Hi All,

I hope you enjoyed the weather this weekend. I had the pleasure of seeing Scotts Valley blanketed in snow during the wee hours of Saturday morning, and it was like a postcard!

This week I will be gone from class on Tuesday and Friday to attend Data Team trainings, but the kids will be in the capable hands of our former student teacher, Joy Butler.

Two important fundraising events are on the horizon. On Friday, students will be participating in the Jog-a-thon, so be sure to send in your sponsorship dollars. As you all know, this fundraiser makes our Spectra Arts program possible. The kids will also be working this week, with Lisa Bird, on their Auction Art project. Without the money raised at the Auction, there are countless academic supplies, resources, teachers, that our students would do without. Thank you in advance for your support of these two activities.

The students took a multiplication timed test this week. I will be repeating this test weekly, giving the class 12 minutes to complete 100 problems. It's my goal that everyone will complete this test in well under the 12 minutes by the end of the year. We will also continue working on fractions in our HM math program, addressing addition and subtraction this week. In spelling, the kids will be working on the difficult -ough and -augh words. Please continue to support your child in organizing their homework time appropriately, so that all work is completed in a high-quality, timely fashion.

Have a great week!

Carroll

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed this 3-day weekend. This week we will continue working on the story Across the Wide Dark Sea. The homework packet, which students received last week, is due this Friday. Students are doing a much better job handing in homework in a timely fashion since I began consequences for missing homework on Fridays. Please continue to support your child in organizing themselves so that they complete homework when it is due. There are still a few kids forgetting or not completing their Lit. Circle assignments.

In math, we have moved from division to a unit on fractions. However, students should continue practicing multiplication facts, which will support their studies when we return to division later this year. We will have a multiplication facts test this Friday, which will cover the facts from 0-10. Our goal in third grade is for students to learn to multiply with automaticity, so that they can focus on the more complex aspects of math problems that require multiplication.

Take care and have a good week,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

I hope you have enjoyed this first of two three-day weekends; I know I have! And a Happy Valentine's Day as well. On that note, a big thank you to Patti Long, Sandi Kolassa, Jennifer Benson, Maria Meade, and Amy Humphreys, who worked to make a cheerful Valentine's celebration for our class.

This week, the students' Spelling list and homework will be good for two weeks. Therefore, it is not due until Friday, February 25th. I have found the students to be doing a better job at handing in their homework since instituting our Friday consequences for missing homework. Each week there have been fewer students with Friday "make ups" during our Finish Work block.

Finally, a few people have checked in regarding upcoming big projects. In March, third graders will begin researching their mammal reports. We will be asking students to select mammals from specific websites that have age appropriate readability and content. Most of the work will be done in class, but final drafts may be homework. There will also be a diorama component to be completed at home.

Have a good week,

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

The class and I said "goodbye" to Miss Butler on Friday. The students wrote letters to her, and signed a card and lanyard. Thanks to Patti Long for coordinating a gift and card from you all; Joy was very excited about the Borders gift card and all the children's notes. We do look forward to seeing her subbing at Rio, and possibly in Room 24 sometime in the future.

This week the kids will have a review spelling list, with 3 Practice Book pages instead of the usual 2. In math, we will continue with division, but I expect to complete this unit fairly quickly. Those children who have memorized their multiplication facts are finding that it really pays off in division as well. We will have another multiplication test soon, covering all facts from 2-10.

Finally, I've seen a big improvement in homework consistency since establishing consequences for those students who don't have their homework in by Friday. Please continue to support your children in planning and organizing their homework.

Take care, and have a good week.

Carroll

Hi All,

Back to five day weeks!

The kids are bringing home a spelling list focused on three rules for adding suffixes: doubling the consonants in short vowel words, dropping the "silent e" in long vowel words, and changing the y to i in words ending with the vowel sound y. We are also wrapping up the geometry math unit this week, and will be reviewing lots and lots of math words in class. We will also send home some unit review homework before the test toward the end of the week.

The new homework policy really reinforced your children's attitude about their math homework. By Friday, we were only missing a couple of math assignments, and only 2 students had to do the "Make- up Homework." Unfortunately, some students are still coming unprepared to Wednesday's Lit. Circles. Please remind your child that he/she is responsible for reading the assignment and carefully preparing for their role in the group. It is apparent that some kids neglect this homework until Tuesday, and then find themselves doing several days work in a sloppy and rushed fashion. These assignments are a great time to develop good work habits.

Anyway, have a great week -- the weather is supposed to be excellent!

Yours,

Carroll

Hi All,

I hope you are enjoying this 3 day weekend. It provides a nice, gradual re-entry into our regular schedule, especially with last week's 3 day school week.

As Sheila Hurley notified you, I wrote an incorrect date on the Spelling packet, which is due this Friday, 1/21. The kids will have their spelling test on that day as well. On that topic, I have established a new policy on math homework. While most students are very responsible and rarely miss completing and turning in their math homework, there are a few who are regularly missing this practice, or neglecting to turn it in. For students who have not turned in all the assigned math homework by each Friday, I will be providing an extra "make up" practice sheet that will focus on that week's concepts. The students will complete this paper while the majority of the class is enjoying "Friday Finish", which is a finish work and free play time.

Some other new things are beginning this week. First of all, Miss Butler will be solo teaching our class for the next 2 weeks. As many of you have had the opportunity to observe, she is a talented and energetic teacher. I will be on campus throughout this solo time, but will be in and out of the class. I will be using this time to further develop my own teaching practice by observing some of my fellow Rio teachers. In addition, our class will begin Spectra Art, which parents and supporters pay for through the Parent Alliance's fundraising activities. The class will have 4 weeks of cartooning. Later this year, we will have an additional 5 weeks of pottery with Jenni Ward, who we have enjoyed as a Spectra teacher for the last 3 years.

Finally, permission slips are due. There is one from Miss Butler regarding her program and a second one for our field trip to the MAH, which is the museum in Downtown Santa Cruz. At this point our class needs 1-2 more drivers for the trip, but many students have not returned their permission slips and money.

Have a great week. Feel free to send in notes or email if you have any questions.

Carroll Mayer

Hi All,

Just a brief note to wish you all a wonderful vacation, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it.

There will be math homework on Monday and Tuesday, but no spelling this week. Please encourage your children to read daily throughout the vacation; they have Reading Logs for December/January. Otherwise, there is much to discover about our selves and our world outside of the school environment. Enjoy it!

Finally, thanks to those who are participating and/or supporting our "Snowman" party, especially Amy. The kids are excited to kick off the vacation with a celebration of an iconic winter activity.

Peace and love,

Carroll