The End is Near

Dear Families,

Please know, that with only 8 school days remaining, this will be our last formal blog. Please continue to refer to your child's agenda for any important information.

It is hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end. We are beginning to wrap up our lessons and are looking forward to celebrating all the students' hard work next week.  

It has been a wonderful year as we watched your children grow academically, personally, and spiritually. We thank each of you for your continued support and partnership in your child's education. We hope you all have a restful and amazing summer! We look forward to seeing you back here in August. 
~Mrs. Ezell and Mrs. Connell 

Things to Remember:

• Wednesday, June 3rd is a half day. It is also our third grade party.
• Thursday, June 4th the students will come to school at the regular time, and we will attend Mass as a whole class. Dismissal will be around 10 am. There is NO after care that day. 
• ALL library books are due to Mrs. O by Friday of this week, as she prepares to close up the library. Also, please check at home for any books that belong to the class libraries because throughout the year our libraries have slowly decreased in books. Thank you! 

ELA

Students will continue to work through Donovan's Word Jar.

3A's Spelling words will focus on words spelled with q and ex.
3B's Spelling words will focus on words spelled with ite, ight. and ought
Grammar will continue to be a review of important skills.
Writing will consist of creative writing prompts and letters to next year's third graders.

Social Studies

Students will continue to learn about Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

Science

The students will give their scientist presentations on Friday, May 29th.

Religion

Students will continue their lessons in the Benziger Family Life book.

Math  

The students will begin learning about measurements of capacity (liquid measurements).
 

4 Day Weekend Ahead!

Hello Families,

Time is quickly winding down! We only have 3 short weeks to go. Over the next few weeks, we will be quite busy, so please be sure to read our blogs and the SFX e-blast.

On Thursday, May 21st, we will have our annual hot dog lunch with Fr. Dan out on the fields. Students do not need a lunch this day.

This is a gentle reminder that there is no school this Friday, May 22nd and Monday, May 25th.   
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

English Language Arts

Your children have worked their way through the entire Reading series. We will shift our focus on a book study using the book, Donovan's Word Jar. Each day, we will read two chapters, look up vocabulary words, answer comprehension questions, and work on other activities.

Spelling words will comprise of words from our study of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Grammar will be a cumulative review of key skills.

REMINDER - FINAL BOOK PROJECT OF THE YEAR IS DUE THIS THURSDAY, MAY 21ST

Social Studies

Students will continue learning about the life of Ancient Greeks and Romans and their contributions to our world.

The students will also complete their Junior Achievement lessons.

Religion 

We are continuing our lessons from our Family Life book.

Math

The students will complete their lessons in the area of Geometry.  This week's focus in Geometry is area, perimeter, and volume.  Did you know that Geometry was created by the Ancient Greeks?  In fact, the word Geometry is derived from the Greek words "gaia" (geo) and "metria" (meter) and means "earth measures".

Once we complete our Geometry lessons, the students will begin learning about the measurement of liquids.

Science

3B  will begin creating their biographical reports on their assigned famous scientist. 

4 Weeks to Go!

Hello Families,

Summer is almost here! 

This week, makes our last 5 day school week! With only a short time left, the coming weeks will be packed with learning and fun activities. Please be sure to note, that this is the last full 5 day week because next week there is no school on Friday, May 22. The week after that, there is no school on Monday, May 25th, and the last week of school, we are only at SFX Monday through Thursday. The last day of school is Thursday, June 4th with our all school Mass.

We will be STAR Reading and STAR Math testing this coming Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Please try your best to have your child arrive to school on time and please insure that he/she has eaten a good breakfast.

Please remember that tomorrow night is our Spring Concert. The students have been working hard on their song, and they are excited to perform you. Please arrive no later than 6:15 pm. See you tomorrow night!

ELA



Spelling skill focuses on words beginning in a or be.
Grammar skill focuses on pronouns, and we will continue to work on prepositions.
Reading skill focuses on conclusions.

Science 

Students will continue working on their famous scientist reports.

Social Studies

Students will begin their lessons on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

Religion

Students will continue work in their Benziger Family Life books.

Math

Students will continue to focus on geometry concepts.

Hello May!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

We hope you enjoyed your 3-day weekend! 

Please remember that this Thursday, May 7th, the third graders will be on a field trip from 9:30 to about noon. We will be walking over to Xavier College Preparatory for a play. If a student has hot lunch, it will be there when we return. Our lunch time will be slightly pushed back.

Have you heard your child say that they "Blended" at school? Or perhaps that they had "Blended Learning"? Over the past several weeks, the third graders have participated in a Blended Learning pilot program in both the areas of Reading and Math.  Blended Learning enabled us to create small groups for learning.  It also incorporated technology which really engaged the students, guided their learning, and insured that each student was learning at a level that is within their individual zone of proximal development -just right for where they are and where they are ready to go next. When students would "Blend", they would rotate between two to three rotations. The rotations would consist of teacher instruction, independent or partner practice, and exploration on the iPad - technology based activities. Although our piloted program has come to an end, we have found that the students are highly engaged during the Blender and are growing leaps and bounds. We will continue with this model until the end of the school year. 

To celebrate all of the students hard work last Friday, we had a "Blender" party, where students watched the videos they had previously created during the Reading Blender on Coral Reefs, and we had a special treat - smoothies! We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Vallado, Ms. Milano, Mr. Russell, and Mr. Long for all of their guidance and support as we launched this new way of learning. 

Here are a few pictures from our Blender Party!!!!!

English Language Arts 



Spelling skill focuses on words in ending -er and -le. 
Grammar skill focuses on prepositions. 
Reading skill focuses on understanding characters. 

In two weeks, we will begin our book study on Donavan's Word Jar. Our class only has 16 copies of the book, so if your child would like their own, please consider purchasing it from Barnes and Nobel, Amazon, or Half Priced Books. ~Mrs. Ezell 

A gentle reminder, that your child's last book project is due Thursday, May 21st. 

Writing

Students will begin researching a famous scientist. Once they have gathered all of their information, they will begin the writing process. 

Science

The students will be finishing their unit on plants. 3A will create a study guide to help prepare them for their upcoming assessment.  3B completed their study guide and it was sent home with the students on Friday, May 1st.

Social Studies

If time permits, the students will begin learning about Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The students will discover the contributions from these two ancient civilizations which are still evident today. 

Math 

The students will begin their lessons in Geometry.

Religion

The students will begin their Benziger Family Life lessons.
  

Week of Gratitude

It is with grateful hearts, that we thank you for partnering with us in the faith formation of your children this year. It was such a beautiful Mass on Saturday and it truly touched our hearts! All of the children looked like such little ladies and gentlemen in their beautiful dresses and handsome suits.  It is with sincerest gratitude, that we would like to thank you for all of the love, support, and guidance you shower over your children each day. We are truly blessed to have your children at S.F.X. and what a gift it is to be at a Jesuit school.  We would like to take the time to thank Mrs. Westerfield for all of her hard work and efforts.  She is the reason that our third grade retreat, sacrament preparation,  and celebration is both meaningful and joyous.

As we move into this week, please make sure to review the weekly e-blast, so that you are aware of the happenings for each day during our week of gratitude. Also, please remember that your child's bag of recycled items for their Art project is due Thursday, April 30th. Mrs. Aspen sent out an email last week, and each child came home with a flyer on Friday.

Reminder that there is NO SCHOOL MONDAY, MAY 4TH!! ~ Enjoy!! 

English Language Arts



Spelling skill will focus on words with ough and aught.
Grammar skill will focus on commas in sentences.
Reading skill will focus on fact and opinion.
In writing, students will work on taking concrete facts to support their opinion.

In about 3 weeks, the students will begin a book study on Donovan's Word Jar, by Monalisa Degross. Our classroom, only has 15 copies of the book. So, if you would like to purchase the book for your child, it can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, or Half Priced Books. Please let me know if you have any questions. ~Mrs. Ezell 

Please remember that your child should be reading nightly for 20 to 30 minutes and completing their nightly reading homework.

Science

Students will continue their lesson on plants with hands-on activities.

Religion

Students will begin lessons in the Benziger Family Life books.

Math
The students will complete their lessons on fractions.  The third graders will then move into Geometry concepts.

A Special Week

Happy Monday Families,

This week, begins a very special week for you and your child. The excitement is beginning to build in each child. We will all gather on Friday evening, April 24th, at 5:30 pm in the church for rehearsal. Then, we will come together as a community to celebrate our children receiving their First Holy Communion and Confirmation on Saturday, April 25th. Please remember to arrive at the church by 9:45 am.


ELA



Spelling skill focuses on double contestants.
Grammar skill focuses on contractions.
Reading skill focuses on cause and effect.

Science

We will continue to dig deeper within our plant lessons by conducting hands on experiments.

Religion 

Students will complete their lessons on the Rite of Confirmation, 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. We will also be preparing for Saturday's liturgy. Please make sure your child is present Thursday afternoon as we will be practicing as a class at the church.

Also, the third grade will be leading the Mass at Brophy Chapel on Wednesday, April 22nd.  Please feel free to join us at 1:45.  However, the students are not permitted to sit with their parents during this Mass because they are leading this liturgy.

Math

The students will complete their lessons on equivalent fractions and will then learn how to add and subtract fractions with like denominators.

8 Weeks Til Summer Vacation!

Hello Families!

Welcome back from Easter break! We hope you were able to enjoy some down time with your family and friends.  We also hope that you were able to get some much needed rest and relaxation time!

Yes ~ that is right, we are just a short 8 weeks away from summer vacation!

We are back refreshed, well rested, and ready to hit the books! We have lots of learning to do over the next two months. Please remember to continue to read our blog weekly, so that you are aware of the upcoming events, lessons and activities. The coming weeks will fly by and your children are busy preparing as they get ready for the fourth grade!

Reminder that there is no Xavier tutoring this week! There are only 3 Tuesdays left for Xavier tutoring. They are: April 21st, April 28th, and May 5th. 

Our classrooms are in need of glue sticks to get us to the end of the school year. So, if you could please send in with your child a glue stick or two for their pencil box. 

ELA



Spelling skill is the VCCV pattern.
Grammar skill is abbreviations.
Reading skill is main idea and details.

The students will be assessed this Friday, April 17th in all ELA areas.

**April/May book report will be going home this week. Please note that the due date is Thursday, May 21st. This gives students over a month to read and complete the book project. All directions will be given in class.**Points are deducted for book reports turned in late.

Science

Beginning this week, we are starting our unit on plants. 

Religion 

With the celebration of the Sacraments just two short week away, we move into our lessons on the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirits and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

Math 

The students will be working on the concept of equivalent fractions.