School life

3G celebrated Halloween with the Elementary School Student Council last week. There was a special Halloween Game Show and a charity fundraiser. Students and teachers wore Halloween accessories to add a little fun to the usual school uniform. There was also plenty of candy!

Here are a few photos from recent happenings at school.

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This is how we learn about paragraphs… hamburgers!

Recently two VIP guests returned to Saint Maur for a nostalgic tour. One of our visitors was a former 3rd grade teacher and elementary principal at our school in the 1980s. They were both thrilled to witness all the action in 3G, one of the most active classes in the whole school!

3G was one of the first classes in the school to preview the books nominated for the Sakura Medal 2025. There were so many great titles to excite our readers. Students who read four books in any category will have the opportunity to attend a celebration in the spring, including voting for their favorite book. The winning book from across many international schools in Japan is then awarded the Sakura Medal in Spring 2025. You can read more about this year’s list on the Saint Maur Library Blog. Third graders can participate in the Picture Book, Chapter Book, or Graphic Novel categories. Borrowing begins on October 7th!

Saint Maur elementary students enjoyed Fun Day as most of the secondary school students were off-campus. The theme of the day was Health, Wellbeing, and Mindfulness. 3G enjoyed sessions on mindful eating, yoga, and exercise. I was surprised how exciting the active Bingo game turned out!

Walkathon

The Walkathon for charity was moved inside the gym due to rain. It was still fun and exhausting.

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Watercolors

3G started a unit learning about watercolors in Art Class recently. Students explored two different painting techniques and various textural elements to evoke different feelings in their art.

Congratulations to the new Elementary Student Council! Representatives had their first meeting this week and have already started planning their charity events. The first initiative is to collect PET bottle caps to raise money for their yet-to-be-chosen charities. If you have PET bottle caps at home, please have your child bring them to school. This collection will continue all year.

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Reading Time

Recently, we spent some time reading with partners to experience sharing a story with a friend. Some people really enjoy reading together and discussing their ideas about a book.

On another day, we explored various genres of books. Students were thinking carefully about the characteristics of each book that place it in a particular genre. What makes a mystery a mystery? How are fantasy and realistic fiction different? Several students found a new book they were eager to read! 📚

Today, we partied with the August birthday celebrants on the first day of school. Students also worked on their superhero birthday figures to add to the 3G Birthday Wall. The new 3rd graders just put their first personal stamps on the 3G classroom making it their own.