We have started our official Christmas countdown. Everyday one child gets a candy cane and a piece of chocolate as we count down the days until Christmas.
Book-It Calendars: The December calendars have been sent home in the Friday homework packets. A few of the kids said that they have cashed in on their pizza certificates - very cool.
A.R.: Big news in 2nd grade, Mary Jane and Claire have both earned over 50 points. I am very proud of them. They both are in the top 15 A.R. readers in the entire elementary school. Whenever a child gets 50 A.R. points, they get to select a book as a gift from me. There are 2 other students who have over 25 points and I know that they will be getting books, too. Keep reading everyone!
Student Teacher: Some of the kids may have told you that Miss Galt will be doing her student teaching in our classroom. I am guessing that she will start after Christmas break (just in time to help set-up our new classroom). I love having student teachers. The kids get 2 full-time teachers at their services and they usually love it! I will keep you posted on the details.
Math: We will finish our unit on story problems (focusing primarily on 2 step problems) and do an incredibly mini-chapter on shapes.
Grammar: We will discuss compound words - like reindeer and snowflakes!
Spelling: We will spell long /e/ words spelled with ee and ea.
Test and homework happening on Friday- as usual.
(There are only 2 more spelling tests and 2 more sets of homework "this year!!!!!")
Reading:
Master Builders will get all work from Ms. Stephens so for the time being, I will no longer include their info in my newsletter. Remember, look for nightly homework.
Thundermans: They worked so hard this week. I was seriously impressed. They are starting their next unit - Teamwork. Their vocab word is team. They will look at all word patterns. They will look at the /str/ blend. The story is realistic fiction. The high frequency words are as follows: about, look, because, two, who, listens, one & are.
Spy Kids: The kids are really getting excited about timed readings. I love being a part of their enthusiasm. They are reading The Lagoon, a fiction story. They are practicing reading words with the /oo/ sound and the /ee/ sound. Raccoon, moose and lagoon are their vocab words. The high frequency words are as follows: want, could, to, has, said, the, into, should would & do.
Cold Weather: Just a reminder that we do let the kids have recess even when it is snowy and super cold. Please make sure that they have all of the winter clothing that they need to stay warm. Also, I highly suggest replenishing their extra clothes at school. From experience I can tell you that a few extra pairs of socks in their baggies can save the day. Wet feet are a miserable thing and a lot of the kids seem to get them this time of year. My last suggestion (for now) would be to send in a couple of pairs of gloves. Their gloves never seem to dry off fast enough for the next recess. Don't forget to label everything.
Thanks,
Jaime