Ms. Sanders

Jungle Journal

Dear Parents,

    Wow! I have such a great group of kids in my class this year! We’re already off to a great start. The children have made friends quickly. I know it’s going to be a great year, filled with learning, growing and making wonderful memories.

     This is the very first issue of the 2008-2009 Jungle Journal! The Jungle Journal is a weekly newsletter that will go home every Friday. Please read carefully as it will answer many questions you may have and keep you informed about special events, curriculum and class news. It will also be posted on my blog, which can be accessed by going to the Kennesaw Elementary homepage, clicking on grade levels, then second grade, then Ms. Deschene. Currently, the blog is still listed under my maiden name, but it will be changed ASAP.  

     Thank you, parents, for returning paperwork so quickly! It makes my job much easier! Also, thank you for the donations. They are much appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me or send a note if you have ANY questions or concerns. I am also happy to meet with you in person before or after school or during my planning period.

      Hopefully, you have had a chance to look through your child’s M.O.O.S.E. binder. The children will be bringing this binder to and from school daily. Please make sure to look through and clean out your child’s binder daily. It fills up quickly! Your child’s calendar is a way for me to communicate daily behavior. If your child earns a stamp, they had a great day. I will write a behavior code or attach a note if your child had behavior issues. The behavior code key is on the labels attached to the folder. 

      Open house will be August 28^th from 7:30-8:30. I will send an invitation in the next couple weeks. I hope you can all attend. It will answer many questions you may have about curriculum, expectations and how you can support your child’s learning at home.

     Again, please don’t hesitate to e-mail or send a note if you have any questions or concerns. My e-mail is Nora.Sanders@cobbk12.org. I’m just an e-mail away!

                          Thanks for your support,

                                                  Nora Sanders

         

Sitton Spelling

Dear parents,

    I have had some questions about the homework in reference to the spelling words. The spelling practice is referring to the Level Two Priority words and Level Two Core words sent home in the Meet and Greet packet. I have attached additional copies in case you need them.

     In second grade, we use a program called Sitton spelling. It may be different then the first grade spelling program or other programs you are used to. The program tries to get away from giving children a list of random words to memorize each week for the spelling test on Friday. Instead, it focuses on spelling patterns and mastery of core words that are commonly used in writing.  With this program, children have the opportunity to:

-         Participate in sentence dictation quizzes , which require the children to spell words while utilizing listening and writing skills.

-         Proofread papers for spelling errors and mistakes.

-         Participate in extension activities with spelling patterns and word lists.

        This program is research-based and has been proven to be successful.

      Usually, your child will be taking home a ‘Stretch It’ sentence paper on Monday or Tuesday and a ‘Rainbow Writing’ paper on Wednesday or Thursday. Most likely, the words used on these papers will be the words on Fridays spelling test. However, it is most important to practice the words from the Level Two Priority words and Level Two Core words as those are the words we will be focusing on for the entire school year. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

                  

                    Thanks for your support,

                                   Nora Deschene

Math Help at Home

Dear Parents,

       I enjoyed seeing many of you at open house I've had some requests for ideas on how to help your children at home with the basic math facts they may have forgotten over the summer. There are lots of fun ways to practice math at home with your children. Lots of kids like the play 'war', the card game, and they don't even realize it's helping them with basic addition facts. All you need is a deck of cards. Each player puts down two cards and whichever player has the highest combined number wins the other players cards. The game continues until one person has all the cards in the deck. I've seen kids play for hours. It really gets kids used to adding quickly, which is an important skill as we move into more difficult math concepts. Yahtzee and other dice games also involve addition.

         I've also found some websites that may be helpful. They have fun games that really motivate the kids to practice.

www.funbrain.com (Great for many different subjects; has some fun math games and activities)

www.primarygames.com/curriculum/math.htm (Click on the curriculum guide at the bottom of the page to select a grade-level appropriate game)

www.apples4theteacher.com/flash-cards.htm (flash card game)

I hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions about helping your child at home. I have lots of great resources and I'm always happy to help.

                                             Have fun!

                                                  Miss Deschene