We have had a great short week!

Happy Crayon Day!!!  The kiddos are showing off their favorite colors with a crayon topper! :)

National Custodian Day is October 2, and because Mr. Jim keeps our school looking so wonderful we had to celebrate him!  Yesterday, the kiddos each wrote and a drew on a key to say thank you for something that he did because "Mr. Jim is the 'key' to keeping our school clean!"  This morning we gave him all of our keys and sang him a song.

Today we had Makers Space.  This is always one of the kiddos favorite things that happens on Fridays!  We made bookmarks out of duct tape.

• Social Studies:  Today, we challenged the kids to define culture, civics, history, geography, and economics.  At the meeting I went to on Monday with CPS's Social Studies coordinator, he discussed the importance of students knowing a common vocabulary in social studies from elementary school through high school.  We first showed them the words and they discussed with a partner, then we showed them pictures and they added or changed what they thought, then we labeled the pictures with the 5 vocabulary words, and they changed or added to their definitions again.  Ultimately, we came up with a child friendly definition of these social studies words.  I am so impressed with how hard the students worked and they did an AWESOME job creating these definitions.  As we were discussing geography, we looked at Google Earth.  The students absolutely loved it, so they may be asking you get on Google Earth at home. :)
• History: something that happened in the past (a long time ago)
• Culture: things that represent different countries, differences among countries, people of different countries
• Geography: study and use of maps/lands
• Civics: government
• Economics: study of money
  
  
• Writing: We have continued working on writing leads this week.  A lead is the first sentence of a story and purpose a lead to grab your readers' attention and make them want to read your story.  We talked about sound, question, talking and action leads.  Your child has tried out these 4 different types of leads for his/her small moment story.  Next week, the kiddos will choose their favorite lead that works the best for their story.  
• Reading: We finished our discussion on problem/solution.  After your child is finished reading a book at home have him or her tell you the problem/solution of the story.  Next week, we will be talking about decoding strategies and what to do when we come to a word that we don't know.  
• Word Study: We have been working with "Magic e" and understanding that adding an "e" to the end of a word makes the vowel change from a short vowel to a long vowel.  We did not have a spelling test this week, but we will next Friday.  The spelling words are: glass, make, last, same, came, fast, page, face, snap and sack.  When working with your child on his/her spelling words please have them practice identifying if the vowel is short or long and explaining why.  This is a rule that is super important both as a writer and a reader. :)
• Math: We finished up talking about standard and expanded form.  The kiddos know that a number written in standard form is the "typical" way we write numbers (ex: 678) and that standard form is stretching the number out so that each digit is represented by it's value (ex: 600 + 70 +8).  We also started talking about coins, what they look like (including who is on them) and how much each coin is worth. Below is the poem.  Next week we will continue to work with coins and counting coins.

Good Citizen Club

We have had a great 7 weeks of school - can you believe we have been in school for 7 weeks!!!  Starting next month I will be starting a good citizen club.  Being a good citizen at school means:

• Your homework every night (including parent initials for reading log & math game/fact practice)
• Your work is completed in class and do not have to stay in at Study Hall to finish
• You do not have to fill out a Think Sheet (in any classroom),
• You do not receive an office referral. 

Being in the Good Citizen Club is rewarded every two weeks. So, starting on October 3-14, if a student meets all the criteria for being a good citizen

McTeacher Night is this Tuesday, October 4, from 4:00-8:00.  A percentage of the total sales from that evening will be given to RBE!  Mrs. Ross & I will be there 4:30-5:00.  If you are able to come during that time, we would love to see you!

The RBE Chicken BBQ is 15 days away!!!    RBE has had a chicken bbq for 59 years and we need your help to make it happen!  Ways to help:

• Continue to sell meal, game & raffle tickets (a RBE BBQ bag came home a few weeks ago - so return it if you haven't already).
• Volunteer to work a shift.
• Donate pies (make or bring a pie or have Peggy Jean's Pie bake the pie for you).
• Shop the Silent Auction & Teacher Town.
• Things to look for at Teacher Town:
• A class picture that all the kiddos have signed.
• A cute combination picture of Mrs. Ross's class & ours forming heart that all the kiddos in both classes have signed.
• A lunch pizza party for your child & 2 friends (I will provide pizza, drink & dessert).
• A day on the STEAM bus for our entire class (this would be a super fun & the kiddos would love it).  If parents wanted to get together & pull their money - this would allow for a higher possibility of our class winning this AMAZING activity!!

As a reminder, the Book It! program starts in October.  The reading goal for October is 300 minutes of reading.  Your child is bringing home the Book It! reading log and information in his/her Friday Folder.  If your child is interested in the program please fill out the number of minutes read each night and add the total for the week (this is great real-world adding that your child can participate in).  The Book It! reading log must be turned in by November 2nd to receive the Book It! certificate for a personal pan pizza.  A new reading goal and log will come home for November.  

We will have a Veteran's Day assembly on November 9.  I will send out the time once it is finalized.  The students will be performing a song at the assembly.  Please have your child wear red, white and blue to school on November 9.  Also, there will be a slide show of veterans.  If there is a veteran in your family that you would like to be recognized in the slide show, please send a picture of the veteran (as well as their name, your child's name and their relationship) to Mrs. Sharp (esharp@cpsk12.org).

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

A Few Odds & Ends

Just a few odds & ends that I wanted to mention...

We discussed "Magic e" today and the kiddos have a good understanding that CVC (Consonant, Vowel, Consonant) words (example: mad or rob) make a short vowel sound and CVCe (Consonant, Vowel, Consonant e) words (example: made or robe) make a long vowel sound.  Today at the Word Study Station, the kiddos had "Magic e" wands and turned CVC words into CVCe words.  Tomorrow, the kiddos will get their Word Study spelling packet with their spelling list.  As a reminder, the spelling words this week and next focus on short & long a words:  Short a Words: glass, fast, last, snap, and sack. Long a Words: make, page, face, same, and came.

What's your favorite color?  September's spirit day for RBE is Crayon Day.  On Friday, September 30, your child can dress in his/her favorite color from head to toe!  Also, there are Spirit Days every month and I have now added them to the Upcoming Events section of our blog. :)

It seems that everyone is getting in the routine of homework!  We had a conversation today that the math portion of the homework needs to be completed in pencil.  Mistakes happen in math and pencil allows your child to erase and not have to scribble out answers.  Thanks for your help with this.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Today in PE, your child ran the half mile.  In May, it will be the first time in PE your child will run a full mile.  Some kiddos were super excited about running and Ms. Moore mentioned to them that the Pumpkin Fun Run is happening on Saturday (October 1).  Some kiddos are bringing home a flyer (they had a choice), however, if you would like additional information you can checkout the website!

The kiddos are really enjoying listening to Emily Arrow during writing time and watching her videos as we wait for buses to be called.  I wanted to pass along the link to her website her again because there is so much interest in her songs! :)  Her songs are great and are all made from books!  She's super creative!  RBE PTA is paying for her to visit our school in December...so exciting!!!

Coming home in Friday Folders is a Book It! form.  Book It! is a reading promotional program through Pizza Hut.  I will be discussing this with the class on Friday, but wanted to go ahead and let you know that we will be participating in the program this year.  The goal that the second grade teachers has set is for each student to read 300 minutes each month at home (they would be able to meet this goal if they read 4 extra minutes each night for homework, or read for 15 minutes 5 nights instead of 4 nights).  Your child's responsibility is to fill in the number of minutes read each night & then add the total minutes for the week.  October's Reading Log is due by November 2nd.

Have a wonderful night! :)

Terrific Tuesday! :)

We had a great day back!

Today was picture day!!  All students had their picture taken.  If your child did not have a picture order form or a receipt from an online order, your child is bringing home a paper in case you still want to order pictures.  Also, since all the kiddos were dressed in their best, we took a few extra class pictures for Teacher Town at the RBE Chicken BBQ.  A sneak preview of the pictures are below! :)

The RBE Chicken BBQ is less than 3 weeks away on October 15!!!  There are many ways to be involved: you can come & eat (make sure to order meal or game tickets), work at a station, donate pies, bid in the Silent Auction & Teacher Town.  Teacher Town is a special part of the Silent Auction where teachers put items in that are either made by the class or a special activity to be done with your student.  There are a few different items that you might be interested in:

• We will have a class picture that all the students in the class will sign.  This is our silly picture that we took today. :)

• Mrs. Ross & our class also took a picture together.  This is also our silly picture, but the one that will be in the auction the kiddos used their hands to make a heart and the caption say, "We love RBE!"

• I am also auctioning off a pizza party for a student and 2 friends.  The pizza party will be at lunch.  I will be providing pizza, drink, and a dessert.

• Also, there is an activity that the whole school is able to bid on...the STEAM Bus for a day for one class!  The STEAM bus is full of really cool activities.  This might be something that a group of parents from our classroom might want to come together and bid on (just a thought).

We also finished up our Constitution project today.  The kiddos worked so SUPER hard on them.  The students wrote down 5 freedoms that they are glad that they have on the fingers on one of their hands, drew 4 symbols that represent the U.S, and designed a background.  These posters are on display on our bulletin board outside our classroom.  You should come and check them out! :)

With pictures, library checkout, and finishing up our Constitution project from Friday, our day was a little "off."  Due to this, I did not teach the class about the "Magic e" that changes a short vowel to a long vowel.  The spelling words are on top of your child's homework this week, but they were not introduced today.  As a reminder, these will be your child's spelling words for the next two weeks.  We will talk about the pattern tomorrow!

I did have a discussion with the class about how the weather is getting cooler, and what the second grade requirements are for the temperature.  The Recess Weather Expectations are posted by our door.  Please help your child make good choices of items that s/he would need at school each day (our two recesses our at 9:50 & 11:25).

As a reminder, information on our first field trip to Bird Day came home with your child in his/her Friday Folder.  Please return the bottom portion of the form as soon as possible.  Thanks!

Have a wonderful evening and I hope you get to enjoy this beautiful weather we are having!

Monday's reMinders :)

I hope that this blog post finds everyone well & that the kiddos are enjoying their day off from school.  This morning I learned more about integrating Social Studies into Language Arts.  Throughout the year, we will look at our community and other Social Studies topics through different lenses (geography, culture, civics, economics & history).  On Friday, we will learn what these words mean and then incorporate these lenses into a follow-up conversation about the Constitution of the United States.

Due to us having a shortened school week, we will not have a spelling test on Friday.  I will be teaching the kiddos about "Magic e" tomorrow and how adding an "e" to the end of the word magically makes the vowel turn from a short vowel into a long vowel.  We will specifically be focused on short a and long a words for the next two weeks (test on October 7).  These spelling words are: glass, fast, make, page, last, face, same, snap, came, and sack.  As part of our weekly practice the students will be expected to be able to identify if a word has a short or long vowel sound and be able to tell why.

The weather has changed from last week to this week, and it is cooler.  Please remember that your child's first recess is at 9:50 and the temperature will not be the day's high yet.  Please send your child with a jacket or sweatshirt.  The second grade rule for when your child needs a sweatshirt or light jacket when going outside is 45-59 degrees.  Click here to see all the weather rules we have for second grade. :)

As a reminder, tomorrow is picture day!!  If you have not sent in an order form with your child, and you are planning on ordering pictures, please send it in tomorrow.  If you have ordered pictures online, please print off the receipt & send it in tomorrow.

I am looking forward to wonderful week with your child this week!

Fantastic Friday! :)

We had a fantastic Friday & a better late than never Constitution Day learning.

Our day started off with Lexi sharing everything that she learned about the Eastern Black Swallowtail Caterpillars.  She brought in caterpillars and caterpillar in chrysalises. The kiddos definitely enjoyed learning and seeing the caterpillars.  Lexi has promised that when a butterfly appears that she will bring it in!!!

We also learned about the Constitution of the United States and why it is important!  The kiddos were super engaged and learned a lot.  They also had a chance to show their knowledge of U.S. Symbols and our freedoms that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights gives us through an art project!  We will be finishing these art projects up on Tuesday.

Our Learning Next Week:

• Math: We will be wrapping up place value and starting to introduce money.
• Reading: We will be continuing to talk about the problem & solution of a story.
• Writing: We are continuing to work on the beginning of our personal narrative.  We will be talking about different types of leads that can be used to catch the readers attention.

Coming Home in Friday Folders: 

• RETURN ME - Bird Day Field Trip Form: Our first field trip is scheduled!!!  We will be going to bird day on October 12.  Please look over the field trip information & return ONLY the bottom portion about your child's lunch that day.
• RETURN ME - MU College of Education Pre-Service Teacher Form: If you would allow your child to participate in activities led by pre-service teachers for classroom assignments, please return the permission slip to me.
• There are several graded papers & U.S. Symbols Book coming home today - so please look through them to see how your child is doing at school. :)
• A letter is coming home from Nurse Michelle that our classroom is Peanut/Tree Nut free.  Please read through this letter. 
• There is a reminder flyer about Picture Day, Tuesday, September 27.  Your child is wearing a sticker that says "Picture Day Tomorrow."  We had a conversation that they are not coming to school tomorrow to get their picture taken, but the next day we are in school will be picture day (no school on Monday).
• Flu Vaccination Clinic is on October 3.  Your child MUST have returned the permission slip sent home a few weeks ago to participate.  
• McTeacher Night is October 4 (4-8).  A flyer is coming home with more information!  I will be there for a portion of the time - maybe I will see you there! :)

Please remember we have picture day and library checkout on Tuesday!

Have a wonderful evening & I hope your child enjoys his/her 3 day weekend!