Week 4!

Hello! We are entering week 4 and welcoming September this week!

We had such a great week, and the students maintained such a great attitude while I threw challenge after challenge at them! We started Rocket Math this week, which is a great tool to improve automaticity in math facts, as well as learning how to interact with partners and kindly correct others mistakes.

We also took our first round of MAP testing on computers this week, which this teacher was a little nervous for (30 students, 30 laptops, 2 teachers...it just wasn't adding up for me). BUT WE DID IT! The students did great, and I am looking forward to getting a chance to analyze the results next week!

Announcements:

Friday Folder: Today your students are coming home with a manila folder in their red folder. The manila folder is labeled "Friday Folder". Please review the items in the folder and sign the back page of the folder. Some students need to make corrections on their math test, I have stapled a message to their tests if that's the case.

Grandparents Day: We are excited to invite and honor the amazing grandparents in our students lives. We are inviting them to our first assembly of the year! Please use this link to sign up and let us know who in your family is able to join us! We will also be sending home invitations for your child to give or mail to their grandparents on Monday.

DIBELS: This coming week and the next week, I will be pulling students aside one by one to have them read to me! I LOVE this one on one time with the students, I will also be communicating out to my results on your sweetie.

Tutoring: I will begin tutoring the week of September 5 in both reading and math. Tutoring will be on an invitation only basis, as I hope to keep the student to teacher ratios very low. If I feel that your child is a candidate for tutoring I will reach out to you with day and time options.

Here is a look at our learning this week:

Language arts: 
Poetry the students will recited Bed in Summer in front of the class this week! We practiced all week, and I was so excited to see that quite a few students made this their own! They have added hand motions and emphasize certain lines, I can't wait to hear the recitations again this week! On Monday in you child's red folder you will receive our next recitation: Something Told by the Wild Geese by Rachel Field. Please start to work on memorizing stanza 1 with your child this week!
Literature: We will continue to read Charlotte's Web chapters 10-12 this week. We will talk about what character traits make a good friend, and identify friendships in our lives that have virtuous character traits! We will create a "class web" by throwing a ball of yarn to a classmate while telling them why they are such a great friend!
Spalding: Please continue to practice phonograms and handing writing at home with your child (3-5 minutes of phonogram practice each evening is a great goal). Handwriting is looking great! Thank you for your diligent support with it!

Math: This week students will review addition and subtraction of one digit numbers using mental math strategies. We will also explore word problems, and work on mental math where renaming occurs. Please help your child "visualize" math by asking them their math facts in the car and encouraging them not to use their fingers. Talk about "breaking apart" the number, for example; eight can be broken down in to 5 and 3, or 6 and 2. In the problem 4 + 8 we will talk to the students about breaking down 8 into something that can help the 4 make 10, so now our new problem is 10+2.

History: We are traveling to South America is history this week! We are going to learn about Simon Bolivar, and why is was so important to the people of South America. We will learn about life in the central Andes and discuss how it is different from lifestyles in other places. The students will locate and describe the four countries that make up the southern cone.

Science: Next week we will conclude our unit on seasons of the year. Be sure to ask your young scientist about "The Reasons for the Seasons" and see if they can tell you more about the tilt of planet earth! We will explore more closely the affect each season has on our weather, humans, animals, and planets!

Week 3

Hello sweet families of 2C!
We had another adventure filled week! We are becoming amazing geographers, mathematicians, and scholars!

Curriculum night- It was wonderful to see and speak with so many of you on curriculum night, I have a classroom full of sweethearts, with amazing parents behind them! For those of you that were unable to attend, a turquoise folder went home today containing all the information covered, and my speaking points for the evening. If you have more questions, or would like to learn more about the second grade curriculum I would love to invite you to Math and Phonics night coming up in September! Please feel free to reach out to me with any specific questions you may have!

MAP testing - Today your second graders took a practice MAP test (Measures of Academic Progress) test on a laptop. This will be the first year students are taking the MAP test. The goal for us is to spend this year learning, trouble shooting, and experiencing online testing, in preparation for next year for the AZ Merit test students will take in 3rd grade. On Thursday August 25 students will take the MAP test "for real." Please tell your sweet peas not to worry and just to try their best! Mrs. Lacsa and I will be available to assist when needed! For more information about this test please click here.

Island Project: I have had a quite a few questions about the island project! I have included some examples of past projects below. Please remember the goal is for your student to be creative and have fun!

Here is a look at our learning this week:

Literature: We will continue reading Charlotte's Web this week. In chapters 7-9 we will continue to watch Wilbur and Charlotte's friendship unfold. We will learn the phrase "back to the drawing board" as Wilbur tries and fails to spin a web.
Poetry: We will practice Bed in Summer stanzas 1-3 this week, and the students will be reciting the poem for the class next week!
Spalding: We will continue with 10 words each day, and a 30 word spelling test on Friday. Please continue to closely monitor your child's handwriting!

Math: We will review unit 1 (numbers to 1000) Monday and Tuesday and test over unit one on Wednesday. Tuesday nights homework will provide great practice for Wednesday's test! We will review comparing and ordering numbers, place value, writing numbers in various forms and symbols ( <, >, =). Then we will jump into unit 2! In unit 2 we will learn strategies for mental math using addition and subtraction!

Science: Your young scientists will continue learning about the seasons of the year. Students will be able to identify characteristics of each season and explore how plants, animals, and humans are affected. We will review how the seasons change by the Earth's tilt and it's revolution around the sun. if you could help us out with a leaf rubbing activity by donating your Sunday paper to the classroom we would greatly appreciate it! You can send leaves in Monday or Tuesday morning.

History: Our journey will go on as we continue discussion basic facts about Canada and then he South to Mexico and Central America. We will learn about the origin of the West Indies, languages, and symbols as well as review the history of the Aztecs and Mexico City

Week 2!

Wow, week one went by in a blur! I hope every student came home with joy in their hearts and sweet stories to share! I am so thankful for each and every scholar that fills my classroom this year. We are truly off to a great start! Ask you child to share what we read last week in Crow Boy, Chrysanthemum, and The Recess Queen! Ask them what Mrs. Cook means by "mistakes are for learning".

 Some friends being scientists using their senses to discover what is in the bags.

Recording ideas for the mystery bags

Announcements:
Curriculum night is coming up quickly! Curriculum night will take place on Wednesday, August 17 at 6pm for grades K-2, and Wednesday, August 24 for grades 3-5.The even starts at 6pm in the gymnasium, with opening remarks from Mr. Gillingham, Ms. Pantalena, and Mrs. Mason. The purpose of this event is to acquaint you with the schools curriculum and my classroom procedures. We will dive into our beautiful curriculum and talk about everything from phonograms to fractions. There will also be time for some good old fashioned Q and A!

Supplies needed! Unfortunately there was a mix up with our supply lists. Students need 2 composition books and 1 spiral notebook. Only one composition book was listed on the list. If you could please send in another composition book and one spiral notebook with you student this week, this teacher would be VERY appreciative!

Here is a look at our learning for next week!
Language arts: We will dive into spelling words! Please continue to monitor handwriting and practice phonogram cards at home, as we will also be continuing to practice at school. We will read chapter 4-7 in Charlotte's Web! The students (and teachers) are loving this book! We will have fun learning new vocab  words and exploring how Wilbur is feeling lonely and what he can do about it. We will have a class discussion about friendship and compare and contrast qualities in both Charlotte and Wilbur. Students will be distinguishing the main points and ideas in each chapter. We will also start our grammar curriculum, where students will be reviewing the parts of a sentence and nouns!

Math: In math this week we will continue our unit on number to 1000. the students will identify patterns, and use the greater than and less than symbol with accuracy. We will master the hundreds chart, and brainstorm real life scenarios where you can "Swap" 10 ones of something for 1 ten of something else (10 pennies for 1 dime) We will have our first math quiz Tuesday, review place value, Monday night's homework will provide wonderful practice for Tuesday's quiz.

History: We will continue exploring maps and globes this week, comparing them as well as zooming in on land features that create Earth's beautiful landscape. Students will learn about volcanos, mountains, valleys, prairies, coasts, deserts, and oases. Please review these terms at home and see if you can spot any interesting landforms in the neighborhood! Students should be able to tell you the name of their continent, country, state, and city.

Science: Students will review that four seasons of the year. They will understand that the seasons are cause by the earth's tilt and its revolution around the sun. We will be using the globe and a flashlight to model and investigate how this works. Students will understand that each season has special characteristics. We will also explore how each season affects plants, animals, and humans!

Handwriting practice

Hello parents!

This evening your students are coming home with a homework sheet working on the alphabet. While I realize writing the alphabet can be done very quickly, and that Spalding handwriting should be review for most students, I ask that you focus on proper posture, pencil grip and letter formation. Arrows are on the letter to indicate where they should start and end. Students have been taught that "clock letters" start at 2 on the clock. If they are returning students they will be familiar with this information. If they are new to Archway, todays instruction might have been their first exposure. That is a-ok! We will be doing a LOT more instruction on this!

Please work with your child on their handwriting and their handwriting habits. Later in the year we introduce cursive, and knowing the proper manuscript formation proves very fruitful for learning proper cursive formation. We will continue working on manuscript letter formation in class, with it being taught exclusively this week, and it being monitored thereafter. However, a one-on-one environment is a great place to closely monitor and correct handwriting habits.

Students posture while writing should look like they are sitting up straight, heads held high, and feet flat on the floor. In class we chant: Feet flat! Hips back! Back straight! Head high!

Here is a visual to help you aid your student in proper pencil grip.

As always, please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns you may have!

Yours in handwriting,

Mrs. Cook

Week 1!

Tomorrow is a very VERY exciting day! I have great expectations, and plans for a full, fun, yet flexible day! I know many students are excited/nervous/anxious about starting school tomorrow, new surroundings, new friends, new classroom, and new teachers. With all the unknowns there is one thing you and your child can be certain of - tomorrow my top priority is for every student in my class to leave school feeling loved, accepted, and sure that they absolutely belong in our 2C Arete family!
Much of our day will be procedure review, with some fun activities sprinkled in, as well as a tour of our campus!
Here is a quick list of things to make sure you send with your child tomorrow:

• Snacks (We will typically have 1 snack in the morning, but until all our tummies get used to regimented eating we will take a few snack breaks in the first few days)
• Water bottle
• School supplies (if needed)
• Lunch
• Hugs and kisses :)

Please remember to take your pictures at home before buckling up, and give your goodbye kisses and hugs in the car. Tomorrow morning, teachers will be ready at drop off the assist students out of their cars!(
If you have not already please fill out this form (Parent Child information form from Meet the Teacher Night) so I can learn a little more about your student, and help them be successful (both academically, and at pick up time!).
The best way to communicate with me is via email. The voicemail in my classroom is a little temperamental, and once the school phone switchboards are turned on I do not always have access to my voicemail (meaning I try to check my voicemail outside of school office hours). If you need to speak with me the best way is to email me and I will call you, or email me telling me you left me a voicemail!

Please send a copy of Charlotte's Web in with your child a some point this week. If you have not had the chance to purchase a copy you can order one here or I encourage you to check out the library! We will be reading this book for the next 8 weeks.
One final reminder - we strive at Archway to create a space  for the great works of the past. That being said, in keeping with the "good, beautiful, and true" our campus is "pop-culture free". Please make sure all backpacks, lunchboxes, folders, pencil boxes etc. don't contain any "characters". If you have any questions on this topic, please let me know!

Here is a look at what we will be learning this week!

Language arts: Students will begin reading Charlotte's Web on Tuesday. We will learn key vocabulary words from chapters 1-3, be introduced to some leading characters, identify important character traits for Fern, and write a letter to Wilbur from Fern's perspective! If you have a chance to speak with your child about perspective this week, that would be so helpful. Understanding how others feel and think is a skill that we will work on a lot this year! We will begin memorizing our first poem this week! We will work on memorizing the first stanza of Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson. Students will not be assigned spelling words this week, instead we will focus on handwriting and phonogram review. I encourage you to review phonograms at home for five minutes each evening.

Math: Students will take a second grade math assessment this week. The same assessment will be give at the end of the year to measure growth. This assessment will not impact student grades or report cards in anyway. We as a second grade team will use it as an internal tool to help note areas of strength and weakness in our Singapore curriculum. We will also review making 10's, place value, and skip counting, involving quite a few fun activities and games!

History: We are starting our unit on maps and globes! We will begin this week with a review of basic geography  concepts of place, region, human and physical characteristics, and relative location. Children will review that maps and symbols have keys and symbols, and that maps show cardinal directions. Students will review the continents and identify all four oceans along with Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America!

Science: Our students will become scientists this week as we learn about the steps of the Scientific Method through exploration of "Mystery Bags" and reading a wonderful book called 11 Experiments that Failed.


Here's to a wonderful first week! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns!

Welcome to the blog!

Welcome to our little piece of the internet! This blog is where you will find pertinent information that will help your child have a successful and smooth year. I recommend everyone "follow by email" to ensure you don't miss any important updates! I will post updates, announcements, an overview of the coming school week, and home on Sunday evenings.

Thank you so much for visiting our classroom last night! Mrs. Lacsa and I enjoyed meeting each one of you and your sweet kiddos! We have been working so hard, preparing for a fantastic school year, and you and your children brought so much life into our room!
Thank you for assisting your children as they sorted out their supplies, for your patience and understanding, and thank you for your kind words of encouragement and support.

*Family in need - we have a family that would appreciate an opportunity to carpool both to and from school. If you live near Higley and Guadalupe please contact me and I can put you in touch.

I will be sure to update again before school starts! Have a restful weekend, and don't hesitate to send an email with any questions or concerns you may have!

Welcome to 2C

Welcome to second grade in room 2C! It is a pleasure to welcome you to Archway Arete for the 2016-2017 school year! My name is Mrs. Andrea Cook, and along with my teacher assistant Mrs. Gay Lacsa, we are so excited to be teaching your second graders this year!

Let me begin with a brief introduction of myself. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I graduated from Arizona State University (Go Devils!), I then married my college sweetheart and took a job with Great Hearts. I started working at Great Hearts in 2011 with Exceptional Student Services; helping students with special needs access this wonderful curriculum. I have taught children from kindergarten to seventh grade, and I am delighted to be a part of the second grade team again this year! In my spare time I enjoy doing Crossfit with my husband (who some of your children may know as Coach Cook) and taking our (huge) dog Chief for hikes or swims in the lake. I loved iced coffee, country music, Mexican food, and anything ASU!

          

We are so lucky to have Mrs. Gay Lacsa as our assistant teacher this year! Mrs. Lacsa is a mom of a soon to be Arizona State Student! This will be her 12^th year working in a school and she is so excited for her position at Archway Arete, working in second grade. In her free time she loves to cook, bake, do arts and crafts, and laugh.

Here is an link to a survey I created in hopes to make Meet the Teacher night a more enjoyable experience. Please fill it out before Monday, August 8.

Supplies for tomorrow night, many of our supplies will become community items. Please label your students pencil box and scissors. We will label the students folders and notebooks for them!

We have a wonderful, exciting adventure ahead. I cannot wait to get to know, teach, and love on your sweet peas for the 2016-2017 school year!