May 2019
Field trip permission forms were sent home to be signed and returned by May 31st. The costs will be covered by the PTA and other funds. Chaperones will be charged $4.00.
Curriculum Night is approaching quickly and the children have been trying their best to complete several projects to display for this evening. We have been researching a few animals that live in different parts of Mexico. The children have been in groups of 4 to 5 to gather facts on their assigned animal. You will be impressed with their final presentations. Their computer skills have helped in making this project look professional. Other than studying Mexico projects, the children will have a math flipbook to show and their writing journal to share. Many children spend time writing everyday!
We all hope that we have most of the families attend on May 29th, 6-7 PM. The children work so hard and love to have you in the classroom to check out where they spend so much time. When you all come Thursday anytime from 6-7 PM, your child will be given a check off sheet so they can give you the tour and observe what they are very proud of.
The count down is on with 19 days to go. I have discontinued the weekly homework packets. The homework will now be any work that does not get completed in class. If your child does not come home with work, then it means they are completing what they are expected to in class time. If your child wants the work at home, there is always reading and writing. Many students are writing ideas and topics on their own. We hope that all the children are reading at home to increase their fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Reading and writing are lifetime skills we can encourage daily to be engaged in to increase their abilities.
The Northwood Artist in residence was very popular amongst the children. They were thrilled to learn a bit about comic writing and drawings. Everyone made their own in class but the 4th grades developed one comic book together. Now, they are inspired to write more and read the variety of graphic novels that we have in class and in the library.
Field trip permission forms were sent home to be signed and returned by May 31st. The costs will be covered by the PTA and other funds. Chaperones will be charged $4.00.
Curriculum Night is approaching quickly and the children have been trying their best to complete several projects to display for this evening. We have been researching a few animals that live in different parts of Mexico. The children have been in groups of 4 to 5 to gather facts on their assigned animal. You will be impressed with their final presentations. Their computer skills have helped in making this project look professional. Other than studying Mexico projects, the children will have a math flipbook to show and their writing journal to share. Many children spend time writing everyday!
We all hope that we have most of the families attend on May 29th, 6-7 PM. The children work so hard and love to have you in the classroom to check out where they spend so much time. When you all come Thursday anytime from 6-7 PM, your child will be given a check off sheet so they can give you the tour and observe what they are very proud of.
The count down is on with 19 days to go. I have discontinued the weekly homework packets. The homework will now be any work that does not get completed in class. If your child does not come home with work, then it means they are completing what they are expected to in class time. If your child wants the work at home, there is always reading and writing. Many students are writing ideas and topics on their own. We hope that all the children are reading at home to increase their fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Reading and writing are lifetime skills we can encourage daily to be engaged in to increase their abilities.
The Northwood Artist in residence was very popular amongst the children. They were thrilled to learn a bit about comic writing and drawings. Everyone made their own in class but the 4th grades developed one comic book together. Now, they are inspired to write more and read the variety of graphic novels that we have in class and in the library.
May 2019
Ralph Fletcher was quite entertaining during his visit with us. The children now have more information on what it takes to be a better writter. The more we read, the more we are exposed to vocabulary. Writing usually goes hand in hand with those who read. Great books are read to the class daily. The children tend to pick up these books and want to read them again on their own. They also want to read the next book in the series. Flat Stanley's Mexican Adventures is currently being read aloud while learning about Mexico. Many children have asked about Flat Stanley, the main character. There are many books in the series at a second grade level.
The children are deep into researching their Mexico animals. Four groups have been formed to research the animals in groups. The four groups are learning about the ocelot, prairie dog, spider monkey, and the gila monster. Everyday will be used to complete the several projects based on Mexico.
It is a good time to bring out those coins to sort and count different combinations. The classroom store has been helpful to provide real life experiences buy trading, counting, buying items, and thinking about change. Word problems are the most challenging to understand the questions that are asked then using the symbols to show values.
Many students have invited me to attend a sport or activity outside of school. I can do my best to attend, if the information is emailed to me ahead of time. Please email the place and time of the event in order to make plans.
Ralph Fletcher was quite entertaining during his visit with us. The children now have more information on what it takes to be a better writter. The more we read, the more we are exposed to vocabulary. Writing usually goes hand in hand with those who read. Great books are read to the class daily. The children tend to pick up these books and want to read them again on their own. They also want to read the next book in the series. Flat Stanley's Mexican Adventures is currently being read aloud while learning about Mexico. Many children have asked about Flat Stanley, the main character. There are many books in the series at a second grade level.
The children are deep into researching their Mexico animals. Four groups have been formed to research the animals in groups. The four groups are learning about the ocelot, prairie dog, spider monkey, and the gila monster. Everyday will be used to complete the several projects based on Mexico.
It is a good time to bring out those coins to sort and count different combinations. The classroom store has been helpful to provide real life experiences buy trading, counting, buying items, and thinking about change. Word problems are the most challenging to understand the questions that are asked then using the symbols to show values.
Many students have invited me to attend a sport or activity outside of school. I can do my best to attend, if the information is emailed to me ahead of time. Please email the place and time of the event in order to make plans.
May 2019
Monday after vacation week went smoothly. The children were a bit tired coming back to the full day of school, but we all adjusted. It will be harder and harder to stay on our regular nighttime schedule with the spring sports starting up! This last quarter of school is going to go by so quickly. We will all be trying our best to stay focused.
Northwood School has an author visit planned on May 6th. Ralph Fletcher will be in to see all the students K-6. Our time with Ralph will be in the last block of the day to learn more about him, his books, and his style of writing. The staff will be working with Ralph at our monthly staff meeting.
The children are excited to begin out Mexico Unit. The first holiday we will study is called Cinco De Mayo. They will see some fun decorations in our classroom to celebrate this Mexican holiday! A great video on the life cycle of a monarch butterfly has been watched and a few books have been read. Your child will be assigned an animal that lives in Mexico to research in a group setting. Every child will work in small groups to gather the facts, but then the students will be writing their own report. Many students can already locate Mexico on the globe and world maps. If any family is interested in providing the students with a mexican snack, feel free to send me an email. They are eager to learn as much as possible about their culture.
Monday after vacation week went smoothly. The children were a bit tired coming back to the full day of school, but we all adjusted. It will be harder and harder to stay on our regular nighttime schedule with the spring sports starting up! This last quarter of school is going to go by so quickly. We will all be trying our best to stay focused.
Northwood School has an author visit planned on May 6th. Ralph Fletcher will be in to see all the students K-6. Our time with Ralph will be in the last block of the day to learn more about him, his books, and his style of writing. The staff will be working with Ralph at our monthly staff meeting.
The children are excited to begin out Mexico Unit. The first holiday we will study is called Cinco De Mayo. They will see some fun decorations in our classroom to celebrate this Mexican holiday! A great video on the life cycle of a monarch butterfly has been watched and a few books have been read. Your child will be assigned an animal that lives in Mexico to research in a group setting. Every child will work in small groups to gather the facts, but then the students will be writing their own report. Many students can already locate Mexico on the globe and world maps. If any family is interested in providing the students with a mexican snack, feel free to send me an email. They are eager to learn as much as possible about their culture.
April 8 - 19
Spring weather is finally here and it looks as though the winter gear can be stored away! The playground has dried up nicely, except for one dab in the center. It's enjoyable to watch the large groups of children running around the entire playground, not only on the small paved area. It is important for the children to wear sneakers during their recess to protect their feet. Many children have taken out sandals and flip flops and these are difficult to run in without tripping.
Friday, April 12 is the day that your child's report card will be emailed. Please take some time to sit with your child to discuss their success. They are continuing to learn every day they are in school. There is more of the curriculum to cover before the summer break.
Spring weather is finally here and it looks as though the winter gear can be stored away! The playground has dried up nicely, except for one dab in the center. It's enjoyable to watch the large groups of children running around the entire playground, not only on the small paved area. It is important for the children to wear sneakers during their recess to protect their feet. Many children have taken out sandals and flip flops and these are difficult to run in without tripping.
Friday, April 12 is the day that your child's report card will be emailed. Please take some time to sit with your child to discuss their success. They are continuing to learn every day they are in school. There is more of the curriculum to cover before the summer break.
March 25- April 5
We have reached the last week of March and warmer weather! The playground has many dryer areas that have no snow, so the children are able to use the monkey bars without winter gear. Many students are not wanting to wear all their winter gear and take their coats off, I can't blame them. Next week looks like it will be dry so we will all get outside for the morning break. Our recess bucket of toys dwindled. If you have items around your home you'd like to donate for kids to play with, send them on in to add to the bucket. As of now, we have a few jumpropes and some sidewalk chalk. Kindergarten, first, and second grades are all sharing these toys on the upper playground.
Math- The children are doing well showing their level of understanding of addition and subtraction with unbundling (regrouping). We have many lessons ahead before the final Unit Test is given. Homework will be given to have practice with addition and subtraction up to 100. This is where third grade students begin in the fall. Most children have mastered their addition facts, many are onto mastering their subtarction facts, and a few are mastering their multiplication facts.
The non-fiction reports the students are typing on their Google Docs are turning out nicely. Our writing rubric has been followed to make sure all the pieces are added. I have noticed strong growth in their computer skills.
March Mischief is the chapter book being read in small groups and discussed in together in class. The children are improving their retelling skills by stopping to retell to a partner, every two pages. The important parts, not the details, are told in their own words. The main idea of one paragraph at a time have been discussed. This has been challenging work for most children. Raising hands to take turns and listen to one another is also a standard that has been challenging for most children. We will continue to work in these areas through the remainder of the year.
Reading Across America to San Diego California and back to NH has happened with all the students logging their minutes and bringing in their recording sheets. This last week's goal is traveling to Florida. We are confident that we will reach that goal again. Keep up the awesome reading!
We have reached the last week of March and warmer weather! The playground has many dryer areas that have no snow, so the children are able to use the monkey bars without winter gear. Many students are not wanting to wear all their winter gear and take their coats off, I can't blame them. Next week looks like it will be dry so we will all get outside for the morning break. Our recess bucket of toys dwindled. If you have items around your home you'd like to donate for kids to play with, send them on in to add to the bucket. As of now, we have a few jumpropes and some sidewalk chalk. Kindergarten, first, and second grades are all sharing these toys on the upper playground.
Math- The children are doing well showing their level of understanding of addition and subtraction with unbundling (regrouping). We have many lessons ahead before the final Unit Test is given. Homework will be given to have practice with addition and subtraction up to 100. This is where third grade students begin in the fall. Most children have mastered their addition facts, many are onto mastering their subtarction facts, and a few are mastering their multiplication facts.
The non-fiction reports the students are typing on their Google Docs are turning out nicely. Our writing rubric has been followed to make sure all the pieces are added. I have noticed strong growth in their computer skills.
March Mischief is the chapter book being read in small groups and discussed in together in class. The children are improving their retelling skills by stopping to retell to a partner, every two pages. The important parts, not the details, are told in their own words. The main idea of one paragraph at a time have been discussed. This has been challenging work for most children. Raising hands to take turns and listen to one another is also a standard that has been challenging for most children. We will continue to work in these areas through the remainder of the year.
Reading Across America to San Diego California and back to NH has happened with all the students logging their minutes and bringing in their recording sheets. This last week's goal is traveling to Florida. We are confident that we will reach that goal again. Keep up the awesome reading!
MARCH 2019
I love the day we get to set the clocks ahead an hour, even if we lose an hour on Sunday. I enjoy having more light later in the day.
All week we will be celebrating Read Across America by reading Dr. Seuss's books and so much more. Please use the schedule that was sent home or look on the front page of our webpage. Monday starts our day off with watching a video that was created by the Literacy Team. Two children from each classroom along with several staff in the building participated in reading the book, "Oh, The Places You Will Go." I attached the new reading log to the homework packet. The children know that every five minutes of reading transfers into 1 mile for our school wide journey from NH to California. The teachers in K-8 will be collecting the minutes read every Friday before turning them into miles. The results will be displayed in the 3rd/4th grade hallway on the Unites States map. I look forward to each day with the students, to make this a fun week of school.
Earning money in class has been a hit. Now that each page of work is worth a different amount, the homework has been completed by more students and handed in on time so that they are paid. Every week or so, the students get to use their earned coins to shop at our school store. Some students love staying after school to help out; money is spent in order to stay from 2:15-2:50. I do encourage everyone to use real coins at home to count and trade in for larger values. We trade our coins once a week to practice how to count their coins and trade them in to have fewer coins in their buckets. The children are also learning to count by fives around the clock and understand what each number means when reading the clock. They are beginning to learn the correlation between their digital watch and the analog clock.
MATH: We have started to learn strategies to subtract larger numbers. Homework each week provides practice with the different strategies. Practice is done in class for a few days before the work is sent home. We have about 18 more lessons before we complete Module 4. This is a more difficult Module so we are working at a slower pace.
March 2019
Now that we are into third quarter, I want to let you know at home that when unfinished work is in the Home/School Folder, the work should be completed at home and sent back to school. I am allowing a sufficient amount of time for all students to complete certain assignments in class. When the work is not able to be done for what ever the reason may be, I am having the student take the work home so it can be practiced. I want every child to have the same practice and experiences in order to master a skill or concept. The report cards are a reflection of what your child is independently capable of completing with very little assistance. The students are well aware that I teach, they practice, then they are assessed. Of course, we only assess certain areas like math, reading, and writing each quarter.
Thanks!
Now that we are into third quarter, I want to let you know at home that when unfinished work is in the Home/School Folder, the work should be completed at home and sent back to school. I am allowing a sufficient amount of time for all students to complete certain assignments in class. When the work is not able to be done for what ever the reason may be, I am having the student take the work home so it can be practiced. I want every child to have the same practice and experiences in order to master a skill or concept. The report cards are a reflection of what your child is independently capable of completing with very little assistance. The students are well aware that I teach, they practice, then they are assessed. Of course, we only assess certain areas like math, reading, and writing each quarter.
Thanks!
MARCH 2019
Let's welcome the month of March! The first week of school back from a nice vacation break and we get another snow day. I do hope these snowy days soon end like the Groundhog announced in February!
March and April go by very quickly before we approach another vacation week. I ask you to encourage your child to get good night rests and eat healthy to stay healthy. Before vacation so many students were out sick. I am looking forward to everyone being back in class.
If you are thinking of coming into read for Read Across America Day during the week of March 11-15th, please email me so that I can write you into our daily schedule. There are times in our day that I will need to block for related arts classes, lunch, recess, and Word Work.
The time slots that are not available: 8:00-8:30, 10:25-11:10, 11:10-11:35, 11:35-12:10
Math- Lessons in addition and subtraction with regrouping, coin recognition and values
Reading- Informational Texts- Text Features
Writing- Informational Paragraphs concentrating on introduction and conclusion sentences.
Phonics- R-controlled words review, vowel teams, ai, ay
Science- Collecting Facts on science topics to write an informational piece that includes an introduction, facts with supporting details, and a conclusion
Social Studies-
Let's welcome the month of March! The first week of school back from a nice vacation break and we get another snow day. I do hope these snowy days soon end like the Groundhog announced in February!
March and April go by very quickly before we approach another vacation week. I ask you to encourage your child to get good night rests and eat healthy to stay healthy. Before vacation so many students were out sick. I am looking forward to everyone being back in class.
If you are thinking of coming into read for Read Across America Day during the week of March 11-15th, please email me so that I can write you into our daily schedule. There are times in our day that I will need to block for related arts classes, lunch, recess, and Word Work.
The time slots that are not available: 8:00-8:30, 10:25-11:10, 11:10-11:35, 11:35-12:10
Math- Lessons in addition and subtraction with regrouping, coin recognition and values
Reading- Informational Texts- Text Features
Writing- Informational Paragraphs concentrating on introduction and conclusion sentences.
Phonics- R-controlled words review, vowel teams, ai, ay
Science- Collecting Facts on science topics to write an informational piece that includes an introduction, facts with supporting details, and a conclusion
Social Studies-
FEBRUARY
The last week of school has arrived before vacation week! The children are getting so excited to have another break from our very busy schedule. When we return, I'm thrilled to say that the month of March will begin. I'm not enjoying the cold and snow as much as I used to love it. We still need to have the children drag all their winter gear to school until the snow disappears. The boots will be necessary for quite some time because of the mud that covers our playground in the spring. The windows are opened daily for the fresh air, which creates a cold draft near the tables where the children sit. Packing a sweatshirt or sweater in your child's back pack is key to stay comfortable while working.
We are still collecting can tabs in school! It is wonderful to see so many dropped off for a great cause. Please keep saving the tabs this week!
The 100th Day of school brought many different activities from creating a number puzzle, a Mystery Reader, a science experiment, a mystery code to write and read, and so much more. I love introducing new topics, and teaching different things, to switch our regular routine. The variety of activities engage the students and get them so pumped up!
Valentine's Day was a lot of fun in our room and I noticed many acts of kindness all day! (Pictures are added under the Photograph tab) The children really enjoyed sharing their cards and treats with one another. The SUPER BOWL/FRIENDSHIP snack was a delight! Thank you all for providing a donation to share at snack time. They all thought the idea was cool and asked to do it again. Mrs. Cleary was able to get in our room for the morning to read a funny story aloud, that started our day! If anyone is still wanting to be a Mystery Reader, please email me and we can make arrangements for your day and time. This has been a HUGE hit with the children!
Read Across America that celebrates Dr. Seuss's birthday arrives in March. You can start to think about scheduling a day and time in your schedule to read in our room. I will be inviting anyone interested in reading their favorite book through the week. This will allow more flexibility for you to make it into our classroom. More information about this event will be provided soon.
President's Day on Monday will be celebrated by reading more about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. So many students have been interested in reading the variety of books that I have on these presidents. It is great to see how eager they are to independently read to build their knowledge. This has been a perfect time to introduce the coins and ways to earn money in class. They have loved the "Gotchas," but now it will be changing to coins, so that they can learn the differences, count, understand the symbols, and use the coins in word problems. The coins that are earned, can be used in ways such as, having lunch with me, in the class store, or maybe laptop time! Another big change, but definitely an engaging change! If you can, the classroom store needs small items the students can choose from to purchase! Walmart, The Dollar Store, or Family Dollar, can be inexpensive places to find small items to help us out. Every child will have the opportunity to learn how to add the coins, trade in coins for larger value coins, buy items, and make change in by real-life experiences! Thank you very much in advance, if you are able to donate!
February
The weather has been in our favor the past few days, so the children don't want to get dressed in all their gear for recess. I cannot blame them because it has been warmer. Keep the gear packed because the cold air is coming back. It will be very wet and muddy at times so boots will be very important from now through the spring.
Many children mentioned that they have already used their class pictures to write Valentine cards to each classmate. Daniel moved to a new school today. We don't have his his new address so please keep that in mind. We will have time to exchange cards on February 14th. I am asking each child to bring in a small donation of finger food that can be added to a "Super Bowl" snack on the same day. Once each child adds their donation to the large bowl, the snack items get stirred and passed out to all. Some items that have been used in the past are M&Ms, gold fish, tiny marshmallows, raisins, granola, pretzels, fruit snacks, but please no tree nuts. We do have a child with an allergy to tree nuts.
The children have been very interested in learning about the Earth, the continents, Alaska, and Rain Forests. We are looking into why different places look so different. Abraham Lincoln will be discussed this month and we will begin looking closely at all the coins. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln on the penny is the only coin that has the president looking in the opposite direction as the other coins?
NWEA scores were sent home this week for you to recognize the three areas that are tested on a computer. We were able to use headphones for the math section only. You will want to pay attention to the percentiles and if your child made the projected growth. Students that put in the effort have positive growth.
January
What a cold, cold week! We will be having recesses inside until it gets above 20 degrees. Keep packing all that outside gear so that you can play with friends!
Chips, chips, chips! Your child has possibly come home talking about their five chips! They have been excited to keep all five of their chips each day and receive a "Gotcha" at the end of the day if they have all five chips. Everyday each child begins with five chips. A child loses a chip any time they blurt out, stay off task for a longer period of time and need to be told to get on task, loud voices, and possibly fooling around if it is work time. These chips have been important to hold onto so the children are concentrating better in order to keep them until the end of each day!
Assessments have been happening individually and whole group in order to gather accurate data for our standards based report card. There are many assignments I do not pass back each week so that I can monitor growth in these standards we cover. You will notice repeated standards and new standards each quarter on your child's report card. The Habits of Mind section is the most important section for me to assess to see how each student is able to work independently, in small groups, listening, and follow directions and the classroom rules. When children are engaged and feel good about what they try to do, these students show strong growth. Every child makes growth as long as they want to learn, try their best, and have a good working attitude. Half the year is over; we have half more to go!
I do want to invite the children to make Valentine Cards for each student in the room. If your child does not want to participate, that is fine, too. On Thursday, Feb. 14th I will plan to take the last part of our day to share cards and read messages. We will not have goodies donated on this day. Many times candy is given out with a card, so the children will be plenty of sweets on this day!
I am thrilled to announce that eight children have advanced to subtraction using Xtramath! I have hung these eight awards on our wall and will continue to add the awards as the other students advance. One child has advanced through addition and subtraction and onto multiplication!
We are finishing Module 3 in Math this week. Some students have taken the test and some will take it this week. These tests will be sent home soon. Module 4 will have the students use addition and subtraction within 200 and word problems to 100.
What a cold, cold week! We will be having recesses inside until it gets above 20 degrees. Keep packing all that outside gear so that you can play with friends!
Chips, chips, chips! Your child has possibly come home talking about their five chips! They have been excited to keep all five of their chips each day and receive a "Gotcha" at the end of the day if they have all five chips. Everyday each child begins with five chips. A child loses a chip any time they blurt out, stay off task for a longer period of time and need to be told to get on task, loud voices, and possibly fooling around if it is work time. These chips have been important to hold onto so the children are concentrating better in order to keep them until the end of each day!
Assessments have been happening individually and whole group in order to gather accurate data for our standards based report card. There are many assignments I do not pass back each week so that I can monitor growth in these standards we cover. You will notice repeated standards and new standards each quarter on your child's report card. The Habits of Mind section is the most important section for me to assess to see how each student is able to work independently, in small groups, listening, and follow directions and the classroom rules. When children are engaged and feel good about what they try to do, these students show strong growth. Every child makes growth as long as they want to learn, try their best, and have a good working attitude. Half the year is over; we have half more to go!
I do want to invite the children to make Valentine Cards for each student in the room. If your child does not want to participate, that is fine, too. On Thursday, Feb. 14th I will plan to take the last part of our day to share cards and read messages. We will not have goodies donated on this day. Many times candy is given out with a card, so the children will be plenty of sweets on this day!
I am thrilled to announce that eight children have advanced to subtraction using Xtramath! I have hung these eight awards on our wall and will continue to add the awards as the other students advance. One child has advanced through addition and subtraction and onto multiplication!
We are finishing Module 3 in Math this week. Some students have taken the test and some will take it this week. These tests will be sent home soon. Module 4 will have the students use addition and subtraction within 200 and word problems to 100.
Happy New Year Northwood Families!
I welcome you back to the new year and our school schedule once again.
I have scheduled NWEA computer testing on January 9, 10, and 16th, to measure individual student progress that has been made since September. My hopes are that the children will be well rested and back in the school swing by January 9th. A healthy morning breakfast would be beneficial after getting 10 hours of good rest. We are out of gum, so feel free to send in sugarless bubblegum or spearmint/peppermint lifesavers for all to have while testing. The students ask for gum to chew daily, which helps them to focus on their work.
The assembly on Friday before we left on winter break was entertaining. The Northwood students were very attentive watching the staff along with The Lake Monster dressed in PJs. Popcorn was delivered to all the classrooms to enjoy later in the day.
The next school incentive will be to earn Laker Prides for good playground behavior. This will be indoor and outdoor recesses. When the students work together to reach 400 Laker Prides, we will celebrate by wearing PJs all day, along with some fun activities in our own classroom.
Math- We continue to work with numbers to 1,000. Many students are conquering their addition math facts by using Xtramath.org daily. This program has helped the speed and accuracy for each student at their own pace. Four students are now into subtraction facts! IXL.com and Freckle.com have also been used after daily lessons to reinforce concepts for math and ELA skills.
Reading-The next few weeks will be reading texts to understand main idea and details along with author's purpose.
Technology- typing our short pieces about a recess activity has been challenging but fun. Practicing typing skills is not easy. This takes concentration and time. Some students have been able to take time at home to type which has helped their skills tremendously. The children have learned how to use google docs and find a picture to use that they are attaching to their writing. Many children love changing the color, size, and font choices to make their work look different.
I welcome you back to the new year and our school schedule once again.
I have scheduled NWEA computer testing on January 9, 10, and 16th, to measure individual student progress that has been made since September. My hopes are that the children will be well rested and back in the school swing by January 9th. A healthy morning breakfast would be beneficial after getting 10 hours of good rest. We are out of gum, so feel free to send in sugarless bubblegum or spearmint/peppermint lifesavers for all to have while testing. The students ask for gum to chew daily, which helps them to focus on their work.
The assembly on Friday before we left on winter break was entertaining. The Northwood students were very attentive watching the staff along with The Lake Monster dressed in PJs. Popcorn was delivered to all the classrooms to enjoy later in the day.
The next school incentive will be to earn Laker Prides for good playground behavior. This will be indoor and outdoor recesses. When the students work together to reach 400 Laker Prides, we will celebrate by wearing PJs all day, along with some fun activities in our own classroom.
Math- We continue to work with numbers to 1,000. Many students are conquering their addition math facts by using Xtramath.org daily. This program has helped the speed and accuracy for each student at their own pace. Four students are now into subtraction facts! IXL.com and Freckle.com have also been used after daily lessons to reinforce concepts for math and ELA skills.
Reading-The next few weeks will be reading texts to understand main idea and details along with author's purpose.
Technology- typing our short pieces about a recess activity has been challenging but fun. Practicing typing skills is not easy. This takes concentration and time. Some students have been able to take time at home to type which has helped their skills tremendously. The children have learned how to use google docs and find a picture to use that they are attaching to their writing. Many children love changing the color, size, and font choices to make their work look different.
Hello Northwood Families!
First and foremost, Happy Holidays and a safe, healthy new year to come!
We plan to have a celebration on Thursday with the donated goodies and drinks that arrive. We do not do any gift giving, but we do try to think about how fortunate we all are living in a small, safe town in New England. We have so much to be grateful for, so let's appreciate each other by being kind! Fun activities will be happening all week. Friday will end with an assembly to celebrate reaching our school goal of over 372 Laker Prides. We concentrated on showing great behaviors in the cafeteria and met the goal as a school. Popcorn will be delivered to classrooms all day Wednesday by the Lake Monster himself!
First and foremost, Happy Holidays and a safe, healthy new year to come!
We plan to have a celebration on Thursday with the donated goodies and drinks that arrive. We do not do any gift giving, but we do try to think about how fortunate we all are living in a small, safe town in New England. We have so much to be grateful for, so let's appreciate each other by being kind! Fun activities will be happening all week. Friday will end with an assembly to celebrate reaching our school goal of over 372 Laker Prides. We concentrated on showing great behaviors in the cafeteria and met the goal as a school. Popcorn will be delivered to classrooms all day Wednesday by the Lake Monster himself!
DECEMBER 10-DECEMBER 14
You are probably wondering if our class is going to be celebrating the winter holidays before we go on break. The answer is yes! I have chosen Thursday, December 20th. Snow date is Friday the 21st.
If you would like to donate a drink, such as juice boxes, a healthy snack, a sweet treat, or a fun activity, feel free to email me and let me know. I like to keep the ideas open for those creative parents who like to make or create something for the class. If I do not get any special offers, then I would like to request sliced cheese & crackers cut and ready to pass out, juice boxes, cookies OR cupcakes to decorate, and grapes . The children have always had fun spreading icing on their own cookie or cupcake and sprinkling toppings on to make them festive before eating.
These next two weeks are filled to complete:
MATH- continue number word writing, expanded form, figuring out word problems using manipulatives, counting by ones, tens, hundreds and using the money symbol. We have several lessons to go before we end module 3. I will be having the children take a mid-unit test to see how they are progressing.
Writing: A short piece is now in progress where each child is pretending that we have a new student and this new student wants to know what the best thing is to do during recess. The children are writing three reasons why it the best choice.
Reading: Reader's Theater in small groups has been so engaging for all. There have been many Fables to choose from to practice the voices for different characters and act out their parts. A written response is completed to explain the moral of the story and to describe the character traits.
Science: Wind, water and rain; how it changes land
December 3
Welcome the new month! This month seems to fly by so fast with all that we need to accomplish besides preparing for the holidays!
Game Club is something new that begins this week. Many students have signed up to play games and use laptops a few times. It is a fun time to see many children wanting to socialize after school by playing games. A variety of games will be chosen each week for the students. Many games have been donated from families in town. Thank you to all those families for thinking of the Game Club. They will be used again and again.
I am thrilled to see so many children having a great time playing in the snow during recess. They have come to school prepared head to toe with the proper gear to keep them warm and dry. This is the only break the students have to be engaged in a longer play time. Our instructional time takes up most of the day. We want to see the children having fun during this break.
Math- counting by $1, $10, and $100, in word problems
Reading- comparing and contrasting fairy tales, reading different versions of the Three Little Pigs and the wolf, understanding point of view
Writing- Students are writing opinion pieces. They are beginning to write about their favorite recess activity with supporting reasons for that choice.
Science- Wind and Water-Mystery Science is loved by the students. We watch an episode during snack when the day is going smoothly.
Phonics- Learning new trick words (sight words) to read and spell, writing with suffixes; ness, less, ment, able, ish, ful, and two syllable words. Dividing words properly into syllables!
Read Aloud- Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
Welcome the new month! This month seems to fly by so fast with all that we need to accomplish besides preparing for the holidays!
Game Club is something new that begins this week. Many students have signed up to play games and use laptops a few times. It is a fun time to see many children wanting to socialize after school by playing games. A variety of games will be chosen each week for the students. Many games have been donated from families in town. Thank you to all those families for thinking of the Game Club. They will be used again and again.
I am thrilled to see so many children having a great time playing in the snow during recess. They have come to school prepared head to toe with the proper gear to keep them warm and dry. This is the only break the students have to be engaged in a longer play time. Our instructional time takes up most of the day. We want to see the children having fun during this break.
Math- counting by $1, $10, and $100, in word problems
Reading- comparing and contrasting fairy tales, reading different versions of the Three Little Pigs and the wolf, understanding point of view
Writing- Students are writing opinion pieces. They are beginning to write about their favorite recess activity with supporting reasons for that choice.
Science- Wind and Water-Mystery Science is loved by the students. We watch an episode during snack when the day is going smoothly.
Phonics- Learning new trick words (sight words) to read and spell, writing with suffixes; ness, less, ment, able, ish, ful, and two syllable words. Dividing words properly into syllables!
Read Aloud- Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
November 26
We are back in the swing for the next four weeks, until our next winter break.
We will make bread Monday and gather with all the first and second grade to eat the made bread and homemade butter on Tuesday!
S.S- We have been learning about Pilgrim children and comparing them to children today. We have noticed that there are not many similarities between them. Children today have so much more and do so much more than work with their parents.
Science- Effects of wind and water
Math- Place value of three digit numbers
Writing- Opinion writing
Word Work- suffixes- ing, s, es, ed, est, less, er, ful and two syllable words
We are back in the swing for the next four weeks, until our next winter break.
We will make bread Monday and gather with all the first and second grade to eat the made bread and homemade butter on Tuesday!
S.S- We have been learning about Pilgrim children and comparing them to children today. We have noticed that there are not many similarities between them. Children today have so much more and do so much more than work with their parents.
Science- Effects of wind and water
Math- Place value of three digit numbers
Writing- Opinion writing
Word Work- suffixes- ing, s, es, ed, est, less, er, ful and two syllable words
November 20, 2018
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I wish you a safe, healthy, and fun holiday with family and friends.
We plan to celebrate with out feast on Monday when we return. Having an early release day with a shortened schedule, won't allow us enough time to make then bake our bread in second grade. This will be an event we can look forward to when we return.
Writing- Opinion Pieces- children are writing their opinion about our chapter book, Thanksgiving on Thursday. They will be adding reasons to support their opinion.
Math- Module 3, Lessons 4, 5, 6- dealing with expanded form, unit form, and number form. Place value of three digit numbers.
Reading- comparing and contrasting two versions of the story, The Boy who Cried Wolf. The children will use a T-chart to show contrasts.
S.S- Comparing and contrasting children today from Children long ago. We will see a virtual video of the Plymouth Plantation and how they reenact Pilgrims and Indians way of life after their long voyage to America.
November 13
Parent Conference day on Friday went very well in my eyes! I love spending this time with all the guardians in order to express each child's progress, and how they are growing as a whole child. My hopes that the communication will continue. It was helpful to learn what I learned about each child outside of school to notice the consistency of behaviors. I always say that these children are seven and eight so that means they have so much time to understand skills and concepts and of course improve behaviors to be successful in life. Keep encouraging everyday! We would not expect the children to give up when things are tough, so we as adults can not give up on the child. Thank you very much for the support you are giving at home!
November 5 - November 16
Now that November is here, I am getting excited to see each of you on November 9th for your scheduled conference time. I did send home a reminder with your time, but if you need to switch or reschedule last minute, I totally understand. I will be looking closely at my emails. I have a few open spots in the morning. I will expect you to reschedule before too much time passes, if you need a different day to meet.
The school has been working on transitioning to a "Standards Based" report card, but we have run into several technical difficulties along the way with using MMS. Please bare with us through this first quarter, as we all experience this new report card. There has been an abundance of hours spent towards developing this system.
I am noticing clearly how each child is progressing on the second grade math and reading standards for the first quarter. You will see the letters, E- Exceeds the standard, M- Masters the standard,
P- Progressing on the standard, and L- Limited learning of the standard. Each quarter new standards will be taught and assessed, along with past standards still needing to be mastered. I encourage you to help your child meet these standards through the year by reading, writing, and understanding their math work.
Now that November is here, I am getting excited to see each of you on November 9th for your scheduled conference time. I did send home a reminder with your time, but if you need to switch or reschedule last minute, I totally understand. I will be looking closely at my emails. I have a few open spots in the morning. I will expect you to reschedule before too much time passes, if you need a different day to meet.
The school has been working on transitioning to a "Standards Based" report card, but we have run into several technical difficulties along the way with using MMS. Please bare with us through this first quarter, as we all experience this new report card. There has been an abundance of hours spent towards developing this system.
I am noticing clearly how each child is progressing on the second grade math and reading standards for the first quarter. You will see the letters, E- Exceeds the standard, M- Masters the standard,
P- Progressing on the standard, and L- Limited learning of the standard. Each quarter new standards will be taught and assessed, along with past standards still needing to be mastered. I encourage you to help your child meet these standards through the year by reading, writing, and understanding their math work.
October 22- November 2
The students met their goal of earning 371 pieces of "pride," so that means all the students are invited to dress up on Friday. Please keep your Halloween costume at home and dress as you may dress according to your
desired profession. I will dressing up, but not as a teacher.
The week before Halloween can be difficult to concentrate in school. I am asking to have conversations with your child about staying focused to listen and learn. We have been having great lessons based on "Thinking with your eyes" and knowing the "Group Plan." Halloween fun will be happening outside of school. We will not be having classroom celebrations until November and December.
ELA- reading appropriate sight words, self corrects using context to recognize or understand words, working on explaining the overall structure of a story. The students will use information from illustrations and the story to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, and plot!
MATH- Completing Module 1 Test before starting Module 3. There is more addition and subtraction and place value; ones, tens, hundreds
Adding and subtraction Fluency and accuracy up to 20.
IXL lessons are now "M.1- M. 15"Numbers to 1000 and all "E" lessons that help to practice addition and subtraction facts!
WRITING- a narrative with a sequence of events, proper punctuation, and capitalization. The students are understanding that writing an interesting lead sentence grabs the readers attention to want to read more.
SCIENCE- Watching Mystery Science Videos that match our science standards.
TECHNOLOGY- We are learning the keyboard and where our fingers are placed when typing. Reinforcing this skill early will make your child a speedy typist.
Oct. 15
Happy Birthday Day to Hunter A. and Dominic this month! They are thrilled to celebrate their birthdays in class.
Payton and Hayden celebrated in September.
A full week of school! We will able to accomplish so much and finish incomplete work.
A form was sent home to sign up to be a Mystery Reader in the classroom. I am thrilled to have the number of parents that have signed up so far. The times we have available are 8:15-8:40 or 1:30-2:50.
Math- Addition & Subtraction fact practice, decomposing numbers to add and subtract, computer use on IXL, ZEARN, and Freckle.com.
Reading- The story this week is called Maria Celebrates Brazil. Students are understanding who the main character is, the setting, and details from the story. The information is being recorded on their own Brazil flag project.
Writing- A personal narrative that has a lead sentence that hooks a reader, tells interesting information, and a conclusion.
Science- Pumpkin Science- observing pieces of pumpkin then recording the changes that occur.
October 9
These four day weeks are great for the children to be so refreshed and awake to learn. However, the short weeks for us teachers is more challenging to teach the math and reading standards and have the children adequately practice. I will continue to carefully watch, help, and teach the standards, along with assessing math and reading so that each child can show mastery in their skills.
The fluctuating weather makes it challenging to know how to dress for school. I suggest layering! Our classroom gets quite hot with having the chimney in the corner. The children are putting on and taking off sweatshirts to adjust to the temperatures. When the sun arrives around the building and shines through our windows, the afternoons get even warmer. Thankfully, we have the large windows to open for fresh air and one fan to run. Having your child have a lighter shirt then packing or wearing a sweatshirt will help them stay comfortable.
MATH- We have been subtracting one digit numbers from two digit by decomposing the number to break the numbers down in a more simple way. ZEARN on the computers is giving the students great practice in each lesson.
READING- Fun stories are being read then looking at the causes and effects. We have discussed main characters and the plot of our stories.
WRITING- This is happening all day in all subject areas. I am reinforcing sight word spelling, sentence structure, and proper punctuation. Each child has a journal to keep each piece of writing in one place.
SCIENCE- Pumpkins have been donated by the Cleary family, and the Cavarretta-Smith Family. Thank you so much. We are beginning our Pumpkin science. All week we plan to observe and record information about the changes in our two pieces.
"Mystery Science" has been extremely popular to watch and learn about the power of water and the different bodies of water thus far! Doug, from Mystery Science makes the topic and videos so engaging for the students. They ask to watch these videos during snack.
SOCIAL STUDIES- During this block of time we are building our classroom community so that we are SAFE, RESPECTFUL, and RESPONSIBLE!
The students in K-8 are earning Laker Pride tickets when any adult in the building sees that they are acting safe. October is safety month! The cafeteria has a large lake where these earned tickets will fill the lake for a school reward. If the lake is filled with 371 prides, then students in K-8 will get to have a career dress up day on October 26th.
These four day weeks are great for the children to be so refreshed and awake to learn. However, the short weeks for us teachers is more challenging to teach the math and reading standards and have the children adequately practice. I will continue to carefully watch, help, and teach the standards, along with assessing math and reading so that each child can show mastery in their skills.
The fluctuating weather makes it challenging to know how to dress for school. I suggest layering! Our classroom gets quite hot with having the chimney in the corner. The children are putting on and taking off sweatshirts to adjust to the temperatures. When the sun arrives around the building and shines through our windows, the afternoons get even warmer. Thankfully, we have the large windows to open for fresh air and one fan to run. Having your child have a lighter shirt then packing or wearing a sweatshirt will help them stay comfortable.
MATH- We have been subtracting one digit numbers from two digit by decomposing the number to break the numbers down in a more simple way. ZEARN on the computers is giving the students great practice in each lesson.
READING- Fun stories are being read then looking at the causes and effects. We have discussed main characters and the plot of our stories.
WRITING- This is happening all day in all subject areas. I am reinforcing sight word spelling, sentence structure, and proper punctuation. Each child has a journal to keep each piece of writing in one place.
SCIENCE- Pumpkins have been donated by the Cleary family, and the Cavarretta-Smith Family. Thank you so much. We are beginning our Pumpkin science. All week we plan to observe and record information about the changes in our two pieces.
"Mystery Science" has been extremely popular to watch and learn about the power of water and the different bodies of water thus far! Doug, from Mystery Science makes the topic and videos so engaging for the students. They ask to watch these videos during snack.
SOCIAL STUDIES- During this block of time we are building our classroom community so that we are SAFE, RESPECTFUL, and RESPONSIBLE!
The students in K-8 are earning Laker Pride tickets when any adult in the building sees that they are acting safe. October is safety month! The cafeteria has a large lake where these earned tickets will fill the lake for a school reward. If the lake is filled with 371 prides, then students in K-8 will get to have a career dress up day on October 26th.
10/3/18
Students are earning Laker Prides through the month of October. These are small pieces of paper with our Lake Monster printed on them. All students have the opportunity to earn a "piece of pride" when an adult sees a student acting safe in or out of the building. The students hope to earn 371 pieces of prides as a whole school. Once this is done before October 26th, the students earn the day on October 26th to dress up to represent a career they may be interested in when they become an adult. I have my choice picked out, and it isn't a teacher.
Your child may be telling you about "GIVE ME FIVE!" We discuss this chart daily and use all five things when an adult is ready to teach or give information. It includes, eyes watching, ears listening, lips closed, feet still, and hands still. This can be very challenging for some students. I will continue to work with the those who still need reminders when we are on the rug for instruction!
Math facts are so important to have your child continue to practice for lifetime mastery. We have been working together to play a game called The Hiding Game or Bears in a Cave. You start with a number such as seven. The child counts out seven objects. A partner holds the number of chips to begin laying down a different number of chips each time saying, " If I show you _____ how many am I hiding?" the child says the number. We are looking for automatic answers. Right now many kids are counting or thinking in their heads, so they do not know the variety of numbers that equal a single digit..
The sums of numbers 1, 2, 3, or 4, are done much faster for the students to give the missing addend. Numbers that are sums 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are much harder for students, so practice will get them to mastery. You only need up to ten objects that you can hold at one time, like pennies.
Parent Conferences- I have most parents scheduled for a conference on November 9th. I have 20 minute blocks to fit in all the children. Come with questions ready if you have them. We will discuss how your child is doing on the core standards we have covered. Some standards may take all year to master and others may quickly be mastered.
Deerfield Fair is coming this week! The children are all excited to have Friday off so they can attend the fair. You just may see me wandering around, too!
Math- Keep practicing those math facts. The summer slowed most children way down. These are so important to have your child be fluent when doing their addition facts.
Reading- Finding Cal will be read this week and discussed. Ask your child about the story. What is the setting? What does Cal do in the story? Is there a problem that is solved by the end? How does Cal feel in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. What makes him feel this way? Many questions can be discussed to better understand the story.
Growth Mindset- I am continually reinforcing positive thinking in the classroom. I encourage every child to try their best, even when it is hard. Effort and a good attitude is the key to success!
SEPTEMBER 17
What a gorgeous weekend. I hope you were all able to enjoy some outdoor time. I wish this weather could stay all year round. Snow will be here before we know it!
If you are a planner and think ahead of the crowd, you may be purchasing new winter gear. Please use a Sharpie marker to label jackets, sweaters, and snow pants. While I'm mentioning labeling items; lunchboxes get lost daily because they are not labeled with a name or grade. Labeling a name/grade is so helpful when trying to find lunch bags that are left in the cafe or clothing that is found all around the school. Remember, children leave their room for Related Arts classes and at times they get cold or hot while they are out of the room. Our classroom can also get much warmer than other rooms because we have the chimney wall in our corner wall. This makes a huge difference in the temperature.
The LOST and FOUND is an area that accumulates clothing and lunch bags so fast each month. Labeling your child's belongings will almost guarantee that you will have your stuff returned to your home.
Library books- Our library day is Wednesday. Please help remind your child to return their borrowed book every Wednesday so that a new book can be signed out or ask to renew the same book.
September 19th- OPEN HOUSE- K-4 grades will start at the BBQ to have food and then proceed inside to see what the children have been working on these last few weeks. I will be mingling at the BBQ and then back in the classroom. My goal is to say hello to all the families. If you have a lot of individual questions to ask like; How is my child doing?, Is my child doing okay?, Is my child behaving? Please email me your specific questions so that I able to have time to see everyone. It will be a challenge to see all 20 families in such a short period of time. I am always willing to have a phone conversation or set up a time to meet in the classroom before or after school hours. Your child will be proud to show you work they have in their folders and activities they have completed. Our bulletin board displaying goals is attached to Ms. Gibson's bulletin board across our hall. Ms. Clairmont's third grade class work is displayed on the board closest to our classroom.
IXL Math Website- I have noticed that so many students are taking the time to practice math concepts/skills on www.IXL.com This has been so popular for the students. They talk in class to each other about the prizes/stickers they earn along with feeling so proud of the number of questions they complete. ZEARN.com is going well in the classroom! They get to visit ZEARN after a class lesson we complete to review and practice the concept. There is also fact practice that is completed to master all the addition and subtraction facts to 20.
GROWTH MINDSET- Your child may be coming home and discussing positive ways to think. Growth mindset is changing our negative thinking to a positive one. We say comments like, "I will try my best," I will learn by listening to others," I won't give up," "Mistakes are proof that you are trying," "Strive for progress, not perfection." These are only a few. By changing your words, you are changing your mindset.
What a gorgeous weekend. I hope you were all able to enjoy some outdoor time. I wish this weather could stay all year round. Snow will be here before we know it!
If you are a planner and think ahead of the crowd, you may be purchasing new winter gear. Please use a Sharpie marker to label jackets, sweaters, and snow pants. While I'm mentioning labeling items; lunchboxes get lost daily because they are not labeled with a name or grade. Labeling a name/grade is so helpful when trying to find lunch bags that are left in the cafe or clothing that is found all around the school. Remember, children leave their room for Related Arts classes and at times they get cold or hot while they are out of the room. Our classroom can also get much warmer than other rooms because we have the chimney wall in our corner wall. This makes a huge difference in the temperature.
The LOST and FOUND is an area that accumulates clothing and lunch bags so fast each month. Labeling your child's belongings will almost guarantee that you will have your stuff returned to your home.
Library books- Our library day is Wednesday. Please help remind your child to return their borrowed book every Wednesday so that a new book can be signed out or ask to renew the same book.
September 19th- OPEN HOUSE- K-4 grades will start at the BBQ to have food and then proceed inside to see what the children have been working on these last few weeks. I will be mingling at the BBQ and then back in the classroom. My goal is to say hello to all the families. If you have a lot of individual questions to ask like; How is my child doing?, Is my child doing okay?, Is my child behaving? Please email me your specific questions so that I able to have time to see everyone. It will be a challenge to see all 20 families in such a short period of time. I am always willing to have a phone conversation or set up a time to meet in the classroom before or after school hours. Your child will be proud to show you work they have in their folders and activities they have completed. Our bulletin board displaying goals is attached to Ms. Gibson's bulletin board across our hall. Ms. Clairmont's third grade class work is displayed on the board closest to our classroom.
IXL Math Website- I have noticed that so many students are taking the time to practice math concepts/skills on www.IXL.com This has been so popular for the students. They talk in class to each other about the prizes/stickers they earn along with feeling so proud of the number of questions they complete. ZEARN.com is going well in the classroom! They get to visit ZEARN after a class lesson we complete to review and practice the concept. There is also fact practice that is completed to master all the addition and subtraction facts to 20.
GROWTH MINDSET- Your child may be coming home and discussing positive ways to think. Growth mindset is changing our negative thinking to a positive one. We say comments like, "I will try my best," I will learn by listening to others," I won't give up," "Mistakes are proof that you are trying," "Strive for progress, not perfection." These are only a few. By changing your words, you are changing your mindset.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2018
I am thrilled to feel the crisp autumn air, which means the classroom will be so much cooler. We have all been overheating!
The week will be completely filled with engaging lessons in reading, writing, and math. Our schedule is very tight trying to fit all the instruction and some fun, too! Go Noodle is very popular in our classroom to use to give our bodies a movement break.
I introduced "GOTCHAS" to the students. They are all excited to earn their individual "Gotcha" cards by showing acts of kindness, following expected behaviors with no reminders, and handing in quality work. A list was composed by the students to choose activities when they individually collect 10 at a time. Some students may use them as soon as they have 10 and other students may keep collecting them to wait for others in order to do an activity together. The ten "Gotchas" are worth 15 minutes of time, or all 20 students can pitch in for a class activity. Time will tell what they individually decide to do with their own collection.
Math- Our class is using ZEARN Math this year. This is a top rated curriculum that personalizes learning for each student. Your child will learn and practice math concepts in two ways- Small Group Instruction with me and Independent Digital Lessons in school only. These two rotations everyday will deeply learn the big ideas of math for our grade! The IXL.com digital work is to be used at home. Your child has their individual log in information.
Independent Digital Lessons will help your child learn and practice new concepts at his/her own pace. This will include fun warm ups to build math foundations, interactive videos, and paper pencil tasks to transfer learning with support and personalized feedback.
Small Group Instruction with me gives your child the opportunity to discuss their reasoning aloud, works with concrete objects to demonstrate their thinking, and receives feedback on their understanding. The small group teaching allows me to do an even better job meeting the specific needs of every child.
Writing happens all day in all subject areas. Practice of letter formation is important and then size of letters so a complete sentence can fit on the dotted line spaces appropriately. I am having the students write their own first and last names of most work so they can practice formation of the letters with ease. Reminders are given right now when starting to write any sentence but they will not be given during sentence dictations. I w ant the students to be able to write complete sentences on their own with no reminders. Spelling with be inventive unless they are sight words that have already been learned in first grade such as they, what, said, I, and, she, and many more. Every child also has a "Quick Word" dictionary booklet of their own to access when writing. Many children want assisstance writing every word they get stuck on instead of tapping out the sounds they know or using this word book. I do not require all words to be spelled correctly. Please reinforce to write what they know and use their skills they are taught.
We continue to practice voice levels in our classroom.
Level 0 is used when walking in the hallways, when students are sharing, teachers are instructing, or acting as a polite audience.
Level 1 (whisper) is challenging for this age. I will have the children continue to practice so our classroom has the learning environment we can create. Whispering is used so that only one person can hear them in the classroom, library, cafeteria, bathroom, reading, or asking questions to each other.
Level 2 is used when they are participating, reading out loud, and sharing in groups.
Level 3 is used in P.E. class, outside, and occasionally
in the classroom when chanting.
I am thrilled to feel the crisp autumn air, which means the classroom will be so much cooler. We have all been overheating!
The week will be completely filled with engaging lessons in reading, writing, and math. Our schedule is very tight trying to fit all the instruction and some fun, too! Go Noodle is very popular in our classroom to use to give our bodies a movement break.
I introduced "GOTCHAS" to the students. They are all excited to earn their individual "Gotcha" cards by showing acts of kindness, following expected behaviors with no reminders, and handing in quality work. A list was composed by the students to choose activities when they individually collect 10 at a time. Some students may use them as soon as they have 10 and other students may keep collecting them to wait for others in order to do an activity together. The ten "Gotchas" are worth 15 minutes of time, or all 20 students can pitch in for a class activity. Time will tell what they individually decide to do with their own collection.
Math- Our class is using ZEARN Math this year. This is a top rated curriculum that personalizes learning for each student. Your child will learn and practice math concepts in two ways- Small Group Instruction with me and Independent Digital Lessons in school only. These two rotations everyday will deeply learn the big ideas of math for our grade! The IXL.com digital work is to be used at home. Your child has their individual log in information.
Independent Digital Lessons will help your child learn and practice new concepts at his/her own pace. This will include fun warm ups to build math foundations, interactive videos, and paper pencil tasks to transfer learning with support and personalized feedback.
Small Group Instruction with me gives your child the opportunity to discuss their reasoning aloud, works with concrete objects to demonstrate their thinking, and receives feedback on their understanding. The small group teaching allows me to do an even better job meeting the specific needs of every child.
Writing happens all day in all subject areas. Practice of letter formation is important and then size of letters so a complete sentence can fit on the dotted line spaces appropriately. I am having the students write their own first and last names of most work so they can practice formation of the letters with ease. Reminders are given right now when starting to write any sentence but they will not be given during sentence dictations. I w ant the students to be able to write complete sentences on their own with no reminders. Spelling with be inventive unless they are sight words that have already been learned in first grade such as they, what, said, I, and, she, and many more. Every child also has a "Quick Word" dictionary booklet of their own to access when writing. Many children want assisstance writing every word they get stuck on instead of tapping out the sounds they know or using this word book. I do not require all words to be spelled correctly. Please reinforce to write what they know and use their skills they are taught.
We continue to practice voice levels in our classroom.
Level 0 is used when walking in the hallways, when students are sharing, teachers are instructing, or acting as a polite audience.
Level 1 (whisper) is challenging for this age. I will have the children continue to practice so our classroom has the learning environment we can create. Whispering is used so that only one person can hear them in the classroom, library, cafeteria, bathroom, reading, or asking questions to each other.
Level 2 is used when they are participating, reading out loud, and sharing in groups.
Level 3 is used in P.E. class, outside, and occasionally
in the classroom when chanting.
.September is here but the weather has not caught up yet. It will be another hot week! Bring those water bottles!
I want to introduce a new technology program called ZEARN, that will be used in our classroom during our math block. Zearn Math is a personalized curriculum and classroom model that meets the needs of students and teachers—so all children can learn and love math. It will be easy for the students to use and it will provide differentiation. Students will have the freedom to go at their pace in a structured format. The other Math technology we will use at home is IXL. A password and username will be set up for your child. You will be able to access this soon. Both of these programs cover the skills and concepts that are needed to practice to master the core standards.
I want to introduce a new technology program called ZEARN, that will be used in our classroom during our math block. Zearn Math is a personalized curriculum and classroom model that meets the needs of students and teachers—so all children can learn and love math. It will be easy for the students to use and it will provide differentiation. Students will have the freedom to go at their pace in a structured format. The other Math technology we will use at home is IXL. A password and username will be set up for your child. You will be able to access this soon. Both of these programs cover the skills and concepts that are needed to practice to master the core standards.
Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year!
Thank you to everyone who brought in supplies for our classroom at our Meet & Greet night. The shelves are fully stocked! It was fun for me to see the children and all the families mingling in the classroom. The children were patient and used their manners well.
I am thrilled to begin working with this new class of students. As of now, we have 21 students. One student has moved out and a new student has joined us in this past week. Stay tuned for any new changes in the class size.
I try my best to keep you updated with a posting every week to two weeks, depending on what is happening in school.
Breakfast-This important morning meal is served daily before the start bell of 8:50. All children who want breakfast will go directly to the cafeteria to eat first, then proceed outside for morning recess, if there is time. If breakfast is not finished, it is taken back to the classroom to finish. Please help remind your child of eating breakfast first, if they have not eaten before leaving home.
Snack- We have a short snack time set while I read aloud after all the children take a bathroom visit. Snacks will need to be packed daily along with a drink of choice. Water bottles can be brought to school then returned daily to wash and refill.
Papers- The packet of papers that were handed out during the Meet &Greet should be carefully filled out, signed, and returned when they have been completed. Once all the students have returned the forms I will sort them for the office staff.
Book Orders-I like to send out a book order each month if families are ordering. Ordering yourself on line is the easiest for everyone. You need to go to www.scholastic.com/readingclubs, type in my name, and use the code FHRM6. If you fill in the book order form, write the student's full name, and write a check out to Scholastic Book Club.
Communication- Please fill in the form I gave you that asks for the best way to communicate through the year. Please email me at [email protected] or [email protected]. Both emails work through the school email. The early mornings and evenings are when I check my emails. I won't have consistent time during the hours of 8:00-2:30 because of meetings, students' needs, paperwork, and recess monitoring. I can assure you that when you send an email, I will be in touch as soon as I can respond.
Field Trips/Volunteering- This is the time to get your background check done at the police station. Call the school office at 942-5488 to ask if you are on the approved volunteer list. This process can take 6-8 weeks. You need to be approved to volunteer on a field trip or in the classroom. The second grade team is Mrs. Gibson and I. We look for a person who is willing to come in weekly to copy papers, laminate, and do small projects. You will need to be approved prior to volunteering.
Lunch- Cold lunch boxes or bags need to be labeled with a first and last name. Lunch bags get lost frequently, but by labeling your child's name with a sharpie pen is so helpful when finding the owner of the left behind bags. When sending in any cash or checks for the cafeteria staff, please place the money into an envelope with your child's full name and four digit lunch number. All envelopes are placed into a plastic folder to be brought to the office. The office staff takes care of the money envelopes.
I look forward to talking with you in the next few days. If you have any questions, please feel to ask when I begin making phone calls this week. I want to touch base over the phone right away.
See you at Open House September 18th.
Vonda Cunningham
Thank you to everyone who brought in supplies for our classroom at our Meet & Greet night. The shelves are fully stocked! It was fun for me to see the children and all the families mingling in the classroom. The children were patient and used their manners well.
I am thrilled to begin working with this new class of students. As of now, we have 21 students. One student has moved out and a new student has joined us in this past week. Stay tuned for any new changes in the class size.
I try my best to keep you updated with a posting every week to two weeks, depending on what is happening in school.
Breakfast-This important morning meal is served daily before the start bell of 8:50. All children who want breakfast will go directly to the cafeteria to eat first, then proceed outside for morning recess, if there is time. If breakfast is not finished, it is taken back to the classroom to finish. Please help remind your child of eating breakfast first, if they have not eaten before leaving home.
Snack- We have a short snack time set while I read aloud after all the children take a bathroom visit. Snacks will need to be packed daily along with a drink of choice. Water bottles can be brought to school then returned daily to wash and refill.
Papers- The packet of papers that were handed out during the Meet &Greet should be carefully filled out, signed, and returned when they have been completed. Once all the students have returned the forms I will sort them for the office staff.
Book Orders-I like to send out a book order each month if families are ordering. Ordering yourself on line is the easiest for everyone. You need to go to www.scholastic.com/readingclubs, type in my name, and use the code FHRM6. If you fill in the book order form, write the student's full name, and write a check out to Scholastic Book Club.
Communication- Please fill in the form I gave you that asks for the best way to communicate through the year. Please email me at [email protected] or [email protected]. Both emails work through the school email. The early mornings and evenings are when I check my emails. I won't have consistent time during the hours of 8:00-2:30 because of meetings, students' needs, paperwork, and recess monitoring. I can assure you that when you send an email, I will be in touch as soon as I can respond.
Field Trips/Volunteering- This is the time to get your background check done at the police station. Call the school office at 942-5488 to ask if you are on the approved volunteer list. This process can take 6-8 weeks. You need to be approved to volunteer on a field trip or in the classroom. The second grade team is Mrs. Gibson and I. We look for a person who is willing to come in weekly to copy papers, laminate, and do small projects. You will need to be approved prior to volunteering.
Lunch- Cold lunch boxes or bags need to be labeled with a first and last name. Lunch bags get lost frequently, but by labeling your child's name with a sharpie pen is so helpful when finding the owner of the left behind bags. When sending in any cash or checks for the cafeteria staff, please place the money into an envelope with your child's full name and four digit lunch number. All envelopes are placed into a plastic folder to be brought to the office. The office staff takes care of the money envelopes.
I look forward to talking with you in the next few days. If you have any questions, please feel to ask when I begin making phone calls this week. I want to touch base over the phone right away.
See you at Open House September 18th.
Vonda Cunningham
2018-2019 Play money is going to be distributed in pennies and nickels to begin to recognize the coin differences and values. Each week the children will be able to earn money for each assignment sent home and brought back to school. (The common core standard is 2.MD.C.8 - Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using symbols appropriately.)
Please be aware of the due dates that may be posted on a packet. Word Work packets (Fundations Lessons) are given to students at the beginning of each Unit to reinforce Trick words, and phonics skills for that unit. The packet will have a due date. This will be important for your child to try to complete any homework assignment in order to receive money at school. We are planning for shopping days to take place once every other week. If any other parent is interested in coming in to help on our "trade in" day or "shopping" day, please email me. I am looking for volunteers for possibly one hour every Thursday to help the students learn how to sort coins and trade them in for larger value coins before they shop. Most kids do not know their coins well enough to count properly so they will need assistance before writing their total. It is best for them to know the total value of what they have saved in order to be prepared to shop. Our items in our store will be in labeled buckets by what the cost is of the items in that bucket. The children will have a five minute time slots to choose out of the buckets they can afford. My hopes are to have volunteers come in consistently for this project to happen smoothly. It does take many hands for this project but the children enjoy learning coins, values, and shopping of course!
Feel free to donate small items for our second grade store. We want the children to have a variety items to choose from on shopping days!
Dear Families,
As a second grade teacher, one of the most important parts of my job is to build a love of reading in my students. Helping them find books they enjoy puts them on their way toward becoming confident independent readers and writers, which is essential for success.
This is why I use Scholastic Reading Club in my class. It makes it easy for you to choose books that your child will love, at just the right reading level for him or her and at unbeatable values.
Plus when you order from Scholastic Reading Club, we get free books and materials for our classroom library.
If you are ever interested in ordering, please fill out the form and write a check to Scholastic for the total amount. Another easy way is to go online to scholastic.com/readingclub and use our class activation code . I have kept this code on my web page under the “More” tab for websites. You can purchase the books quickly and your order shows up with your books on the same order form I submit. You do not write a check but you use a credit card. Please send me the book order form if you do not order on line to make it easier to pass out the books when they arrive in the mail.
Thank you for supporting your child’s reading success.
Mrs. Cunningham