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"We Saw His Star In The East And Have Come To Worship Him." Matthew 2:2 Time for a new year and fresh start!

1/6/2019

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     As my title for this post implies, I'm all for taking the freshness of the new year and getting this site updated and posted correctly is step 1! 
      I spent some time on Thursday and Friday of last week getting caught up on all the stories of the different activities that students and their families participated in over vacation, and it sounds as though everyone had a really nice Christmas vacation. I wanted to take a minute to thank all of the parents for their generosity towards my wonderful Christmas gifts--you are very thoughtful!! As I mentioned to the students, this is a great time to reflect on the grades from the 1st trimester and find areas of weakness to improve upon. We are very close to moving on to multiplication and I want to stress the importance of studying and memorizing facts. Let flash cards be your guide! They are easy to keep in the car and make a great quick reference for review! 
      At this point, you should have received the re-registration packet that was sent home with each student (or the youngest sibling in a family). Mrs. Izzi is encouraging all parents who plan on returning for the following school year to return your forms ASAP to ensure that your child's spot is secured! We will be offering an Open House on January 27th, from 11-1pm. You are always welcome to visit the school, but it is always for parents to spread the good word about St. Rose and perhaps invite any other perspective families that you think might be interested in Catholic education!

       Final Reminders: 
  • Spelling tests are every Friday. Although I allow students to complete h.w. in their packet in advance, please encourage students to review their list words nightly. 
  • On many occasions I send the Science and S.S. books home for an assignment that will be counted as an open book quiz grade. While students should be completing their work independently, they often need a reminder to utilize the opportunity to look back in the book for correct answers. As part of the new year, I'm continuing to remind students to slow down while completing all work and to focus on the information they are reading to help them as they complete assignments!
  • Grammar is a tricky subject. We review pages from packets that we complete together in class throughout the week (sometimes 2 weeks if I've combined topics). I send the packets home with students a few days before we will have a grammar test, and this is typically accompanied with a h.w. sheet that we will review in class before we take the test. Helping your child to review the packets is helpful in reinforcing the skills we have covered.
  • Lastly, I noticed that some students were getting a little lazy as far as writing assignments and information about upcoming tests/quizzes in agendas. As this is a time for the students to start gaining independence, I do not post assignments to the website. I want students to understand the importance of writing assignments from the board into their agendas correctly, as this is a skill they will need in the years to come!  
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2, 4, 6, 8...Who Do I Appreciate?!....

2/27/2018

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   .....Multiplication, flash cards, and you--the parents!! Allow me to explain. Currently, as you should be seeing at home, grade 3 is deep in the midst of learning our multiplication facts. I may have mentioned to the class 3 or 4 hundred times that the only way to truly be successful with multiplication and thus with division is through memorization. That's where the flash card appreciation comes in! Let the flash cards lead the way. Sitting for 15 minutes with your child and going through a stack of flash cards will prove the difference between the facts they clearly know and the facts that they need to continue to practice. I've encouraged students to go through the pile, see which facts they can answer correctly in 10 seconds, and then review the facts they are stuck on by saying the problem and the answer 3 times. Once students have reviewed the pile of facts they struggled on, they need to take a 10-15 break. if they return to the pile and are still struggling with facts, then that should be where they start the next night or with review time in class. It's a lengthy process, but the payoff for the years to come is worth the small sacrifice of time!!! That's the part of my cheer where you come in! I know nights are busy and time can run short, but even a five minute review to check in and see how your child is progressing with facts helps keep them honest about their progress PLUS you might have some cool tricks to show them, which they will undoubtedly want to share with the class!
​      Since I mentioned appreciation for YOU, I wanted to take a moment to extend my sincere gratitude for those that sent me wonderful cards and goodies for Teacher Appreciation Day (or as I called it, my birthday)! We had a great week for Catholic School's Week and getting to feel truly appreciated was an even better way to celebrate my birthday! 
       I hope that everyone is feeling revived and rested after vacation. Besides multiplication, we are working hard to get more grades for Science and S.S., and we continue to make good progress with our reading anthology.  
​       Lastly, I wanted to extend a reminder and invitation of encouragement for you to attend the presentation NEXT Monday, March 5th, at St. Rose from 6p-7p. Kids Haven will be available for students, however, they need to be pre-registered by Feb. 28th. The topic is Cyber-bullying and Internet Safety. I know that 3rd graders are still young and these seem like topics that may not apply to your children, but the reality is that if your child has any kind of electronics or game system that has internet capabilities, they fall into these risk categories. It's never too early to listen to the speaker, Brian Lamoureux (a St. Rose alumni), and gather some tips you might find helpful down the road!!!
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Changing Colors, Changing Weather; I Love Autumn!

10/9/2017

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     I think it is safe to say that the school year for Grade 3 has been off to a very successful start!! It amazes me, as well as the students, how often we find ourselves saying that we can't believe how fast a day has gone by....but you all know the saying: time flies when you're having fun--and that's just what we're doing! We had a chance to help our Reading Buddies with an apple taste-test, we are starting to investigate all the properties of rocks and minerals, and as Thanksgiving approaches we will begin focusing on the journey of the Pilgrims and perhaps even taking a "field trip" to see what life was like for the first settlers! On Tuesday afternoons we will start having an afternoon guest work with our class doing some team building activities and discussions to help our students focus on kindness and acceptance and reinforce a solid foundation on which they can rely! More info to come on that shortly!! 
     We have 2 exciting field trips coming up: October 20th, Chepachet Farms and November 3rd, The Lion King Junior @ Bay View. The permission slip for Cjepachet Farm has already gone home and most have been returned. Those that have not yet been sent in will have a reminder written in their agendas. The permission slip for The Lion King will be sent home this week. As far as other important upcoming dates: Monday, October 16th @ 7pm, is the Living Rosary at Sts. Rose and Clement; Tuesday, October 17th from 4-6:30pm, is the Flu Clinic @ the school; Friday, October 27th, from 6-7:15pm @ the church parking lot, is Trick or Trunk, and DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE BOX TOP CHALLENGE!!!
     As I mentioned at Open House, our class is utilizing Spelling City as a tool to help students continue to practice their spelling words in ways other than the spelling packet. I gave assignments for the list from week 3 words. Most students were able to complete the assignments without any problems and all I asked was for students who could not get access to Spelling City at home to tell moms and dads to send me an email or note. I only received 1 note, but there were a few students whose assignments were not complete. Please inform me if there are any issues so I can try to make accommodations for your child if necessary!
     This week, you will receive your student's STAR Reading and Math score sheets. Please review and feel free to email with questions, or you can make that a topic for discussion during Parent/Teacher conference day. We have been making good progress in math, however, we have reached a point in the chapter that is tricky for many people: making change!! I am placing focus on teaching students the skill of counting up (adding) to count out change. Some students have shown work for h.w. that only consists of subtraction, and while that does yield the same answer (hopefully), it does not re-inforce the task I am asking them to complete in class! Luckily we live in a world where registers tell us exactly what change owed should be, this is an important skill to have! I am more than willing to send home a loaned baggie of money manipulatives so students can practice nightly. Please send an email if you would like a baggie sent home with your student!
     As you can tell by this post, we were busy in September, but we might surpass that level of busy in October! In addition to the 2nd field trip permission slip, I will also be sending home orange information "cards" to be filled out so they can be added to my safety bag! Lastly, if you have not yet been added to the class Remind App list, but would like to receive any last minute texts I might need to send, please let me know and I will add you ASAP!  

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Summer Info/Reading and Math work

7/17/2017

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Reading and Math Work
File Size: 8820 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Here is the information for items needed for the school year, as well as the packet that went home with students at the end of the school year! Please note that the last page of the 2nd reading worksheet (where it says continued on back) was cut off. If you are using this page for the assignment, the last 2 questions to be answered are: What happened at the end of the story? and what was your favorite part of the book?

Have a great summer!! See you in September!
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information for incoming 3rd graders

6/14/2017

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Welcome to Grade 3! In order to prepare for the year, I have attached the supply list and summer work information for incoming third graders. My goal for your child this summer is to continue reading regularly, while staying sharp on basic comprehension skills. Reading at least 15-20 minutes a day is my recommendation!
            The required reading for the summer will consist of any (not previously read) Magic Tree House book, in addition to any books that your child has found on his or her Accelerated Reader “bookshelf” (basically, any books that fall in your child’s ZPD level). ***If your child is new and does not have an account set up through Accelerated Reader, using a Magic Tree House book (or a book of a comparable reading level for the 2nd report is fine! Students will complete a report tailored to Magic Tree House books, as well as another report that will be completed using a second book choice. My summer challenge is for students to read more than the required Magic Tree House book and record all the “places” they have traveled in their stories on a type of passport!
         Students NEED consistent review of addition and subtraction problems over the summer. Practice of fact families of 10 (i.e. numbers that add to 10 and are subtracted from 10) is very helpful. Multiplication and division is a large focus in Grade 3, so being familiar with doubles facts is especially helpful; however, during the school year, memorization of facts will be CRUCIAL!! It’s never too early to start with flash cards!
      Although there is no math packet work to complete, I encourage children to start each day this summer with a math problem you can easily provide. Keeping track in a notebook isn’t necessary, but may serve as a means for you to review and determine areas where more practice is needed.
I appreciate all that you do to work with and encourage your child over the summer!                          

Lastly, for any students who do not live in Warwick, the following books for Reading/Language Arts will need to be picked up from your own town.                                                                                                               
Scott Foresman Reading Street 3.1 (Pearson)
ISBN 978-0-328-45562-1
and
Scott Foresman Reading Street 3.2 (Pearson)
ISBN 978-0-328-45563-8 
Have a safe and relaxing summer!
Miss Liddle
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School's Out for summer.......almost!!

6/14/2017

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Well, 3rd grade, it's sure been a fun and busy few weeks, but we made it!! 3rd graders have worked very hard completing Charlotte's Web, Pollyanna (for read aloud), and especially our autobiographies! Please make sure you take the time to look through and find a special spot for the autobiographies--students worked hard in a short amount of time and they are very fun to look at years from now. The class can confirm, I showed them my autobiography, written in 4th grade!  
​Our class party was a huge success thanks to all of those who kindly brought in different treats for us to share and special thanks to Mrs. Gioffreda for helping with planning and serving. 
This has been such a fast year--there has not been one month that hasn't felt like a total blur, which is a good thing because it meant we were so focused that we didn't feel like time was dragging! 
I hope you all have a wonderful and safe summer! See you in the Fall!!
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March Came in Like Lion!

3/5/2017

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With the week of absolutely beautiful weather we were so lucky to have during February vacation, these past few days have felt bitter cold....I want the Lamb to come! Isn't it funny though, similar to the weather, this is how we are entering the Lenten season, with faith and hopefulness of the coming of Easter, and with that a change within the Church and ourselves! 

This past Friday and for the next 4 Fridays, we come together as a school community in the gym to meet with Fr. Matt and journey through the Stations of the Cross. This is a time for sacrifice--sometimes losing time at a special (major sacrifice for some students) but truly a time to give time to God and reflect on the greatest sacrifice we can imagine. 
If you have not had a chance to attend the Living Stations at the church, I highly recommend you mark your calendars for this event, as it is another opportunity to quietly reflect on Jesus' sacrifice for the world as the 8th graders portray a tableau scene of each station. 

In the classroom this week, we are anticipating a math test, to wrap up our chapter on multiplication, for either Wednesday or Thursday. However, this doesn't mea we're finished with multiplication.....we're moving on to division, which is the inverse operation. Students have been working hard to create and study flash cards, which should be kept in their back packs at all times, so that on Friday we are able to get started with Rocket Math to help reinforce memorization and increase speed. 

On Wednesday we are lucky enough to have a visiting performance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In preparation for this performance, we will take some time on Monday and Tuesday to begin reading the book in class---perhaps to be finished at a later time! To help defray the costs of the tickets for each student, we held one dress down earlier last month, and we will be having another dress down for St. Patrick's Day. All of those proceeds are going towards tickets, but there is still a $3 fee per child.  Please send in the $3 ASAP so I can mark students as paid and send the money to the office! If money is sent in with a sibling, please send a note so that all children will be marked.

We are also preparing for a Science test on Ch. 10, which has focused on states of matter and how to measure properties of matter. Please encourage your child to review parts of the chapter nightly so they are feeling confident and well-prepared for the test on Friday!!
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The Time Has Come!

1/24/2017

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The time has come to send in re-registration packets for the 2017-2018 school year! The best way to get a jump-start on preparations for next year is to return your child's packet to reserve their spot!!

In addition to re-registration packets, the school is also preparing for another major Box Tops Battle! 3rd grade is lucky to have a slight advantage against the rest of the school since we are such a small class. Let's see if we can reign supreme for another challenge!!

For upcoming planning:
  • School Choice Event at the RI State House is this Thursday, Jan. 26th. There is a bus leaving from school at 11:45, which will return around 3:30. You are welcome to join with your child on the bus if you would like to attend this event. 
  • Catholic School's Week is kicking off this coming Sunday at 10:30 am Mass on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. 
  • As part of a school service project for Catholic School's Week, each grade has been assigned certain items to bring in that will be put into care packages nd distributed to local shelters for those who are less fortunate. Grade 3 is asked to bring in travel size packages of tissues and hand sanitizer. You can send in the items throughout this week and next week! 
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...Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun...

1/3/2017

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With every "milestone' that is hit during the school year, I always find myself saying, "I can't believe _________ has already come and gone!" This is exactly how I feel about the whole first trimester! It's as if we blinked and BOOM here we are in the 2nd trimester! Christmas is just a thing of the past and now we're on track for Easter! 

Grade 3 was very busy before vacation tying up some loose ends in various subjects so that we would be ready to delve into other new and exciting topics upon our return to school. One topic, in particular, that many of the students have been looking foward to is multiplication---so here we are: Ready and rearing to go with multiplication facts! 

At this point, I like to remind parents that one key part to truly mastering multiplication is through memorization of facts! This is something that you can do even while in the car or whenever you have a bit of free time! As we get a little further into the multiplication chapter, we will also begin with Rocket Math in the classroom to help speed up our accuracy with facts. 

We have completed our chapter on Rock and Minerals in science, and we are now ready to learn all about the different states and properties of matter. This chapter will lead us into changes in matter, such as the difference between chemical and physical changes. Before vacation, the students got a taste (literally) of matter changing from one state to another. As a class, students saw how salt, when added to ice, helps to melt the ice, while also making the temperature become cold enough to change a baggie of milk, sugar, and vanilla extract into icecream (ok, it was more like frozen yogurt consistency...but still tasty!).

In S.S. we completed our chapter on 4 Native American tribes and up next is a Chapter about a few different explorers and reasons behind their explorations. 

Here are a few pictures I have been meaning to post. They actually serve as a nice reminder of some of the fun things we have been able to so so far this year.....the Colombus play...a reminder to the school to maintain an Attitude of Gratitude always.....and our fond farewell to Miss Davidson and Mr. Clarkin!​
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I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For....

11/13/2016

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Believe it or not, the Thanksgiving Season is here! Of course, that also means that Christmas isn't far away either!! I'm not sure where September or October went, but time sure is flying.
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Third grade has been hard at work over the past few weeks. We were lucky to have 2 perfectly prepared volunteers who represented us on All Saints' Day! We also had an opportunity to participate in our school's mock election last week, which gave us a chance to discuss a few of the people working in our local government, as well as the importance of getting one's own voice heard.   

Students are progressing nicely in our chapter in math focused on addition. Most of what we are covering now is still a review from last year. My main recommendation for all students is daily continued practice with facts of 10 and doubles. Having those facts memorized will not only help significantly with speed and accuracy while doing addition with multiple numbers and addends, but it will translate in recognition for subtraction, and it will also be crucial once we begin multiplication! Sumdog is a wonderful way for students to get the practice while playing educational games. However, sometimes students need a reminder that speed (i.e. finishing a game ASAP) is not the way to earn points, answers must also be correct!

As Thanksgiving break approaches, we are working hard to tie up loose ends with as many topics as possible, especially because report card time will be upon us sooner than we think! This is the time that I remind students that if they have any grades they are not satisfied with, they have the opportunity to work extra hard and their grades will reflect the added effort! 

Lastly, St. Rose is helping to collect canned goods to help our church make Thanksgiving baskets, which will be given to less fortunate families. Grades 3, 4, and 5 have been asked to contribute cranberry sauce, stuffing mix (boxed or bagged), and turkey gravy. Naturally, any donation item you are able to send in will be greatly appreciated!!
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    Hello! My name is Miss Liddle. I graduated from Rhode Island College. I have been teaching for 6 years, and this is my fifth year in 3rd grade. I am also a graduate from St. Rose! 

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