Hey B202 Families!
This is our cozy little corner for monthly classroom updates, where I’ll share what we’ve been learning, fun activities we’ve done, and all the amazing things your kids are accomplishing!
(Just a reminder: No student faces will be shared here. Those photos will be posted only in our private Class Dojo group.)
Hello 3rd Grade Families,
It is hard to believe that February has already come and gone! We had a busy month filled with new challenges in math, deep dives into our reading and writing, and wonderful moments of classroom community.
Here is a look back at what our amazing 3rd graders accomplished this month!
In our Literacy block, we focused on strengthening our reading comprehension and expanding our writing skills.
Reading Focus: We spent the month exploring Decisions, Decisions and Communities Past and Present. The students worked hard on mythology, comparing themes, graphic features, and text structures.
Writing Workshop: Our big project this month was our Unit 6 Benchmark Assessment: comparing themes in mythologies. It was wonderful to see the students making text connections and practicing writing informational, biography pieces for Black History Month.
Phonics & Vocabulary: We continued to build our "word power" by focusing on long and short OO, diphthongs (ou), suffixes (-er, -or), and homophones and practicing our weekly high-frequency words.
In Math, we moved into Area and Word Problems and tackled some exciting new concepts and combining concepts we have already learned!
Key Concepts: Our main focus this month was developing an understanding of Area and solving one and two-step word problems using strategies we have already learned.
Hands-On Learning: We used arrays, square units, tiles, picture models, base-ten blocks, fact families, and more to help us visualize and solve complex problems.
Assessments: We wrapped up the month with our mid-unit assessment and a quiz on area and practiced taking our first quiz online. I am so proud of the persistence the students are showing as they master these new skills and make connections!
Social Studies/Science: We’ve been investigating primary and secondary sources, geographic tools, and knowing our place in the world, looking at where we live as compared to our house, city, state, country, continent, and world and labeling a map of Colorado with major sites and cities.
Character Education: This month’s focus was needs vs. wants, practice makes progress, and collaboration. We had great discussions about what we each need and want, how we can get better at something, and how we can work together to achieve a common goal.
Cursive Mastery: We are continuing our journey with cursive! This month we focused on mastering the letters B, V, and tricky connections after O.
Baxter’s Adventures: Our class mascot, Baxter, had some fantastic weekends! A special thanks to the families who hosted him this month: Logan, Emily, Christian, and Dulce.
100th day of school and Birds of Prey assembly.
Parent-teacher conferences and Valentine's Exchange.
Gustav Klimt Art Show
Birthdays: Christian, Ana Lucia, Logan, and Rachel!
Specials: Art, Music, PE, Science
Spring Break: Just a reminder that Spring Break is coming up next month from March 16th to March 20th.
Field Trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on March 12th and field trip countdown.
Read Across America Week and Book Fair.
CMA Review Week starts the last week of the month. We will be reviewing major test subjects the week before CMA State Testing begins.
Thank you for your continued support and for being such a vital part of our classroom community!
Wishing you a wonderful month ahead,
Mrs. Patel
Happy New Year, families! January has been a whirlwind of learning and growth in our classroom. From diving into technological advancements to mastering multiplication, your students have hit the ground running for Semester 2.
Here is a look back at all the incredible things we’ve accomplished this month!
This month, our literary journey took us through some fascinating topics:
Tech & Innovation: We explored how washing machines, closed-circuit television, and other inventions and innovations changed the world.
Deep Thinking: Students worked hard on identifying main ideas, analyzing character motivations, and comparing text structures.
Genre Mastery: We practiced everything from Opinion Writing to Narrative Informational texts. Ask your child about dramas and what they know about that text structure!
We’ve been busy "math-ing" it up!
Math: We wrapped up Unit 2 assessments for division and jumped straight into Unit 3, where we are discovering how to find area, solve word problems, and use scaled graphs with multiplication.
Phonics & Spelling: We tackled tricky vowel-r syllables, inflectional endings like -ed and -ing, and even mastered those pesky irregular plurals (like wolves, geese, and fungi).
Each week brought a new focus to our "Spotlight" time:
Social-Emotional Learning: We focused on Bullying Prevention, learning how to make "generous offers" and show we care for others through our Wayfinder curriculum.
History Detectives: We learned the difference between Primary and Secondary sources.
Specials Rotation: It was a melody-filled month! We started with Music (recorders were a hit!), moved through PE and Science, and finished strong in the Innovation Lab.
Happy Birthday, Holden! We loved celebrating you on Jan 9th!
Baxter’s Travels: Our favorite classroom friend, Baxter, had a busy month visiting Rachel, Lincoln, and Coco. We love hearing about his adventures!
Bison Pride: Congratulations to our students recognized during the Bison Awards Assembly for "Safety" on Jan 28th, Stacee and Jameson!
As we slide into February, please keep these items on your radar:
Conferences: Be sure to sign up for upcoming parent-teacher conferences.
March Field Trip: Complete those permission forms in My School Bucks!
Library: Don't forget: Library day is every Thursday, so remember to bring those books back!
Thank you for your continued support in making our classroom such a wonderful place to learn.
Happy New Year, 3rd Grade Families!
As we settle into January, we wanted to take a memorable look back at our wonderful month of December. Our classroom was buzzing with activity!
December was a big month for building our reading and writing stamina.
Reading Perspectives: We continued our deep dive into Different Points of View, focusing on distinguishing between a narrator’s and a reader’s perspective. We explored poetry orally with dramatic expression and used context clues like lacquer, motionless, and scuba to expand our vocabularies.
The Writing Journey: We transitioned from Narrative Point of View writing (using the ARMS method for revision) to an Informative Writing unit. Our Middle of the Year (MOY) Writing Benchmark focused on Ants, where students showed off their skills in adding details and editing.
Phonics & Spelling: We tackled Vowel Team Syllables all month long and mastered high-frequency words such as soon, drink, and work.
We’ve been working hard to see how numbers relate to one another!
Multiplication Mastery: Early in the month, we focused on using Place Value to Multiply and multiplying with tens.
Connecting with Division: We introduced Division Models and explored the meaningful connection between multiplication and division. By the final week, students brought home flashcards to practice these facts over the break!
We will continue our practice with division in January!
Our afternoons were filled with a variety of engaging topics:
Bullying Prevention: We explored "School Lunches Around the World" and shared our own "Traditions" to build a stronger, more empathetic classroom community.
Science & Citizenship: Students learned about their Rights and Responsibilities as citizens.
Cursive Skills: We’ve officially started practicing connecting letters into longer words and finished perfecting our lowercase i and j.
Testing: Students worked hard on their middle of the year iReady and Benchmark assessments. Almost all students showed a huge amount of growth in both math and reading. I can't wait to see the progress they continue to make!
December was packed with community events and celebrations:
Festive Fun: We ended the semester with a very special Hot Cocoa Party.
Birthdays: A big happy birthday to Dulce (11/21) and Addy (11/30) from late November, and a very special happy birthday to Mrs. Patel on December 28th!
Winter Break Reminder: Report cards were made available on December 20th through EngageEd. We hope you all had a restful break and a very happy holiday season!
We look forward to seeing everyone back in the classroom on Tuesday, January 6th!
Wishing you a cozy and grateful start to the New Year,
Mrs. Patel
Hello, Wonderful 3rd Grade Families,
As the calendar turns to December, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on a fantastic November we shared together. It was a month filled with learning, special events, and preparation for the holidays!
November's focus in Reading and Writing was all about perspective. Your students truly rose to the challenge of analyzing different points of view, a skill that helps them not only in reading but also in understanding the world around them.
We Became Word Detectives: We practiced using context clues, analyzing figurative language (metaphors and similes!), and working on fluency.
Narrative Superstars: Students honed their narrative writing skills by comparing different points of view in poems and focusing heavily on the critical skills of revision and editing. They are working hard to become meticulous writers!
Phonics Power-Up: We successfully tackled tricky Closed Syllables and Consonant -le Syllables to expand our decoding toolbox.
Math this month centered on solidifying our understanding of multiplication. Students finished learning their facts through 9 and then transitioned into key concepts:
Order and Grouping: We learned how using the Order to Multiply (commutative property) and Grouping to Multiply can make solving problems much easier.
This strong foundation in multiplication is essential, and we saw great progress from everyone during the quizzes and the Mid-Unit Assessment!
Our Spotlight Studies provided valuable lessons in citizenship and character:
We spent time on Bullying Prevention and discussions about Government and our Rights and Responsibilities. These conversations encouraged empathy and respect among classmates.
Our Special Subjects changed weekly, giving us a taste of Art, Music (with recorders!), and lots of time for active learning during P.E.
We packed a lot into those 16 school days! Here were some of the month's memorable moments:
One Book, Many Themes: We had themed reading days like Big Eyes, Camo, Shirt Day, and Snowy Discovery Day to celebrate reading together.
Honoring Our Veterans: The Veteran's Breakfast and the turning in of the Veteran Heart projects were powerful ways for us to show respect and gratitude.
Innovation and Creativity: We celebrated student ingenuity during the Science/Innovation Fair and the Participant Party!
Community Connection: Thank you to everyone who supported the Choir Holiday Concert. It was a beautiful start to the holiday season!
Celebrating Character: Congratulations to Westley and Annelise who were recognized at the Integrity Award Bison Assembly!
And finally, we hope you all had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving Break (Nov 24th - 28th)!
We look forward to diving into the final weeks of 2025 together! As always, thank you for being such supportive partners in your child's third-grade journey.
With holiday cheer,
Mrs. Patel
Dear Families,
What an incredibly busy and rewarding month we've had in class! October flew by in a blur of multiplication facts, argumentative essays, spooky spirit days, and wonderful community events. As we transition into November, I wanted to share a snapshot of all the fantastic learning and fun we accomplished this month.
Reading and Writing
Our core focus this month was on the "We The People" reading unit. Students worked diligently on achieving fluent expression, paraphrasing, understanding key concepts and text structure, and using context clues to deepen comprehension. A major focus in Writing was argumentative (opinion) pieces, where students learned to build a claim and support it with evidence. They tackled exciting topics, including arguing about whether the school should "Change The School Song" and debating questions like, "Would you buy the haunted house?" to practice forming strong opinions and providing robust support.
Math, Phonics, and Spelling
Math centered heavily on mastering our multiplication facts. We worked on building fluency with 1, 2, 5, and 10, before moving on to solidify our knowledge of 3, 4, and 6.
In Phonics, we explored different vowel patterns, starting with R-Controlled Vowels (or, ar, er, ir, ur) and later focusing on reading and decoding Closed Syllables. Our Spelling Words reinforced various phonetic concepts and included words like carnivore, caterpillar, sudden, problem, and circus.
Spotlight Studies and Specials
Throughout the month, our Spotlight Studies consistently focused on Grammar (Adverbs) and important social-emotional lessons on Bullying Prevention.
Our Specials rotations included PE, Science, and Innovation Lab.
October was packed with memorable dates! We hope your family enjoyed the much-needed Fall Break.
Some of our other highlights included:
Donuts with Dudes (Oct 3rd) and the Baxter Stampede Fun Run (Oct 9th).
Picture Retakes and a PTO Meeting on October 7th.
We had a busy week of activities and reading during the Book Fair All Week (Oct 20-24), which culminated in the fun Fall Festival on October 24th!
The last week of the month included several special spirit days and events, including Future Career Day (Oct 27th), Superhero Day (Oct 28th), Hawaiian/Tropical Day (Oct 29th), and Sports/Jersey Day (Oct 30th). We were also visited by Mayor Jason Gray, Town Manager David Corliss, and Judge David Thrower!
We wrapped up the month with our annual Halloween Parade and Fall Party on Friday, October 31st.
Thank you for your continued support and for partnering with us to make this a wonderful learning experience for your child!
Always thankful for you,
Mrs. Patel
Falling for Learning: A ‘Sept’-acular Month in Third Grade!
September was an exciting month in third grade! We’ve settled into our routines, learned so much, and had a ton of fun along the way. Here’s a peek at all the amazing things happening in our classroom:
We wrapped up Unit 1: Animal Characteristics and dove right into Unit 2: How Characters Shape Their Stories. Students explored how settings, plots, and characters all work together to make stories come alive. We practiced fluent expression, analyzing key features, using context clues, and asking questions before, during, and after reading. Students learned to paraphrase, compare and contrast, and even studied fables and figurative language like idioms! We also built confidence reading poetry aloud with expression and accuracy.
In writing, we used our POWER steps, Plan, Organize, Write, Edit, and Revise, and practiced pulling apart prompts (P1, P2, P3) to create thoughtful responses. Grammar lessons focused on nouns, verbs, and adjectives, while in phonics, we mastered long vowels, compound words, and contractions.
Our cursive is coming along beautifully! We’ve practiced letters like I, L, T, c, a, d, h, and t. In our Bullying Prevention lessons, we talked about courage, kindness, friendship, and being an upstander, learning how to make our classroom a safe, caring place for everyone.
In science, we explored inherited traits, animal adaptations, and even fossils! Students were fascinated to learn how plants and animals survive and change over time.
In math, we strengthened our understanding of place value by adding and subtracting three-digit numbers, then jumped into multiplication, learning what it means and how to model it using 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10.
We’ve rotated through all our specials, PE, Science, Innovation Lab, Music, and Art, and had fun learning in every area! The counselor also visited to teach us about the Zones of Regulation, helping us recognize and manage our emotions.
September was packed with exciting moments! We:
Enjoyed a visit from Baxter the Bison 🦬 (he met Mukhammad Ali, Bethany, Stacee, and Declan!)
Completed our iReady beginning-of-year assessments
Practiced safety with lockdown, secure, fire, and shelter drills
Met families during Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you for coming!
Attended our first Bison Assembly celebrating Respect 💛
Had our Hearing and Vision Screenings
Ended the month with the Boosterthon Fun Run Kickoff! 🏃♀️✨
It’s been a full and wonderful month of learning, teamwork, and fun. We’re so proud of how much each student has grown already and we can’t wait to see what October brings! 🍁
Wow, what an amazing month we’ve had in third grade! August was all about new beginnings, building friendships, and diving into big learning adventures. Your children are already showing curiosity, teamwork, and a whole lot of enthusiasm for everything we’ve been exploring together.
We launched our first ELA unit, Animal Characteristics: How Living Things Survive in Their Environment. From camouflaged animals to busy ants, students are asking thoughtful questions, uncovering main ideas, and growing their vocabulary every single day.
In writing, we kicked off with personal narratives: stories from our own lives. Students are practicing our POWER steps (Plan, Organize, Write, Edit, Revise) and learning how to add strong details with TIDE (Topic, Idea, Detail, Ending). It’s exciting to see their voices as authors starting to shine!
Numbers came alive this month as we practiced rounding to the nearest ten and hundred and tackled adding three-digit numbers using cool strategies. All of these skills will soon prepare us to start multiplication, as they bridge the gap between place value and being able to manipulate groups of numbers quickly. It’s incredible how much confidence they are already building with big numbers and even regrouping!
Science took us into the world of life cycles and inherited traits. Students are discovering how animals and plants grow, change, and survive and making connections to the stories we’re reading in ELA. They’re becoming little scientists, noticing patterns in the world around them.
We’ve begun learning cursive with strokes and the letters I, L, and T. The excitement is real, students are proud to practice this brand-new skill. We’ve also enjoyed full weeks of art, music, PE, the Innovation Lab, and library visits. This group is so creative!
In addition to academics, we’ve been learning how to grow as classmates and friends.
With our counselor, we started exploring the Zones of Regulation to understand feelings and build strategies for managing them.
In Wayfinder, we learned the importance of being an upstander—speaking up and helping others instead of being a bystander.
These lessons are helping us create a kind, respectful classroom where everyone feels safe and supported.
This month, we completed beginning-of-year assessments in reading, math, writing, and phonics. These tools help us create Bison Time small groups for both ELA and math so every student gets the right support and stretch they need. We’ll keep checking in with quick quizzes and progress checks throughout the year so we can celebrate growth all along the way!
A joyful Meet the Teacher to kick things off.
Our first day of school on August 13th, what a special start!
Students created their “Guess Who?” posters. Each week, we’ll feature a Student of the Week and reveal them on Fridays. Such a fun way to celebrate each classmate!
Fall Pictures. We captured those wonderful third-grade smiles.
Popsicles at Bison Park. A sweet ending to a busy week!
We have so many fun things coming up!
No school on September 1st (Labor Day) and September 22nd (Professional Development Day)
Spirit Night
Top Golf on September 14th
Boosterthon Kick-Off
Parent-Teacher Conferences on September 23rd & 25th
It’s going to be a month full of growth, fun, and new experiences. I can already tell this is going to be an unforgettable year!
Thank you, families, for all your encouragement, support, and partnership. Your children are already impressing me with their hard work, creativity, and kindness. Let’s keep the momentum going. Third grade is truly off to a fantastic start!