Week ending 10/26

Hello families!  It is definitely starting to feel like October but the sunshine is great for recess!

Important information:

• Be sure to watch the weather and the temperatures as we're still planning on being outside for recess as much as we can.  You may decide to send in extra clothes to keep your child's locker in case they get wet at recess.  Also, our room can be hot, but other times over the weekend it may become chilly so wearing layers they can put on and off is important.  
• Thursday, November 1st is an early release day.
• Halloween is next Wednesday,  so please remember that students will not be wearing costumes to school and please refrain from sending in candy for snack or lunch. 
• We had an evacuation drill today and I'm so impressed with how quiet they were and how well they followed directions.  
• Starting Thursday, we would like to invite parents in to join us at morning meeting.  It is offered the first Thursday of each month, for three parents at a time, from 8:30-8:50.  Please use the sign up right here if you'd like to join us: Morning Meeting Sign Up

3, 2, 1 things you should know about our week...

3 math areas we worked on this week were subtracting within number stories, identifying shapes and Geoblocks, and finding a Geoblock that fit our pieces among many choices.  We have moved into geometry and it's exciting to see the students so engaged with the Geoblocks.  

*Ask your child what they drew today for the "Draw the Geoblock" activity.  

2 read alouds were heard during reading workshop were Tuesday (focusing on predictions) and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (focusing on character traits and using evidence from the text to prove their thinking).
*Ask your child what they think was going to happen at the end of the book Tuesday.

1 10-minute math routine we're learning is Quick Images - Shapes.  A shape is quickly shown two times and students draw what they see or recall.  After shown for the third time, students can revise their drawing.  This helps the students really focus on the shape and share what they notice (four sides, straight sides, number of vertices, sides the same length, etc.).

Screentime has come up in conversation in a few conferences this past week. I wanted to share some great questions that Mrs. Uzzell also shared with her families, that you can use as well during meal times.  Having a screen free dinner, for everyone, is a great way to have some wonderful conversations with your kids about how school is going.  

Who do you look forward to seeing the most at school each day?
What's the best thing about being in Second Grade?
If you could pack you own lunch, what would you pack?
Who is someone at school who needs a friend?
What's your favorite part of the school day?
Who did you sit by at lunch today?
What's the best thing about being in Room 250?
What are you learning now in Social Studies?
Who's the friendliest person in your class?
What food did you like the most at lunch?
Who did you hang out with the most today?

Week ending 10/5/18

Hello families!
October has started off strong, I feel we have routines and expectations all in place and the whole class has begun to show me what wonderful, curious, and hard working learners they all are.

Important information:

• If you'd like to donate some paper towels to our class, we would greatly appreciate it!  Those clean up spills so well.  
• There is no school Monday, October 8...enjoy this day with your family.  
• If you have not signed up for a conference yet, please let me know and I will send you the link to do so.  Thanks!

3, 2, 1 things you should know about our room this week...

3 math activities we worked on were deciding if the cubes were enough for the class, identified which subtraction facts we knew and which ones we were still working on, and we practiced our coin counting and trading skills when we played Collecting 50 cents with 2 partners.  Many students said they knew the subtraction facts so I challenged them to be speedy in saying the answer and those that weren't so speedy would be those to practice.  The students are really loving math workshop and so am I! 

2 social skill problem solving areas we've been really focusing on is cooperation (What does it look like?  How do know if we've cooperated today?  Tell about someone who showed cooperation today.) and whether something is a Glitch or Disaster.  This will help us identify what is something that might not go our way, but it's really something with a quick or easy fix and then we can move on or do we need help moving on from a teacher or a friend, and responses and strategies we can work on when we feel something is more than a glitch.

1 new piece of information for families is homework!  Each night we are expecting students to be reading for 20 minutes.  Reading can look like your child reading in their head, reading out loud, reading with a family member, taking turns reading, or even listening to a story read by you.  

Additionally, this month, students will bring home today the Heritage Bear Project.  Please read it over with your child and work on it with them by the 22nd.  This is something that you should talk about together, brainstorm together, but the final project should be something made by the students.  In class, they will present their bear and we will learn so much more about each of our classmates!

Here's a peek at what math looked like this week:

Week Ending 9/28/18

Our first month of school is over and we're moving on to October!  We've been in school for 17 days so far and we've really settled into a routine and our content area work has really picked up! It's very exciting seeing what students are interested in and what they feel is their strength.

Important Information:

• October 8, is Columbus Day and there is no school.  
• Picture Day has been rescheduled to Monday, October 15th.  
• We have a number of birthdays in October. Parents are invited to come in and read a book to our class on their child's birthday.  Please touch base with me about a week before so we can find a time that works.  Typically, readers come at morning meeting and then can head out to start their day.

3, 2, 1 things you should know about our week...

3 reading workshop skills we focused on were determining whether a book was fiction or non-fiction, tracking our thinking WHILE reading using post-it notes to show either favorite part or new information learned, and how to BUZZ about books using a conversation bookmark to get us started.  

* Ask your child which book they chose to buzz about today at the end of reading workshop. 

2 math activities we worked on during 10-Minute Math at the beginning of our day was showing multiple addition and subtraction sentences to equal 14 and identifying what time it will be ____ minutes.  The new Investigations program is very hands on and student focused!  Math workshop is a time where students independently choose which activity to work on and when done, they move on to a different activity.  All students work on the same skill, but are showing what they know in different ways.  This has already helped create more independence in the classroom regarding their own learning!  We are just really exploring the concepts, math workshop, and 10-Minute Math, but so far I think we're all enjoying it!

1 science activity we worked on was brainstorming words used for observation and making our own observations of a shell by writing and drawing as accurately as we can like scientists do! 

Please be sure to sign up for a conference.  Fall Conference Sign Up

Have a great weekend!

Here's a few pics from math workshop today:

 

Week ending 9/21/18

Hello families! We've really been getting going in room 250 with all our subjects and it's so exciting to see what their interests are and what they feel successful in!

Important information:

• Don't forget!  All About Me bags went home earlier this week and they should come back on Monday so we can begin sharing in class. 
• Picture Day is Wednesday, September 26.
• Open House is Thursday night, September 27th, at 6:00 for K-2 students.  Please remember that this is an adult only evening.  Thanks!
• Thursday, September 27th, is also an early release day with dismissal at 12:30. 
• Please remember to send a note in with your child if there is a dismissal change.  I often have access to email but should it be down or I am out, I would not be able to access it nor would the substitute.  If you know a few days before, that's fine too.  Thank you!  
• Please check out our Amazon Wish List you can find here: Amazon Wish List

3 math skills we worked on this week were showing the number seven in multiple ways with multiple addends too, investigating whether or not the order of the numbers makes a difference with addition, and adding numbers quickly and accurately when playing 5 in a Row.  

* Ask your child to show you 3 ways to show the number 7 or any number under 10.

2 reading strategies we reviewed were what to do with a word you don't know (we listened to Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, said the Sloth to discuss being slow and careful when sounding out) and we discussed taking a book walk before reading a book so they can decide if it's just right for them.  We also talked about iPick which is a strategy for choosing books.  They have bookmarks to use them independently to help choose their own books.  

* Ask your child to share one part of iPick.  

1 writing activity we worked on was writing our weekly letter.  Every Friday, we're writing letters about one thing that happened this week.  We are learning about letter formation, sticking to one idea, adding feelings, and reviewing capitals and punctuation.  

* Ask your child who they wrote to and one thing written in their letter.  

Here's our iPick bookmark:

Week ending 9/14/18

Hello families!
Another week of school is done and it's been another enjoyable week!  I've enjoyed getting to know the students' personalities and I look forward to continue to get to know them as learners this year!

Important Information:

• Wednesday, September 19, there is no school.
• Wednesday, September 26, we have picture day.
• Thursday, September 27, there is an early dismissal at 12:30.  
• Thursday, September 27, there is Open House beginning at 6:00 in our classroom (K-2 classrooms), followed by the auditorium with our principals and PTO, and then classroom time for grades 3-5. 

3, 2, 1 things you should know about our week...

3 math skills we've been reviewing with our new Investigations program are telling time, identifying which numbers are missing on a hundreds chart, and counting coins up to 100.

*Ask your child one activity they worked on in math this week.

2 important people in our classroom are Mrs. Ripley and Mrs. Sherman, our assistants for the classroom.  Mrs. Ripley is here Monday and Tuesday and Mrs. Sherman is here Wednesday through Friday.  They are an important part in our day to day workings of our classroom and in this room, we see us as having three teachers here for your students.  Don't be shy to say "Hello!" if you see them.

1 important writing activity we worked on was writing our hopes and dream for the school year.  It's so important for students to have a hope for the year...something they are striving to achieve!  I can't wait to see how they work on those this school year!

Week ending 9/7/18

Welcome back to school!

What a great week it's been!  I've really enjoyed getting to know your children this week and I look forward to learning even more as the weeks go on.  Thank you for your supply donations, book donations, and money.  We will be getting Raz Kids up and running soon for the students and I'm excited about that!

Important information:

• There is no school on Monday, the 10th or on Wednesday, the 19th.  
• Please remember to send in sneakers for PE on Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Please remember to send in a note with your child in the am if there are dismissal changes.  I have been able to get the emails, yet if I'm not here or there is an email issue, I may not get the message.  
• Thank you for your help with dismissal.  I am asking the students who leave with me to say "Good-bye" and high five and wait for me to say "Good-bye" back so I can continue to make the connection between student and pick up person.  Also, when picking up, please keep away from the doors so we can all exit together as it's often crowded there the first few weeks.

3, 2, 1 things you should know...

3 math activities we've already started are learning to play Guess My Number, using pattern blocks to cover shapes and then finding different ways to cover the same shape, and reviewing what coins are which.  

* Ask your child to play Guess My Number with you...they know how to play!  

2 read aloud we read and discussed were Calvin Can't Fly ( about getting immersed in a book) and Wild About Books (the zoo animals LOVE reading)!  

* Ask your child about a book they were reading today during independent reading time.

1 writing activity we worked on today was writing about five things we did in school this week.  

* It should be in your child's folder, so please ask them to see it.

Here's a snapshot of what we've been working on... All About Me...

Last Day of School

Hello families!
I just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you for sharing your children with me this year.  They have changed, grown, worked through bumps in the road, stretched themselves, and I think most importantly...believed in themselves.  I am very proud of who they are and they should be too.  We gave them flashlights today with a little note saying "You shine the most when you are _____".  Each child has a word written just for them.  I expressed to them that when they enter those doors next year in September for third grade, to remember their word, to remember they can do this, and that they are ready!

Thank you very much for the flowers and gift.  It is greatly appreciated and thoughtful.
I wish you all a wonderful summer!
-Megan DeKing

Week Ending 6/8/18

Hello families!
We've had a busy week getting ready for our field trip, today's family time, and much more.
This blog will be a little different format as there's a few things really important to call attention to.

Thank you for coming in this morning.  I am truly proud of each of them.  They have come so far in their own ways and they need to be proud of themselves and remember who they are as they head into 3rd grade!   The words they used to to describe themselves are now on their lockers so they can see them each time they are there during the day.  The words they chose are an indication of a group that is ready to move on and ready for the world!

Important information:

• Color Day will next Tuesday, June 12, starting first thing so please be sure your child has a good breakfast, puts sunblock on at home, brings a water bottle with their name on it, and arrive to school on time.  
• Monday, June 18th is the Book Swap!  Please send in some gently used books (send early next week) the kids can swap for new-to-them books for summer reading.  
• Friday, June 22, is our last day off school with a 12:00 dismissal.

Our field trip yesterday was great!  HUGE thank you to those parents who chaperoned!  Our class wrote letters at the end of the day about the trip and it was wonderful to read all the fun they had, the excitement showed through in their letters!  

Here's some pics from our day:

Week ending 6/1/18

Hello families!
Can you believe it's June already?  We've been very busy this week finishing things up and moving on to our final sets of units for the year!  3 weeks left this year!

Important information:

• Color Day is scheduled for next Tuesday.  Your child came home with a sheet the other day regarding their color.  Please have them dress according to the weather as well.  
• Field trip information is below.  Please read it carefully.  
• We hope we'll see you at our family celebration next Friday at 8:30!  It will last about 30 minutes.  
• The last day of school is June 22 and dismissal is at 12:00.

Field trip information:

• Field trip is Thursday, June 7th.
• Please send your child to school with a lunch with your child's name on the bag.  Please send it in disposable packaging such as a brown paper bag or large Ziploc bag.  Thanks for your help with this!
• Do not send money with your child.  We will not be visiting the gift shop and the chaperones have been told this as well. 
• It is very important that your child arrive to school on time that day as we will be loading the buses shortly after gathering together.  

Homework:

Now that June has arrived there will no longer be homework assignments for the remainder of the year.  However, reading practice is always important.  Please continue to read nightly now and through the summer as it is very important to maintain all the growth they've made this year.  

3, 2, 1 things you should now about our week...

3 math activities we completed were working on counting base 10 pictures and quickly identifying groups of 100s, 10s, and 1s and adding accurately.  

2 science ramp testing we completed was studying what happens when the ramp gets steeper and what happens when friction is added to the ramp. 

1 writing activity we completed was our last opinion prompt of the year.  Students wrote about their favorite summer activity! 

Week ending 5/18/18

Hello families!
We've had a great busy week!  We've been wrapping up our math and butterfly units and delving into our writing workshop unit.

Important information:

• If you have any tissues, cleaning wipes, or paper towels...we would love them!
• Please begin sending your child in with 2 paper bags.  1 will be for artwork after the art show and 1 will be for our work at the end of the year. 
• Color day is June 5th and our Museum of Children's field trip is on June 7th.  More info coming soon.  
• Save the date!  Friday, June 8th, 8:30 we will be having an end of year writing celebration.  We hope you can join us!  

3, 2, 1 things happening in room 250!

3 science activities we completed this week were identifying the parts of a butterfly, comparing a moth and a butterfly, and identifying and drawing the stages of the plant life cycle and butterfly life cycle.  Today we let the butterflies go and the students' loved it!

* Ask your child to name 4 parts of the butterfly.  

2 writing strategies for poems we worked on were writing poems with line breaks to make our poetry more interesting to the reader and writing poems based on wonderings or questions we had.  

* Ask your child what they have been writing about in poetry.

1 fabulous activity we had this week was a visit from Mr. Joe and Ms. Vida from Ghana.  They are wonderful, engaging, and share so much knowledge with the students!  

* Ask your child their favorite part!

** Be sure to check your email for some pics from their visit!