Peek at the Week News April 11, 2012

Dear 3rd Grade Parents,

Please take a look at this week's highlights:

Spelling/Vocabulary: PSIA Defintions #221-240 due on Thursday. Vocabulary and Spelling Test in crossword puzzle format on Friday.

Reading: In celebration of April's National Poetry Month, we will dedicate an extended unit on poetry. As we learn and discover poets, we will begin to select some of our favorite poems that have personal meanings to perform at our "Annual Open Mic Show"at the end of the month. Please discuss and help your child select a poem in the coming weeks. Details to follow.

English:  We began our 4th and final quarter of 3rd grade, and this is the time of the year for review. This week, we will focus on cumulative review and revisit the grammar rules we have learned since the beginning of the year. We will review Chapters 1-25 covering units on:

• Sentences
• Subjects and Predicates
• Complete Sentences
• Common and Proper Nouns
• Singular and Plural Nouns
• Verbs
• Main Verbs and Helping Verbs
• Verb Tenses
• Irregular Verbs
• Subject and Object Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns
• Adjectives

Math: Once again, I will continue to assess benchmark goals in the core subjects to prepare them for 4th grade. As we align our learning mode with the ALEKS program, we continue to revisit our textbook and cross check Math topics in our 3rd grade benchmark goals. This week, we will do a cumulative review over Chapters 1-12 covering units on:

• Place Value
• Addition (with Regrouping)
• Subtraction (with Borrowing)
• Multiplication Concepts and Facts
• Division Concepts and Facts
• Statistics and Probability
• Measurement and Time
• Geometry
• Multiplication with Regrouping
• Division (with Remainders)
• Fractions

Practice on ALEKS will help with any or all of these topics covered in the textbook.

Religion: We had a very eventful Holy Week last week, taking time to reflect on our lives with campus-wide events, including the Living Stations of the Cross. We also had a special guest speaker Mr. Michael Marquez who shared his faith with us. He told a wonderful story to the kids and showed them a neat paper trick using only one sheet of paper to make a cross. His reminder about how God has a special plan for us really resonated in our hearts during this Holy Week. Our 3rd graders this year as so blessed with the gift of having such faith-filled parents and role models in their lives.

We continue to celebrate the season of Easter by discussing how we proclaim the Resurrection. For reflection, we discussed how singing or rejoicing in "Alleluia" move us to share the good news of Resurrection with others. We will brainstorm some practical, age-appropriate ways that we can share in the mission of the Church by examining our faith focus through journal reflection: What did the first witnesses of the Resurrection tell us about Jesus? How can we be a witness to the Risen Lord?

Science: Using last week's tornado warning experience, we will review and create together a learning unit on tornadoes. We have learned how tornadoes are formed, and we also learned basic tornado safety tips last week. This week, we will review the United States geography to locate the "tornado alley," look at video clips of recent tornadoes in our surrounding area, and discuss ways we can help our community.

Notes/Reminder:

I just have to say that I am so proud of all of our 3rd graders who were so brave during the tornado warning. They acted quickly and behaved so well. We evacuated the school and the rectory in a few minutes and quickly gathered everyone in the basement under the cafeteria. The 3rd graders stood still when we told them, they sat down when we asked them, and the entire school recited the rosary in unison. I was so moved by how well we all came together as a school and church community. Good job, everyone! :)