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Third Grade

Trudy Connolly

Trudy Connolly

Third Grade

Trudy Connolly

Trudy Connolly

Third Grade

Trudy Connolly, St. James School’s Third Grade teacher, received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Behavioral Sciences with an emphasis in Counseling from UC Davis in 1983. She earned her teaching credential from Cal State TEACH at California State University, Fresno in 2016.

Mrs. Connolly has been a teacher for 20 years. She also worked as a peer counselor in the Applied Behavioral Department at UC Davis.

Mrs. Connolly loves children and seeing them have that ”a-ha” moment when learning. She is a product of Catholic education and all five of her children attended Catholic schools. Mrs. Connolly’s faith is very important to her and her family. She chose Catholic education because she loves to share her faith with others

Shelly Dirksen

Shelly Dirksen

Educational Academic Specialist

Shelly Dirksen

Shelly Dirksen

Educational Academic Specialist

Shelly Dirksen received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a Minor in Reading Instruction from Dordt University, Sioux Center, Iowa in 2001. She has been in education for 23 years serving as a Special Education paraeducator, teacher, reading and writing tutor, substitute teacher, and Children’s Ministry Director grades TK-12 for Christ Church in Davis. Mrs. Dirksen is our Education Achievement Specialist (EAS), a position she has held for 3 and a half years. She is currently working toward her California Clear Teaching Credential.

Mrs. Dirksen has always known her skill set was geared toward teaching and working with children. She loves to help students reach their goals and realize how capable they truly are. She feels it is a true privilege to participate in the moment a child learns something new.

St. James is Mrs. Dirksen’s first experience teaching at a Catholic school. She loves Catholic education and finds it a joy to combine her two loves: faith and teaching.

Kari Fisher

Kari Fisher

School Counselor

Kari Fisher

Kari Fisher

School Counselor

Kari Fisher received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from UC Davis in 1995 and her Masters in Counseling from UC Davis in 2002. She has over 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist working in private practice, community, and school settings. She has additional training in emotionally focused therapy, trauma therapy, and therapies with children and families.

Mrs. Fisher is in her first year as our School Counselor. She chose Catholic education because her son attended St. James and she fell in love with the community as a parent. She has always loved working with children as a psychotherapist and feels blessed to be able to combine her work with a community she holds great fondness for.

Staci Forrest

Staci Forrest

Third Grade Instructional Aide

Staci Forrest

Staci Forrest

Third Grade Instructional Aide

Our curriculum is driven by the Diocesan Standards which align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Religion

Our curriculum focuses on five main aspects of the Church. The Church is One: Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacraments bring us together. The Church is Holy: We learn to be the likeness of God our Father by loving God and one another. The Church is Catholic: Jesus taught us that God is the Father of all and all are welcome. The Church is Apostolic: The Church has spread throughout the world and is faithful to the teachings of the Apostles. The Church has a mission to the world: The Catholic Church is a sign of the justice and peace of God’s Kingdom in this world.

English - Language Arts

Third grade’s literature block is carefully structured to bridge the gap between learning to read and reading to learn. Students learn to annotate text and use the RACE to Respond Strategy in order to respond to comprehension questions. During this time, students are working on the foundational skills good readers utilize to comprehend and analyze fiction and nonfiction text. Students will read several novels as a class such as Charlotte’s Web and use Storyworks magazine to read both fiction and nonfiction texts. Writing instruction and practice is a daily occurrence in third grade as is spelling practice. Students also study a variety of academic words to broaden their vocabulary.

St. James School uses the Step Up to Writing Program. Third grade’s focus for writing composition is expository, opinion, and narrative. The long-term goal is to develop and enhance the skills learned in second grade and guide the students from composing one solid, organized paragraph to a multi-paragraph essay. Students are challenged to include sensory details, rich vocabulary, and academic language in every piece they write. Several of our writing projects are integrated across the curriculum.

Mathematics

Kindergarten through Fifth grade uses the Envisions curriculum for math. The scope and sequence of this curriculum aligns with the California Common Core State Standards. The third grade domains are: Math Numbers and Operations in Base Ten (place value and rounding), Numbers and Operations – Fractions, Math Operations and Algebraic Thinking (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), Geometry, and Measurement and Data. We also implement and practice the Mathematical Practice Standards.

Science

We follow the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). For Physical Science, we investigate and explore forces and motion, and static electricity and magnetism. Life Science includes life cycles of plants and animals, animal group behavior and inheritance and variation of traits, ecosystems and biodiversity, fossils, natural selection and adaptations. Finally, our last domain is Earth Science. In third grade, we investigate weather and climate. In addition, once a month we go to the school’s 1600 square foot science center for a special lesson taught by the full-time science teacher.

Technology

Third grade integrates the use of the Chromebooks throughout the curriculum especially during writing, science and social studies.  Third graders also use Typing Club to practice keyboard skills

St. James School educates the whole child. Therefore, Third Graders also attend classes in Music, PE, Art, and Library.