Sunday, January 31, 2016

Hi All,

Yay!  We have another "normal" week, but with a 3 day weekend to look forward to at the end!

This week we will be continuing with angles in Geometry. We are still reading By the Great Horn Spoon in RTI, and kids are also responsible for reading their own "on level" books. I gave them AR goals at the beginning of the trimester, and the kids should be quite able to show you their progress toward goal. I specified that I wanted them to try for 10%  nonfiction, which is noted at the bottom of the page when they go to the "progress" tab. The trimester ends on March 2nd. This week's homework packet has Social Studies review on the back, as we have completed Chapter 4 about Mexican rule of California. We will have a test on this material on Friday. It will be "open notes", using notes made in class, but not "open book." We are also beginning a science unit on ecosystems, as well as working on a persuasive writing assignment about ocean health!

Room parents are planning a low key party for Valentine's Day.  Kids are welcome to bring valentines  for classmates, but need to include all 34 members of the class. We also have a field trip to Mission San Juan Bautista scheduled for Friday, February 19th.

Have a great week!
Carroll Mayer

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Hi All,

We are finally having a full (normal!) five day week. I'll be sending home a homework packet on Monday, and it'll be due on Friday. Geometry homework will go home on Tuesday and Wednesday, and be due the following days.  

We are loving By the Great Horn Spoon, and I encourage you and your child to revisit it by reading the book or enjoying the audio tape, which is posted on Mr. McMillan's blog. The kids should know how to access it. In Social Studies, we are reading the last chapter about the transitional period from Spanish rule of California to Mexican rule. There will be an assessment during the first week of February (more info. next week.). The kids are loving the Geometry unit in math, and are learning lots of new terms.

Finally, a huge thank you to all the parents who drove/chaperoned the field trip. The kids had a terrific hand-on lab, and also began gathering some background information for our next writing project: a persuasive letter about the need to protect our oceans!

Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Monday, January 18, 2016

Hi All,

This will be a fast week!

Our field trip to the aquarium is this Wednesday. I'm still missing 5 permission slips, so if your child hasn't returned theirs, please make sure it's in on Tuesday. We will be leaving at 8 on Wednesday and returning after the 12:20 buses, so please coordinate a ride if you're unable to collect your child at 1PM Wednesday.

This week's homework consists of the packet sent home last week, as well as math homework Tuesday night. There will not be math homework on Wednesday as we will be on the trip all day.

Thanks in advance to all that are able to drive/chaperone our trip. It should be both fun and educational!

Regards,
Carroll Mayer

Monday, January 11, 2016

HI All,

Welcome back! I trust you all had a fun, stimulating vacation!

Hopefully, most of you received the email regarding our field trip on Wednesday, January 20.  We will be going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We will leave first thing in the morning, about 8AM. We will not return to school until approximately 1PM. Unfortunately, it's a Restructured Day, so students will be missing the bus. Please make arrangements for your child's transportation, and send a note if they will be riding home, or to an after school program, with another parent. Currently, I have these volunteers: Skyla (5), Michelle (3), Julie (5), Heidi (3), Dawn (5), and Lori (5). As you can see, that's enough seats for 26 kids and we have 34 students, so we need a few more drivers.

This week we are beginning some interesting and fun material!  First of all, the class will be reading By the Great Horn Spoon, which is a terrific historic novel set during the Gold Rush. The audiobook is linked on Mr. McMillan's website, and many kids enjoy rereading (or relistening) to the chapters after school.  In addition, we are beginning a short math unit on Geometry.  While we will review the plane figures and terminology, the big focus of the unit is angles.  We will be using a protractor in class, as well as a ruler, and it will benefit your child to have their own tools for homework. I will make copies of a protractor for kids to take home, but a real one is much better!

In Social Studies, we will be advancing through California history, and learning about the rancho era, and other events leading to the Gold Rush and California statehood. We will not be doing a big report on a California mission, although any students interested in the topic may work on a model or presentation for the class. We will be going on a field trip to Mission San Juan Bautista in the middle of February.

Finally, this week's Homework Packet will be for the next 2 weeks.  The spelling words and homework questions will not be due until Friday, January 22.

Take care,
Carroll Mayer