Sunday, January 5, 2014

Happy New Year!!!!!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy New Year!!!!  I trust everyone had a fantastic holiday break and enjoyed some classic, holiday family time.  I know I did!  I feel well rested and energized to make 2014 an amazing year of learning and adventure.  It's going to be great.  I am really looking forward to seeing all of my third graders and creating some new memories to add to our growing collection.  I hope they are excited too.


I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your generosity during the Christmas Season.  I am truly overwhelmed.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!!!!!!!


This week will be a busy week of learning, but I am certain my third graders are ready to get down to business.  Please review the Curriculum Update below to see what this week will hold.

Curriculum Update for the Week of January 6, 2014:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 9- The Church is the body of Christ;  The Church continues to teach the true message of the Jesus

Math:  Begin Unit 4:  Make place value drawings;  build numbers; practice with place value; place value in word problems;  rounding to the nearest hundred

Reading:  Read and discuss the story "City Critters" and complete comprehension activities to complement the selection;  Guided Reading Groups-  Read and discuss January themed articles of interest.

Science:  Begin Chapter 4-  Living Things:  Classifying animals; How animal offspring are like their parents

Social Studies:  Continue unit on Native Americans and the different tribes of North America; Daily Geography

Language Arts:  Finish contractions as verbs;  Begin Vocabulary Workshop Unit 3; Spelling test on Friday! 

Please be on the look out for any and all work your third grader may have missed in December due to sickness or early Christmas vacation plans.  I will be sending the missing work home on Monday and Tuesday to ensure all graded work is completed in time for the quarter's end.  Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

I hope you all have a fantastic week!  I am looking forward to the start of an amazing week.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Merry Christmas!!!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!  Time certainly does fly when you are having fun!  This past week has been  quite memorable.  It began with a spectacular presentation on Christmas in Sweden from our very own Mama Ann.  She read us a story about Christmas in Sweden and showed us how celebrations light up in Sweden.  It was an experience we won't soon forget!



The fun continued on Tuesday when the Third Grade Class went to see the Old Globe's Production of Dr. Suess' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas".   What an amazing experience!  Thank you, Parents!  This was an outstanding field trip and I know the class thoroughly enjoyed the play.  We all left singing and ended our Grinchy experience with treats from the Steele Family and a little story hour from Mrs.  FitzCluster.






Tuesday's excitement ended with an amazing author visit from "Fuddles" creator, author and illustrator, Mr. Franz Fischer.  The entire Junior Yard listened to Mr. Fischer read one of his stories and to his process of creating a short story and the inspiration behind his work.  It was a great time had by all!





Holy cow, what a busy week!  It was a great week of fun that ended with smiles all around.  
This coming week is promising to be just as busy as the Third Grade class prepares for their contribution to this year's SMA Christmas Pageant.  Be sure to attend Tuesday night's performance for a great holiday show with plenty of laughter and singing.  

Wednesday is our last day of school and this year the Junior Yard is throwing one big Christmas party with a Polar Express theme.  I can hardly wait to watch this new holiday classic with my fabulous Third Grade Class.  It should be fun as the students are able to attend school wearing their cozy, winter pajamas, sip on hot cocoa and munch on yummy popcorn while watching a movie.  Yes, it sounds good to me!

With so much activity this week, a consistent schedule is hard to plan for.  Therefore, I will not be posting a Curriculum Update, but please know, the class and I will be working hard as we study Religion, Math and Reading each day.  Thank you for your understanding!

Lastly, I wish to thank all of  you for your generosity in helping me to celebrate my birthday this year.  What amazing treats to add sparkle and shine to my daily outfits.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!  My absolute favorite gift was the heartfelt wishes expressed in the birthday card from all of you.  In all of my years of teaching, (this is year 17- yikes!) I have never received a card that has meant so much to me.  I feel so blessed.  Thank you, again.  You made my day!!!!!

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.  May the love and the spirit of the season be with you and your loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Jesus.  Take care and God bless!!!!

Merrily Yours,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

P.S.  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn







Sunday, December 8, 2013

Who Likes Christmas? We Like Christmas!!!!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Can you believe it?!?  Our field trip week has arrived at last!!!  This Tuesday the third grade class will take a trip to Whoville and revisit the tale of Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  I can hardly wait to see the reactions of our class.  They are going to love it!  Thank you, parents for making this happen.  You have truly given your child a real holiday treat they won't soon forget.

In addition to our field trip on Tuesday, Stella Maris Academy will also play host to author Frans Vischer.  The class has been studying his Mr. Fuddles books in our school library with Mrs. Caughey.   A flyer was sent home last week with book purchasing information.   Please refer to the flyer for ordering information if you are interested in purchasing a book to have autographed by Mr. Vischer.  An autographed book always makes a great gift.  This author event will take place Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 P.M. in The Gathering Hall.

As I am sure you can imagine, the Christmas spirit has taken hold of the third grade class schedule and much of what I had hoped to accomplish last week has been pushed back to this week.  Please excuse the repetition, but know your third graders are still working hard to become the best third grade class they can possibly be.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Curriculum Update for the Week of December 9, 2013:

Religion:  Advent Penance Service for grades 3-5 on Monday morning;  Please review prayers; Continue chapter 8- The Marks of the Church; The Popes, Bishops are the successors of the Apostles

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss the novel, Who Is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas?;  Complete comprehension activities

Math:  Reading and using graphs with multi digit numbers; Using graphs to solve time and measurement problems;  Using graphs to represent and organize data

English/Language Arts:  Continue contractions as verbs;  Writing:  "How Can I Be A Hero?";  Spelling test on Friday

Social Studies:  Continue unit of Christmas Around the World:  Sweden, Germany and Mexico

***** A BIG thank you to Mr. Goldman for coming in and talking with the class about the holiday and traditions of Chanukah.  The class had a fantastic time listening to a story about the history and traditions of Chanukah.  We were even given the opportunity to play the dreidel game!  Thank you, Mr. Goldman!!!!

Science:  Continue to study the parts of a plant and how they grow and develop

Art Literacy:  Continue to study and write about the art work of Grandma Moses

*****  Another BIG thank you to Mrs. Daly for coming in each month to present some fantastic art work to our eager third graders.  The projects and presentations are always so much fun. Thank you, Mrs. Daly!!!!!  We appreciate all of the time you so willingly give us.

Well, I hope all of you had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed some indoor family time on Saturday as we all tried to stay dry during our BIG winter rain storm.  Enjoy the rest of  your Sunday evening!

One last thing,  be sure to come by the third grade classroom to see our class Christmas tree.  Thanks to Mrs. Goldman, the students were able to create their own Christmas ornaments to help decorate our tree.  It looks fantastic.  Thank you Mrs. Goldman!!!

Last, but certainly not least, 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

Sunday, December 1, 2013

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

Dear Third Grade Parents,

This really is the most wonderful time of the year!  I love the preparation and anticipation leading up to the celebration of Jesus' birth.  It really is a gift I am happy to share with my students as we count down the days of the Advent season.  It truly is a time of miracles in faith.

As the third graders and I move forward with our academic lessons, I am expecting our fair share of holiday interruptions.  Please bare with us as we do our absolute best to cover all of the topics listed in this week's Curriculum Update.  Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Curriculum Update for the Week of December 2, 2013:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 8- The Marks of the Church; Jesus chooses the Apostles to lead the Church;  Various Advent activities

Math:  Read and Create pictographs and bar graphs;  Read and create bar graphs with multi-digit numbers; Use graphs to solve time and measurement problems;  Focus on mathematical practices

Reading:  Whole group novel study of Who is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas? - Read discuss chapters 1-11 and complete comprehension activities

Social Studies:  Begin unit on Christmas around the World, beginning with Israel, India, and Sweden

Science:  Continue Chapter 3- plants and how they use leaves to make food;  How plants use roots and stems to grow

Language Arts/Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin unit 3 of Vocabulary Workshop- Completing the sentence and matching the meaning;  Grammar- contractions and contractions as verbs;  Spelling test this Friday


I am looking forward to the next two and half weeks as the third graders and I  prepare for the Christmas holiday. It's such a magical time of fun and innocence.  I love it!

Please be on the look out for the Old Globe field trip permission slips.  They will be handed out tomorrow.

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

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I hope you are all enjoying the last few hours of a relaxing weekend.  I know I am.  It is going to be a busy week in third grade as we prepare to finish up our lessons and and gear up for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  I know the students are looking forward to a whole week of family fun and entertainment.  I cannot wait to hear all of their stories when we return.  Until then, there is a little bit of school work to wrap up.

With the shortened week due to Parent-Teacher Conferences, I am posting a condensed curriculum update.  I can honestly say I am going to try my best to cover as many subject areas as we can, but I cannot make any promises.  I do know the third graders and I will be covering the subjects of religion, reading and math every day.  I am hoping to cover Social Studies and Science every other day.  Please look over this week's Curriculum Update and as always, please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

Curriculum Update for the Week of November 18, 2013:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 6- The Liturgical Calendar and the celebrating the life of Jesus Christ

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss the story, "The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring";  Reading Comprehension test on Wednesday;  Read and discuss Thanksgiving Day themed picture books

Math:  Telling Time; Time Before and After the Hour; Adding and Subtracting Time; Solving Word Problems Involving Time

Social Studies:  Continue to learn about Native Americans and their communities

Science:  Balloon puppet due Tuesday;  Continue Chapter 6:  Classifying Plants

Spelling:  Test tomorrow!!;  No test on Friday

I would like to thank Mrs. Steele for coming in this week to be our Secret Reader.  The third graders and I learned so much about eating smart and making sure we eat healthy snacks.  Mrs. Steele read the picture book, The Bernstein Bears and Junk Food.  It was a great way to learn how to take care of ourselves and our bodies. Thank you, Mrs. Steele!


I am looking forward to meeting with all of you this week during Parent-Teacher Conferences.  It will be a pleasure to sit with all of you and discuss the academic and social growth of each of your children. Until then, have a fantastic week and thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy a fabulous place to learn!  Take care and God bless!  Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!!!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Thankful Third Grade Teacher

Monday, November 11, 2013

Happy Veteran's Day!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you to Mrs. Ornelas who came in last Friday as our Secret Reader.  She did an amazing job reading in Spanish and translating the story, "The Emperor's New Clothes" by having the students act it out.  It was a fantastic experience and the class truly enjoyed the time.  Thank you, Mrs. Ornelas!

Here is this week's Curriculum Update!

Curriculum Update for the Week of November 11, 2013:


Religion:  Chapter 5 Quiz Thursday!  Begin Chapter 6- The Church Year and the Liturgical Calendar

Math:  Metric units of liquid volume;  Customary units of weight and metric units of mass;  Solving word problems involving liquid volume and mass; Telling time

Reading:  Read and discuss the story, "The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring";  complete comprehension activities and go over selection vocabulary- crops, decorated, vacant, mound, patch;  Comprehension quiz on Friday
Continue in guided reading groups and read, Who Was Johnny Appleseed  and Who Was King Tut

Science:  Classifying plants- flowering plants and non flowering plants

Social Studies:  Review Chapter 2;  Begin Chapter 3- Native Americans and their communities

Grammar:  Contractions; Vocabulary Workshop:  Unit 2 test Friday

****Due to the shortened week, the Spelling test will be next Monday!!!!!

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

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher




Sunday, November 3, 2013

Curriculum Update

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I cannot believe it is already November!!!!  Where has the time gone?!?!  I am just astounded by the fact that time is flying by and the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations are literally just around the corner.  These are exciting times ahead and I am looking forward to sharing the days leading up to the holidays with my third graders.  I have some fun and exciting ideas up my sleeves and I cannot wait to share them with you….!!!

In the mean time, I absolutely must thank Mrs. Calva-Ortiz for organizing our class Dia de Los Muertos celebration.  What a fantastic time had by all.  Thank you to all of her assistants as well.  All of you made the day special and quite memorable.  I should have pictures of the altar and an "action" shot just as soon as I am able to upload them.

****  Just a small request:  Parents, if your child has a particular food allergy or special dietary needs, could you please send in a ziplock bag of special snacks for your child to have during our class celebration times.  I want to make certain students do not feel left out during these fun times.  Thank you so very much!

Here is this week's Curriculum Update as we begin the 2nd quarter of the school year.

Curriculum Update for the Week of November 4, 2013

Religion:  Finish Chapter 5- the ancestors of our faith: examples of holiness;  Review Chapter 5 key terms and points- martyrs, Gospels, apostles and saints;  Chapter 5 Quiz on Friday

Math:  Continue to review multiplication  and division facts; Unit 2 Review; Test on Wednesday;  Begin Unit 3:  units of measurement

Reading:  Continue guided reading groups- Who Was Johnny Appleseed group:  read and discuss chapters 2-4;  Who Was King Tut group:  read and discuss chapters 2-5;  Whole group reading story, "The Legend of Damon and Pythias"; discuss and complete comprehension exercises

Vocabulary Workshop:  Finish Unit 2;  This week's spelling list will be the vocabulary words from unit 2;  Vocabulary Unit 2 test next Monday

Grammar:  Continue complete subjects and complete verbs; Begin Direct Objects

Social Studies:   Continue reading about and discussing ways to care for our resource and how to protect them

Science:  Review of Simple and compound machines;  Begin Chapter 3- How do plants change-  Discuss and complete pinto bean experiment

I hope all of you have a fantastic week and enjoy the new fall-like weather.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy a great place to learn!  Take care and God bless.

Sincerely,
Ms.  Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher