Hi All,

This week the Homework Packet will be smaller than usual, with no spelling words or practice book page. In class, we will be reviewing and assessing some of the Language Arts skills addressed during these first weeks of school.

A permission slip for the next field trip, to the Aptos History Museum, will be coming home this week. Please return it ASAP with a $1.00 donation for the museum.

Finally, if you have not yet signed up for a conference, please email me with preferred days. I have opening on most of the days, with greater space toward the end of the week.

Take care, and have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

First of all, our field trip to the Santa Cruz County Fair was a great success. Thank you to all the parents who were willing to drive and/or chaperon; without these volunteers a trip like this is not possible.

Secondly, thank you to the volunteers that began their scheduled times this past week. While I didn't make it entirely clear, my plan was to start with parent helpers in the class, and most of you made it as scheduled. For the many people sharing time slots, please stay in regular contact with your partner. I've found that people can get out of sync and I have 2 parents one week and no helpers the following week.

The kids are doing much better with the homework; only a couple of children lost play time because of missing assignments. I will keep reminding them that homework is their responsibility to complete and return.

Finally, the Harvest Festival is scheduled for this Friday evening. This event is a great way for the kids and families to hang out. It's an opportunity to celebrate our school and for your child to introduce you to new friends.

Take care, and have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

Hello All,

It was wonderful to meet so many of you on Thursday night and begin connecting children to familiar adult faces. For those of you who were unable to attend on Thursday, or arrange conferences, I will be in touch with times. Thanks, as well, to all my new volunteers. I look forward to working with you.

This week we are back to a regular homework packet: reading log, spelling list and practice book page, and subtraction practice sheet. I have been reminding the kids that this will be the first week of consequences for students that don't have all of their homework in by Friday; they may turn it in early. Any students who fail to turn in the homework will have a "make-up" to do while others in the class have free choice. I expect the kids to be responsible for remembering their assignments and do not accept, "My mom forgot to put my homework in my backpack," as an excuse.

On Thursday, we have our field trip to the SC County Fair. I am still missing permission slips from several children. In addition, many of the drivers have not completed their Volunteer Driver Forms or submitted their insurance and CDL. These forms must be taken care of now. Thanks in advance for your help.

Take care,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you all are enjoying this 3 day weekend, especially with our -- finally-- sunny Monday.

This week's Homework Packet will just contain math practice and a Reading Log; there's no spelling due to the Monday holiday.

Rio del Mar is having Back-to-School Night on Thursday. The primary classes will meet from 6:30 - 7:15. I will be having sign ups for parent volunteers and also for the October Parent/Teacher conferences on that night.

Finally, several students still need to return their permission slips for the SC County Fair field trip. We have enough drivers, but just exactly. If you have volunteered, please make sure your driver information is handed into the office.

Have a nice week, and I'll see you on Thursday night!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

The kids and I settled into a nice routine last week. I was happy to see how well the kids adapted to my expectations!

This week, the final piece of homework will be added to the packet: a spelling list and spelling practice pages. The stapled packet consisting of spelling, a reading log, and math practice pages, is due on Friday. There will be a spelling test on Friday, consisting of the 20 words and 5 sentences on the list. The nightly math homework is due each day and is designed to support content addressed on that day. There is also a small review section each night, but I have been crossing these out because we began with chapters intended for the end of third grade, rather than the beginning. In a week or so, we will begin Chapter 1 in the math curriculum, and the rest of the year will be in sequence.

Students will also be bringing home permission slips for our first field trip: the Santa Cruz County Fair. If you are able to drive and chaperon, please return the forms right away! Insurance forms must also be filed in the office. Thanks in advance for your support with this trip; it really compliments our studies of Charlotte's Web, local history, and plants and animals.

Have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

Hello All,

Whew, we've got the first few days under our belt(s)! I really enjoyed meeting your children and those of you that stopped in to say "hi". Please be patient as it will take me a little time to connect names, faces, and kids with parents. I also want to thank the many people who sent in items from my wish list including many Ticonderoga pencils, dry erase pens, gift cards to Staples and Palace. You can be assured that we will consume all these items and more this year!

Hopefully, your children came home from school this week comfortable and confident that Third Grade will be just fine. Many of our activities last week were about getting to know each other and establishing the classroom behaviors. However, we did jump right into math! Next week, in addition to the nightly math homework, there will be a reading log and page of subtraction facts to practice. (The AR level on the Reading Log will be explained at Back-to-School Night.) This homework is due on Friday. There is also a Mystery Bag assignment due on Wednesday. Finally, if you haven't sent in the office Information Card and the signed Computer Use Agreement, please do so.

And just a reminder that this Wednesday is not restructured...

Finally, please feel free to email me with any questions. I check my PVUSD email daily, but not throughout the day. If you have an urgent message, please phone the office, and they will relay the message, or send a note.

Take care, and have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to Third Grade! We are going to have a great year.

A short supply list is posted. Please don't send pencil boxes, as they take up a great deal of space and are underused by the kids. I will have communal boxes with markers, colored pencils, and other supplies, which we will pull out as needed.

In addition, if you have copies of Charlotte's Web, please bring them as we will start reading this wonderful book right away.

We are also going to hit the ground running with math homework on Wednesday night. In addition there will be a Mystery Bag assignment that will be due on Wednesday, August 24th.

I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday morning at 7:55. Have a great weekend!

Ms. Mayer