Ms. Montante

Can it be? Is it really week four at KES?

As you can tell from the title time is already flying by this year.  The children will "ponder " that question and many more.  We will be adding a new vocabulary word every week.  Hopefully they will use these words in their conversations with you.  Ponder is a great one, I just hope I can come up with others they like as much.  Procedures are in place and the children are trying so hard to follow them.  I must say they are doing a great job and are probably tops in "hallway" procedures. 

This week we will start addition with regrouping, Georgia Regions, and Guided Reading groups.  We will also be using the Five Step Process for problem solving.  I believe it is very important to apply those skills learned during Math to word problems.  The children already realize that being a good detective means success.  Thanks to Mrs. Kulynych for helping us set up Accelerated Math.  As soon as they have the scanner working we will be set.  The first practices look great and they are doing a wonderful job of showing their work.  This is such a good program and I do think it increases their Math and Reading abilities.  The best part is that they really love doing the practices and are excited to have a test.  I enjoy the Guided Reading groups because I get to spend time with each group and they have so much to share and contribute.  They wrote some wonderful and creative cinquains.  Just ask your child what they are.  The next focus in writing is descriptive narratives.  The class was intrigued with the sentence, "On a dark and stormy night...." so we will be creating some great stories using that as our opening sentence.  What amazing imaginations they have. 

Homework will not start until after Labor Day.  It is still a work in progress.  I do want the children to keep a reading log and turn it in each month.  I will send one home after the holiday with my expectations and the goals the children have set.  Reading with your child is a gift we often overlook. 

I am listing some websites I think are beneficial for the children.  This is not mandatory just something they might like to check out if they have some free time.

Math:

Addition with Regrouping

More addition with regrouping

 3 digit addition with regrouping

Language Arts:

http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L2?GradeLevel=-1:6&Subject=Language%20Arts

There seems to be some confusion about the Success Records.  I hope this helps. 

• sign your child's Success Record daily
• discuss any stickers( above and beyond)  or sad faces with your child.
• keep the Success Record in your child's folder
• a new one will be place in their folder every week

Mrs. Getz has agreed to be our room parent.  She will be sending a note home asking for email addresses.  She is going to coordinate activities for our classroom.  I want all of you to feel free to be a part of the class.  Readers are always welcome.  I want to thank those parents who sent in some games and playground toys for the children.  I so appreciate your support.  

I look forward to this year and already know it will be exciting and memorable.  Thank you for trusting me to teach your children and challenge them to be the best they can be every day. 

 

Addition with Regrouping

More addition with regrouping

 3 digit addition with regrouping

Language Arts:

http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L2?GradeLevel=-1:6&Subject=Language%20Arts

Upcoming Events

September 8th -  Fundraiser Due

September 9th  -  Chorus Begins 

September 10th  -  School Pictures     

September 20-24th  - Fall Break

September News:

Math:

We have been doing 2 digit addition with regrouping.  We spent some time using manipulatives and then numbers.  The children are doing a great job. We will continue to work on this concept. Graphing will also be a focus and part of our daily Math problem.

Addition with regrouping

Social Studies:

We continue to work on the regions of Georgia and should be started our travel brochure filled with interesting information about our state.

Reading:

We are reading some chapter books and focusing on plot, characters, setting, and problem.  They are doing a great job.  They are working on a "film" strip of their book.  Great artists!

Homework:

I will be starting homework soon.  For now I would like the children to read 20 minutes nightly and complete their reading log.  These are due October 1.  I will be sending home some of their timed tests.  It really helps when the children know their facts as we begin addition and subtraction with regrouping.  Please work with them using flash cards.  Their tests are 100 facts in 7 minutes.  The following is a good site for math facts.

http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/mathfact/default.htm

Math:

We have been doing 2 digit addition with regrouping.  We spent some time using manipulatives and then numbers.  The children are doing a great job. We will continue to work on this concept. Graphing will also be a focus and part of our daily Math problem.

Addition with regrouping

Social Studies:

We continue to work on the regions of Georgia and should be started our travel brochure filled with interesting information about our state.

Reading:

We are reading some chapter books and focusing on plot, characters, setting, and problem.  They are doing a great job.  They are working on a "film" strip of their book.  Great artists!

Homework:

I will be starting homework soon.  For now I would like the children to read 20 minutes nightly and complete their reading log.  These are due October 1.  I will be sending home some of their timed tests.  It really helps when the children know their facts as we begin addition and subtraction with regrouping.  Please work with them using flash cards.  Their tests are 100 facts in 7 minutes.  The following is a good site for math facts.

http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/mathfact/default.htm

Welcome to Second Grade

Welcome to my fantastic second grade class of 2010 - 2011.  Our theme this year is "Caution -  Minds At Work/Minds Under Construction" As a class we will work together to build a foundation to support a year of growth and learning.  It promises to be a busy but exciting year filled with meaningful learning experiences, great memories, and fun.  I look forward to meeting all of you at Meet and Greet on August 3rd from 8:30 - 10:00.  I am eager to start the year so our learning adventures can begin.

 

The Last Week

Early Release Next Week

School will be dismissed one hour early next week on Thursday, May 20, 2010 and Friday, May 21, 2010. May 21, 2010. 

Many things will be coming home early this week because bookbags and lunchboxes are not allowed on the last day of school.  Please send lunches in paper or plastic bags. Ther is only one choice for lunch the last day - pizza.

Tomorrow is our Fractured Fairy Tales Plays and Raps.  I hope you can all attend.  We are planning to start at 11:30 and serve light refreshments after.  The children have worked very hard and have done almost everything on their own.  What a show of cooperation, friendship, and responsibility.  I am so proud of them.  

 

School will be dismissed one hour early next week on Thursday, May 20, 2010 and Friday, May 21, 2010. May 21, 2010. 

Many things will be coming home early this week because bookbags and lunchboxes are not allowed on the last day of school.  Please send lunches in paper or plastic bags. Ther is only one choice for lunch the last day - pizza.

Tomorrow is our Fractured Fairy Tales Plays and Raps.  I hope you can all attend.  We are planning to start at 11:30 and serve light refreshments after.  The children have worked very hard and have done almost everything on their own.  What a show of cooperation, friendship, and responsibility.  I am so proud of them.  

 

Quick Update

It has been a very busy month since we came back from Spring Break.  The CRCTs are finished. The children were confident, relaxed, and well prepared.  Thank you for making sure they were well rested each morning.  I do think the "thinking caps" helped a lot.  Thanks to everyone who sent in food and drinks.  The children were starving after all their hard work and yet they were able to go to lunch shortly after and eat some more.  Needless to say we spent some time running on the playground after working so hard. 

Although the tests are over we still have some work to complete.  The children will be applying the skills they have learned and completing work in centers that is a little more challenging.  Some are already working on the Math Mystery Ball.  Has anyone told you what a prime number is yet?  May is the time for Fractured Fairy Tales, mysteries, ABCs of Kennesaw and many  activities ( Field Day for example). Safety (fire and personal), life cycles, and so much more will fill the next couple of weeks.  There will be a celebration for their achievements in Accelerated Reading and Accelerated Math.  More information about the Fractured Fairy Tales and the celebration will be coming soon.

Thanks to Mr. Montante for the great presentation on dinosaurs and fossils on Friday.  We were joined by Mrs. Palfrey's class.  The questions they asked were well thought out and both Mrs. Palfrey and I were so proud of their focus and manners.  They are great examples of children who believe and follow the life skills. 

I also want to thank everyone for the congratulations and special comments.  I was and still am overwhelmed to have been given the honor of Teacher of the Year. The children cheered so loud when it was announced that I am sure they heard them out on Jiles Road.  Your children are a big part of the reason I love teaching and the honor I received confirms that I am doing what I was meant to do.  Again thanks for all your support.

 

Upcoming Events:

March 29 - April 2- Sticker Relay

April 1-  PTSA Meeting

April 1-  2nd Grade Performance at the PTSA meeting

April 5-9   Spring Break

April  14-16   CRCT Testing 

Thank You:

What a wonderful week.  The flowers, books, gifts, and goodies were such a nice treat.  Thanks to Mrs. Rubadue and Mrs. Slaton for the long lunch hour and reading to the children.  There are really no words to excpress how much the kind words and sweet thoughts expressed in the notes meant to me  As I have said before your children are precious and I am lucky to have them. 

Relay for Life:

There are still a few events to help raise money for the Relay for Life Team.  There will be another pajama day and hat day.  The dates will be announced.  The Sticker Relay has started.  The stickers are $.25 each.  They are posted outside the classroom.  A great way to reinforce Math skills.  The funds raised are for the American Cancer Society.   

CRCT: 

 We continue to review for the CRCT.  We have used Smart lessons, paper and pencil, and irespond.  This week they are competing in Are You Smarter Than a Second Grader.  The answer is - YES.  The children can still take tests online.  The more comfortable they are,  the better they will do.  I do not want this to be a stressful time for them.  They are great detectives and are quite  good at determining the correct answers.  The link for the online tests is:  www.georgiaoas.org .

Math:

The children have just about completed Multiplication and will start Division.  This is just the introduction and the emphasis is not on learning their tables but understanding that multiplication is repeated addition and division is repeated subtraction.  They seem to enjoy the unit and will be ready for next year.

Reading:

Each group is reading a chapter book and discussing character development.  This will be our focus for the next few weeks and then on to Fractured Fairy Tales. 

Writing:

We will be working on procedural or step by step writings.  There is a surprise later this week that  always seems to motivate their procedural writing. 

 

 

 

 

March 29 - April 2- Sticker Relay

April 1-  PTSA Meeting

April 1-  2nd Grade Performance at the PTSA meeting

April 5-9   Spring Break

April  14-16   CRCT Testing 

Thank You:

What a wonderful week.  The flowers, books, gifts, and goodies were such a nice treat.  Thanks to Mrs. Rubadue and Mrs. Slaton for the long lunch hour and reading to the children.  There are really no words to excpress how much the kind words and sweet thoughts expressed in the notes meant to me  As I have said before your children are precious and I am lucky to have them. 

Relay for Life:

There are still a few events to help raise money for the Relay for Life Team.  There will be another pajama day and hat day.  The dates will be announced.  The Sticker Relay has started.  The stickers are $.25 each.  They are posted outside the classroom.  A great way to reinforce Math skills.  The funds raised are for the American Cancer Society.   

CRCT: 

 We continue to review for the CRCT.  We have used Smart lessons, paper and pencil, and irespond.  This week they are competing in Are You Smarter Than a Second Grader.  The answer is - YES.  The children can still take tests online.  The more comfortable they are,  the better they will do.  I do not want this to be a stressful time for them.  They are great detectives and are quite  good at determining the correct answers.  The link for the online tests is:  www.georgiaoas.org .

Math:

The children have just about completed Multiplication and will start Division.  This is just the introduction and the emphasis is not on learning their tables but understanding that multiplication is repeated addition and division is repeated subtraction.  They seem to enjoy the unit and will be ready for next year.

Reading:

Each group is reading a chapter book and discussing character development.  This will be our focus for the next few weeks and then on to Fractured Fairy Tales. 

Writing:

We will be working on procedural or step by step writings.  There is a surprise later this week that  always seems to motivate their procedural writing. 

 

 

 

 

Thank You:

What a wonderful week.  The flowers, books, gifts, and goodies were such a nice treat.  Thanks to Mrs. Rubadue and Mrs. Slaton for the long lunch hour and reading to the children.  There are really no words to excpress how much the kind words and sweet thoughts expressed in the notes meant to me  As I have said before your children are precious and I am lucky to have them. 

Relay for Life:

There are still a few events to help raise money for the Relay for Life Team.  There will be another pajama day and hat day.  The dates will be announced.  The Sticker Relay has started.  The stickers are $.25 each.  They are posted outside the classroom.  A great way to reinforce Math skills.  The funds raised are for the American Cancer Society.   

CRCT: 

 We continue to review for the CRCT.  We have used Smart lessons, paper and pencil, and irespond.  This week they are competing in Are You Smarter Than a Second Grader.  The answer is - YES.  The children can still take tests online.  The more comfortable they are,  the better they will do.  I do not want this to be a stressful time for them.  They are great detectives and are quite  good at determining the correct answers.  The link for the online tests is:  www.georgiaoas.org .

Math:

The children have just about completed Multiplication and will start Division.  This is just the introduction and the emphasis is not on learning their tables but understanding that multiplication is repeated addition and division is repeated subtraction.  They seem to enjoy the unit and will be ready for next year.

Reading:

Each group is reading a chapter book and discussing character development.  This will be our focus for the next few weeks and then on to Fractured Fairy Tales. 

Writing:

We will be working on procedural or step by step writings.  There is a surprise later this week that  always seems to motivate their procedural writing. 

 

 

 

Thank You:

What a wonderful week.  The flowers, books, gifts, and goodies were such a nice treat.  Thanks to Mrs. Rubadue and Mrs. Slaton for the long lunch hour and reading to the children.  There are really no words to excpress how much the kind words and sweet thoughts expressed in the notes meant to me  As I have said before your children are precious and I am lucky to have them. 

Relay for Life:

There are still a few events to help raise money for the Relay for Life Team.  There will be another pajama day and hat day.  The dates will be announced.  The Sticker Relay has started.  The stickers are $.25 each.  They are posted outside the classroom.  A great way to reinforce Math skills.  The funds raised are for the American Cancer Society.   

CRCT: 

 We continue to review for the CRCT.  We have used Smart lessons, paper and pencil, and irespond.  This week they are competing in Are You Smarter Than a Second Grader.  The answer is - YES.  The children can still take tests online.  The more comfortable they are,  the better they will do.  I do not want this to be a stressful time for them.  They are great detectives and are quite  good at determining the correct answers.  The link for the online tests is:  www.georgiaoas.org .

Math:

The children have just about completed Multiplication and will start Division.  This is just the introduction and the emphasis is not on learning their tables but understanding that multiplication is repeated addition and division is repeated subtraction.  They seem to enjoy the unit and will be ready for next year.

Reading:

Each group is reading a chapter book and discussing character development.  This will be our focus for the next few weeks and then on to Fractured Fairy Tales. 

Writing:

We will be working on procedural or step by step writings.  There is a surprise later this week that  always seems to motivate their procedural writing. 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

Book Fair Preview - March 16

Book Fair - March 16 - 19 

Book Fair Family Bingo Night - Friday, March 19  

Report Cards sent home - Thursday, March 18

Boosterthon - Thursday, March 18

Class Picture - Wednesday, March 24

Mile Run - Thursday, March 25 

Second Grade Performance - April 1

Spring Break -  April 5 - 9

CRCT    April 14-16

March Newsletter:

Updates:  We have started our 4th Nine Weeks.  It does not seem possible that the year is going so fast.  March is a busy month.  I have sent home the calendar and I will update the blog if any new events should come up.   The past few weeks have been very busy.  The Talent Show was a huge success.  Seven children from our class participated; Elise, Claire, Catherine, Elizabeth, Michael, Anna, and Julia.  What can I say except they were fantastic.  We also had two children participate in Odyssey of the Mind and I was lucky to be able see them practice.  Jackson and Julia were members and did a great job.  I also want to mention or should I say brag about some of the other children in the class.  Peyton, Chance, Jackson, and Kamryn are participating in Choi Kwon Do and believe me when I say they just about fly out the door when it is time to go down to the gym.   Chess Club is quite popular in our class; just ask Claire, Joey, Jacob, and Michael.  Every Friday four of our girls go to the Media Center to help Mrs. Finnegan.  Not only do I know how much enthusiasm and energy they have so does Mrs. Finnegan and Mrs. Jordan, but they could not do without Kendall, Claire, Elizabeth, and Julia.  Spring is a busy time for the children who are part of Chorus:  Peyton, Emily, Elise, Riley, Chance, Joey, Catherine, Ellie, Anna, and Kamryn.  Last but not least is our representative on the Grasshopper Team - Paulina. The Grasshoppers performed at the KBA luncheon this week and will also being performing soon for the meeting of the Area Five principals at our school.  It is difficult to not brag about the children in the class to my family, friends, and anyone who will listen to me.

Book Fair:  The Book Fair offers a great selection of books for the children.  We will preview as a class on Tuesday, March 16th.  The Book Worms will be helping some of the Kindergarten  classes when it is their turn to preview.  They are very excited about this opportunity.  Don't forget Family Bingo Night.  I plan to attend and I am hoping I will be able to help once again.   

Boosterthon:  I am sure you have heard about our fund raiser.  We are hoping to improve our play ground.  You can find more information at www.funrun.com.  All students will participate and receive a T-shirt.  The children will run/walk 25 - 35 laps.  You can donate a specific dollar amount or an amount for each lap.  The children are eager to earn the next prize level.  Please consider sponsoring your child.  A special thanks to the PTSA for providing this opportunity to have fun and raise money for our playground.

Picture Day:  Our class picture will be taken this month.  Please try to have your child present that day as there are no retakes for the group picture.  More information will be coming home soon.

Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math:  What can I say; the children are amazing.  Our class reading comprehension continues to hold at 92%.  Thanks to my Accelerated Math Helpers (Elise, Elizabeth, Kendall, Paulina, Claire, and Julia)  as they are able to help me keep up with all the practices and tests that the children are eager to complete.  I will be sending home a report on Accelerated Math with the report cards.  You will pleased at how well your child is doing. 

Mile Run:  Our Mile Run is on March 25th.  Make sure your child has on tennis shoes.  We will start walking/running after lunch each day to help the children get ready.  The recent cold weather and rain have kept us inside too long so hopefully we can all get out each day and release some energy.

Second Grade Music Performance:  You have received the blue permission slip for your child to participate in the performance on April 1st at the PTSA meeting.  Please send your form in even if your child is not participating.  This is an exciting evening for the children as they all love to sing. 

Curriculum:  Yes, we do have time to learn also.  We have finished three digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping.  We were lucky to have a former teacher instruct our class while she is working on her Master's Degree.  Thanks to Ms. Barlow for doing such a fantastic job.  Money continues to be the most difficult concept.  They are working on counting back change or using subtraction when solving money word problems.  The next few weeks we will be starting multiplication and division.  Please download the following 4th nine week Math standards link.   Download Gr2plenglishq4[1]

CRCT:  We will be taking the test April 14 - 16.  Remember to use the Georgia OAS website for on line test practice.   The children will be learning how to be good detectives and test takers.  I want this to be a fun learning experience.  The children will do their personal best because that is all they know how to do.

 

 

 

Book Fair Preview - March 16

Book Fair - March 16 - 19 

Book Fair Family Bingo Night - Friday, March 19  

Report Cards sent home - Thursday, March 18

Boosterthon - Thursday, March 18

Class Picture - Wednesday, March 24

Mile Run - Thursday, March 25 

Second Grade Performance - April 1

Spring Break -  April 5 - 9

CRCT    April 14-16

March Newsletter:

Updates:  We have started our 4th Nine Weeks.  It does not seem possible that the year is going so fast.  March is a busy month.  I have sent home the calendar and I will update the blog if any new events should come up.   The past few weeks have been very busy.  The Talent Show was a huge success.  Seven children from our class participated; Elise, Claire, Catherine, Elizabeth, Michael, Anna, and Julia.  What can I say except they were fantastic.  We also had two children participate in Odyssey of the Mind and I was lucky to be able see them practice.  Jackson and Julia were members and did a great job.  I also want to mention or should I say brag about some of the other children in the class.  Peyton, Chance, Jackson, and Kamryn are participating in Choi Kwon Do and believe me when I say they just about fly out the door when it is time to go down to the gym.   Chess Club is quite popular in our class; just ask Claire, Joey, Jacob, and Michael.  Every Friday four of our girls go to the Media Center to help Mrs. Finnegan.  Not only do I know how much enthusiasm and energy they have so does Mrs. Finnegan and Mrs. Jordan, but they could not do without Kendall, Claire, Elizabeth, and Julia.  Spring is a busy time for the children who are part of Chorus:  Peyton, Emily, Elise, Riley, Chance, Joey, Catherine, Ellie, Anna, and Kamryn.  Last but not least is our representative on the Grasshopper Team - Paulina. The Grasshoppers performed at the KBA luncheon this week and will also being performing soon for the meeting of the Area Five principals at our school.  It is difficult to not brag about the children in the class to my family, friends, and anyone who will listen to me.

Book Fair:  The Book Fair offers a great selection of books for the children.  We will preview as a class on Tuesday, March 16th.  The Book Worms will be helping some of the Kindergarten  classes when it is their turn to preview.  They are very excited about this opportunity.  Don't forget Family Bingo Night.  I plan to attend and I am hoping I will be able to help once again.   

Boosterthon:  I am sure you have heard about our fund raiser.  We are hoping to improve our play ground.  You can find more information at www.funrun.com.  All students will participate and receive a T-shirt.  The children will run/walk 25 - 35 laps.  You can donate a specific dollar amount or an amount for each lap.  The children are eager to earn the next prize level.  Please consider sponsoring your child.  A special thanks to the PTSA for providing this opportunity to have fun and raise money for our playground.

Picture Day:  Our class picture will be taken this month.  Please try to have your child present that day as there are no retakes for the group picture.  More information will be coming home soon.

Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math:  What can I say; the children are amazing.  Our class reading comprehension continues to hold at 92%.  Thanks to my Accelerated Math Helpers (Elise, Elizabeth, Kendall, Paulina, Claire, and Julia)  as they are able to help me keep up with all the practices and tests that the children are eager to complete.  I will be sending home a report on Accelerated Math with the report cards.  You will pleased at how well your child is doing. 

Mile Run:  Our Mile Run is on March 25th.  Make sure your child has on tennis shoes.  We will start walking/running after lunch each day to help the children get ready.  The recent cold weather and rain have kept us inside too long so hopefully we can all get out each day and release some energy.

Second Grade Music Performance:  You have received the blue permission slip for your child to participate in the performance on April 1st at the PTSA meeting.  Please send your form in even if your child is not participating.  This is an exciting evening for the children as they all love to sing. 

Curriculum:  Yes, we do have time to learn also.  We have finished three digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping.  We were lucky to have a former teacher instruct our class while she is working on her Master's Degree.  Thanks to Ms. Barlow for doing such a fantastic job.  Money continues to be the most difficult concept.  They are working on counting back change or using subtraction when solving money word problems.  The next few weeks we will be starting multiplication and division.  Please download the following 4th nine week Math standards link.   Download Gr2plenglishq4[1]

CRCT:  We will be taking the test April 14 - 16.  Remember to use the Georgia OAS website for on line test practice.   The children will be learning how to be good detectives and test takers.  I want this to be a fun learning experience.  The children will do their personal best because that is all they know how to do.

 

 

 

Short But Busy Month

First, I want to say thank you for the lovely gifts, gift cards, flowers, cards, and candy that I received for Valentine's Day from the children.  They could give Mr. Montante lessons on gift giving.  :)  I am so touched by the sweetness of these children. 

The children have been very busy this month learning about nonfiction conventions and cause and effect.  They continue to work on their informational writings on Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, and Jimmy Carter.  Many have completed character frames and contributed to our timeline.  They continue to go above and beyond.  If you are in the school please come by and read their work.  Several of the children have read their work on the morning announcements and I have heard some very positive feed back.

I would like to congratulate Julia Schick, she was the Second Grade Writing Fair Winner.  Her work will go on to the county.  It was a very emotional and beautifully written piece.  It is displayed in the hall across from the Media Center near the Gym.

The talent show rehearsals have begun.  I stopped by on Friday to watch and was amazed at the talents of our children.  It is sure to be an entertaining and impressive evening.  Our class has seven children   (Elise, Claire, Catherine, Elizabeth, Michael, Anna, and Julia) performing so I am hoping everyone who can will attend.  Date and time to be announced soon.  Our school also has an Odyssey of the Mind team and two of the children in our class are members (Julia and Jackson).  As I have said many times in the past what an amazing class.

The children continue to work hard.  Three digit addition and subtraction with regrouping has been our focus in Math.  They have done an outstanding job and thanks to Ms. Barlow for doing such a good job teaching them.  We wish she could stay with us longer.  We will be focusing on reviewing some of the grammar we have learned this year.  Please keep working on Math Facts.  There are several children I will be starting on Multiplication Facts as they have mastered Addition, Subtraction, and mixed.    The Smart Board has been a great tool and we will be using the iRespond system more.  I sent home some information on CRCT online practice.  This can be a stressful test for some so I want to keep it low key.  If you child would like to practice that is great.  In class we will approach it more as detectives would working a case.  The children will learn skills to help them look for clues and ways to determine the correct answer for a  question. 

February 2010

February 4th    PTA Meeting and PE Show
February 15th   President's Day - Student Holiday

February 19th  Sock Hop

Conferences:  I want to thank everyone who attended the conferences last week.  It was great to meet with all of you and share your child's successes.  I think you will all agree they are an amazing group of children and I am so pleased to be able to teach them this year and hopefully make a difference no matter how small in their  educational lives.  Thank you again for sharing them with me.  Together we can ensure the children are ready for all the future has to offer them.

PTSA Program and Sock Hop:  So many things are happening in this short month.  The PTSA Meeting and Program is this week.  The children have been practicing and the amazing "Grasshoppers" will be performing.  It promises to be a most enjoyable evening so plan to attend.The annual Sock Hop is coming again this month.  Mark your calendar for a fun evening on Friday, February 19th. 

Homework will come home on Friday.  I am still working on it and hope to be ready to send it by then.  My backup plan is for it to go home on Monday.  However, the children are eager so I am hoping Friday.  It will be due back the following Friday.   However, reading 20 minutes nightly and practicing Math facts is still so important.  Here is a great link for flashcards.

Flash Cards Online

http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html

Enjoy the time you spend reading with your child as it is one of the most precious gifts you can give each other.  Book It is ongoing but I need reading records to give the children a coupon.
Thank you for all your support.

January Updates

Hope everyone had a nice long weekend.  Conferences will begin the week of January 25th.  Make sure to mark your calendar as it is an early dismissal week.  If you have not sent your reply back please do so as quickly as possible. 

This week we will begin our fraction unit.  This is always a fun time in math.  If you would like to help your child with fractions pick a recipe that you and your child can make together.  Have your child do the measuring of each ingredient.  Discuss the fractions with your child as he/she measures each ingredient. Here are some sites for them to practice:

Fraction Tuorial

Fraction pizzeria

Pizza Party Fraction

FunFraction Concentration

I cannot stress enough how important it is for your child to know their addition and subtraction facts.  They continue to take a timed test weekly and I am not seeing the progress I had hoped for.  Please read nightly with your child and continue to work on Math facts.  Make it a fun time with flash cards.  Thank you for your support.  Practice with money never hurts.  They continue to have a difficult time giving back change. 

Our field trip to Tellus Museum was fantastic.  The children are still talking about it and have started their news reports.  This will be the third edition of the Montante Newspaper.  I will have copies for you at conference time.   Who knows we may have a future Pulitzer Prize winner in our midst.

The nonfiction unit will begin this week and will be integrated into our Reading, Writing, and Social Studies.  You will be hearing a lot about nonfiction conventions.  Hard to believe they are only in Second Grade. 

Our Smart boards have been installed.   We have started using it and the children and I are learning something new everyday.  We also have the I-Respond remotes where children will be able to respond to questions using a remote.  They did a fun snowman quiz to make sure all remotes were working.  We are so lucky to have such great technology in our classroom.