Saint Ann School News

Monday, October 19, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The children did a fine job helping with Mass last week. They took their jobs very seriously. The visiting priest was impressed with them all.

Last week the children worked on a craft project for the Christmas Bazaar. Mrs. Blubaugh has been working so hard to help each class have a wonderful craft to sell. The third graders made some fantastic trays with the help of Mrs. Bussell, Mrs. Bigalk, and Mrs. Black.

We have an opportunity to attend a music program at the Parker Performing Arts Center at Burroughs High School. We need drivers who have all necessary paperwork for field trips. Please indicate on the permission slip if you are able to drive and how many children you can seat in your car. Thanks!

Last week I mentioned our All Souls table that we will be setting up for November. We will take this special time to remember family members who have died. The children may bring in pictures and mementos of their relatives starting November 2nd. The children are welcome to bring items in until the end of November.

I hope that your child has thought about their favorite saint. Today they have the poster to decorate as their favorite saint. They are invited to “dress up” their cut-out as their favorite saint using fabric swatches, colored paper, yarn, etc. Each saint should hold a small sign giving his or her name.

God bless,
Susan McDonald

Third Grade Goals This Week

Religion: We will study chapter 7 titled “The Holy Spirit: A Scripture Story.” Check out the website www.faithfirst.com weekly for activities for your child. We will read the “Good News” newsletter to prepare for this weekend’s gospel reading.
Reading: We will begin reading Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims. We will begin our fourth story in the next unit about city wildlife by reading the story Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City. In “Reader’s Workshop” we will study cause and effect. We will study long vowels found in open syllables with vowel-consonant-vowel structure in our phonics lessons. We will also study the /s/ sound spelled sc. Our dictation sentence is: When the hour came, he took his place at the table with the apostles. Luke 22:14. Our vocabulary words are: abandoned, originally, species, cavity, suburbs, and clamor.
Language: Writer’s Workshop is a time the students will work on stories they write, revise and edit. We will continue to work on the writing process. In “Writer’s Workshop” we will focus on the capitalization of places.
Spelling Words: Our spelling words have the /ow/ sound: The words are: mouse, count, mouth, south, bound, gown, crown, brown, frown, crowd, flowerpot, house, throughout, surrounds, and found.
Math: We will begin Chapter 3, which is addition and subtraction. We will study the addition properties and regrouping when adding. We will study adding 3 or more addends and greater numbers. We will use these skills in word problems. We are also working on improving our speed addition facts.
Handwriting: We are working on developing the finger strength for our cursive lessons. We will also work on the beginning lines for all of the cursive letters.
P.E.: We will continue four square and hopscotch this week.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of Native Americans this week. We will continue to study the past and present government of Native Americans of California. We will also study the economy of the Native Americans of California today.
Science: We will continue our unit titled Sun, Moon, and Earth. We will study the moon and compare it to Earth. We will also read about what it is like being on the moon. We will investigate the sun and solar storms.