Happy Fall!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Praise the Lord, the ITBS Tests are officially over!  I am so proud of our hard working third graders.  It was a hard working two weeks, but I am certain it will pay off and allow us to see our areas for growth and our areas of strengths.  I will be sending the results home just as soon as we receive them.

This week will be a "normal" work week in that aside from our special "All Saints' Day Mass and Parade" on Friday, our day to day academic schedule will resume to include all subjects.  I am looking forward to being back on track and digging in before the big holiday rush.  With that being said, please take a look at this week's Curriculum Update to get an idea of what we are learning in Third Grade.

Curriculum Update for the Week of October 28, 2013:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 5- The Apostles lead the Church;  The Disciples of Jesus share the Good News; How the followers of Jesus stand up for their faith;  Saint Report is due this Friday

Math:  Making sense of two step word problems; Multiplying with multiples of Ten; Review of multiplication and division facts; focus on mathematical practices; Building fluency with 0's-10's multiplication/division facts

Reading:  Review reading story, "Team Mates", a story about Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese;  Comprehension Test on Wednesday

Language Arts:  Complete Subjects and Complete Verbs; Direct Objects; Writing:  My Favorite Time of Year- personal narrative; Vocabulary Workshop:  Completing the Sentence and Word Associations- Unit 2 Test next Wednesday;  Spelling Unit 6 Test on Friday- The list will be sent home on Monday to allow for the students to prepare and practice using their words.

Social Studies:  Junior Achievement Class #2 with Mrs. Tejeda on Monday;  Continue Chapter 2- our changing environment; Caring for our resources and ways to protect them

Science:  Finish Chapter 2 and review simple and complex machines; Review the concepts of technology and the design process

Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to this week's Secret Reader, Max's very own bodyguard, aka, his dad- Mr Goldman.  The class had a fantastic time listening to him read three very sweet and funny picture books- "The Story Blanket", "The Boss Baby", and "Mustache Baby".  The class also enjoyed creating a fun project with the baby pictures they brought in.  I won't spill the beans as our fabulous room mom is busy creating a group display of these fun looking photos.  I cannot wait to see it!

Well, that is all for now.  Don't forget, this Friday is All Saints' Day!  The school will attend mass on Friday and have the annual parade of saints.  Please be sure to come and join us for this special celebration.  

Have a fantastic week!  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  I feel so blessed and fortunate to be a part of this community.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,

Ms. Griffin

Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy Sunny Saturday!  What a beautiful fall weekend we are having… I love living in San Diego!  We are truly blessed in more ways than one, that's for sure.

Last week's ITBS Testing went well, but I know the class and I will be thrilled when it will all be over. The students are handling it like champs though.  This week will be the final wrap-up and if all goes well, the class and I should be done with testing on Wednesday morning.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go in for the final stretch.

This week will contain a little more class content so, I am posting a Curriculum Update for this week.  Please note, that we may not be able to cover all of the areas or topics that I am posting in the update.  You may see them again next week as I do not want to overload the students (and myself).

Curriculum Update for the Week of October 21, 2013:

Religion:  Finish Chapter 4; Study Guide review; Chapter 4 quiz on Friday

Reading:  Continue in Guided Reading Groups and finish individual group novels of Bunnicula and 43 Old Cemetery Road;  Read and discuss the story "Teammates"- The Story of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese;  Introduce reading vocabulary words- exist, extraordinary, apathetic, intimidate, experiment, and humiliate

Language Arts:  Review prepositions, compound subjects and compound verbs

Vocabulary Workshop:  Continue introduction to Unit 2 words; Complete the sentence and Match the Meaning

Math:  Continue to drill and review multiplication facts and building fluency with 0's-10's; Equations and Word Problems; First Step Questions for Two Step Problems

Social Studies:  Map skills;  Urban and Suburban Communities

Science:  What is a Machine?  Define Simple Machines and Complex Machines and how they are used today and in the past

This week the third grade class will continue to work on their first Art Literacy project.  Thank you to Mrs. Daly and Mr. Fretwell for giving so much of their time to get this project started.  I cannot wait to see the finished product.  Thank you to all of the amazing parent volunteers who came to help last Monday.  I am just so grateful for the active participation of the third grade parents.  You are amazing!

Speaking of parent volunteers, I also wish to thank Mrs. Miranda for being our Secret Reader for the week of October 11th.  The class enjoyed writing and drawing pictures about what they hope to be when they "grow up".  It was a lot of fun to listen to their dreams.

This week, the Third Grade Class enjoyed listening to Mrs. Bokhari read two trickster tales from the Pacific Northwest and from Hawaii.  She even threw in two class favorites, Skippy Jon Jones… Mummy Trouble and Puff The Magic Dragon.  The class and I had a terrific time!  Thank you, Mrs. Bokhari!  We especially enjoyed your Skippy Jon Jones voice!

Last, but certainly not least, another thank you must go out to Mrs. Miranda for starting the Third Grade Junior Achievement Program.  This week's lesson tied in perfectly with our Social Studies unit on Communities.  It was a fantastic presentation and I know the week's to come will garner some great discussions.

Phew… As you can tell, last week was VERY busy in third grade, but it was also a great week of learning and smiles all around.  Thank you, parents for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy a great place to learn.  It truly is a group effort!  Have a fantastic week.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,

Ms. Eileen Griffin

Your Blessed Third Grade Teacher

Happy Columbus Day!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy Columbus/ Discoverer's Day!  I trust everyone enjoyed the extended holiday weekend and enjoyed some much needed time off as we head into a busy week for our third graders.  

Tomorrow is the beginning of ITBS Testing and it will continue throughout the next two weeks.  With this in mind, I am trying to scale back the weekly lesson plans and keep things light as the students will need all of their mind power and energy to do well on the tests.  The ITBS Tests do not count toward the report card grades, but they are an excellent way for us to assess their progress.  The results of these tests are a tool to guide the path for the school year and to "see" the third graders' individual strengths and areas for growth.  This is why I cannot stress enough how important it is for each student to be in attendance every day while testing is occurring.  Thank you for your assistance and support in this matter.  Remember, should you have any questions or concerns with regards to these tests, please do not hesitate to contact me.

As I said above, this week will be a scaled back version of what we normally cover during a week in third grade.  For this very reason, I will not be posting a Curriculum Update for this week.  Just know, the third graders and I will be studying Religion every day as well as Math, particularly multiplication/division facts.  Reading, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science will be alternating throughout the days ahead.  There will still be nightly spelling homework as well as a test this Friday.

Lastly, The Third Graders received the format for their Saints' Day Report.  It will be due on November 1st.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week of fall time fun.  I love this time of year and I am looking forward to squeezing in some fun fall themed educational activities throughout the coming days.  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

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy Sunday!  I trust all of you had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed your family time together.  I know I did and I am ready for another week of learning and laughter.

Just a quick reminder, last Friday was the deadline for turning in your deposit of $15.50 for the third grade field trip to the Old Globe's production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  Unfortunately there are still a few families who have not turned their deposit in.  If you still need to turn your's in, please do so ASAP to ensure their is a spot available for your third grader.  This is an experience I do not want anyone to miss out on.  Thank you!

Don't forget, this week begins the Scholastic Book Fair in the school library! There is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy!

Here is this week's Curriculum Update!

Curriculum Update for the Week of October 7, 2013:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 4- The Christian Church begins;  Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit; The Church begins on Pentecost; The early Church grows; The story of Saul and how he became Paul; Guidelines for a short "Saint Report" goes home this Thursday.

Math:  Continue Unit 2-  Solve area word problems; Multiply and divide by 8;  Write word problems and equations;  Multiply and divide by 7;  Square numbers;  Quick quiz this week on multiplying by 6, 5 and 4.

Reading:  Continue guided reading groups:  Bunnicula  Group will read and discuss chapters 3-5;  43 Old Cemetery Road  Group  will read and discuss chapters 4-6;  Finish reading and discussing whole group reading story, "Rugby and Rosie"  Comprehension test on Wednesday;  Continue read-aloud of Judy Moody  and complete comprehension activities

Language Arts:  Grammar- Imperative sentences;  Review prepositions;  Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin Unit 2- Introduce vocabulary words and their definitions;  Match the meaning

Science:  Begin Chapter 2-   Read and discuss what is technology and  what is a machine

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 2-  Read and discuss the life and work of John Muir;  Natural resources on the land, inside the Earth and the importance of water;  Daily Geography and a review of map skills

Looking Ahead:
Please remember, on Tuesday, October 15th, the third graders will begin the Iowa standardized testing. Please make every effort not to schedule any vacations or medical/dental appointments during this time or during the morning testing period.  Make-up tests can be very difficult to schedule. Thank you in advance for your support in this matter.

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

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Blessed Third Grade Teacher

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