May 19 - 22

Families, thank you for such a warm welcome back. I am very happy to be working with your children again. It was a wonderful week together with lots of continued learning and many laughs. As always, if you have any questions or would like to touch base now that I am back, please reach out.

What Did Students Do This Week?

This week in Social Studies, students explored municipal and provincial governments in Alberta. They learned about the roles of representatives in both levels of government and discussed how they work to help communities and citizens.

Students compared and contrasted services provided by municipal governments, such as snow removal, parks, and libraries, with services provided by the provincial government, including education and healthcare. They also explored Alberta’s official provincial symbols and learned about leaders in the municipal and provincial governments.

Through discussions, activities, and sorting tasks, students strengthened their understanding of how different levels of government support people in their daily lives.

Social Studies Learning Outcomes

• I can describe similarities between the role of representatives in municipal and provincial governments. 

• I can differentiate between services provided by a municipal government and services provided by a provincial government.

• I can explore official symbols of Alberta’s provincial government.

• I can classify leaders in municipal government in a variety of communities in Alberta.

Possible Questions to Ask Your Child:

• What levels of government have you learned about?

• What is the municipal government responsible for? What about the provincial government?

• What are the leaders called in each level of government?

• Who are the leaders of the municipal government? What about provincial? Can you name the federal leader too?

 March 29th - April 2nd

We hope you all had a great spring break! It was lovely to be back together as a community after the time away.

We also hope you have a wonderful long weekend and a nice Easter, if you celebrate it. 

What Did Students Do This Week?

Thank you to our amazing volunteers who made our “What’s the Matter” learning experience such an awesome opportunity! Students learned a lot and had a very fun time.

This week, the grade three students explored the fascinating world of matter through a presentation and a variety of hands-on, engaging experiments. Students focused on how materials can change, especially when heated or cooled. Students investigated solids, liquids, and gases, describing their properties in terms of shape and volume, and deepened their understanding through simple investigations.

Science Learning Outcomes (I can….)

• I can conduct an investigation to demonstrate changes of state.

• I can describe solid, liquid, and gas states of matter based on properties like shape and volume. 

• I can describe the changes of state of water using the water cycle. 

Possible Questions to Ask Your Child:

• What was your favourite part of the “What’s the Matter?” presentation?

• What are the three states of matter? What is the difference between them?

• How did you make soap? How did the states of matter change during this experiment?

• How did the balloon blow up? What state of matter did it fill up with?

Painting Station

States of Matter Station

Making Soap Station

Oobleck Station

March 16th - 19th 

Building Confidence in Adding and Subtracting!

This week in grade three, students have been busy becoming confident, flexible mathematicians as we explored adding and subtracting with and without regrouping. Our goal is not just to get the right answer, but to understand how and why math works!

What Students are Learning? Math Learning Outcomes - I Can Statements

• Add and subtract numbers up to 1,000

• Solve problems with and without regrouping

• Use different strategies to explain their thinking

• Build strong number sense and confidence

We are connecting our learning to the Alberta Program of Studies (Mathematics, Grade 3)

• Number Outcome: Students will demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction of numbers with answers to 1,000

• Process Skills: Communication, mental mathematics, reasoning, and problem solving

Our Three Math Strategies

Students are practicing three strategies to help them solve problems in ways that make sense to them:

1. Breaking Apart (Decomposing Numbers)

Students break numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones to make them easier to work with.

Example:

346 + 231

→ (300 + 200) + (40 + 30) + (6 + 1)

This strategy helps students see the value of each digit and build strong place value understanding.

2. Stacking (Standard Algorithm)

Students line numbers up in columns and solve step-by-step.

Key focus:

• Place value alignment

• Regrouping (carrying/borrowing) when needed

• Clear, organized work

This strategy helps students develop accuracy and efficiency.

3. Base Ten Models (Concrete Learning)

Students use base ten blocks (hundreds, tens, ones) to physically build and solve problems.

This hands-on strategy helps students:

• Understand regrouping as trading (e.g., 1 ten = 10 ones)

• Visualize numbers in a meaningful way

• Build confidence before moving to abstract methods

Why Use Multiple Strategies?

We encourage students to try different strategies because:

• Every learner thinks differently

• It deepens understanding

• It builds flexibility and confidence

Students are learning that math is not just one way—it’s many ways!

What You Can Do at Home

• Ask your child: “How did you solve that?”

• Encourage them to explain their thinking

• Practice simple addition and subtraction in everyday life (shopping, cooking, games!)

We are so proud of how our students are growing as mathematicians, taking risks, and explaining their thinking with confidence every day!

Keep practicing, keep exploring, and keep believing in your math skills!

March 9th-13th

Playing with Poetry: Discovering Haikus

In our Grade 3 classroom this week, we explored the creative and playful world of poetry. Students discovered that poets carefully choose words to paint pictures, share feelings, and express ideas in unique and imaginative ways.

We focused on a special type of poem called a haiku. A haiku is a short poem with three lines that follows a pattern of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and 5 syllables. Even though haikus are small, they can create powerful images and feelings using just a few carefully chosen words.

Students experimented with describing nature, emotions, and everyday moments. They practiced listening to the rhythm of words, counting syllables, and thinking about how specific words can make their poems more vivid and expressive.

Our classroom quickly filled with beautiful ideas — quiet snowfall, bright sunshine, playful animals, and peaceful nature scenes. Students enjoyed discovering how much meaning they could share using only a few words. It was wonderful to see their creativity shine as they became young poets! 

Learning Outcomes

English Language Arts (Poetry & Creative Expression):

• I can investigate words or phrases used creatively in poetry to express ideas and feelings.

• I can examine poetic structures, such as haikus, that help organize and communicate ideas creatively.

• I can experiment with writing my own poems, including haikus and limericks.

We are incredibly proud of how our students explored language so thoughtfully and creatively. Through poetry, they are learning that words are powerful tools for imagination, expression, and storytelling.

Possible Questions to Ask Your Child:

• What is a haiku? How is it different from other poems?
  
  

• How do poets choose words carefully in a haiku?
  
  

• Can you share the haiku you wrote this week?
  
  

• What ideas or feelings did you try to express in your poem?
  
  

• Can you think of a moment in nature that would make a good haiku?