October 2011

Dear Parents,

Today was Colonial Games Day and did we have a blast! As you can see from the slideshow below, we wrote with quill and ink, learned cat’s cradle, Jacob’s Ladder, cross stitching, marbles and polished pennies with vinegar and salt.  We have received all the necessary cans (thank you all!) and tomorow we will head up to the Shop and Mrs. Gratz will assist as we hammer out our tin lanterns.

Thank you Lisa and Courtney for this week’s Lunch Bunch. Delicious and fun.

Grandparents Day was very memorable and I will post a slide-show of those photos soon.  The children really enjoyed sharing their day with their Grandparents, visiting siblings classroom for lunch and the special treats throughout the day. I know a lot of work, planning and support goes into this event but it is worth every minute to see the special connection between the children and their Grandparents.

The packets that went home today reflect a great deal of work done this past week and half, please take a moment tonight or this weekend to go through it with your child. It is valuable for them to reflect on their work, what they are proud of, what they still struggle with and what they want to improve,  with you and away from the madding crowd.

Finally, I look forward to seeing you all at conferences next week. Any questions or concerns about signing up just let me know,

thanks, Katharine

p.s.  Don’t forget to click on the slide-show below….my first one yet!

Dear Second Grade Parents,

We are excited about our visit tomorrow with Grandparents and friends.  Arrival for friends is 10:00 and then the schedule will be a bit different during the day ending with a 1:00 dismissal.

Please let me know if there are any special dismissal plans for tomorrow and for other days as well.  In general, I presume the end of the day plans are the same as always unless I hear differently by note, call to office or email. I do check my email at the end of the day, so if there is a last minute change, email or call to the office will work. Sometimes the students get confused about plans, so something written is usually the best.

I hope any confusion about book reports (due on October 31) is cleared up. Mrs. Clausen and I have conferenced with everyone regarding their book and the report. I have made it clear that every response has to be in a complete sentence. One word answers will not do! If you still have a question or concern, please email me and I’ll try to straighten it out. Book Reports will be ongoing all year, taking a different form each month, but the first one is always a bit rocky for some.

We will be doing a special project making tin lanterns next week, so please send in a clean tin can with the label removed. Soup can size, or a little taller is fine. Hopefully they will be done in time for Halloween for a special candlelit treat.

I encourage you to stop by Peterson Hall and enjoy the Second Grade’s ‘Imaginary Creatures’ that are lining the stairwell up to the art room. What a great, creative and imaginative job they did!

A few more shots from our trip to Sturbridge Village…..Above, Jamie and Joe design Colonial Houses and (below) Aurora, Abbey and Sammy dress in Colonial Garb. I will post more shots soon, thanks for your patience.

Katharine

Greetings Second Grade Parents,

You may have noticed there are no spelling words this week because of the shortened week. We will start up again on Monday. We have begun our study of Colonial Times in earnest. The students seem to be particularly interested in the lives of children during that time.

In math we have finished our fraction strips which are very helpful in understanding fractions as parts of a whole. Children often hear adults use fractional language but can be confused with the concept of different parts of a whole; ‘I’ll be back in three-quarters of an hour, 2 sheets of quarter inch plywood, recipes that call for two thirds of a cup and dishwashers that are less than half full’. Manipulating the fraction strips allows them to deal concretly with fractions before we move on to more symbolic representations.

In addition to our weekly homework assignments, we will be doing monthly book reports as well. Each month they will take a different form, but this month the report is concentrating on their study of Story Form, specifically learning to identify Setting, Main Characters and their wish. Their at-home reading book or any story at all should provide the necessary information, but if you have any questions about what to use I’m happy to give some ideas. Below is a copy of the report, and if by some amazing chance!!! they get misplaced, I have attached a link below where you can print out an additional copy.

A week from tomorrow, the 21st, is Grandparents Day and we look forward to welcoming any family and/or friends to the classroom. There is so much the children have to be proud of and want to share!

Enjoy the upcoming fall weekend,

 
Book Report Oct 31,11

Hello all,

The trip was fabulous! We saw an amazing amount of things, Blacksmith Shop, Tin Shop, Bank, Shoe Shop and much more. Some of us rode on the wagon, some saw many farm animals. Our activities included cooking old fashioned cookies in a hearth and sanding and painting wooden block houses. Here’s a sampling of some shots, with more to come.

Our Peer Reading Program with the Pre-School has begun! We will visit their classroom every other Tuesday. At first we will be listening to stories from the teachers and getting to know our peer readers. Soon we will work to choose just the right books and in a few weeks begin reading to them ourselves. The Pre-School has 8 students so each of them has two Second Grade Peer Readers.

In Math we have begun our Fractions Unit. It hasn’t taken long before these students discovered  just how many things in their lives are divided into fractions; snack and lunchtime in particular are mini math classes in themselves.

Next Wednesday , the 12th is Lower School  Mountain Day and I will send home an information sheet about that shortly. Proper footwear is a real consideration for that day.

 Otherwise, our days are full, the students are engaged in their learning. We built a solid foundation in September and October is off to a terrific start.