Hi All,

It's that time again!  Fourth Graders will be starting state testing on Monday, April 29th. Please make sure your child comes to school ready to focus and show all that he/she knows! (That means they've had a good night's sleep, a healthy breakfast, and arrive on time.) Kids will be spending a couple of hours per day on the tests, and they are very challenging for most. The rest of the day will be following a typical routine, and our testing schedule has been built so that kids will still participate in PE and Art.

This week we began a Mystery Science unit entitled: The Birth of Rocks. The first lesson was about volcanoes, and I posted a student link on the Google classroom for those kids who missed it or would like to review it. We are almost done with our Geometry unit, and have 2 more chapters in our class read aloud, By the Great Horn Spoon. We began a new hyperdoc in California history, on the period between the missions and California statehood. Kids are also beginning to think about their California research reports, which will be our final writing unit. In reading, kids have been researching various alternative energy forms. We should wrap up this unit in the next week or so, and will then have a round of Historical Fiction Book Clubs. It's a busy, but fun, time of year. The kids are full of energy and excitement, but they also know a lot about how students work!

Have a great weekend!

Hi Parents,

It’s exciting to be contemplating Spring Break, but we are still working hard!

This week, our class will continue working on poetry during writing time. We are using templates to experiment with different forms of poetry. After that, we will type up our favorites. In reading, our focus is reading informational text, and we will soon be researching various renewable sources of energy, as well as fossil fuels.

We will be taking a short math test on Friday on fractions. There is a “study guide” attached to the homework, describing the sorts of problems kids will have on the test. We will also be practicing in class. When we return from break, we will make the shift into Geometry.

I have signed the class up for a Moby Max contest. It lasts 2 weeks: this week and Spring Break week. The top 3 point-earning classes at Rio del Mar get a prize. Kids can work on any area of Moby Max, but I recommend Math, Language, and Reading.

We are still working on the Social Studies hyperdoc about California explorers! My goal is to wrap up Lesson 2 this week, so that the class can work together on Lessons 3 and 4. Kids will also be eager to get to work on the Google My Map activity on the California missions. If your child is feeling behind, encourage them to put some time into this. They are always welcome to bring home the Reflections textbook.

Finally, I am attaching a letter from Mrs. Green with an opportunity for 4th Graders.

Hi Fourth Grade Families,

As you know April 19th is an professional development day for teachers and a no school day for students. Many PVUSD teachers will be here at Rio del Mar deepening their Reader's and Writer's Workshop practices. We are hoping to have 4th graders come out once again in order to support our teachers in learning. If your child is available from 10:30-12:00 on Friday, April 19th please let me or your classroom teacher know and we will add them to our student list.

Thanks,

Meghan

Have a great week!

Carroll

One last thing for our 4th Graders. Spring Break would be a great time to use this!

National Park Pass

Hi All,
Sorry to be late on this post! These have been busy days.

Tomorrow we are off to our third field trip in 3 weeks!  The kids are excited to see the SC Symphony, especially after having such a great presentation last week from a couple of representatives.

In reading, we are working on a short “Theme Bootcamp”. Kids are practicing finding theme in short stories, and supporting the themes they find with evidence. They should also be applying their ideas to longer books. In addition, we started a new unit in writing: poetry. The kids are learning attributes of poems, and will have some time to write several different forms during class.

We are still hard at work studying fractions, but will wrap up this content in the next couple of weeks. After Fractions, we will focus on Geometry. Kids were told this week that they should work on the hyperdoc in Social Studies at home, if they haven’t gotten through the Lesson 1 activities. Access is through the Google classroom.

Report cards go home this Friday. As always, this is a good time to reflect and set goals with your child. This class is a bright, fun, and kind-hearted group, so their report cards were a pleasure to write!

Finally, raffle tickets to sell are coming home on Monday. This is a great way for people unable to attend the auction to still give support—and get in on the fun! Be on the lookout for the tickets.

Have a good read of your week!

Carroll Mayer

Hi Parents,

WE are entering that time of year where things start to feel very busy!

This week the Fourth Grade will be attending a presentation about the symphony, put on by representatives of the organization. We attend the symphony in 2 weeks! We are also heading off to the mission on our field trip this Friday. Please be sure to send your child with lunch, including a drink. They should also wear comfortable clothes for walking around the grounds, regardless of weather. They may not bring money, and should NOT plan on going into the shop or buying anything.  

We have also been doing district-mandated benchmarks over the last 2 weeks-- reading, writing, and math. (Your child may have mentioned long sessions on technology, reading and writing.)  Some kids also took the NAEP this week, if they were absent during the first test session.

In class, kids are wrapping up their Opinion Writing. We are also completing our Biography unit in reading. We are still in the midst of the fraction unit in math, but will have a mid-module assessment early next week. We are working on lessons 19-21 in Engage NY Module 5 this week, but are missing some math times due to the benchmark and field trip. In Social Studies, we are using a hyperdoc to learn about exploration of California by Europeans, and then move into the mission period. I will be revising the hyperdoc due date, if you or your child are concerned that it is due this week!

I sent home a book order last week, so if you'd like to buy some books please order by Wednesday. Thank you to all who have helped fill Room 9 with books through your purchases!

Finally, the auction is coming up for parents. Please consider attending, as it is a fun way to make connections with other parents and an important part of fundraising efforts at Rio. If you are unable to attend, there are other ways to support Rio.

Here is a message from Tarah, one of our Room Parents, about how you can help!

“We are putting together a basket for the school auction. Our basket theme is board games. We would love to have a collection of games to gather into a big item for families to bid on at our auction. Please consider donating a game or money towards the auction basket. If you have questions or suggestions please contact Tarah at         (831) 246-2441 or Tarah.snow@gmail.com”

As I mentioned, it's a busy time of year! One of the things that has helped Rio become such a great school is the ongoing support of the parents and families that make up our community. 

Have a great week! 

Carroll

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