Hi Parents and Kids,

This is the homework that kids will need to work on next week. (Sorry it looks weird.) I will send home hard copies on Tuesday, but it's a short week, with lots to do, so here you go!

Have a great 3 day weekend!

Carroll Mayer

Special Homework for May 29th- June 1st

• Practice Wax Museum speech.
• Plan Wax Museum costume and bring to
• school on Thursday, May 31st.
• Read and finish books and take AR tests by
• Monday, June 4th.
• Practice for Friday’s Math Test-- Unit 6

Practice Problems for Math Test

1. Six friends are going to Lake Tahoe.
2. The trip will cost $150.
3. How much does each person pay?
4. Show your work.

1. The friends stop at Safeway to buy snacks to share.
2. They cost $16.50. How much does each person pay?  
3. Show your work.
4. How did you handle the remainder?

1. Mrs. Green is ordering books for next year.
2. She needs 200 planners for the 5th and 6th classes.
3. She has found 3 half-boxes of 12 in the stockroom.
4. If she orders 6 more cases of 24 planners,
5. will she have enough? Show your work.

1. The area of the Mr. Kyle’s  rectangular garden is 2286 square feet.
2. If one dimension is 9 feet, how long is the other dimension?
3. Use sketches and equations to solve this problem. Show all your work.

1. Fourth graders are measuring the length of their long jumps.
2. Make a list of the distance they jump. (You can make these up.)
3. Draw a line plot using the information you have.

Additional practice problems can be found on pages 125-127,
and 129-130 of your Home Connections math workbook.

Hi All,


Phew!  What a week!!  I enjoyed seeing all of you on Thursday; Open House is always a fun and festive celebration of the year's learning.

Thanks again for my Hideout birthday gift card. I had a great time using it with a good friend!

While I am have most of the permission slips, I think I am still a bit short on drivers for our End of the Year Party.  As I don't know car capacity, I have assigned 3 kids to a car unless notified otherwise.

1. Carole-Anne-3
2. Julie C.-3
3. Liz R.-5
4. Sean P.-3
5. Phil G.-3
6. Tina H.-3
7. Aga V.-7
8. Chris K.-3

*Please let me know if you can take more than 3 kids. 

This week, the kids have one more district-mandated test: the ELA MAP test.  Next week we will have a small math test. Kids should know how/when to use multiplication and division to solve story problems.

We are also working on our final project; the Famous Artist Wax Museum. The kids have all selected artists (many of them pop musicians).  They are researching and writing a short first person statement about the life of the artist. Kids will bring it home to memorize as they complete the work this week, and the Wax Museum will be held in the Cafeteria on Thursday, May 31st in the morning (9:15-10:20). Parents are welcome to stop in and listen to the kids. The homework component of this project is:

1. Memorize the speech.
2. Put together a "dress-up" style costume.

We are also reading our final novel, Esperanza Rising.  If your child is absent, they should read 10-20 pages of the novel, or listen to the audiobook linked on Mr. McMillan's blog. You may also email me about the pages read. In Social Studies, the class is working on a hyperdoc about California's "Path to Statehood." 

Have a great week!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Thanks for all the Teacher appreciating!  I’ve enjoyed the flowers, cards, and treats. I really love all the thoughtful notes from the kids. Also, the $50 gift card to Bookshop Santa Cruz is a great treat. As the kids know, I love books and reading!

Thanks for all your kind words and actions,

Carroll

Hi Parents,

A few reminders...

Kids should have a solid plan for their California project. In class, we are finishing up the writing and research; project is home work.

Jogging for the Arts is this Friday. Kids love this activity, and it's a festive way to support our school.

Open House is Thursday, May 17th. Please plan on attending. Information about dinner option is coming home today.

Today, be on the look out for a permission slip for our End of the Year Party!  We will be going to the Green Valley Cinema, and taking our own DVD with us.  This means that the entire 4th Grade can vote on a movie. The cost per student will be $7.00, and will include a Kid's Treat.  Each class will get 3 free chaperones, additional ones will cost $3.00.  So, if you'd like to go, let us know right away!  The first 3 responders will get the free admission. For those of you unable to attend, we are taking donations to offset the $3.00 per adult charge.

Finally, thank you so much for the beautiful flowers. I feel very appreciated! 

Have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

HI All,

We have another busy week ahead!

First of all, this is our final week of RTI.  After Thursday, all reading instruction will be done in homeroom. During this last week, we are learning about writer's point of view; not simply first vs. third person, but the way an author's perspective shapes their telling of a story. We have been reading about Christopher Columbus from a couple of different perspectives including: a Newsela translation of a Columbus letter and Encounter (an historical fiction version of the meeting between Columbus and a Taino tribe).

In math, we are nearing the end of our Geometry unit. We will review concepts by Friday, and have the Geometry test on Tuesday. Kids have learned how to measure and draw angles, the names of different angle sizes, names of polygons, and how to calculate area and perimeter.  It's a lot of information, and there are many, many terms to keep track of. Encourage your child to review early by doing the Chapter 5 homework pages in the workbook and/or Moby Max lessons.

We are also working hard on our California Research Report. Your child should be able to name their topic, and give you some interesting facts about the topic. They should also be able to name their sections, and give you an idea of what they are--or will be--about.

In addition, on Tuesday we have a presentation on Fire Safety from a representative of Aptos Fire District. Expect your child to come home with ideas and questions on that day!

Finally, a heads up that state testing (SBAC) begins next Monday. Please avoid absences, especially from 8-10:20, as that is when the bulk of testing will take place. Those kids who miss class will need to do makeups, and that may happen in the afternoon when kids are not as fresh or productive.

Thanks for all your support!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Happy spring!

We are entering our final week of Biography in RTI. When we return from Spring Break, we will have a brief 2 week Unit focused on Point of View and Author’s Purpose. After that, RTI will end, and reading instruction will be done in home room. We will be doing historical fiction book clubs, and using Esperanza Rising as our mentor text. Right now, the class is loving The Wild Robot Escapes as a Read Aloud. In math, we are focused on Geometry, and are also reviewing multiplication strategies. We are wrapping up our Social Studies chapter on the Missions, Pueblos, and Presidios, and the Hyperdocs have been homework for a couple weeks. Children have begun research for their California Report, which will be done in class over the next several weeks. If you haven’t heard, ask your child what topic they’ve selected!

While the rains have been welcome these past few weeks, the combination of spring fever and rainy day recess (inside) has pushed problem student behavior over the edge. Please remind your child of your expectations regarding behavior. One problem that has been coming up a lot is teasing. Please remind your child to be respectful to their classmates, and to be aware of others’ feelings. I am seeing hurt feelings escalate into other inappropriate behaviors, especially when the kids feel unheard by their peers.  On that note, this Thursday afternoon we will be having “The Big Spin” awards assembly that recognizes students with exemplary effort and behavior in Reading, PE, Citizenship, and Overall Academics. All kids with no pink slips are included in the Spin part of the assembly.

Finally, on Monday I am sending home the corrected Unit 4 Math Tests. For those interested in improving their results, there is a “Revise, Reflect, Review” form attached to the test. On it, I ask students to identify the problems on which to retest, revise them, reflect on the “why” of their error, and then review the type of problem so they can improve their understanding. Please return the test with form attached on Wednesday, in order to retest on Thursday before Spring Break.

Take care,

Carroll Mayer

Hi Parents,

A few things that are coming up this week:

• Field trip to Cabrillo on Friday. I am still missing 8 permission slips! 
• Math test on Monday, March 12th. The kids will bring home a Review Sheet on Friday. Important ideas are: Subtraction and Addition to 6 digits, Rounding, Elapsed time using a timeline, and story problems applying metric units of measurement.
• Trimester officially ends on Tuesday, March 6th. Report cards will go home on Friday, March 16th.
• The auction fundraiser is this Saturday. If you haven't bought tickets, there's still time to purchase them. It is going to be extra fun this year, and raise a lot of money for Rio del Mar kids!

Have a great week!

Carroll Mayer