Hi All,

I hope you have enjoyed this chilly weekend. This week, we will be gearing up for the break. We are concluding our third theme in Language Arts, and taking a Math Benchmark. I will also have students reassess on the AR STAR, so some kids may have new reading levels for their independent reading during the break and new year. We will not have a Homework packet this week, and math homework will be sent home on Monday and Tuesday only. Please send back permission slips for our January field trip to the Natural History Museum, as well as the $2.00 contribution for the museum.

This Wednesday is not a Restructured Day. We will have our Pajama Day on Wednesday, and students should also bring books for the Room 24 Book Swap (up to 5 books).

Our class party is scheduled for Friday, at 12:15. If you did not receive an email with information about the party, please contact me and I will forward it to you.

Finally, please know how much I am enjoying your kids this year. I am finding this class to be a kind and thoughtful bunch, and I really appreciate their great spirits.

If I don't have a chance to check in with you before break, have a wonderful holiday, and I will see you in the new year!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you enjoyed our unexpected "snow day" on Friday.

Students should turn in Friday's homework, and be ready for the spelling test on Monday. A new spelling packet will go home on Monday, as usual, and is due on Friday. We will also have a multiplication test this Friday, focusing on the facts for 0-4.

This week, all of Rio del Mar looks forward to the choir concert on Wednesday at Aptos High. The performance schedule is staggered, due to space. Please plan on arriving 15 minutes before your child's performance time. The second and third grade are scheduled at 6:00. The kids have been practicing weekly and are very excited about the show.

Permission slips for our field trip to the Natural History Museum in Seabright are going home on Monday. The trip is scheduled for January, but I'd like all permission slips and money before the winter break. Also, if you volunteer to drive, be sure to note the date in your 2012 calendar! (It's so easy to lose track of events scheduled after the new year.)

Finally, Room 24 will be having a winter "book swap" on Wednesday, December 14th. Kids may bring up to 5 books to exchange with their classmates. Everyone will get to take home the number of books they bring in, but all kids will get to choose at least one book.

Have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

Hello All,

There will not be a homework packet this week. There will be math homework on Monday. On Tuesday, we will be having a short test on the Ohlone Indians; last Thursday students brought home a brown folder with information and notes from this unit. The kids should be familiar with what the Ohlone ate and how they got it, the materials their homes were made of, and how they used baskets.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful week.

Carroll Mayer

HI All,

Report cards will go home on Monday, November 14th. I have given the kids goals for their AR Reading this trimester, and many of them are also reading at a new level. Their current grade equivalent in AR is noted on the report card, and they should be reading books at about that level. It is easy to check book levels on the AR Book Finder, which is on the Rio del Mar website.

They will have a homework packet this week, but not the week of Thanksgiving. Although we are now focused on Geometry and Measurement in math, students should continue regular practice of multiplication facts. I will be giving occasional timed tests, and will have the kids note their time on the test. My habit is to give everyone the same test, and a lot of time. Kids work to improve their own personal time. Those kids that memorize their multiplication facts this year will be very glad as they move into the intermediate grades and use their skills in more complex applications.

On Tuesday, the kids' groups will be doing brief presentations on the Ohlone Indians. After the presentations, they will be bringing home short notes to study for a small quiz on Thursday. Please encourage your child to review their notes.

Take care, and have a good week,

Carroll Mayer

Hello All,

While it seems ages ago, thank you all for the contributions of time and energy to make the Halloween party a success. The pumpkins were adorable, and the kids had a great time. The food was delicious too. Thanks, especially, to Christa for organizing it!

I hope everyone is having fun with the landform projects, which are due on Tuesday. I look forward to seeing a variety of terrain, as well as materials. The kids will get to see the landforms in the other classes, and then they will bring them home on Tuesday afternoon. (There is not enough room to display them in the class for any length of time.)

This past Friday, I sent the kids with this week's Homework Packet, as Friday is Veteran's Day.

The homework will be due on Thursday, and that is when we will have the spelling test. In Math, we will be wrapping up the study of the concept of multiplication this week. (We will come back to it later when they learn multiplication with regrouping.) We will also continue regular practice, homework, and occasional timed tests to develop automaticity with multiplication facts.

Report cards for the first trimester will come home next Monday, 11/14. This week is the beginning of the second trimester. I will be giving all the kids point goals for their AR Reading this term, so that they can have a target to work toward. The goal varies according to the current Independent Reading Level of the student. The kids may take AR tests on their Lit. Circle reading, Read-Alouds I do in class, the books they note on their Reading Log, and any other reading they do throughout the week. Many of the kids did a great job with AR this past trimester, but others will need some pushing to follow through with the tests when they complete a book.

Finally, just a brief reminder about Lit. Circles. I am giving the kids about 2 hours spread throughout the week to work on their assignments, including the reading and the jobs. For most of the kids, the time has been sufficient to complete their responsibilities. A few kids each week have needed extra time, and know they are expected to take home their Lit. Circle assignment on Friday, and complete them by Tuesday morning. (I do a "check in" with each kid to remind them of this.) In January, the entire Lit. Circle assignment will become homework, and it's my expectation that the kids will be able to complete this homework very independently. In class, they are doing great work with minimal support!

Have a nice week,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you have enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. As I mentioned in my email, there will be no Homework Packet this week. In addition, we will take Monday night off from math homework, but will continue with multiplication concepts this week. A few students needed to work on Lit. Circles this weekend, but the majority of the class appears ready for the first Lit. Circle meeting on Tuesday morning. Finally, students brought home a handout explaining the landforms project, which is due in about a week.

Have a Happy Halloween, but please keep the candy at home!

Carroll

HI All,

Tomorrow (Monday) is our field trip to Aptos History Museum. We will leave school at 10 AM and return at 11:30 (before lunch.) John Hibble will talk to the kids about local history, including the Ohlone people and Klaus Spreckels. Also on Monday, all 3rd graders will be gifted with a dictionary by the Rotary Club.

This week, we will continue with the concept of multiplication in math, and students should also be memorizing these facts. The spelling concept this week is "long i".

Have a great week,

Carroll Mayer