Thank you to the many parents who attended Back to School Night on Tuesday. It was wonderful to meet you and the opportunity to share what is going on in our classroom.
A few quick notes: Volunteers- Beginning this year, all volunteers must be fingerprinted (this includes field trip volunteers) in addition to watching the Bullying Video on the SAU19 website (under the special projects tab). Additionally, you will need to sign the Verification of Bullying Training Form that is also found on the SAU 19 website. Fingerprinting is available at the SAU office, for a cost of $20.75. Homework- Spelling words should be practiced 3 times per week. Your child can choose an activity from the spelling menu to use as a study method. Your initials indicate that you have reviewed your child's work for the spelling practice. Each child has a list that should be a good fit for them. Finding the amount of words varies by week, and is based off of your child's pre-test scores. Please contact me if your child is feeling overwhelmed one week, as that is not the goal of homework! Next week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- can a pet be an important friend? While reading, we will review the spelling pattern of s and l blends (st, sl, bl, lt, and so on). As well, we will work to review common high frequency words and learn new vocabulary words. Our strategy focus will be making connections (connecting what we read to our lives, other books, and what we know about the world), a skill you can practice while reading with your child at home. We will continue to work on pulling out important details, and identifying the characters and setting of the story. Next week in math we continue to explore equivalent names for numbers, review even and odd numbers, and compare the size of numbers. One game you can play at home is called Fishing for 10. This is a version of the game we played in class, and the kiddos had a wonderful time with it! Directions can be found here: https://www.education.com/pdf/Tens_Fish/ Look for math homework to begin the week after next. We continue to work on our first full story this week. This week, the students will continue to learn about partner feedback and revisions when writing. As well, we will review using our editing tools such as editing checklists, dictionaries, and thesauruses. As always, let me know if you have any questions! Cori Gallegos Upcoming Dates: Monday, September 25th – Picture Day Wednesday, September 27th - School Board Meeting 7pm, Library
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Our first full week was busy! I am so proud of all of the hard work the kiddos are doing, and how nicely the classroom community is coming together. Back to School Night is this Tuesday, September 19th from 6:35-7:05. Please note that this is a parent only evening this year.This will give you an overview of your child’s day, and give you time to ask any questions.
Next week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How are families around the world the same and different? While reading, we will review the spelling pattern short e, short o, and short u. As well, we will work to review common high frequency words and learn new vocabulary words. Our strategy focus will be visualizing (or making a movie in our minds as we read), a skill you can practice while reading with your child at home. We will also work on pulling out important details, and identifying the characters and setting of the story. HOMEWORK ALERT- Your students will take a spelling pre-test tomorrow morning, and I will give them spelling words to practice for the week. Their spelling list will be tailored to their needs. A spelling menu will come home. Please do three spelling activities from the menu (throughout the week) and turn in the spelling menu only on Friday. Your initials on the items your child did let me know that they completed their spelling homework for the week. Next week in math we will explore equivalent names for numbers (10 can be 5+5 or 6+4 or 3+3+4 and so on). We will play games, practice work pages, and spend time discussing equivalent coin combinations. Money can be tricky in 2nd grade, as this is their first formal introduction. I encourage you to have your child count a small handful of coins each night. Counting money is a skill that takes a lot of practice! If your child struggles at first, have them count only one type of coin at a time (only pennies, nickels, dimes or quarters) before they count mixed coins. Students should be able to quickly name coins and tell their value by the middle of 2nd grade. They should be able to easily count mixed coins by the end of the year. We continue to work on our first full story this week. As we write, students are learning the second grade process for writing a story. So far, we have: Told the story across our fingers (one finger = one big event = one page of the story) Leaned how to sketch our story as a way to hold our ideas Turned our sketches into detailed drawings Written about the details we have drawn This week, the students will learn about partner feedback and revisions when writing. As well, we will learn about editing tools such as editing checklists, dictionaries, and thesauruses. As always, let me know if you have any questions! Upcoming Dates: Tuesday, September 19th – 6:35 – Back to School Night (School Classroom) Wednesday, September 20th – 6:30 – 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle (Goffstown High School) Monday, September 25th – Picture Day We had a wonderful first week of school! The kids were a little tired by Friday, but were settling into the routines nicely. We discussed classroom and school expectations, worked on building our classroom community through getting to know you activities, and practiced important fire and lock down drills. The group has begun to gel together, and are excited to work as a team to ear class and table rewards!
I am hoping you arrived here by clicking on the hyperlink I put in our newsflash email. If you had not subscribed, I added your email to the list. If you prefer a different email address to be used, simply unsubscribe from the email I sent you (the unsubscribe link is at the bottom) and subscribe using your preferred email on this webpage. If you did not receive a newsflash email, please begin by checking your junk email folder. If you still don’t find an email from me, subscribe to the newsflash on this page. Each week I will post what our learning focus for the following week will be. As well, I will add pictures of students from the classroom, unless you did not give photo permission. Please let me know at any time if you do not want me to post pictures. It is a fun way to truly take a peek at our week (don’t worry, I will never use student names). As well, I like to end the post with upcoming dates that are important. I try to keep the blog brief, as I know that we all have full lives. I hope you find the information as a guide to discuss your child’s learning. Feel free to leave comments, but please note that they are public to all. Ask away if I forgot something, as others are probably wondering as well! Next week in our reading program, Wonders, we will explore the question- How do friends count on each other? While reading, we will review the spelling pattern short a and short i. As well, we will work to review common high frequency words and learn new vocabulary words. At this time of the year, I am busy teaching all of the learning routines that we will use in the classroom. We take the time to carefully teach each routine, practice the routine, and then ask questions. This sets the stage for a positive work environment where we are learners, thinkers, and problem solvers. Students will have spelling homework each week, beginning the week of September 18th. We will practice the spelling homework in class this week, so children are aware of the expectations I have. Please spend some time organizing a homework routine (location and time) as this is a big transition in second grade! I recommend a quite spot and an early homework time- Next week in math we will explore number lines. Students will add and subtract using a number line, and then learn how a number grid and number line are related. Throughout the week we will explore math games online, using the ipads and computers I have included a great link that helps provide some background about how we will use number lines in the classroom. They are a wonderful tool for counting, adding, subtracting, estimating, and understanding the magnitude of a number. Check out http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-learning-toolkit/number-lines for more information and resources you can use at home. At Back to School Night you will get your child’s login and password to connected (our reading and math program) where children can access math games, stories, and more. Finally, we will continue learning about growth mindset this week. The students are learning that their brain is a muscle that can growth with effort and practice. In addition, students are learning that mistakes are important signs that mean they are learning something new. There is a wonderful and shirt parent video about this you can view here: https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset-parents/learn-about-growth-mindset/what-is-growth-mindset-parents I will share more about this during Back to School Night. Thank you for all of your support this first week, and feel free to email me with any questions- Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, September 13th – 6:30 – School Board Meeting (School Library) 7:00 – PTA Meeting (School Art Room) Tuesday, September 19th – 6:35 – Back to School Night (School Classroom) **Adults Only** Wednesday, September 20th – 6:30 – 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle (Goffstown High School) Monday, September 25th – Picture Day Hello 2017-2018 2G Families! Welcome to our class website. I will post weekly updates for our class here, on our class blog. Please take a moment to subscribe on the right hand side of the page. This will inform you of updates made to this page. I hope your child is enjoying some of the wonderful summer activities available in our town and state! I can't wait to hear about their adventures during the first week of school. You should receive a summer letter from me by Tuesday, August 28th. Please email or call me if you do not get one. I am busy preparing for the upcoming year, both our classroom setting and our units of study. I have a passion for integrating our learning experiences, and look forward to sharing my love of STEAM learning with your child. Most people are now familiar with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), but STEAM also pulls in the important integration of arts into our learning. If you are interested in learning more about STEAM, check out the link below for an overview of this movement: http://educationcloset.com/steam/what-is-steam/ For now, enjoy the summer and email me with any questions that come up! Love, Mrs. Gallegos Need a copy of the dismissal form for the first day of school? Download it here..
It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the year! I have enjoyed spending the year with all the students in our class community, helping them grow both socially and academically. On Tuesday, I will return them to you; they will be inches taller, months older, pounds heavier, more responsible, and wiser than before.
It has been my honor to watch their personality unfold, and watch their amazing development throughout the year. I give them back reluctantly, as we have spent the past ten months together and I will miss them more than you can know. I wish we could continue on- as we have lived, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together this year. Remember that I will always be interested in your child and in your child’s life. Please call on me if there is anything further I can ever do for your child, as I am always here for them! Important dates: Monday- Please send your child with a cleared out backpack- lots will come home! Tuesday- We will enjoy light snacks and the short film Ralph S, Mouse. Dismissal is at 12:00- Field Trip Information:
I am so excited about our field trip tomorrow! It looks like it’s going to be a HOT one! I want to send along a couple of reminders. - It is going to be HOT! Please make sure that the children have plenty of water to drink. We will be encouraging them to drink throughout the day. - Children will need to bring a lunch with them. Please, no glass bottles! - They can have a snack on the ride up, and the ride back. Please send two snacks that do NOT include nuts. There are 2nd graders with nut allergies, and we want to ensure their safety on the bus. Cut fruit is a great idea, since we can’t have drinks on the bus. - If children bring electronic devices, the games must be school appropriate, and they are responsible for them. I told the children that they will need to carry them with them. We cannot leave them on the bus. - We will be outside most of the afternoon. Please apply bug spray and sunscreen in the morning. I cannot give any to them. - We will be leaving at 8:15, and returning to the school by 4. Children will need to be picked up at 4, at the school. If your child is being picked up by someone other than yourself, please let me know so that we can ensure their safety! Thank you for all of your help making this such a fun day for the 2nd graders! If you have any questions or concerns, as always, feel free to contact me! Field Day Information: Tuesday is Field Day and New Boston Central School. Your students will come home with a class t-shirt tomorrow that I would like them to wear for field day. We will spend some time signing each others t-shirts after field day is over. As we will be on the lower field for the entire morning, I strongly suggest sunscreen, bug spray, and a water bottle. We will attend the school-wide awards assembly on Friday morning, and the remainder of the week will be spent on end of the year activities and a special gift for those special fathers! End of the Year Party: I find the end of the year to be quite hectic, as we have so much going on school-wide. I do not host a typical end of the year party, but instead will make the last day of school extra special for the kiddos with a movie, and a few surprise gifts. If you would like to donate water, popcorn, or a treat (please make sure everything is nut free) for the kiddos to enjoy during the movie, just let me know! This will be our last week in the Wonders reading program. We will study the question, Why is teamwork important? This is a fantastic topic to study anytime, but especially before field day! As this is our last week in the reading program, it will also be the last week of spelling for the year. The students will study words that have the le syllable. As we read this week we will work to identify the main idea and important details.
In math this week we will wrap up our learning about dividing objects into equal groups. As well, I will introduce students to the Everyday Math Approach for multi-digit subtraction. This method is called expand and trade subtraction. I have included a helpful parent’s guide to this approach to subtraction. Again, we are trying to ensure the students understand why they trade or borrow before we introduce the traditional algorithm. Parent Guide to expand and trade subtraction: http://lpscass.ss5.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3032774/File/2nd%20grade%20Cass/Gruenewald/Expand%20and%20Trade%20Subtraction%20handout.pdf We are wrapping up the year writing poetry and research reports. Many of the students have completed a research report about an ecosystem and are moving onto their final choice research project. For both projects, they have used the platform glogster. The kiddos can log on from home and share their work with you! Upcoming Dates: June 12th- Squam Lake Field Trip 8:15-4:00- please arrange for transportation for your child at promptly 4:00 Don’t forget to apply bug spray and sunscreen– packed lunches a must this day June 13th – Field Day 8:15-10:30ish (another great day for sunscreen and bug spray) June 20th – Last day of school; dismissal at 12:00 This week in the Wonders program we will investigate the question, How do we use energy? Students will continue to study long vowel spellings, specifically ones that use the silent e. As well, we will learn about the author’s purpose for writing a story (persuade, entertain, or inform) and continue to work on pronouns. I know the evenings are busy during the spring, but try to continue to read aloud with your child for 20 minutes each night!
In math this week, we will begin to explore equal shares and the language of fractions. This will continue to lay the foundation for multiplication and division. As we wrap up the school year, this will be the final new topic introduced, and we will review key skills that must be mastered in second grade. In writing, we are ending the year with a focus on research and poetry. Students are excited to build an online research poster, and are eager each day to work on this project. Each student was able to select an ecosystem to research independently. They will present this work to their classmates in the next few weeks. Additionally, I am introducing students to the several types of poems and we are working to create a poetry book! Just a reminder that there is no school this Monday, May 29th due to Memorial Day. The Memorial Day assembly will be on Tuesday, May 30th if you are able to attend. As well, community meeting will be next Thursday, June 1st. This is also the day that the field trip permission slip is due. Let me know if you have any questions! This week in the Wonders Program we are exploring the question, What do myths help us understand? The students will be reading myths about nature, and exploring the idea that long ago people created stories to explain phenomenon they did not understand. We are working through open and closed syllable patterns this week for spelling. This is a tricky concept for many second graders. We will continue to practice this skill throughout the week in class, and will revisit the concept at the very end of the year.
More information about the 6 syllable types, including open and closed syllables, can be found here: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/six-syllable-types In Math, we are wrapping up our geometry unit and preparing to take our end of unit assessment. We will finish the year introducing fractions and multi-digit subtraction. As well, the students will take their timed tests for computation and math concepts (AIMSweb). We have begun a unit on poetry this week. This will be the focus for the remainder of the year. We are brainstorming ideas before I introduce the multiple types of poems. This is a great time to pull out your favorite poems to share with your child. Remember to continue to read aloud with them each evening for 20 minutes! On a final note, we have a packed end of the year. Here are this week’s special activities: Tomorrow the entire school will be walking to celebrate our school-wide reading goal. All students will leave the school and walk the trail connecting the footbridge to the Library before returning back. Please ensure your child has proper foot ware and I encourage bug spray J On Thursday, the students will attend a special event with storyteller Lee Cabral. Mr. Cabral is an amazing story teller who continues the tradition of passing stories down through generations, and is a perfect tie into our study of myths this week! Also on Thursday, field trip permission slips will be coming home. Please note that they are due the following Thursday. If you would like to chaperone, please note that on the permission form and send in the additional $8.00 fee. All chaperones are welcome to join us. Finally, next Tuesday (the day after Memorial Day) we will have a Memorial Celebration. Please have your child wear red, white, and blue as we remember the many who have served our country. |
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