September 26, 2017

Dear 2nd Grade Families,

Just a reminder that tomorrow morning is the Kindergarten, first and second graders turn for the UVM ropes course here on the playground. We will be outside from 8:30-10:30 tomorrow morning playing team building games! With this summer like weather the way it is please help your child remember:

• A water bottle- they will be able to bring it outside and can have it refilled as needed
• Shorts/t-shirt- it will be hot again so please make sure your child is dressed for the weather.
• Sneakers- we will be running and moving around so sneakers or shoes that won’t fall off will be needed
• A hat- if students want a hat to keep the sun off their face, not necessary if they don’t
• Sunscreen

Thank you,

The 2nd Grade Team

September 22, 2017

2nd Grade News and Notes

Dear 2nd Grade Families,

Today may be the first day of fall, but it still feels like summer! Please make sure your child is prepared for outside play by wearing layers! Also, water bottles are a great idea.

We have a few events this week to keep in mind.

September 27- On Wednesday we will be doing the UVM run ropes course that we had planned for last year and it was rained out. Please make sure your child has sneakers and is wearing appropriate clothes to be outside that morning. The ground has been wet in the mornings because it has been cold at night so a change of socks and shoes may also be good.

September 28- Thursday is picture day! Forms are going home with students today!

October 4- Walk to School Day

October 6- Our first Popcorn Friday! Popcorn is $0.50 a bag  and the proceeds benefit 5th grade fun day!

October 6- Early release for students. Dismissal is 12:30

We’ve been very busy in 2nd grade this week! Here is some of what we’ve been up to!

In Math we have been learning more about strategies to help with addition and subtraction.  We went over doubles and halves.  Another strategy we talked about were doubles +1. We’ve been learning a lot about even and odd numbers. We have a whole new set of workplaces that have been allowing the students to practice the skills we’ve been working on.

During Readers’ Workshop we continue to practice reading longer and stronger.  The students have been enjoying book shopping and reading books at their level during this time. I am continuing to assess at this time and have enjoyed getting to know all the kids as 2nd grade readers!

We have begun our 2nd grade handwriting book and are practicing letter formation.

We have continued learning about growth mindset and our brains this week. We read the book Only One You and have done some great activities with this story.  We also read The Fantastic, Elastic Brain. This was a great read aloud that went over the parts of the brain and what they do.  We focused a lot on how mistakes make your brain grow!

We are all settling into a routine and the students are doing a great job working and learning together! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Also a reminder about our blog if you haven’t had the chance to check it out.  I will put pictures up as soon as I can look at permission forms relating to pictures on the web!

https://mrspreskasclass.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Renae

2nd Grade News and Notes

September 14, 2017

Dear 2nd Grade Families,

What a wonderful start to the year we have had! We all survived our first full week and we are still smiling!! I am enjoying 2nd grade so much and have had a wonderful time getting to know new students and getting reacquainted with the kids I had for 1st grade. We have been learning a lot about one another and reviewing and practicing our classroom expectations.

In math we have been learning about math tools and manipulatives. We have begun workplaces and students are excited to be able to independently make choices about what workplaces they visit each day. They have been doing a great job making the right choice for themselves and filling out their workplace log with their selection. We made individual number racks this week which students will keep in their toolboxes for when they need them. Some used them when we worked on making 10s and 20s.

In reading we have been building up our stamina for independent reading. Students have been practicing reading longer and longer and they are doing a great job! We have talked about books shopping and choosing “just right” books. The kids are excited about the books in their book boxes and have been enjoying quiet reading daily. I have been able to begin some reading assessments which will help me focus on what students need for reading instruction.

A big focus for this year is growth mindset. We have been learning about the parts of our brains and what each part does. We have read some read alouds and done activities to help us understand growth mindset and the importance of learning from our mistakes and seeing mistakes as an opportunity to grow.This will be a focus for us all year.  This week some of our read alouds were The Most Magnificent Thing and ish.

Some important dates to remember:

• Friday, September 15- half day.  Dismissal is 12:30. We will be eating lunch in the classroom. Students that did not order a bag lunch should bring a lunch from home for tomorrow.
• Friday, September 15- International Dot Day! Wear your dots!
• Tuesday, September 19- assembly 8:10-8:30
• Saturday, September 23- Harvest Festival 1:00-3:00
• Wednesday, September 27- Community Building Games. This is an event that was planned for last year, but due to rain we couldn’t do it.  This will be outside, but if it’s raining we will be able to be in the gym. Students will need sneakers for this.
• Thursday, September 28- Picture day

Please feel free to email or call if you have any questions or concerns!

Have a wonderful weekend (and Friday)!

Renae

Welcome to 2nd Grade!!

Welcome to 2nd Grade! We have had a great start to the year! 
Here is our schedule for integrated arts:
Monday-PE
Tuesday- Library
Wednesday- Art
Thursday- PE & Music
Friday- Music