October 10, 2008

Update

We have been very busy in ol' E109.  Here are a few of the things we've been up to:

Writing: We are continuing work on writing complete sentences and use adjectives to make our writing more interesting. We are also learning how to organize our writing using a Power Plan. The children are doing a great job of checking their work for uppercase letters at the beginning of sentences and punctuation at the end. Also, every other Friday we have been meeting with our Writing Buddies in Mrs. Roper's class. The children get together with their partner and work on a story that they are co-authoring.

Word Study: The last few weeks we have reviewed long and short vowel sounds (still a bit rusty on those), closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and the three sounds of /k/ (c, k, and ck) and the two sounds of /w/ (w and wh). We also worked on the vowel teams ee and ea.  Ask your child for examples of words that have these features!

Reading: We finished reading Frog and Toad Are Friends today and completed a core assessment on identifying the beginning, middle, and end of a story.  This assessment will go in your child's portfolio here in our classroom. We met with our Book Buddies in Mrs. Goldberg's class for the third time today and the children are already good friends!  The second graders learned how to be helpful reading partners by showing the kindergartners how to hop on top of the words. Mrs. Goldberg reported that her students can't wait for Fridays!

Math: So far in unit 2, the children have practiced solving and telling number stories, were introduced to the difference between ounces and pounds and pan balances and spring scales, and we are working on our "fact power" by practicing domino facts, fact triangles, and making fact families. Today your child is bringing home a set of fact triangles to keep and practice at home!   I should also mentioned that we dabbled in the beginnings of multiplication by adding equal groups together. (Ex. 2+2+2=  is the same as 3x2= )

Social Studies: We continue to learn about goods and services and different types of communities (rural, suburban, and urban). Thanks to all of the parents who could chaperone our two field trips in the community! The children really enjoyed these opportunities to make connections between the content and real life! In celebration of Columbus Day on Monday, we also read a book about Christopher Columbus. We had a fascinating discussion about the different aspects of his important discovery.

Science: We just completed our fall observations and measurements of our class tree and of ourselves!  Ask your second grader to tell you about all the measurements they've been taking and their predictions for the spring!

Homework: The children are doing a great job of completing their homework and returning it to school when it is due. Thank you so much for helping them establish this important routine and teaching them to be more independent. Next Friday, October 17th, we will add a new challenge to the reading homework. We will start our Book Bag projects.  This homework is explained on page 6 of my orientation packet and I will send home an explanation letter with your child's first Book Bag next Friday.

Volunteers:This was our first week of having parent volunteers in the classroom during our literacy centers and everyone did a wonderful job, parents and students alike!  The children were thrilled with the special work they did with you and they really enjoyed the change of pace that a small group setting can offer! Thank you so much for volunteering your time! We are still looking for Library Helpers for our class on Mondays from 1:00-1:30!

Sharing:I need to remind everyone about our sharing rule. The students may only bring in photographs, drawings, or books to share on their sharing day. If there is an item they want to bring that does not fall under these categories, it must be directly related to something we are learning about in class and I ask that the child discusses it with me prior to their sharing day. Thank you for your help with this.

Lastly, if you haven't sent me the name of a "Folder Friend" for your child, please do so when you have a chance. The Folder Friend is explained on page 6 in my parent orientation packet that you received at the start of school. Let me know if you need more information!

Well, I think that about covers it! As you can see, we are very busy here in E109 and the reason we can do so many wonderful things is because of this incredible group of outstanding students. Thanks for all of your hard work!!!  Have a wonderful three-day weekend! 

 

 

Information on the Consolidation Process

Arundel/MSAD71 will be sponsoring RSU Informational Meetings to answer questions the public may have on the consolidation process and the RSU Plan. The meetings will be on: Thursday, 10/16/08, 7 PM, Mildred L Day School in Arundel at 7 PM and Saturday ,10/25/08, 9 AM, Consolidated School Gym, Kennebunkport.

 

On Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 7 PM, at the Kennebunk Elementary School Cafeteria, there will be a Public Hearing.

 

For further information go to www.msad71.net.

October 6, 2008

A few notes...

1. Tomorrow is the second grade field trip to the Public Safety buildings. We will visit the police, fire, and ambulance stations, as well as see a demonstration of a rescue back board. We will be gone from 11:35-1:05. 

2. Because of Early Release Wednesdays all this month, there will be no math homework on Wednesdays. Please encourage your child to use this extra time to practice math facts or do some extra reading!

3.Please only pack dry, non-messy  foods for our "working snacks" in the mornings. Some examples are crackers, pretzels, nuts, and grapes.  Chocolate, Doritoes, fruit cups, yogurt, etc get our classroom books and assignments messy during our working snacks. Remember that on Early Release Wednesdays, we only have a working snack.

4. Book orders are due this Thursday.

5. Columbus Day is Monday, October 13th. There is no school that day.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

October 2, 2008

School Picture Day

Tomorrow is School Picture Day!  Remember to send your child to school with the picture order form and payment if you are planning to order photos!

Book Order Correction

Book orders are due Thursday, October 9th.

Sorry for the mix up!

New Book Order Forms Coming Home

Your child is bringing home two new book order forms today! The themes this month are October and Election 2008!  The Lucky October Book Order has a reading level key at the bottom of the front cover. The "RL" stands for Grade Level Equivalent so "RL:2.6" means the book is at level of the 6th month of second grade  This is a helpful guide when looking for books that are a good fit for your child. 

Please return order forms and checks to me by Thursday, October 8th.

 Thank you!

September 26, 2008

Correction

There was an error on the PTA fundraiser reminder that came home this week.

Meadow Farms fundraising orders are due October 6th, not October 2nd.

Sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for participating.

Science Supply Wish List for Second Grade

Each month we will be sending home a flyer to let you know some of the items that we will need for our science program.  If you have these things available, we would love to have you send them in for the kids to use! 

 

Any of the items sent in will be used by the whole 2nd grade, not just your child’s classroom.  We welcome any donations of items or even gift cards to stores like Wal-Mart, Target, or grocery stores where these items can be purchased. 

 

Here is the list for October:

    

·        Disposable bowls
·        Brightly colored washable ink (150 ml tube)
·        Ink roller
·        Newspapers
·        paper towels
·        plastic wrap
·        hand soap
·        Zip-top plastic bags – any size
·        Assortment of brain games/brain teasers/brain quest

Thank you in advance for all you do to support the students in their quest for knowledge!   

                                                                                 The Second Grade Teachers

September 25, 2008

Library Helpers Needed

Calling all volunteers!  We are in need of some parent helpers during our Library time on Mondays from 1:00-1:30.  Mrs. Dixon is our librarian that day and she has her hands full when it is time to check out books for 20 eager readers!  Please email me at kbwashburn@msad71.net if you are interested in reading with the children and helping check books out during our Library class.  (This is a great volunteering option for parents who aren't able to make a weekly volunteering commitment but can come in from time to time when their schedule allows.)  
Thank you!

September 22, 2008

Important Classroom Announcements

1. Homework: Last week we added a second part to the homework rountine, the Home Link. Please make sure your child completes the math Home Link as the first part of their homework routine, when the lesson is freshest in their mind. As soon as they complete the paper, it should go in their homework folder to be turned in the next day. We have set a goal of 100% homework completion this week!  Also, your child's reading log should be returned to school every Friday and a new one will be sent home.  We had many students forget to turn this in last week and again, we have set a goal of 100% for this Friday!

2. Change Keeper- This week the children will begin earning "income" for doing their classroom job each day and doing it well. As I explained in my orientation packet, they children will earn play money that they can then use at our class store at the end of the month. The first store will be in October. Please send your child in with a small change purse or some other small, sturdy container for them to keep at school to hold the money they earn.

3. Thanks for your patience with volunteering. We are still working on learning the routines, understanding expectations, and following rules and once the children are comfortable with those ideas, we will introduce guests into our classroom. I will be organzing a schedule soon and will be in touch with those who signed up for a weekly spot by the first week of October.

4.Word Study-Please look for the Word Study Concepts letter that I will send home tomorrow. It is an overview of the concepts we will be working on in class so that you can reinforce them at home with your second grader and help them make connections to their life outside of the classroom.

5.Math- We are finishing up Unit 1 of Everday Math this week. This unit was mostly a review of the skills taught in first grade. We will begin Unit 2 on Wednesday, which focuses mostly on addition and subtraction facts. The program does not have many opportunties for drill and practice built in so I encourage families to use flash cards at home to help students become quicker and more consistent with their math facts. This will help them tremendously later on in the program!

6.Community-We began our social studies unit on community today. The children were introduced to the following terms: goods, products, and services. Please ask your second grader about the fun sorting activity they did this afternoon!

7. Trees-This week in science, the children will make observations about trees in the fall. We will use terms like bark, branch, bud, leaf, and trunk.

8. Frog and Toad- We are continuing to read Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel. We are focusing on character traits and infering meaning from the text, such as "How do you think Toad is feeling and what about the story told you that?"  We will also look at story elements such as characters, setting, and problem and solution.

9. Thank you!- Several students donated sneakers during PE last Friday and all students arrived wearing them! We earned 4 stars!!!

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Kennebunk Elementary School | Kennebunk, Maine | © M.S.A.D. 71 2006