Newsletters

Here’s your Friday news a day early :). I hope the weather stays nice so you can enjoy a long fall weekend with your children. I explained to the students that I will be out at Saint Joachim at a staff retreat, where we will be celebrating some of our local indigenous people as well. They will even be making us salmon and fry bread for lunch! (We learned a little about our local tribes, watched a video, and read a few books for Indigenous People’s Day earlier this week).

Holy Hoops Next Week -IF your children attends any portion of any day to root on our 5th-8th graders they will be excused from homework. Simply either write in their agenda or send me a quick email letting me know they were at Holy Hoops and they will be excused of ALL homework for the night. This is a really great tradition and such a fun experience to be a part of, even as a spectator!

Book Reports -We talked today about the fun pumpkin book report they will be completing this month. There is an idea page in your child’s Friday Folder tonight to start gathering supplies. Note: please do NOT carve the pumpkin in any way. We looked at samples and photos of what the students did last year so ask your children. They will have a writing portion coming home at the end of next week to accompany the pumpkin character. Please reach out to me if getting a small pumpkin is a hardship and I will provide one.

Literacy -This week we wrapped up our first unit in Benchmark learning about animal adaptations and completed the online assessment. These are tricky, but we did the first together. Students are writing a paragraph incorporating transition words about their favorite animal.

*Spelling next week will be a review so they will not have a normal set of words.

Math -Mathematicians explored data, picture graphs, frequency plots, and building background knowledge to begin understanding multiplication. They each have their own goal to beat for math facts and can practice at home! (Xtramath.org)

Social Studies -Geographers finished their own maps, learned the five oceans, and will dive into continents next week!

Science -In science this week we explored mold fossils, a Mystery Science exploration with fossils, and next week we will be excavating “actual” fossils. Should be fun.

Religion -We completed the second chapter in our books. We learned about the Holy Trinity, and three theological virtues -faith, hope and love (charity).

Spanish –Una nota de Señora Anna- This week in Spanish we learned about the four seasons. We drew trees and houses to match each season!

PE -This week in PE we. . .Reviewed the overhand throw. Practiced throwing to a partner. Played a game called “BOOM CITY” 

Every Thursday part of our Morning Meeting Routines is completing a TOTB (Think Outside the Box). It’s a creative way to stretch their brains and they love to share their creations. I’m impressed every time and they are all different. I love it!

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday! It was a great week diving into third grade curriculum, regular routines, and getting in the grove with our fabulous helper, Mrs. Roberts. Make sure you check Seesaw for regular updates of photos and what your children have been up to this week. (Some of them told me they couldn’t post from home and that means you need the QR code for the Home Learning. Please let me know if you need another copy.)

I’m asking the students to bring a photo or email me a picture, or even draw a small picture, of their “Alphahawk.” They understand what this is and were able to tell me already who they were. (This is someone they look up to, makes positive choices in life, and truly **lives for others**. -Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Mother Teresa, Grandma Betty, Martin Luther King, Aunt Susie.) These can be family members, saints, men/women in history, etc. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Book Reports -Students are required to approve a book with me by Monday if they have not done so already. These books are ones they have not previously read, but are reading throughout the month. It should last them more than a couple days. This month they need a FICTION book. Their report will be on the main character.

Math -This week we went back and reviewed double and triple digit subtraction with regrouping. We also reviewed subtraction across zeroes. These are concepts taught in second grade so we review them quickly so we can build on them. Our math test was today over addition and subtraction, estimation, and several properties.

Literacy – Students learned about four animal adaptions (beaks, webbed feet, claws, and tails), while focusing on making mental images and identifying main idea. We are getting annotations down and meeting in reading groups through a center rotation. For writing the students published a poem about their “Best Part.”

Religion -This week we celebrated Saint Francis with the Animal Blessing, learned more about his life through a story, and dove into chapter two of our books focusing on God’s love for us and the Holy Trinity.

Social Studies -Geographers learned about different types of maps, elements of a map (key, title, compass rose, and scale), and made their own maps, Barefoot Island. These maps showed their understanding of the elements of a map.

Science -archeologists made their own body fossils and I’m so happy how well they turned out. So fun! In addition, they are selecting their own dino to research. We also explored traits of different fossils and layers of the earth, all through Mystery Science.

Spanish – Una nota de Señora Anna- This week in Spanish we read Oso pardo, oso pardo, ¿qué ves ahí? (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?) to practice color vocabulary. With an I spy worksheet, we counted and colored the animals just as they are in the book. We also retold the story and imagined what animals we would add to the book.

Art – Zentangle pumpkin drawing Lines – Patterns – Balance – Color

PE – learned about the 5 components of fitness and participated in the fall Fitness Gram test that included the pacer, curl-ups, push-ups and sit and reach.

Hooray! The students and I are happy to be done with MAP testing, and are all set to dive into our normal routines, homework, and curriculum. You will see things picking up a little bit now.

I’m so happy to welcome Mrs. Laura Roberts on Monday. Mrs. Roberts will be shared between second and third grade as an instructional aide. I’d love to get in a routine with Mrs. Roberts before I add classroom volunteers into our day. I’m anticipating sending out a volunteer sign up mid-October. Here is Mrs. Roberts with her family:

Math – This week we completed the addition portion of the first chapter and have moved into the subtraction. A lot of this is review, but regrouping of double and triple addition and subtraction is great to practice at home. The students are doing amazing with the rounding concept, which can be a challenge and I’m proud of them!

Religion – Students completed week one, wrapping up with a fun review game, before our assessment. They had an opportunity to recite the memory verse. Look for these in Seesaw to practice each week. One of the main concepts taught in this first chapter was how the Bible is organized and how to find verses. Fun to explore at home or at church!

Literacy – We ran through our center routine, reading groups, and the structure of our reading block. Our first unit is on animal adaptations. Students are working on a poem about their best parts and I’m excited to dive into the writing process once again with them. You will love these!

Science– For science this week we went on a webquest. Students checked their emails for links, watched a couple short videos, and answered questions about fossils. Next week we will be making fossils and exploring some fun hands on activities. This is a fun one!

Social Studies– We began our unit on map skills by learning about cardinal and intermediate directions. Next week we will dive into the oceans and continents.

Spanish –Una nota de Señora Anna- This week we celebrated the start of autumn with a book and color by number. We continued to practice our greetings song and discussed responses to “¿Cómo estás?”.

Music -This week in music class we: Sang a song and bounced a ball to the beat with the song Bounce High Bounce Low *Decoded the rhythms of the song Bounce High Bounce Low *Passed bean bags to a steady beat, and learned partner song called Throw and Catch.

The students are off to a great start with their Fall MAP testing. We completed the reading and math test this week and I made sure to let them know we are now half way done! Next week we will do the language and science portions. They are doing a great job!

With homework lighter during these testing weeks, I’m hoping the students are getting time to read their book report books. The form for this month’s written book review can be found in your child’s Friday Folder tonight. Book reports are due Friday, September 29th. Students will be presenting them to the class and should have their book with them.

Engineers in the making! This was so much harder than it looks. Must hold the large marshmallow on top and only use spaghetti and small marshmallows. The teamwork, collaboration, and acceptance of failure was top notch! STEM for the win once again!

ACADEMICS

Math- In math this week we explored how to break out larger numbers to add, the associative property when adding more than two numbers, and are mastering the concept of rounding and estimating.

Literacy- Students completed their first third grade paragraph. They illustrated these and completed the whole writing process. The new skill of indenting a paragraph, along with topic and supporting sentences, complete with a wrap up sentence was taught. I’m impressed with the outcome! In reading we began the structure of our center time and ran through how that works in third grade. Next week we will dive into Animal Adaptations and our reading books.

Science- Fossils! We did a partner picture sort, reading comprehension page, and will begin with some fun hands on projects next week now that they know what they are and what they are not. We learned from some short science videos online as well.

Religion- We dove into our first unit in our new texts. I’m really excited about this curriculum and the students seem to be engaged and excited. We are experimenting with memory verses every week and they will have an opportunity to recite them to me for a small prize (they choose stickers). In Second Step we learned about building networks in our brains by practicing new skills.

**Here’s the link to the family page on our current chapter: https://enroll.augustineinstitute.org/learn/course/family-faith-formation-gr03-ch01-school/main/family-faith-formation?client=seattle

P.E.–  This week in PE we learned how to strike the ball playing “regular” 4 square and other variations including around the world, war and cherry bomb.  We also discussed the responsibilities of the server and helping everyone understand the game.  

Spanish – Una nota de Señora Anna- This week we practiced a hello song and learned how to respond to “How are you?” in Spanish. We also reviewed colors and listened for color words in context. 

Music – This week in music class we showed high and low pitches with their bodies with the song I Can Sing a High Note, and Personages with Long Ears from the Carnival of the Animals. We practiced switching between different types of singing voices with the song Poor Little Bug. We responded to music by doing a partner mirror activity

Our first TOTB (Think Outside the Box). We do this every Thursday to start our day. I love this and the creativity grows and they impress me every time!

Happy Friday! It was so nice to see all of you at Curriculum Night. Thank you for taking the time to come hear about third grade. I forgot to mention a very important “Thank You” for the cupcake items that you all so generously donated.

The Harvest Festival begins at 2pm this Saturday and I hope to see you there! Activities and food during the day, along with a Spaghetti Feed at 5/6pm, followed by Bingo hosted by our 8th grade class. Join the fun!

MAP Testing begins next week (Tuesday and Thursday). Homework will be on the lighter side for the next two weeks (one item per night).

Sights from our church tour with Father Moore today. I learn something every time!

Spanish– Una nota de Señora Anna- This week in Spanish we began preparing for Hispanic Heritage Month by singing a song called Senorita Mariposa. We learned about the migration of monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico each fall. We also practiced colors in Spanish with a butterfly color by number.

Art –Butterfly symmetry art. Analogous color: Red-Orange-Yellow / Blue-Green-Purple. Soft chalk pastel technique.

Religion -This week we wrapped up learning all the parts of the Mass and our responses. Brother Francis has a great video on Formed.org if you are interested.

Math -For math this week we talked about rounding to the nearest ten and the nearest hundred. This can be a difficult concept but they are doing great!

Literacy -This week we learned about author’s purpose, making connections (text to text, text to world, text to self), and completing a KWL chart. For writing we are working through the writing process on a persuasive piece.

Science – We continue with problem solving and STEM and did a project today for International Dot Day! They had to construct the tallest tower out of 20 notecards and 20 stickers. Next week we will start our unit on fossils!

*Head to Mod Pizza on September 20th to help our 8th Graders! Mention ACS or give the code MODGIVES20.

Happy Friday! It was a short, yet packed week as we continued to get to know each other and our classroom expectations. We’ve worked on building our “classroom family,” which I will refer to all year. This is truly a delightful group and I’m so excited for the year to come.

Friday Folders -Please locate the folder in your child’s backpack. These will be coming home every week. Please look over the work, your child’s goal, and look for missing work. Reports will be sent home every week. Sign the parent page and send back with your child on Monday. Thank you!

Seesaw – I’m hoping you saw an “invite” email for directions on how to get connected to our class Seesaw. This is a great tool for you to stay connected to both the academics your children is doing (we use it for center work) and also photos and videos of what is happening in class. Your child has a QR code in their folders tonight as well. Please let me know if you need help getting connected.

Book Reports – Each month the students will have a book report. At the beginning of the month they will get a book (at their reading level) approved with me and then spend the month reading it. They will receive the actual book report assignment mid-month and then present them to the class the last week of the month. Students should have a book to show me by Monday, September 11th. If they need, I will take them to the library at recess on Monday.

Literacy – I’m working on completing individual reading assessments. Students have learned how to log into various sites on their Chromebook’s and even typed their sentences for an art project this week. Next week we will begin spelling, cursive, and build the foundations before beginning our reading groups, centers, and routines.

Religion –This week we are building our classroom community and going to be starting with a brief unit on the Mass. We will get a clear understanding of the four parts, the mass responses, and what each part means. You are always welcome to join us on Fridays at 8:15. Students may sit with you.

Math –This week we completed our beginning of the year assessment and began reviewing and solidifying our understanding of place value before we dive into rounding next week. Begin looking for consistent math homework every night.

Social Studies – We have not dove into our first unit yet, but will be exploring maps, regions, directions, continents, and oceans first.

Science -We’ve completed two STEM activities, which involve how to work together, solve a problem, and learn the cycle. They’ve “Saved Fred” and are currently working on creating their dream school with a floorplan, straws, and tape.

PE- This week in PE we practiced walking on the short lines and jogging on the long lines and played two cooperative games called Crazy Card Challenge and Hula Hut Relays.

Spanish- Una nota de Señora Anna- We enjoyed our first two Spanish classes together this week! We practiced introducing ourselves. We also learned about a school in Costa Rica and compared how our schools are similar and different.

Art – Butterfly symmetry art -The students learned about the concept of symmetry, various types of symmetry, and how to apply them in their own artwork.

*Curriculum Night -Please plan on at least one parent attending this Wednesday at 6:00 pm. Mr. Anderson will begin in the gym at 6pm.

*Head to Mod Pizza on September 20th to help our 8th Graders! Mention ACS or give the code MODGIVES20.

*Map Testing Begins September 19th.

*Spaghetti Dinner/Harvest Festival -Saturday, September 16th! Don’t miss this!

*Picture Day -Free Dress –September 27th.

September 1, 2023 

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year.  I am so excited to get to know your child and work the next few weeks building our classroom community. The first day of school we read a book called, Our Class is a Family and we talk in detail about what that means and I truly believe we build a little family away from home. We will get to know each other, learn routines, and dive into positive relationships! 

You might be surprised to know that third grade is typically though of as the most important year in a child’s academic career.  It’s the year that students move from learning to read -decoding words using their knowledge of the alphabet -to reading to learn.  Big changes occur in third grade!  As their teacher, I will be giving them new responsibilities and challenges, in a structured, loving, environment.  

I am here to work with you to make third grade the most successful and “Best Year Ever!”

Communication

I will be primarily using our email group for communication.  Please feel free to email me at any time.  We will also be using Seesaw to share photos and we use this during class for assignments as well.  I’m sure the students have told you they will receive a Chromebook this year.  These will be kept at school and used throughout the day, after coming up with class expectations and signing contracts together.  They will be learning how to check email, tech typing, create PowerPoints, use Canva, and safely utilize the many benefits of technology in 2023.  

Classroom Environment

Our classroom is a safe and welcoming place.  We are family!  We spend every morning gathering together for our morning meeting, which includes a message, chance to greet each other, sharing opportunities, and a fun activity.  I also use a program called Whole Brain Teaching, which you will learn more about at Curriculum Night, but basically celebrate individual growth and improvement. We say it’s a virtual video game and I love to add “funtricity” to everything!

Homework

Students will have homework assigned every Monday through Thursday.  You will notice there is an increase of quantity in third grade.  Please note that I ask that your child to also read for an additional 20 minutes each night.  They will have monthly book reports to complete.  As a parent, lots of encouragement and support is helpful.  They will be spending time memorizing multiplication facts this year, which is a big deal ;).  

We are partners and I’m here to help your child succeed in the best way possible. If you have questions, suggestions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at school (360-733-6133) or the very BEST way to get ahold of me is by email (bwilliams@assumption.school).  

I am confident this is going to be a great year and I’m blessed to partner with you on our child’s education.  Let’s have an amazing third grade year!

Blessings,

Mrs. Williams

Third Day of Third Grade:

We are coming to the end of a busy, fun week! We began with our hands on balloon globes, made fossils with clay and plaster of paris, and even made our own monsters in STEM and wrote persuasive letters. Students are working hard, and the growth I see is exciting! I’m looking forward to next week when we get an opportunity to meet at conferences, which will be led by your child. Look for a pre-conference form being emailed on Monday.

Thank you to all the chaperones, drivers, and those of you praying for our safety from home! The field trip was really well done and I think the chaperones and I can agree, we ALL learned something!

Next week we will be celebrating Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve) on Monday with an amazing party planned by our team of room-moms. I can’t wait. Tuesday is All Saint’s Day and Mass will begin at 12:30. All are invited, so please come see the parade of saints!!

Literacy- This week we learned about the different animal coverings and how they help keep animals safe. We learned about verb tenses, past, present, and future. For writing the students became real estate agents and had to sell their beautiful haunted houses created in Art. Look for these on display in the hall during conferences!

Math- We began our Multiplication Chapter, and I love this one! The kids are grasping the concept of repeated addition and how it relates to multiplication. We used candy corns to create equal groups, even.

Religion- This week we began learning about a variety of Saints. Each student has now chosen his/her Saint to research and they have begun gathering information. I’ll begin showing them how to put it into a PowerPoint Presentation next week. Please note that dressing up as a Saint is encouraged but OPTIONAL on Tuesday, November 1st.

Social Studies- We wrapped up our continent and ocean portion of the Map Unit and will complete it next week with US Regions. When we finish that we will begin our Immigration Unit and will start by reading a book together called, Mollie’s Pilgrim.

Music –

• Completing episode 4 of Secret Chicken, an aural skills rhythm decoding game 
• Performing a composed 16 beat rhythm on an instrument of choice in front of the class  
• Using barred instruments to play the song Skin and Bones