Friday, August 30, 2013

Hi All,

Happy Labor Day!  It's great to have one more day to relish the beautiful summer weather.  I intend to make the most of it, and hope you are able to do so as well.

This week, our Homework Packet will be a little different.  Instead of a Spelling List, students are to memorize 2 poems.  You have 3 to look at, and the children are to learn 2 to recite to the class.  They
will be saying their poems in small groups of 3-4, which should help somewhat with the "stage fright".   There is still a Reading Log and arithmetic drill to do on the packet as well. In math, we are now ready to review place value, and will be representing numbers in a variety of ways including "quick pictures", standard form, and expanded notation. In reading, we will continue to enjoy Charlotte's Web.

The kids took their first AR STAR test on the computer last week, and will take a second one before I tell them their reading levels for independent AR Reading.  I will give you more information about this at the Back-to-School Night.

Our visit on Monday from a representative of Save Our Shores was a great success.  The kids collected 5 pounds of trash and 1 pound of recyclables from around the school grounds.  The presentation also increased their awareness of the litter issue.  On Friday, several third graders will share this message with the entire school during our first Friday Morning Assembly.

Finally, thanks to the many volunteers for the field trip to the fair. At this point I have enough drivers.  Drivers, be sure to get your information in immediately, as the office is not allowed to take in last minute forms.  I would hate to cancel for that reason!  In addition, anyone that would like to chaperon may ride along with a driver, but our free adult tickets are limited by the fair organization, so you may have to pay for admission.

Thanks so much for all your support.  This year has gotten off to a great start!
Carroll Mayer

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Hello All,
Welcome to Week 2 of Third Grade! It has been a great beginning to learning about your children and the character of this year's class. We have spent the last week becoming familiar with rules and expectations for Third Grade, and will continue to do so over the next several weeks.  The kids have been a pleasure, eager to learn and to support each other.

This week we will wrap up our math chapter, "Data and Graphing", with a test on Tuesday.  Then we will move on to a short chapter titled "Probability".   In Language Arts, we will continue reading Charlotte's Web all together, and work on summarizing, as well as other reading and writing strategies.

In addition, we have a representative from Save Our Shores visiting all Third Grade classrooms on Monday.  We will follow up this morning visit with a school clean-up, using their gloves, buckets, and data-collecting materials.  If you would like to join us for the clean-up, we will begin at 12:15 (after lunch.) If you decide to join us, please sign in at the office before you come up to the classroom.

On Monday, students will bring home a Homework Packet that will include a Reading Log, Math Drill, and Spelling work. The weekly packets are fairly uniform, and are due on Fridays, unless otherwise noted. We will have a spelling test on the words in the packet most Fridays.  A big thank you to Maggie's and Abby's moms, for their labors last week, dismantling homework books into "bite-size" pieces!

Finally, most of the students have sent in their paperwork and "Parent Homework", but if your child's is not complete, please send it ASAP.  In addition, those children who forgot Mystery Bags should bring them on Monday.  We will be looking at 5-6 a day this week.

Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Hello All,

Welcome to 3rd grade!  I've been a teacher for 10 years, and a parent and student for many years before that, but Back-to-school is still an adventure.

The supply list to the right is simply suggested, not required.  Please don't send your child with too many "fun" school supplies, as they usually turn into desk toys, rather than tools. All necessary supplies are provided to students.

I usually post once a week and highly recommend that you set this blog to forward to whatever email you check regularly.  It is also a great habit to have the student check this site on Mondays to verify homework, special projects, etc.  This will prepare your child for the Intermediate grades, as many teachers post homework daily.

I look forward to meeting you all in the coming days, and at our Back-to-School Night.

Yours,
Carroll Mayer