Good morning, third grade families! We’ve had a very exciting and productive week. We worked hard to complete our Linktivity project on the seven continents and our superhero comics that showcase our narrative writing skills. We practiced with multiplication and finished our first novel, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. Next week we’ll watch the movie! And there will be special treats to go along with it. 😊 And of course, there was A LOT of Halloween fun. It will be great to get back to our routine next week.

Let me know if you have any questions about the following!

• CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD: On Tuesday, 11/05, grades 2 and 3 will begin Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and will continue with this program until the end of the year. This is a religious education program run by a parishioner. “In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level 2 focuses on children aged 6-9 years old, where they delve deeper into the Christian faith by exploring themes like the ‘History of the Kingdom of God,’ moral parables, and a more developed understanding of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, while building upon the foundational relationship with Jesus as the Good Shepherd established in Level 1; this level emphasizes the child's growing capacity for understanding their role within the Church community and their personal responsibility to live out their faith.” You can use the following link to learn more about CGS: https://www.cgsusa.org/ I’ll attempt to summarize what we learn each week in my updates but as I am not teaching this content, I appreciate your patience as I learn to recap what takes place in the program. Be sure to ask your child about their time in the Atrium after Tuesday afternoon!

• MATH FACT PRACTICE: Each day, we have a 1-minute speed test on multiplication facts to help students show progress.  Students know that they’re not competing with each other but instead are trying to increase their own scores from drill to drill.  Students want to increase their scores and they are SO PROUD when they do!  Please ensure that your child is spending 10 minutes per night on multiplication facts, and encourage them to use the flashcards in their take-home binders.

• NO SCHOOL: On Monday, 11/11, Veterans’ Day will be observed. There is NO SCHOOL on this date.

• HARVEST FESTIVAL DONATIONS: Students previously brought home a sheet for donations for our Harvest Festival on Saturday, 11/09. If you’re able to help, please sign up and return this paper to school. You can also sign up using the following link: St. Ambrose Academy: Harvest Festival

• PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES: If you have not yet signed up for a parent-teacher conference in Class Dojo, please do so. This year conferences are being held on Tuesday, 11/26 and there is NO SCHOOL on this date. I’m scheduling conferences now to provide you with extra time to make arrangements, but let me know if none of the listed times work for you. Thank you to everyone who has signed up!

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING:

• READING: Describing characters, -es and -ing suffixes in phonics and spelling, reading fluency, practicing including the question in an answer when writing, and beginning cursive writing.

• MATH: Multiplication

• SCIENCE: The water cycle and how it impacts us

• SOCIAL STUDIES: Country study: Mexico

• RELIGION: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd