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.

We launched into our “Shake It!” unit with a milk investigation. Students made some terrific observations as they filtered, whisked, mixed, scooped, and shook the milk. Some key observations were noticing a change in color from white to yellow when shaking and “pure white” milk coming out of the filter while shiny liquid or small bits remained inside. I wonder what that could be? 🤔

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Students threw themselves into the Brainwaves mini unit. There is so much to learn about how we learn! We tried to sort out the differences between knowledge, skills, and understanding. 3G worked hard on a small research project to learn how to care for our brains. The class created a hanging mobile full of helpful tips – on the back of neurons! – to teach everyone at Saint Maur how to care for this vital organ. If we take care of our brains, we can grow and learn even more!

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! 📚

We went on a scavenger hunt to find cards hidden around the classroom. Students were learning the difference between common nouns and proper nouns. It was tough to find all 30 cards in the classroom!

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.

The new school year is about to begin. I have been working hard to set up the classroom, prepare for new students, and help our new 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Thomson in 3T. I will do my best to post regular blog updates here on 3G’s exciting learning experiences throughout the 2024-25 academic year. Thank you for your ongoing support of our students!