Week 20

Class Notes

It's official: Tomorrow is a SNOW DAY!  Enjoy your day of snow-fort fun, cozy pajamas, and hot cocoa breaks. Stay warm and have a blast!

I am so happy to be back in the classroom with your 3rd graders. Thank you so much for all of your kind messages and well-wishes. Ms. Raia has been an amazing teacher while I’ve been away. We are all so grateful for her creativity, fun-energy and positivity! I’m excited to share that she will be staying on at Mitchell as an Instructional Assistant in both 2nd grade and 4th grade. Lucky us!

Reminder

We will be going on a Field Trip to the Commonwealth Museum on Tuesday, January 27th. The bus will leave Mitchell at 9 AM. Please bring your lunch to school that day. We will have a snack when we return to school in the afternoon.  

Literacy

We will continue with Fishtank Unit 3. In this unit, students explore the power of oral storytelling in Indigenous, African-American and Hispanic cultures through rich traditional stories passed down through generations. Connected to the major work of the year, this unit challenges students to consider how storytelling shapes values, builds understanding, and influences both individuals and communities. 

In reading, students will read The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas, Tales Our Abuelita Told, and The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales to explore the power of oral storytelling and how stories passed down through generations help people understand the world, reflect on what it means to be a good person, and learn from others' experiences.

In writing, students will apply their learnings about opinion and narrative writing as they become authors themselves. Students will write literary analysis paragraphs that state an opinion and support it with reasons and evidence. Then, they will write their own folktales or stories, using strategies and ideas from the core texts they’ve read.

In Fundations, we will begin Unit 8; the consonant-le syllable. This syllable is called a "final stable syllable" because it only appears at the end of multi-syllabic words. Family resources can be found HERE.

Math
We are beginning our 4th math unit, Relating Multiplication to Division. The first section of the unit focuses on teaching division. Students will represent and solve “how many groups?” and “how many in each group?” problems. This unit builds a strong connection between multiplication and division, fostering a deeper understanding of these concepts.

Science

For the next 6 weeks we’re exploring electricity! Students will learn what electricity is, where we see it in our everyday lives, and how it moves through a circuit. We will experiment with wires, batteries, and bulbs to discover how electricity can light a bulb and even make a small motor spin. Curiosity, problem-solving, and lots of excitement will power our learning!

Second Step/Social Emotional Learning

In Second Step we will begin a new unit: Introducing Emotion Management. When emotions are intense, it is hard to think straight and make good decisions. Strong feelings of anger can lead to aggressive behavior. Students may also struggle to make good choices when experiencing other intense feelings. Recognizing and labeling feelings in oneself and others facilitates problem solving, self-management, and social competence. 

Cursive Letters

We will continue to learn how to write in cursive. This week's letters are c, a, d, and g-- all letters with Magic C. 

Repeat Announcements

Warm Clothes and Footwear
The heat is ON! Now that the heaters are running, our classroom can get quite toasty. Pro tip: students should dress in layers so they can bundle up for recess but have a lighter layer to stay comfortable indoors. If your child wears rain or snow boots to school, please send in a pair of indoor shoes, sneakers, or even slippers. They’ll be much more comfortable moving around the classroom and school in dry shoes.

Mystery Reader
Thank you to Mrs. Paolino (Cole's mom), last week's Mystery Reader. Would you like to volunteer as our next Mystery Reader? Click HERE to sign up.

Scholastic Book Ordering:

If you would like to order books through Scholastic Book Clubs, our online ordering code is DPC2T (purchasing online is required).  SHOP OUR CLASS PAGE. By building your home library with Scholastic, you will also be helping to build our classroom library. The more books students order, the more free books we get for our classroom library!

Library Reminder: 

Our book swap day in the Media Center is every Wednesday. Please help your child remember to return their library books.

Links for more information: 

Click HERE for home support materials for Unit 8 of Fundations

Click HERE for home support materials for Unit 7 of Fundations

Click HERE for home support material for Unit 6 of Fundations

Click HERE for home support materials for Unit 5 of Fundations

Click HERE for home support materials for Unit 4 of Fundations

Click HERE for home support materials for Unit 3 of Fundations

Click HERE for home support materials for  Unit 2 of Fundations

Click HERE  for home support materials for Unit 1 of Fundations

Tech Tips

Many students are excited to access Clever and our Google Classroom from home. 

Directions to Access Clever from Home:

Click HERE for a handy link to Clever

Click Log in with Google

Enter student username (initials + # @students.needham.k12.ma.us)

Enter student password 

Click on ST Math App, Amplify App then Boost or other NPS approved learning apps. 

Directions to Access Google Classroom from Home:

Open a web browser (like Chrome or Safari).

Go to http://www.classroom.google.com and click "Go to Classroom."

Sign in with your school-provided Google account and password.

Special Subject Schedule

Monday -- Art

Tuesday -- P.E. & Spanish

Wednesday -- Media

Thursday -- P.E.

Friday -- Music & Spanish

Important Dates

Tuesday, January 27th-- Field Trip to the Commonwealth Museum

Wednesday, February 4th-- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal

Monday, February 16th-- President's Day 

Monday, February 19th-Friday, February 20th-- February Break

Monday, February 23rd-- Classes Resume

Created 1/2026

Jennifer_ramras@needham.k12.ma.us