Dear Third Grade Parents,

Well, Christmas vacation is only days away and you can already feel the anticipation of Jesus' birthday celebration in the air.  As you and your families gather together to create new memories, please know you are all in my prayers and I wish you and your's the merriest of Christmases and a Happy New Year.  Enjoy this special time with your little one's!

I am not going to post a curriculum update for this week due to the shortened week and due to the fact that with pageant practice times looming ahead, I am uncertain just how much we will be able to get through.  Please know, that the third graders and I will continue to work hard as we close our lessons in Religion, Science, and Social Studies.  We will begin the new chapters when we start back up again in January.  While there will not be a spelling test this week, there will be a Chapter 10 Religion Quiz on Tuesday.

Don't forget, there is mass tomorrow morning and on Tuesday, the entire school will be performing in the annual SMA Christmas Pageant.  Lastly, Wednesday will be a busy day.  The third grade class will be celebrating Polar Express Day and may come to school in appropriate pajama attire.  We will also be having an ornament exchange with our sixth grade buddies.  Each student should come to school with a $5 (max) Christmas ornament to exchange with their buddy.

I believe that is all for now!  Thank you for all of your support during this busy week.  Your time and patience is greatly appreciated.  Have a wonderful week.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms Griffin
Your Third Grade Teacher      

Merry Grinchmas!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

It's finally here, the week the third grade class is going to the Old Globe Theater to watch Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  I can hardly wait to see everyone's reaction to this fun production.  I know they are going to love it!

Just some last minute reminders for this fun day, third graders must come to school on Wednesday in their mass uniform.  This is a fancy event and we want to represent SMA in style.  Lastly, please pack a "brown bag" lunch for your third grader.  We will be eating lunch at Balboa Park before making our way back to school.  Thank you for helping to make this fun field trip possible.  Be prepared to hear some fun highlights after school on Wednesday.

Be sure to look over this week's Curriculum Update to know all we are learning in third grade!

Curriculum Update for the Week of December 8, 2014:

Religion:  Continue chapter 10- different types of prayers; The Church prays at all times:  The Liturgy of the Hours;  Chapter 10 Quiz next Monday 

Math: Review Bar Graphs; Telling Time; Represent and organize data; use graphs to solve time and measurement; continue to review multiplication tables

Reading:  continue in guided reading groups: Chasing Vermeer, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Stone Fox;  Whole Group- Read and discuss Little House on the Prairie- Ch 5- 9

Science:  Review and discuss Ch 5, Lesson 2 Study Guide; How ecosystems change- natural events and seasonal changes

Social Studies:  Native Americans and their government- tribal councils; Begin Chapter 5- Exploring California

Language Arts:  Continue to work on Advent writing piece; Grammar:  Continue to review compound subjects and compound verbs;  Unit 13 spelling test on Friday

Art:  Finish angel ornaments

Well, it is going to be another busy week of learning in third grade.  I hope everyone enjoys the sunshine we are promised this week.  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

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving Break spending time with family and friends.  I know I sure did.  I am now looking forward to this special time of Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.  This has always been a favorite time of year for me.  I cannot wait to share it with my third graders.

Please be sure to check this week's Curriculum Update to see all that we will be up to.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Curriculum Update for the Week of December 1, 2014:

Religion:  Advent introduction- preparing for the Son of God; Saints of Advent- Lucy, Nicholas and Mary; Begin chapter 10:  Jesus teaches his followers how to pray; praying by ourselves and with others;

Math:  Add and subtract time; Solve word problems involving time; Read and create pictographs; Read and create bar graphs with multi-digit numbers

Reading:  Continue in guided reading groups- Chasing Vermeer, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Stone Fox

Social Studies:  Begin Chapter 4:  A changing way of life for Native Americans; Preserving the culture; Indian Island

Science:  Begin Chapter 5:  What is an ecosystem?;  Places for living things; Parts of an ecosystem; How living things get energy; food chains;

Language Arts:  Spelling unit 11;  Spelling Test on Friday;  Begin Advent writing piece- "How My Family Prepares for Jesus' Birthday

Music:  Continue to practice for Christmas pageant;  Practice recorders and learn new songs

Art:  Continue to work on self-portraits


This week should be a quiet week.  Tomorrow the third graders will be receiving the Sacrament of Penance.  We will be reviewing the steps of penance so each student feels prepared for this special sacrament.  Also, don't forget, this Friday is the first Friday of the month and there will be an all-school mass on Friday at 11:15.  Please feel free to come and join us as we celebrate the mass together as a school community!

Have a wonderful 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

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Let the holiday happiness begin!  This week is promising to be quite busy with learning the best we can despite the four half days and SMA's upcoming Spirit Run this Thursday.  Please be sure to look over this week's Curriculum Update for a tentative schedule of what we are covering this week in third grade.

Curriculum Update for the Week of November 17, 2014:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 9- professing our faith; the Apostles' Creed; the Holy Spirit guides the Church

Math:  Telling time; telling time before and after the hour; elapsed time; Continue to review multiplication tables

Social Studies:  Continue to read and discuss What Was the First Thanksgiving

Science:  Finish and review chapter 4- animal life cycles

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss Ramona Quimby, Age 8- chapters 6-9;  meet in guided reading groups

Language Arts:  continue and finish Thanksgiving paragraph; Spelling test on Friday

Art: Continue to work on self portraits; Art Literacy with Mrs. Daly on Monday

I hope all of you have a blessed and restful Thanksgiving.  Thank you for all you do to help make Stella Maris Academy an amazing place to learn.  Take care and God bless.  See you this week during Parent Teacher Conferences.

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Griffin

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Thank you to all who were able to come and celebrate SMA's annual All Saints' Day celebration.  It was a great day of celebrating our Catholic role models and heroes of faith.  I especially enjoyed seeing all of the costumes and hearing the students' reports.  We still have a few more to get through, but so far, so fabulous.

Thank you, parents for guiding your third grader through the process of creating a power point presentation.  I know it was not an easy task, but I knew the end results would be worthwhile.  The presentations are outstanding!

Tomorrow the third graders and their sixth grade buddies will go on their walking field trip to Casa de Manana to visit with our senior friends and begin the Veterans' Day celebrations a day early.  We are planning to sing some patriotic songs and deliver some decorated cards.  I think it will be a valuable experience of community outreach and I know the students are looking forward to putting their Christian Service in action.

Please be sure to review this week's Curriculum Update!

Curriculum Update for the Week of November 10, 2014:

Religion:  Finish and review Chapter 8;  Chapter 8 Quiz on Friday;  Finish Saint power point presentations

Math:  Metric units of liquid volume; customary units of weight and metric units of mass; solve word problems involving liquid volume and mass; Telling time;  Study 5 times tables!!!

Social Studies:  Continue to read and discuss What Was the First Thanksgiving;

Reading:  Continue to read and discuss, Ramona Quimby, Age 8;  complete comprehension activities for chapters 3-6;  Continue guided reading groups

Language Arts:  Grammar:  End of the unit test on Monday- subjects, verbs, prepositions and prepositional phrases, complete subjects and complete verbs. Students will be able to use their list of prepositions to assist them;  Spelling:  Unit 10 Test on Friday

Science:  Finish Chapter 4-  animal life cycles: butterflies, frogs, and mammals

I hope everyone has 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

Happy November!

Dear Third Grade Parents,

This week marks the start of the second quarter of third grade.  As I told the class last Friday, new quarters mean a fresh start and many of the students were excited to hear that, to begin again and to work toward greater successes.  I know they can all do it!

Here is this week's Curriculum Update.

Curriculum Update for the Week of November 3, 2014:

Religion:  Continue Chapter 8- the Apostles lead the Church; the popes and the bishops are the successors of the Apostles;  the Marks of the Church;  Saint Report due Friday!

Math:  Unit 2 Review;  No Unit 2 Test!;  Begin unit 3:  Customary units of measurements; customary units of liquid volume

Reading:  Begin 2nd quarter novel study:  Ramona Quimby, Age 8- chapters 1-3;  guided reading groups- read and discuss group novels

Language Arts:  Finish review of unit 1- subjects, verbs, imperative sentences and prepositions;  Unit 1 Test on Thursday;  Spelling unit 9 Test on Friday

Social Studies:  Read "What Was the First Thanksgiving" and complete comprehension activities and graphic organizers

Science:  Continue Chapter 4- inherited and learned behaviors;  animal life cycles- frogs, mammals and butterflies

I hope everyone has a fantastic week.  Don't forget, this Friday is our All Saints' Day mass and procession.  Come watch the students dressed up as their saints as they parade into the church.  I hope to see you there.

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,

Yahoo! We are officially finished with the IOWA Assessments.  This week we are continuing on with our regular curriculum schedule.  Please see the Curriculum Update below to see what we are learning in third grade this week.

Curriculum Update for the Week of October 27, 2014:


Religion:  Begin Chapter 8: The Apostles lead the Church with Peter;  The Pope and the Bishops are the successors of the Apostles;  Saint Report due November 7- if for some reason your student does not have access to Power Point, a regular written report answering all of the questions will be fine

Math:  Multiply with multiples of 10; building fluency with 0's-10's;  Focus on Mathematical Practices; Unit 2 Review;  Unit 2 Test next Tuesday!

Reading:  Read and discuss close reading article on the history of the Jack-o-Lantern and complete comprehension activities;  Continue in guided reading groups

Social Studies:  Finish chapter 4- the culture and customs of Native Americans;  Read and discuss "Time for Kids"- complete article discussion questions

Science:  Continue chapter 4- review lesson 1; how offspring are like their parents; learned and inherited behaviors

Language Arts:  Grammar-  review of prepositional phrases, subjects and verbs-Test next Wednesday;  Spelling test on Friday;  Writing piece on "My Halloween Costume"

Lastly, I would like to thank Nino's mom for coming in to read a few "lost" Dr. Suess stories.  It was a fun treat the whole class enjoyed.

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!