Our Second Week!

We had a wonderful and busy second week in Grade 3!  I am really proud of the students and how they are coming along with our classroom routines and expectations.  Routines, active listening as well as transitions between activities will continue to be a focus throughout September.  Grade 3 is a year full of learning and the smoother our classroom runs, the less time we loose and the more we can accomplish.  Excellent!

In Language, we have been reading an inspirational story of hope, determination and perseverance. This story also focuses on the power of following your dreams no matter how difficult they may be to achieve. The Story of Terry Fox is a meaningful recount and true story and the students have been really invested in and therefore have been able to make very meaningful connections.

The students really admire Terry for all that he did to raise awareness and raise money for cancer research.

In Math, the students created a "Me By Numbers" page.  The students really enjoyed this activity and were very creative!
We also played some new math games such as, Addition Competition, What Number Am I? and How Many Ways?  Be sure to ask your child about them!  These activities were a hit with the students and are great games to play at home too!

In Religion and Family Life, the students started their 'All About Me Kites'.  The children have decided to include illustrations about their 'Favourite Something', their Family, Faith and Gifts/Talents.  Each student also illustrated a picture of themself in their Religion notebook and described some of the things about them that makes them unique and special.  We are learning that God knows each of us by name and loves each of us as unique individuals.

Looking forward to an exciting third week!

Reminder:  Meet the Teacher Night is this Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Gym.

Hope to see you there.

Your Partner in Education,

Mrs. Caluori

                                                                                                                                         

St. Cecilia September School Newsletter

September School Newsletter

Great start to the week!

In Language, today the students listened to a Read Aloud called The Librarian of Basra.

  We discussed how the characters might be feeling in this story and we talked about why it is a good example of a 'Recount' text.  In reading, we will be focusing on Making Connections while we read.  In writing, we will be focusing on Recount writing.  Please take a look at the 'Homework' tab and check out our 1st set of WWWs this week.  Our word wall words are linked nicely to our study of Recount writing.  Also, here is a link to a video read aloud of our story today. The Librarian of Basra (Read Aloud)

In Math, the students came up with reasons why we might have Open Number Lines.  We also came up with some of our own!  We created number lines that skipped by 5s, 10s and 100s and we also created some that didn't start at 0 or 1.  In addition, the students thought about some questions such as, How many groups of 25 make 100?  How many groups of 10 make 100?  How many groups of 100s make 1000?  How can these questions be linked with coins and counting money?  A lot of great wonderings today!   Our new starter activity that we tried today is called "The Answer Is...".  I gave the students the answer '42' and they each had to come up with a question on their post-it.  We had so many great questions!!

Today was also our first Gym day!  We had a great time playing Shark Attack:).

Physical Education

Gym Days are Monday & Wednesday!  

This Monday will be our first gym class.  It will be so fun sharing our gym time with Mrs. Denyer's Grade 3 Class!  

Reminder:  Indoor shoes

Important Dates and Forms Sent Home

Forms Sent Home:

Verification Report
Anti-Spam Note
Insurance form


Meet the Teacher/Program Night: Thursday, September 18th - 6:30                    in the gym

Our First Week in Grade 3!

What an Exciting Week!

It is hard to believe but the first week of school is almost over!  Wow!  It was so fun getting to know each other this week and building our classroom community.  The children worked so hard all week and it is very evident that they are excited and engaged in their learning.  

This week the students came up with all the important 'Look Fors' in our class e.g., what snack, lining up, and participating in a school assembly looks like.  

We also shared our favourite thing about grade 3 so far.  There were a lot of wonderful responses!  Way to go 3D!  

In Language, we read one of my favourite books called "First Day Jitters".  This is such a fun story that both the children and myself could connect with.  Ask your child about the surprise ending!  

In Math, we have started graphing data.  We learned how we all come to school and graphed our data.  We also learned a new fun game called "Race to 100".  All you need is a pair of dice, a partner to play with and a paper to add up the totals!  The children had a great time playing with their partners.  

In Religion, we have been talking about how special and unique we all are and that we are each one of God's children.  We learned a new song called the "Song of Gathering" and the children really enjoyed singing and dancing to this song!  It is sure to be a class favourite this year.  We have also been very busy making a name tag and decorating it with all the things that we love and that represent us.  We certainly have some artists in our class!!!  

Lastly, we got together with all the other grade three classes and practiced our Grade 3 Song!  There is nothing more wonderful that hearing children sing!  It was pretty amazing and we were all so impressed with how quickly they learned the lyrics.  We have a pretty amazing group of grade 3 students at St. Cecilia!!!  

I hope everyone had a wonderful first week of school and that you all enjoy the upcoming weekend.

(Click on the link below to listen:)).

Our Grade 3 Chant!

We're In Grade Three!

We're in grade three.

Starting Today

We're gonna do our best

Each and every day.

(Repeat)

We're in grade three.

And we're first rate!

There's lots of learning to do.

And we can't wait.

(Repeat)

We're going to spread God's love.

We'll let our gifts shine through!

We'll restore each other

By what we say and do.

(Repeat)

We're in grade three.

Starting Today

We're gonna do our best

Each and every day.

(Repeat)

Welcome to Grade 3!

September 2, 2014 

Dear Parents/Guardians: 

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year and our second year together as a St. Cecilia School Community. My name is Lori Delahunt-Caluori and I am your child’s teacher this year. Your child’s French teacher is 

Vincenza Nicoletti. As part of the Grade 3 team, we are looking forward to an exciting year of learning with your child. It gives me great pleasure to welcome your child into our classroom as we kick off the new school year.

Over the next couple of weeks the students will be busy getting settled, establishing routines, reviewing safety rules, and being introduced to new units of study. More details about the Grade 3 program will be outlined on Program Night, which will be held on Thursday, September 18th at 6:30 pm in our gym. 

Each month I will be sending home Scholastic book order forms. Please take a moment to look them over. You are under no obligation to buy. If however, any titles interest you please calculate the correct amount and send both the form and a cheque payable to Scholastic Canada Ltd. (Please do not send cash!) Also, please ensure all book orders arrive at school by the due date to prevent delays on orders. We are eligible for free books for the classroom (or perhaps we might donate them to our school library) each time we send in an order. Learning to read and understanding what he/she is reading are the foundation of a child’s education. Reading expands a child’s horizons and introduces him/her to new ideas. Studies have shown that reading to children frequently helps develop a life-long love of reading. 

Now that your child is in Grade 3, he/she should be developing responsibility for homework and have established routines which can be carried on through high school. Homework will consist of reading and practising concepts already worked on at school. At this stage, an appropriate amount of time spent on homework is 10-20 minutes per evening on top of reading. The homework routine will be initiated shortly. 

To help make our classroom ‘green’ I will limit the paper going home by updating you about what’s going on in the school and our classroom through the use of a class blog. The blog will provide you with important dates, curriculum updates, and links that support the curriculum. No student pictures will be placed on the blog. 

Our Class Blog: 

mrscaluoris.blogspot.ca 

Communication between home and school is very important. Agendas will be used regularly to record homework and other messages. Please read and initial your child’s agenda daily. It is also a convenient place for you to jot any messages or notes as I will check the agendas at some point in the day. When your child receives the agenda, please review the first section of the agenda for useful information concerning school routines and policies. 

To help with the smooth operation of our class, the Grade 3 team is suggesting a few helpful supplies. 

These include: 

• an enclosed pencil sharpener (ex. Staedtler) 

• Purell and/or wet wipes 

• quality pencil crayons (ex. Laurentians) 

• non-marking indoor shoes (running shoes) 

• 1 box of Kleenex or 1 box of large Zip-loc bags 

• 1 red pen 

• 1 pair of earphones for iPad and Laptop use (labeled please– Dollar Store earphones work    well) 

• 1 reusable water bottle (not glass) to keep your child hydrated! 

For an upcoming Religion Craft, we require a 15 cm diameter plastic lid (ex. Margarine lid) by the end of September. 

Please have all personal items marked with your child’s name to help facilitate returning lost items to the rightful owner. 

In our grade three classrooms, we have some students who have anaphylactic allergies (life-threatening allergies) to peanuts, so please remember to refrain from bringing in peanut products. 

Checking labels on granola bars and cookies is helpful. We thank you in advance for helping keep all our students safe! 

I look forward to meeting you and working with your child this year. 

Sincerely, 

Lori Delahunt-Caluori 

 & 

The Grade 3 Team 

(Mrs. Denyer, Mrs.Brownrigg, Madame Nicoletti, Mrs. McCuen, Mrs. Smith & Madame Sultan)