Lisa Kolz - Welcome to 3rd Grade https://www.catholiceast.org/pro/faculty/blog/rss.cfm?detailid=43318 Lisa Kolz - Welcome to 3rd Grade Spring is in the air! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/spring-is-in-the-air/#43318 Fingers crossed, Spring will decide to stay with us!

This past week found our scholars researching what happens to an ecosystem when uncontrollable event  happens to it. We are almost finished with a brochure on sea otters.  We were surprised with furry "otters" that we could adopt; we filled out adoption papers and read the pledge on taking good care of our otters. Friday presented us with a mock oils spill! The scholars took great care to clean the otters well and gently!

It took the morning to write up the report on how the otter fared; whether it was to be released back into the wild, to go to a rehabilitation program or to go to a hospeital for surgery. We are looking forward to being able to bring them home early next week!

We also took time to clean our block up on Thursday. 

 

April is poetry month! We have been creating cinquain poems, haiku poems, free verse poems, acrostic and shape poems. We will select the one or two we wish to put into our class book. A few of the poems will be posted on this site soon!

Our third annual Poetry Slam ended the week for all scholars.  The Saints Peter and Paul church held our champions and fans alike as they performed so very well. Our Roman represented us well with a baseball poem entitled "Life". Thank you to all of our scholars in our room who presented; you made us stronger as presenters.

Yesterday also focused on celebrating the Saint for Success.  This month focused on "Hope".Emani was voted by the class tobe our representative for this virtue. we are grateful for Emani's friendship and role modeling!

 

Thank you for all who have donated for the third grade basket that will be auctioned off in next week's Gala, May 3rd. Next week Friday is the early release, as well as a spirit wear day. THURSDAY IS NOT AN EARLY RELEASE, as it usually is. 

 

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Fri, 27 Apr 2018 15:35:36 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/spring-is-in-the-air/#43318
Almost Spring! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/almost-spring/#43318 Hello Families!

This week we experienced a beautiful Reconciliation service on Thursday. Several scholars mentioned that they felt as if a weight was lifted, or they felt so much more peaceful after talking with the priests. A few scholars mentioned that when they were really nervous, the priests smiled and were patient with them. This helped them feel so much more relaxed! We were blessed to have three priests and Bishop Haines there for us. Our Mrs. Parlier blessed us with her wonderful music that help create an intimate feeling as we listened to the day's readings, reflected on Father Mike's homily, and readied ourselves for the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Those who did not receive the sacrament received a blesing from our priests. 

This month our class is on the look- out for the gospel value of "Mercy". Our Alana, who is the steward of peace from last month, is continuing to be a shepardess in looking out for those who are hurting, and looks for ways to bring them peace. Thank you, Alana! Who will be our steward of Mercy?!

We are emersing ourselves in a new program from Seton, entitled "Bread for the World". 

This program is Seton-wide for third grade.  We have read and studied about soup kitchens, about a little girl named Beatrice who's family received a goat to help them be able to sustain themselves. We have been provided beautiful literature for the scholars to enjoy and learn about the world around them.Our third graders chose to raise money for a family so that pigs could be purchased for them and become self-sustaining. We will send more information as it arrives, but know we will be talking about feeding thse less fortunate than ourselves more and more information will again be coming your way!

In math we have taken our multiplication and division test, we will have finished our final test on the novel Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo by the end of today. New beginnings in math and reading next week!

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Fri, 09 Mar 2018 11:06:25 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/almost-spring/#43318
Stewards: Martin Luther King, Jr. and others https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/stewards-martin-luther-king-jr-and-others/#43318  Families,

Our class has begun to study what a steward is. Initially, our class stated a steward is someone who helps their community to be safe. As we continued our studies, we found scriptural adjectives to help us identify attitudes and actions that define a steward. Here are a few: lover of good deeds, pure in heart, slow to anger, speaks the truth.So far, we've learned about Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars noted both of these men were courageous and good organizers.

Delving into Martin Luther King's experiences, we found that Ghandi was a hero of his. Learn more from Serena, Robert, Roman and Lucia: 

 

Jack, Lucy, Xavier and Elliott discovered that once kids turned six, they couldn't play together if they were of a different race.This group also shared important questions Martin Luther asked when he was young. they wondered what our country would be like if he hadn't asked them: 

 

 

Emani, Josalyn and Journee focused on the famous speech, "I Have a Dream".  They were amazed when watching the video that he didn't look down once to read his notes!

 

Kyla and Alana ended our research with connecting the Bill of Rights to the almost 100 year anniversary of the end of slavery.

 

MAP testing continues for math this week on Wednesday, and we have a unit math test this Friday. More news to come on this.

We are almost finished with reading the wonderful book Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. It is quickly becoming a favorite! Winn Dixie and  Gloria Dump are two of our favorite characters. 

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Mon, 15 Jan 2018 13:40:22 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/stewards-martin-luther-king-jr-and-others/#43318
Happy New Year! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-new-year-/#43318  

Happy New Year!

it is wonderful to be back with your scholars!  We have been busy in revisiting and tightening up our routines, getting back to citing evidence from our texts and estimating an answer before finding out the actual answer. 

Next week we will have our MAPs testing reconvene with reading.  We have been working 

on how to provide or to find the BEST answer, and back it up with specific information from the text. Please make sure your child gets good rest and comes to school on time for school. Today we had an assembly for the MAPS testing, to get them excited for the experience.  We revisited our goals from before conference time, and some of us adjusted them. 

In yesterday's homily, we learned that it is still considered Christmas time in the church, because Christmas is a season, not just a day.  We also read a brief biography on Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, for she became North America's first patron saint 43 years ago. Ask us one or two facts we learned about her!  Since we are now a part of Seton schools, it is imortant to know who the steward was that started our schools 210 years ago in Maryland!

Stay warm! Let's pray the weather people are correct that it will soon be warming up!

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Fri, 05 Jan 2018 10:51:09 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-new-year-/#43318
Saints for Success, Beautiful Christmas Concert and more! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/saints-for-success-beautiful-christmas-concert-and-more/#43318 December has been a wonderful month!

Our Saint for Success,Lucia, exuded "Joy" and personified this month's virtue, The class voted her as our representative.  They appreciate her bubbliness, her positive encouragement and great attitude! Thank you for spreading joy, Lucia! We are grateful for your gift!

We have had three scholars serve as an alter server for the first time! We are proud and grateful for their enthusiasm as wonderful role models.  Xavier and Elliott were recognized in church as they served. Roman was recognized when Father Tim came to our room to tell us we are the most imortant kids in the world! 

Rosary Club has many of our scholars praying the Rosary with Mrs. Dahlgren. How wonderful is that?! Young hearts praying to Mary for world peace and other concerns for our community. A great way to open and deepen faith experiences. We are also fine tuning how to find scripture passages given to us in a more timely manner. 

Mrs. Parlier has out-done herself once more with a beautiful Christmas concert.  Parents came to share how beautiful and real the music was to them; that it wasn't "fluff", but rather something that speaks to their faith. Joy personified is who our Mrs. Parlier is! 

We have been tested in Zearn on the first 2/3 of our unit with measurement.  Upon our return, we will finish the unit/mission and test on that last section.

We are finally finishing our posters that share research aobut famous immigrants or immgrant experiences with our own families. We have multiple nonfiction features: A title, subtitles, maps, (some with inset maps for extra detail) captions, and text that ONLY matches our subtitles.  It has taken a while, but we are done! Now we fill out the rubric, and have it published in the hall! Our posters will be waiting for us in the hall in January!

May you enjoy the Christmas break with familiy and loved ones.  Have a blessed time on your vacation.  Come back safe, rested and ready to share great memories!

See you Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018.  Happy New Year!

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Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:08:13 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/saints-for-success-beautiful-christmas-concert-and-more/#43318
Advent is Upon Us https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/advent-is-upon-us/#43318  

Hello Families!

 Advent is upon us; the entire third grade has finished creating a life-sized Advent calendar

and is up on the first floor outside Ms. Thurston's room! Scholars learned the proper way to write and read scripture.  We learned how to find scripture by looking for the book name, the chapter number, then the specific verse(s) to read. Each morning we will go out into the hall to have one of the scholars who created the illustration to the scripture they copied read it to us for a brief reflection. We have homework from Mrs. Dahlgren about scripture that is due next Tuesday, December 12th.  We will have a friendly competition about scripture between the two third grade classes.

Today we walked to Holy Rosary for Bishop Haines to lead mass this Holy Day of Opportunity, as he explained.  We learned there are many days where Mary is celebrated.  We learned that Mary was given a special grace from God, to be born without sin, so she would be able to be the vessel in which Jesus could enter our world. She said "Yes," to God's calling, without knowing what it would bring, but she had faith in God that He would always be with her.

Earlier this week we went to the Urban Ecoogy Center and enjoyed building structures wtih different properties. it was chilly, but sunny as the scholars were able to play in the woods and build larger structures with items found in nature. 

There may be the first snow this weekend!  Enjoy it! 

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Fri, 08 Dec 2017 16:42:49 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/advent-is-upon-us/#43318
Scientists Sharing Their Findings https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/scientists-sharing-their-findings/#43318 This past week our scientists had the challenge of separating salt from pepper without using their hands! They could use a clear plastic spoon, and find surfaces to rub.  This was one secret to separtating the two substances from one another!  

 Once the mixture is complete, the challenge begins!

After experimenting, the scientists had to record if their trial was successful or not.

Scientists excitedly scurried to one another sharing their successes. Other scientists were eager to try the successful trial of their peers!

 

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Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:30:11 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/scientists-sharing-their-findings/#43318
Happy Memorial Day! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-memorial-day/#43318 Today was just beautiful with the all school mass!  Saints for Success (Alayna- Marie!), energizing music that speaks the truth about God's purpose for us, and that we never need to feel alone.  Thank you to the choir members: Gabbie, Julia, Madyson, Amelie,Ethan, Amani, Elliott, Alayna-Marie and Ava! YOU were great!  You brought so many smiles to all of us!  Thank you! We met with our buddies for the last offical classroom activity time. 

In math, review for our math test Tuesday, spelling tests were taken, and reading around the room to practice the new unit with questioning before/during/after our reading brought the day to a close. Enjoy the weekend, but remember we need the signed reading logs and  the scholars ready for both a math and religion test to begin the week strong on Tuesday!  See you May 30th! 

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Thu, 25 May 2017 16:06:30 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-memorial-day/#43318
Gala Event https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/gala-event/#43318 This week found us writing Haiku poetry, exploring polygons and naming them. We looked at naming angles as well.

I asked our third grade scholars to reach out to the second graders who are celebrating their first Communion this weekend and create a card for each Communicant.  The cards had a prayer or advice on how to stay close to God, Then the card had wonderful illustrations to mark the special event and a wish for the friend.  We delivered it to the second graders just as they were preparing to leave for the day.  It is important for us to realize that we can be stewards to those just across the hallway and make a difference in their walk with Jesus in this special sacrament.

In social studies/science, we found out about aquaponic systems used by Growing Power and the importance of healthy soil.  

The Gala was such a special event! I wish to thank each of our classroom families who made this event possible; even if you were not abel to join us.The Arts and Crafts basket was absolutely marvelous!  Thank you Mrs. Kramer for putting this together for us!

Next week holds the MAP testing again for us. Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  Please make sure your scholar is well rested and fed!

Wednesday will have us spending time at the zoo!  We are excited to have Mr. Cannon join us for this fun event.

Enjoy the three day weekend; it is off to a beautiful start!

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Fri, 05 May 2017 10:54:12 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/gala-event/#43318
Poetry Slam, SHARP Literacy and Budding Poets https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/poetry-slam-sharp-literacy-and-budding-poets/#43318 We are coming to a close with our poetry unit. We have experienced Cinquain, Haiku, Diamonte, Acrostic and free form writing with poems. Our precious Mrs. Parlier has helped us to write poetry on a new program called "Story Bird". There was such a happy buzz in the air as we composed on the Chromebooks! Next week will be our last week in Poetry.  We have written several poems, and will be putting at least one collection together, to be added to our poetry binders here at school. Another ebook will be available soon after we finish writing about the seasons with "Story Bird". I am ever so grateful to Mrs. Parlier's expertise and ability to make learning such fun!

SHARP Literacy has us learning about Growing Power and how Mr. Will Allen is being a fantastic steward in helping so many families learn how to create a healthy lifestyle in a sustainable way right here in Milwaukee. We finished a test on this focus this week; one we couldn't study for, but needed to take and turn in for their learning purposes. Your scholars also wrote poems using the vocabulary from the book we have read (There Grows the Neighborhood) and will bring home at year's end.

The Poetry Slam is such a fantastic event for our scholars to partake in. I was so proud that twenty out of twenty-six scholars earnestly wanted to participate in it.In the end it was Sara and Isabella who represented our classroom with such finesse! Isabella received an Honorable Mention as one of the younger scholars:only the scholars from fifth grade through the eighth grade can receive a trophy. 

If you are joining the walk tomorrow, enjoy the day!  Our Gala event is just round the corner, and I'm sure this will be a memorable event as well.

Monday is the May Crowning at Holy Rosary to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus. Join us if you can.It starts at 2:00. If you can join us as we walk, we leave at 1:30. We'll meet you  on the playground!

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Fri, 28 Apr 2017 16:56:51 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/poetry-slam-sharp-literacy-and-budding-poets/#43318
This Easter Season https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/this-easter-season/#43318 I pray your Easter was a blessing to you and your families!

This Easter season is so important for so many reasons: 

Celebrating Who rolled away the stone for us;

Recognizing we are so precious in His sight that He sent HIs son to die for our sins;

Receiving this unbelievable love that is directed right at us 

On Holy Thursday, your sons and daughters celebrated the Stations of the Cross, acted out by the fourth graders. There was a song that we sang that had such an impact on several of our scholars throughout the school. They were brought to tears with the beauty of the lyrics. We thank Mrs. Parlier for the graced insight she used to share this sone with us to bring home the point that Christ chose to die for us, and with so much love. Ask them about this song, "Above All".

Upon returning to our classroom, I shared two scriptures with the children: 

 "For it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. but if I go, I will send HIm to you." John 16:7 The second scripture, paraphrased is from 2 Corinthians 4:7: "Though you are an earthen vessel, you are desinged to be filled with Heavenly contents."  We talked about how God, from the beginning, has wanted a loving relationship with us.  I shared that we need God's help each day, and with Jesus dying on the cross for us, we can ask Jesus to send HIs Holy Spirit to guide us at any time we need HIs grace. Each child received a plastic egg with candy from me.  I asked that they look upon the empty plastic egg three different ways: the empty tomb which opened up our ability to have such a meaningful relationship with Christ; open hands to  receive and share God's love with others; and an open heart, that allows God's word to enrich their lives and the lives of everyone around them. The message was not lost on the children's hearts.  Many of them took some quiet moments to reflect on what had been shared. They took in that "heavenly contents" being God's love for us, could fill their lives with grace.

Upon your child's return to class,the remainder of the year will go so fast! Please make sure they come each day.  Each scholar adds so much to the day.

Please have the signed reading logs ready to turn in Tuesday April 25th.  New spelling lists will come home, along with the spelling test given on April 13th. Thank you.

 

 

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Wed, 19 Apr 2017 13:21:23 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/this-easter-season/#43318
April showers...us with gifts and talents! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/april-showersus-with-gifts-and-talents/#43318 We had the most creative retellings of the infamous fable The Ant and the Grasshopper.  

Our scholars presented in groups of 3 and 4 to the class.  There were some very resourceful ants, some empathetic ants, and some ants with "attitude" as they dealt with the "fiddlings" of a musically oriented grasshopper. What a wonderful way to celebrate our skills of retelling important parts of a story, and a week of testing.  "Retellings" is a skill the scholars are studying with our new reading program. They will be tested individually and in a group next week before our Easter break. This was a fun outlet to have them move around, talk and create after a week of testing.

You would be proud of your scholars as they went back to double check the directions, and their answers after they finished a section of the WI-Forward test. They received an eagle for our "Hundreds Chart" for the tenacity in going back to check they had answered all of the questions and made sure they had followed the directives in any three of the questions in a section. 

 

I wish to thank all of the families for helping out with the fish fries; making the tradion strong and wonderfully rich! Also, thank you for sending in items for the third grade basket for the Gala celebration in early May.  Your children were so proud to bring in the items.  Enjoy the beautiful weather!

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Fri, 07 Apr 2017 15:29:53 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/april-showersus-with-gifts-and-talents/#43318
It is looking more like Spring! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/it-is-looking-more-like-spring/#43318 Families,

Your scholars have been hard at work putting together a letter to "send" to another scholar who is featured in our social studies text. We have completed a wold wide study of how other third graders learn and spend their time with their friends.  Our scholars have written a friendly letter, compared and contrasted themselves to and with the other text scholars.  We have done map work, listened to music from the individual countries, seen what homes look like in Japan, and what schools look like in Paraguay, Japan, Hungary and NIgeria.

Your scholar will put their research on  mini poster this week to be out in the hall ways for all to see. They have been given a "passport" to be able to "travel" to see this scholar.  This too will be onthe mini poster. 

We finished our math  unit and most of us have been tested. We will begin our new unit this week.

This coming Wednesday we will be visiting our buddies to intertwine two celebratory days in March; Dr. Seuss' birthday and St. Patrick's Day.  We will have green eggs and Ham, then have the 4K-ers dictate a recipe to us on how to make green eggs and ham. It will be a lot of fun!

We will be writing a persuasive paper on whether or not we believe in leprechauns!  We will be broken up into groups on Friday to enjoy a classic tale dealing with leprechauns and then share our beliefs about the wee folk in those groups. Patrica Polacco, Tomie dePaola, Eve Bunting, Teresa Bateman and Ivan Robertson will provide wonderfully rich tales for your children to enjoy.  Gail Gibbons, a reknowned nonfiction writer, will provide us with the history of St. Patirck's Day, along with some myths that occur on March 17th earlier in the week.

This week we will begin implementing a new reading program, Foundations and Frameworks.  I am excited to begin this, as I see it fitting the needs of manyof our readers!  We will begin a new unit called "Cause and Effect".  It will begin with a really fun exercise that is a bit messy.  Ask your scholar what it is/was, as they were asked to bring a t-shirt Monday. It will be a bit messy! They then will write about it, focusing on how one action will create a cerrtain effect.  Then we connect it to literature.  The book the whole class will focus on after the initial introuction will be Giraffes Can't Dance, by Giles Andrae

.March 16-23rd marks the spring book fair! This time it is located here at the Saints Peter and Paul site. It will be held in the old art/concessions room. Your child brought home a "teaser" for you to see. We will go down to "window shop" later this week. We will go to see it once more sometime next week, so scholars can purchase books that you have "okayed". 

 

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Sun, 12 Mar 2017 11:27:22 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/it-is-looking-more-like-spring/#43318
First Stage https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/first-stage/#43318 Happy Friday!

 This week we enjoyed a wonderful musical from the First Stage acting company; "Robin Hood".  It was a fun performance for all! We wish the thank both Anabelle's and Gabbie's moms for giving us their time and loving as we watched this lively performance. A representative, Ms. Audra, came to let us know a bit about the performance both before and after the showing. We learned how to stand when fencing, and what the "relaxed" posture is for an actor.  After the performance, she asnwered questions about the actors and secrets of how certain actions were done to make the play really exciting. 

We are becoming more used to discovering patterns with our words more independently with the Words Their Way lists.  Day one is "Discovery Day", where the scholars show us what they know.  There are four days of dialoging about the words, and gaining a deeper understanding of how the words are built. The fifth day has us testing the lists we have been given to grow from. 

On "Fat Tuesday" we were treated to paczkis; wonderful pastries that the Polish people use to celebrate the beginning of Lent.  Alayna-Marie, her mother and older sister got up early to bring us these delightful treats!  We learned that the Polish people would make these pastries to get the butter, sugar, lard and eggs out of the house for Lent.  We made a thank you card for our sweet family that shared this treat with us, our two chaperones and Mr. Dwyer for being such a good phys. ed. teacher for us. 

 

Remember, there is no school on Monday, March 6th.  Teachers have an inservice that day. School will resume on Tuesday, March 7th. 

 

Enjoy the weekend!

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Fri, 03 Mar 2017 16:46:06 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/first-stage/#43318
This Week https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/this-week/#43318 We celebrated our Saint of the month yesterday in our all school mass at Holy Rosary. 

Our saint of the month is Juan, who exhibited the quality of "faith" this year in a mighty way.  He has shared call backs to remind us to rely on Jesus for help.  It reads: "Jesus gives us hope" The response for people to respond with is,"Follow HIm!" This is one example of how Juan shares his faith with us.  He had received this in a summer experience prior to entering third grade. He encourages us each day and is very forgiving of others who may offend him.  He is so loving in his speech, that he is inclusive in all he does.  Thank you for being such a wonderful role model for us, Juan! 

Next week is a celebration and recongition of Catholic Schools Week.  Several members of our class have volunteered to sing in Sunday's mass to start the celebration.  I am so grateful that many scholars so joyfully wanted to help! This coming will will definitely be a joyful celebration!

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Fri, 27 Jan 2017 10:31:21 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/this-week/#43318
Reflections on Good Stewards https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/reflections-on-good-stewards/#43318 This week we finished most of our MAP testing! Our scholars were very focused and engaged with the questions set before them. Congratulations for bringing  your best!

We also compared which steward we've studied thus far is the most like Dr. Martin Luther King JR, and then stating why they felt this way.Using facts from our research, scholars used bullet points to back up their opinion. 

Some of our scholars were chosen to share why they thought Dr. King was a good steward and role model for us to follow.  They just had a short bit to share. Listen to some of their reasons below! 

Our class also finished which fruit of the Spirit they would ask for to strengthen our class and school culture. Below are some quick peeks into their hearts and aspirations for our school and beyond.

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Fri, 20 Jan 2017 15:31:10 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/reflections-on-good-stewards/#43318
Aiming High https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/aiming-high/#43318  

Hello!  Your scholars have been woking hard to finish New Year's Resolutions based on what gifts of the Holy Spirit they will bring to themselves, their class, their school.  Most of the scholars are done and they are beautifully reflective.We will publish them in three main ways: out in the hallway, in the classroom and ones that will come straight home. We have discussed how writing is powerful when it comes from the heart; and that sometimes the written word is so special that only a few chosen people will be meant to have it shared with them. A rubric will be sent home on the back of it.

Pie graphs and estimating have been our main focus this week in math.Both have proven to be challenging for many of our members.  We will continue to balance a review of these skills with moving forward in the curriculum. 

We studied John Glenn as a wonderful steward; our note taking bullet point style is coming along nicely! The scholars are getting the gist of it! How exciting! 

Enjoy your three day weekend!  see you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Tuesday morning!

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Fri, 13 Jan 2017 16:32:51 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/aiming-high/#43318
Happy New Year! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-new-year/#43318 We began our week with a "Culture Camp" revisit. for our scholars. Ms. Jones went over expectations, school dress code, and lunchroom procedures. We also shared that we began the "blue" color category! The scholars are very excited about this,and we have been using it since Wednesday. "Blue" gives an opportunity to be able to be seen in a light that stretches us, and allows those students who always do the right things, who hold themselves to a constant set of high expectations to be recognized. Both your scholar and I appreciate the kinds words parents have written in their scholar's homework assignment notebook.

In math, we have been introduced to reading and making pie graphs.We will be expected to conduct a survey, prepare the data and create a pie chart by the end of next week on an individual basis.We also worked with both the customary units and metric units of measurement this week.

Our third grade scholars did a magnificent job in reading at mass this past Thursday. They also provided the following acts of service in the mass itself: alter servers, gift bearers, petition readers, a cantor reader, and a young lady who did the orders of worship.It is wonderful when parents are able to be there to support/celebrate the mass with us! We are grateful!

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Fri, 06 Jan 2017 16:11:32 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-new-year/#43318
Happy Holidays! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-holidays/#43318 This past week just flew by!

In math, we finished a unit and were tested on it.  Learning to tell time using numbers and words can be a bit of a challenge! All of the scholars gave their best.The "before the new hour" language is new and will take a few of us more time to adjust to the language. 

We read a letter from a student to Mrs. Pope Osborne who wanted to persuade her to study a particular country based on cultural practices being so interesting.  We dissected the letter into main parts, and then discussed the main ideas, taking notes. 

In social studies we were introduced to the initial steps of how to take notes from nonfiction using bullet points.  This is a foreign idea to scholars who have been told for the last few years to make sure they have complete ideas in thier sentences, and to add details!  We will continue to take steps in being able to take notes using bullet points.  Eventually, we will be able to take bullet point notes and then use these notes to write a short paper reflecting our research.  We briefly researched Cesar Chavez, Ruby Bridges, and two other amazing people who understand the role of a steward to serve their community.  We talked about stewards of all ages begin able to see and meet the needs around us as followers of Christ.

 

Today we celebrated  an all school mass.  After the mass, we celebrated our Saints of the Month.  This month focused on joy.  It was a very hard decision for me to make, for many of our scholars bring such joy to our room each day.  In the end, we celebrated a beautiful young lady named Amani! Afterwards our class remained to celebrate the holidays with our buddies! Your scholars decorated cookies and did some crafts before reurning for lunch. 

May your Christmas break be filled with God's joy, grace and love as you spend time with those dear to you! 

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Thu, 22 Dec 2016 17:27:42 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/happy-holidays/#43318
November Thoughts https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/november-thoughts/#43318 November 14- November 18th, 2016 

Mrs. Kolz 

This past week in math we have zeroed in on identifying what a radius is, measure it in inches, centimeters, and millimeters. We also have focused on stretching ourselves with how we answer word problems. We have added the dimension of drawing out the problem and using language to fully answer the question.  Review sheets for our test this coming Tuesday (November 29th) came home today. More will come home on Monday.

Exciting news! Mr. W. helped to launch our experience with the I-ready math program! We did a fantastic job of focusing on the math in front of us.

Some of us need to remember to bring our headphones so we can be able to interact with the program more fully.  It is an individualized prgram that will fit each scholar's math needs: support where we need it and challenges  provided when needed as well.  We will finish our inital three sessions which will determine where we start.  This is a fun program to get stronger and to be able to help us reach goals we sent for math for January. Thank you so much for your help, Mr. W.! You rock!

In our all school mass this past week, Ethan was chosen to be the saint of the month!  We are greatful to have such a sensitive member of our classroom to be recognized. It is well deserved. :) 

We will be with our K-4 buddies this coming Monday to help them write out what they are thankful for.  We can hardly wait!

In our writing about Thanksgiving practices, the scholars' words did such a nice job of painting pictures of who and what is dear to their hearts.  The authors listened to one another well and congratulated each other on a job well done.

We did visit the book fair; we did window shopping, as there are still a few days left of the book fair.  Some of your readers have a wish list to show you!

 

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Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:04:26 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/november-thoughts/#43318
Holiday Spirit!!! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/holiday-spirit/#43318 Here are just a few pictures from the concert this past Monday.  It is obvious as to which photos are professionally done! Please enjoy! 

 

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Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:03:07 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/holiday-spirit/#43318
Winter is Here! https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/winter-is-here/#43318 Brrr!

 Thank you for having your scholars dressed warmly for our Holy Day of obligation as we walked to Holy Rosary this past Thursday.  Your sons and daughters were fantastic big buddies to our K4 buddies. Our two servers, Anabelle and Itzel, did such a wonderful job of serving in the mass as well. The music was joyful and I wish everyone could have heard the singing; inspiring!

We created a wreath out of the green hands used to help us remember the nine's family in the multiplication tables. We were introduced to the fact that number lines measure more than disance and temperatures; they can also measure time. We created a survey, tallied the results, graphed the results and wrote comparison/contrast sentences to show what we learned from the process. 

.For Advent, we talked about how getting prepared for the birth of Jesus is a precious invitation to ready our hearts to receive God's love for us.  We read from the Bible how both Joseph and Mary were told, "Fear not" and to trust the beautiful love that God has for us.

In writing and in spelling, we are learning how to use our writng rubric to set goals for ourselves. The children are setting realistic goals for themselves and are pleased with the results. Look for more of their writing to be returned next week, and have them explain how they set goals for their writing.

I hope to see you at the Christmas Concert this coming Monday! Remember there is NO after school Kids Campus, only morning support.The second and third graders share two songs that they have worked so very hard on. There are two groups of bells, low and high. Your children are so excited and proud to be able to play the bells!  Watch the joy on their faces as they play them! I know you will not be disappointed.

 

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Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:54:15 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/winter-is-here/#43318
December Already? https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/december-already/#43318  

December 2, 2016

December is spoiling us with beautifully warm weather! 

Our class is practicing for the Christmas concert, rapidly approaching us (December 12th, a Monday)!  Please see the note from Mr. Krienke about the Christmas concert and another regarding phones at school.  Your children are so excited to be ringing the bells with their pieces.  The permission slips are due this coming Monday, December 5th for transportation arrangements for the rehearsal.  There are just a few still needing to be returned to the office.

Math has your scholar bringing home the test with measurement.  We went over the answers and stressed how important it is to "show your work"and to explain how you arrived at the answer.  We learned how to write "equal groups" story problems.  Look for more exposure to this next week. In multiplication we focused on our 3,9, and 11 families. To help us learn a speical "trick" for learning the 9's family, we traced our hands on green construction paper.  Pretending they are the Grinch's hands, we are learing how to count in multiples of 9 and to recognize where the tens place is and the ones place is.  Early next week, the hands will retire from math and be transformed into an Advent wreath to go on our door.  

Reading has us focusing on extracting details from the text to support our answer in both fiction and nonficition pieces. We are getting more exposure to Newsela, an individualized reading program that holds the readers accountable for asking questions inthe margin, highlighting with differnt colors for various purposes.  It is very engaging and the scholars love the articles so far.

Social studies had us researching about two famous immigrants and how they strengthened our country by joining us. They are Madeleine Albright and Carlos Santana.The scholars had a lively conversation as to which facts "wowed" them about these divers people, and what they wanted to learn more about this person.  We finished of the unit with a test today.

In writing we are focusing on grammar;making sure our sentences begin and end with proper capitals.  It is necessary for us to go back to address this in our writings. Also, we have a brand new rubric to guide us with excellence in our writing. Enjoy the weekend!  

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Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:11:38 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/december-already/#43318
Thankful https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/thankful/#43318  There are so many things and people to be thankful for!

We were able to be with our buddies this past Monday. Tracing each other's hands to create turkeys, we discussed what we were truly grateful for. Our scholars were kind and encouraging to their K-4 buddies. The ideas shared were wonderful.  

We were able to begin our intitial instructions with the individualized i-ready math program. 

Many of us brought or had our head phones here at school. There are some of us who still need to bring them to school. Others of us discovered that the head phones we have do not work with the chrome books we will be working with for individualized reading and math programs, so check with your son or daughter as to if that is the case. After Thanksgiving break, we will resume training for wither Newsela or RAZ kids. It will be important for us to have our head phones readily available.

Returning to the classroom over the break, I discovered  many books from the book fair that families generously donated to our classroom library! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! I am both humbled and excited for the scholars who donated them to be the first to choose: will they be the first to read the book from the library before they recommend it to another scholar, or will they choose another scholar to be the very first person to read the book?! Decisions, decisions!  A marvelous "problem" to have!

May this Thanksgiving break bring rest, relaxation and the blessing of family and friends.

I look forward to gathering together to hear how everyone's break went!

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Sat, 26 Nov 2016 15:27:04 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/thankful/#43318
October 26, 2016 https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/october-26-2016/#43318  Our third grade scholars have written a "quick write" to tell about something that drives them "batty". We did not use names, in order to protect the Innocent.  Enjoy! ( We will be using this to choose a step to help "referee" a discussion between the offended and the offender.)

Check out our VIDEO

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Wed, 26 Oct 2016 15:40:59 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/october-26-2016/#43318
October 12,2016 https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/october-122016/#43318 We had a very fast-paced week!

Our class began a "quick write" on "Things That Drive Us Batty", we drew a close to the fiction/nonfiction unit in reading, and we focused on mental computation strategies.

Wednesday we had two police officers visit our school to talk about bullying.  We were reminded of the importance to tell a trusted adult when you have done what you can and need extra help to deal with this type of situation.

 After this visit, we had Ms. Johnson from SHARP Literacy visit us to introduce our project for the year: urban agriculture! We had a fun presentaiton learning vocabulary words we will use through out the year. The text we will be using is entitled There Grows the Neighborhood. 

 

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Wed, 26 Oct 2016 13:40:48 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/october-122016/#43318
October 3rd-7th https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/october-3rd-7th/#43318  

This week just flew by with so many fun activities!

Tuesday had us at Holary Rosary celebrating St. Francis of Assisi Day.  We enjoyed a visit from Father Jeff as he blessed the photos, pictures and memories of our pets. This was very special to us!  

We are almost finished with our poems entitles, "Summer's Leaving". We learned a lot about the stucture of the poem and how words can influence the feel of poems.

Friday we had a fun day in a science lab using our powers of observation to figure out how to separate pepper from salt with just a plastic spoon and a piece of wool.  Your scholars thought outside the box and came up with a list of many other items that help separtate the pepper from the salt. 

Next week is a short week: Wednesday the Milwaukee Police Department will have a representative speaking about Bullying. Saturday is the walk for our school! It will be a great time!

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Fri, 07 Oct 2016 16:19:25 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/october-3rd-7th/#43318
September News https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/september-news-/#43318 September 30, 2016 

This week the scholars worked hard on deepening poetic ideas to bid farwell to summer and hello to Autumn. We will be finishing the poem in final format and post them outside our room next week! 

Your readers have brought much thought to their reading this week: we have been self assessing our behavior during independent reading time, and answering questions about our reading on a variety of levels.Hopefully you have seen the highlighted half sheets.It is so humbling to see the scholars so honest in how they spend their time and focus.The students enjoyed sharing why a particular book was their favorite "read of the week" with the aide of their reading log.  Thank you for your support in helping your son or daughter assume responsibilities with ranking, adding, and learning to set time aside for reading. These are valuable conversations to have with your learners.

Next week on Tuesday, we are going over to Holy Rosary church for the blessings of our pets.  Your scholar is welcome to bring pictures of their pets. At some point one of the priests will be in our classroom where the children can talk about their pets and have their pictures blessed.

Next Thursday is also an early release day for the scholars. 

I am thrilled at the number of families who have signed up for the Catholic Soles Walk on Saturday,October 15th!  If you have the time, please consider joining us for this worthwhile time and fundraiser for the school. It would be wonderful to see you and your scholar there!

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Fri, 30 Sep 2016 19:08:11 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/september-news-/#43318
September News https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/september-news/#43318 September 23rd 

Thank you families for signing the assignment notebook! 

Our third grade scholars are getting used to filling out the assignments and discussing how it went at home the next day.

The MAP testing is done! We worked so hard, and your scholars were proud of their efforts!

Father Jeff was in to visit us today for our religion class.  The scholars were able to ask questions.  Here are some facts we learned about our Father Jeff,

  1.  He absolutely LOVES being a priest (he has been a priest for 31 years).

  2.  He has great stories about his brother Rick to help us learn aobut Jesus or to have a great chuckle, as his brother is silly.

  3.  Father Jeff asks us to pray for Fathers Mike, Tim and himself for health and holiness to serve their flock well.

  4.  We learned two new prayers that involve Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Be sure to ask your son or daughter about them. 

Gym: 

If your scholar would like to, they have been invited to find a picture for a logo to be used to represent our class as being the class of the week.

It can be hand drawn, or emailed to myself or Mrs. White by Tuesday, September 27th.

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Thu, 29 Sep 2016 14:16:34 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/september-news/#43318
First Photos https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/first-photos/#43318 The 3rd grade took advantage of some beautiful weather and captured our first photos of the 2016-2017 school year.  Here's a sample!

Check our our full gallery of photos HERE

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Thu, 15 Sep 2016 14:52:49 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/first-photos/#43318
Apple of His Eye https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/apple-of-his-eye-/#43318 September 6 - September 9, 2016 

A warm week for all!  Kudos to Ms. Yvonne for purchasing a NEW FAN for our classroom! Talk about a HUGE difference! The children were troopers; I am very proud of  them for  focusing as well as they did!  Thank you, Ms. Yvonne!

We still are working on procedures; this week more on classroom procedures.  

Reading

We are learning what a "Just Right" book is for ALL readers...adults included!

Here is what we will be expecting for FICTION reading: 

  • Easy= 0 tricky words on 1 page
  • Just Right= 2-4 tricky words on 1 page ( to be "upped" shortly, when I know all scholars are accurate with this) 
  • Challenging= 5 fingers on 1 page. 

In two weeks I will begin to ask the third grade scholars to read 100 minutes per week and record their readings. We will practice recording it this week, then have a sample for you to use for reference.  For some, they will read beyond the 100 minutes; others, I recognize it will possibly be a battle of the wills.  I've had both types of readers under our roof!  That is why it is spread out over 1 week; some days you don't get to it.  This averages out to 20 minutes for 5 days.  The scholars will be charting their weekly reading once they bring the reading log back to school. 

 

Math

We are learning the format of Saxon math lesson: the "Meeting" then the "Problem of the Day" are 2 of the sections of the lesson. One scholar will present how to solve the problem of the day to the class. Same as last year, your scholar has completed the "A" side of the sheet in class.  The "B" side is the homework.  I am asking that your child chooses 3 problems from the "B" side to explain to you.  Please take a moment to initial just once that you have had that conversation with your scholar.  Thanks!

Guidelines for math homework: 

Some scholars will need to have you limit the amount of time they focus on their homework. Ten minutes should be enough time for them to complete the "B" side of the sheet.  If you need to set a timer, that may be what keeps them focused. 

 

All homework

Once we have the homework assgnment notebooks, I will have your scholar prioritize which assignment they will be doing first, second, etc. It worked well for my sons; 1 in particular still uses it to date; a junior in college! (Shameless plug.) 

I am trying to sensitize them to their schedule after school and match it to their energy level. Looking back, I remember the schedules for sports, music lessons and times just to play and be a 7 to 9 year old.

The assignment that requires the most focused energy should be a #1 by a subject.  The second highest level of focus needed on a task, a #2, and so on.Hopefully it opens up an opportunity for several different descussions for you and your son/daughter through out the week.  Look for it soon!

 

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Sun, 11 Sep 2016 17:11:21 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/apple-of-his-eye-/#43318
Apple of HIs Eye https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/apple-of-his-eye/#43318  

  August 30-September 2, 2016 

 

   Hello and "Happy New Year" to all of the wonderful families and scholars in the third grade!  Your children helped to bring the building "back to life" with their smiles and laughter.  It is now a real school with everyone here: office staff, administrators, guidance counselors, teachers and now...scholars! Here is a peek at our new third graders!

 

 

An overall theme being perptuated this year is for EACH of us here at Catholic East is 

                     "In all things, love." 

We began to explore the second of Jesus' commandments to us, 

"Love your neighbor as yourself." .  We are doing this by comparing ourselve to plants!

We both need space to grow, water to grow and thrive, fertile soil/good surroundings for ourselves, and the sun/ the Son.  If we do not understand ow important each of these factors are, then we have trouble taking care of ourselves first, then ultimately, our (classroom) neighbors.Our class is taking the first 2 weeks to better understand and begin to live out "taking care of ourselves" before we can take care of others.  Look for our findings outside our room for the Open House!

 

 

 

We've reviewed procedures and set up rules for our classroom. Here is what was set before us (no more than 5 rules): 

1) Track you teacher and follow directives the first time. 

2) Follow the "Golden Rule". 

3) Raise hands to share; lower to listen. 

4) ALWAYS have permission to leave the room. 

5) Self-advocate(kindly)!  

    *share your need with the person you need to tell

    * if needed, have an adult help 

 

We have discovered that , if you are going to send any treats. PLEASE DO NOT HAVE ANY PEANUTS in your treats!  There are 26 scholars in your child's room.

A parent survey has been sent home; please return it no later than September 9th.  Many thanks for the time you invest in it! 

 

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Sun, 11 Sep 2016 16:16:29 CST https://www.catholiceast.org/faculty/lkolz/apple-of-his-eye/#43318