Hello All,

I hope you all had a joyous Thanksgiving. This week, we return to a normal routine, with a homework packet on The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, and multiplication to practice. We will have another multiplication timed test before break focusing on the facts under 5. When we return from Winter Break, the entire class will move on to the 6-9 facts. Please encourage your child to practice the facts enough so that they can do them automatically. This week's Lit. Circle assignments were sent home before Thanksgiving, with children having 2 weeks to complete the assignment. Please make sure your child is giving these assignments the appropriate time and energy to produce good quality work.

Our field trip to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is coming up fast. If you have volunteered to drive, please be sure to update your driver information in the office. This is required by the district at the beginning of each trimester. There are also a few students who have not returned permission slips or have not handed in their $2 for the museum. Please be sure to send in these items if you have not already done so. If your child's permission slip has been misplaced, the school website has a link to a slip to print out, or send a note requesting a duplicate.

Finally, I know you will join me in welcoming our student teacher, Joyanne Butler. She will be with the class for 8 weeks. The kids and I will surely benefit from this additional academic support.

Take care, and have a great week!

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Just a few reminders for this very short week! First of all, please send your child with a cup of something to contribute to a communal "trail mix" on Tuesday. Secondly, the only homework the kids have this week is math on Monday, and the Reading Log. Finally, for those that haven't brought in permission slips or $2 for the SC Museum of Natural History, please bring these in ASAP.

Have a great week, and a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday.

Carroll Mayer

Hello All,

I hope you enjoyed this long weekend; I know I did! Tomorrow students will bring home their first trimester report card. Please spend some time discussing the report card with your child and setting goals for the new term. Have your child return the signed envelope on Tuesday, as we reuse them for all 3 report cards.

This week we will also be having a normal amount of homework. We will be reading the Dogzilla story, and the spelling and multiplication packet for it is due as usual on Friday. Literature Circle assignments are due, as always, on Wednesday. Some students are saying they don't have time to complete the Lit. Circle, despite being given a week to read and do the "job". Please make sure your child organizes their time, and doesn't look upon the Lit. Circle homework as a task to start on Tuesday night.

Finally, if you haven't returned the permission slip and $2.00 for the Museum of Natural History, please do so.

Have a great week!

Carroll

Hi All,
Thank you to the parents who drove on the field trip to the Aptos Museum on Friday. The kids had a great time and learned some valuable local history. We have another field trip coming up in December to the Museum of Natural History in Santa Cruz (across the street from Seabright Beach). Permission forms will be sent home on Monday. We are asking $2.00 per student for the cost of this field trip. If you are driving, you will need to resubmit driver insurance information because the new trimester begins this week.

Due to the Veteran's holiday, there will be no weekly spelling homework packet sent home. Nightly math homework from the Houghton Mifflin program will continue, as well as Lit Circles. I will not stamp Reading Logs this Wednesday; they can be turned in the following week on Friday.

The report cards for first trimester will go home on Monday, November 15th.

Take care and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer

HI All,
I hope you enjoyed a busy Halloween weekend. The party was great. Thanks so much to Jennifer, Patti, and the team of parents that helped and/or sent in goodies. All the photos are really cute too! (Thanks Maria.) Many of the kids said they had never had a caramel apple, so you provided them with a cultural experience. This holiday is fun; however, please have your children save their candy for after school treats.

Last week, the kids took a set of multiplication quizzes on 2-5s. Most students were well-prepared, with mostly accurate responses. While I gave the kids 2 minutes for each 18 question section, I'd like to see them completing each part in 40 seconds or less. Very few kids met this goal. We will continue to practice the 2-5s on the weekly homework packet, and retest again in a few weeks. The homework practice will be reinforced with our in-class studies, as the current Math Unit is on the concept and practice of multiplication.

This Friday is our field trip to Aptos History Museum. There are quite a few children who have not returned their permission slips, and we are still a little low on drivers. Please send the slips in right away, or let me know if you need a duplicate. Many people also need to send in the dollar donation to the museum. On that note, I am finding that students are really slacking off when it comes to homework. Please remind your child to properly load and unload their backpack, and note that papers are not returned without a stamp or corrections on them.

Have a great week!
Carroll

Hi All,
I hope you have enjoyed this cozy indoor weekend weather; I know I have!

This week will proceed as normally as possible (given students' increasing excitement as Halloween nears.) The homework packets covering the spelling words( three letter consonant blends and unexpected two letter patterns) as well as practice sheets on x3, 4 and 5, will be coming home on Monday. Please supervise your child's work, making sure that they write their name on each page and do them accurately and carefully. Every week I receive many pages without names. In addition, Lit. Circle assignments are due first thing on Wednesday morning. Kids should bring their book and completed assignment, and should also be prepared to read from their work. Make sure your child can fluently read everything he/she has written.

Permission slips for the Aptos History Museum field trip are coming home this week. This is an interesting (and short) trip. Please try to drive and attend if you are able.


On Friday, all of Rio del Mar will have our annual Halloween parade. After that we are going to try to do some work, including a spelling test and a multiplication test covering 3, 4, and 5. The class Halloween party is scheduled for Friday afternoon after lunch. Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to send in supplies or help with the party. I am sending a special thanks to Jennifer Benson for organizing the party, and Patti Long who is assisting.

Have a great week,
Carroll

Hi there,

It was great to see you all this past week, and have a chance to discuss your children's progress so far this year. I enjoyed running into many of you at the Harvest Festival, as well. I feel so fortunate to be part of a learning community that supports children in so many ways.

This week, we return to a more normal schedule. As we have begun LIt. Circles, the weekly homework is now at the level that it will remain for the rest of the year. Please be certain that your child is completing (and turning in) math homework every day. The Spelling/Multiplication Packets and Reading Logs are due on Fridays. Finally, the Lit. Circle assignment are due on Wednesdays. Each week students must bring their book and assignment to be fully prepared for the Lit. Circle meeting on Wednesday morning at 8 AM.

Thanks for all your hard work, at home and at school. I realize that Third Grade is a jump from Second Grade, and some kids may need extra support and monitoring with their homework.

Take care, and have a great week!
Carroll