Writing is so much fun to teach in third grade! Students have been busy polishing their writing skills! Through the writing process, they published a Personal Narrative piece titled, Games I Like To Play.

What is a personal narrative?

• Is about YOU

• Tells a true story

• Is written in first person (I, me, my)

• Has a beginning, middle, and end

• Includes feelings and details

Students are gaining confidence with each writing piece!

Thanksgiving Chili Feast

Our Thanksgiving chili feast is important because it helps us feel thankful, brings our families together, and makes our classroom feel like a family.

Here are a few pictures of our St. James families!

Here at St. James, Halloween Book Character Day is a fun traditional event where students and teachers dress up as their favorite characters from books instead of traditional Halloween costumes.

Here’s what it usually involves:

• 📚 Focus on reading: The goal is to encourage a love of books and literacy by connecting reading with something exciting and creative.

• 👕 Dress-up day: Students choose a character from a book they’ve read and come to school dressed as that character.

• 🎭 Presentation: Students use presentation skills to, show off their costumes while holding the book that inspired their outfit.

It’s a great way to make Halloween school-appropriate, fun, and educational—all at once!

A Poetry Café is a fun, cozy classroom event where students read their own poetry aloud in a setting that feels like a real coffee shop.

Teachers usually dim the lights, play soft jazz, put out “café-style” tablecloths, battery candles, and maybe serve hot chocolate or cookies. Students take turns going up to the “mic” to perform or read their poems while the audience snaps (instead of claps!) when finished — just like real poetry slams.

Purpose:

• Celebrate students’ writing in a special, meaningful way

• Build confidence with public speaking

• Let students experience poetry as performance — not just on paper

It’s also a great end-of-unit showcase for families.

Have you ever tried to see how many drops of water you can fit on a penny before it spills over? It’s a fun way to learn about surface tension — the invisible “skin” that holds water together!

At first, the water stays on the penny, forming a rounded bubble shape. That’s because water molecules like to stick together. This creates a tight “skin” on the surface of the water called surface tension.

As more drops are added, the surface tension stretches — but eventually it can’t hold anymore, and the water spills off the penny.

Celebrating Emmett! Birthdays are one of the happiest days of the year!

Friday, October 17, 2025