WEEK 6
This Wednesday evening is Bring your Parents to School Night
On Wednesday, October 7th, third graders are invited to bring their parents to school for a special “Bring Your Parents to School” evening! Your child will get to be the teacher and give you a little taste of a day in the life of a third grader by leading you through some of the activities we’ve been learning and enjoying in class. To help with crowd control and give me time to reset the room between sessions, please arrive and depart on time. I’ll need the five-minute window from 7:20–7:25 to get everything ready for our second session. We can’t wait for our third graders to show you what they’ve been up to! It’s going to be a fun evening!
Reminder: Early Release Day
This Wednesday is an Early Release Day; 12:15 dismissal.
Word Study
3rd graders will study prefixes this week and learn that a prefix is a word part that can be added to a base or root word to change its meaning. This week, we will read, spell, and study words with the prefixes re-, un-, dis-, and mis-. Re- means “back” or “again,” un- and dis- mean “not” or “the opposite of,” and mis- means “wrong” or “wrongly.” Our words this week include disappear, disconnect, discontinue, misplace, misunderstand, rebuild, recharge, reset, uncover, and unfair.
Writing
We’ve been having fun reading the Magic Tree House books, and now it’s time for our students to become authors! Students will have the opportunity to write their own Magic Tree House adventures. They’ll develop a physical and social setting, create interesting characters, add dialogue, and build an exciting plot as they send Jack and Annie on a new adventure. We’ll use the books we’ve been reading as mentor texts to help us notice how authors craft stories, and then try those techniques ourselves!
Math
This week, students will continue to work on recognizing unknown products and factors in multiplication equations. We will also explore how arrays (rows and columns) can be used to represent multiplication.
Science
Our young scientists are studying how animals survive in their habitats. We will explore fascinating examples of animal adaptations, including feathers in birds, camouflage in various animals, large bell-shaped ears in foxes, blubber, and opposable thumbs. Students will investigate how these characteristics help animals survive and thrive in their environments.
Kindergarten Buddies
Our kindergarten buddies have officially been assigned, and our third graders are very excited! We’ve been getting ready by making special cards for our buddies, and on Friday, we’ll meet them for the first time. We’ll get to know one another through a fun activity and discover all the ways we are alike—as well as some of the ways we are different. We’ve also talked about how being a third grader buddy is a special responsibility. Our third graders are role models and mentors for their kindergarten buddies, and we’re excited to see them step into this important role!
Mystery Reader
A big thank-you to our room parents, Angle, Kristen and Renee for organizing our Mystery Reader program! Would you like to be our next Mystery Reader? Click HERE to sign up.
Repeat Announcements:
Library Reminder: Our book swap day in the Media Center is every Monday. Please help your child remember to return their library books.
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!
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!
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, October 7th -- Early Release Day, 12:15 dismissal
Wednesday, October 7th -- Curriculum Night, 6-7:45 PM (various time slots depending on grade level)
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