Week 3

Last week...

We had another fantastic week filled with learning, teamwork and fun. Students created their “Hopes and Dreams” for our year together in third grade and had the opportunity to share their special interests and talents with the whole group. We dove into our first week of ARC, our new literacy program, put our math skills to work creating a scaled picture graph of our favorite ways to travel, and then got tech-savvy as we practiced using our Google usernames and passwords to log into Clever, our school’s digital learning portal. Team-building activities kept the energy high, and the paper airplane challenge was a favorite! Students also enjoyed a special visit from our strings teacher, Ms. Casados, who introduced third graders to the exciting opportunities in the strings program. We learned some new group games and even celebrated with our very first 30-second dance party! What a wonderful week it was!

This week...

We’ll continue our journey back in time with Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark, while also using nonfiction texts to explore fascinating ideas about geological time, fossils, dinosaurs, and how life on Earth has changed over millions of years. Students will practice using information from both fiction and nonfiction to deepen their understanding and become thoughtful readers and researchers. I’ll also begin conducting one-on-one DIBELS reading assessments with students. DIBELS is a brief assessment that gives me a snapshot of important reading skills such as decoding, accuracy, and reading fluency. These quick check-ins help me see what each child is doing well and where I can provide additional practice or support. In math, we’ll continue working with scaled picture and bar graphs and solving one- and two-step addition and subtraction story problems. We’ll also begin ST Math and our Second Step curriculum, building the social skills and strategies that help us learn, work together, and thrive in our classroom community. We’ll come together for our first monthly school-wide Community Meeting, where students from across the school gather around a social emotional learning theme. This month’s theme is growth mindset, which feels like a wonderful way to start the year together.

Reminders

This Wednesday, September 16 is an Early Release Day, and students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m. Students may choose to take home a Bento Box lunch that day. There is also no school next Monday, September 21, in observance of Yom Kippur.

Third Grade Homework Expectations

3rd graders are expected to read for 20-25 minutes each night. Third graders can choose to read independently, read with a partner,  listen to audiobooks or enjoy a family read aloud. The big idea is to encourage a life-long love of reading!

School Breakfast Eaters

YAY! I’ve noticed a big improvement in the number of students arriving right at 8:05, which gives them plenty of time to grab breakfast, eat, and still get settled and started on their morning work. Thank you! One little reminder: school breakfast is definitely a great way to start the day, but once breakfast is finished, it’s time to jump into our morning routine. We’re working on making those first few minutes count!

A Quick Shoe Reminder

I love a good pair of Crocs as much as anyone, but in third grade, our feet need to be playground and P.E. ready! Crocs and flip-flops can slip off while running, climbing, and playing, and they have a funny way of escaping when we’re sitting on the rug, too! Please send your child to school in secure, supportive shoes that stay on their feet so they can safely run, jump, climb, and learn. Thank you!

A note from Nurse Sullivan

Starting on Tuesday, September 22nd through Thursday, September 24th, Nurse Sullivan will be doing state required health screenings (vision, hearing, and height/weight). Please remember to send glasses to school if your child needs them. For more information and/or to opt out of screenings, please click here: Mitchell Elementary: Health Screening Information & Opt Out Form 2026-2027

Beginning Strings
Our Strings teacher, Ms. Casados visited the 3rd grade and introduced the Needham Strings Program. To learn more about the program, click here.

The deadline for sign ups is Monday, September 21st.

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!

New Special Subject Schedule

Monday -- Art & Media - Please return your Media books every Monday so you can check out new books each week. 

Tuesday -- P.E. & Spanish

Wednesday -- Music

Thursday -- P.E.

Friday -- Spanish

Important Dates

Wednesday, September 16th -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal

Friday, September 18th--  Ice Cream Social on the Playground

Monday, September 21st -- No School, Yom Kippur

Friday, September 25th -- Mitchell Movie Night

Wednesday, October 7th -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal 

Wednesday, October 7th -- Curriculum Night, 6-7PM

Monday, October 12th -- No School, Indigenous Peoples Day

Wednesday, October 21st -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal

Sunday, October 25th-- Trunk or Treat, 4:00-5:30

Created 9/2026

Jennifer_ramras@needham.k12.ma.us