Meet the 3rd Grade Team:

Ms. Mullings
Cecily Mullings is thrilled to be teaching 3rd grade at WISH! Miss Mullings earned her BA and teaching credential from California State University Northridge and her Masters degree from the American College of Education. She decided to become a teacher because she loves working with children. Her favorite subject to teach is social studies because she loves teaching children about what is going on in the world. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exercising, and reading. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the amazing people that she gets to interact with and learn from!

Ms. Perez
Lourdes Perez is ecstatic to be teaching at WISH! Ms. Perez earned her BA degree from Mount St. Mary’s University. She decided to become a teacher because of her love for learning and working with children. Her favorite subject to teach is Science and Social Studies because she enjoys encouraging students to work in groups and become problem solvers. In her free time she enjoys to hike, bike ride, and bowl. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the countless opportunities to develop her profession and the family feel that exist amongst the faculty, staff, and families of WISH!

Ms. Tobias

Samantha Tobias is thrilled to be teaching third grade at WISH! Ms. Tobias received her BA in Education with a focus in Early Childhood and her teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University. She knew she wanted to be a teacher from an early age and has always loved fostering a love of learning in the people around her. Her favorite subject to teach is science because it is a passion she shares with her dad and because she loves to watch kids’ curiosity and knowledge grow through experiments. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cuddling with her cat Tori, and spending time outside with her dogs Tucker and Lily. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of its incredibly supportive community of people who are dedicated to the students’ growth, both academically and emotionally. 

Ms. Aya

Aya Bispham is so excited to be back at WISH Elementary this year co-teaching with 2nd and 3rd grade! Miss Aya earned her BA degree at the University of Washington and her MA degree and teaching credential in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University. Miss Aya loves teaching at WISH because of the inclusive community that embraces diversity and celebrates all students! Her favorite subject to teach is math because she likes using manipulatives and differentiating problems with multiple strategies. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, eating out with friends, and watching sports. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the invaluable partnerships with staff, families, and students!

Learn more about the 3rd Grade Program:
The third grade program incorporates the constructivist learning theory into everyday instruction, engaging students in hands on, project -based learning.  Students are provided differentiated instruction to fit their particular needs.  They participate in cooperative and collaborative learning activities designed to develop their social and academic skills. In addition, technology, art, music, and PE are important, integral components of the third grade curriculum.

The language arts curriculum provides students an opportunity to solidify literacy skills. This includes:  fluency, comprehension, critical thinking, predicting, drawing conclusions, inference, and constructing genuine responses to literature.  The writing program, one of the hallmarks of the third grade curriculum, is integrated throughout all subjects. Students practice the writing process through a variety of genres, such as, narratives, compare and contrast, summary, and a persuasive letter.  Along with the writing process, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar are taught in context in order to be more meaningful to the students.

In math, third grade students begin to delve into complex mathematical concepts that utilize their higher level thinking skills.  Students begin to learn and master place value to the hundred thousandths place, rounding, adding and subtracting whole numbers, geometry, multiplication concepts and facts, division, fractions, measurement, metric measurement, perimeter, area, volume, decimals, data and probability.  Digital curriculum and manipulatives are both utilized to help students grasp concepts.

In social studies, third graders learn more about our connections to the past.  There is an emphasis on the physical and cultural landscape of California, including the study of American Indians, the subsequent arrival of immigrants, and the impact they had on our contemporary society.

In science, third graders study matter and energy, structures of life, and the climate patterns.  Students utilize the Scientific Method through hands-on science experiments and record their hypothesis, data, and conclusions in a science notebook.