Student Highlights 11/27/2023 – 12/1/2023

• Art- Jenn Stark style drip pictures
• Spanish- Singing Spanish songs about Mary and Jesus
• Language Arts- okapis, writing realistic fiction stories
• Math- playing Capture on the 300 chart
• Science- observing water domes
• PE- catching and throwing in the game Capture the Flag
• Wilmot Library Visit for holiday picture books

Scenes from the Art room courtesy of Miss Vizzini: 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language Arts unit 3 wraps up with reading and understanding a Blog and an Online Article.  We continue to develop our comprehension strategies of making inferences and using text features.  Writing lessons practice elaborating with details and dialogue in realistic fiction stories.  Grammar lessons for plural nouns and suffixes are reinforced in daily lessons. Language arts unit 3 testing is scheduled for December 8-9.

Math students will be solving distance riddles this week.  They will solve travel problems that involve finding the distance between various stops along the way. They will discuss and represent adding up or subtracting back as they focus on the strategy of using 100 as a landmark number.

Looking ahead to December 15th and our field trip to the Tucson Presidio, there are a few details:

• Wear red and khaki and outerwear appropriate for a chilly morning.  We are outside the entire field trip and the tall downtown buildings shade the Presidio.
• Bring a lunch, including a drink.  Lunches are stored in a cooler.
• Departure is 8:45 am and our return to school is at approximately 1:30pm, just in time for the Holiday Program.
• Food at various stations include: wheat flour in tortillas, hard tack, and baked bread. Butter is served with the bread.

In our community time this week, we started working on some small gifts for our lower school community.  This helps us to be mindful that this season is one of giving and spreading joy and we can’t wait to share these gifts with our lower school friends.

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Campbell is quite excited that our Christmas Concert is in just two and a half weeks!  She shared in an email on Blackbaud with parents, that the attire for third grade students is official school uniform and holiday accessories such as Santa hats, antler head bands, festive hair bows, holiday necklaces, etc.  Let’s steal the show with holiday accessories that boldly shine on the message of the season.

Reminders

• Friday 12/8 Monthly Relaxed Dress Day
• Mon 12/14 Christmas Giving Drive Begins
• Thu 12/14 Upper School Band Holiday Performance, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
• Fri 12/15 Field Trip to Tucson Presidio Museum, official school uniform required
• Fri 12/15 Lower School Holiday Performance, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
• Fri 12/15 Upper School Choir Holiday Performance, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
• Tuesday 12/19 Relaxed Dress (Awarded for food drive goal)
• Wed 12/20 Las Posadas Chapel, 10:00 – 11:15am
• Wed 12/20- Half Day (no aftercare)
• Thu 12/21–Wed 1/3 Christmas Break
• Thu 1/4 Classes Resume

We had a wonderful day with our Grandfriends!  Thank you for sharing your beautiful families with us. Happy Thanksgiving!

Students’ Highlights 11/13 – 11/17

• Field Trip
• Music- Learning Oh Christmas Tree in English and German
• PE- Playing Crossover
• Art- Self Portrait in the style of Picasso
• Spanish- Mexican calendar and their special names
• Language Arts- Count nouns, plural and singular forms of nouns
• Science- observing the reaction of water on various surfaces
• Math- playing Close to 100

Today, students’ homework folders contain two items for parents and two items for students.  For parents, one is a thank you letter from third graders and second, are Christmas cards designed by your child. For students, one is their weekend reading log and second, is their Christmas Program music for additional practice as requested by Mrs. Campbell.  The reading log and music should remain in their homework folders when students are not using them.

After Thanksgiving break, the third math investigation of travel and collecting stories asks students to fluently solve problems in the context of stickers and money.  They will use strategies that involve breaking each number apart by place value or adding one number in parts.  They will discuss and represent their strategies which include but are not limited to rounding and starter problems.

Language Arts continues to answer the big question “What’s so amazing about plants?”  The main reading selection next week is a science article about a rainforest in Africa titled A Protected Place. The reading comprehension skills we’ll work on are main idea and details, text features, and inferences.   Grammar studies irregular plurals.  In writing, students are drafting realistic fiction story plans and will begin writing paragraphs after Thanksgiving break.

Reminders

• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• November 21st: Dismissal 11:50, no aftercare
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio 8:30-1:30 PM
• December 15th: Lower School Holiday Program at 2:00 PM

Spelling Lesson 14 Words: Contractions. Test is scheduled for December 1st

1. I’d
2. he’d
3. she’ll
4. you’re
5. I’ve
6. they’ll
7. weren’t
8. we’ve
9. you’ll
10. wouldn’t

Students’ Highlights 11/6 – 11/10

• A four day week!
• Bake Sale!
• Art- still life drawings
• Music- ukulele and piano playing, holiday music practicing
• Math- place value on a 1000 chart
• Science-
• Language Arts- Reading Two Old Potatoes and me and sequencing events
• Second Steps- learning how to make friends
• Spanish- reflecting on Dia de los Muertos
• PE-Playing dodgeball with the middle schoolers

Miss Vizzini shared some scenes from the art room this week during still life drawing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU third grade room parent, Alyssa Faller, who was our organizational lead for our bake sale, and to all the families that brought and bought baked goods at Friday’s event.  Third Grade earned a $ for the Community Food Bank!  Even better, this amount will be matched by TEP!  The excitement and energy that the children brought to the bake sale was fantastic.  They helped set up, upsold, transacted sales, and made change like bake shop pros! And, we were excited to count the money after all the selling we did!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY, November 16th is third grade’s field trip to the Community Food Bank.  Students will present an OVERSIZED check representing our bake sale earnings!  Then, they tour the facility and learn how the CFB uses cash donations to help those who experience food insecurity.  As a reminder, field trips require students to wear official school uniform:  khaki bottoms and red shirt. Drivers are still needed. Please, help if you are willing and able.

Trimester report cards came home on Friday and are also available on Blackbaud. Please, carefully review your child’s report card with him or her and guide your child to set a goal for the second trimester. A few ideas may include adding a study skill to a subject area, reviewing homework time management skills, or encouraging your child to communicate with me regarding ideas for academic growth. Parents, grandparents, and teachers are all on the student’s team and can provide the necessary scaffolding for each child to experience a great school year of academic, emotional, and spiritual growth. Life is a joy and so should be learning!  As a reminder, keep the report and sign and return the envelope to school.

Language Arts continues to answer the big question “What’s so amazing about plants?”  The main reading selection this week is a collection of Haiku poems about amazing plants that provide amazing foods.  Students will use reading comprehension skills to evaluate and explain sensory details.  During grammar lessons students study count nouns.  Writing realistic fiction sequence chains this week is the next step in developing a story plan before students write a rough draft.

This week Math explored place value and the decomposing of numbers.  Next week other contexts within the unit help students examine the place-value composition of numbers.  Students will learn about the structure of 1,000 through the construction of 1,000 charts, using groups of 100.  They use these charts to locate and order numbers in the hundreds up to 1,000.  Then, they will learn what happens when a multiple of 10 or 100 is added to or subtracted from a number as they play Capture 5 and Capture on the 300 Chart.  This includes rounding numbers to the nearest 10 or 100 as a way to gauge the reasonableness of their solutions and accurately adding and subtracting multiples of 10 and 100.

Reminders

• November 16th: Field Trip to Community Food Bank
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio 8:30-1:30 PM
• December 15th: Lower School Holiday Program at 2:00 PM

Spelling Lesson 13 Words: Homophones                                  

1. so
2. sew
3. not
4. knot
5. wood 
6. would 
7. write
8. right
9. piece
10. peace

 

Student Highlights 10/30/2023 – 11/3/2-23

This week, we dive deeper into addition and subtraction developing conceptual understanding.  They will recognize and demonstrate equivalence of one 100 to ten 10s and one 10 to ten 1s. Students will be assessed on finding the difference between a 2-digit number and 100 and adding a 3-digit number and a 2-digit number by using strategies that involve breaking each number apart by place or adding on one number in parts.

Language Arts lessons focus on making inferences and the skill practice will be a part of their homework this week.  Students will develop skill with the inference reading process, which is a a deeper understanding when students put together what they know with what they see and read or hear.  Realistic fiction is third graders writing theme for the next few weeks.  Grammar lessons will continue with complex sentences and count nouns.

Reminders

• November 6th: No School
• November 7th – 20th: Food Drive for St. Michael’s Food Pantry and Community Food Bank
• November 8th – 9th: Bring one Dozen hard boiled eggs for Casa Maria
• November 10th: THIRD GRADE BAKE SALE to support the Community Food Bank
• November 16th: Field Trip to Community Food Bank
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio 8:30-1:30 PM
• December 15th: Lower School Holiday Program at 2:00 PM

Spelling Lesson 12 Words with the /o/ Sound that can be spelled a, aw, or o.

1. because
2. talk
3. lawn
4. frost
5. dawn
6. paw
7. thaw
8. caught
9. across
10. stalk

Spirit week gallery:

 

It was an amazing Spirit Week! We know the kids enjoyed all the fun events! Have a wonderful long weekend (perhaps filled with baking and boiling eggs?!) 🙂 We appreciate all you do from home!

Student Highlights 10/23 10/27

• Tucson Symphony visit
• Math-Completing Unit 2 on graphing
• Art-working on self portrait calaveras–take look at the photos! from Miss Vizzini
• Music-practicing for the holiday show
• Spanish-getting ready for Dia de Los Muertos
• Language Arts-Wrapping up our unit on Nature out of Balance, and abstract nouns are tricky!
• Chapel- Campus Cleanliness and Positive Politeness
• Science- Learning about the bones of the human head
• Community–putting up our Bake Sale signs

Unit Three math begins next week and is titled Travel Stories and Collections.  The unit focuses on understanding and extending knowledge of  place value and the number system to 1000, and adding and subtracting accurately and efficiently.  Multiplication and division facts continue to be practiced in class and should also be reviewed during homework.  The goal is fluency by the start of fourth grade.

Unit three language arts reading selections focus on how the terms sequence, events, and order relate.  Students will also learn the inference reading strategy, which is a guess when students put together what they know with what they see and read or hear to understand something new.  For example, seeing my dad smile and knowing he is proud.  The anthology’s main selection, Two Old Potatoes and Me is realistic fiction, and the characters, setting, and plot all seem real.   Grammar continues to build complex sentences with independent and dependent clauses.

Reminders

• October 30th – November 3rd: Spirit Week, details below.
• October 31st: Relaxed Dress, Halloween Theme
• November 3rd: Field Day, Dismissal at 11:50AM
• November 6th: No School
• November 7th – 20th: Food Drive for St. Michael’s Food Pantry and Community Food Bank
• November 8th – 9th: Bring one Dozen hard boiled eggs for Casa Maria
• November 10th: THIRD GRADE BAKE SALE to support the Community Food Bank
• November 14th: Field Trip to Community Food Bank
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio 8:30-1:30 PM
• December 15th: Lower School Holiday Program at 2:00 PM

SPIRIT WEEK IS 10/30 -11/3

• MONDAY, 10/30:  Crazy Hair Day, uniform required
• TUESDAY, 10/31: Wear a costume to school. Criteria for costumes includes student’s ability to sit comfortably at their desk and play freely at recess.  Gory themes or accessories that are weapons are not allowed.  Masks and costume accessories are only allowed during the parade.
• WEDNESDAY, 11/1: Silly Socks, uniform required
• THURSDAY, 11/2: Dia de Los Muertos, wear a Day of the Dead tee-shirt and uniform bottom.
• Friday, 11/3: Half Day, Field Day, wear your Field Day tee-shirt and athletic bottoms and shoes.

Spelling Lesson 11-/ou/ sound spelled ou and ow

1. about
2. frown
3. tower
4. cloud
5. flower
6. mouth
7. allow
8. shout
9. amount
10. shower

And finally, here are some wonderful scenes from the Art room. Thanks, Miss Vizzini!

Students’ Highlights 10/16 – 10/20

• Art- Creating self portraits styled like Dia de Los Muertos skulls
• PE- Games inside the gym
• Language Arts- Compound predicates and compound subjects
• Math- Line plots
• Science- skeletons
• Spanish- Dia de Los Muertos preparation
• Chapel- learning the song Pa-tience, and connecting with our 8th grade buddies for some games.

Students are studying the geography of the United States. They will learn about unique features found across the country as well as the different regions of the United States. Students will read about the following topics and ideas in U.S. Geography:

• the different landforms, waterways, and physical features found throughout the country
• the similarities and differences between the five regions of the United States
• the different climates and ecosystems found across the country
• renewable and nonrenewable natural resources

Unit two language arts wraps up with final drafts of students’ informational writing which is focused on ecosystems that are out of balance.  Reading Comprehension, vocabulary, and Grammar assessments are scheduled on Thursday and Friday. A Grammar test is scheduled for Wednesday. Math lessons in unit two also finish this week with the unit assessment scheduled mid-week.

For our community building activity, we got together to make signs to advertise our bake sale which is coming up on November 10th. We can hardly wait!
 

Spelling Lesson 10 Words with the /oi/ Sound

1. point
2. noise
3. voice
4. enjoy
5. join
6. loyal
7. annoy
8. choice
9. spoil
10. avoid

Reminders

• October 30th – November 3rd: Spirit Week
• October 31st: Relaxed Dress, Halloween Theme
• November 3rd: Field Day, Dismissal at 11:50AM
• November 6th: No School
• November 7th – 20th: Food Drive for St. Michael’s Food Pantry and Community Food Bank
• November 8th – 9th: Bring one Dozen hard boiled eggs for Casa Maria
• November 10th: THIRD GRADE BAKE SALE to support the Community Food Bank
• November 14th: Field Trip to Community Food Bank
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio 8:30-1:30 PM
• December 15th: Lower School Holiday Program at 2:00 PM

SPIRIT WEEK IS COMING 10/30 -11/3

• MONDAY, 10/30:  Crazy Hair Day, uniform required
• TUESDAY, 10/31: Wear a costume to school. Criteria for costumes includes student’s ability to sit comfortably at their desk and play freely at recess.  Gory themes or accessories that are weapons are not allowed.  Masks and costume accessories are only allowed during the parade.
• WEDNESDAY, 11/1: Silly Socks, uniform required
• THURSDAY, 11/2: Dia de Los Muertos, wear a Day of the Dead tee-shirt and uniform bottom.
• Friday, 11/3: Half Day, Field Day, wear your Field Day tee-shirt and athletic bottoms and shoes.

Students’ Highlights 10/2/2023 – 10/6/2023

• PE- rabbit hole game
• Art- square coloring activity, decorating paper maiche pots
• Language Arts-
• Music – singing holiday songs on risers
• Science- pennies and cups
• Chapel- Blessing of the animals
• Math- collecting data
• Spanish- Day of the Dead posters
• Third Grade- Team Building paper chains

After break, the main reading selection in Language Arts is When the Wolves Returned.  Students will practice the thinking process of identifying cause and effect in the wolves’ ecosystem when they removed and later returned to Yellowstone Park.  Grammar lessons include contractions, simple sentences and compound subjects and compound predicates.

Students have read several articles about wolves, koalas, coral reefs, and/or red-eyed tree frogs, and the important role they have in nature’s balance in preparation for starting a composition of informational writing.   They will choose their topic, select book sets and take notes of the causes and effects to nature’s balance.  Then, they will sort the notes into categories before beginning to draft an informational composition.  The writing project will finish in Late October.

In Math after break, we will continue our study of data. Our first investigation of analyzing categorical data will finish and we will begin to look at measurement data.  We will discuss equivalent measurements in yards, feet, and inches, and will work to measure accurately to the nearest half-inch. We will learn to represent our data using line plots and will work on making accurate mathematical observations about the data we collect.

Students are wrapping up Communities in Social Studies and will start studying the geography of the United States. They will learn about unique features found across the country as well as the different regions of the United States. Students will read about the following topics and ideas in the  U.S. Geography magazine while answering the compelling question, How does geography help us understand the Earth and where we live?

• the different landforms, waterways, and physical features found throughout the country
• the similarities and differences between the five regions of the United States
• the different climates and ecosystems found across the country
• renewable and nonrenewable natural resources

We had another fun community/team building day. We got a chance to celebrate two of our classmates’ birthdays and do a “paper chain challenge!”  Our winners used some creative ideas and great teamwork to get the job done!

Reminders

• October 9th – 13th: No School, Fall Break
• October 31st: Relaxed Dress, Halloween Theme
• November 3rd: Field Day, Dismissal at 11:50AM
• November 6th: No School
• November 7th – 20th: Food Drive for St. Michael’s Food Pantry and Community Food Bank
• November 8th – 9th: One Dozen hard boiled eggs for Casa Maria
• November 10th: THIRD GRADE BAKE SALE to support the Community Food Bank
• November 14th: Field Trip to Community Food Bank
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio 8:30-1:30 PM
• December 15th: Lower School Holiday Program at 2:00 PM

Spelling Lesson 9 Words with -ed and -ing Endings (test on October 20, 2023).

1. making
2. shining
3. hiked
4. having
5. hoped
6. skated
7. hiding
8. baked
9. diving
10. riding

Students’ Highlights 9/25/23 – 9/29/23

• Chapel- Performing Readers Theater, The Legend of Lightning Larry
• Music- Solo playing of piano or ukulele instruments
• Language Arts- reading When the Pigs Took Over
• Science- Building rolling devices and controlling where they roll
• Art- Making pumpkins like the artist Yayoi Kusama
• Math- describing data to answer questions
• Social Studies- Reading about resources that shape communities
• Spanish- Working on a project for the Day of the Dead Chapel
• PE- Catching and throwing footballs

Next week, students continue to learn reading comprehension skills while reading about nature’s balance.  Students will learn to ask questions to make sure they understand what is happening and distinguish literal and non-literal language.  Grammar lessons focus on types of sentences and contractions.

Math lessons next week, revolve around collecting data and representing categorical data with bar graphs and pictographs using a scale with intervals larger than one.  Students will describe and interpret data considering how well a data representation communicates to an audience.

Social Studies Communities  magazine develops students understanding of the factors that shape communities such as geography, natural resources, history, and culture. Students will be able to make connections with related titles:

• Communities Change-  Changes in economy, population, and topography can impact a community.
• People and the Environment-The surrounding environment of a community affects the way people in that community live.
• Producers and Consumers- Businesses and workers provide goods and services to consumers in every community.

Reminders

• September 29th:  Progress Reports come home
• October 1st: Students start logging daily the number of pages read on their Reading Log
• NOVEMBER 10TH: THIRD GRADE BAKE SALE
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio

Spelling Lesson 8:  Words with Double Consonants

1. letter
2. dollar
3. happen
4. better
5. rabbit
6. hammer
7. soccer
8. dinner
9. zipper
10. ladder

Welcome October, from Lightning Larry and the gang!

Students’ Highlights 9/18/23 – 9/22/23

• Music- continuing ukulele and piano
• Language Arts- Unit 1 tests, finished writing personal narratives
• Math- Reviewed unit 1 for upcoming test, facts mastery
• PE- Crossover
• Art-Finishing our Christmas cards
• Chapel- Stress Tag, Mass Apostles
• Spanish-Practicing “Amor Eterno” for Dia de los Muertos

Language Arts unit two begins on Monday.  The theme is Nature’s Balance and the BIG question we’ll explore is “What happens when nature loses its balance?”  The first reading selection, When the Pigs Took Over, is a humorous story that explores too much or too little in nature.  Students will compare and contrast characters’ words at the beginning of the story and at the end, as well as what the characters learn.  Additional reading selections about nature this week explore overhunting, habitat changes, and overpopulation.

Next week starts Unit two math; Graphs and Line Plots.  Students will develop ideas about collecting, representing, describing, and interpreting data.  The unit focuses on using bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots to represent, describe, and compare categorical and numerical data.  Students will also generate measurement data in inches, half inches, feet, and yards.

We, Mrs. Zlaket and Ms. Stalkfleet, encourage students to make reading a daily habit in their lives, one we hope will remain with them as they mature into adulthood. To promote positive reading habits, we have formulated a page requirement for books that are at the child’s reading and emotional level. We expect students to read books that they have not previously read in order to expand their reading experiences. This outside reading assignment is part of your child’s reading grade. Of course, students may read more pages than this goal and are encouraged to do so if they have the time and inclination. We hope this encouragement will help reluctant readers discover and enjoy new authors and genres. Those students who have discovered the joys of reading will be encouraged to branch out to find even more challenging books. Thank you for helping develop YOUR lifelong reader. 

MONTHLY READING GOALS FOR OCTOBER – DECEMBER

• 280 + PAGES – E
• 233-264 PAGES – S+
• 217-232 PAGES – S
• 206-217 PAGES – S-
• 0-205 PAGES – N

Reminders

• September 29th: Library Visit to the Wilmot Branch- bring your library card
• NOVEMBER 10TH: THIRD GRADE BAKE SALE
• November 21st: Grand Friends Day
• December 15th: Field Trip to Tucson Presidio

Spelling Lesson 7 Words with the Final -le Sound

1. settle
2. eagle
3. rattle
4. saddle
5. cattle
6. middle
7. ripple
8. turtle
9. single
10. pebble

Happy first weekend of Fall from the 3rd grade lunch bunch!