Weekly Newsletter September 30, 2011

Mrs. Freeland’s Weekly Note

September 26-30

Field Trip:

The 2^nd Grade will be taking an all-day field trip to Klackle Orchard in Greenville on Thursday, October 20^th.  We will be returning around 3:30 in the afternoon, so your child will need to have transportation home from school on that day. Parents are welcome to attend.  Each child and adult will need to bring $5.00.  A note and permission slip containing more detailed information can be found in your child’s Friday Folder. Please return the permission slip indicating whether your child will be attending or not by Friday, October 14^th.  

Looking Ahead:

·         Friday, October 7-Progess Reports sent home

·         Monday, October 10- Delayed 10:00 start

·         Wednesday, October 12- Book Order Due

·         Friday, October 14-Permission slip and money due for field trip

·         Thursday, October 20- Field Trip

Reminder:

If your child is absent, please call the office in the morning to report your child’s absence.

Progress Reports:

Progress reports will come home next Friday, October 7.  Please watch for them in your child’s reading folder. 

Labels Program:

A zip-lock baggie came home two weeks ago with your child for the McBain PTO Labels Program.  When your family has collected 20 labels, please return the baggie to school.  Your child’s name will be entered into a special drawing for every 20 labels brought in.  Thanks for your help!

Science:

We have really enjoyed learning about plants! We created an art project about the parts of plants. Look for it in the main hallway just past the office. The children completed an assessment on plants on Thursday.

Social Studies:

We will start our first Social Studies unit next week. It is called “What is a Community?”

Book-It:

Our class will be participating in the BOOK-IT! Program for the next six months, October through March.  Each child will be able to earn a Reading Award Certificate that they can take to Pizza Hut for a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza.  On their first visit to the restaurant they will also receive a BOOK-IT! Backpack tag/bookmark to celebrate their reading accomplishment.  Our goal is for each child to read at least 5 nights per week.  At the end of each month I will check each child’s calendar from their reading folder.  If they meet the goal, I will attach the coupon to it and send it home.  I think we will have lots of readers earning free pizza at the end of this month!    

Book Orders:  Book orders will be due on Wednesday, October 12^th.  If you would like to order books, please send the slip along with a check made payable to Scholastic or the correct amount of money in an envelope marked with your child’s name.  If you are ordering from multiple clubs, you can write one check for the combined total.   

Math:

·         The children began bringing home their Home Links this week. Home Links are a way to reinforce the skills that were taught in the classroom that day. Please be sure to review the Home Link with your child and return it to school the next day.

·         Today your child is bringing home their math pre-test. Please review this with your child this weekend so that they can be prepared for the upcoming assessment. We will be completing our Unit 1 math test on Monday, October 3^rd.  

Student of the Week:

We will begin recognizing the Student of the Week shortly. Students will have their poster on the Student of the Week Bulletin Board near the office.  If your child has not returned their poster, please send it in when they complete it.  

September 23rd Newsletter

Mrs. Freeland’s Weekly Note

September 19-23

Spelling:

So far your child has brought home three spelling tests.  I wanted to take a moment to explain how they are graded.  The children are asked to spell each word.  Each time a spelling word is written, it is worth one point.  Bonus words count as one point each and are considered “extra” points.  So, there is a possibility that your child can score above a 100% if they spell their bonus words correctly.  Please contact me if you have any questions. 

Class T-Shirts:

Orders are due on Monday,    September 26.  Please send your child’s order form and payment in an envelope with the words “Class T-Shirt” on the front if you haven’t already. We are excited to design and wear our shirts!

Friday Folders:

Most of the children have been bringing their Friday Folders back on Monday morning. Please be sure that your child’s folder has been signed by someone at home and is returned. Students who consistently return their Friday Folders will receive a reward at the end of the 1^st Marking Period.

Reading:

This week our mini-lessons before IDR (Independent Daily Reading) focused on strategies for being a careful reader, which means reading just-right books with accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.  We learned that readers monitor for meaning by:

·         Stopping and thinking “Who? & What?”

·         Rereading what they don’t understand

·         Retelling

·         Using pictures to check for meaning of difficult words

When reading at home with your child, please try a few of these strategies and encourage your student to be a careful reader. 

Science:

The seeds we planted last week have begun to sprout and grow!  We observed a few of the seedlings grow leaves and drop their seed coats.  The children will complete an assessment on plants in the middle of next week. They will be bringing their seedlings home at that point.

Johnny Appleseed Day:

We celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day today, September 23^rd.  Thank you to all of the parents who donated supplies and/or their time!  The children enjoyed this extra special event.  

Math:

We are working hard on reviewing math skills, as well as learning new skills in the first unit of our Everyday Math curriculum. Starting next week, you will find daily skills reviews in your child’s Reading Folder. These skill reviews are called Home Links. Please take time to review and discuss the Home Links that come home. Creating a connection between school and home provides an amazing opportunity for students. Something as simple as a 5 minute discussion about our math concepts and skills will greatly benefit your child. We understand that evenings are busy, so please don’t stress if you find it difficult to fit this in, but be sure to send the Home Link back to school with your child’s Reading Folder regardless. 

Christmas Program Lines:

Your child is bringing home lines for the Christmas Program that our music teacher, Mrs. Wiggins, is working on with the students. This is something that your child can use to practice the songs and any lines that they may have been given. It does not have to be memorized right away. Mrs. Wiggins asked that I let parents know that she is getting it out with plenty of time left before the big event.

Reading Folders:

Some students are worried about bringing their reading folders back the next day with a book they haven’t finished. If your child brings home a book that they aren’t able to finish in one night, please reassure them that they can bring it home again the next night. We have discussed this in class and I wanted to let parents know that it is ok for your child to continue to read where they left off the next night.

The following is from Mrs. Kelley:

Hello, from your child’s physical education teacher.  Your child has P.E. twice a week, on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings.  PLEASE help them to remember their tennis shoes.  Many kids just keep their tennis shoes in their locker so that they are prepared.  IF your child has asthma, or any other medical issue I should know about, please send me a note about it, (especially if they have an inhaler that they need to take before they exercise.)  I can be reached at 825-2021, e-mail at: ckelly@mcbain.org, OR I also have information on the school website.  Thank you!

Mrs. Kelley

It's A Girl!

Mrs. Wieferich gave birth at 10:25 AM to a healthy baby girl! Congratulations to her and her family.

Weekly Newsletter

Mrs. Wieferich’s Weekly Note

September 12-16

Mileage Club:

The Feelin’ Good Mileage club starts on Monday,September 19^th.  Encourage your child to walk or run each day at last recess! 

Class T-Shirts:

Reminder, order forms and payment for class t-shirts are due on Monday, September 26^th. 

Language Arts:

Almost all of the boys and girls in our class are bringing back their “Take-Home Reading” folders daily.  Thank you for taking time to read with your child each night.  IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!  Remember our goal for September is 15 nights of reading.  

Classroom Promise:

During the first week of school we wrote a “Classroom Promise.”  We say it together each day after we say the Pledge of Allegiance.  It goes like this:

 We are about each other and our classroom.  We will act in such a way that we will be proud of ourselves and others will be proud of us too.  We share what we have, listen carefully, help each other learn, work hard, and have fun together.  We understand that everyone makes mistakes that we stand up for ourselves and others, and when someone asks us to stop, we stop.  This is who we are, even when no one is watching!

Science:

We conducted some fun science experiments with plants this week.  Did your child tell you about them?  First each child planted a few of their own seeds in a cup.  We set them by the window sill and are anxiously waiting for them to sprout.  We also used celery to observe how water travels up the stem of plants.  The students drew and labeled several different kinds of plants and their roots on Tuesday.  They had fun visiting each table and observing all of the plants with their parts.  We will study plants for another week or so and then move on to a social studies unit. 

Writing:

We love Writer’s Workshop!  We begin each workshop with a mini-lesson that focuses on a particular writing skill.  The students then write individually at their desks.  During this time, I conference with students about the writing in their writing folder.  I’ve seen some great work so far in second grade!  I will be sharing their folder with you at conferences.  This month our unit of study is called “Launching the Workshop.”  We are working on the routines, expectations, and building habits that good writers have.  At the end of the month we will publish a piece of our favorite writing and celebrate what we have learned.  Each month will have a different writing focus. 

Johnny Appleseed Day:
We will be celebrating Johnny Appleseed Day on Friday, September 23^rd.  An information sheet regarding this special day came home today in your child’s Friday folder. 

Behavior Flip-Cards:
Many of the children are staying on “green” all day, every day!  These students were able to pick out of our Treasure Chest for a reward today. We keep track of the color that the children are on at the end of the day. Here is a reminder of what each color represents:

Green-Good Job!

Yellow-Warning.  You have had a reminder and now you need to change your behavior.

Orange-10 minutes of recess and a note home that needs to be signed and returned. 

Blue-Entire recess and a note home that needs to be signed and returned. 

Red-Phone call home and meeting with Mr. Smith. 

Friday Folders

Friday Folders came home with your child yesterday afternoon. Please look through the papers that were in the folder. Our newsletter has information about our week, as well as important reminders about upcoming events. There was also an orange information sheet that needs to be looked over and returned to make sure the main records kept by the front office are complete and accurate. Friday Folders also contain some of the work that we have been working hard on during classroom instruction time. This week we sent home completed handwriting sheets and corrected spelling tests. Once you have looked over this information please date and sign the folder and return it, along with any notes or completed forms, back with your child on Monday.


We hope you enjoy your weekend and we look forward to seeing your children Monday morning at 10 AM!


REMINDER: Monday is a Delayed Start Day. School starts at 10 AM.

We Are Having A Great Time In 2nd Grade!

Our week has been fun but very busy! We went to P.E. for the first time today. We are learning so much. Tomorrow we will celebrate Zach's birthday, as well as visit the Library for the first time too. We look forward to seeing your children's smiling faces again tomorrow morning!

REMINDER: Please be sure to check your child's backpack for their Friday Folders tomorrow afternoon. It will contain the 1st edition of our weekly newsletter, as well as some other important papers.

The First Day!

We had a great first day of school today! We played a name game to get to know one another. We also got started on our spelling list and our new math program. The day flew by! Please work on spelling words with your children so that they may practice for our first spelling test scheduled for this Friday, September 9. We can't wait to see your children again tomorrow!

REMINDER: We have P.E. the morning of Thursday, September 8. Please send your child to school with tennis shoes. Starting next week we will begin our regular P.E. schedule of Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.