biography Project/Presentation

The biography book report information is coming home with your child today. All of the information has been explained to your child. The entire project is due back to school on Friday, May 2nd. The Biography Bash is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6th, at 2:00 PM.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important Dates

Monday, March 31st-"Donut" Stop Reading Party-2 PM

Thursday, April 3rd-2nd, 3rd, 4th Grade Field Trip

Friday, April 4th-Spirit Day $1

Week of Monday, April 7th-ISASP Testing

3/20/25

 Burg's Buzz

3/20/25

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Science

The class has been learning the difference between weather and climate.

Next week, the class will begin their research on a weather topic.

Reading/Language Arts

The 3rd grade class has started Module 7. The next three stories will focus on how individuals are making a difference in the world. This week's story was called Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. In this biography, students learn about how Will Allen grew up, went on to play basketball in college, and moved to Belgium to play professionally.  Upon returning back to the United States, Will worked in a white collared job but realized he enjoyed being in the dirt and wanted to provide fruits and vegetables to people in the city. He bought six abandoned greenhouses, figured out how to use waste to make compost to turn into good soil, hung baskets from the ceiling, grew plants in buckets and on crowded shelves, then began adding goats, chickens, and bees. His farm in the inner city became known as "Growing Power." The comprehension skills covered include making and confirming predictions, the author's purpose, text structure, and point of view. The decoding skill focused on compound words and abbreviations. Students also worked on the suffix on -ion. The grammar skill covered irregular verbs.

The results of the Module 6 assessments have been included in the take home folder.

Math

The class has worked on different types of measurement. Students worked with gallons, quarts, pints, and cups. The class also worked on finding the mass of an object using grams and kilograms. The class has begun reviewing skills for the topic 14 assessment.

Field Trips

There are two upcoming field trips planned for the third grade students. First, on Wednesday, March 26th, the class will visit Gibson Memorial Public Library. The plan is to take the trolley arriving at the library around 1 PM and returning around 2:30 PM. 

The second field trip is scheduled for Thursday, April 3rd. The students in second, third, and fourth grade will be going to the Des Moines Art Center and JJ Gaffers for an art exploration experience. The bus will leave STM at 8:30 AM and return back by 3:00 PM. Students will need to bring a sack lunch. There is no cost for this. Expenses are being paid for by the Conover Grant.

Please return both permission slips back to school.

Donut Stop Reading Party

To end National Reading Month, there will be a party on Monday, March 31st at 2:00 PM in the third grade classroom. Each student is allowed to invite one adult guest to the party. The students will perform several reader's theater scripts, then enjoy a donut and share reading together with their guest. A note has been included in the take home folder about who will be attending the party with your child.

Important Dates

Friday, March 21st-Spirit Day $1

Monday, March 24th-Reconciliation

Wednesday, March 26th-Noisy Change Collection

Wednesday, March 26th-Public Library Field Trip

Monday, March 31st-Donut Stop Reading 2 PM

Thursday, April 3rd-Des Moines Art Center Field Trip

Friday, April 4th-Spirit Day $1