Sweet Summertime!

Happy Summer! A few updates after you dry off from your swim today :]


Interested in summer tutoring? Here is a link to available teachers this summer **disclaimer** I'm on it! :]

French notebook - Madame Gebara asked students KEEP their French notebook, and bring it back with them to third grade next year.

Red Folders: In red folders is an envelope about something we teachers refer to as "The Summer Slide" along with a summer work packet. I am HAPPY to provide incentives for academic work to get done!

I am going to Rocky Point for 7 days of uninterrupted beach time, I will not have access to emails or text messages, but I PROMISE to respond when I return on Sunday June 4th! Thank you for your patience with me!

Last week of school!

WOW! What a week! Thank you to everyone that came to Muffins with Mom! This is my third year doing the event, and every year I am pleasantly surprised at the amount and joy and love that fills the MPR. You moms ROCK! Thank you for letting us spoil you a little bit on Friday at Muffins with Mom (pictures coming soon).

The last week of school tends to be an emotional rollercoaster. In my experience it is best for the students to keep it as routine as possible, and our end of year celebration as laid back and relaxing as possible, there is a lot of unknowns coming up in their lives. While summer is exciting it is an anticipated change in routine for them, as well as knowing a new classroom, teacher, and expectations will await them in the fall. This can cause a little anxiety. I have found it best to keep the last day celebration "chill". Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Summer birthdays: If your student has a summer birthday and you'd like to send in a treat and have them celebrate this week, I totally support that! Just send me an email letting me know what day you'd like to do it :]

This week we will enter into 3rd grade boot camp! We will spend the week discussing what is expected of 3rd graders and sharpening our skills. Monday-Wednesday will be learning as usual, with math and Spalding review. Thursday we will hone in on our skill of team work while completing a few camp related STEM challenges, like building a shelter! On Friday the room will be transformed into a campout! We will enjoy s'mores and a movie!

Announcements: There should be something that looks like this in your child's backpack, please open it and enjoy a few laughs and warm fuzzies Sunday for Mother's Day! These were SO fun to make with your kiddos, they LOVE you! Here is a link to a video we made for you, please go easy on me, it was my first time, I am not a producer by any means, but the thought (and love) was there!

Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for everything you do for your children and for me! Here's to hoping you wake up late to a clean home and brunch waiting for you!

Check out the fun we had this week:

O is for OUTSIDE! We had so much fun learning in the outdoor classroom!

Mrs. Smith was asked to help in first grade on Friday, so look who came in to help us! COACH COOK!

Here is a look at our learning next week:

Language arts: Next week will be a busy one! We will take a computerized test to measure our progress in second grade, because of this test, we will have new spelling words on Monday, and review words on Tuesday and Wednesday. In grammar we will review as well! Students will practice classifying sentences, completing contractions, and capitalizing proper nouns!

Math: Next week we will work hard and play hard in math! We will take our end of year assessments, both on the computer and on paper. Students will have 2 minutes to do as many addition problems as they can, then 2 minutes to do as many subtraction problems, and finally 2minutes to do as many multiplication problems as they can! We will spend time playing review games and working hard!

Science: We are done with science for the year! We will do some fun, hands on STEM activities this week to celebrate!

History: In History students will spring forward in history from the Civil War to a time when the United States was booming! We are starting our short unit on immigration! Students will learn where immigrants settled, and describe some contributions made by immigrants. We will also learn how immigrants can become citizens!

Announcements:

Thank you for all the teacher love this week! I am SO spoiled, in what other career do you get to do what you love, have fun ALL DAY LONG, and get spoiled for an ENTIRE WEEK? You all made me feel so special this week, every card full of heart felt messages and secret codes that I had to crack made me teary eyed. I am one lucky girl, please know that I do not take that for granted. I am so lucky to work at a school with so much parent support!

DIBELS - This week Mrs. Smith and I got to sit down and hear each student read to us individually. Their scores are then compared to how they read at the beginning of the year, and man, am I blown away at the growth! Stay tuned for an email about your child's specific growth!

Mothers Day - You're invited to Muffins with Mom! We would love to see you, spoil you, and spend some time with you on Friday, May 19th at 8:15! Please sign up here if you're able to come!

A-Z Countdown:

L (Mon) - Lunch with the teacher day! On Monday students will eat with me!

M (Tues) - Movie Day! Students will watch a few scenes from Sarah, Plain and Tall

N (Wed) - Nickel Day - Students need to bring a nickel to school, we will sort and graph them by year!

O (Thurs) - Outside day! We will do our math lesson (first thing in morning, keep for fingers crossed for weather under 90 degrees before 9AM) outside today!

P (Fri) - Popcorn day! We will eat popcorn and do a fun popcorn craft!

Here's a peek at our week:

Look at this adorable dog Aiden SEWED for me!

Working hard!

In our concert best!

Thank you for spoiling us all week! We LOVE you!

What're we learning next week?

Language arts: Students will finish publishing a super secret project in grammar! In literature we will read chapters 9 and 10 in Little House in the Big Woods. We will journey with the Ingalls family as summertime comes.  We will learn how they collect honey and make cheese!

Math: We will review again next week, spending time on money, fractions, time, and graphs! Scholars have done such great work this year! These review weeks are so encouraging because we see so much growth!

Science: We will learn about cells, and make our very own cell on a sugar cookie!

History: We will review important topics from our civil war unit. We will discuss the importance of Harriet B. Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, and Generals Lee and Grant! We will then introduce an exciting unit on early immigration in the U.S.! I encourage you to share with your children family stories about coming to the "melting pot"! Every year, this topic in history provides for some interesting conversation! :]

Announcements:

You're invited to Muffins with Mom! Muffins with Mom will take place on Friday, May 19th in the MPR. Students will be brought down around 8:15, and we would love if you joined us for some quality time, muffins, coffee and tea with your child! An invitation went home in red folders today!

Please RSVP here if you are able to come!

A-Z countdown: This teacher goofed this week! Monday we will combine F and G!

Monday - F & G - Reading by Flashlight and Games! Please send your student in with their favorite book and a flashlight!

Tuesday - H - How to Day - We will watch a fun video on how things we use every day are made!

Wednesday - I - Ice Cream Day! I'd love if you could donate ice cream sandwiches or ice cream cups to our classroom for this day!

Thursday - J - Joke Day! Students will bring in their favorite joke, and we will spend some time sharing them and giggling!

Friday - K - Kindness Day ! We will do an act of kindness :]

Here's a glimpse of what happened this week in the classroom:

On Wednesday instead of sitting in a faculty meeting, we got to play P.E.! Parachute and dodgeball!

Working on our persuasive writing!

Bring your favorite book day was a hit among all!

Healthy snack day: Protein style!

Here is a look at our learning for the upcoming week:

Language arts: Next week in grammar we will work on a top secret project! We will brainstorm and go through the writing process to write a paragraph sure to make your heart feel all warm and fuzzy! We will continue memorizing the poem Harriet Tubman by Eloise Greenfield. Students are doing a wonderful job reciting stanzas 1-3 with expression and inflection, while standing up straight and proud! We will read a story title Narcissus and differentiate between listening to another person, and hearing what we want to hear. We will identify situations in which someone is not listening, and examine our own abilities to listen to others. Ask your child what our class came up with to the questions 'what does it mean to be a good listener?'. In literature we will continue to explore how the Ingall's family makes maple sugar, and even sample some of the real stuff! We will read chapters 8 and 9 and identify what different animal tracks look like!

Math: In math next week we are taking it WAY back to the beginning of the year! We will spend a day reviewing important concepts we learned in first semester. We will refresh our brains on mental math, multiplication, division, and measurement.

History: Students will compare Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, and how the war ended for each of these men. You can ask your history buff to explain how General Sherman and his men helped lead the Union to Victory (but please wait until the end of the week, because believe it or not, some students can't figure out how the war ended and are sitting on pins and needles each history lesson!).

Science: Next week we will conclude our Biography unit through learning about an African-American doctor who performed the first successful open heart surgery! Dr. Daniel Hale Williams was a surgeon who helped set up a teaching hospital in Chicago. It was the first hospital in Chicago to have African-American doctors and nurses on its staff. ALL patients were treated well there. We have truly enjoyed learning about these important people in Science and discussing the virtues they each possess.

Week 34!

Announcements:

A-Z Countdown: Can you BELIEVE that we are inside the last 26 days of school?!? I created a fun countdown for each letter of the alphabet so we can really soak in these last days as a classroom family. Today for A we did a small art project, ask your student about it tonight! Next week we have letters B-F and we need your help! Please keep these a secret from your child, as I'd like each day to be a joyful surprise. Some will be given away because students need to bring something from home, but some will be an exciting adventure!

Monday - Book Day! Students will need to bring a book from home and take turns reading it aloud to their friends
Tuesday - Compliment Day - I have a fun compliment activity planned!
Wednesday - Donut day - We will enjoy a donut hole at the end of the day. Please sign up here to donate donuts to the class.
Thursday - Exercise Day - We will spend a some class time doing fun exercise videos on Go Noodle!
Friday - Flashlight Friday - Students will need to bring in a flashlight and their favorite book, we will spend some time in the dark, reading by flashlight!

Pictures of our week!

A is for ART - today we learned how to draw racecars and baby chicks!

Someone special visited us this week! THE DESK FAIRY!

We learned how we can REDUCE REUSE and RECYCLE for Earth Day!

Here is a look at our learning for next week:

Language arts: In language arts next week, students will be introduced to a new type of paragraph! PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPHS! They will be introduced through a model letter that someone wrote to Mrs. Smith, trying to convince us to get a class pet! Students will then start their brainstorming and prewriting on a topic they'd like to persuade their parents or teachers on. We will continue memorizing and reciting the poem Harriet Tubman, ask your scholar what the first two stanzas sound like! In Literature we will read the sixth and seventh chapter of Little House in the Big Woods. After Wednesday ask your literature guru what Laura did that allowed her to get away quickly from the bear!

Math: Next week in math we will introduce students to geometry! We will talk about vertices, angles, and sides! At the end of the week we will make 3-D shapes out of paper!

History: The students will learn about Abraham Lincoln's background and feelings about slavery. They should be able to identify the early battles of the Civil War and the division of the North and South over slavery. They should also be able to explain why the South wanted to secede from the Union.

Science: Next week we will learn about a special woman, a nurse, named Florence Nightingale. She was also know as The Lady with the Lamp. Florence always believed that her life had a special purpose and that she was meant to help others. Ask your scholar how she accomplished this!

4 day week!

I hope you all had a great long weekend! Coach Cook and I are slowly making Chief bionic, so he went in for knee surgery on Friday. The weekend was spent loving on our recovering pup, and trying to take cute videos of him in the cone of shame. We spent some much needed time with family, and are rested and refreshed to tackle this week!

Here is a look at our learning this week:
 Language arts: We will NOT introduce any new words in Spalding this week. Instead we will test on the words from last week, and review and practice several misspelled words! In literature we will continue to work on editing our paragraph describing how Pa makes bullets. We will read chapters 4 and 5 of Little House in the Big Woods. We will compare and contrast Christmas in the Ingalls house with an important holiday in our own homes. In Grammar students will review and classify all parts of speech learned, including sentences containing conjunctions and compound parts. Students will practice identifying the central narrative in a passage, in the story The Magic of Oz by Frank L. Baum.

Math: We will begin a new unit on GRAPHING! We will begin by making a tally chart and a simple picture graph. By the end of the week we will be interpreting picture and bar graphs, as well as identifying the range and mode in picture and bar graphs!

Science: We will be starting a new unit on biographies through reading and learning about a man named Elijah McCoy, an African-American inventor. Do you know the saying "That's the Real McCoy" and where it came from? Ask your scholar about Elijah's important contributions!

History: We are moving on to the Civil War unit. Students will learn about disagreements between the North and the South that resulted in war. Ask your scholar about the Underground Railroad.

Field Trip!

We had SO much fun on our field trip! Thank you to ALL the amazing chaperones that came along and put up with the heat and dirt! We couldn't do it without you!

Panning for GOLD!

 Signs of a successful field trip:

Week 32!

Next week we will be entering week 32 of second grade! I can't even believe it! We have a short week ahead of us - with a field trip Thursday and no school on Friday!

Field trip information: The permission slip is due today along with $10. On Thursday please send your student with a sack lunch and a water bottle, both labeled with their name. Students need to be in uniform but can wear hats, and should wear sunscreen as well. We will be leaving the school at 9AM.

Here is a look at our learning this week:

Language arts: This week students will work on identifying the central narrative thread in a passage from a story called The Real Princess. In Spalding students will have the choice to write their words in cursive or manuscript for homework. Students can also choose to switch it up and do some words in cursive and some in manuscript. I really appreciate you help and partnership in monitoring correct letter formation at home! In grammar next week students will review classifying sentences and all parts of speech we have learned! On Tuesday students will be introduced to a new part of speech, our SEVENTH part of speech: CONJUNCTIONS! On Wednesday students will review conjunctions and classify sentences containing conjunctions and compound parts!

Math: In math this week we will wrap up our unit on capacity! We will compare different units of measurement, including a cup, pint, quart, half gallon, and gallon! We will discuss different scenarios in which using a specific unit would be necessary. Would you put cups of water into a pool to fill it up? Why or why not? We will work hard to solve word problems involving capacity, and comparing capacity. We will review concepts learned in units 1-12, focusing on subtracting money and multiplication, and then on Thursday we will assess our knowledge of units 1-12.

History: This week, we will learning about the hardships encountered on the journey west and get a little taste of pioneering on our class field trip!

Science: We will create a catapult and see how far we can launch PEEPS!

Next week your scholars will be making magnetic slime! In order for each student to make their own slime we need a few items. Please sign up HERE to make all your scientists dreams come true! Please send in the materials by Thursday, April 6. We really appreciate your help and contributions for this fun activity!

Mrs. Smith is teaching Summer Academy at Arete this year! She is so excited and would love to see your scholars there. See the classes and course descriptions below. Sign up by tomorrow, April 1 for a 10% early bird discount!

Farm to Table Week 1: June 5-9  9:00AM - 1:00 PM

Our journey from "Farm to Table" gives campers a chance to learn what it means to grow, harvest, raise and preserve food. We will be looking at the lost skills of farming through art history and passed-down family recipes. Experiments with photosynthesis, anatomy, and decomposition will help campers see nature at work. By the end of the week we will have a real farmer's market where each student will sell good they have made. Additionally we will host a local farmer with produce for families to browse and show, while discussing the importance of healthy choices for mind, body, and soul!

Inventions and Discoveries Week 2: June 12-16 9:00AM-1:00PM

Albert Einstein said, "Play is the highest form of research." We will learn to "play" with the past as we learn about foundational discoveries affecting our lives today - from paper and plastic, catapults and castles, to light bulb and robotics, we will explore how discoveries and inventions are like a snowball effect, as one idea is a platform for another. Scholars will learn how it can take centuries of ideas before inventions come to fruition. On Friday, we will host a science fair, displaying the different inventions campers "played with and came up with on their own!

Fine Arts and French Night is coming this Friday, April 7th!

Check out how much fun we had this week:

Magnets!

Reading the "Teaser" chapters at the end of Sarah, Plain and Tall

Ballroom dancing in P.E!

Cuteness overload!

Here is a glimpse at our upcoming week:

Language arts: We will we working through the writing process next week! Students will start with prewriting on Monday, brainstorming a list of their favorite activities. Tuesday will be spent writing a rough draft, Wednesday and Thursday will be spent revising and editing their drafts (first on their own, then with a peer). On Friday students will write their final papers. Mrs. Smith and I will be emphasizing that final papers should be students BEST work! This includes neat handwriting, proper formatting, and being proud of what they are turning in! We will read a story called About Lying and have a discussion about how lying leads to greater problems that one might initially realize. In literature we will be reading Little House in the Big Woods please send in a copy of this book with you child if you have not already! We will discuss the setting and how it relates to us in Arizona, and outline the 5 main characters in the story. After reading we will discuss how Laura's house and our homes differ, and learn the steps of food preservation! Ask your literature master what the vocab word 'headcheese' means!

Math: In math next week we will look at capacity! We will compare the capacity of contains to begin with, and then learn about the unit Liter. We will compare the capacity of containers in liters to units we are familiar with (cups, gallons, etc.) We will solve word problems involving capacity, and make a fun visual to see how all units compare! Make sure you ask your capacity captain about their new best friend, Gallon Bot!

History: Students will learn about mining in town and how they turned into ghost towns after the mines ran dry. Ask your scholar to explain the importance of Sequoyah, the Trail of Tears, Buffalo and the overall impact settlers had on the lives of Native Americans.

Science: Next week we will assess our understanding of magnets! Can you help our class by donating supplies to make magnetic slime? Please see the sign up link!