GYOTAKU Third grade students learned about the Japanese art form gyotaku. Instead of using rice paper the 3^rd graders pressed t-shirts onto the painted fish. Gyotaku [gyo meaning “fish” and taku meaning “rubbing” or “impression”] was discovered over a century ago by fishers in Japan. Fishers were able to accurately depict the size of their prized catch before serving it as part of a delicious dinner. Gyotaku is a simple art created by pressing rice paper onto a fish. Thanks to all the parents who helped with this Picture Person project.

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Holy Spirit Poems The third graders developed their own poems honoring the Holy Spirit. Click on the names below to see examples of their work.
Sierra	Skyler	Elena
Hannah	Kelton	Matthew
Olivia	Riley

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Third Grade Homework Policy

August 28, 2007

Dear Families of 3^rd Graders,

Welcome to an exciting new school year! We are looking forward to a wonderful year. We at St. Antoninus School feel homework is an important part of the learning process. Homework gives the children responsibility, helps review classwork, and prepares them for tests. This letter is to help you know what is expected regarding homework in the third grade.

We generally assign some homework Monday through Thursday which is due the next day. Assignments should be written in the student plan book daily. Sometimes long-range assignments may demand some work on other days. We expect daily assignments should take no longer than 30 minutes of concentrated work. Often the written homework will not take that long, but we encourage the students to use the time reading, practicing math facts, reviewing and studying concepts from class to prepare for tests, or working on long range assignments. It is helpful if your family schedule would provide a set place and time each day or evening for homework.

Your child should be able to complete most assigned work independently. However your encouragement and guidance are always welcome. If you find your child has great difficulty or is confused about the work, please feel free to let us know so we can make homework a learning experience, not an experience of frustration. We consider three missing or late assignments in a subject cause for a check mark on the quarterly report card.

Please talk with your child about this letter and sign the bottom portion of this letter. Return the signed slip to school by Friday, August 31st.

Sincerely,

Third Grade Teachers

cut off--------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have read the letter concerning homework in the third grade.

Child’s signature______________________________________________________

Parent’s signature_____________________________________________________

Date____________________

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Mrs. Johnson's 4th Quarter Letter

April 4, 2008

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It’s hard to believe we are in the final stretch! Your children have really grown, both physically and emotionally. On that note, please carefully check the uniforms, especially the length of the jumpers.

As spring arrives, so does the anticipation for summer. As we finish the school year please make sure that school and homework remain a priority for your child. As the days get longer and warmer it is very easy to push homework and study habits aside for other things. Encourage and help your child to keep a homework routine.

During the fourth quarter of spelling and phonics we will study both regular and irregular plural nouns. We will review words with prefixes and suffixes added to them and digraphs. We will also work with syllabication rules.

In grammar the focus will be on pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. We will also review sentence structure and writing compound sentences.

Target skills in reading include making judgements, distinguishing between fact and opinion, making predictions, determining the author’s purpose, identifying steps in a process and identifying setting and plot. Remember to be reading 10-15 minutes every night.

In handwriting we will continue practicing the formation of upper case letters. If you run out of third grade paper you may begin to use wide-ruled loose-leaf paper for homework assignments. Please, do not use paper torn out of a notebook.

Even though we are finished with the chapter on multiplication facts, continue drilling the facts nightly. I will continue to give the timed tests as we work in the other chapters. If the facts are not mastered the children will have difficulty with some of the future chapters. We will move on to division with remainders, multiplying and dividing greater numbers and the measurement chapters.

In religion we will finish our discussion of the sacraments. We will then begin to discuss the Ten Commandments.

As soon as we finish the chapter on energy the science focus switches to health. We will learn about nutrients and how our body uses them. We will study the food pyramid and learn how to interpret food labels. We will use this information to plan a healthy diet. The unit concludes with lessons on the digestive system.

We will begin the fourth quarter in Social Studies by completing Unit 2. We will then focus on communities at work (unit 3) and communities and their governments (unit 4). Scholastic News will continue to be an important part of our class. It keeps us informed about current events.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Gina Johnson

johnson@saintantoninus.org

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Mrs. Herman's 4th Quarter Letter

Dear Families of 3^rd graders,

        Can you believe that it is the fourth quarter already? These last few weeks really go by quickly. With the warm springtime weather and a longer daylight period, I know it is difficult for the students to stay focused on their schoolwork. It would be helpful if the children could maintain their school routines for a little bit longer. Please check your child’s supplies (pencils, erasers, scissors, and markers). Some of them might need to be replaced.

        In spelling and phonics, we will continue to work on prefixes, suffixes, blends, digraphs, contractions and syllabication.

        In grammar, we will study contractions, pronouns, conjunctions and prepositions and punctuation (commas, quotation marks).

        We are beginning the second unit of our second reading text. Students should keep a chapter book in their desk for when they have time after they have completed assigned work. Some of the students are not using the accelerated reading program as much as they should. Students are permitted to take accelerated tests before school (7:30 a.m.). They need to have one of my Accelerated Reading   passes.

        In math, we will focus on division, division with remainders, and multiplication with 2 + 3 digits by 1 digit. The students must review their multiplication and division facts nightly. We will also go over some concepts in geometry, measurement and fractions.

       We will begin the fourth quarter in Social Studies by completing Unit 2. We will then focus on communities at work (unit 3) and communities and their governments (unit 4). Scholastic News will continue to be an important part of our class. It keeps us informed about current events.

       In religion we will finish our discussion of the sacraments. We will then begin to discuss the Ten Commandments.

          As soon as we finish our unit on energy, the science focus switches to health science. We will learn about nutrients and how our body uses them. We will study the food pyramid and learn how to interpret food labels. We will use this information to plan a healthy diet. The unit concludes with lessons on the digestive system.

          As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Pam Herman

herman@saintantoninus.org

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Miss Ottke's 4th Quarter Letter

April 4, 2008

Dear Parents/Guardians,

          It’s hard to believe we are already in the fourth quarter! The children have eagerly begun counting down the number of days left in the school year.

          Here are a few things we will be learning in Room 4 as we wrap up the school year:

Spelling/Phonics: One area of focus for Phonics this quarter will be on regular and irregular plural nouns. We will also take another look at prefixes, suffixes, and diagraphs, which were introduced earlier this year. The students will also be learning about syllabication rules.

          Grammar: We will learn about pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions. We will also discuss writing compound sentences and review sentence structure. Please continue to encourage your child to use complete sentences as he/she works on daily assignments.

          Reading: As we begin our next Reading unit we will study some of the following skills: making judgments about characters in a story, distinguishing between fact and opinion, making predictions, determining the author’s purpose for writing, and identifying the setting and plot of a story.

          Congratulations to Elena Kaufman for having the highest total of books read on our Star Reading Board! Elena has read 30 books and completed a summary on each. Great job, Elena! J

          Handwriting: Please remind your child that all homework assignments should be written neatly in cursive unless indicated otherwise. If your child has used all of his/her third grade paper, which was distributed at the beginning of the school year, he/she may use wide-ruled loose leaf paper for homework assignments.

          Math: The students have been taking weekly timed multiplication tests and recording their progress. I enjoy seeing the children get excited over the progress they are making from week to week. Please use the results from these tests to see which facts could use some extra practice. We have started the chapter on division. As the quarter progresses, we will begin working on multiplying and dividing greater numbers. Please encourage your child to review the multiplication and division facts at home.

          Religion: In religion we will finish our discussion of the sacraments. We will then begin to discuss the Ten Commandments.

          Science: The beginning weeks of the quarter will be spent on completing the chapter on energy. Next, we will focus on health. We will learn about nutrients and how our body uses them. We will study the food pyramid and learn how to interpret food labels. We will use this information to plan a healthy diet. The unit concludes with lessons on the digestive system.

          Social Studies: We will begin the fourth quarter in Social Studies by completing Unit 2. We will then focus on communities at work (unit 3) and communities and their governments (unit 4). Scholastic News will continue to be an important part of our class. It keeps us informed about current events.

          As summer gets closer, please encourage your child to continue to do his/her best work.

Sincerely,

Miss Trisha Ottke

ottke@saintantoninus.org