October 4

Dear Parents,

It’s been a very full, very busy week in second grade.  I have numerous topics to cover today, in addition to our weekly curricular watch announcements.  Here you go:

·         I hate to start with “the bad,” but I want to get this out of the way and move on to some more positive topics.  Our class has been having a mountain of difficulty (understatement) in the lunchroom this past week.  Mrs. Thoendel asked me to speak with the kids about it again today, and I feel it’s important to alert all of you as well.  Some of the members of our class team have been assigned designated eating spots in the lunchroom for next week.  The major concerns are focused upon decreasing bullying words, decreasing physical contact toward other students, and eliminating tendencies to touch other peers’ food items.  Please speak with your child about these concerns.  I look forward to these complaints ceasing next week, with the kids returning Monday controlling their impulses in these areas.

·         Thanks to you all for your attentiveness to last week’s theme test in reading.  The kids scored very well overall (actually one of the highest first time testing groups I’ve had!) and have made good improvements in the 6 weeks since we’ve started.  I will have the cover pages copied and sent next week.  Please refer to the comments on the test packets or cover pages to address areas for possible review at home.  Sentence structure (knowing the naming parts and action parts of the sentences- which in our day was called the “subject” and “predicate” of the sentence) is still the most difficult area that is in need of the most review from the first theme.

·         Conference times have been set for all families.  I look forward to seeing you all next week Tuesday or Wednesday (4:30-8:30).  Please remember there is no school for the kids on Thursday or Friday due to the conference schedule.

·         Our class was one of the walk-a-thon pizza party winners for the most pledge participants.  We will have the pizza party next Wednesday at 2:00.  Hamburger, pepperoni, and cheese pizzas will be ordered from Godfathers.  Please alert me by Monday if your child has allergies to any of the selections. 

·         Also next Wednesday is the fire safety week presentation by the local fire department.  The kids will review fire safety procedures as well as touring the fire truck.  The firemen bring the trucks to school grounds for the tour, so we will not leave school grounds for this “field trip.”  I do encourage the kids to talk with you about a meeting area and evacuation plan in case of a fire in your home.  Please be prepared to talk with them about this if they ask you questions next week.

·         I do not send Scholastic book orders for the month of October due to the school book fair.  It is on display now in the library, and will be available for shopping and splurging next week for conferences.  Stop in to check it out!

·         First quarter DWP school-wide BINGO is scheduled for October 18.  All students who have avoided detention, office referrals, or repeated trips to the “buddy classroom” for problem solving strategies are eligible to play.  Prizes are awarded for kids who get BINGO.  MGo team Panning!

·         Speaking of the end of the quarter, please also remember to encourage your child to continue plugging away at their AR goals.  All of the kids signed a contract working to achieve a minimum comprehension level of 80% (that the most important one!), a minimum of 5 points accumulated, and reading in their appropriate book level range (written in each child’s book log).  Please check in with them often in this area.  You can track their tests taken and passed through your email at home.  I really want the kids to make their goals first quarter.  It’s hard for them to know how proud they will be earning the school-wide goals/parties.  It might not seem like a big deal to them now, but they will be sad later if they don’t make it.  Help me to make this a reality for them by the end of the quarter in two weeks.

 

Ø  Math- We’re working on place value, reading and writing numbers, and comparing numbers.  We will have a test over chapter four the week of Oct. 14.

Ø  Reading- We won’t start a new theme next week due to the short week.  Practice old sight words from the past lessons 1-6.  Also continue to focus on sentence structure as a review item.  This week we’ve been working on identifying nouns in sentences and comparing them to action word verbs.  When you are reading at home, pick a word off of the page you’re reading and ask your child to identify it.  Finding the words and utilizing the skills while reading is solid way to incorporate the review.

Ø  Social Studies- We’ve begun practicing for the upcoming Terra Nova testing (which will be the week of October 21).  We will talk about strong test taking skills and strategies to help make the tests more successful.  This is what the “TN practice” stands for in the planner the next few weeks.

Ø  Science- We’re studying animal needs and habitats.  Next week we’ll branch out to discover different kinds of animals and their life cycles.  No test for awhile. J

 

 

§  October 8-9 Conferences 4:30-8:30

§  October 10-11 No School

§  October 18 DWP BINGO game

§  October 21 Terra Nova test taking week

§  October 23 1:00 dismissal

§  October 28 Our class will lead morning announcements this week- please avoid tardies if possible.

§  October 31 Halloween party

 

Have a great weekend.  More to come next week.  Cheers!