Week 2

Class News

What a wonderful start to third grade! Thank you for your cooperation and teamwork during this first week; it’s already clear that we have a fantastic year ahead. Students have been enthusiastically sharing their “Bags About Me” and “Fact or Fiction” sentences, and it’s amazing to see how much they already know about one another. Many third graders have shared their love of family, traveling, playing musical instruments, participating in team sports, caring for pets, and collecting all sorts of interesting items.

To build communication and teamwork skills, we took on challenges like creating paper chains and building towers together. 

Looking ahead, academics will begin to ramp up. I’ll be opening our classroom library and launching Fundations. In literacy, students will consider why readers read, practice book browsing, and reflect on their personal reading lives. Next week, we’ll begin our Fishtank literacy pilot program. In the first unit, Defining Identity, students will explore what makes each person unique while reading the core texts Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel and My Name is María Isabel.

In math, students will dive into new routines, games, and resources. We will begin Unit 1 of Illustrative Math on Tuesday; Introducing Multiplication. Mrs. Fein will introduce 3rd graders to their iPads, where they’ll learn to log into Google Classroom and explore digital tools—including creating online word clouds. We also set our academic and social “Hopes and Dreams” for the year, which we’ll revisit and reflect on as the months go by. Together, our class will establish expectations for a positive, supportive learning environment, helping everyone understand that positive behavior is the foundation of a strong classroom community. 

Reading Homework

Our goal is for students to enjoy reading or engaging with books at home. Each night, students should spend 20–25 minutes reading independently or being read to. This time can take many forms—your child may choose to read on their own, listen as you read aloud, take turns reading pages together, or enjoy an audiobook or online story. Encourage them to explore books, magazines, or nonfiction on topics they love, such as sports, animals, history, or science. A quick conversation afterward; asking questions like “What was your favorite part?” or “What surprised you?" helps deepen understanding and makes reading more meaningful. Our goal is to build a daily routine where reading is both enjoyable and engaging.

Red Folders

The red folders that went home in your student's backpack are meant to go back and forth between home and school each day. Please help your third grader put their folder in their backpack each day and remind them to remove any papers that come home with them each afternoon. 

Picture Day

School Picture Day this year for individual and class portraits is Thursday, September 11th. Picture ordering forms went home in backpacks last week. Our Photographers are Coffee Pond Photography. Just a reminder that the ONLY link to order is www.coffeepond.com. Parents who order online will not be asked to print out their confirmation, so the student should not have anything in hand indicating that they ordered online. 

Special Subject Schedule

Monday -- Art

Tuesday -- P.E. & Spanish

Wednesday -- Media

Thursday -- P.E.

Friday -- Music & Spanish

Important Dates

Monday, September 1st -- No School, Labor Day

Friday, September 5th -- Mitchell Ice Cream Social, 6:30 pm

Thursday, September 11th -- Picture Day

Wednesday, September 17th -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal

Tuesday, September 23rd -- No School, Rosh Hashanah 

Thursday, October 2nd -- No School, Yom Kippur

Wednesday, October 8th -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal

Monday, October 13th -- No School, Indigenous Peoples Day

Thursday, October 16th -- Curriculum Night

Wednesday, October 22nd -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal

Created 9/2025

Jennifer_ramras@needham.k12.ma.us