Happy Easter!!!!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Happy Easter!!!!  I am looking forward to seeing all of my third graders and hearing all about their Easter vacation adventures.  I trust everyone enjoyed their time together while creating new memories to look back on with fondness.

This week will be a regular week with the exception of the  May Crowning on Friday at 10:45 followed immediately by mass.  Should there be any changes to this schedule, I will post them here.

I will not be posting a Curriculum Update for this week, but please know that there will be a Unit 6 Vocabulary Workshop Quiz on Thursday  and a spelling test on Friday.    The Third Grade Curriculum Update will continue to be posted beginning next week.

Lastly, please know that ALL schoolwork that was given in advance for extended vacations must be turned in on Monday.  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms Eileen Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher

Hallelujah!  He is Risen

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I just wanted to wish all of you a blessed Holy Week as we prepare for what is the biggest Christian holiday of the year.  If I do not see you before we dismiss for the Easter break, I hope all of you have a restful week and enjoy your family get togethers wherever they may be.  Safe travels to all of you!!

I would like to extend a BIG thank you to Mrs. Goldman and Mrs. Koresaar for helping the third graders transform our classroom into an "out of this world" environment.  Come by one morning to see the stars and planets that have fallen from the sky and have brightened up the classroom.  The classroom looks amazing!  I love it! 

Lastly, I just wanted to let you know the students have received templates for our next project, a famous American Report.  The guidelines are pretty self explanatory on the templates.  The only requirement is that all of the information must come from one biography book.  The internet may only be used for "extra" information such as pictures or fun facts.  The "Who Was…"  biography book series is a great resource in terms of finding the information your student needs.  The due date is May 5.  As always, please let me know should you have any questions with regards to this final project.

Please read through the Curriculum Update below.

Curriculum Update for the Week of April 14, 2014:

Religion:  Finish and review chapter 18;  Chapter 18 Quiz on Wednesday;  Holy Week Activities

Math:  Review of multiplication facts and division

Language Arts:  Begin grammar unit on nouns- common and proper nouns;  Writing:  Brainstorm ideas for Earth Day paragraph and begin rough draft;  Vocabulary Workshop:  Begin unit 6- learning the definitions in context and completing the sentences

Reading:  Both guided reading groups will be reading and discussing  The Hundred Dresses while in their separate reading groups;  Whole Group Instruction:  Read discuss the Greek Myth, "Atalanta the Huntress"

Social Studies:  Finish and review Chapter 10;  Chapter 10 Test on Thursday;  Begin to read Biography book for Famous American Report- Due May 5

Science:  Junior Yard Earth Day Themed centers on Tuesday morning;  Continue Chapter 7:  The Solar System- inner and outer planets; Earth's pattern of movement

Art:  The art of Vincent Van Gogh with a focus on, "The Sunflowers"

I hope all of you have a fantastic week.  Thank you for all you do to help and support Stella Maris Academy.  You truly make it an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless! 

Sincerely,

Ms Eileen Griffin

Your Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I hope all is well.  I just wanted to remind all parents that tomorrow is a mass day and then the third graders will be celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation at 9:30 as well.  With these two visits to church at the start of our week, it can only be a fantastic start to the day and the week.

Tuesday will be the due date for all of the third graders Earth Day Recycled Art Projects.  I can hardly wait to see all of the projects and the clever ideas of our third graders.

Tuesday is promising to be an "out of this world" day.  Mrs. Goldman and Mrs. Koresaar have teamed up to create a few art projects to kick off our science unit of study on the universe and our solar system.  A BIG thank you to these creative ladies for taking my simple little ideas and making them into something I could only imagine.  It should be a fun afternoon of creativity, learning and possibly making a little mess.

Please be sure to  check this week's Curriculum Update below.  Thank you and enjoy the rest of your sunny weekend.

Curriculum Update for the Week of April 6, 2014:

Religion:  Begin Chapter 18- Celebrating Penance and Reconciliation: God is our Forgiving Father, the parts of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Math:  Compare Units of Fractions; Introduce Equivalence;  Review division facts of 2, 3, 4, and 5

Language Arts:  Unit 5 Vocabulary Workshop Quiz tomorrow;  Continue review of verbs: helping and main verbs; Review subjects and verbs; Begin unit on Nouns;  Writing:  Begin brainstorming for Earth Day themed Paragraph;  Spelling Test on Friday

Reading:  Guided Reading Groups:  Group 1:  Finish reading and discussing "The Wizard of Oz";  Group 2:  Continue to read and Discuss "The Hundred Dresses"- Chapters 4-7;  Whole Group Reading:  Begin close reading of the Tall Tale, "John Henry" and another tall tale on "Stormalong and the Octopus"

Social Studies:  Continue chapter 10:  Read and discuss a short article on Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin; Freedom of Religion- the Pilgrims and the Puritans; Freedom for all- the Civil War and Equal rights for women

Science:  Begin chapter 7:  What is a star; The solar system - the inner planets and the outer planets

As you can see, there is a great deal of learning in third grade this week.  I am looking forward to it and I know the class will enjoy this week's topics.  Have a fantastic week and thank you for everything 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,

This Monday marks the first day of the fourth quarter.  Can you believe it?!?!?  Where has the time gone?  Time certainly does fly when you are having fun!

With the start of this new quarter, please be sure to go through your child's weekly work sent home each Monday.  Going through these papers is the best way to monitor your child's weekly progress and to avoid any surprises come report card time.  The second way to keep up is through Teacher Ease.  I try to update the grades every week, but every other week is my regular pattern.  This is why I say going through the weekly packet is the best way to know how your child is doing on their tests, quizzes and practice work.  Thank you!

Please check this week's Curriculum Update listed below.  Don't forget, this week's mass will be on Friday, not Monday.

Curriculum Update for the Week of March 30, 2014:

Religion:  Chapter 17 review;  Chapter 17 Quiz on Thursday- The parts of the mass: The Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rites

Math:  model fractions; locate fractions on a number line;  compare unit fractions;  compare Fractions; introduce equivalence

Reading:  Guided Reading Group 1:  Read and discuss chapters 8-14 of The Wizard of Oz;  Guided Reading Group 2:  Read and discuss chapters 1-3 of The Hundred Dresses;  Whole Group:  Continue Close Reading of "The Dove and the Ant"

Language Arts:  Verb Tenses- present, past and future; Vocabulary Workshop:  Continue unit 5- Test next Monday

Science:  Finish Chapter 6- weathering and erosion;  Chapter 6 Test on Friday

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 10- Fighting for our freedoms- Spotlight on Cesar Chavez; The 13 colonies, freedom from England

Well, I hope all of you have a fantastic week.  Enjoy the remainder of your weekend.  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

Dear Third Grade Parents,
     Spring has officially arrived at last!!!  I love this time of year.  The extra hours of sunlight bring out an energy in the kids that is just plain contagious.  I am often amazed at just how motivated our third grade students can be and how willing they are to forge ahead and go the extra mile.  They are truly a great class!  I am so proud of them.

With a minimum day scheduled for this Wednesday and Friday, our final week of the third quarter is promising to be quiet in terms of activities.  However, there are three quizzes the students should be prepared for.  Please be sure to check the Curriculum Update Listed below.

Curriculum Update for the Week of March 24, 2014:

Religion:  Chapter 16 Quiz on Monday;  Begin Chapter 17:  The parts of the mass- Introductory Rites, The Liturgy of the Word and The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Math:  Continue to review multiplication facts; Begin Chapter:  Exploring Fractions;  Locate fractions on a number line; Model Fractions

Language Arts:  Continue to work on writing piece, "Three Things I Love About…";  Continue lessons on Verb tenses and Vocabulary  Workshop Unit 5;  Spelling test on Friday

Reading:  Continue to meet in Guided Reading Groups;  Group 1:  Begin to read and discuss The Wizard of Oz  Chapters 1-6;  Group 2:  Finish reading Peter Pan;  Whole Group reading lesson:  Read and discuss a CLose Reading passage titled "Spring"

Science:  Continue Chapter 6-  Weathering and Erosion;  Types of Landforms quiz on Friday

Social Studies:  Continue Chapter 9-  America's Landmarks, monuments and memorials

I would like to thank Mrs. Daley for her Art Literacy lesson on Paul Klee.  The students did a fantastic job creating their own pieces of art work inspired by Klee's unique artistic style.  I cannot wait for you to see them.  The artistic talent in our class is amazing!

Finally, I would also like to thank Mrs. Koresaar, Mrs. Goldman and Mrs. Stiko for creating a special project for the class last Friday.  Their Secret Reader session was a terrific time and we learned all about using the extra things we have at home to make something beautiful.  Thank you, Moms!  We had a great time!

I hope all of you 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

Curriculum Update

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I just wanted to quickly pop in to wish you a lucky week!  Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and the third graders are able to wear their school uniforms with a little green add on to bring luck to their day.

Don't forget that this Thursday is Family Math Night.  It should be a great time for  math, friends and family.  I cannot wait to see what it is all about.  I hope to see you there!

I hope your weekend has been filled with plenty of sunshine and fun.  Please be sure to check the Curriculum Update to see what we are learning this week in the fabulous third grade.


Curriculum Update for the Week of March 17, 2014:

Religion:  Finish and review chapter 16-  Celebrating the Mass and Holy Days of Obligation;  Chapter 16 Quiz on Friday

Math:  Mathematical Practices; Tangrams; Review of multiplication facts 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Language Arts:  Grammar- irregular verbs; verb tenses; Vocabulary Workshop Unit 5- completing the sentence and synonyms and antonyms;  Spelling Test on Friday

Reading:   Guided Reading Group 1:  Continue Because of Winn-Dixie writing piece;  Begin to read and discuss chapters 1-3 of The Wizard of Oz; Guided Reading Group 2:  Continue to read and discuss Peter Pan

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 9-  National and local symbols;  America's landmarks- the Statue of Liberty, the Capitol, the Washington Monument and various memorials

Science:  Continue chapter 6-  the layers of soil; landforms and the features of the Earth's surface

This week Mrs. Daley will come in for another amazing Art Literacy project.

I wish all of you a fantastic week.  Thank you for sharing your third graders with me every school day. I truly enjoy being a part of their lives as they bring their smiles and hugs to me every day.  It is a real treat!  Thank you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!  Thank you for all you do to make Stella Maris Academy a fabulous place to learn.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin
Your Lucky Third Grade Teacher

Dear Third Grade Parents,

         How blessed our we to enjoy two weekends in a row of perfect spring time weather?!?  I hope you all have enjoyed the great outdoors these last two days.  I know I have!

         This week is looking to be pretty quiet.  Please check the Curriculum Update below to see this week's exciting lessons.

Curriculum Update for the Week of March 10, 2014:

Religion:  This week we will begin Chapter 16 and focus on the meaning and journey of Lent

Math:  Quick Quiz tomorrow on Unit 6, lessons 1-4:  Recognizing Polygons;  Perimeter and Area; Compare Areas and Perimeters; Area of Rectilinear Figures; Solve Perimeter and Area

Language Arts:  Continue Irregular Verbs; Begin Vocabulary Workshop Unit 4

Reading:  Continue to meet in Guided Reading Groups- Group 1: Finish reading and discussing Because of Winn-Dixie;  Begin reading, The Wizard of Oz  Group 2:  Continue to read and discuss Peter Pan

Social Studies:  Review Chapter 8;  Chapter 8 Test on Wednesday!  (Please note the change in day)

Science:  Continue Chapter 6:  The different types of rocks and minerals; What is soil?, The different layers of soil and the kinds of soil

Art:  Continue Navajo weaving project

I hope everyone is out enjoying the beautiful sunshine.  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.