Hi All,

I hope you're having a great weekend!  I am continuing to find this class hardworking and collaborative; it's a pleasure working with them.

Almost everyone returned their homework, and many kids enjoyed their first reading partnership. This is a choice on the homework, but reading daily is not an optional activity. I will be sending home  the Choice Board weekly, and it is due each Friday. Please make returning this page your kid's responsibility, not yours. It's very frustrating to hear kids blame their missing homework on their parents. So, reminding them and having routines is terrific, but it's a kid's job to place the Choice Board in their backpack, hopefully in a Homework Folder.

On another note, Dav Pilkey  ( of Captain Underpants and Dogzilla fame) is coming to our community soon. I've made his name a link to Bookshop's site, so you can get information if you and your child are interested in this event. Dav Pilkey is responsible for growing a lot of book readers and book lovers!

Finally, if you haven't had a chance to sign up for a Parent/Teacher conference in November, please email me and we will find an open time. Many people signed up at Back-to-School Night, so some days are already pretty full!

Have a great week!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

It was terrific to see so many of you at our Back-to-School Night on Thursday!  For those of you unable to attend, information about the year, including field trips, homework, volunteer opportunities, and content was shared. In addition, parents signed up for conferences. I have 9 time slots left, which means there are 8 of you that need to schedule conferences.  I will be contacting you directly, but feel free to contact me. The conference week is November 13-17, and they are scheduled at 20 min. intervals beginning at 12:45 and ending at 2:45. I can also make special arrangements for alternative days and times, and all of the Monday times are booked.

This week kids in Room 9 will begin the homework I explained on Thursday.  They are expected to read every day, and note it on the back of their form. In addition, there are a huge number of activities listed on the Choice Board. Please feel free to modify the list for your child/family if you feel it's appropriate.  I am sending home the math workbook "Home Connections", and kids may work on any pages up to 8.

Take care,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

We had an excellent and exciting 5 day week. Although it was foggy, many kids were able to make the pinhole projectors work with terrific support from wonderful parent volunteers. We also watched a livestream throughout Monday morning.

This week, kids will be taking a district-mandated assessment (MAP). After completing Fact or Fiction poems, we'll begin Writing Workshop. In reading, I am doing minilessons on comprehension strategies and then kids are reading self-selected books. After several lessons using Stanford's youcubed Week of Inspirational math, we've begun the Bridges math curriculum. Our first unit is on multiplication and division. The kids will be learning a variety of strategies to approach number and story problems, with the goal being a deep understanding of number relationships and fluency building.

On Monday, kids will bring home classwork from the past week, as well as any handouts from the office, etc. I try to keep all important papers until the Monday folder, and encourage you to check folders/backpacks on that day. This week I'm  sending the first of 4-5 Scholastic book orders ( for the year). Your book orders are one of the primary ways I fill our classroom library; donations is the other big way. If you wish to purchase books, you may order digitally --or the "classic" way, by filling out the form I'm sending home. Please make any checks out to Scholastic, so that I can just send them on directly. Our class code, for digital orders, is noted on the blog.

This week we will be meeting with our Buddy classroom for the first time. Our class will be working with Mrs. Hegerle's 2nd Graders. Along with reading, our big focus will be reviving the school gàrden, located behind the 3rd Grade portables. The first several weeks will be spent weeding, so kids should wear appropriate clothes, and bring gardening gloves if you feel they're necessary. We will be in the garden on Tuesday afternoons, at 12:45.

I will not be sending home any homework until after our Back-to-School Night, on Thursday, September 7th. At that time I will be explaining the 4th Grade team's expectations, as well as scheduling parent volunteers, and sharing my plans for the coming year. During these weeks, your child should be reading every day after school, at home or in their after school program.

Have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,
Here is the link to some different types of pinhole projectors. They look like fun projects. I've also heard that slotted spoons, colanders, ets, can be used to aid in viewing. We will be making the traditional one with 2 pieces of stiff paper with a pinhole poked in foil taped to one. If your kid makes some other kind of viewer, he or she is welcome to bring it to school to share. I sent home a yellow note on Friday explaining the plans for our class. I am welcoming volunteers, from about 9:45 on, and I'm not sure how long we will be outside. Fog may make it pretty impossible in our area. Please review eye safety with your child, and I will again on Monday.

On another note, we had a great first few days!  The kids worked well together and made some interesting math discoveries using Jo Boaler's WIM. I will not be sending any structured homework forms out next week, but kids should be reading every day after school. Reading to and with family members is fine, as well as independent reading. I don't have a specific time limit, however the more you read, the better you are at reading. Kids also build a huge bank of knowledge from reading!

Most parents have returned the forms sent home Wednesday, but if you haven't, please do so on Monday. The yellow Emergency cards are the most crucial!

Have a great week!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Welcome to 4th Grade!  I am excited to start a new year and have lots of fun ideas to share with you all. I have met many of you over the years, but here's a brief bio. I've taught at Rio del Mar for 14 years, and it's my 4th year in 4th Grade.  I have 2 adult children who attended Rio, and live in the neighborhood with my husband. I love reading, including children's books, and play Bridge weekly (with Mrs. Clouse!) I love beach walks and am very grateful for the amazing summer we just had.
I also traveled to Italy and Kauai this summer.

I usually update the blog weekly, often on Sunday. Please try to check for new information weekly. Parents, if you subscribe to this blog in the space above, you will receive emails when I post. I won't be arranging volunteers until Back-to-School Night, but it'd be great if you submit driver information as we will have field trips in the fall.  If you wish to volunteer regularly, or even drive on a trip, you need to have fingerprints and TB tests on file with the office. This is a great time to get that taken care of.

This first week will be focused primarily on community, although we will be doing some great math activities from Jo Boaler's WIM (Week of Inspirational Math.) Google Youcubed if you want to read about it. The primary homework is assigned to the parents---you know the packet!  Please try to return it this first week, especially the Emergency Card. I'd also like you to email me with your preferred email addresses.

I have a small list of supplies, but provide all materials needed.  Our materials are mostly communal, and I find that many kids are distracted by cool new erasers, sharpeners, notebooks, etc. So I'd prefer you keep those items at home. If you wish to contribute to the class supplies, donations to the group are welcome.  I am also thrilled with gift cards to Amazon, Staples, Palace, and Bookshop Santa Cruz, as I make purchases throughout the year. Checks to our classroom fund are also handy!

Feel free to email with any questions,

Carroll Mayer

Hi Families,

It’s a busy time of year!  This week, the kids are excited to present their Artist Wax Museum on Thursday, June 1, from 10:30-11:30. Students will be practicing their short speeches at school, but please check in with your child at home to be assured that their speech is memorized. In addition, please support your child in putting together a dress-up style costume for the wax museum.

We will also be having our final math test this week, on Friday. The focus is solving story problems using multiplication and division strategies. I will send home some practice problems on Tuesday, but feel free to make up your own.

The AR test deadline is June 1st (not set by me), so encourage your child to finish their books, if possible, and to plan on taking the AR test by that day. Your kids have had several reminders throughout this term, as well as personal check-ins regarding their AR goals.

Permission slips and money are also due for out End-of-the-Year Celebration, and we still need 1-2 more drivers. You may drive if all your volunteer paperwork is in order in the office. Also, make sure that insurance information and CDL are up-to-date.

Finally, it’s been a great pleasure to work with your kids this year. If I don’t see you personally, please know that I have had an interesting and fun year, and have appreciated all the support you have given to your kids, and the greater Rio del Mar Elementary community.

All the best,

Carroll Mayer

HI All,

Thank you so much for all the special gifts and acknowledgements for Teacher's Day and my birthday! It was a fun week, capped off by Mother's Day. I hope you all enjoyed a special time with your family as well.

This week we expect to complete the state testing. Many kids will be done tomorrow, and others will finish up on Wednesday or Thursday.

When we're not testing, the kids have begun a short research project on a famous artist. I'm pretty flexible about their artist choice, and they can research using websites, as well as books I have in the class.  They will be writing a "first person" speech that is 8-10 sentences long, and then saying their speech during a Wax Museum. The speech has to be short, because they will repeat it many times as various students from other classes come to listen to them talk. We will be in the cafeteria on June 1, from 10:30-11:30 if you'd like to attend. As homework, kids need to memorize and practice their speech, think of a beginning pose, and put together a dress-up style costume to represent their artist.

Some kids are also bringing home a note attached to their weekly homework Choice Board notifying you that they have not completed their Social Studies Hyperdoc. Please discuss this with your child, and encourage them to work on this assignment at home. (This work is web-based, so let me know if your child needs hard copies of the work due to technology problems.)

Finally, I am sending home the Geometry test. Kids will have the option of retaking portions of the test if they are unhappy with their outcome. Please be sure to clearly mark those portions that were unsatisfactory and have your child return with the original test. Also, please have your child review the problem areas prior to taking a new test version.  I will only give retakes on parts of the test to kids who have returned their original. We will do the retake next Monday.

Have a great week!
Carroll Mayer