1/5/24

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

1/5/24

Welcome Back

Can you believe we are halfway through the school year? I look forward to seeing the students continue to improve academically and socially. I took some time on Wednesday to review classroom expectations and procedures. As a class we discussed the social contract, and how students should behave when at school.

Reading/Language Arts

Wednesday was used to write goals for 2024. On Thursday, the class started the next story in our reading series and had a spelling pretest. The post test for Lesson 14 will be on Friday, January 12th. 

Science

The third grade class continues to learn about animal adaptations.

Math

The class will continue to work on perimeter and area.  Students will be using the Distributive Property of Multiplication to find the area. Students will also be finding the perimeter and area of irregular shapes.

FAST Testing

The winter screening for FAST testing will start next week.  The students will take the computerized tests first. The CBMreading test will be given during the afternoons of January 16th and 18th.

Reading Incentive Program

Please return December reading calendars to school by Friday, January 5th. The reading goal will increase to 500 minutes during the months of January, February, and March.

Class Fridge

Students can still bring in a picture to put on our class fridge.

Important Dates

Friday, January 5th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, January 8th-Mrs. Burg Absent

Wednesday, January 10th-Cookie Party

Wednesday, January 17th-PTO Meeting

Friday, January 19th-Spirit Day $1

12/21/23

Burg's Buzz

12/21/23

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Math

Students continue to learn about area. The class has found the number of square units in a shape. Students have also learned to find perimeter and area of a square and rectangle.

Science

The class learned about how animals and animals are able to survive in their habitats by adaptations.

Reading/Language Arts

This week's stories and activities included The Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett and How to Catch a Reindeer. Students wrote about having a pet reindeer. Other activities focused on the book The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. Using the comprehension skills learned in our reading series, students identified the main idea, characters, setting, and summarizing. Students also designed ugly Christmas sweaters and wrote about what Santa should bring Mrs. Burg for Christmas this year.

Important Dates

Friday, December 22nd-Ugly Sweater Day

Friday, December 22nd-Lunch with Advent Angels (Bring Sack Lunch)

Monday, December 25th-Tuesday, January 2nd-Christmas Break

Wednesday, January 3rd-School Resumes

Wednesday, January 3rd-MASS

Friday, January 5th-Spirit Day

Happy Holidays

I wish all 3rd grade STM families a very Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is able to celebrate and enjoy this holiday season with family and friends. My family and I will be heading to Mesa, AZ where my mom lives during the winter season. We will be gone from December 24th-30th. I am looking forward to the warmer weather. Hopefully I will be able to wear shorts and get some sun while I am down there.

 

12/13/23

Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

12/13/23

Science

Students have learned that the environment can affect plant and animal traits.

Math

Students are in the beginning process of learning about area. Students have been introduced to square units.

Reading/Language Arts

For the remaining days left of school before break, the students will be reading and writing about Christmas. This week I am using the books How Santa Got His Job and How Santa Lost His Job.

Stocking Stuffers

School supplies would be a great idea for the students' stockings. Many of the students could use new pencils, crayons, and markers.

Next Week (December 18th-22nd)

St. Malachy School has some fun dress up and activities planned for next week. Please refer below to each assigned day of dress up. On Friday, December 22, students will need a sack lunch. Students will be eating lunch with their Advent Angel. In the past, some students have given gifts to their Advent Angel. Please know this is extremely nice, but not required.

Important Dates

Friday, December 15th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, December 18th-Grinch Day (wear green)

Tuesday, December 19th-Long Winter's Nap (winter pajamas)

Wednesday, December 20th-Dress to Impress (mass attire)

Thursday, December 21st-Christmas Carol Day

Friday, December 22nd-Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Friday, December 22nd-Sack Lunch/Caroling

There will be no school from Monday, December 25th through Tuesday, January 2nd. School resumes on Wednesday, January 3rd.

 

12/7/23

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

12/7/23

Math

The next topic the third grade class will be learning about is perimeter and area.

Please continue to practice the multiplication and division facts.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the class is reading the story Soccer Shootout by Jake Maddox. In this realistic fiction story, Beck and Ryan are both competing to be the team's goalie. When the coach picks a new goalie other than the one on last year's state championship team, Beck must figure out his new role as the sweeper. The story shows how to win it takes teamwork. The students worked on asking themselves questions about the story, author's purpose, and literary elements. The decoding skills focused on the vowel dipthongs of /oi/ and /oy/.  Students also worked on the suffixes of -er and -est as the vocabulary skill.

The Module 4 Assessment results have been included in the take home folder.

Science

The next topic the third grade class will be learning about animal habitats.

Mass

The third grade will be leading the mass on Wednesday, December 13th.  Those students who did not have a part in the last mass, will have a part in this mass. Parts have been included in the take home folder.

There is mass on Friday, December 8th. Students need to wear mass clothes. There will be a noisy change collection at the Friday mass and the mass next Wednesday, December 13th.

Reading Incentive Program

The results for November have been calculated. From the calendars returned back to school, the third grade class read 10,013 minutes in all. Hattie, Camden, Eli, Zayn, Jase, Ryder, Reid, Caroline, Ali, Hadley, Andi, Mikey, Clinton, and Jordy met the goal for November. The third grader that read the most minutes for the past month was Clinton.

Coin Wars

Creston FBLA, Creston CAST, and Creston Wrestling are partnering this year to raise money for the Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter of Union County. This is an organization that is committed  to making sure that "no kid sleeps on the floor in our town" by providing beds and bedding to children ages 3-17 for free that need a place to rest their heads. The Union County chapter has made and delivered 167 beds since June of 2021. 100% of the money donated will be given to this cause. STM will be participating through Coin Wars. There will be a container for the third grade students to deposit their coins in.

Care Center Gifts

St. Malachy School is once again collecting items for residents in the local care facilities. Please bring small items to school such as a deck of cards, word search books, lotion, body spray, socks, nail polish, hair brush/combs, blankets, body wash, soap, etc. Students will be decorating bags at school to put all of the gifts in. Collecting of these items will last until Friday, December 15th.

Important Dates

Friday, December 8th-Feast of Immaculate Conception Mass

Wednesday, December 13th-3rd Grade Leads the Mass

Friday, December 15th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, December 22nd-Sack Lunch/Caroling

Wednesday, January 2nd-Classes Resume

11/30/23

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

11/30/23

Reading/Language Arts

This week the class is reading the play Two Bear Cubs by Robert San Souci. This drama is a legend that comes from the Miwok Native American people in California's Yosemite Valley. Two bear cubs do not listen to their mother's advice and wander off, falling asleep on a rock. As the bears sleep, the rock grows into a mountain. The bear cubs are unable to get down and get help from an unlikely hero. The comprehension skills focused on monitoring and classifying, elements of drama, literary elements, and theme. Students worked on sentences with quotations. Decoding and spelling covered the sound /au/, /aw/, /al/, and /o/.

The spelling post test for this story will be on Monday, December 6th.

Science

The third grade students will be testing over the topic of motion on Monday, December 6th.

Math

3rd grade students have been working on word problems that involve all four operations.

Reading Calendars

Please return the November reading calendars by Monday, December 4th. A December calendar has been included in the take home folder.

Mass

There is no mass next Wednesday, December 6th. The school will celebrate mass next week on Friday, December 8th since it is the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Since there is no mass on Wednesday, students do not have to dress up on this day. I am planning on doing an art project during the morning that involves painting. Please do not send your child wearing something brand new or special on this day. Students will then need to dress in mass attire next Friday.

Important Dates

Friday, December 1st-Spirit Day $1

Wednesday, December 6th-Christmas Concert-6 PM

Friday, December 8th-Feast of Immaculate Conception Mass

Wednesday, December 13th-3rd Grade Leads the Mass

Friday, December 15th-Spirit Day $1

11/16/23

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

11/16/23

Science

Students are learning about patterns of motion such as back and forth, up and down, circular, and zigzag.

Reading/Language Arts

The class read the play Gigi and the Wishing Ring this week. The comprehension skill focused on retelling, elements of drama, and theme. Students decoded words with the vowel diphthongs ow and ou, while spelling words with the /ou/ sound. The grammar skill covered plurals by changing the y to i and adding es and irregular plural words.

There will be no work done in the reading series next week. There is only school on Monday and Tuesday.

Math

The third grade class continues to work on division fluency. Students have learned when products and quotients will be even or odd. Students need to continue to work on the basic division facts. Five minutes before bed or on the drive to school will benefit the students. 

Important Dates

Friday, November 17th-End of the 1st Trimester

Wednesday, November 22nd-Friday, November 24th-NO SCHOOL(Thanksgiving)

Monday, November 27th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher PD)

Friday, December 1st-Spirit Day $1

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

11/9/23

 Burg's Buzz
nburg@crestonstmalachy.org
11/9/23

Math

The class has started working on the operation of division. Students have identified multiplication and division fact families. Students have also been working on the divisors of 2, 3, 4, and 5. Any additional practice at home would be beneficial for all students.

Reading/Language Arts

The class is reading a play called The Saga of Pecos Bill.  In this drama, Bill, the youngest of eighteen children of a Texas pioneer, was lost in crossing the Pecos River and was brought up by coyotes. He considered himself a coyote until a cowboy convinced him of his true identity. Comprehension skills covered included ideas and support, visualizing, and elements of drama. Students worked on decoding words with consonant digraphs. Spelling words focused on the /ch/ sound. The class also worked on the prefixes of in- and im- as the vocabulary skill.

Science

The class continues to learn about motion. Students have learned about frame of reference, speed, and direction.

Friday, November 10th

Friday will be a busy afternoon. St. Malachy School will host a Veteran's Day program on Friday, November 10th at 1 PM. Please note the time change. Students will then be bussed to the high school to attend the pep rally for the Creston High School football team making it to the Dome.

Kindness Week

The 3rd grade class will be celebrating Kindness Week from Monday, November 13th-Friday, November 17th. There is a note in the take home folder outlining each day. Please also remember the class is taking donations of gloves and mittens for Matura's Christmas giving program.

Important Dates

Friday, November 10th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, November 10th-Veteran's Day Program 2 PM

Wednesday, November 15th-Read-A-Thon Kick Off

Friday, November 17th-1st Trimester Ends

Wednesday, November 22nd-Friday, November 24th-NO SCHOOL

Monday, November 27th-NO SCHOOL (Teacher PD)