Hello All,
I hope you had a family-filled-- and refreshing --Thanksgiving.  This week the class returns to "business as usual", with a regular homework packet and nightly math homework.  We have a longer than usual gap between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, and it's going to be a challenge to sustain the focus and energy through this busy month.  Please make sure your child maintains his/her work quality.

In math, we are moving on to a unit entitled "Measurement and Geometry".  We will revisit multiplication later this year, and I will continue sending home practice sheets in the packet, and giving timed tests every 2-3 weeks.  Please make multiplication practice a regular part of your child's study routine, using whatever format seems most productive for your kid and family.

Remember to send in report card envelopes this week; we reuse them for the entire year.

Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,
Happy Thanksgiving!  We will have just two days of school this week.  As your child should know, the homework packet sent home last Tuesday is due this Tuesday, with all days filled in the Reading Log.  We will have the spelling test on Tuesday.

We wrapped up Unit 3 in math (multiplication) and will be moving on to a new unit on measurement. Before we begin this new unit, I will be working with the kids on some special math problems called MARS tasks. These involve applying the mathematical concepts in bigger, more real-life situations.  Because of this, there will be no math homework on Monday.

Finally, report cards will be sent home on Tuesday. The kids will be instructed to save the report cards for home, and told that they are personal family business. There is no benefit to kids comparing them. When viewing the report card, please work with your child at setting realistic goals for the next term, based on the strengths and weaknesses reported.

Have a wonderful holiday,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Thanks to all that helped with the Halloween party, most especially Ruth DeLuca, our extraordinary Room Parent!  The kids had a great time!

This week the students will have a challenging spelling list that focuses on 3 letter clusters and unexpected spelling patterns( like -tch, spr-, wr- and gn-.)  Please be sure your child gives him or herself enough time to practice these words.  The weekly math practice will now shift from subtraction practice to multiplication practice, which we will continue throughout the year. We will have a test on Ch. 6 in math on Tuesday, addressing the concept of multiplication, and the application of multiplication facts from 0-5, and 9. This test is not timed, and facts need not be memorized for students to perform well.

However, it's the goal for third graders to memorize their multiplication facts, so this week we will begin timed tests on the facts from 0-4.  The kids will be given a lot of time, and students will raise their hands to indicate when they have completed the test.  Your child will then note how long it took to complete the test. The goal is to get faster and faster (with accuracy!)  If your child is struggling with multiplication facts, please support them with additional practice using flash cards, web-based drills, videos, or oral practice (in the car, while waiting in line, etc.)

Finally, please remember that RTI (Reading Groups) start promptly at 7:55.  Tardy students miss out on reading instruction that is targeted to their specific reading needs.  Please get kids to school on time -- or early!

Take care,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,
It was a pleasure to meet with you last week and discuss your wonderful kids.  I hope the meetings were informative for you all.

This week, the Kindergarten through Third Grade will begin Choir as our  Parent Alliance sponsored art program.  We look forward to having the class weekly throughout the year.

The Harvest Festival is scheduled for this Friday. For those of you that are new to the school, this is a fun, family event that our kids look forward to every year.

This week's homework will consist of a spelling packet, reading log, and math practice sheets.  Please continue supporting your child with the organizational structures they need to do this work well.

Finally, our field trip to the SC Natural History Museum is a week from Friday.  If your child has not returned their permission slip, please send it in.  If it has been misplace, let me know.

Thanks for all you do,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,
This week is Conference Week.  You should have received a confirmation from me as to the time and date of your conference via "kid mail" or, in some cases, phone or email.  If there is an issue about the schedule, please contact me immediately, as I still have a few free times. Because of conferences, the kids will be dismissed at 12:20 every day, and there is no Afterschool Program.

For this week's Homework Packet, I have included a study guide on government instead of the usual spelling words.  The kids should review this information for a test scheduled on Friday.  In math, we are moving on from addition to subtraction (including regrouping--"borrowing").  Many kids struggle with this concept and may need additional supervision and support when completing their math homework. Please scan your child's nightly math homework to be sure they are practicing this concept correctly, as it will be frustrating for all if they practice misconceptions.

Have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

Hello All,
This week the kids will return to our "normal" Homework Packet format.  The spelling words for the week focus on the long vowel sounds, spelled with the "bossy e".  For most students this is a review of a concept from previous years, but this is an essential idea for fluent reading, as well as conventional spelling. Throughout the year, the various spelling concepts are valuable because they review phonics concepts that support reading (decoding), as well as strong spelling. Math will continue with review of Addition Properties and practice.

Thanks to all who returned the permission slip for the Natural History Museum with such swiftness.  I have enough drivers for this trip, but still need some students' permission slips.  Be sure that your child has returned theirs, along with the $1.00 donation for the museum.

Finally, Conference Week begins a week from Monday. If you haven't yet scheduled your child's conference, I will send you a time.  Please remember that there is no Afterschool Program that week, and that the kids are dismissed at 12:20 every day.


Take care,
Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you are enjoying our beautiful first weekend of autumn!  On Friday, the class (and much of the school) had the wonderful opportunity to see the space shuttle flying past our community.  Hopefully, this will be something the kids remember as we move into the next generation of space exploration.  Third grade will be learning about the solar system later this year in science.  In addition, on Thursday, we had a drum/dance assembly presented by a couple from Zimbabwe.  The assembly was sponsored by the Cox family.  I feel so fortunate to be a part of a school that seizes on teachable moments when they present themselves; it makes our world so much richer.  On that note, we will be going on our second field trip in October, to the Santa Cruz Natural History Museum.  Permission slips and chaperon forms will be coming home this week.

The Homework Packets this week  are slightly different.  There is no spelling list.  Instead, we are asking that the kids memorize and prepare to recite two poems (out of 3 sent home.)  Encourage your child to practice the poems out loud, using a slow, clear voice.  In addition, they should focus on good posture and eye contact.  We will be discussing these skills in class, but they will need time to review them, as well as memorize the poems.  The rest of the packet is the usual (reading log, math facts.) Finally, please take the time to glance over your child's homework, even if they attend the Afterschool Program.  It is essential that you hold your child accountable for quality homework. The supervisors after school see that it is done, but do not check the work's quality.  You do not need to check each math problem, but do scan your kid's work for completeness and general accuracy.

Thanks for all your support,
Carroll Mayer