January 31, 2012                               

Dear Third Grade Parents,

Catholic Schools Week has officially begun! The third graders have really been enjoying the different themes. They listened to an outstanding presentation yesterday from a man that was born with a disability. We had a wonderful discussion in class about this, and I would encourage all of you to keep the conversation going at home as well.

The students have been working very hard researching information for their biography reports. This week we will start writing our introductory paragraph for each of their reports. As soon as I have a date confirmed for the presentation, I will let you know.

In science, we are learning all about the Solar System! This week we are spending time learning about each individual planet. I have scheduled a field trip on March 22^nd to travel to the Pacific Science Center, where we will learn even more in the Planetarium! More information will come home at a later date.

During the month of February we take time to learn about Black History. This is a very eye-opening experience for the third graders, and they often have many questions about the injustices that African Americans had to face in our country.   They will be learning about Dr. King, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Ruby Bridges, and President Obama.

The third graders are also having a lot of fun learning multiplication! This week we are learning the two times tables and the fives time tables. Each student is making flash cards so they can practice at home. They should spend about 10 minutes a night practicing until they have them memorized!

God Bless,

Mrs. Rebecca Ditter