Hi All,

I hope you enjoyed a lovely 3 day weekend in celebration of Abraham Lincoln. Next week, we will have a holiday recognizing all the presidents!

This week, we will begin a new genre in our reading class: biography!  The kids are excited to begin this unit, and have many favorite people they are looking forward to reading about. There will not be a presentation like they had last year, although they will have an opportunity to share some knowledge with classmates and me at the end of the unit. No additional homework will be given, although you may notice a shift in your child's at-home reading, from mystery to biography!

We are also moving into a new unit in Social Studies; we will be learning about the mission period in California, and the conditions that preceded and followed this time. The kids have a hyperdoc in the Google classroom, and will also be reading Studies Weekly and the Reflections text in order to gain more information on this period. Finally, we will be visiting one of the missions on March 1st!

This week in math we will continue learning strategies for comparing fractions with different denominators, not limited to the common denominator technique that we all learned as kids. We will be doing Lesson 13-16 in Engage NY Module 5.

This Thursday is Valentine's Day. We will not be having a giant party, but there will be time for kids to exchange Valentine cards if they want. Please make sure your child has enough Valentines for the entire class if they choose to bring cards. There are 25 kids, and I sent home an email last week with the list of names attached. Please let me know if you did not receive the email.

Lastly, we have the Math Festival coming up a week from today (February 19th.) If you would like to help, please contact Mrs. Davis. I know they are still looking for helpers, and no math expertise is required!  The parent volunteers always enjoy the experience.

Have a great week!

Carroll Mayer

Dear Parents,

We have 3 field trips coming up in March, and we need help!  Please see dates and times below.
Email ASAP if you are able to help (must have TB tests and fingerprints on file at Rio.)

March 1st--Mission San Juan Bautista--9AM-1PM--drivers/chaperons
March 8th--Cabrillo College--10-12PM--bus/ 1-2 chaperons
March 14th--SC Symphony--10-12PM--3 chaperons/ 6 drivers

Updates for math are on the blog. The 4th Grade is working on fractions right now, so you are seeing lots of partially completed pages applying various fraction strategies coming home. For extra practice, kids should finish up the pages coming home, or may print out additional homework pages from the link on the blog (Module 5). My expectation is that kids are completing the front of the page, so if your child has only done a part of that side, please hold them accountable. In addition, kids can access Khan Mappers from the Rio del Mar website, and Moby Max.

Thanks for all you do!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Welcome back to school! I know you are all as eager to get back as I am. I imagine there are some mixed feelings; we are all happy to reconnect with friends and new learning, but sad to leave that vacation leisure behind.

We are beginning lots of new units: Mystery Reading, Opinion Writing, and Fractions. I am thrilled about each of these topics! Many--but not all-- of you picked out mystery novels, and the rest will select mysteries to read on Tuesday. In this unit we will be learning about the strategies strong readers use when they read books in this genre. During our writing time we will be discussing opinions, and then building a writing project based on our own individual opinions on various topics. Finally, we will be working on a long fraction unit using Engage New York curriculum. I encourage you to turn to the "Duane" links on YouTube for extra practice, and to print out the homework pages for additional practice 1-2 days a week. You are not required to turn this in, and may choose to practice your fraction skills in other ways, such as Khan Mappers, Moby Max, cooking, construction projects.

From Mrs. Davis:

Rio del Mar Math Festival - Parent Volunteers Needed! 

Tuesday, February 19th

Two possible volunteer sessions: 

First Session: 7:55 - 10:35   

Second Session: 11:35  - 2:10 

Volunteers will be assisting with classes, grade K-6th, as they filter through the MPR to explore math activities and games. 

You do not need to teach any math or know the skills, you will be more of a facilitator at a center - cleaning up materials between each class, helping younger students read the directions, etc.  

If you are interested and can commit to one of the sessions, please emailalyssa_davis@pvusd.net.  

Have a great week, as we ease back in from a fun 3 weeks!

Carroll Mayer

Hi Room 9 Families,

Have a wonderful Winter Break! 

Today, our class enjoyed such a fun party. A huge thanks to our wonderful Room Parents, Jeanie and Tarah. In addition, thank you to all the able assistants who stopped in and manned the stations: Kristi, Lisa, Leilani, and Natalie. The kids had so much fun making slime, playing a candy cane "Minute to Win It" game, crafting snowmen, building marshmallow structures, and putting together beads. They also had delicious, personally assembled trail mix. Thanks to all who helped make the party possible!

At the party, I was gifted with a fun card signed by the entire class, and a gift certificate to one of my favorite places: Aptos St. BBQ. Thank you so much! I love eating there, and hanging out listening to the music. If you haven't made it over there, I highly recommend it!

Finally, this is such a great time to reconnect with family and friends, and also have some unstructured time. However, if you'd like your child to keep up his/her academic skills, or if the time just starts to feel too unstructured, I recommend reading, board games, Khan Mappers, and science projects (for all, but especially for those who have signed up for the Science Fair.)

Have a peaceful, loving finish to 2018, and a wonderful kick-off to 2019. I'll see you in the new year.

Love,

Carroll Mayer

Hi Parents!

I know it's a busy time of year, but the Room Parents asked me to forward this link so more people could participate and support our class party on the last day before Winter Break.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c49aead22abfc1-4thgrade1

Also, please return permission slips for the mission field trip, and for the science fair.

Thanks,
Carroll Mayer

Hi Parents,

We are in the countdown until Winter Break! That means kids are having late nights, special activities, and sweets abound. We will do our best here at school to keep things calm, and I trust you will at home.  That being said, the kids have earned their Board Game party (for good behavior.) On Friday, kids may bring board games to play and share with classmates on Friday afternoon. I will provide the popcorn!

During the next week+, we will be wrapping up our reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins, our research on California Indians, and our writing about expert topics. We are also going to complete our math unit Module 1 (adding & subtracting, rounding, and comparing numbers into the millions.) There will be an assessment this Thursday on rounding and comparing big numbers. It is based on work we have done in Lessons 1-9. We are also having weekly quizzes, so you have a chance to assess how well your child is understanding the current math content. Links to Engage NY homework, and "Duane" on YouTube are on the blog.

Today (Tuesday) I am sending home Science Fair information with the kids who have requested it. This is an optional activity, but you need to review the paperwork and return the permission slip before we go off to break. The bulk of the Science Fair project should be done over the Winter Break. Last year,  many 4th Graders participated, and several placed in the top 10 for our school and were able to go on to the county Science and Engineering Fair. If your child does not bring home the paperwork,  and this is something you wish to do with him/her, send me an email note.

Kids brought home permission slips for our field trip to Mission San Juan Bautista yesterday. While the trip is not until March 1st!, the district is now requiring us to submit a lot of information 40 days prior to the scheduled date, and we didn't want to be in a panic in mid-January. Please return the permission (and $2) before break.

Finally, we are collecting donations for Second Harvest. On Wednesday, we will be sticking Ms. Green to the wall (Stick it to Hunger), and any money or canned food donations are eagerly accepted.

Have a wonderful, festive week,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Just a quick message...

You will see your child bringing home many Engage New York math pages that are partially completed. We are doing a lot of additional work in class, on white boards and in math note books. Generally, I expect kids to complete at least one side of the paper, but many get started on the back. The back side of the math page is terrific additional practice, and a great way for your child to share their math knowledge with you. I've also linked Duane's YouTube lessons on the blog, if you or your child need some extra support.  He doesn't go over everything, but does address each day's big ideas. Finally, some children may bring home pages with a  "Finish at home" note. This means that I felt that your child was not productive enough in class, and needs some additional time with the content. Please supervise this "Finish Work." You do not need to send it back, but if you or your kid have questions,  feel free to send it with a note.

Best,

Carroll Mayer