Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for coming to Back to School Night last week.  The students were so excited to read the notes from you in their desks and we appreciated having a chance to be together to discuss your child's learning in 3rd grade. We have attached a link to the presentation in the Newsletter tab of our 3rd grade Website if you would like to reference it at any time.

When you have a chance, we would love your "parent homework"-your children were so excited about the idea that we were also giving you homework :)  Whether it is easiest to send an e-mail or write us a note and send it in your child's backpack, we welcome any information you can share with us about your child, their learning experience so far, and your hopes for the year.  We are a team and the more information we have, the easier it is for us to support your child.  We realize that this is a crazy time of year, so thank you for your time in completing this.  We truly appreciate it!! Finally, be sure to read the Important Notes for this week-Friday is our first Spirit Day!

This week in 3rd grade...

I-Ready Diagnostic Testing: This week we will take the I-Ready Beginning of the Year Diagnostic Tests in both Reading and Math.  Students will work to answer questions on the computer for about 30 minutes each day of testing.  The data we receive from this testing will allow us to better meet student learning needs. All tests will be taken in the morning during the regular reading or math class time.

Math: This week we will explore our new math books and learn how to round numbers to the nearest 10 and 100. Rounding tends to be a tricky skill for 3rd graders, so any support that you can offer with homework would be greatly appreciated!!  On Thursday and Friday we will take the I-Ready Diagnostic Test for Math.

Reading and Writing: On Monday and Tuesday we will take the I-Ready Diagnostic Test for Reading. Then we get to begin our first module of our reading curriculum, Wit and Wisdom by thinking about how poets and artists help us to explore the ocean.  We will be reading the poem The Sea Wind by Sara Teasdale and observing the painting Under the Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.  

Grammar: This week students will learn to identify verbs in a sentence.

Spelling: This week we are studying words with long vowel sounds.   Students already have the words in their Take Home Folder and will copy their words into their planner on Monday.  Test on Friday.  (We will begin our differentiated spelling lists next week)

Social Studies: We will continue our study of the geography of Missouri.  This week we will learn about the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.  We will also map out the 5 regions of Missouri.  Be sure to ask your child what region we live in!

Religion: This week we will continue to learn about the parts of the Bible and how it is organized.  We will have some fun playing a Bible version of Chutes and Ladders with a partner.  We will also review the stories of creation, Adam and Eve, and Noah's Ark.

Important things to note:

-Wednesday: Dress uniform.

-Friday: Spirit Day!  (Students may wear any STE t-shirt with STE skorts or shorts.  Regular uniform is always welcome as well.) Today we also get to meet our Little Buddies for the 1st time!!

Looking Ahead:

-September 7: No School-Labor Day

-September 18: No School-Teacher Professional Development

-September 18-19: Smoking N Waldo!

-September 30: Picture Day!  Mrs. Droege's class leads Mass

Stay cool this week! 

Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Droege

gwalsh@stekcschool.org           cdroege@stekcschool.org    

3rd Grade Website: https://sites.google.com/stekcschool.org/3rdgrade/home

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for your support in making our 1st week in 3rd grade a wonderful start to our year together.  Students were so eager to be together again and we managed to learn the routine of 3rd grade while squeezing in time for some fun teamwork challenges too. It was great to see the students' joy as they worked together to save Fred, build cup pyramids, and create a new room for our school out of straws!

This week in 3rd grade...

Math: This week we will learn how to build, read, and write numbers all the way to 100,000!  Students will have 1 page of math homework each night. In Mrs. Droege's class she will pass out a packet of math homework for the week on Monday.  The packet can be completed at your own pace throughout the week and is due Friday morning.  In Mrs. Walsh's class, she will send home a new page of homework each night.  Your support to help them check over their work is greatly appreciated!

Reading and Writing: This week we will summarize, discuss, write about, and act out scenes from Patricia Polacco's book Thank You, Mr. Falker.  On Friday we will wonder and think about Pablo Picasso's painting Reading at a Table. Students reading homework will be to read each night for 20 minutes.

Grammar: We will review what a noun is and work to identify nouns in sentences.  Quiz on Friday.

Spelling: This week we will begin our spelling routine.  In 3rd grade students will be tested over 15 words.  Students will copy their words into their planner on Monday and also place a list of spelling words inside the sheet protector in the middle of their Take Home Folder. Test on Friday. This week we are studying words with short vowel sounds.    (For the first 2 weeks, we will all study the same words.  We will begin our differentiated spelling lists after this-we will explain this more at Back to School night!)  We will give students time to complete their spelling homework in class, however, please help students to study their list to be sure they are prepared for our first test on Friday.

Social Studies: This week we will begin our study of geography. We will review the parts of a map and even have a chance to draw our own maps of our favorite places!

Religion: This week we will review ways that we learn about God and begin to explore the Bibles in our classrooms.

Social Emotional Growth: This week we will work on developing growth mindset.  We will read the book, Bubblegum Brain By: Julia Cook and discuss how having a "bubblegum brain" (a growth mindset)  instead of a "brick brain" (a fixed mindset) allows us to use our mistakes to learn and find new solutions.

Important things to note:

-Wednesday:

• Dress uniform: Our 1st school mass of the year!  All are welcome to join us in prayer at 8:30am in the church!

• Back to School Night at 6pm in the Church.  After a presentation all together we will meet in our 3rd grade classrooms to discuss 3rd grade routines and have a chance to answer any questions you may have.  We hope to see you there!

Looking Ahead:

-August 31-September 4: I Ready Diagnostic testing in the morning

-September 7: No School-Labor Day!

Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Droege

gwalsh@stekcschool.org           cdroege@stekcschool.org    

Dear parents,

Thank you so much for coming to Open House last week! It was great to meet all of you and get our classroom set for the new year.  We are really looking forward to a great year of learning!

Each week we will send out a newsletter over the weekend to let you know what exciting things are planned for the week and anything that your child may need for our learning.  If you ever have any questions, please feel free to e-mail and ask.  We are a team, working together to ensure your child grows and flourishes this year! 

Looking ahead at this week in 3rd grade....

Monday, August 17: Last day of summer--enjoy!!

Tuesday, August 18th

Happy 1st Day of School!  We will enjoy a half day together.  Dismissal is at 12pm.  Please be sure your child brings a backpack with: a water bottle, a snack, and their favorite book.  If your child has not yet purchased their large STE pencil bag, you can send $6 cash or purchase it from Mrs. Hossle in the front office.  This size of pencil bag allows us to keep crayons and markers safe inside it and is the same size used in grades 2-8 so you can reuse it from year to year.

Popsicles for FIRE distributed right before dismissal (Free for students with FIRE Pass or donations to FIRE accepted)

Wednesday, August 19th

**Please dress in mass uniform.** Today we will gather in the church as a school in dress uniform to review what school mass is like before Fr. Bob returns from vacation and joins us for our first school mass next week. 

Thursday, August 20th

Normal uniform and schedule

Friday, August 21st

Normal uniform and schedule

*No homework this week except to try to get back into the routine of reading each night.  

**Students may bring a snack in their backpacks each day if they would like.  I find that students are often hungry by our 2nd recess at 1:45pm so students who wish to eat a snack can bring it with them to recess.  This is completely optional-some students don't like to waste any play time :)

Looking Ahead:

-August 26th: 6-8pm Back to School Night for Parents of all grades

-September 7: No School, Labor Day 

Happy 1st Week of School!

Cara Droege and Gretchen Walsh

cdroege@stekcschool.org, gwalsh@stekcschool.org