Dear Third Grade Parents,

Holy cow! Family Fun Night was amazing.  What a fun time for all of us to come together as a school community and to celebrate the start of what I know will be a fantastic school year.  It really was a great time had by all and I was so happy to see so many of you.

A BIG thank you to Mrs. Bonakdar for coming in to be last week's Secret Reader.  The third graders had a terrific time listening to her read some picture book favorites, "The Spoon", The Paper Bag Princess" and "Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs".  Secret Reading is quickly becoming a class time favorite!

Don't forget, there is no mass this Monday.  All school mass will be on Friday instead.  Also, the $15.50 deposit for the third grade class field trip to the Old Globe's production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is due by next week.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns with regards to this field trip.  Last, but not least, be sure to review this week's Curriculum Update listed below. 

Curriculum Update for the Week of September 30, 2013:

Religion:  Finish Chapter 3- Jesus comes again; The Golden Rule; Chapter 3 Test on Thursday

Math:  Finish Unit 1- Focus on Mathematical Practices; Review Unit 1; Unit 1 Test Thursday

Reading:  Read and discuss the story, "Rosie and Rigby"; Complete comprehension exercises and review story vocabulary;  Meet in Guided Reading groups and begin new chapter books, Bunnicula and 43 Old Cemetery Road

Science:  Finish Chapter 1- The tools scientists use and how they stay safe

Social Studies:  Daily Geography; Finish Chapter 1- Communities, landforms and the regions of California;  Community Scrapbooks due on Monday, September 30th!

Language Arts:  Continue to learn about verbs, compound subjects, and compound verbs;  Begin Idioms unit- what they are and how they are used throughout the English language.

Vocabulary Workshop: Unit 1 Test on Monday!  Begin Unit 2- introduction to the words and using them in context

Well, as you can see, the third grade will have another week of great learning and sharing.  I hope your week is terrific.  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,

Ms. Eileen Griffin

Dear Third Grade Parents,

It was a pleasure to meet with so many of you this past Thursday.  Thank you for coming to Back to School Night and for taking the time out of your busy schedules to hear what third grade is all about.  I had a great time chatting with all of you and I am looking forward to the events that are in store for this 2013-2014 school year.  If you were unable to attend Back to School Night, please be sure to stop in to the third grade classroom and sign up for the November Parent-Teacher Conferences.  I still have some afternoon spaces available!

Thank you to Mrs. FitzCluster for coming in to be our Secret Reader this past Friday.  The class had a fantastic time as she read Dr. Suess' Oh the Places You'll Go.  What an inspiring choice to read at the beginning of the school year.  The third graders loved it!  They also had a blast as Mrs. FitzCluster ended our day with a little team work on completing map puzzles.  Check out the pictures below.

And now, Without further ado, this week's Curriculum Update is listed below.

Curriculum Update For The Week Of September 23, 2013:

Religion:  Continue Ch3- The Last Judgement; Corporal Works of Mercy; Jesus teaches us to love one another;  There will be a test next Monday on Chapter 3

Math: Creating word problems; Review multiplication and division facts and building fluency with 's, 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 9's and 10's; focus on mathematical practices

Grammar: Continue study of Subjects and verbs; Begin compound subjects and compound verbs

Vocabulary Workshop:  Homophones; Idioms and their shades of meaning; Unit 1 Test on Friday

Science:  Continue Chapter 1- How scientists use tools and stay safe; Chapter 1 test next Wednesday

Social Studies:  California's regions- coastal, dessert, central valley and mountains; Chapter 1 Test next Friday

Reading:  Review the story and vocabulary from "The Tree House"; Comprehension and Vocabulary Test Tuesday;  Continue to work in guided reading groups and complete comprehension exercises as we take a closer look at character traits.

Well, that is all for now.  Don't forget, there is mass tomorrow morning and this Friday is Family Fun Night.  I cannot wait to see what this special night is all about.  Have a fantastic week and thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,

Ms. Eileen Griffin

Your Third Grade Teacher

Weekly Reminders and a Curriculum Update

Dear Third Grade Parents,

What an amazing weekend of sunshine!  I hope all of you were able to get outside and enjoy this beautiful city we call home.  We are definitely blessed in more ways than one!

Here is a quick update for this week's events:

Don't forget, this Thursday is Back to School Night and while I know you are aware of the third grade policies and procedures, I would like to extend a warm invitation to all of you to visit with me for a brief time as I am excited to share the updates and plans for this school year.  I hope to see you all on Thursday!


Curriculum Update for the Week of September 16, 2013

Religion:  Chapter 2 Quiz on Wednesday- Study Guides will go home Monday;  Begin Ch3: Christ will come again; Bible story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead

Reading:  Read and discuss the story, "The Treehouse" and complete comprehension exercises that focus on character traits;  Reading Vocabulary Words for this week are: magnificent, height, marvelous, peered, beautiful;  Comprehension/Vocabulary Test on Friday

Guided Reading Groups are just getting underway in third grade.  I have split the class into 4 groups to enable the students and I to work together in small groups.  This will allow us to really dig into our reading selections and to develop the students' ability to become strategic readers.

Math:  Multiply and Divide by 3; Multiplication and Area; Multiply and Divide by 4; Building Fluency with 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 9's and 10's; Quick Quiz on Thursday

Social Studies:  Continue to study Chapter 1- Landforms and Man-Made Features of Land; Daily Geography Week 3

Science:  Continue Chapter 1- How scientists answer questions, kinds of investigations, The Scientific Method; How scientists communicate- keep records, plan an experiment; graphs and collecting data

Language Arts:  Continue Unit 1: Synonyms and antonyms, word associations, homophones; Subjects and Verbs; Continue to work on personal narratives

Spelling:  Test this Friday;  This week's spelling homework will follow last week's pattern of Monday- write each word 3 times, Tuesday: List the words in alphabetical order, Wednesday: Use each word in a sentence, Thursday: Study for Friday's test

Lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Zoey's Grandparents for being our very first Secret Readers for the 2013-2014 school year.  The class loved every minute of it as they read, "The Best Story", "Tutu Knows Best" and "Too Many Toys".  Here are a two shots of our readers in action:

What a great time had by all!  

If you would like to be a Secret Reader, be sure to send me an email with at least 3 possible dates you would be able to come in.  Secret Readers are scheduled on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Friday of each month at 11:30 AM.

Well, that is all for now.  I hope you have a fantastic week.  Thank you for all you do to make SMA a great place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,

Ms. Eileen Griffin

Your Third Grade Teacher

Curriculum Update!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Well, as we begin our third week together, I am anticipating a smooth week of familiar routines and a general sense of pattern.  I hope you will be able to feel your third graders settling in and becoming comfortable with the start of this new school year.  I know last week I felt we were coming together as a classroom community and enjoying our time learning from one another.  It was a great week and I am expecting the same for this week.  Please review the Curriculum Update below and please let me know should you have any questions.


Curriculum for  the week of September 9, 2013:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 2- Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God; Jesus dies and rises to save us;  Practice quiz on Friday (not graded) to prepare for Chapter 2 Test next Tuesday.

Language Arts:  Prepositional phrases; objects of the preposition; Finding the subject and verb of a sentence

Spelling:  Our first spelling test will be this Friday on words with the short "e" sound.  Nightly spelling homework includes: Mon- write each word three times, Tues- put the words in alphabetical order, Wed- write 7 sentences using at least one spelling word in each sentence, Thurs- Study spelling list.

Reading:  Comprehension test on last week's story, "Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend";  Read and discuss the story, "Angel Child, Dragon Child".  Learn and practice using reading vocabulary words: jangled, twittered, gleamed, darted, scrawled, and margins;  Reading Vocabulary quiz on Thursday; Comprehension Test on, "Angel Child, Dragon Child" on Friday

Math:  Continue to review multiplication facts for 2s, 5s and 3s; Multiplying and dividing by 9; Word problems using multiplication and division; Review multiplication facts for 9s and 10s

Social Studies:  Physical features of land;  Reading a landforms map;  Human Made features of land; Daily Geography

Science:  The skills scientists use;  How scientists answer questions; Different kinds of investigations, the scientific method and models

Writing:  Continue to work on personal narratives

Please remember to sign up to be a secret reader.  11:30 AM slots are available for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Friday of each month.  Be sure to email me with at least 3 possible dates in which you are available to come in and share your love of reading with our fabulous third grade class.  Remember, once your date is confirmed, be sure to keep it a secret as it is to be a surprise.  Thank you!

Lastly, Scholastic Book Club orders are due this Friday.  If you care to place your order online, just click on the link on the right sidebar.  Feel free to order the old fashioned way by sending in a paper order accompanied with a check made out to Scholastic Book Clubs and I will send it in for you.

Well, I hope all of you enjoyed our beautiful city this sunny weekend.  Have a fantastic week!  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

PS.  Thank you to our Third Grade Desk Fairy who donated a HUGE pack of Glade plug-ins.  Our room smells just lovely.

Third Grade Schedule, Scholastic Book Orders and Secret Readers!!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Phew! It has been a hot week!  I am proud of the third graders as they have been troopers and have been working as hard as they possibly can given the uncomfortable temperatures this week.  With that said, I have had to make a few adjustments to our quiz schedule.  Tomorrow's scheduled reading comprehension test will be given next Monday.  I want to make certain I review the key points of the story with the class so they are able to complete it with the confidence that they are prepared.  Due to the interruption of pictures, there was a small number of students who were unable to complete their vocabulary quizzes today.  Rest assured, they will have the opportunity to complete them tomorrow.

I  have had a few inquires with regards to the third grade specials schedule.   Please see the list below to avoid any confusion as to what is required for each day.  I know today's uniform was a little confusing given pictures/P.E./the heat, but I think the students and I worked it out pretty well, all things considered.

Monday: Art

Tuesday:  Spanish

Wednesday:  Spanish and P.E.

Thursday:  P.E, Computers, Library, and Music

Next up, Scholastic Book Club Orders!  Yesterday I sent home the September book orders from Scholastic and have updated the third grade online ordering option.  Our third grade online ordering code is HBMQZ.  This will ensure proper delivery and class credit for free books to add to the classroom library.  Please let me know should you have any questions with regards to ordering through Scholastic.  Of course, please feel free to order the old fashioned way and send in your paper order with a check made out to Scholastic Book Clubs and I will order it for you.

Last, but certainly not least, Secret Readers will begin this month.  I am looking for parents to sign up to come in and share their love for reading with the third grade class.  Secret Readers will come in on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Friday of the month.  The time will be at 11:30 AM.  Please email me with at least three possible dates you would be willing to come in so I may schedule you for a time that is convenient for you.  Please note, that if Fridays at 11:30 do not work with your schedule, I will be willing to make an adjustment to ensure you are able to come in at least one time during the year.  Secret Readers is an important time for the children and it means the world to them when they are able to share their parents with the whole class.

As always, thank you for your support and dedication to Stella Maris Academy.  Your dedication helps to make it an amazing place to learn.  Have a fantastic evening.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,

Ms. Eileen Griffin

Your Third Grade Teacher

Curriculum Update

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Well, the third graders and I are off and running.  Last week was a fantastic start to what I am certain will be a successful year of learning and creativity.  I am so proud of how quickly and eagerly our class was ready to begin.

Thank you again to all of you for your warm welcome and offers of support.  I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to have such supportive parents.

This week will be our first week of full days and as you will see in the curriculum update below, we will be busy in the third grade classroom.  As I stated in my back to school letter last week, the curriculum update is always subject to change.  Please use the update as a general guide of information.


Curriculum Update: 9/3/13-9/6/13:

Religion:  Finish Chapter 1- Jesus as a young boy growing up in Nazareth; Jesus as the son of Mary and Joseph; The public ministry of Jesus;  Chapter 1 review;  Begin Chapter 2- Jesus teaches us about God's love; The Story of the Mustard Seed

Language Arts:  Continue study of prepositions and begin to identify prepositional phrases and the object of the preposition; Finding the subject and the verb of a sentence

Vocabulary:  Begin unit 1with introduction to the words and their meanings, their synonyms and antonyms

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss the story, "Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend" and complete comprehension exercises.  There will be a reading vocabulary quiz on Thursday and a comprehension quiz on Friday.  The reading vocabulary words are : tease, lonely, seriously, collection, stiff, and probably

Math:  Continue to study the 5 and 3 times tables;  Exploring the use of arrays; Commutativity; Writing equations for equal groups; Multiplication and arrays

Social Studies:  Begin unit 1, Chapter 1:  Finding your location; map skills; Physical features; Communities;

*** Guidelines and templates for the first social studies class project will go home later this week.  Please read through the guidelines carefully and be sure to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.  This project is meant to be low key and a fun, creative way for the students to learn more about their local community.

Science:  What questions scientists ask; What skills and tools scientists use.

Writing:  Begin unit on personal narratives.  This is a six to eight week long unit that studies the elements and style of personal narratives.  I am looking forward to watching the third graders discover their memorable small moments and to see them capture the memories with their own personal writing style.

It looks like it will be a busy week, but I know the third graders and I will work hard to accomplish all we can.  Please be on the look out for the social studies project guidelines and templates.  I will send them home on Thursday afternoon in the white homework folder.

I want to thank the Martinez Family for donating 2 fans to the third grade classroom.  They are a big help during these final, hot summer days.

Thank you also to the McSherry Family for donating a Barnes and Noble gift card.  I was able to purchase a few books to add to our classroom library.

I hope all of you are enjoying the final days of summer and sunshine.  Have a fantastic week!  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher