Tuesday, February 26, 2019


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



Tuesday, February 12, 2019

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