10/1/26

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

10/1/26

A Note from Mrs. Burg

On Friday, October 2nd, there is a 3 hour early dismisssal due to the Creston High School Homecoming parade. Lunch will be served at school. It is a Spirit Day. Pay $1 to wear sweats. Students are asked to wear Creston gear to support the Panthers. There is no school on Monday, October 5th, due to teacher professional development. 

Math

Topic 3 will cover the factors of 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 in multiplication. Students will also be taught the Distributive Property of Multiplication. The property breaks apart a multiplication fact into the sum of two other multiplication facts.

   

Congratulations to Alaina for passing the addition facts on XtraMath. Jackson and Simeon have passed the subtraction facts, and Adelynn the multiplication facts.

Reading/Language Arts

The second story in the second module is The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera. In this memoir, Juanito is bewildered by his new school and misses country life. Everything he does feels upside down, but with the help of his teacher and his loving family, Juanito finds his voice and makes a place for himself in this new world. The class will focus on this story for the rest of this week and next week.

Science

There will be a test on force on Tuesday, October 8th.  A study guide will be completed on Friday and sent home with students.

Virtus: Protecting God's Children-Empowering God's Children

This year, our school is participating in a Virtus program  called Empowering God's Children through the Diocese. It is intended to teach children about boundaries and how to keep themselves safe. A note is being sent home in the take home folder. It only needs to be returned if you do NOT wish to have your child participate. I plan on teaching the lesson on Wednesday, October 14th.

 

Reading Incentive Program

Students in third grade will be participating in a reading incentive program in the months of October through March. The goal of the program is to get students reading at home and to develop lifelong readers. Each month, a calendar will be sent home with students. Please keep track of the number of minutes read each day. This can include what the child reads individually and the reading parents and students do together. At the end of the month, please calculate the number of minutes read, sign, and return the calendar to school. The goal during October, November, and December is 400 minutes. The goal will increase to 500 minutes in January, February, and March.  Please return the calendar each month, even if your child does not meet the goal. I track students' minutes each month. There will be an award for the student who reads the most minutes in each month. At the end of the program, I will award the top two students who read the most minutes throughout the entire six months. There will also be an award for any student who meets the goal in all six months.

There is a note and calendar in the take home folder. This is not something students are required to participate in.

Important Dates

Friday, October 2nd-Spirit Day $1

Friday-October 2nd-3 Hour Early Dismissal

Monday, October 5th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher PD)

Wednesday, October 7th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Monday, October 12th-Green Valley State Park Field Trip for K-4th

Wednesday, October 14th-3rd Grade Leads Mass

Wednesday, October 14th-1 Hour Dismissal

Friday, October 16th-Spirit Day $1

9/24/26

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/24/26

A Note From Mrs. Burg

The third graders have had some new school learning experiences. The students have had to complete study guides, correct them, and study for tests. Besides studying for spelling tests, this is probably your child's first experience preparing themselves for tests. The first couple of times, it can seem overwhelming, but it does get easier for the students. One of the things I really stress to the students is their handwriting. If they expect an adult at home to help them, that adult has to be able to read the answers that are written down.

Science

The class has been learning about magnetism. Students have experimented with how like poles repel and unlike poles attract.

Reading/Language Arts

Module 1 testing results are in the home folder. These are yours to keep. 

In Module 2, students will listen to, read, and view a variety of texts and media that show the importance of words and how they express ideas and feelings.

Our first story in this module is Dear Primo-A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh. In this realistic fiction story, two cousins, Charlie and Carlitos, write letters back and forth comparing and contrasting their individual words since Charlie lives in America and Carlitos in Mexico. The comprehension skills covered include identifying text/graphic features, determining point of view, and comparing and contrasting characters and setting. Students worked on identifying nouns as the grammar skill. The vocabulary skill focused on the prefixes re- and pre-. The decoding skill covered long o.

Math

The 3rd grade students continue to work on the multiplication facts that use the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. Please practice problems with these factors in them at home. We have been doing lots of practice at school. The factor of nine is the hardest for the students. The reason nine is included with this first set of factors is because of the strategies that are used. The digit in the tens place is one less than the other factor used. The digit in the ones place then is the digit that makes the product add up to nine. For example, 4 X 9=36 because one less than 4 is 3, and 3 + 6 =9. There is also the hands trick for the nines. I have attached a video explaining it. Hands Trick for Multiplying By 9

Congratulations to Eva, Jack, and Holly for passing the addition facts on XtraMath.

Important Dates

Friday, September 25th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, September 30th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, October 2nd-3 Hour Early Dismissal (Homecoming)

Monday, October 5th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher Professional Development)

Wednesday, October 7th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

9/17/26

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/17/26

A Note From Mrs. Burg

Can you believe it's already the 18th day of school? I am definitely ready for the rain to stop and the sun to shine again. I hope the balloons can go up this weekend.

Speaking of balloons, one of the balloonists is supposed to come to STM on Friday morning to show his balloon to the students. What a cool experience for our student body. I hope the weather cooperates for this neat experience.

The dress code was revised at the end of the last school year. It went into effect for the 2026-2027 school year. There are some of the same dress code expectations for Preschool-8th grade. Then, there are some by grade bands. I don't like to keep including this in the blog, but I am still having to have conversations with students about the dress code. I have talked to the whole class and have spoken to individual students privately. Please know that no one is in trouble over this. I am just doing my job to enforce what has been established. I am sending home a copy of the dress code policy. I have highlighted the expectations that seem to be causing the most issues. There are items of clothing your child wore last year that they are not allowed to wear this school year due to the change in dress code. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. I will provide any clarification necessary.

Math

The class has started learning multiplication facts. We will start with the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. I will teach the students strategies to go along with each factor. An example of this is that the factor of 2 is addition doubles, so 2 x 6 = 6 + 6. Also, the product of anything times 2 is an even number.

Dollar Tree and Walmart both have flashcards that you can purchase. There are resources that you can buy on Amazon. There are a plethora of online games. My piece of advice for parents is that students need to practice at home. We will play games and practice daily at school, but any additional practice at home will benefit your child with their basic multiplication facts now and division facts when we learn those later down the road. Five to ten minutes before bed or when driving to school each day can be of great help in mastering the facts.

One of the resources that I use with the students is Flash Card Math. Students can practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division on this website. All facts can be practiced, or a specific fact can be worked on. Also, time limits can be set.

  

   

Congratulations to Simeon, Nora W, JP, and Vanessa on passing the subtraction facts on XtraMath. Adelynn passed the subtraction facts. Super job by her!

Science

The class has learned about types of forces. Students learned about friction and gravity.

Reading/Language Arts

This week, the class is reading Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt. In this fantasy story, a squirrel learns to face his fears and embrace new adventures, while still keeping a predictable schedule. Comprehension skills that the class worked on included theme, point of view, and text and graphic features. The vocabulary skill covered suffixes of -ful and -less. Students identified and wrote compound sentences as the grammar skill. The decoding skill focused on long a and long e words.

 

FAST Testing

I will be assessing students' reading accuracy and fluency through FAST Testing on Friday, September 18th. Mrs. Sorden will be the substitute teacher in the room while I individually work with each student throughout the day.

School Picture Day

School picture day is scheduled for Thursday, September 24th. A form was sent home in last week's take home folder. If you have not returned the form, please return it before picture day next week. One check can be sent for multiple children.

Important Dates

Friday, September 18th-Mrs. Burg FAST Testing (Substitute)

Friday, September 18th-Balloon Visit

Wednesday, September 23rd-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Thursday, September 24th-School Picture Day

Friday, September 25th-Spirit Day $1

9/10/26

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
9/10/26

A Note from Mrs. Burg

The Channel 5 meteorologists' weather presentation was a huge success! Students learned about weather through some fun experiments. There will be a news segment on Channel 5 next Wednesday about the visit to St. Malachy School. Students are also bringing home information in the take-home folder about doing experiments at home for the opportunity to receive a prize package.

There have still been discussions about dress code in third grade. Athletic gear and t-shirts are not allowed on mass days. Also, no denim on mass days. One of the other issues is the length of shorts and skirts. According to the dress code policy, the length must fall within six inches of the knee when seated. When standing, there must be adequate coverage of the front, back, and sides. Students should not have to constantly pull these items down to meet the requirements. I do not enjoy discussing dress code with students, but it is one of my responsibilities as the teacher.

Water bottles should only have water in them. Students should not be adding flavors or have sports drinks in their water bottles.

I will attend the Iowa vs. Iowa State game in Iowa City on Saturday. Go Hawks! To support the in-state rivalry game, students and staff are asked to wear their favorite team on Friday, September 11th.

Science

The 3rd grade class has been learning about balanced and unbalanced forces in science.

Reading/Language Arts

This week's story was Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout by Megan McDonald. In this realistic fiction story, the reader follows Stink, Judy Moody's younger brother. Stink has to be able to identify specific frogs by the sound they make in order to participate in the First Annual Frog Neck Lake Frog Count. The comprehension skills covered literary elements and figurative language. The vocabulary skill focused on the prefix non-. Students also worked on long-vowel words that followed the vowel-consonant-silent-e pattern. The class worked on identifying the four different types of sentences. Students also had to be able to identify which punctuation went at the end of the four types of sentences when given examples.

Math

Students continued to work on understanding multiplication and division. The class worked on solving multiplication and division word problems.

At this time, memorizing multiplication and division facts is not required. Students need to understand that multiplication is the combining of equal groups and division is the separating of the total amount into equal parts.

The Topic 1 assessment covering the processes of multiplication and division will be taken by the students on Friday, September 11th.

Another student has passed the addition facts on XtraMath. Congrats to Jackson!

Green Valley State Park Field Trip

Please return all necessary forms and money for the Green Valley State Park field trip scheduled for Monday, September 14th for the kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade students. Students will need to bring a sack lunch with a drink for this field trip. Students should wear clothes that can get dirty, and tennis shoes are a must.

Important Dates

Friday, September 11th-Spirit Day $1 (Wear your Iowa or Iowa State Gear)

Monday, September 14th-Green Valley State Park Field Trip 

Wednesday, September 16th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, September 16th-PTO Meeting, 6 PM

Friday, September 18th-FAST Testing (Substitute Teacher)

9/3/26

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestsonstmalachy.org
9/3/26

A Note from Mrs. Burg

The students continue to have a better understanding of the procedures and expectations in 3rd grade. As a class, students continue to work on following the social contract.

The planner needs to be signed every day. There will be days when there is nothing written down for assignments and only my signature. The planner still needs to be signed by a parent. 

Over the summer, the dress code was revised and updated. A copy of the dress code can be found on the school's website. If you have any questions, please check there first. You can also reach out to me through email if you can't get your questions answered on the website.

One of the things I enjoy is attending the activities students participate in outside of school. My goal is to attend one event for each student. If your child is participating in an extracurricular activity (flag football, volleyball, dance recitals, etc.) that he/she would like me to attend, please email me a schedule, and I will try to make it.

Our class fridge has a few pictures on it, but is missing some students. It would be great if each student in the class is represented. Please have your child bring a photograph to school that he/she can be put on the door.

Reading/Language Arts

Students completed their first assessments on the first story in Module 1. The class took a multiple-choice comprehension test over Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match. In the second assessment, students have to read a different story, then are tested over the skills that were covered in class. This test is also multiple-choice, but also has a short-answer question, where students have to write their answer to the comprehension question. This requires students to develop complete thoughts using proper sentence technique such as an uppercase letter at the beginning of each sentence and punctuation at the end. This can be difficult for students at the beginning of the school year. I model writing sentences throughout the week to show students what the expectations are on the assessments. After finishing all three stories in a module, the results for all of the testing will be sent home.

The next story the class will be reading is Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout by Megan McDonald.

Science

The class continues to learn about force. Students have been learning about weak and strong forces.

Math

Students are learning about the process of division. The class has worked on finding the number of equal groups and the number in each group.

Congratulations to Adelynn on passing the addition facts on XtraMath.

Field Trip

The Green Valley State Park field trip for kindergarten through fourth grade is planned for Monday, September 14th.  A permission slip is coming home in the take-home folder. Please complete the form and return it along with $5 (to help cover the cost of the bus). Students will also need a sack lunch for this field trip. Parents are welcome to attend. There is paperwork and a training that needs to be completed before volunteering. Please check with the office about what needs to be done.

Scholastic Book Order

A Scholastic book order flyer is being sent home in your child's take home folder. Scholastic offers a variety of books at affordable prices. During October through March, your 3rd grade child will be participating in a reading incentive program. This is a great way to get new books for your child.  All orders for books are placed online. The order for September is due by Friday, September 11th.

  

Important Dates

Monday, September 7th-NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, September 9th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, September 11th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, September 14th-Green Valley State Park Field Trip

Wednesday, September 16th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

Wednesday, September 16th-PTO Meeting 6 PM

8/26/26

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

8/27/26

Welcome to 3rd Grade

We have a wonderful first week of school! I hope your child is adjusting to the schedule and all of the things that come with third grade.

I would like to introduce you to Miss Goldie. She is our class pet. Miss Goldie is going to be involved in many of the activities we do in third grade.

Planners

The assignment book will need to come to school with your child every day. There will be days when there will not be any assignments. I will still sign the planner. Parents are expected to sign it every day as well.

Take Home Folders

Your child will bring home a take home folder on Thursdays. On the left-hand side is their schoolwork and any papers that do not need to be returned to school. The right-hand side will have papers that need to be read, filled out, and returned. The folder needs to be returned to school on Friday.

Social Contract

A social contract was created by the third, fourth, and fifth grade students. This is what we expect students to follow in the classroom, at specials, in the lunchroom, and at recess. Each student signed the social contract in the third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms. A copy of the social contract is being sent home with each child. Please put it somewhere it can be reviewed.

Classroom Fridge

A note was sent on "Meet the Teacher" Night about my classroom fridge. There is an area in my room where students can display a photograph from home. I want my classroom to feel like a family, so I would like each student featured on the fridge. Photos can be from your child's birthday, with their pet, playing a sport, etc. Pictures can be exchanged throughout the school year.

Math

The first topic that will be covered in math is learning about the process of multiplication. Students will relate multiplication to addition, solve multiplication problems using a number line, and make arrays that represent multiplication equations. 

Reading/Language Arts

Module 1 focuses on story characters through the realistic fiction genre. The first story the class is reading is Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown. The students will be taking a spelling pretest today. Students will have to write missed words five times each. A note is being sent home explaining how spelling works in 3rd grade. The students will be learning vocabulary through context clues and working on the comprehension skills of literary elements, point of view, and theme.

Science

The first topic that the third grade students will learn about is force.

Important Dates

Friday, August 28th-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, September 2nd-1 Hour Dismissal

Wednesday, September 2nd-Back to School Picnic

Monday, September 7th-NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, September 9th-1 Hour Early Dismissal

5/28/26

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

5/28/26

3rd Grade

It's crazy to think the school year has come to believe the 2025-2026 school year has come to an end! Through all the ups and downs, I have truly enjoyed teaching each of your children. I loved getting to know each one of the students, watching each one of them progress academically, and seeing them participate in outside-of-school activities.  I get to watch each student on the path that God has chosen for them.

Thank you, parents for all of your support throughout the school year. I appreciate all you have done to support your child in third grade.

Lucky for me, I get to continue to teach your children. I will be their 4th grade science teacher. I get to continue to watch these students grow in their academics.

I hope all families have a wonderful summer. I know everyone is very busy with all of their activities. I hope you can take time this summer to relax with your family. Besides golfing and tutoring this summer, my husband and I have a trip planned to Belize in July. This will be our first time in Central America.

Summer Academics

Summer is a time for fun and a break from school, but we also don't want children losing the knowledge they have learned throughout the school year entering into a new grade in August.  The "summer slide" is the learning loss children can experience when school is out for an extended time.

Some ideas to avoid the summer slide include setting aside time every day to read, practice math facts, or write in cursive. Anything children can do to keep stimulating their brains. Mrs. Simmons challenged students to let their electronic devices get dusty this summer by finding other things to do besides being on them all of the time.

Field Day

Field day will take place on Friday, May 29th, the last day of school. The activities begin at 9:30 AM. Please have the students wear the t-shirts that were brought home earlier this week as a gift from Grey Mohr. Students should also wear tennis shoes. The silly string activity is to begin around 10:45 AM. A lunch of burgers and chips takes place around 11:00 AM. Students can bring their own lunch from home if they would like. The 8th-grade clap-out is scheduled for 11:55 AM. School dismisses 3 hours early.