Dear Third Grade Parents,

Well, this is the last update for this school year.  It will be short and sweet as this week is once again filled with fun activities to start our summer off in style.  Rather than give a Curriculum Update, I am just going to remind you of this week's events.

Monday- 1:00-3:00  All School End of the Year Party in the Senior Yard!!!!!!

Tuesday:  8:30-11:00  Field Day!!!!!!!

Wednesday:  Final Art Literacy Project; Minimum Day!

Thursday:  Classroom Clean-Up Day;  Minimum Day!

Friday:   The Last Day of School:0(!!!;  All School Mass at 11:15;  12:30 Dismissal- NO EXTENDED CARE


Thank you, Parents for a wonderful school year.  I have enjoyed teaching your children and being such a big part of their daily lives.  Thank you for entrusting me with their Catholic education.  I have loved every minute of it.  I cannot wait to be their teacher again in the fifth grade and to see how much they have grown.  Until then, thank you for all you do to help make SMA the BEST place to learn.  Enjoy your summer.  Take Care and God Bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

This week should be relatively regular and quiet.  Please see the Curriculum Update below to read all about what we will be learning.  Thank you for continuing to check in.

Curriculum Update for the Week of June 1, 2015:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 25- God's holy people; We belong to the Communion of SaintsMary is the greatest saint of all; The Assumption and the Immaculate Conception

Math:  Interpret the meaning of factors- the size of the groups or the number of groups;  understand the meaning of the unknown as the size of the group in division; understand the meaning of the unknown as the number of groups of division; interpret the unknown in division using the array model

Reading:  Read and the discuss the story, "Two Days in May"; complete comprehension activities; comprehension test on Friday

Language Arts:  Grammar: personal pronouns;  compound pronouns; Vocabulary Workshop:  Unit 13 activities; Spelling:  Spelling Test on Thursday, using unit 13 vocabulary words

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 11-  working in a community and depending on one another; trading with the world; international trade; export and import

Science:  Finish Chapter 10- the laws of gravity; gravity and weight

Music:  continue to learn how to play recorders and to learn how to read music

Lastly, don't forget to turn in your child's permission slip for field day!  Have a wonderful week and thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Curriculum Update

Dear Third Grade Parents,

It is time to prepare for SMA's annual Spirit Week!!!!  Yahoo!  Be sure to check this week's E-Notice for each day's theme.

I am posting this week's Curriculum Update with the idea some topics may not be covered due to the excitement and enthusiasm that usually comes with celebrating Spirit Week.  Thank you for your patience and understanding with regards to the fact some topics may be bumped to the following week.

Curriculum Update for the Week of May 25, 2015:

Religion:  Chapter 25 review;  Chapter 25 Quiz next Wednesday;  Begin Chapter 26:  God's Holy People;  We belong to the Communion of Saints;  Mary is our greatest saint; The Immaculate Conception

Math:  Compare unit fractions by reasoning about their size using fraction strips; Compare unit fractions with different-sized models representing the whole; Review of multiplication facts:  Understand "equal groups of..." as multiplication; Relate multiplication to the array model;  Interpret the meaning of factors- the size or the number of groups

Reading:  Read and discuss the story, " Urban Roosts, Where Birds Nest in the City;  complete comprehension activities in class;  Comprehension Test on Friday 

Language Arts:  Grammar:  Sentence Types; Personal Pronouns; Compound Pronouns; Spelling:  Unit 33 Spelling Test based on words from Vocabulary Workshop Unit 12;  Spelling Test on Thursday

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 11:  Working in a community and depending on one another

Science:  Continue Chapter 10:  Review lesson 2:  Forces and motion; Magnetism; What is gravity; laws of gravity; gravity and weight

Music:  Continue to learn how to read music and play the recorders


I hope everyone has a fantastic three-day weekend.  Happy Memorial Day!!!  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy a fabulous place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Here is this week's Curriculum Update!  Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.  See you tomorrow!

Curriculum Update for the Week of May 18, 2015:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 24:  The Catholic Church is worldwide; Catholics share the same faith;  Celebrating the Catholic faith in different ways

Reading:  Read and discuss the story, "Make Way for Ducklings".  Complete comprehension activities  together;  Comprehension quiz on Thursday

Language Arts:  Grammar:  Continue unit on Adverbs- degrees and double negatives; Adverb unit review; Adverb Test on Friday;  Spelling Unit 32 on Vocabulary Workshop words from Unit 11; Spelling Test on Thursday

Social Studies:  Finish Chapter 10:  The Civil War; Civil Rights, Equal Rights for Women

Science:  Begin Chapter 10:  What is Motion?  How force affects motion, what causes motion, friction and forces

Math:  represent parts of one whole as fractions; write fractions greater than 1 whole using unit fractions; compare unit fractions by reasoning about their size using fraction strips

Music:  Continue to learn how to read music and to play the recorder

Have a restful end to your weekend.  Thank you for continuing to check in on what we are learning in third grade.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Here is this week's Curriculum Update.  I hope all Moms had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.  Thank you for all you do to support your child in their Catholic education.  You are all greatly appreciated.

Curriculum Update for the Week of May 11, 2015:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 23:  Working towards Christian unity; Chapter 23 Quiz on Friday

Math:  Locate fractions on a number line; compare fractions; introduction to equivalence; equivalent fractions

Reading:  Finish reading and discussing, The Mouse and the Motorcycle;  Complete comprehension activities

Language Arts:  Grammar:  Adjectives Test on Monday;  Begin unit on Adverbs:  adverbs that answer the questions, when, where and to what extent;  Begin Vocabulary Workshop unit 10:  match the meaning, complete the sentence, synonyms and antonyms;  Spelling test on Thursday

Social Studies:  Continue chapter 10:  freedom of religion- the Pilgrims and the Puritans; The Civil War- Frederick Douglas, equal rights and civil rights

Music:  continue to learn how to play the recorders and read music


I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy a wonderful place to learn.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I trust everyone had a lovely weekend.  Friday's May crowning was a beautiful event and set the tone for a restful and thoughtful weekend.  I was happy to see many of you in attendance.  It makes a difference to your children when they see you being a part of their spiritual life at school.  Thank you!

This coming week is going to be another busy week with this Thursday being SMA's first STEAM Night.  It should be a lot of fun.  I hope to see all of you there.

Here is this week's Curriculum Update.  Thank you for checking each week and staying on top of what we are learning in the third grade.

Curriculum Update for the Week of May 4, 2015:


Religion:  Chapter 22 quiz on Tuesday;  Begin Chapter 23:  People around the world have different beliefs about God; the importance of the Jewish faith to Christians;  Christ calls all of his followers to be united

Math:  Identifying and counting unit fractions by drawing picture models; identify and represent fractional parts of different wholes;  represent a whole into equal parts and define the equal parts to identify the unit fraction numerically;  building non-unit fractions less than one whole from unit fractions; identify and represent shaded and non-shaded parts of one whole as fractions

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss The Mouse and the Motorcycle- Ch 9-12 and complete comprehension activities

Language Arts:  Grammar- begin unit on Adjectives:  descriptive adjectives and limiting adjectives; Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin Unit 8:  completing the sentence; synonyms and antonyms; Spelling Test on Thursday

Science:  Continue chapter 9:  how light and matter interact; the path of light; how light interacts; what are light and heat energy; thermal energy and heat; heat and light

Social Studies:  songs and word of liberty; the Star Spangled Banner; Charters of Freedom

Music:  Continue to learn and practice to play the recorder

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  Thank you for all you do help make Stella Maris Academy a wonderful place to learn.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin

May the Fourth Be With YOU!!!!!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Here is this week's Curriculum Update.  Thank you for checking it every week to see what we are up to!

Curriculum Update for the Week of April 27, 2015:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 22:  Jesus shares his mission with his disciples; The Church works for justice and peace; We live out the Good News of Christ:  May Crowning on Friday before all school Mass

Math:  Unit 6 Review; Chapter 6 Test on Tuesday;Begin chapter 7:  understand fractions; model fractions

Reading:  Continue in guided reading groups;  Continue The Mouse and the Motorcycle:  Read and discuss chapters 5-8

Language Arts:  Grammar:  Review unit on nouns;  Nouns test on Wednesday;  Begin unit on Adjectives:  descriptive adjectives;  Spelling test on Friday;  Vocabulary Workshop:  continue unit 8- word associations and word study

Social Studies:  American landmarks; songs and words of liberty; charters of freedom

Science:  Continue chapter 9:  How light and matter interact; path of light and how light interacts and changes;

Art:  Learn about the life and art of Romero Britto;  Use pattern and line to make a picture in the style of Romero; Use analogous colors to make patterns;  Art Literacy:  Learn about the life and work of Marc Chagall

Music:  Review songs for May Crowning;  Continue to learn how to read music and play the recorders

Have a wonderful week.  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy a terrific place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

What an amazing weekend of sunshine and the perfect weekend weather.  I hope all of you had the opportunity to go out and enjoy it!

Here is this week's Curriculum Update.

Curriculum Update for the Week of April 19, 2015:

Religion:  Review of Chapter 19- Anointing of the Sick; Jesus healed and cared for the sick; Eternal life with God; Chapter 19 Quiz on Thursday;  Begin Chapter 20

Math:  Compare areas and perimeters; area of rectilinear figures; solve perimeter and area word problems; tangram shapes and area

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss novels in guided reading groups; Begin Beverly Cleary novel, The Mouse and the Motorcycle: chapters 1- 4

Language Arts:  Continue unit on Nouns:  common and proper nouns; singular and plural nouns; Vocabulary Workshop:  Continue unit 8:  synonyms and antonyms and completing the sentence; Writing: a look at poetry and creating original poems to share

Science:  Continue Chapter 9:  How energy changes form and travels

Social Studies:  Continue Chapter 9: Getting to know the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance and flag flying holidays; American Landmarks and City monuments

Art:  Continue to work on and finish Navajo weaving

Music: Continue to learn how to read music and play the recorders.

Have a wonderful week and in the mean time, go out and enjoy this beautiful Sunday sunshine!  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy a fabulous place to laugh and learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Happy Easter!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy Easter!  I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter vacation and enjoyed some solid family time.  I cannot believe we are now in the final stretch of the school year.  WE CAN DO IT!!!!!

Thank you for continuing to check in here each week to stay connected to what the third grade is learning.  Here is the latest Curriculum Update!

Curriculum Update for the Week of April 12, 2015:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 19- Jesus cared for and healed the sick; the Sacrament of Healing; Eternal life with God

Math:  Continue Chapter 6- perimeter and area; lengths with area and perimeter; area of rectilinear figures

Reading:  Continue Greek Mythology; Guided Reading Groups- Continue in groups to read and discuss chapters 8-11 of group novels: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Penderwicks, Tuesdays at the Castle

Language Arts:  Finish unit on Verbs;  Verbs quiz on Thursday;  Begin unit on nouns- proper nouns and identify nouns; Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin Unit 7; Spelling Test on Thursday

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 9- national and local symbols; patriotism

Science:  Finish chapter 8- how matter is measured; Begin chapter 9- forms of energy: electrical, sound and mechanical energy; potential and kinetic energy

Have a wonderful week of spring time sunshine!  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy the best place to learn and laugh.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Hallelujah!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I hope all of you have a wonderful week and have a blessed Easter celebration with family and friends. Please be sure to check this week's Curriculum Update.


Curriculum Update for the Week of March 30, 2015:

Religion:  The Chapter 18 Quiz has been moved to Tuesday;  Read and discuss the end of the Season of Lent and what we have done to prepare for Easter and Holy Week

Math:  Continue Chapter 6:  Name Polygons; Parallelograms, Rectangles, Squares and Rhombuses; Drawing Quadrilaterals; Classifying Quadrilaterals;  Continue nightly homework of ALEKS

Reading:  Continue unit on Greek Mythology; Continue in guided reading groups- The Penderwicks, Tuesdays at the Castle and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Read and discuss Chapters 5-7

Language Arts:  Grammar- continue verb tenses; subject-verb agreement; Verb review; Verb Quiz on Thursday; Vocabulary Workshop: Finish Unit 6- suffix -ment, -ity, -ive, -ike; Unit 1-6 Review

Science:  Continue Chapter 8:  States of matter- solids, liquids and gas; Changes in water; How matter is measured

Social Studies:  Continue Chapter 8:  The roles of citizens; making choices by voting

Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Spring Has Sprung!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy spring to one and all!  With the season of spring, there often comes an epidemic of spring fever and our third graders are not immune to this.  I can place myself in their shoes and remember those days  when you can see Easter Vacation just around the corner.  I cannot say I blame them.  The Third Graders have been working hard to end the third quarter on a high note and this Friday marks the end of the quarter.  This week, we will be working diligently to ensure all "missing" or "late" assignments are complete and the on-line grade book gaps should be updated as the week progresses.

Just a reminder, the Third Graders will now be required to complete 10-15 minutes of the ALEKS Mathematics Enrichment Program each night for homework.  A link to the site is posted here on the right side bar.  Your help and support of this valuable tool that assists in advancing your child's mathematical skills is most appreciated.  Thank you!

Lastly, Monday is a mass day and the Third Graders will be attending a Lenten Penance Service as well.  It will definitely be a busy morning.

Here is this week's Curriculum Update.  Thank you for keeping on top of things!

Curriculum Update for the Week of March 23, 2015:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 18-  God is our Forgiving Father; the Parable of the Prodigal Son; The Sacrament of Penance and its parts; Chapter 18 Quiz next Monday, March 30th

Reading:  Continue to meet in guided reading groups to read and discuss novels of study; Whole Group:  Begin genre study of Greek Mythology:  read and complete activities for "King Midas and the Golden Touch"

Language Arts:  Spelling Test on Thursday;  Grammar:  continue irregular verbs; Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin Unit 6; Writing:  Begin planning paragraphs of opinions

Math:  Continue to review multiplication tables; review rounding to the nearest ten and estimate sums and differences; review two-step word problems; Begin Unit 6: Polygons, perimeter and area

Social Studies:  Begin chapter 8- being a good citizen; character traits and building model citizens;  Roles of citizens

Science:  Begin chapter 8-  what is matter and its properties; the states of matter

Art:  Native American Burlap Weaving- Learn about Southwest design and Navajo culture; Learn how to make prints with stencils; Learn how to control the use of paint in the printing process; Learn how to weave in a variety of patterns; Learn simple stitchery

Music:  Continue to learn how to read music and play the recorder

Have a wonderful week.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy a wonderful place to learn.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eilee Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,
What a warm weekend of early spring fun!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.  Please be sure to check this week's Curriculum Update to see what we will be up to.


Curriculum Update for the Week of March 16, 2015:

Religion:  Going out to love and serve the Lord; Concluding Rites; Chapter 17 Quiz on Thursday- the parts of the mass: Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Eucharist Concluding RItes

Math:  adding money amounts; estimating differences; review subtracting three-digit numbers; subtracting with regrouping tens and hundreds

Reading:  Finish reading Matilda- Chapters 18-21;  Begin new guided reading groups:  read and discuss Ch 1-3 of Tuesdays at the Castle; The Penderwicks; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang depending upon which group your student is in

Social Studies: Finish Chapter 7- History of the local government: councils, public works, local government services; Begin Chapter 8: Being a good citizen- justice, responsibility, respect and caring

Science:  Finish Chapter 7 and review the planets, stars, moon and sun;  Finish solar system scavenger hunt and fact file

Language Arts:  Spelling Test on Thursday; Begin vocabulary workshop unit 5- completing the sentence and synonyms and antonyms; Grammar- regular and irregular verbs

I would like to extend a BIG thank you to Mrs. Koresaar and Mrs. Goldman for coming into the third grade and helping the class create their own colorful and glittery clay stars.  Thank you for giving us your time, ladies.  Your help and guidance are priceless.  I would also like to thank Mrs. Daley and Mrs. Turquand for their time creating another amazing Art Literacy project inspired by Faith Ringgold. The time and energy our wonderful parents put into creating such wonderful projects is a true blessing. Thank you for helping to make Stella Maris Academy the best place to laugh and learn.

Have a wonderful week!  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Here is this week's Curriculum Update!  Thank you for continuing to check in!

Curriculum Update for the Week of March 9, 2015:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 17:  Gathering to praise God!;  Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Concluding Rites

Math:  This week will be a week of review of past concepts:  addition; estimating sums; adding money; estimating differences; subtracting 3-digit numbers; Subtracting with regrouping tens and hundreds; Review of multiplication tables

Reading:  Continue to read and complete comprehension activities for Matilda- Chapters 15- 18; Continue to read and discuss guided reading group novels

Language Arts:  Grammar- helping verbs and regular/irregular verbs; Begin Unit 4 of Vocabulary Workshop- completing the sentences, synonyms and antonyms

Science:  Finish Chapter 7- the solar system scavenger hunt and fact file search

Social Studies:  Continue Chapter 7- the Three Branches of the Federal Government; Local Government in California- city and town government

Art:  Continue to study Van Gogh and his painting of The Sunflowers

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend of sunshine and quality family time.  Have a wonderful week.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Thank you for checking in each week to see what we are up to.  It is greatly appreciated and helpful to your third grader.

This week will be busy as the second and third grade classes prepare to host the All School Mass on Friday, March 6.  In addition, the school will also be playing host to members of the San Diego Philharmonic on Thursday morning.  The Philharmonic will be performing  "Peter and the Wolf".  I can hardly wait to experience this with the class.  It should be a memorable event.


Here is this week's Curriculum Update for the Week of March 2, 2015:

Religion:  Chapter 16 Quiz on Tuesday;  Begin Chapter 17- We Worship at Mass- the parts of the Mass:  Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word;  Deacon Mark Wieczorek will be our guest speaker to answer all our "pressing" third grade questions about our Catholic Faith.

Math:  Practice two-step word problems; Equations and two-step word problems; focus on mathematical practices; Multiplication review

Reading:  Continue to read and complete comprehension activities for Matilda- Chapters 11-14;  Guided Reading:  Continue to read and discuss group novels

Language Arts:  Grammar:  Continue unit on verbs- regular/irregular verbs and helping verbs;  Unit 22 Spelling test on Thursday

Social Studies:  Continue Chapter 7- A new government- the Constitution;  Junior Achievement Lesson #5

Science:  Finish Chapter 7- Motions of the moon; moon phases; characteristics of the moon; Planet scavenger hunt

Art:  Become familiar with the art of Vincent Van Gogh; Practice drawing skills by drawing a vase of sunflowers; Practice tempura painting techniques; create an original sunflower painting in the manner of Van Gogh

Music:  Continue to read music and practice playing the recorder.

Thank you again for checking in each week to see what we are up to in the third grade.  Have a wonderful and safe week/weekend.  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I hope everyone had a wonderful four day weekend!!!!!!  Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Presidents' Day.

Thank you for helping to make our class Valentine's Day celebration a great success.  It was a fun day for the kids to enjoy.  I especially loved the Alice in Wonderland Theme.

I would also like to thank Mrs. Wieczorek, Mrs. Koresaar, Mrs. Liem, Mrs. Broyles,  Mrs. Limberg and Mrs. Turquand for driving and chaperoning on our fabulous field trip to Old Town.  The class had an amazing experience and learned a great deal about how our city of San Diego first came to be.  The history of San Diego's early residents is very colorful and full of great stories.  Thank you for helping to make this possible.

Be sure to check this week's Curriculum Update to see what we will be up to this week!

Curriculum Update for the Week of February 16, 2015:

Religion:  Chapter 15 Quiz on Tuesday;  Begin Chapter 16-  Passover and The Last Supper; The Mass is a sacrifice and a meal

Reading:Continue to read and complete comprehension activities for chapters 5-8 of Matilda;  Guided Reading Groups:  Continue to meet and read in individual reading groups

Language Arts:  Spelling- Unit 20 Test on Friday;  Vocabulary Workshop-  Continue unit 3; Grammar:  Verbs- action, regular and irregular

Math:  word problems with unknown addends and unknown factors; word problems with unknown starts; comparison problems; comparison problems with misleading information

Social Studies:  Chapter 7- community laws and government;  The U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights

Science:  Continue chapter 7- our solar system; the inner and outer planets

Music:  Continue to learn to play recorders

Art:  Continue to work on Noah's Ark inspired paintings

Have a wonderful week Third Grade Families.  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

This week the third graders and I will be learning all about the start of our San Diego Community.  On Wednesday we are going on our field trip to Old Town.  The class and I can hardly wait.  It should be a great time and a valuable learning experience.  Thank you for helping to make it possible.

Please be sure to check this week's Curriculum Update to see what will be covered in Third Grade.

Curriculum Update for the Week of February 9, 2015:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 13- The Seven Sacraments: The Sacraments of Healing and the Sacraments of Service to Others;  Chapter 15 Quiz next Tuesday

Math:  focus on mathematical practices; addition and subtraction situations; chapter 4 review; review multiplication facts

Social Studies:  Finish Chapter 6- Learning about our community; Begin Chapter 7- Our government- local and federal

Science:  Begin Chapter 7- What is a star?;  Stars and light; The planets and our solar system

Language Arts:  Grammar- review there, their, they're, your, you're, its, it's;  Vocabulary Workshop: Unit 4- understanding the definitions; completing the sentences;  Spelling: Unit 19 Test on Thursday

Reading:  Read and complete comprehension activities for Roald Dahl's novel, Matilda- chapters 1-4;  Guided Reading Groups: read and discuss individual book studies

Art:  Compose pictures combining observation and imagination; Distinguish between foreground, middle ground and background; Distinguish knowledge of perspective through size and overlapping

Music:  continue to practice and play recorders

Have a fantastic week!  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn!  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Thank you for helping to make this year's Catholic Schools' Week a great success.  We have an amazing Catholic School Community here at SMA and this week we truly did shine brightly.  I am so blessed and proud to be a part of this family.  Thank you for all of the love and support you give to the Third Grade Class.

Please be sure to check this week's Curriculum Update below.  It should be a fairly quiet week in comparison to last week.

Curriculum Update for the Week of  February 2, 2015:

Religion:  Chapter 12 Quiz on Monday;  Begin chapter 13, the Church celebrates the Sacraments of Initiation, Holy Orders and Healing

Math:  Review subtraction and regrouping (borrowing) across zeros;  Quick Quiz on Wednesday- subtraction;  relate addition and subtraction; addition and subtraction practice; solve word problems; Quick quiz Friday on subtraction and addition

Reading:  Whole Group:  Read and discuss "City Critters";  Complete comprehension activities for "City Critters";  Guided Reading:  Meet in guided reading groups to read and discuss group novels

Science:  Continue Chapter 6- how we describe the features of the Earth's surface; earthquakes and volcanos; Begin Chapter 7- Stars and light; types of stars

Social Studies:  Finish chapter 6- the story of a community; Begin chapter 7- The Capital- rules, laws, and community government

Language Arts:  Unit 18 Spelling Test on Friday- words with the /j/ sound;  Vocabulary Workshop:  Continue unit 3 synonyms and antonyms; completing the sentence; Grammar: verbs/contractions: their, there and they're; your and you're;  Writing:  Continue "If I Were A Superhero..."

Art:  compose pictures combining observation and imagination; distinguish between foreground, middle ground and background; demonstrate knowledge of perspective through size and overlapping; demonstrate a controlled use of watercolor;  Students will need to bring in a small stuffed animal- beanie babies

Music:  Continue to study how to read and play music on the recorder

Thank you to Mrs. Koresaar for helping the third graders to create the Queen of Hearts' guards from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  They turned out very well.  Thank you so much, Mrs. Koresaar!

Have a wonderful weekend Third Grade Families!!!!  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy the best school in San Diego.  Take care and God bless!!!

Sincerely,
Ms. Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Happy Catholic Schools' Week!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

This is going to be an exciting week of celebrating our wonderful Catholic School, Stella Maris Academy!  The week will be filled with some fun activities.  I can hardly wait for the international lunch.  I am certain you will have the full report of each day.

Please be sure to go over this week's Curriculum Update to see all we hope to learn this week.

Curriculum Update for the Week of January 26, 2015:

Religion:  Finish Chapter 12- God calls some men to be priests or deacons;  the Sacrament of Holy Orders;  Chapter 12 Quiz on Friday

Math:  Subtract across zeros;  discuss methods of subtraction; ungroup to subtract; Relate addition and subtraction

Reading:  Whole Group:  Read and discuss the story "The Legend of Damon and Pythias";  Complete comprehension activities together and independently; Guided Reading Groups:  Read and discuss group novels- The Courage of Sarah Noble, Stone Fox, The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe;  "Who Was... "  Book Report due on Tuesday;  Read Aloud:  Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland

Language Arts:  Grammar:  Contractions- its and it's, they're, their, there; Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin Unit 3- match the meaning, synonyms and antonyms

Science:  Continue chapter 5- How we describe features of the Earth's surface, landforms, volcanos and earthquakes

Social Studies: Finish chapter 6- the story of a community; discover your community's history;  Read Aloud-  Little House on the Prairie;  Junior Achievement Session #2 on Tuesday afternoon

Art:  Continue to analyze Picasso's use of abstract, geometric shapes and balanced composition in The Three Musicians;  Create a Cubist collage of musicians using shapes to build figures and bright contrasting colors to show mood

Music:  Continue to learn and study how to read music;  learn and practice playing the recorder

Thank you, Parents for checking in each week to see what is going on in the Third Grade.  Don't forget, permission slips for our class field trip to Old Town went home last Friday.  The payment and permission slips are due on January 29th.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week.  I look forward to seeing many of you throughout the week as we celebrate Catholic Schools' Week.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy the BEST school in  San Diego!!!!!!!  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

On behalf of her family, thank you to all who helped build Ember's care package.  We made her day.  She is recovering comfortably at home and should be able to join us again soon.    Thank you, again!

I would also like to thank Mrs. Daly and Mrs. Turquand for coming in to teach a  great Art Literacy lesson.  Their time and dedication to this amazing program is greatly appreciated.

Please check the Curriculum Update below to learn what the third graders will be up to this week.

Curriculum Update for the Week of January 19, 2015:

Religion:  Chapter 11 Quiz on Tuesday;  Begin Chapter 12- God calls us all to holiness

Reading:  Continue in guided reading groups; whole group-  read and discuss the story, "Rugby and Rosie";  Go over story vocabulary and comprehension questions;  "Who Was…?" book report due January 27th

Math:  Discuss addition methods;  the grouping concept in addition;  practice addition;  quick quiz on Thursday on rounding to the nearest hundreds and tens and addition;

Science:  Continue Chapter 6:  What are rocks and minerals; what is soil;  the layers of soil

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 6:  communities grow;  communities grow with the gold rush; how to read population maps; the story of a community

Language Arts:  Vocabulary Workshop- Finish Unit 2 and begin Unit 3- word meaning and complete the sentences;  Grammar- Direct objects; Writing- paragraph titled, "What SMA Means to Me"

Art:  Continue to study Picasso and his use of abstraction, geometric shapes and balanced composition in The Three Musicians;

Music:  Continue to read music and play the recorder

As you can see, the class and I will have a busy week of fun and learning as we wrap up this last week of the second quarter.

Be on the look out for a field trip permission slip coming home this week.  The third graders are heading to Old Town to take a tour of the first community here in San Diego.  It should be a great living experience of what we are studying in Social Studies.

Have a wonderful week of San Diego sunshine.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

This week will be a busy week as we are now in full swing after one full week back from the Christmas break.  The class has been working hard to end the second quarter on a high note and I am certain this week will show the same great results.  Please be sure to check the Curriculum Update below for upcoming tests or quizzes.

Lastly, a gentle reminder to please make certain your child is following the SMA uniform dress code each day.  This include making sure that shoes worn are either all black or all white, depending on regular school days, mass days or P.E. days.  Socks must also be of the correct length or style.  Thank you so much for your care and attention to this matter.  Please be sure to check the school handbook for any questions or clarifications with regard to the school uniform.

Curriculum Update for the Week of January 12, 2015:

Religion:  Continue and finish Chapter 11-  How our parish cares for others;  Chapter 11 Quiz on Friday

Math:  More practice with place value;  Round to the nearest hundred, ten; Explore multi-digit addition;  addition methods

Reading:  Continue in guided reading groups; Whole group reading- read and discuss "The Tree House" and complete reading activities in reader's notebook

Social Studies:  Continue chapter 5- early communities, the Spanish missions; how communities change

Science:  Continue chapter 6- weather and climate; what are rocks and minerals and how to identify rocks and minerals

Language Arts:  continue unit 2 of vocabulary workshop; Grammar- finish unit on contractions and begin unit on direct objects; Unit 15 Spelling Test on Friday

Art:  Analyze Picasso's use of abstraction, geometric shapes and balanced composition in The Three Musicians; Practice sketching figures using geometric shapes; create a Cubist collage of musicians using shapes to build figures and bright contrasting colors to show mood

Music:  continue to learn and play the recorders

Thank you, parents for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and have a wonderful week.  God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Happy New Year!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas vacation and enjoyed the much needed break.

I am looking forward to hearing all about the Christmas adventures and fun family times.  Monday should be a great day of chatting and catching up.

Here is a look at what I hope to cover this week.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Curriculum Update for the week of January 5, 2015:

Religion:  Begin chapter 11- The church parish is home; Those who serve our parish; How our parish cares for others; Chapter 14 review- the season of Christmas

Math:  Place value drawings for thousands, hundreds, tens and ones; building numbers; place value in word problems; practice with place value

Reading:  Guided reading groups- work in individual groups to read and discuss selected books- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;   Sarah, Plain and Tall; Stone Fox; The Courage of Sarah Noble;  As a group, we will read and discuss this week's Time for Kids and complete the comprehension activity together.

Social Studies:  Begin chapter 5- Exploring California; Spanish and English explorers; Early communities

Science:  Begin Chapter 6- the water cycle; Weather and climate; factors that affect weather and climate

Language Arts:  Spelling Test on Friday;  Writing: Begin New Year's writing piece

*** Review "Who Was…?" biography book report guidelines.  Please ask your third grader to see the guidelines that were passed out before we left for the Christmas break if you have not yet seen them.

Thank you to all of you for your generosity in your Christmas gift to me.  I had a lot of fun shopping at J. Crew with the gift card you gave me.  The Christmas sale will keep me stylishly dressed through 2015.  Thank you!!!!!!

Last, but certainly not least I would like to thank you for checking in each week to see what we are learning in third grade.  Your help and support at home makes all the difference in the world to your child's Catholic education.   See you all very soon.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher