Third Grade: September 4-8, 2023

Dear Third Grade Families,

Thank you for joining our Third Grade curriculum night! It was good to be together with you all in our forest classroom and sharing what our year ahead will hold for our students.

Last week, we continued to learn about linear measurement. The children used yards and miles to measure the distance from the building to theThird Grade platform and estimated the distance in feet. They also estimated how many miles their home was away from the school. Everyone had a great time guessing and seeing how close their estimation was from the actual distance. The class also worked on mental math problems using the four processes (addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication). Mr. Matan graciously made rulers for every student. We have used them to measure all sorts of objects around the building. 

The students continue to work on dictation and correcting their work. Once correct, they write their paragraph in their Main Lesson books. Cursive writing was introduced last year and they have had a brief refresher and are now writing everything in their Main Lesson book in cursive. 

We will continue our final week of Linear Measurement this week and move on to Language Arts. In the Language Arts block, lessons focus on grammar rules, punctuation, and continued work on high frequency words. We will begin Reading Groups as well. These groups will consist of four children per group, plus an adult to help guide. The children will spend time reading together as a group, out loud. The groups will meet once a week on Tuesday mornings for about 30 minutes. If you are able to help us with this, please let me know! Helpers will sit with a group of students and support the students with challenging words, pronunciation, etc. during this time. We will begin Reading Groups on Tuesday, September 19.

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please send your child in with bug spray; the mosquitos are active! The Repel brand seems to be the most effective.

  • Bring rain and creek gear, including boots, daily!

  • Hard-soled, closed-toe water shoes or old sneakers are required at Creekcess.

  • Please send your child with an extra, labeled sweater or light jacket as the days are turning cooler, especially in the forest.

Upcoming Events:

  • 9/16 Community Workday 9 am - 12 pm

  • 9/22 Half Day - Day of Courage

  • 9/25-9/29 Fall Break (No School)

  • 10/2 Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 10/12 Half Day - Parent Conferences

  • 10/13 No School - Parent Conferences

  • 10/21 Third Grade hosts Community Work Day 10 am - 1 pm

  • 10/21 Kingdom of Halloween

With gratitude,

Paulyna

Third Grade: August 28-September 1, 2023

Dear Third Grade Families,

Our class began our second block of the school year which focuses on Measurement! This is an engaging, hands-on block as the children learn about forms of measurement used over time (digit, stride, cubit, hand). To begin, we used parts of our bodies to measure items around us.  This quickly led to an understanding as to why a standard unit of measurement was needed to ensure that all things were measured fairly and accurately. The children measured their desks, the classroom, and even each other, using a variety of standard forms of measurement. Everyone in the classroom was measured (including the teacher!). We will keep our measurement chart up to see how the students grow throughout the year.

We used the Imperial System (IS), the system of measurement used in the United States, to measure items in inches, feet, and yards, around the classroom. The children took their new knowledge of measurement outside as we measured out 300 cubits, the size of Noah’s ark from one of our recent stories; wow, that would have been a BIG boat!  The students continued to explore different ways to measure items in our classroom and around the campus, allowing them the opportunity to understand firsthand why we wouldn’t want to measure large objects in inches, and cannot measure small objects in yards! 

This coming week, the class will continue learning about measurement through stories. We will practice using measurements for dry and liquid measurements (ounces, cups, quarts, gallons). We will use this practical knowledge and have a cooking activity at school. The Metric system will be introduced at a later time. Additionally, the children continue to work on dictation and cursive writing, as well as multiplication facts. 

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6th, is Curriculum Night! We will enjoy a circle activity, review our weekly schedule, and hear an overview of the Third Grade curriculum. We look forward to seeing you on campus for this adults only event.

On Friday, September 15, the children will be learning about the High Holiday of Rosh Hashanah, a celebration of the Jewish New Year.  This will tie in with the Hebrew Creation stories we have heard in our first block. A story will be shared with the children, as well as challah bread and apples with honey. If you are interested in helping plan this celebration with our class, please contact me as soon as you can. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please send your child in with bug spray; the mosquitos are active! Also, please send a hat every day for farming.

  • With farming this year comes a lot of hard work! Please be sure to pack a hearty snack and lunch for your child. Protein and complex carbohydrates are very important in ensuring they nourish their bodies. 

  • Bring rain gear, including boots, daily!

  • Hard-soled, closed-toe water shoes or old sneakers are required at Creekcess.

Upcoming Events:

  • 9/5 Joyful Beginnings and Kindergarten Curriculum Night 6 pm (adults only)

  • 9/6 Grades 1- 5 Curriculum Night 6 pm and Sixth Grade 7 - 8 pm (adults only)

  • 9/16 Community Workday 9 am - 12 pm

  • 9/22 Half Day - Day of Courage

  • 9/25-9/29 Fall Break (No School)

With gratitude,

Paulyna

Third Grade: August 21-25, 2023

Dear Third Grade Families,

Our class continues to listen to stories from the ancient Hebrew people. They finished daily watercolor paintings depicting the first seven days of creation according to this ancient culture. We will next move on to a story of a great flood (stories of a great floods become a repetitive theme in ancient cultures, which the students will discover over the coming years).  They are excited to finish the first block of the year and complete their Main Lesson book. The class also worked on Form Drawing daily, leading the way to cursive writing. Although cursive was introduced last year, we begin again with new handwriting books where they will be able to review each letter of the alphabet in cursive. The students also wrote a poem in their Main Lesson book and enjoyed reciting it daily. We continue to work on math equations in class as well as multiplication facts in Circle.

Thanks to the heat, the class had Creekcess twice last week! It was great fun to get out of the sun and the heat, cool off, and swim, especially after Farming.

This week began our second block of the year - Measurement. They will be learning about the history of measurement and how the need for standardized systems for measurement became necessary, as well as being introduced to our modern measurement system. Students will measure different things around the classroom and around the campus. Daily math practice includes a review of place value, mental math, story problems, and times tables. Practical work is integrated with measurement concepts.

With farming this year comes a lot of hard work! Please be sure to pack a hearty snack and lunch for your child. Protein and complex carbohydrates are very important in ensuring they nourish their bodies. Thank you! 

As you may have heard, Mr. Matan shared some sad news with our class during farming today. One of our sweet rabbits passed away during the intense storms that our animals weathered last night. Mr. Matan shared the news gently with the class, and when we returned from farming, the class shared the news with me and processed what happened. Mr. Matan, along with the class, will find a space and bury her near our farm tomorrow during farming class.

Next Wednesday, September 6th, is Curriculum Night! We will enjoy a circle activity, review our weekly schedule, and hear an overview of the Third Grade curriculum. We look forward to seeing you on campus for this adults-only event.

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please send your child in with bug spray; the mosquitos are active! Also, please send a hat every day for farming

  • Bring rain gear, including boots, daily!

  • Hard-soled, closed-toe water shoes or old sneakers are required at Creekcess.

Upcoming Events:

  • 9/4 Labor Day (No School)

  • 9/5 Joyful Beginnings and Kindergarten Curriculum Night 6 pm

  • 9/6 Grades 1-5 Curriculum Night 6 pm, Middle School 7 pm

  • 9/16 Community Workday 9 am - 12 pm


With gratitude,

Paulyna

Third Grade: August 14-18, 2023

Dear Third Grade Families,

We had a busy and productive first full week of school! In our Main Lesson, the students listened to Hebrew creation stories. We then depicted the days through watercolor pictures and summaries of the stories we read. This week, we will listen to more Hebrew stories as we finish our first block. We have developed  a wonderful rhythm as everyone participates enthusiastically in class chores. Responsibilities include helping with painting set-up, carrying our first-aid kit, taking out the trash, sweeping/vacuuming, and being line leader, among other chores.

The children spent every day working in the farm. It has been tiring, hot work, but it has been so rewarding for them, and everyone comes back from farming hungry and full of energy! They cleaned the bunny pen, scooped manure, pulled kudzu up for the donkeys and goats, and collected eggs.

The students had Handwork this week for the first time this year. Everyone was so happy to get their fingers moving and to work on finger chaining. We also had Music, Spanish, and Mandarin. The children have done a great job as we transition from inside to outside and from one class to another.

We have a class “pet”! My son crocheted a snake for our class and we have named him Frederick. The class loves to move him around the room or wrap him around their necks. We have decided together that Frederick will join a student and their family every weekend. The student will also take home a notebook where they will draw a picture and write about an adventure, big or small, with Frederick. Frederick will come to school every Monday and join us for the week, then go home with a different family every weekend. This activity will help the children give the each student the oppotunity to hold the  responsibility of bringing our class pet back and will allow them to practice drawing and writing.

Please enjoy a couple of pictures from our Summer birthdays celebration last Friday. We honored each child with a poem, a chance to wear our birthday crown, and a special gemstone heart. Thank you to Debbie for the delicious cookies and to Ki Lesley and Ki Gabby for the fruit and plates.

Thank you for your support over the first few weeks as we get into a new rhythm! 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please send your child in with bug spray; the mosquitos are active! Please also send in sunscreen as Farming is done every day!

  • Bring rain gear, including boots, daily!  It can be left at school, stored in the shed.

  • Please make sure the kids have a pair of boots at school every day for Farming.

  • Hard-soled, closed-toe water shoes, or old sneakers, are required at Creekcess. Our Creekcess will be every Friday, weather pending.

  • Please make sure to bring penny whistles on Mondays and Fridays. 

 Upcoming Events:

  •  8/26 Community Work Day 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

  • 9/4 Labor Day (No School)

  • 9/5 Joyful Beginnings and Kindergarten Curriculum Night 6 p.m.

  • 9/6 Grades Curriculum Night 6 p.m.

 

With gratitude, 

Paulyna



Third Grade: August 9-11, 2023

Hello, Grade Three Families!

We had a wonderful start to our school year by coming together for the First Assembly on the first day of school. What a special time to witness the Rose Ceremony and welcome our new First Grade class! 

Our first main lesson block will focus on Hebrew Stories. These are stories of people overcoming challenges and starting life anew. Featuring selected stories, we examine relevant narratives from the history of the Hebrew people which serve as appropriate metaphors for the child’s inner experience. As the students approach the nine-year change, they understand, on some level, what it is to leave paradise, step into the real world, and begin to stand on their own. The first block consists of daily watercolor and exploration through painting. 

During this block, we will practice and increasingly integrate cursive writing into our written work. Parts of speech are introduced, beginning with nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Baseline assessment in reading, spelling, and math will help to gather a sense of where students are beginning this school year and used to guide literacy and math instruction. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Bring 2 full water bottles and bug spray every day. Sunscreen and hats are beneficial as we will be working on the farm every day.

  • Bring rain gear every day.  Gear can be left at school, stored in the shed. Bring a change of clothes daily.

Upcoming Events:

  • 8/26 Community Work Day 9 am - 12 p.m.

  • 9/4 Labor Day (No School)

  • 9/5 Joyful Beginnings and Kindergarten Curriculum Night 6 p.m.

  • 9/6 Grades Curriculum Night  6 p.m.

Kindly,

Paulyna