I'm having a difficult time writing out the PHP for this magazine layout I'm making.

Here's the prototype: http://socalnpo.org

The first 3 are the most recent (left to right) and the next 6 are the older ones. They all go in reverse chronological order.

I'm not sure how to write the PHP for the loop because it's definitely not like a basic post.

<a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark"><?php
if ( has_post_thumbnail() ) {
  the_post_thumbnail('medium');
}
?></a>
<h1><a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h1>
<?php the_excerpt(); ?></div>
<?php endwhile; ?>

Any help will be greatly appreciated! :)

-Dana