Weekly Update

 We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!    Here are a few pictures of some work we did during that short week....

Shuko led a wonderful ceramic lesson (even teaching it in Japanese!)
and Caroline gave the 2nd graders a look at our beautiful new kiln.

 Here are some pictures of what writing time ..... we were working on Thanksgiving poems and
our pieces about our names.

Today, we practiced reading our Reader's Theater plays with expression!
We also had a visit from Mrs. Chin.  She told us all about Kelso and how to identify
small or big problems.  We played a game to practice what kind of problem is a small problem and what kind of problem is a big problem that needs to be reported.
We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible for the Grand Opening
Celebration here tomorrow night at 6pm.   You'll get  a chance to see some more of our classroom as well as the other rooms throughout the building.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi Parents,
Wow... what a rainy Monday we had.    We had all our recesses indoors today!     The entire 2nd grade met in the big shared space off our rooms and students were able to play games, draw, use the netbooks, and even watch a movie during lunch.   We think our shared space is a pretty fun place to spend rainy day recesses.

Due to the short week, there will be NO spelling and NO homework cover sheet.
The homework for this week is to simply read, read, read.   These rainy days are perfect for curling up with a favorite book.
Students are also bringing home TWO math sheets today.   These can be done as their math homework this week.

When we get back from Thanksgiving Break, we will begin working with numbers and patterns up to 1,000.  

Today we were treated to a fun craft led by Mrs. Zuber.   Each student made a little turkey and wrote out some things they were thankful for.

Tuesday, Mrs. Adam and Mrs. Mantooth will be in to do a little clay lesson with us!

Here are some pictures of the oil pastel artwork done by Mrs. Fornia last week. This is inspired by the work of the artist Robert Indiana.

Mrs. Fornia and I are so very thankful for our wonderful class of 2nd graders and our amazing parents.  Thank you for sending your children to school ready to learn each day.

We look forward to seeing everyone for the school's open house on Tuesday, Nov. 27th at 6pm and then again for our evening showcase on 12/12/12 at 6pm.

Monday Update

Hi Parents,
We hope you enjoy these delicious sandwiches with everything on them!    They were inspired by artist Claus Oldenburg.... he creates giant sculptures and pieces of art that are full of humor and surprise....just like our sandwiches.

Thank you to Mrs. Zuber for reading us two tantalizing books about crazy sandwiches.   That got us in the mood to create!

Today, we read about how the character Gooney Bird Greene got her name and started brainstorming ways to write about what our names mean to us.

Students may be asking you the following questions:
1.  How did you pick my name?
2.  What other names were you thinking of giving me?
3.  Does my name have a special meaning?

We will be organzing our ideas in a pre-write, and then we will be writing paragraphs to create an essay about our names.   The more information they have... the better!

Thank you to everyone who brought in yellow ribbons for our Veteran's Day Wall.  

Art/Social Studies: We looked at images of different urban skylines. The children noticed the different sizes and shapes of the buildings and the rooftops. They they created a skyline with chalk pastel.

SAVE THE DATE for our class's winter art night.... which we are calling our.....Night of 12s.  
Each student has 12 pieces of art to share, 12 lines of poetry, and some other special surprises......
On Wednesday,  12/12/12, at 6:00pm (1/2 of 12!).... we would like to invite you to a showcase of 2nd grade work.    

Student/Parent Email:   We are excited to start this new Friday writing routine...students will begin emailing with parents!  A letter was sent home regarding the guidelines for email use. Please email your child by Friday so they can capture your email address.

Book Orders:   Book orders have been placed. Expect the books in 2-3 weeks.

Science:  We screened different sizes of rocks to separate gravel, pebbles, and sand.

Social Studies:   We are learning about community leaders and how they are people who help make important decisions.  We learned how people choose leaders and election days.

Good-bye to Jacob:  Our classmate Jacob S is moving with his family to Sweden.   His last day with us is this Friday.   We will be making him a special book and giving him a special good-bye on Friday.

Thank you!    Our Halloween party was a huge success!!  Thank you to Caroline, Stacey, Tami, Michelle, Kristen, Molly, Shuko, Nela, Carrie, Alissa, and Jasmina!   All you parents helped make this party a great success.
Thank you also to Faith's grandmother, who came in and read us a spooky story during snack time.   We enjoyed hearing her read aloud.

And finally....One of the reasons we love teaching second grade is because of the great conversations that we have with the kids! The following conversations occurred during literacy centers on Friday:

Mrs. Fornia: “What animals do you see on the cover of this African safari book?

Ava: “A Cantaloupe!!”

Mrs. Fornia: “You know cantaloupes are a type of fruit..”

Ava:  “Yeah, I know! A Cantaloupe is also a type of animal!” (referring to an antelope!)

 

Mrs. Fornia: “Why do you think hippos spend so much time in the water?”

Lillie: “Because they are hiding from creditors!” (referring to predators.)

 

These kids make us smile every day!