Ephesus Community

Dear Grade 3 Families,

Grade 3 students explored a range of learning experiences across the curriculum. In Religious Education, they learned about the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit and the importance of welcoming and including others. In English, they continued reading Charlotte’s Web while developing their vocabulary, spelling, sentence structure and summary writing skills. In Mathematics, they used maps and scales to calculate real-world distances. In Integrated Studies, students created and performed with finger puppets, developing their confidence, expression and communication skills. In Auslan, they explored Deaf culture, identity, community and belonging, while in Social and Emotional Learning, they developed their understanding of safety, recognised unsafe situations and identified trusted adults they could seek help from.

Book Week Dress Up day

Grade 3 had a wonderful time celebrating Book Week with our exciting dress-up day and parade! The students enthusiastically dressed as their favourite book characters and proudly shared their costumes with the school community. It was fantastic to see their creativity, excitement, and love of reading shine throughout the day. A special thank you to all the parents and families who came along to watch the parade and celebrate this special occasion with us.

                  Learning for Term 3, Week 8

Religious Education:

In Religious Education, students are learning about the different parts of the Mass and how we gather as God’s people to pray and worship. They are exploring the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word, learning to identify the key parts of the Mass, understand why we gather and listen to God’s Word, and demonstrate respectful ways to participate and respond to Scripture. Through Psalm 122 and Romans 10:17, students are reflecting on the importance of gathering in prayer and listening to God’s Word.

English:

In English, students will be developing their vocabulary and language skills through a range of engaging activities. They will learn and use new words such as morsel, meek, rigid, murmur, wondrous, remarkable, radiant, dainty, examine, ramble, gullible, and affectionately. Students will explore prefixes, suffixes, and the base word tract, while learning how word parts can change meaning. They will also practise using conjunctions such as because, but, and so, and develop their understanding of simple and compound sentences, subjects and predicates. Students will unscramble, complete, expand, and “level up” sentences by adding detail and choosing more interesting vocabulary. They will also continue to develop their cursive handwriting skills, with a focus on neatness, letter formation, and fluency.

In Chapters 10–13 of Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte begins her plan to save Wilbur’s life by making him famous. After Avery tries to catch Charlotte, she uses her sticky “sneaky spray” to escape. Wilbur learns that he may be taken to the county fair, which worries him. Charlotte then writes “Some Pig” in her web, amazing the Zuckermans and attracting visitors to the farm. The animals hold a meeting to think of more words to describe Wilbur, and Templeton helps Charlotte find interesting words. Charlotte eventually chooses “Terrific” for her next web, making Wilbur even more famous and giving everyone hope that he will be saved.

Mathematics:

In Mathematics, students will be learning to measure and order three distances on a scaled map. They will explore how a map scale connects map lengths to real-world distances, using the scale 1 cm = 1 km and knowing that 1 km = 1000 m. Students will practise measuring map distances, recording the corresponding distances in metres, and ordering them from shortest to longest. They will also use familiar lengths to make reasonable estimates for unknown lengths. Students will develop their understanding of mathematical vocabulary, including map distance, scale, order, shortest, and longest, while explaining the strategies they use to solve problems.

Integrated Curriculum:

In Integrated Studies, students will continue developing their finger puppets while exploring drama, storytelling, and performance. They will develop their understanding of scripted drama and learn how narrative structures can be used to shape and perform dramatic action. Students will explore what tension means in a performance and how it can be created and shown through puppetry using movement, facial expressions, voice, pauses, music, and suspense. Through rehearsing and performing, students will build confidence and develop their ability to communicate characters, emotions, and ideas to an audience.

Auslan:

In Auslan, students will review Unit 6 words and continue developing their communication and signing skills. They will practise talking about pictures from a signed story and explore how meaning can be expressed in different ways. Students will learn to translate three different ways to sign “open” and “put on”, depending on the context. They will also develop their understanding of Auslan sentence structure by signing the time at the beginning of a sentence, even when the time is placed at the end of the sentence in English.

Social & Emotional Learning:

In Social and Emotional Learning, students will learn that they have the right to be heard, to feel safe and to know that their voice matters. As we prepare for Child Protection Week (6–12 September), students will participate in age-appropriate learning activities that encourage them to speak up, recognise trusted adults and understand that it is always okay to ask for help when something does not feel right.

What you can do at home:

• 📖 Read nightly: Encourage your child to read for at least 15–20 minutes each evening. Ask them to retell what they have read, discuss interesting vocabulary and share their favourite parts of the story.
• ✍️ Practise spelling and vocabulary: Spend a few minutes reviewing the weekly spelling words, prefixes and suffixes, and the base word tract. Encourage your child to use new vocabulary in conversations or sentences.
• 🗺️ Explore maps and measurement: Look at maps together and practise using the scale 1 cm = 1 km to estimate and calculate distances. Remember that 1 km = 1000 m. You could plan a pretend trip and work out the distances between different places.
• 🎭 Get creative with puppetry: Encourage your child to continue developing their finger puppet and practise using their voice, movements, pauses and expressions to create tension and bring their character to life. They could perform a short story for the family.
• 💛 Practise faith and reflection: Talk about the different parts of Mass and why we gather together as God’s people to pray and listen to God’s Word. Encourage your child to share something they are thankful for and reflect on how they can show kindness, respect and care for others.

Important Classroom Reminders:

• Fidget Toys

  We kindly ask that students do not bring fidget toys to school unless their use is a planned adjustment in consultation with Allied Health Professionals. Students who bring fidget toys without an approved adjustment will be asked to place them in their school bag for the remainder of the day to take home. We appreciate your support in encouraging your child to leave fidget toys at home.

• Plastic bottle caps needed for this Term's Integrated unit! 

  Please send washed plastic bottle caps (soft drink, milk etc) to school with your child whenever possible. Your support is greatly appreciated!

   

• Spare clothes/change of clothes

  Please pack spare clothes with a pair of socks and underwear to be placed in the front zip pocket of your child's school bag in case of a toileting accident or when they get muddy during recess and play time. 

• Please ensure that you are labelling all your child's belongings.

Important Dates to Remember:

• Friday 4th September - Father's Day Morning - 8:25am - 9:30am
• Thursday 17th September - Last Day of Term 3
• Monday 5th October - First Day of Term 4

Enjoy your weekend, 

The Ephesus Team

Contact us @Ephesus

ephesus@cranbourneeast.catholic.edu.au (all teachers) or