Friday News

Happy Friday! I hope everyone is staying warm! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Reading: In reading this week, our story is a tall tale play called Pecos Bill. Students have practiced their speaking skills by being assigned parts and reading the play out loud. We have also worked on our vocab and story elements.

Math: We are continuing with multiplication in Unit 5 as we learn rules and focus on memorizing our multiplication math facts.

English: In English this week, we reviewed all the rules we have learned about verbs and different tense. We have also been working on our letter writing and fluency. The students have recently become pen pens with my sister's homeroom class at Lowell Catholic High School in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Science: We are continuing our physics unit in science by focusing on the different states of matter. After measuring the mass and volume of mater, students have recently learned how to measure temperature. We have also been observing the change in temperature over time.

Religion: We have been celebrating Advent by continuing to read our Jesse tree stories and adding ornaments to our tree. So far we have read 21 bible stories. We also wrapped up chapter 7 in our religion book.

Classroom Community: I have recently become more aware of some bullying problems in the classroom. I can assure you that both Ms. Smith and I are not going to tolerate this type of behavior. We have been talking to students about the behavior and will continue to be working on respect and classroom community.

Classroom/School News:
- Christmas Playlet and All School Mass is Tuesday at 8:30am
- Wednesday is early dismissal at 1:50pm for break
- School will resume on January 5th, 2017

Please let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns! Have a great weekend before break!

Friday News

Happy Friday! Here's a look at what we did this week!

Science: In science this week we started our physics unit! We moved on from chemistry and learned about physical changes versus chemical changes. We also learned about matter vs. mass and how to measure the mass of an object.

English: In English, we are focusing on the different tenses of verbs. Students are learning how to change a verb based on whether you are talking about the past, present, or future. We will complete a study guide at the beginning of next week and we will have a test on Friday.

Math: Third graders are doing such a great job with multiplication! We have learned about equal groups, arrays, and the Commutative property of multiplication. Make sure students start to practice their facts at home!

Reading: This week we read "The Little Painter of Sabana Grande". The reading strategy that we focused on was story elements. Students learned how to identify plot, characters, problem, solution, and key events.

Religion: Religion this week was a mixture of Chapter 6 review and the start of Advent. Students made Advent wreaths and reflected on what Advent is and why it is important. They also learned about the tradition of the Jesse tree. We will continue to add to our Jesse tree throughout Advent season and read bible stories that go with students' ornaments.

Classroom News: In order to promote classroom community and positivity during this holiday season, students have made "Compliment Stockings". Throughout the month of December, all students are encouraged to write a compliment or nice note to their peers. Once a day, each student will receive a classmate to write to and the note will be placed in his/her stocking. Students are also encouraged to write throughout the day when they feel like it.

Reminders:

- Spirit Wear is being sold right now - place your orders by the 12th to have it in time for Christmas! (Orders will be accepted through Jan. 20)
- Read to Succeed logs went home today - They are due February 24th!

- Santa's Workshop will be set up in the library next week

- There will be a $1 Christmas dress down Friday, December 9th

- Scholastic book orders are due Friday, December 9th - let me know if you are ordering presents for Christmas!

Have a great weekend! Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News

Happy Friday! Here’s a look at what we did this week!

Math: We finished up Unit 3 and spent the week reviewing. When students return from Thanksgiving break we will start multiplication!

English: We have moved on from nouns and we are now focusing on verbs! Students played verb charades this week and started learning about the different tenses of action verbs.

Science: After finishing our astronomy unit, we have started our chemistry unit in science! Students have started learning about the periodic table of elements, molecules, and compounds. We will have a mid-unit test on Monday.

Social Studies: In social studies, we have been moving through our communities textbooks learning about different immigrants coming to the United States. This week we focused on sharing culture through different stories and talked about some of our upcoming holiday traditions!

Religion: Religion this week was focused on the gift of the Holy Spirit. We discussed the work of the Holy Spirit in the world and how the Holy Spirit guides the Church. Students made posters with the different names of the Holy Spirit and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Reading: Our story in our reader this week was Moses Goes to a Concert. The reading strategy that we focused on was main idea. We also finished up our first read-aloud of the year, Matilda! A permission slip will be going home in Friday folders today to watch the movie next week. Students will have a chance to compare/contrast the movie with the book. We will continue on our author study of Roald Dahl this year with our next read aloud, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Reminders:

• Report cards will be sent home on Monday
• Dismissal Tuesday will be at 10:30am
• Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday 11/22
• Eve of the Eve will be on Tuesday night
• Thanksgiving Mass will be Tuesday at 8:30am with honor roll for the older students at 8:20

Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns. Have a great weekend

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News

Happy Friday! Here's a look at what we did this week in 3rd Grade:

Math - Students are working through their addition/subtraction unit and are now on to subtraction. They have learned multiple strategies to do both, but we are focusing our efforts on making sure they have the standard algorithm down.

Reading - This week, we read the story "Spiders at Work". Our reading strategy was important/non-important information. We focused on finding the main idea of a text and then figuring out which information is important and which is not. We are also continuing to work on comprehension and restating questions. Students are getting very good at restating questions!

English - In English, we have been focusing on nouns. Students have learned about common nouns, proper nouns, plural nouns, irregular plural nouns, and soon possessive nouns. Next week we will review and have a noun test at the end of the week.

Science - In science, we wrapped up our Astronomy unit. Next week we will visit the Planetarium and start our next unit.

Religion - We finished chapters 1-4 in our religion book. This wraps up our religion unit 1. We have spent the week reviewing, and next week Monday we will have our unit 1 test.

*Halloween* - Students may dress down in Halloween costumes on Monday. Costumes must be age appropriate, no masks, non-violent in nature and please leave accessories at home. Students may also bring treats to pass out to their peers, but they must be wrapped, peanut free, and they must have enough for all 24 students in the class. If you need suggestions on what to bring, let me know and I will gladly send you some! We will also be having a Halloween parade around the block at 9:00am, weather permitting, to showcase our Halloween costumes.  Parents/Grandparents/Friends are welcome to come watch our parade! (In the event of inclement weather, we will be parading throughout the school and end in the gym).

NEXT WEEK IS SPIRIT WEEK!
Monday - Halloween Costumes
Tuesday - Team Spirit Tuesday: Wear BCA Spirit Wear or the school colors!
Wednesday - Wacky Hair Wednesday: Come to school with Wacky Hair and dress down!
Thursday - Dress up as your favorite Superhero
Friday - Hawaiian *3rd grade will dress in GYM uniforms for field trip

Notes/Reminders:
- Gym days next week will be on Thursday and Friday November 3rd and 4th
- We have a field trip to the Planetarium on Friday, November 4th - students must bring a SACK lunch and wear GYM uniforms
- We are still looking for Trivia Night donations!!!

Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

Have a great weekend!
- Miss Rizzo

Friday News

Math: In math this week, students started Unit 3: Using Place Value to Add and Subtract. We add and subtract large numbers every day when keeping track of our reading minutes as a whole, so students are already doing a great job with this!

Reading: In reading this week, our story was "The Sun, the Wind, and the Rain". The reading strategy that we focused on was comparing and contrasting. We are also continuing to work on our reading comprehension!

Social Studies: In social studies we are continuing to move through the beginning of America. Students learned about the creation of the transcontinental railroad and many of the inventions that came about in the 1800s that made life easier for people. They also had a chance to come up with their own invention that might make life easier for people nowadays.

Science: In science, students learned about the different planets and how long they take to orbit the Sun. We went to the gym and did a hands-on activity where students modeled the orbit of all 8 planets around the Sun. We then compared and contrasted how long it took the different planets to make their orbit.

Religion: In religion this week we discussed how Mary trusted God. We talked about the Annunciation, the Incarnation, and the Visitation.

Notes/Reminders:
- Our dress down day for winning Box Tops is Tuesday, October 18th
- Tuition is due October 18th
- Our field trip to Legoland is Thursday, October 20th - students do NOT need to bring a lunch
- We are collecting items for our SPA Trivia Basket! Please help the class out by contributing a Spa themed item or certificate!
- Candy collection for the HSA Halloween party is still going on

Have a great weekend! Let me know if you have any comments/questions/concerns!

Friday News!

Happy Friday! Here's a look at what we did this week!

Math: In math we worked on estimating sums and estimating differences. We also learned compatible numbers and how to use them to make numbers easier to add in our heads. We will have a quiz on this next week!

Science: In science this week we moved on from learning about the Sun and the Moon and started learning about the 8 planets. Students learned the order of the planets, how long they take to orbit the Sun, and how many moons each planet has.

Social Studies: In social studies we started learning about America's first communities. Students learned about the settlers, Pocahontas, and the Powhatan.

Writing: Students are still in the prewriting stages of their personal narratives. This week we went over how to pair share and established a beginning, middle, and end to our stories.

Reading: We spent most of the week reviewing for our reading tests that we took yesterday. Today, we focused on our current read aloud, Matilda. We identified all the characters we have been introduced to so far and listed character traits for each.

Religion: In religion we discussed caring for God's creation and reviewed for our quiz that will be on Monday.

News and Reminders:
- Field trip permission slips and money are due October 7th
- Book orders were sent home on Wednesday with a special coupon - Orders are due October 7th
- Conference forms were sent home in Friday folders and are due October 28th
*Information about Trivia Night baskets will be sent home soon, so stay tuned!

Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns! Have a great weekend!

Thursday News!

Happy Thursday! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math: We started Unit 2: Number Sense with Addition and Subtraction. Students learned three different properties of addition: the commutative property, the associative property, and the identity property. Students struggled with this a little bit at the beginning, but most of them got the hang of it after some practice!

Science: In science we are half way through our Astronomy unit. We will have a test on Tuesday of next week. Students have completed study guides with all the information that they need to review for the test.

Reading: This week our story was a Time For Kids story called "Champions of the World". We talked about reading nonfiction texts and looking at text features to give us more information.  This was our last story in our first reading unit. A study guide will be given out on Monday and we will have a reading test on Thursday of next week.

Writing: All students have chosen their personal narrative topic and started the prewriting process. We talked about the importance of focusing on a small and important event. Students learned how to make a brainstorming web and are excited to begin writing.

Religion: This week in religion we have been talking about what God tells us about creation and how God created us in His image and likeness. Today we read one of my favorite books called, "You are Special" by Max Lucado and talked about how we are all special.

Reminders/Notes:

- Field trip forms for Legoland are due by October 7th

- Pokemon cards are NO LONGER allowed at school

- NO SCHOOL tomorrow

- Box tops are being collected and counted at the end of the month, help our class win a dress down day by sending them in!

- Tech T-shirt day next Friday

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News!

Happy Weekend! Here's a look at what we did this week!

Math: In math, we continued to work on our rounding and finished up Unit 1. Students learned how to round 3 and 4 digit numbers and did a great job using all the steps and rules of rounding. We spent the end of the week reviewing the chapter and preparing for our test on Thursday! (I originally said it would be Wednesday, but we are pushing it to Thursday due to fishing)

English: For the beginning of the year, we have been focusing our English time on grammar and sentence structure so we can make sure that we can write well when we start our Writer's Workshop next week! Students have learned sentences, sentence fragments, subjects, predicates, and more. Next Monday we will start with our first Writer's Workshop unit: Personal Narrative.

Reading: Our story in reading this week was "Opt: An Illusionary Tale". In reading, we have been focusing on comprehension. A lot of students have a hard time with this so we have been practicing restating questions when answering and making sure we are comprehending the text when reading.

Science: The beginning to our astronomy unit has been a lot of fun! Students have learned all about the rotation and orbit of the Earth and thanks to a parent suggestion, we even watched a movie about what would happen when the Earth stops spinning. Next week we take our focus from the Earth to the moon.

Social Studies: In social studies we have learned all about urban, suburban, and rural communities. We have also learned about our country's geography and how the different weather and geography affects different places. Most recently we have been focusing on the environment and the Earth's natural resources - renewable and nonrenewable. This has lined up perfectly with our fishing trip next week!

Religion: In the first chapter of religion, we learned about how God speaks to us. We read about St. Francis of Assisi and the Holy Trinity. We will review the chapter and have a quiz at the beginning of next week.

Reminders:

- Punky's Night Tuesday - dress down day Wednesday

- Fishing on Wednesday next week (I will send out an email to chaperones at the beginning of next week)

- Fitness week is next week! Field day will be on Friday

Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

Have a fabulous weekend!

- Miss Rizzo

- Miss Rizzo

Homework 9/8/16

Homework:

Math: Math Study Guide, test on Wednesday
Spelling: Spelling contract due tomorrow, test tomorrow
Reading: Reading log

*Math study guide is just pgs. 24-25 copied from the book. I had students bring home their books as well in case they need to reference any past lessons for help. The study guide is in a very similar format as the test. We will go over all correct answers tomorrow!

Homework 9/7/16

Homework:

Math: Pgs. 20-21 #4-13
Spelling: Spelling contract due Friday, study for test Friday
Reading: Reading Log

*Homework load is light tonight so students can focus on studying for spelling test

Homework 9/6/16

Homework:

Math: Pg. 18-19 #21-25, 31-35, 40-43 (the rest of the independent practice and problem solving were completed as a class)

Reading: Reading log

Spelling: Spelling contract due Friday

Science: Lesson Review 4

Homework 9/1/16

Homework:

Math: Rounding Worksheet
Spelling: Contract due tomorrow, Study for test tomorrow
Reading: Reading workbook

*Grades are updated!

Homework 8/30/16

Homework:

Reading: Reading Log
Spelling: Spelling Contract due Friday
Math: Pgs. 12-13 #5-26
Science: Lesson Review 3

*Job Applications due Friday - I explained the whole application to students today in class. They are to pick 5 jobs that they may want and order them by preference (1 being the highest and 5 the lowest). They need to have 2 people (does not matter who) listed as references but letters of recommendation are not required, although they may be helpful in the application process. We used this to talk about the job process in real life and I think students are excited to get classroom jobs started! Jobs will be given on Tuesday when we come back from Labor Day Weekend.

Another note: I tried to message parents on dojo last night but I realized this morning it did not send. My school computer is currently having problems so I have not been able to update grades. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and I can update ASAP.

Reminders:
- Scholastic Book Orders due TOMORROW
- Ricobene's dress down TOMORROW

Homework 8/22/16

Homework:
Reading: Reading Log*
Science: Lesson Review 1
Spelling: Spelling Contract due Friday
Math: Pg. 7 #8-21

*Reading logs were explained to students in class today. They will be given as homework to students Monday-Thursday night. Students are to read 3 out of the 4 nights assigned. This means that they have one "cheat" night where they do not have to read and they can choose any night!

Friday News!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the warm weather this week! Here's a look at what we did in school:

Math - In math this week we wrapped up our fraction unit with a test on Wednesday. Since we only have a short time left in school, we spent the rest of the week reviewing how to tell time.

Social Studies - In our last unit of the year, we are learning about the state of Illinois. Students have read about our states's geography, the early communities of Illinois, how Illinois grew, and what it is like today. Next week we will focus on Chicago!

Science - We have been having a lot of fun in science this week with our geology unit! Students learned all about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and even had a chance to observe some rocks and guess what type they were.

English - Moving along with our biography project, students have finished their books and are now filling out their booklets. Everyone is becoming an expert on the person they are studying!

Reading - We finished up our Think It Through unit in reading with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Pure Power. We spent the week reviewing for the test that has been moved to Tuesday. Students took a classroom vote on this and it will be our last and only test next week.

Reminders for the last week of school:
- No school on Monday! Happy Memorial Day!
- NO hot lunch all next week
- Friday mass will start at 9:15 and students will be dismissed directly from mass. They should not bring anything to school that day. They will be dismissed with nothing but their report card.

*The first day of school next year will be on August 17th

Have a great weekend and a happy Memorial Day! Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

One more week left!
- Miss Rizzo

Friday News!

Happy Friday! 

Thank you to all the parents that chaperoned for the zoo on Wednesday! The students had a lot of fun! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math - In math this week we wrapped up our unit on fractions. Students have been doing a great job with this difficult unit! We completed a study guide in class today and we will have a test on the unit next Wednesday. The two days prior will be spent reviewing.

Religion - We took our quiz on Chapter 15 this week and now we are starting our Family Life unit. We started learning about the family unit and animal families and human families.

Reading/Writing - In reading this week we read a story called "The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin" which goes well with our new "Who was/is?" unit. Students have all chosen a "Who was/is?" book and they are reading about and researching their person. They are completing a booklet titled "My Biography Project" where they fill out information about the person they are studying.

Science - In science we have started our new geology unit where we are studying the Earth and it's layers. We also learned about tectonic plates and the causes of Earth quakes and volcanoes.

Social Studies - We just wrapped up a unit on communities and government. This time, instead of taking a test, students did an in class unit review. Next week we will begin our final unit on the state of Illinois.

News and Reminders:
- We will be attending our faith partners graduation on Wednesday, May 25th. Students will be making cards in class to give to their faith partners on this day.
- Next Friday is Tech T-shirt Day
- There will be a dress down day on Thursday for all students that turn in a birthday form for the calendar next year
- Gourmet lollipop sale going on next week - $1 per lollipop and the dollar will be donated to charity

Let me know if you have any comments/questions/concerns! Have a great weekend!

- Miss Rizzo

Weekly News!

Happy Thursday! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math: We finished up Unit 7 on division and we will be taking a test on Wednesday of next week. Monday and Tuesday will be spent reviewing.

Social Studies: We are continuing our government unit by learning about state vs. national government. Students used a venn diagram to compare and contrast the two.

Science: In science this week we learned how to identify wind direction and estimate wind speed. We also learned about how meteorologists collect and record data on the weather. We will acting as meteorologists and will be recording the weather data in Chicago for the next 8 school days.

English: It's been all about the different types of verbs lately in English. Students are learning about action verbs, helping verbs, and linking verbs and how to identify and use each once.

Reading: We spent this week reviewing the stories in our "Tell Me More" unit. Students reread all stories and reviewed all vocab. We also had groups assigned to each story do a presentation for the class to help review.

Reminders:
- No school tomorrow
- Zoo permission slips due May 13th
- MAP testing next week
- Tech T-Shirt day THURSDAY next week
- Walk-a-Thon on Friday next week

Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News!

Happy Friday!

This week has been crazy with ASPIRE testing taking up most of our mornings. Students completed a test in math, science, reading, writing, and English. They worked really hard and I am proud of all of them!

Reading: Reading this week focused on comprehension. We finished up all our stories in our current unit but I did not want to give another test during the ASPIRE testing week so we will continue to review the stories in the unit and we will have our test next week.

English: English has shifted back from writer's workshop to a grammar focus. We learned about helping verbs vs. action verbs.

Math: Students are almost done with this current unit of division and they are continuing to do well as we focused on word problems and real life situations this week. We even created some of our own problems about when we would use division!

Science: Science this week we learned about the different types of clouds. We drew our own pictures and identified the different types of clouds in real life pictures.

Other News: We also spent a good time of our week focusing on our classroom community. The third graders have been struggling with getting a long and working as a team. All classrooms had a visit from Ms. Jennifer who led us through a "Peace Circle" where students were supposed to learn to build each other up instead of tear each other down. I also decided that we would continue peace circles in our own classroom so we can continue to learn how to work together and fight less. I am hopeful that this will help our classroom environment!

Reminders:
- We have two field trips coming up, please get your child's forms in if you have not already!!
- No school next week Friday
- Tuition is due on the 18th

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns! Have a great weekend!

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News!

Happy Friday! First week back from spring break is over! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math: We dove into division this week! After learning that it is just like doing backwards multiplication, students understood the concept very well and we were able to cruise along! Next week we will already be ready to finish up this Unit.

Science: Getting back into the start of our meteorology unit, we learned about the layers of the atmosphere and all about the water cycle.

Social Studies: We started a new unit this week and focused on learning about the branches of government. Students learned all about the jobs of the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch.

Writing: This week in writing we focused on preparing for the ASPIRE test that will be taken next week. We reviewed the writing process and discussed how to answer a writing prompt correctly. Students were nervous at first but felt better when they realized that we have been working on writing all year and that they are ready!!!

Reading: This week was the last story in our current unit. It was a Time For Kids story about a baby whale that was rescued and returned back to health. We have been working hard on learning how to figure out the main idea of a multi-paragraph informational text. Next week will be spent reviewing all stories read in the unit.

Religion: In religion we learned how to identify ways Jesus taught us to pray. Students wrote trust prayers and discussed personal versus public prayer. We also completed a study guide for our quiz on Tuesday of next week.

Important Friday Folder Papers:
- Zoo Field Trip Form
- Play Field Trip Form
- Rollerskating Permission
- Baseball Fest Order Form

Reminders:
- Yearbook Order Forms
- LaCoco's night Tuesday
- Development Pizza Day Friday
*ASPIRE Testing Next Week - Please make sure that your child is well rested and has a good breakfast so they are ready to test next week. They may also bring a healthy snack Mon-Thurs.

As always, let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns! Have a great weekend!

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News!

Happy Weekend! What a crazy Friday it was! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math - We spent the week reviewing for our Unit 6 test, wrapping up our last unit on multiplication. I'm so impressed how well the students know their facts! Our fact battles are getting more and more intense and students are passing their fact tests and "clipping up" on our multiplication chart.

Social Studies - We wrapped up Unit 4 this week to get ready for our test on Monday. Today we played a review game where students made the questions based on their study guides and two teams battled!

Science - Our physics unit is over and we are starting a new unit on meteorology! We had an intro lesson all about meteorologists and discussed what meteorology is and different jobs that use it.

Writing - Students finished up their persuasive essays and moved on to a creative writing contest! They chose a writing prompt from the beginning of a story written by an  author and finished the story in their own creative way!

Reading - Our story this week was a non-fiction story about blue whales called Big Blue Whale. Focusing on the reading skill of generalizations, students learned all about the blue whale.

*I made a mistake in my previous email. Since we will be on break at the end of March, students may turn their reading bingo in on April 4th when we return from break

Reminders:
- Hunger lunch on Monday, if you haven't brought in your hunger lunch $1 donation and 2 cans of chicken noodle soup please do so Monday. There will be no hot lunch.
- Walk-A-Thon permission slip forms need to be turned in by April 6th
- Parent/Teacher conferences will be on Wednesday, March 23rd. Students will have an early dismissal at 10:30.

Let me know if you have any comments/questions/concerns! Have a great weekend!

Friday News

Happy Friday! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math - We learned the distributive property this week and focused on breaking apart larger multiplication problems into two smaller problems that we already have memorized. This trick seemed to help students a lot! We also made a giant multiplication table where students chose to represent their fact in repeated addition, drawing an array, pictures, or skip counting. We had a lot of fun with it!

Science - In science this week we learned about vaporization and evaporation. Students learned that water will evaporate faster with warmer conditions and more surface area.

Social Studies - In social studies we learned how people make choices about saving and spending money and how farmers produce goods for the community. Students learned about income and expenses, opportunity cost, and supply and demand.

Writing - Many students are on the publishing stage of their persuasive essay! Hopefully we will have everyone finished up next week.

Reading - In My Family, the story we read this week, was about a young girl telling stories about her family. We focused on vocabulary and comprehension.

Religion - Chapter 8 was about identifying the work of the Church in the world which was a great connection for the season of Lent. We have also been doing the stations of the cross every Friday during the season of Lent.

Reminders:
- Mangia Fresca night has been moved to March 10th
- We are collection paper towel/toilet paper rolls for reading night, March 16th! We can't have too many so please send them in!

Have a great weekend and let me know if you have any questions/comments/cocerns!

Friday News!

Here's a look at what we did this week!

Math - We kicked off Unit 6 this week by learning the distributive property of multiplication. This concept was harder for students to understand than I thought it would be, so we spent the majority of the week on it, making sure students understood before moving on. We pretended we were "Distributive Doctors" slicing up arrays for our job! Check out the pictures of our craftivity below.

Social Studies - We started a new unit in social studies this week focusing on communities at work. We learned about how people and businesses make money and we talked about consumers, producers and the economy.

Science - In science this week we learned about observing and describing the physical change of melting and freezing. Next week we will wrap up our science unit and review for the test.

Writing - Continuing to work through our persuasive essay writer's workshop, students are starting to take their graphic organizer and write their first drafts. Students are developing a strong 3 body paragraph argument while arguing for/against school uniforms or for/against a classroom pet.

Reading - Our story this week, The Terrible EEK!, was about a misunderstanding that caused a thief and a wolf to be afraid of each other. The skill that we focused on with this story was sequencing and comprehension. Students read the story multiple times to gain a deep understanding.

Religion - Religion focused on identifying the work of the Church in the world. We tied this back to lent by discussing almsgiving. Students learned that Jesus told his Apostles to baptize and teach in his name and that we are supposed to continue the work of the Apostles. Students made pretend Parish Bulletin headlines.

Have a great weekend! Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns.

- Miss Rizzo

Friday News

Happy Friday! What a beautiful day to start off the weekend! :)

Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math - We spent most of the week this week focusing on preparing for our Unit 5 test today and studying our math facts. Students reviewed in a variety of ways including playing a fun multiplication game and having a math facts battle. The final student even battled me and I lost! (I think the judge may have been biased :)) Make sure students are continuing to study their facts at home - I suggest making flash cards!

Science - In science this week we learned how to make a line plot to represent data that we collected in our last science lesson. Students were able to see how graphs can help easily display information so scientists can come to a conclusion about an experiment.

Social Studies - Social studies this week was spent reviewing for the test that we will have on Monday. The test was pushed back so make sure students are studying over the weekend!

Writing - Our new writer's workshop has finally kicked off and we are off to a great start! Students were able to choose from two different topics: Students should/should not be required to wear a school uniform and our class should/should not have a classroom pet. Now students are forming their opinions and backing up their arguments!

Reading - The Chocolate Fever tests have been graded and will be returned in students' Friday folders. I am happy to say that most did very very well on this! In the rest of reading this week we focused on finding textual evidence to support our answers to comprehension questions. Next week we will return to our reading textbook.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy the warm weather today!
As always, let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns.

- Miss Rizzo

Weekend Blog Post

Happy Thursday! Sorry for the lack of a blogpost last week - Friday was crazy and I totally forgot!

Here's a take at what we did this week:

Math - We have wrapped up Unit 5 in math which was all about learning different patterns in multiplication. through the different patterns, we also learned how to multiply by 10s and multiples of 10s. Next week we will review for our test that will be at the end of the week.

Reading - Students finished Chocolate Fever in the middle of the week this week. Most students really seemed to enjoy the book and some even asked if there was a sequel. In response to this, I had students write their own sequels! Students got very creative with their titles and stories such as Pizza Flu, Vanilla Fever, Meatball Cold, etc. Next week Tuesday we will have a test over the story plot in CF. It will be mostly multiple choice problems based on the story line of CF. In order to study, I would review and reread this weekend.

Writing - With a short week this week, writing has been a lot of Valentine's themed items or mixed in with reading. Although, we have started to go over our next writer's workshop writing topic which will be persuasive essay. Get ready for your child to become even better at arguing their point! :)

Social Studies - In social studies this week we learned different ways that cultures around the world celebrate, such as food, dance, and with puppet shows. Students shared how they celebrated in their cultures as well. This was our last lesson in the unit so next week will be spent reviewing for the test.

Religion - With the start of Lent, we have been talking about what Lent means and the different ways we celebrate Lent as Catholics. Students made Lenten promises for different things that they are going to "give up" and "take up". We discussed the importance of not only giving up things, but also "taking up" things such as different ways to be more like Jesus. We have also spent a lot of time with our faith partners this week!

Reminders:
- Fatherhood essays due Tuesday, Feb 16th
- No school tomorrow or on Monday!
- Freddies dress down Wednesday the 17th
- Tuition due Feb. 18th

Have a great long weekend!

- Miss Rizzo

2/3/16 Homework

Homework:

Reading: Reading Log - do not read Chocolate Fever

Math: P 5-4

Social Studies: Describe a Holiday

English: Work on fatherhood essay - due Feb 16th

Reminders:

- Wear red tomorrow!

- Special friends lunch at 11:00

Friday Blogpost

Happy Friday!

Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math - We started Unit 5 this week after wrapping up Unit 4 at the end of last week with a test (which students did very well on!). Unit 5 is continuing with multiplication as we learn patterns and rules for multiplying with different factors. Students are cruising through and continuing to get better at multiplication!

Science - In science this week we described and demonstrated the movement of molecules in solids, liquids, and gases. The whole class huddled and vibrated together on the rug when we were in our solid state and then as we got warmer and turned into a liquid we slowly moved past each other while still staying close. When our student molecules really started to heat up and turn into a gas, we power walked around with a lot more area and energy to move and go crazy!

Social Studies - Our essential question for Social Studies this week was "Why are stories important to a culture?". We learned that stories share values, beliefs, morals, and qualities that are important to a culture. We also learned about and read some different legends, myths, and fables.

Reading - We started off the week in reading by ending our "Be Creative" unit with a test. Then we kicked off our novel study on The Chocolate Fever. Students looked at the cover, read the back, and made predictions about the book. Everyone should have read Chapters 1 through 4.

English - We wrapped up our grammar focus on verbs this week. Some students are still struggling on telling the difference between verbs and nouns so we will continue to work on this as we move on.

*A note on MAP testing - Students took all three MAP tests this week: reading, language, and math. We were supposed to take math on Monday, but it was switched to this morning. Students needed to be reminded to take their time and do there best as many were rushing through! If your child was absent this week (many were sick) there will be MAP make-ups next week.

Reminders:
- Progress reports were sent home today. They need to be signed and returned next week.
- Open house is tomorrow from 2:00-4:00
- Next week is Catholic Schools week - an email was sent home from Mrs. Koster that has all the weekly events summarized
- "Special Friends" lunch will be on Thursday of next week - if someone is coming for children in different lunch periods, we ask that they stay for both and will eat with each separately. If one of your children is in Pre-K or K, arrangements will be made so they can eat lunch during their normal hour with their sibling and "special friend"

Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

Have a great weekend!

- Miss Rizzo

Homework 1/25/16

Homework:
Reading: Reading Log
Math: Pgs. 117-118 #13-32
English: Future Tense Verb WS
Spelling: Contract due Friday

Friday News

Happy Weekend! Here's a look at what we did this week:

Math - We finished up Unit 4 this week with lots of reviewing and a test today. We did a lot of practice problems that were very similar to the test questions, so I am hoping for some good test grades! We also had some fun with reviewing this week by playing multiplication games. Next week we will start timed tests for multiplication facts and students will be able to clip up as they master each number, so make sure they are studying at home!

Science - Science was interactive this week as we learned more about matter, mass, and volume. Students measured the volume of different objects in the classroom by placing the items in graduated cylinders and measuring the water displacement. We also watched a little Bill Nye on phases of matter which is always fun for all!

Reading - Reading this week focused on reviewing for our test on Monday. We reread all 5 of our stories in our "Be Creative" Unit and focused on defining the vocab and answering comprehension questions. Students made vocabulary cards and presented to the class. We also made a study guide as a whole class and I have typed it up and it has been sent home.

English - On Tuesday, English was focused on learning about Martin Luther King. We read a book on him, discussed why he was so important to our country, and, inspired by MLK, wrote a dream we had for ourselves, our community, and the world. The rest of the week we focused on verbs. Students learned what an action verb is and also practiced writing them in different tenses.

Religion - This week in religion we focused on learning more about the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Many students shared stories of attending a sibling, cousin, or family friend's baptism.

Reminders:
- 8th Grade Valentine forms are due Feb 3rd
- Taco Tuesday forms are due the 26th
- Progress reports are being sent home next Friday
- MAP testing starts again next week
- Fatherhood Essay Contest due February 16th

I hope you all have a great weekend! Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

- Miss Rizzo

Homework:
Reading: Reading log, pg. 110-111 in workbook, Test Monday
Math: Unit 4 Review Sheet, Study for test on Friday
Spelling: Contract due Friday
Science: Lesson 31 Review

A couple reminders:
- Book orders due Friday
- Taco Tuesday forms due Feb. 2
- Fatherhood Essays due Feb. 16

Friday News

Happy Friday! Here’s a look at what we did this week!
 Math: Last week we started our multiplication unit and students have been cruising along! We will learn the last lesson in Unit 4 at the beginning of next week and take our test towards the end of the week. Many students understand the concept of multiplication but still have to use repeated addition to find the answers. Next step is to practice and memorize our facts!
*Math test is being sent home from Unit 2 – students were allowed to do in class corrections and receive credit back for half of their points.
 Writing: Our explanatory writing unit has taken longer than expected, but we have finally wrapped it up! Students worked hard going through the different steps of the writing process in writer’s workshop. Although, we are still working on our punctuation and capitalization – something I have told students should be mastered at this point in third grade. Next week we will go back to focusing on grammar before our next writing unit.
 Science: In science this week we learned about matter and mass. We discovered just because the something is the same size or matter, it does not mean that it has the same mass. Next week we will learn how to measure the volume of solids and liquids using graduated cylinders and see how the water level changes when we add different objects.
 Reading: Our story this week, “A Cool Place to Visit”, was a Time For Kids story about a hotel in Sweden made of ice! We learned how to read informational texts and focused on the skill of finding the main idea of a story. Students explored the concept of finding a main idea and supporting details by doing a main idea bag activity. Next week we will wrap up our “Be Creative!” unit by reviewing all of our stories to prepare for a reading test.
 Social Studies: Thank you for helping your child complete the family history sheet from last week! It was very fun for students to share information about where their family came from and some of the cultural traditions that they celebrate. We have been learning a lot about how other cultures become part of American culture.
 Reminders:
- Book orders due next Friday
- No school on Monday for Martin Luther King Day
- Orders for 8^th Grade Valentines due Feb 3<sup>rd

I hope you had a great week! Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns.</sup>

- Miss Rizzo

Homework 1/12/16

Homework:
Math: P4-3
Religion: Study for quiz tomorrow
Science: Lesson 30 review
Reading: Reading log, pg. 103 in workbook
Spelling: Contract due Friday

Homework 1/7/16

Homework:
Reading: reading log, pg. 102 in workbook
Social studies: Family History interview
Math: P 4-2
Spelling: contract due tomorrow, test tomorrow

Homework 1/6/16

Homework:
Math: pg. 100 #7-17
Reading: Reading log, pg. 101
Social Studies: Parent Interview due Friday
Spelling: Contract due Friday