Happy Holidays!
If you just pinched yourself to see if you were dreaming then by now you know that you aren't! It is the last school week of 2011 and while it is only a three day week we are jamming five days worth of fun and learning into it. One big announcement this week is that there is no homework this week (except of course to read each night). I hope that this helps your student ease into the Christmas break nicely. Also, interims went home last Monday so if you did not receive one then your child is on grade level. There are a few students who are on the border in writing so this holiday I will be sending home a Christmas Break journal with all of the students. They can write down each day what they do over the break to help them practice their handwriting and indenting (the first line of each paragraph). Every student that writes in their journal at least 9 of the days we are out will earn a prize when they return to school on Tuesday, January 3rd. I'll even be writing in my own journal as a way of walking the walk with the students. Please do not have your student rush through the last day of break to complete nine entries. My intention is not to stress my students out but help them build their skills through daily practice while at the same time giving them a record of memories. As I've grown up I've forgotten many stories from my elementary days and rely on friends to remind me, my goal is for your student to not only practice but to also create something that you can cherish and that they can relish when they are older.
In Math this week, we are wrapping up our Unit 5 word problems. We will also be using the holiday season to create Gingerbread House Graphs, work through 2 and 3 digit addition and subtraction problems (NCSCOS says we should be working with #'s thru 500), and of course a few fun word problems. Since we do not have any math homework this week please encourage your student to practice their math facts (1+3=4) at home. I have seen some of my students blossom thus far this year while a few of my friends are still dependant on their fingers. While that is still alright, your student should be making the transition from fingers to facts currently or very soon. I do not want any of the Heroes to fall behind in this vital area. As an extension, I have begun to show some of the students the relationship between addition through grouping and multiplication. If your child is ready please support this learning at home. At the same time, if your student is not able to solve basic one step math problems please do not push them into multiplication. Pushing students beyond their ability only creates learning gaps that can lead to problems later.
In Reading and Writing, we are continuing to write our Snow Monster stories that may be a comedy or a tragedy depending on what your student wishes to do. I know I love a good laugh so hopefully that will be the direction that they go in. The main goal is for your child to continue to practice their paragraphs and handwriting. We are also finishing up some of our nonfiction writing and learning about all of those text features that exist in nonfiction writing.
Don't Forget
*Hanukkah begins on sundown Tuesday.
*Wednesday is our "Polar Express Day" where your student can choose to wear their pajamas if they would like. We will also be drinking hot chocolate but feel free to send in another snack for your child to eat during the movie. Your child can also bring in a favorite stuffed animal if they would like.
*Our Christmas Break begins on Wednesday at 3:45 pm. Please have a safe and happy holidays and I will see you all next year on January 3rd! I am already excited about all of the fun that we will have next year.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
December 12th through Decemeber 16th
December 12th-16th
Hello parents and Students,
We are going to be wrapping up our learning about "How To's" this week. Today we watched a "How To" about decorating a Christmas Tree. When then wrote out the process for what we do at our house and decorated our own Christmas Trees for the hallway tomorrow. Hopefully, our last magnet tour families will love them! Tomorrow's "How To"...well, you'll just have to ask your student about that one but I'll give you a hint...it involves Hanukkah. After this we will be switching to learning more about author's purpose through examining non-fiction articles. Keep those newspapers handy and get ready for some weekly articles about world events. Examining articles and authors' purpose will help your student become a more confident reader and competent reteller.
In Reading, your student may be reading about the dentist (yikes!) water animals (and the importance of that ecosystem), Hot and Cold Weather (our weather unit is after the holidays) or Polar Bears and their environment. We will read and reread these non-fiction stories through next Wednesday and hopefully create some double or triple Venn Diagrams comparing these books to other books. Text to text connections can be difficult but must be mastered by the end of the year. In addition, we will be reading about Hannukah amd Kwanza through next week so if you would like to come in an share some information about those holidays please feel free to let me know. Part of the reason that Hunter is so amazing is because of the diverse nature of our parents!
In writing, we are gearing up for one more final structured writing sample before the end of the quarter. We are going to write about a snow monster (but don't worry, it could be friendly or fearsome depending on the adjectives). Your student will carry this prompt through the entire process and hopefully publish it by next Wednesday. I think they will make for a terrific January Hallway Display.
Regarding Math, we are hammering home word problems both one and two steps ones. Sometimes they involve comparison, sometimes they involve money, but they are always going to be challenging. Please make sure that your student is practicing their math facts at home this week. The only homework we have is in a packet that is being sent home today in the Monday folder. While we do not have structured Math homework pages please use this time for students to master their addition facts.
Are you ready for some great news??? Well, the Heroes have so far collected 273 food items for our December Backpack buddies. So far, the lead contenders for the Imax Movie & Lunch are: Gregory, Liam, Keith although Ellia, Kenly, and Ava are not far behind. Of course, this could be anyone's game as one little lady said "I'm going to convince my mom to bring 75 things." For the sake of our Bookbag Buddies, I hope that she does. All of these items are making our class one of the most successful canned food item suppliers in school history. Let's keep those food items coming in. Remember that it doesn't have to be a canned item. It could also be any food that children could easily make such as instant mac and cheese, ramen noodles, granola bars, etc. As long as the food is nonperishable that is the most important thing that matters. Also, I have to say that I am touched by how amazing the generosity is within the class. Just remember that you are touching lives with every donation no matter how large or small. .
Important News
*Starting on December 14th through December 20th your child will be learning about various holiday traditions from around the world. We will switch classrooms from 2:50-3:30 pm each day so that your student can be exposed to another teaching style as well as another country's traditions. I'm teaching about Italy so feel free to ask your child about "Old Befana" when the time comes.
**Since we met our class goal of 150 canned food items we will be having a class crazy hat/bring a stuffed animal to class/popcorn party on Monday. It seems like a bit of a crazy way to start the week but the students earned it so what can you do? Please let your student bring their stuffed animal to class and if they want to wear a hat (in the classroom). I'll wear a crazy hat so I'll be looking for theirs!
We are going to be wrapping up our learning about "How To's" this week. Today we watched a "How To" about decorating a Christmas Tree. When then wrote out the process for what we do at our house and decorated our own Christmas Trees for the hallway tomorrow. Hopefully, our last magnet tour families will love them! Tomorrow's "How To"...well, you'll just have to ask your student about that one but I'll give you a hint...it involves Hanukkah. After this we will be switching to learning more about author's purpose through examining non-fiction articles. Keep those newspapers handy and get ready for some weekly articles about world events. Examining articles and authors' purpose will help your student become a more confident reader and competent reteller.
In Reading, your student may be reading about the dentist (yikes!) water animals (and the importance of that ecosystem), Hot and Cold Weather (our weather unit is after the holidays) or Polar Bears and their environment. We will read and reread these non-fiction stories through next Wednesday and hopefully create some double or triple Venn Diagrams comparing these books to other books. Text to text connections can be difficult but must be mastered by the end of the year. In addition, we will be reading about Hannukah amd Kwanza through next week so if you would like to come in an share some information about those holidays please feel free to let me know. Part of the reason that Hunter is so amazing is because of the diverse nature of our parents!
In writing, we are gearing up for one more final structured writing sample before the end of the quarter. We are going to write about a snow monster (but don't worry, it could be friendly or fearsome depending on the adjectives). Your student will carry this prompt through the entire process and hopefully publish it by next Wednesday. I think they will make for a terrific January Hallway Display.
Regarding Math, we are hammering home word problems both one and two steps ones. Sometimes they involve comparison, sometimes they involve money, but they are always going to be challenging. Please make sure that your student is practicing their math facts at home this week. The only homework we have is in a packet that is being sent home today in the Monday folder. While we do not have structured Math homework pages please use this time for students to master their addition facts.
Are you ready for some great news??? Well, the Heroes have so far collected 273 food items for our December Backpack buddies. So far, the lead contenders for the Imax Movie & Lunch are: Gregory, Liam, Keith although Ellia, Kenly, and Ava are not far behind. Of course, this could be anyone's game as one little lady said "I'm going to convince my mom to bring 75 things." For the sake of our Bookbag Buddies, I hope that she does. All of these items are making our class one of the most successful canned food item suppliers in school history. Let's keep those food items coming in. Remember that it doesn't have to be a canned item. It could also be any food that children could easily make such as instant mac and cheese, ramen noodles, granola bars, etc. As long as the food is nonperishable that is the most important thing that matters. Also, I have to say that I am touched by how amazing the generosity is within the class. Just remember that you are touching lives with every donation no matter how large or small. .
Important News
*Starting on December 14th through December 20th your child will be learning about various holiday traditions from around the world. We will switch classrooms from 2:50-3:30 pm each day so that your student can be exposed to another teaching style as well as another country's traditions. I'm teaching about Italy so feel free to ask your child about "Old Befana" when the time comes.
**Since we met our class goal of 150 canned food items we will be having a class crazy hat/bring a stuffed animal to class/popcorn party on Monday. It seems like a bit of a crazy way to start the week but the students earned it so what can you do? Please let your student bring their stuffed animal to class and if they want to wear a hat (in the classroom). I'll wear a crazy hat so I'll be looking for theirs!
*December 20th is also our Book Club celebration for all book club members. We'll be eating treats that were mentioned within the story (think pineapple and tea) and begin to get pumped up for our next book The City of Ember which will start after we return from Christmas Break.
*December 21st we are having an "In House" School Arts assembly at 1:30pm. We should be finished around 3pm so please be sure to let me know ahead of time if you are going to pick up your student early.
*December 21st will also be our Polar Express Day where students are allowed to wear their pajamas to school. We will be drinking hot cocoa and having a fantastic time. Please put this on your calendar so that you and your child do not forget.
*December 22nd-January 2nd is our Christmas Break/Winter Holiday. Please be sure to have you student ready to learn on Jauary 3rd 2012 when we come back!
*December 21st we are having an "In House" School Arts assembly at 1:30pm. We should be finished around 3pm so please be sure to let me know ahead of time if you are going to pick up your student early.
*December 21st will also be our Polar Express Day where students are allowed to wear their pajamas to school. We will be drinking hot cocoa and having a fantastic time. Please put this on your calendar so that you and your child do not forget.
*December 22nd-January 2nd is our Christmas Break/Winter Holiday. Please be sure to have you student ready to learn on Jauary 3rd 2012 when we come back!
Have a terrific week and if you need anything please email or send in a note!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Monday, December 5, 2011
December 5th-9th
December Greetings Parents and Students,
I hope that everyone is ready for a very exciting week. We only have 12 more school days until Christmas Break, can you believe it? While this can be a very exciting and festive time for the students please encourage them to work hard and try their best to focus. There is a lot of information to cover in those twelve days and while I will do my best to plan in an exciting way it is imperative that your student be "in it to win it" or else they may miss out on a fun activity in class. Like I tell the students, we can only have as much fun as you let me give you.
Speaking of fun...The Harvey's Heroes started out today by watching a short YouTube video on The Honey Badger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W05VFxtVetI). As part of our NonFiction unit I prepared a listening guide for the video with some challenging questions. Please feel free to follow the link and watch the video but beware, the original version is not very kid friendly so please only watch the one in the link). This can lead to some great dinner discussion of you wish. The rest of this week we will continue to learn about other mammals in our reading as well as continue writing "How To's." Monday we will write about how we get ready for school (we didn't quite get to that last week). Tuesday we will write a recipe for Holiday Cookies, Wednesday we will write a how to for decorating a Christmas Tree/getting ready for Hannukah/Kwanza, and Thursday we will write a how to for building a gingerbread house. On Friday...well, that'll be a surprise. Also, on Friday we have our walking Field Trip to Ligon. We should be back by 1:40 pm but if you plan on checking your student our before 2pm then please let me know ahead of time so that I can plan accordingly.
In Math, your students are continuing to create pictures with 100's, 10's, and 1's to solve math problems. This is an important skill as it allows them to concretely picture the concept of regrouping. When helping at home please keep in mind that squares are 100, lines (I) are now 10, and circles (0) are ones. Have your child ring the numbers that they need in order to regroup and encourge them to create the new picture immediately. I have seen several students that forgot to count the regrouped pictures causing them to miss the problem. Please encourage your child to always double check their work and to make sure that their answers seem correct.
Are you ready for some great news??? Well, the Heroes have so far collected 55 food items for our December Backpack buddies. So far, the lead contenders for the Imax Movie & Lunch are: Ellia, Joanna, Liam, Kenly, and Amy. Let's keep those food items coming in. Remember that it doesn't have to be a canned item. It could also be any food that children could easily make such as instant mac and cheese, ramen noodles, granola bars, etc. As long as the food is nonperishable that is the most important thing that matters. Other good news is that the 2nd Grade Spelling Bee Winner is none other than our very own Noah Anderson.
Important News
*Unit 4 Fundations Assessment will be on December 7th
*Our walking field-trip to Ligon is this Friday. Please be sure to send your student to school on time and that if you are checking them out early I know. Friday's can be hectic and I have a feeling that this Friday could be very hectic.
*On Sunday there is The Second Annual Transit Concert to benefit The Hunter Holiday Gift Program. This is an all-ages show, so bring the kids! It's at The Oxford - 319 Fayetteville St, Raleigh
at 7pm. Dinner w/ a percentage proceeds going towards our Holiday Gift Program will begin at 5:30, so folks can come early if they wish, eat, and then enjoy the show or just come at 7 for food and/or music.
Website: http://www.transitvocalband.com/ Admission: No admission charge. Donations of money & gifts from our needs are listed on the Hunter School Website are welcome and encouraged.
Have a terrific week and if you need anything please email or send in a note!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
I hope that everyone is ready for a very exciting week. We only have 12 more school days until Christmas Break, can you believe it? While this can be a very exciting and festive time for the students please encourage them to work hard and try their best to focus. There is a lot of information to cover in those twelve days and while I will do my best to plan in an exciting way it is imperative that your student be "in it to win it" or else they may miss out on a fun activity in class. Like I tell the students, we can only have as much fun as you let me give you.
Speaking of fun...The Harvey's Heroes started out today by watching a short YouTube video on The Honey Badger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W05VFxtVetI). As part of our NonFiction unit I prepared a listening guide for the video with some challenging questions. Please feel free to follow the link and watch the video but beware, the original version is not very kid friendly so please only watch the one in the link). This can lead to some great dinner discussion of you wish. The rest of this week we will continue to learn about other mammals in our reading as well as continue writing "How To's." Monday we will write about how we get ready for school (we didn't quite get to that last week). Tuesday we will write a recipe for Holiday Cookies, Wednesday we will write a how to for decorating a Christmas Tree/getting ready for Hannukah/Kwanza, and Thursday we will write a how to for building a gingerbread house. On Friday...well, that'll be a surprise. Also, on Friday we have our walking Field Trip to Ligon. We should be back by 1:40 pm but if you plan on checking your student our before 2pm then please let me know ahead of time so that I can plan accordingly.
In Math, your students are continuing to create pictures with 100's, 10's, and 1's to solve math problems. This is an important skill as it allows them to concretely picture the concept of regrouping. When helping at home please keep in mind that squares are 100, lines (I) are now 10, and circles (0) are ones. Have your child ring the numbers that they need in order to regroup and encourge them to create the new picture immediately. I have seen several students that forgot to count the regrouped pictures causing them to miss the problem. Please encourage your child to always double check their work and to make sure that their answers seem correct.
Are you ready for some great news??? Well, the Heroes have so far collected 55 food items for our December Backpack buddies. So far, the lead contenders for the Imax Movie & Lunch are: Ellia, Joanna, Liam, Kenly, and Amy. Let's keep those food items coming in. Remember that it doesn't have to be a canned item. It could also be any food that children could easily make such as instant mac and cheese, ramen noodles, granola bars, etc. As long as the food is nonperishable that is the most important thing that matters. Other good news is that the 2nd Grade Spelling Bee Winner is none other than our very own Noah Anderson.
Important News
*Unit 4 Fundations Assessment will be on December 7th
*Our walking field-trip to Ligon is this Friday. Please be sure to send your student to school on time and that if you are checking them out early I know. Friday's can be hectic and I have a feeling that this Friday could be very hectic.
*On Sunday there is The Second Annual Transit Concert to benefit The Hunter Holiday Gift Program. This is an all-ages show, so bring the kids! It's at The Oxford - 319 Fayetteville St, Raleigh
at 7pm. Dinner w/ a percentage proceeds going towards our Holiday Gift Program will begin at 5:30, so folks can come early if they wish, eat, and then enjoy the show or just come at 7 for food and/or music.
Website: http://www.transitvocalband.com/ Admission: No admission charge. Donations of money & gifts from our needs are listed on the Hunter School Website are welcome and encouraged.
Have a terrific week and if you need anything please email or send in a note!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Monday, November 28, 2011
Nov. 28th-Dec. 2nd
Hello Students and Parents,
Welcome Back from the Thanksgiving Break! I know that I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing with my family and eating a lot of turkey and dressing. Hopefully you all did also. The only bad thing about having such a great break is that we are all going to have to work very hard over the next month to cover everything before our Christmas Holiday Break.
This week in fundations we are learning all about the suffixes s/es/ing/ed. This will cause a natural conversation about tenses in our writing. Please be ready to point out to your student the present tense is happening right now (with -ing) where as past tense is represented with -ed. This can be hard for Second Graders to understand at this time in the year but continued support ensures that they will all understand this by the end of the year. Don't forget that we will be having our Unit 4 assessment on December 7th so be ready.
In Writing this week your student is learning about "How To's" such as how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or how to walk in the hall. Later this week we will write down how to wash your hands and even how to get ready for school. The main concept for "How To's" is that students use precise language and to write in a sequence. Encourage your child to experiment with the words "next," "first," "finally," etc. Not only will this get your student to think in a logical process but this will also impact their writing as the begin to write with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
For Reading, we are continuing to explore non-fiction texts. This week, some students are reading about how dogs find homes when they are in the pound, the impact that insects have on the world, how animal senses help them survive, and trees. Be sure to ask your student which book they are reading so that they can tell you all about it.
We are also going to be having a short Tradition project sent home next week. Your child will have the opportunity to share about a tradition that your family has and discuss how long you have been celebrating it. They can even explore why your family has that tradition. For example, my family eats homemade lasagna and Italian delicacies on Christmas. This is a tradition that my family has done since 1954 and which I hope to continue forever. My family does out of reverence for my grandfather who came from Italy after World War II. Please do not stress this but enjoy it and hopefully make some terrific connections with your Immigration project from the beginning of the year.
You all have a terrific week and please contact me with any questions you have.
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Big Events!
*Our Unit 5 Math Test will be Thursday
*Our 2nd Grade Spelling Bee is this Friday at 12:30pm. If you are able to make it, please feel free to come and support your student as well as their classmates. It will be in the Media Center and the words will be from the list sent home a few weeks ago. I would love to have a Harvey Hero win so be ready to bring it!
*The 2nd Grade Canned Food Drive officially kicks off on Thursday! Every canned food item brought in will recieve 1star ticket with a class goal of 150 items. The top two students who bring in the most items from my class and from Ms. Durzich's class will be invited to attend an all expense paid afternoon at the IMax. These lucky students will be treated to lunch and a movie one weekend in January 2012. I can't wait to see who wins from the Heroes!
*Unit 4 Fundations Assessment will be on December 7th
Welcome Back from the Thanksgiving Break! I know that I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing with my family and eating a lot of turkey and dressing. Hopefully you all did also. The only bad thing about having such a great break is that we are all going to have to work very hard over the next month to cover everything before our Christmas Holiday Break.
This week in fundations we are learning all about the suffixes s/es/ing/ed. This will cause a natural conversation about tenses in our writing. Please be ready to point out to your student the present tense is happening right now (with -ing) where as past tense is represented with -ed. This can be hard for Second Graders to understand at this time in the year but continued support ensures that they will all understand this by the end of the year. Don't forget that we will be having our Unit 4 assessment on December 7th so be ready.
In Writing this week your student is learning about "How To's" such as how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or how to walk in the hall. Later this week we will write down how to wash your hands and even how to get ready for school. The main concept for "How To's" is that students use precise language and to write in a sequence. Encourage your child to experiment with the words "next," "first," "finally," etc. Not only will this get your student to think in a logical process but this will also impact their writing as the begin to write with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
For Reading, we are continuing to explore non-fiction texts. This week, some students are reading about how dogs find homes when they are in the pound, the impact that insects have on the world, how animal senses help them survive, and trees. Be sure to ask your student which book they are reading so that they can tell you all about it.
We are also going to be having a short Tradition project sent home next week. Your child will have the opportunity to share about a tradition that your family has and discuss how long you have been celebrating it. They can even explore why your family has that tradition. For example, my family eats homemade lasagna and Italian delicacies on Christmas. This is a tradition that my family has done since 1954 and which I hope to continue forever. My family does out of reverence for my grandfather who came from Italy after World War II. Please do not stress this but enjoy it and hopefully make some terrific connections with your Immigration project from the beginning of the year.
You all have a terrific week and please contact me with any questions you have.
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Big Events!
*Our Unit 5 Math Test will be Thursday
*Our 2nd Grade Spelling Bee is this Friday at 12:30pm. If you are able to make it, please feel free to come and support your student as well as their classmates. It will be in the Media Center and the words will be from the list sent home a few weeks ago. I would love to have a Harvey Hero win so be ready to bring it!
*The 2nd Grade Canned Food Drive officially kicks off on Thursday! Every canned food item brought in will recieve 1star ticket with a class goal of 150 items. The top two students who bring in the most items from my class and from Ms. Durzich's class will be invited to attend an all expense paid afternoon at the IMax. These lucky students will be treated to lunch and a movie one weekend in January 2012. I can't wait to see who wins from the Heroes!
*Unit 4 Fundations Assessment will be on December 7th
Monday, November 21, 2011
November 21st-22nd
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope that you all are ready to enjoy the LoNg weekend. It may be a short week but there is a lot of information that we will continue to cover over today and tomorrow. Then there is also our celebration tomorrow where we will create some Thanksgiving crafts, learn a little more about the history behind the holiday, and do some nonfiction writing.
Unlike many weeks, today I am sending home a homework packet which will be due on Monday, November 28th. There are several review sheets within the packet. I am also sending home a review from Math Unit 4 (area/perimeter/geometry) and some word problems from Unit 5. This review has multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and two essay questions. If your student does nothing else, please make sure that they review this packet as it is taken directly from the Math Expressions Curriculum and will enable your student to perform better on our 2nd Quarter Math Assessment and our Unit 5 Math Test (which will be next Thursday).
The new spelling packet is also coming home today. It is for Unit 4 and we will have an assessment on that unit on December 7th. This is so that we can begin Unit 5 on December 8th and have our assessment for Unit 5 on December 21st which is the last school day before Christmas Break. This may seem a little hectic but we are supposed to cover about four spelling units each quarter.
I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow as you help with our Thanksgiving educational celebration. If you have any questions please feel free to email me as usual. We are about to enter one of the most hectic times of year but I know that together we will be able to push through while giving each student some amazing memories and meaningful learning experiences. Thank you again to all the volunteers for KITS, Math Tiles, and our learning experiences. Have a terrific Thanksgiving Break!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
**Also, December is the month where all 2nd grade classrooms will be collecting canned goods for the Hunter Food Pantry. The food pantry provides food for over 50 families each weekend through the bookbag buddies program. Due to the current economic climate more families than ever need our help and yet many of us are in less of a place to help than ever before. Please consider buying two or three canned/nonperishable food items next time that you are at the store (or Walmart) so that we can share the love with the needy families of our amazing school.
I hope that you all are ready to enjoy the LoNg weekend. It may be a short week but there is a lot of information that we will continue to cover over today and tomorrow. Then there is also our celebration tomorrow where we will create some Thanksgiving crafts, learn a little more about the history behind the holiday, and do some nonfiction writing.
Unlike many weeks, today I am sending home a homework packet which will be due on Monday, November 28th. There are several review sheets within the packet. I am also sending home a review from Math Unit 4 (area/perimeter/geometry) and some word problems from Unit 5. This review has multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and two essay questions. If your student does nothing else, please make sure that they review this packet as it is taken directly from the Math Expressions Curriculum and will enable your student to perform better on our 2nd Quarter Math Assessment and our Unit 5 Math Test (which will be next Thursday).
The new spelling packet is also coming home today. It is for Unit 4 and we will have an assessment on that unit on December 7th. This is so that we can begin Unit 5 on December 8th and have our assessment for Unit 5 on December 21st which is the last school day before Christmas Break. This may seem a little hectic but we are supposed to cover about four spelling units each quarter.
I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow as you help with our Thanksgiving educational celebration. If you have any questions please feel free to email me as usual. We are about to enter one of the most hectic times of year but I know that together we will be able to push through while giving each student some amazing memories and meaningful learning experiences. Thank you again to all the volunteers for KITS, Math Tiles, and our learning experiences. Have a terrific Thanksgiving Break!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
**Also, December is the month where all 2nd grade classrooms will be collecting canned goods for the Hunter Food Pantry. The food pantry provides food for over 50 families each weekend through the bookbag buddies program. Due to the current economic climate more families than ever need our help and yet many of us are in less of a place to help than ever before. Please consider buying two or three canned/nonperishable food items next time that you are at the store (or Walmart) so that we can share the love with the needy families of our amazing school.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
November14th-18th
Hello Parents and Students,
Thanksgiving Break is fast upon us. Please keep in mind when you make your holiday plans that we do have school next Monday and Tuesday (but not Wednesday-Friday). While we will only be in school for two days next week I still plan on having your student work very hard on some critical thinking questions as well as reading passages.
This week in Math we are continuing to work on word problems that come in multiple steps. This is a time when math can become very difficult for your student without them realizing it. Two step questions may seem to give the reader too much information when in fact every little items is important. I have already seen more than a few students get mixed up. When doing homework, please remind your student to slow down are read the question twice. Then develop a plan for how they will attack the problem. It is also critical that every student show their work. I have seen some students write just the one step for the solution but it is critical that they show all of their work so I can see their thinking and fix any problems that I see. I would like to send a Kuddo's to all of the students that continue to do their Math Stars! I have not been blind to who does them and how often. Math Stars is a terrific extension opportunity for all of the students. Please encourage you child to try at least one or two of them.
For Reading and Writing we are going to working on our Non-fiction texts and research. We will be exploring life for the Pilgrims and hopefully creating some indian/pilgrim village maps (SS objectives), writing some journal entries from the perspective of an indian/pilgrim (Writing obj), and reading various books about them (Reading obj). As you can see, there is a lot of synergy in Second Grade!
Major events coming up...
*Book Fair Family Night-Tuesday, November 15th from 4:30-6:30
(We buy our books as a class on Friday from 12:45-1:15pm)
*Hunter Orchestra Concert-Wednesday, November 16th @ 7pm
*Hunter Band Concert-Thursday, November 17th @ 7pm
*Raleigh Christmas Parade-Friday, November 19th @ 9:30am...look for me on the Falcon
Engineering Float kids:)
*Class Thanksgiving Activities, Tuesday, November 22nd
**Also, December is the month where all 2nd grade classrooms will be collecting canned goods for the Hunter Food Pantry. The food pantry provides food for over 50 families each weekend through the bookbag buddies program. Due to the current economic climate more families than ever need our help and yet many of us are in less of a place to help than ever before. Please consider buying two or three canned/nonperishable food items next time that you are at the store (or Walmart) so that we can share the love with the needy families of our amazing school.
Thanksgiving Break is fast upon us. Please keep in mind when you make your holiday plans that we do have school next Monday and Tuesday (but not Wednesday-Friday). While we will only be in school for two days next week I still plan on having your student work very hard on some critical thinking questions as well as reading passages.
This week in Math we are continuing to work on word problems that come in multiple steps. This is a time when math can become very difficult for your student without them realizing it. Two step questions may seem to give the reader too much information when in fact every little items is important. I have already seen more than a few students get mixed up. When doing homework, please remind your student to slow down are read the question twice. Then develop a plan for how they will attack the problem. It is also critical that every student show their work. I have seen some students write just the one step for the solution but it is critical that they show all of their work so I can see their thinking and fix any problems that I see. I would like to send a Kuddo's to all of the students that continue to do their Math Stars! I have not been blind to who does them and how often. Math Stars is a terrific extension opportunity for all of the students. Please encourage you child to try at least one or two of them.
For Reading and Writing we are going to working on our Non-fiction texts and research. We will be exploring life for the Pilgrims and hopefully creating some indian/pilgrim village maps (SS objectives), writing some journal entries from the perspective of an indian/pilgrim (Writing obj), and reading various books about them (Reading obj). As you can see, there is a lot of synergy in Second Grade!
Major events coming up...
*Book Fair Family Night-Tuesday, November 15th from 4:30-6:30
(We buy our books as a class on Friday from 12:45-1:15pm)
*Hunter Orchestra Concert-Wednesday, November 16th @ 7pm
*Hunter Band Concert-Thursday, November 17th @ 7pm
*Raleigh Christmas Parade-Friday, November 19th @ 9:30am...look for me on the Falcon
Engineering Float kids:)
*Class Thanksgiving Activities, Tuesday, November 22nd
**Also, December is the month where all 2nd grade classrooms will be collecting canned goods for the Hunter Food Pantry. The food pantry provides food for over 50 families each weekend through the bookbag buddies program. Due to the current economic climate more families than ever need our help and yet many of us are in less of a place to help than ever before. Please consider buying two or three canned/nonperishable food items next time that you are at the store (or Walmart) so that we can share the love with the needy families of our amazing school.
Monday, November 7, 2011
November 7th-11th
Happy Veterans Week Parents!
That's right, this Friday is Veterans Day so we do not have school. It'll be another short week but sometimes those weeks are the most difficult. Let's buckle up for a fast ride this week because we have a lot to cover! One thing to keep in mind is that our Unit 3 Fundations Assessment is this Wednesday so please be sure to look over the words and sorts on Tuesday night!
In Reading, we revved up the challenges with the Literacy Cafe. I am pleased to say that almost all of the students rose to the heightened expectation. We are tracking all that we are done in Cafe this week on a menu sheet. I can tell you that we read various books in small group, practiced our spelling words in word work, and worked on our writing (small moment stories about either Halloween or something else). This coming week will be working on writing bio-poems and poems about an event in our day (such as dinner). Hopefully these will be some fun (and funny) writings for us to enjoy creating and you to enjoy reading. For our reading component we will continue to work on reading non-fiction texts (think Turkeys).
In Math we are wrapping up our second mini-unit in Geometry. We have delved deeper in our understanding of quadrilaterals (4 sided shapes). Your student should be able to tell you all about the sides and angles of squares, rectangles, rhombuses, trapezoids, and even triangles (which are not a quadrilateral but rather a polygon). Your student will have a short assessment on Wednesday to help me see what I can teach better. It will only be a few questions so please don't fret. I will be able to grade them over the weekend and have them returned to you on the following Monday.
Please continue to complete your Cloud graph each day until the 24th so that all the Heroes can have some exciting discussions when we all come back from Thanksgiving Break. I can't wait to hear your student share their rationale as to why the clouds did or did not vary so much during October and November. This is also a great reinforcement for math! In Social Studies, we will begin discussing the Pilgrims next week. We will specifically explore what brought the Pilgrims to America and how their lives changed. Your student will have an assignment where we examine the manifesto of the Mayflower and then the attendance at the First Thanksgiving. We will discuss any change in attendance (and man is there one!) and make predictions as to why this may or may not have occurred. My hope is that you will also be able to learn some exciting things that you may never have known or just have forgotten about. If any of you parents have any ancestors who can trace their linage back to the Mayflower or are authorities on the Pilgrims please let me know. I would be more than happy to have you come in and share your wisdom with the Harvey's Heroes.
Don't Forget...
*No school on Friday
*The Hunter Book Fair starts next week!
*We have assessments on Wednesday for Math Unit 4 & Fundations Unit 3
Have a terrific week and please let me know if I can do anything to help you or your student!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
That's right, this Friday is Veterans Day so we do not have school. It'll be another short week but sometimes those weeks are the most difficult. Let's buckle up for a fast ride this week because we have a lot to cover! One thing to keep in mind is that our Unit 3 Fundations Assessment is this Wednesday so please be sure to look over the words and sorts on Tuesday night!
In Reading, we revved up the challenges with the Literacy Cafe. I am pleased to say that almost all of the students rose to the heightened expectation. We are tracking all that we are done in Cafe this week on a menu sheet. I can tell you that we read various books in small group, practiced our spelling words in word work, and worked on our writing (small moment stories about either Halloween or something else). This coming week will be working on writing bio-poems and poems about an event in our day (such as dinner). Hopefully these will be some fun (and funny) writings for us to enjoy creating and you to enjoy reading. For our reading component we will continue to work on reading non-fiction texts (think Turkeys).
In Math we are wrapping up our second mini-unit in Geometry. We have delved deeper in our understanding of quadrilaterals (4 sided shapes). Your student should be able to tell you all about the sides and angles of squares, rectangles, rhombuses, trapezoids, and even triangles (which are not a quadrilateral but rather a polygon). Your student will have a short assessment on Wednesday to help me see what I can teach better. It will only be a few questions so please don't fret. I will be able to grade them over the weekend and have them returned to you on the following Monday.
Please continue to complete your Cloud graph each day until the 24th so that all the Heroes can have some exciting discussions when we all come back from Thanksgiving Break. I can't wait to hear your student share their rationale as to why the clouds did or did not vary so much during October and November. This is also a great reinforcement for math! In Social Studies, we will begin discussing the Pilgrims next week. We will specifically explore what brought the Pilgrims to America and how their lives changed. Your student will have an assignment where we examine the manifesto of the Mayflower and then the attendance at the First Thanksgiving. We will discuss any change in attendance (and man is there one!) and make predictions as to why this may or may not have occurred. My hope is that you will also be able to learn some exciting things that you may never have known or just have forgotten about. If any of you parents have any ancestors who can trace their linage back to the Mayflower or are authorities on the Pilgrims please let me know. I would be more than happy to have you come in and share your wisdom with the Harvey's Heroes.
Don't Forget...
*No school on Friday
*The Hunter Book Fair starts next week!
*We have assessments on Wednesday for Math Unit 4 & Fundations Unit 3
Have a terrific week and please let me know if I can do anything to help you or your student!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
November 1st
Welcome to November!
I hope that everyone enjoyed the three day weekend! I have to say that it was great to see all the parents that were able to make it for our conferences this past weekend and yesterday. If you have not been able to conference with me please get with me as soon as you can so that we can either schedule an in person or email/phone conference. This coming week has a lot going on (as always) so please be sure to read below carefully and feel free to email me with any questions that you may have.
The first thing that you may notice is that your child's sticker chart is now directly related to if they write down their homework. I still go over it in class for five minutes and encourage some students to write down everything during the morning work time so that everyone can write it down. While this is a challenging task it will make your child more independent and help make their transition to 3rd grade that much easier.
One item that your child will notice is the progress monitoring component of "Literacy Cafe." We piloted it today and it went smashingly. I feel that the students will be better able to manage their time now that they now they are being held accountable. I am also excited to see how this will push the students toward academic success and help them to further develop their reading and writing skills.
That being said...we are working hard on "Small Moment" stories again this week. This time I am stressing adjectives as well as indenting and punctuation. Each week I will push one grammatical skill hard and there forth hold the student accountable for using it. The topic of each small moment story this week relates to one thing that they did on Monday (Halloween). For instance, a student may write about one house they visited while trick-or-treating or even a conversation that they had with someone. The main thing is to keep in mind that while a small moment story should be full of details, it should be limited to one action or event that took place within 15-20 minutes at most.
Adjectives will hopefully be easier for your student to remember because of us focusing on Poetry for the next two weeks. We are reading a variety of poems and will begin exploring the concept of writing poems with various rhyming patterns. It is important to remember that while we will be working on poems that rhyme it is also completely alright for your student to write poems that do not rhyme if that falls within the scope of the assignment.
We are back to Social Studies (but don't forget to fill out your cloud graph each night) and will be discussing the election process and explore the roles that we have in improving our community. Please be sure to share any way that you have impacted your community with your child not only so that they can appreciate you but also so that they can make text to world connections. Please feel free to have your student use any articles about the elections in their current event assignments.
Although we are not studying Science for the next few weeks, please be sure to have your student work on their cloud graph each night and to continue reading about animals and their life cycles. This week we do have one assignment where students will draw a diagram of an insect that they have discovered in the Amazon Rainforest (it should be imaginary). We will carry this assignment a few more steps before we are done and I am excited to see your student connect concepts that we have discussed with real life scenarios. Please continue to encourage your child to read Non-Fiction texts as that is the focus in literacy for 2nd quarter and Science is such a great segway into Non-Fiction reading.
Finally, in Math we are digging deeper with our exploration of shapes. We are exploring the attributes of squares, rectangles, and triangles as we use a variety of fun classroom supplies to explore. You may have your child tell you about playing with straws and pipe-cleaners, dry erase-boards, and tangram pieces. Rest assured that it's all academic (as well as fun)!
Things to Remember...
1. Literacy Night is Thursday from 5:30-7:30 (hurray!)
2. Picture Day is Friday!
3. PBIS Celebration Day is also Friday (no Math Tiles).
4. There is a PTA meeting on November 7th at 9:30am in the Media Center
5. This is the last week of 1st Quarter electives.
As always, please let me know if there are any concerns or issues that I can help with. Have a terrific week and welcome to the 2nd Quarter of 2nd Grade. I'm already getting a little sad that we only have three more quarter to go.
Sincerely,
G. Harvey
I hope that everyone enjoyed the three day weekend! I have to say that it was great to see all the parents that were able to make it for our conferences this past weekend and yesterday. If you have not been able to conference with me please get with me as soon as you can so that we can either schedule an in person or email/phone conference. This coming week has a lot going on (as always) so please be sure to read below carefully and feel free to email me with any questions that you may have.
The first thing that you may notice is that your child's sticker chart is now directly related to if they write down their homework. I still go over it in class for five minutes and encourage some students to write down everything during the morning work time so that everyone can write it down. While this is a challenging task it will make your child more independent and help make their transition to 3rd grade that much easier.
One item that your child will notice is the progress monitoring component of "Literacy Cafe." We piloted it today and it went smashingly. I feel that the students will be better able to manage their time now that they now they are being held accountable. I am also excited to see how this will push the students toward academic success and help them to further develop their reading and writing skills.
That being said...we are working hard on "Small Moment" stories again this week. This time I am stressing adjectives as well as indenting and punctuation. Each week I will push one grammatical skill hard and there forth hold the student accountable for using it. The topic of each small moment story this week relates to one thing that they did on Monday (Halloween). For instance, a student may write about one house they visited while trick-or-treating or even a conversation that they had with someone. The main thing is to keep in mind that while a small moment story should be full of details, it should be limited to one action or event that took place within 15-20 minutes at most.
Adjectives will hopefully be easier for your student to remember because of us focusing on Poetry for the next two weeks. We are reading a variety of poems and will begin exploring the concept of writing poems with various rhyming patterns. It is important to remember that while we will be working on poems that rhyme it is also completely alright for your student to write poems that do not rhyme if that falls within the scope of the assignment.
We are back to Social Studies (but don't forget to fill out your cloud graph each night) and will be discussing the election process and explore the roles that we have in improving our community. Please be sure to share any way that you have impacted your community with your child not only so that they can appreciate you but also so that they can make text to world connections. Please feel free to have your student use any articles about the elections in their current event assignments.
Although we are not studying Science for the next few weeks, please be sure to have your student work on their cloud graph each night and to continue reading about animals and their life cycles. This week we do have one assignment where students will draw a diagram of an insect that they have discovered in the Amazon Rainforest (it should be imaginary). We will carry this assignment a few more steps before we are done and I am excited to see your student connect concepts that we have discussed with real life scenarios. Please continue to encourage your child to read Non-Fiction texts as that is the focus in literacy for 2nd quarter and Science is such a great segway into Non-Fiction reading.
Finally, in Math we are digging deeper with our exploration of shapes. We are exploring the attributes of squares, rectangles, and triangles as we use a variety of fun classroom supplies to explore. You may have your child tell you about playing with straws and pipe-cleaners, dry erase-boards, and tangram pieces. Rest assured that it's all academic (as well as fun)!
Things to Remember...
1. Literacy Night is Thursday from 5:30-7:30 (hurray!)
2. Picture Day is Friday!
3. PBIS Celebration Day is also Friday (no Math Tiles).
4. There is a PTA meeting on November 7th at 9:30am in the Media Center
5. This is the last week of 1st Quarter electives.
As always, please let me know if there are any concerns or issues that I can help with. Have a terrific week and welcome to the 2nd Quarter of 2nd Grade. I'm already getting a little sad that we only have three more quarter to go.
Sincerely,
G. Harvey
Monday, October 24, 2011
October 24th-28th
Hello Parents,
It is the last week of the First Quarter of 2nd grade, can you believe it? This week is full of assessments for you child ranging from Math Quarterly Assessment (Wednesday/Thursday) to the Writing Assessment (Thursday/Friday) and some students will be having another Running Record performed. The main thing to keep in mind is that all of the assessments are looking for mastery of a concept not whether or not a student can regurgitate information. The new Core Standards that are coming down the pipeline are all about critical thinking (and non-fiction text). An important thing that you can do is simply have your student get a full nights rest each night this week and that they have a hearty (and low sugar) breakfast so that they are "in it to win it!"
Due to the assessments for this week, homework will be a little sparser than usual. One thing I mention is that if you feel your student needs to have more homework then encourage them to practice their math facts nightly. Math facts such as 2+2=4, 4+4=8 are vital to their math success. When students are unable to quickly add in their head then their speed on assessments is hindered as well as their accuracy as a student may be more prone to making careless mistakes. You can always practice math facts and if you child loses the ones provided by the Expressions book then I've always found sets (and better ones I may add) in the dollar bin at Target or the Dollar Store.
We are shifting gears away from Science this week and onward to Social Studies. We will be spending Monday through Wednesday reviewing insects and life-cycles before heading on to the topic of Elections. Now we all know that elections can be a sensitive subject. Everyone has their own opinions and with good reason. Rest assured that I will simply be reviewing the whole process and encouraging students to look more at how the nomination/election process works than what the platforms are. Due to our coverage of elections at the beginning of the year (when we had our our election) we will be going at a brisk pace to cover this topic so that we can move into the Thanksgiving Tradion. There is one assignment that I would like to mention, your student will be bringing home a sheet today about clouds. Everyday for 1 month, please have your student go outside and look at the clouds. Then mark down what type of clouds there were that day. It should take all of 2 minutes. This will enable your child to have their schema (brain backpack) loaded with some information about clouds for when we start our weather unit. Even if your child does not come to school one day please have them complete the graph so that we can compare our class data accurately.
In Reading/Writing we are spending some time on the topic of "Small Moments." The story for today was A Chair for My Mother. In writing we began brainstorming ideas for our very own small moment stories and I was very excited by what I saw. Stories ranging from loosing a tooth to soccer games. In the hallway we also have some of our pirate stories and our "Book Reviews" of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Please be sure to check them out after your conference.
On a final note, as birthday season is upon us I would like to remind all parents that if you are going to provide a snack for your child to celebrate their birthday at school then please send in enough for all the students (we have 21). Last week a child came into school with only enough cupcakes for five of her friends to have. Some of the other students had hurt feeling and it turned a joyful experience into an ackward one. Also, if you would like to send in a healthy snack such as fruit, low fat chips, pretzels then please do so.
**Quick Reminders**
*There is no school on Monday (October 31st) but there are conferences. Please look for the reminder sheet going home today and fill out any questions you may have. It also has important directions about coming in the bus loop door of the school.
*Literacy Night is November 3rd (next Thursday) beginning at
5:30pm
*Fall Picture Day is November 4th (next Friday)
*No school on November 11th as it's a holiday.
It is the last week of the First Quarter of 2nd grade, can you believe it? This week is full of assessments for you child ranging from Math Quarterly Assessment (Wednesday/Thursday) to the Writing Assessment (Thursday/Friday) and some students will be having another Running Record performed. The main thing to keep in mind is that all of the assessments are looking for mastery of a concept not whether or not a student can regurgitate information. The new Core Standards that are coming down the pipeline are all about critical thinking (and non-fiction text). An important thing that you can do is simply have your student get a full nights rest each night this week and that they have a hearty (and low sugar) breakfast so that they are "in it to win it!"
Due to the assessments for this week, homework will be a little sparser than usual. One thing I mention is that if you feel your student needs to have more homework then encourage them to practice their math facts nightly. Math facts such as 2+2=4, 4+4=8 are vital to their math success. When students are unable to quickly add in their head then their speed on assessments is hindered as well as their accuracy as a student may be more prone to making careless mistakes. You can always practice math facts and if you child loses the ones provided by the Expressions book then I've always found sets (and better ones I may add) in the dollar bin at Target or the Dollar Store.
We are shifting gears away from Science this week and onward to Social Studies. We will be spending Monday through Wednesday reviewing insects and life-cycles before heading on to the topic of Elections. Now we all know that elections can be a sensitive subject. Everyone has their own opinions and with good reason. Rest assured that I will simply be reviewing the whole process and encouraging students to look more at how the nomination/election process works than what the platforms are. Due to our coverage of elections at the beginning of the year (when we had our our election) we will be going at a brisk pace to cover this topic so that we can move into the Thanksgiving Tradion. There is one assignment that I would like to mention, your student will be bringing home a sheet today about clouds. Everyday for 1 month, please have your student go outside and look at the clouds. Then mark down what type of clouds there were that day. It should take all of 2 minutes. This will enable your child to have their schema (brain backpack) loaded with some information about clouds for when we start our weather unit. Even if your child does not come to school one day please have them complete the graph so that we can compare our class data accurately.
In Reading/Writing we are spending some time on the topic of "Small Moments." The story for today was A Chair for My Mother. In writing we began brainstorming ideas for our very own small moment stories and I was very excited by what I saw. Stories ranging from loosing a tooth to soccer games. In the hallway we also have some of our pirate stories and our "Book Reviews" of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Please be sure to check them out after your conference.
On a final note, as birthday season is upon us I would like to remind all parents that if you are going to provide a snack for your child to celebrate their birthday at school then please send in enough for all the students (we have 21). Last week a child came into school with only enough cupcakes for five of her friends to have. Some of the other students had hurt feeling and it turned a joyful experience into an ackward one. Also, if you would like to send in a healthy snack such as fruit, low fat chips, pretzels then please do so.
**Quick Reminders**
*There is no school on Monday (October 31st) but there are conferences. Please look for the reminder sheet going home today and fill out any questions you may have. It also has important directions about coming in the bus loop door of the school.
*Literacy Night is November 3rd (next Thursday) beginning at
5:30pm
*Fall Picture Day is November 4th (next Friday)
*No school on November 11th as it's a holiday.
Monday, October 17, 2011
October 17th--21st
Hello Students & Parents,
There are not enough words to describe how awesome our "ITLaPD" was this past Friday. With the help of our wonderful parent volunteers we had followed clue to discover buried treasure in the Office, listened to Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, created our very own feathered friends (parrots), and had a Pirate Feast of beef jerky, hard tack, and oranges (to prevent scurvy). I'm sure your student told you all about it, but if they didn't then please be sure to ask!
In Reading this week, we are going to continue working on retelling stories that we read (fiction) through generating Venn Diagrams. These Venn Diagrams will enable your child to compare various stories and characters they have learned about and use higher order processing to contrast them. It is a lot of fun as well as useful for me to see what kind of information your child has retained.
In Writing, we have published our Pirate Stories from last week and will continue completing smaller works that we have begun in class. We will also have the writing prompt "It Happened on a Fall Day" for your child to work on. In that piece I will be looking for complete sentences (with proper punctuation) as well as descriptive details.
In Science, our BUTTERFLIES have emerged from their Chrysalises! Can you believe it? Today we had four little beauties waiting for us. I'm sure by the time this goes to print there will be many more so please be sure to ask your child about them today. This week we will continue caring for our butterflies and looking at their proboscis as they eat. We will also be working on our own life-cycle projects so if you still haven't sent in baby pictures please do.
Mathematically speaking, today your child took an assessment to see if they would qualify for Mrs. Evan's math extension class next quarter. As we stated at the beginning of the year, Mrs. Evan's math groups will be reassessed quarterly to see where the students should be placed. This will ensure that all students are in the ability group that best meets their individual needs. This week your student will continue to work on number sense (adding/subtracting numbers through 250) as well as solving story problems (word problems) using previously discussed strategies. While the concepts for this week should not be hard the word choices within the story problems will be more challenging. Remember to help guide your student through the comprehension part and to really think about what the questions are asking.
Before I close, I would like to thank all of the students and parents for your kindness on Friday. Despite having a family tragedy it was helpful to come back to work on Friday to ITLaPD and to all the nice cards. Losing someone is never easy but the warm wishes are appreachiated.
Sincerely,
Gerald Harvey
Don't Forget...
*Spelling Bee entry forms are due by Wednesday! I've only gotten a handful of forms so please be sure to send them in if you are interested.
*If you are going to be checking out your student to attend the NC State Fair please be sure to send in a quick note so that I can have them packed up and ready for you. Hopefully that will help you beat the traffic a little. Also, check out the "Village of Yesteryear" near the Graham building to help your student see how different things were back in the day.
*First Quarter ends on October 28th which is why we have a workday on October 31st. Please be sure not to send your student to school that day.
*On the 28th will be the K-2 Hunter Olympics from 2:30pm-3:30pm
*Conference verification forms are being sent out TODAY. I had to try and squeeze a few of you in around times that you asked for and not the time you signed up for. Please double check these and let me know if they work. The final schedule will be sent home next week.
There are not enough words to describe how awesome our "ITLaPD" was this past Friday. With the help of our wonderful parent volunteers we had followed clue to discover buried treasure in the Office, listened to Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, created our very own feathered friends (parrots), and had a Pirate Feast of beef jerky, hard tack, and oranges (to prevent scurvy). I'm sure your student told you all about it, but if they didn't then please be sure to ask!
In Reading this week, we are going to continue working on retelling stories that we read (fiction) through generating Venn Diagrams. These Venn Diagrams will enable your child to compare various stories and characters they have learned about and use higher order processing to contrast them. It is a lot of fun as well as useful for me to see what kind of information your child has retained.
In Writing, we have published our Pirate Stories from last week and will continue completing smaller works that we have begun in class. We will also have the writing prompt "It Happened on a Fall Day" for your child to work on. In that piece I will be looking for complete sentences (with proper punctuation) as well as descriptive details.
In Science, our BUTTERFLIES have emerged from their Chrysalises! Can you believe it? Today we had four little beauties waiting for us. I'm sure by the time this goes to print there will be many more so please be sure to ask your child about them today. This week we will continue caring for our butterflies and looking at their proboscis as they eat. We will also be working on our own life-cycle projects so if you still haven't sent in baby pictures please do.
Mathematically speaking, today your child took an assessment to see if they would qualify for Mrs. Evan's math extension class next quarter. As we stated at the beginning of the year, Mrs. Evan's math groups will be reassessed quarterly to see where the students should be placed. This will ensure that all students are in the ability group that best meets their individual needs. This week your student will continue to work on number sense (adding/subtracting numbers through 250) as well as solving story problems (word problems) using previously discussed strategies. While the concepts for this week should not be hard the word choices within the story problems will be more challenging. Remember to help guide your student through the comprehension part and to really think about what the questions are asking.
Before I close, I would like to thank all of the students and parents for your kindness on Friday. Despite having a family tragedy it was helpful to come back to work on Friday to ITLaPD and to all the nice cards. Losing someone is never easy but the warm wishes are appreachiated.
Sincerely,
Gerald Harvey
Don't Forget...
*Spelling Bee entry forms are due by Wednesday! I've only gotten a handful of forms so please be sure to send them in if you are interested.
*If you are going to be checking out your student to attend the NC State Fair please be sure to send in a quick note so that I can have them packed up and ready for you. Hopefully that will help you beat the traffic a little. Also, check out the "Village of Yesteryear" near the Graham building to help your student see how different things were back in the day.
*First Quarter ends on October 28th which is why we have a workday on October 31st. Please be sure not to send your student to school that day.
*On the 28th will be the K-2 Hunter Olympics from 2:30pm-3:30pm
*Conference verification forms are being sent out TODAY. I had to try and squeeze a few of you in around times that you asked for and not the time you signed up for. Please double check these and let me know if they work. The final schedule will be sent home next week.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
October 10th-14th
Ahoy Parents,
Can you believe that it's already Pirate Week for the Heroes? This week most of our assignments will revolve around Christopher Columbus (since it's Columbus Day Monday) and then Pirates. Your student will learn some kid friendly facts about pirates (including that there were female pirates!) and complete a Venn Diagram comparing Christopher Columbus and Pirates. Be careful, there might be a homework assignment this week where they have to complete a Venn Diagram comparing you to a pirate (yikes!). Your student will also be writing their own pirate stories. It could be about their experiences as a pirate (fiction?) or it could be a story describing a true pirate event based on what we read in class. The genre does not matter as much as the details and punctuation.
In Math, we will be wrapping up our initial unit on geometry. This past week we learned about parallelograms and angles. Hopefully your student has told you all about right angles (or corner angles), acute angles, and obtuse angles. We will be having an quick assessment on Thursday about measuring in cm, squares, and rectangles.
Big news for Science...our baby caterpillars have entered their chrysalis's. It seems like only yesterday they were babies and pretty soon they will be butterflies (probably in 7 days). I'm sure your student will be telling you all about it this week. While the caterpillar's are in their chrysalis we will be looking at the life cycle of the spider and frog as mentioned last week. We will also be working on our own little Life-Cycle projects (coming home today in our Monday Folder). Basically, all your student has to do is either put a baby picture and current picture of them (they can draw it if they like) for the first two parts and then draw what they think they will look like when they are adults and senior citizens for the last two parts. There is also a writing component but it only involves three or four sentences about each phase. We will work on this in class so all you have to do is send in the pictures.
That concludes this weeks newsletter. I know it was short but please be sure to read the important dates at the bottom. This week is going to be very busy for your student and I want to make sure that we are all on the same page. If you have any questions just email me at gharvey@wcpss.net
Arg,
Captain Harvey
*Our Field Trip is THIS WEDNESDAY (October 12th) to the NC Museum of Life and Science IN Durham. All Chaperones should be contacted via email on Monday. If you don't here from me then please contact me.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable (and there are some delicious samples of healthy snacks to eat)so please mark it down on your calendar!
*ITLaPD (International Talk Like a Pirate Day) will be celebrated on Friday, October 14th. *Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
*The Fall Conference sheet is going home today in your child's Monday Folder. Please be sure to either sign up for a time or verify that your scheduled time works.
Can you believe that it's already Pirate Week for the Heroes? This week most of our assignments will revolve around Christopher Columbus (since it's Columbus Day Monday) and then Pirates. Your student will learn some kid friendly facts about pirates (including that there were female pirates!) and complete a Venn Diagram comparing Christopher Columbus and Pirates. Be careful, there might be a homework assignment this week where they have to complete a Venn Diagram comparing you to a pirate (yikes!). Your student will also be writing their own pirate stories. It could be about their experiences as a pirate (fiction?) or it could be a story describing a true pirate event based on what we read in class. The genre does not matter as much as the details and punctuation.
In Math, we will be wrapping up our initial unit on geometry. This past week we learned about parallelograms and angles. Hopefully your student has told you all about right angles (or corner angles), acute angles, and obtuse angles. We will be having an quick assessment on Thursday about measuring in cm, squares, and rectangles.
Big news for Science...our baby caterpillars have entered their chrysalis's. It seems like only yesterday they were babies and pretty soon they will be butterflies (probably in 7 days). I'm sure your student will be telling you all about it this week. While the caterpillar's are in their chrysalis we will be looking at the life cycle of the spider and frog as mentioned last week. We will also be working on our own little Life-Cycle projects (coming home today in our Monday Folder). Basically, all your student has to do is either put a baby picture and current picture of them (they can draw it if they like) for the first two parts and then draw what they think they will look like when they are adults and senior citizens for the last two parts. There is also a writing component but it only involves three or four sentences about each phase. We will work on this in class so all you have to do is send in the pictures.
That concludes this weeks newsletter. I know it was short but please be sure to read the important dates at the bottom. This week is going to be very busy for your student and I want to make sure that we are all on the same page. If you have any questions just email me at gharvey@wcpss.net
Arg,
Captain Harvey
*Our Field Trip is THIS WEDNESDAY (October 12th) to the NC Museum of Life and Science IN Durham. All Chaperones should be contacted via email on Monday. If you don't here from me then please contact me.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable (and there are some delicious samples of healthy snacks to eat)so please mark it down on your calendar!
*ITLaPD (International Talk Like a Pirate Day) will be celebrated on Friday, October 14th. *Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
*The Fall Conference sheet is going home today in your child's Monday Folder. Please be sure to either sign up for a time or verify that your scheduled time works.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
October 3rd Newsletter
Hello Parents and Students,
October is upon us and there a several things in store for your student. To start with, your son or daughter has their Immigration Project due THIS FRIDAY (October 7th). Any student that does not turn in a project will be encouraged to complete a project during Recess for reduced credit. Please make sure that your student is well prepared for their presentation as that is what determines if they earn a 3* or a 4. I know that all students are capable of earning a 3* in Social Studies this quarter. Other big events for the week may include your student receiving an Progress Report/Interim this week. Normally this would have gone home today however due to my absence it will be going home on Tuesday. It's easier for all parties involved if I can verify that the Interims/Progress Reports have gone home and not simply been left in the hands of a very capable substitute teacher.
In the classroom this past week our Butterfly larva arrived. Thus far, your student has discussed what a butterfly larva eats (mallow leaves in the wild-just mushed up mallow in class) as well as their basic body structure. The hardest thing for many students to understand is how during metamorphosis the larva loses several of its legs and ends up with only 3 pairs (which are the true legs). This is perhaps one of the most exciting science labs of the year for your student so please be sure to ask them each night that they have done. We will continue to study the life cycle of the butterfly for the next few weeks as well as analyze the life cycle of the silk worm, frogs, and spiders. Please encourage your child to learn the life cycle of other insects and animals that spark their interest.
In Reading, we continued to work on making connects between texts as well as the world and ourselves. We also began researching animals from our small reading groups. Researching hens/chickens, pigs, and alligators can be tough using the internet and even harder using encyclopedias but rest assured that we will continue doing research from time to time this year in order to build your students stamina for research. Being able to locate information about a topic is integral toward making your student a life-long learner. This week in reading, we will continue to work on understanding setting through a variety of books as well as continue making connects. We are also going to begin analyzing how authors use specific word choices to help the reader understand how the story is flowing. In particular, we will begin listing various transition words that we find in stories so that we can begin to use them in our writings.
Which brings us to writing for this week...your Hero is going to be wrapping up their "Heart Story" and should be able to bring it home in their Monday folder next week. When you read it please look for examples of what we have been studying in class such as your students use of transition words, descriptive details, and capitalization. The work may have some misspelled words that slipped through our editing process. At this point in the year, the main idea is to build your students confidence in their writing ability and to look for the above mentioned items. As the year progresses your student should begin to improve the finer mechanics of their writing.
As far as math is concerned, your son or daughter has taken several math quizzes which will be used my me to generate their math grade for the quarter. My main goal in giving these assessments is to monitor their understanding of the concepts I have taught as well as to reteach your child any concepts that they missed. This week we are working with measurement. Yesterday we began a mini-unit on centimeters (cm) and using rulers. We will be discussing standard and nonstandard forms of measurement as well as how to switch cm to inches. Next week we will move on to a different concept but we will continue to come back and explore measurement. Please encourage your child to measure items at home in standard measurement (inches/centimeters) as well as nonstandard units (paperclips, handspans, etc). The more work your child does with this concept the better they will be able to grasp what they are doing.
There are only a few more weeks in the quarter (it ends on October 29th) so please be sure to encourage your son or daughter to bring their best behavior to school each day. It's hard to believe that we only have about another 150 days of school and there is still a lot of ground to cover. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to email me at gharvey@wcpss.net. Be sure to look over some very important dates at the bottom of the newsletter. Have a terrific week!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
*Our Field Trip is coming up (October 12th) to the NC Museum of Life and Science!
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable so please mark it down on your calendar!
*Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
*ITLaPD (International Talk Like a Pirate Day) Literacy Unit and Celebration is coming up the week of October 10th thru the 14th. Please be checking your email in-boxes for volunteer information/supplies from our amazing room moms Mrs. O'Brian & Mrs. Jones. It should be a legendary time!
October is upon us and there a several things in store for your student. To start with, your son or daughter has their Immigration Project due THIS FRIDAY (October 7th). Any student that does not turn in a project will be encouraged to complete a project during Recess for reduced credit. Please make sure that your student is well prepared for their presentation as that is what determines if they earn a 3* or a 4. I know that all students are capable of earning a 3* in Social Studies this quarter. Other big events for the week may include your student receiving an Progress Report/Interim this week. Normally this would have gone home today however due to my absence it will be going home on Tuesday. It's easier for all parties involved if I can verify that the Interims/Progress Reports have gone home and not simply been left in the hands of a very capable substitute teacher.
In the classroom this past week our Butterfly larva arrived. Thus far, your student has discussed what a butterfly larva eats (mallow leaves in the wild-just mushed up mallow in class) as well as their basic body structure. The hardest thing for many students to understand is how during metamorphosis the larva loses several of its legs and ends up with only 3 pairs (which are the true legs). This is perhaps one of the most exciting science labs of the year for your student so please be sure to ask them each night that they have done. We will continue to study the life cycle of the butterfly for the next few weeks as well as analyze the life cycle of the silk worm, frogs, and spiders. Please encourage your child to learn the life cycle of other insects and animals that spark their interest.
In Reading, we continued to work on making connects between texts as well as the world and ourselves. We also began researching animals from our small reading groups. Researching hens/chickens, pigs, and alligators can be tough using the internet and even harder using encyclopedias but rest assured that we will continue doing research from time to time this year in order to build your students stamina for research. Being able to locate information about a topic is integral toward making your student a life-long learner. This week in reading, we will continue to work on understanding setting through a variety of books as well as continue making connects. We are also going to begin analyzing how authors use specific word choices to help the reader understand how the story is flowing. In particular, we will begin listing various transition words that we find in stories so that we can begin to use them in our writings.
Which brings us to writing for this week...your Hero is going to be wrapping up their "Heart Story" and should be able to bring it home in their Monday folder next week. When you read it please look for examples of what we have been studying in class such as your students use of transition words, descriptive details, and capitalization. The work may have some misspelled words that slipped through our editing process. At this point in the year, the main idea is to build your students confidence in their writing ability and to look for the above mentioned items. As the year progresses your student should begin to improve the finer mechanics of their writing.
As far as math is concerned, your son or daughter has taken several math quizzes which will be used my me to generate their math grade for the quarter. My main goal in giving these assessments is to monitor their understanding of the concepts I have taught as well as to reteach your child any concepts that they missed. This week we are working with measurement. Yesterday we began a mini-unit on centimeters (cm) and using rulers. We will be discussing standard and nonstandard forms of measurement as well as how to switch cm to inches. Next week we will move on to a different concept but we will continue to come back and explore measurement. Please encourage your child to measure items at home in standard measurement (inches/centimeters) as well as nonstandard units (paperclips, handspans, etc). The more work your child does with this concept the better they will be able to grasp what they are doing.
There are only a few more weeks in the quarter (it ends on October 29th) so please be sure to encourage your son or daughter to bring their best behavior to school each day. It's hard to believe that we only have about another 150 days of school and there is still a lot of ground to cover. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to email me at gharvey@wcpss.net. Be sure to look over some very important dates at the bottom of the newsletter. Have a terrific week!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
*Our Field Trip is coming up (October 12th) to the NC Museum of Life and Science!
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable so please mark it down on your calendar!
*Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
*ITLaPD (International Talk Like a Pirate Day) Literacy Unit and Celebration is coming up the week of October 10th thru the 14th. Please be checking your email in-boxes for volunteer information/supplies from our amazing room moms Mrs. O'Brian & Mrs. Jones. It should be a legendary time!
Monday, September 26, 2011
September 26th
Hello Families,
Can you believe that we have another short week ahead of us. That's right, WE DO NOT HAVE SCHOOL ON FRIDAY...because it is a Teacher Workday. All of us teachers will be in school conducting meetings on the new core standards, differentiation, and all that. This time will also allow us to prepare an Interim Report for your student. Interims go home on Monday so please be sure to look for them in the Monday folder next week.
This past week your student read some terrific stories regarding setting. We read Oscar's Half Birthday, The Best Story Ever, My Napoleon, and Madlenka. The setting in the stories became more complex as some of the stories covered entire years. Your student will hopefully remind you that the setting includes both where a story occurs and when it occurs. We will continue to work on understanding setting this week as well as trying this concept in to how a character changes. Due to the short week, in our small reading groups we will continue to work on the same books as last week but will practice strategies from The Cafe such as partner reading and echo reading (to build stamina and fluency). We will also dig a little deeper and begin researching the animals in our stories (pigs, hens, alligators, and cats). Research may be a third quarter objective but it never hurts to start early!
In Science this week we will begin our "Life Cycle" unit. The fall is a great time as the leaves change to realize the life cycle that is repeating all around us. Please discuss with your child the cycle of nature as well as the life cycle of any animals that you are interested in. We will be learning about Butterflies, Spiders, and Frogs but it never hurts to discover the life cycle of other things. Today we discussed notebook procedures and created our KWL charts for the unit. We will be trying to activate our higher level thinking skills so if you feel like pushing us at home also that would be great! The Second Grade will be working through this unit over the entire month of October but don't be surprised if you see a Social Studies sheet come home here and there as we try to keep your hero connected to their History. Also, don't forget that our Immigration Projects are due on October 7th. Please turn them in early rather than late. If you need any supplies I have plenty available so please do not hesitate to ask.
Springing off our The Best Story your child has begun writing their "Story from the Heart." This story is about anything they want and will go through the entire publishing process although it may take until the end of the quarter to complete. The brainstorming was done last week and this week we will be writing our 1st drafts. Revisions should come next week and hopefully our final drafts will be ready by the middle of October. I plan on having these available for you to read during your conference at the end of October. I'll be sending reminders of those out next week along with the question sheet for you to complete. Sending in your questions early ensures that I have the answers you want and that we can maximize our time together. There are usually only Fall and Spring conferences so I would like to be as thorough as possible.
The final news for this week is that ALL Heroes will be taking their Unit 1 Expressions assessment on Thursday. The test is twenty questions and covers math mountains, math partners, greater than/less than, and basic addition. I have targeted all the students and given them as much support as I think they will need to be successful but please feel free to encourage them on Thursday morning. I should have those tests returned next week. Also, I would like to give a quick shout-out to Mrs. Medvetz for her help with Math Tiles this past Friday (from 1:40-2:20). They were a huge success and allowed for the students to work on concepts with money and addition as well as greater than/less than. Math Tiles will be every Friday that we are at school (not Early Release though) from 1:40 until 2:20 so if you can make it please shoot me an email. We'd love to have you!
Wrapping Up...
*The Radical Reader Assembly is tomorrow (Tuesday, September 27th at 9:30 am.)
*Friday, September 30th is a Teacher Workday so please don't send your student to school.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable so please mark it down on your calendar!
*Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
*Our Field Trip is coming up (October 12th) to the NC Museum of Life and Science!
*ITLaPD (International Talk Like a Pirate Day) Literacy Unit and Celebration is coming up the week of October 10th thru the 14th. Please be checking your email in-boxes for volunteer information/supplies from our amazing room moms Mrs. O'Brian & Mrs. Jones. It should be a legendary time!
Can you believe that we have another short week ahead of us. That's right, WE DO NOT HAVE SCHOOL ON FRIDAY...because it is a Teacher Workday. All of us teachers will be in school conducting meetings on the new core standards, differentiation, and all that. This time will also allow us to prepare an Interim Report for your student. Interims go home on Monday so please be sure to look for them in the Monday folder next week.
This past week your student read some terrific stories regarding setting. We read Oscar's Half Birthday, The Best Story Ever, My Napoleon, and Madlenka. The setting in the stories became more complex as some of the stories covered entire years. Your student will hopefully remind you that the setting includes both where a story occurs and when it occurs. We will continue to work on understanding setting this week as well as trying this concept in to how a character changes. Due to the short week, in our small reading groups we will continue to work on the same books as last week but will practice strategies from The Cafe such as partner reading and echo reading (to build stamina and fluency). We will also dig a little deeper and begin researching the animals in our stories (pigs, hens, alligators, and cats). Research may be a third quarter objective but it never hurts to start early!
In Science this week we will begin our "Life Cycle" unit. The fall is a great time as the leaves change to realize the life cycle that is repeating all around us. Please discuss with your child the cycle of nature as well as the life cycle of any animals that you are interested in. We will be learning about Butterflies, Spiders, and Frogs but it never hurts to discover the life cycle of other things. Today we discussed notebook procedures and created our KWL charts for the unit. We will be trying to activate our higher level thinking skills so if you feel like pushing us at home also that would be great! The Second Grade will be working through this unit over the entire month of October but don't be surprised if you see a Social Studies sheet come home here and there as we try to keep your hero connected to their History. Also, don't forget that our Immigration Projects are due on October 7th. Please turn them in early rather than late. If you need any supplies I have plenty available so please do not hesitate to ask.
Springing off our The Best Story your child has begun writing their "Story from the Heart." This story is about anything they want and will go through the entire publishing process although it may take until the end of the quarter to complete. The brainstorming was done last week and this week we will be writing our 1st drafts. Revisions should come next week and hopefully our final drafts will be ready by the middle of October. I plan on having these available for you to read during your conference at the end of October. I'll be sending reminders of those out next week along with the question sheet for you to complete. Sending in your questions early ensures that I have the answers you want and that we can maximize our time together. There are usually only Fall and Spring conferences so I would like to be as thorough as possible.
The final news for this week is that ALL Heroes will be taking their Unit 1 Expressions assessment on Thursday. The test is twenty questions and covers math mountains, math partners, greater than/less than, and basic addition. I have targeted all the students and given them as much support as I think they will need to be successful but please feel free to encourage them on Thursday morning. I should have those tests returned next week. Also, I would like to give a quick shout-out to Mrs. Medvetz for her help with Math Tiles this past Friday (from 1:40-2:20). They were a huge success and allowed for the students to work on concepts with money and addition as well as greater than/less than. Math Tiles will be every Friday that we are at school (not Early Release though) from 1:40 until 2:20 so if you can make it please shoot me an email. We'd love to have you!
Wrapping Up...
*The Radical Reader Assembly is tomorrow (Tuesday, September 27th at 9:30 am.)
*Friday, September 30th is a Teacher Workday so please don't send your student to school.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable so please mark it down on your calendar!
*Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
*Our Field Trip is coming up (October 12th) to the NC Museum of Life and Science!
*ITLaPD (International Talk Like a Pirate Day) Literacy Unit and Celebration is coming up the week of October 10th thru the 14th. Please be checking your email in-boxes for volunteer information/supplies from our amazing room moms Mrs. O'Brian & Mrs. Jones. It should be a legendary time!
Monday, September 19, 2011
September 19th Post
Hello Families,
If you're like me then you received a few phone call this weekend about our fantastic Hunter Readathon celebration. Please make sure that you have returned your son/daughter form. They were due by this past Friday but as long as you turn it in by tomorrow I am sure we can make sure that your child is recognized for their hard work. Aside from that I hope that you all had a happy weekend and enjoyed the extra few hours on Friday.
This week your child will be receiving their 2nd Fundations Homework Packet. Remember to please keep this homework at home so that they can continue to practice the skills while we practice them in class. This week there is also a writing assignment coming home which will be due on Monday (the 26th). Aside from that we will continue to have a math homework sheet most nights. Don't forget that our Immigration Project is due on October 7th which is also our next Early Release. If your student needs any supplies please let me know as soon as possible. Every student will complete a project either at home to receive full credit or at school during recess for half-credit (if a student does not turn in a project by October 7th). Hunter Elementary has high expectations for all of its students.
You have probably noticed that the student behavior contracts have been coming him with HR's written on them to signify "Home Runs." This is due to my baseball stickers having disappeared. The bad news is that Stones School Supply is sold out of them and they are on back-order. The good news is that I have gotten some smiley face stickers that say "Awesome" on them. Until the baseball stickers come in I will be using the smiley face stickers to signify "Home Run." Thank you for being flexible!
On Friday, the Harvey's Heroes celebrated Constitution Day with a visit from Thomas Jefferson himself! The class examined the Harvey Heroes Constitution written in 2008 and repealed some amendments while creating others. It was an incredible time that helped your student really see how the Constitution of our great nation is a living document. Our next learning experience will be on October 14th which will be our celebration of "International Talk Like a Pirate Day." Technically, ITLaPD is today (Sept. 19th) but we can't celebrate more than one thing a month or people would talk;) so we will observe ITLaPD on October 14th. That entire week we will be reading Pirate Stories, researching famous pirates (men and women) as well as creating some pirate art and stories. If any parent would enjoy coming in and reading one of my pirate stories or leading a craft please just let me know.
In Reading this week, your student will continue to read some fiction stories independently and with me in our small reading group. Your student will also be able to go on RazKids this week. You may remember this from last year. The Second Grade has ordered this with some of the start up funds you were asked to pay. Your child has a password (which is their lunch number) so that all of their work is protected. Just like last year, this website can be accessed from home (for any days that your child is sick but still eager to be busy) as well as from school. In Writing, we have been working or writing "Mashed-Up Fairy Tales." We will continue to work on those this week and then if we have time we will try to turn them into skits. (If we run out of time we can try next quarter). We are still working on number fluency in Math but this week we are using Number Lines as well as Drawing Pictures and Writing Equations to solve problems. In Social Studies we are wrapping up citizenship as explained through the Colonial Period so that we can get ready to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly. As you can see, there is a lot of excitement left in this quarter.
Wrapping Up...
*Math Tiles starts this Friday (September 23rd) from 1:40-2:20 so if you are available to help out I would LOVE to have you!
*The Radical Reader Assembly is next Tuesday, September 27th at 9:30 am.
*Friday, September 30th is a Teacher Workday so please don't send your student to school.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable so please mark it down on your calendar!
*Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know. Have a terrific week!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
If you're like me then you received a few phone call this weekend about our fantastic Hunter Readathon celebration. Please make sure that you have returned your son/daughter form. They were due by this past Friday but as long as you turn it in by tomorrow I am sure we can make sure that your child is recognized for their hard work. Aside from that I hope that you all had a happy weekend and enjoyed the extra few hours on Friday.
This week your child will be receiving their 2nd Fundations Homework Packet. Remember to please keep this homework at home so that they can continue to practice the skills while we practice them in class. This week there is also a writing assignment coming home which will be due on Monday (the 26th). Aside from that we will continue to have a math homework sheet most nights. Don't forget that our Immigration Project is due on October 7th which is also our next Early Release. If your student needs any supplies please let me know as soon as possible. Every student will complete a project either at home to receive full credit or at school during recess for half-credit (if a student does not turn in a project by October 7th). Hunter Elementary has high expectations for all of its students.
You have probably noticed that the student behavior contracts have been coming him with HR's written on them to signify "Home Runs." This is due to my baseball stickers having disappeared. The bad news is that Stones School Supply is sold out of them and they are on back-order. The good news is that I have gotten some smiley face stickers that say "Awesome" on them. Until the baseball stickers come in I will be using the smiley face stickers to signify "Home Run." Thank you for being flexible!
On Friday, the Harvey's Heroes celebrated Constitution Day with a visit from Thomas Jefferson himself! The class examined the Harvey Heroes Constitution written in 2008 and repealed some amendments while creating others. It was an incredible time that helped your student really see how the Constitution of our great nation is a living document. Our next learning experience will be on October 14th which will be our celebration of "International Talk Like a Pirate Day." Technically, ITLaPD is today (Sept. 19th) but we can't celebrate more than one thing a month or people would talk;) so we will observe ITLaPD on October 14th. That entire week we will be reading Pirate Stories, researching famous pirates (men and women) as well as creating some pirate art and stories. If any parent would enjoy coming in and reading one of my pirate stories or leading a craft please just let me know.
In Reading this week, your student will continue to read some fiction stories independently and with me in our small reading group. Your student will also be able to go on RazKids this week. You may remember this from last year. The Second Grade has ordered this with some of the start up funds you were asked to pay. Your child has a password (which is their lunch number) so that all of their work is protected. Just like last year, this website can be accessed from home (for any days that your child is sick but still eager to be busy) as well as from school. In Writing, we have been working or writing "Mashed-Up Fairy Tales." We will continue to work on those this week and then if we have time we will try to turn them into skits. (If we run out of time we can try next quarter). We are still working on number fluency in Math but this week we are using Number Lines as well as Drawing Pictures and Writing Equations to solve problems. In Social Studies we are wrapping up citizenship as explained through the Colonial Period so that we can get ready to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly. As you can see, there is a lot of excitement left in this quarter.
Wrapping Up...
*Math Tiles starts this Friday (September 23rd) from 1:40-2:20 so if you are available to help out I would LOVE to have you!
*The Radical Reader Assembly is next Tuesday, September 27th at 9:30 am.
*Friday, September 30th is a Teacher Workday so please don't send your student to school.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It will be unforgettable so please mark it down on your calendar!
*Don't forget that all Parent Volunteer's should have renewed their volunteer registration by October 31st or you can't chaperon any field-trips. Please go ahead an renew now!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know. Have a terrific week!
Sincerely,
Mr. H
Monday, September 12, 2011
September 12th
Hello Parents!
I hope that you all had a terrific weekend. It's another exciting week with a few extra specials treats in store for your student. The first one is...(drum roll please) our Colonial America Learning Experience. Your student has been working super hard on learning about how our community and amazing country has changed over the last few centuries. While our field-trip to Duke Homestead (in the Spring) will help cement those concepts it is important that we build our "schema" or background knowledge now so that it can be reactivated later this year and hopefully never forgotten. As part of this learning experience we will be signing our classroom constitution, playing colonial games at recess, and hopefully eating some colonial fare. I've got the recipes if you've got the time. Just email me (gharvey@wcpss.net) or pop in and I'd love to give you a recipe to make. Otherwise, it'll just be some bread and water for the Heroes (but hey, life was hard back then). Also, don't forget that Friday is an Early Release Day so your student will be dismissed at 1:15pm. Please make sure that you have arrangements in place and that if it is different than the usual then you notify the school before 11am.
Other pressing news is that your student will recieving their Immigration Project today. All of the information for the project is listed in the forms. Please read over it carefully and then if you have any questions let me know via email. Grading for the project will be according to the rubric so I expect all of my Heroes to score at least a 3. If you need any supplies for the project let me know and I'll be happy to find some for you, but just so you know it doesn't have to be fancy. The project only has to be informative.
Your student will also be coming home today with a daily homework sheet. Every day at the end of school (3:30pm) we will go over the homework for the day. Your child will record the assignments on the sheet inside the correct subject area and day. I will keep a class copy at the front of the room and remind your student each day at calendar of what they should have done the prior day. Don't forget that homework is due on Monday but that we go over the Math sheets daily. It takes to long to go over all of the math sheets on Monday plus it doesn't help me to see which students are struggling with a concept. Projects have significantly more time so please don't worry about that.
The word of the week this week is Shifty which means of questionable character, duplicitous. Please try to use this adjective at home this week and praise your child if they use it. I am trying to increase your students' vocabulary so that we can bone up their writing however I am only going to be successful with your help. The student of the week is Gavin. Please be sure to give him a high five or pat on the back if you see this guy around school. He's shown "STAR" behavior since school started and is an excellent Hero.
Wrapping Up...
*Math Tiles will start next Friday (September 23rd) from 1:40-2:20 so if you are available to help out I would LOVE to have you!
*The Radical Reader Assembly is on September 27th at 9:30 am.
*Friday, September 30th is a Teacher Workday so please don't send your student to school.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It should be awesome so please mark it down on your calendar!
I hope that you all had a terrific weekend. It's another exciting week with a few extra specials treats in store for your student. The first one is...(drum roll please) our Colonial America Learning Experience. Your student has been working super hard on learning about how our community and amazing country has changed over the last few centuries. While our field-trip to Duke Homestead (in the Spring) will help cement those concepts it is important that we build our "schema" or background knowledge now so that it can be reactivated later this year and hopefully never forgotten. As part of this learning experience we will be signing our classroom constitution, playing colonial games at recess, and hopefully eating some colonial fare. I've got the recipes if you've got the time. Just email me (gharvey@wcpss.net) or pop in and I'd love to give you a recipe to make. Otherwise, it'll just be some bread and water for the Heroes (but hey, life was hard back then). Also, don't forget that Friday is an Early Release Day so your student will be dismissed at 1:15pm. Please make sure that you have arrangements in place and that if it is different than the usual then you notify the school before 11am.
Other pressing news is that your student will recieving their Immigration Project today. All of the information for the project is listed in the forms. Please read over it carefully and then if you have any questions let me know via email. Grading for the project will be according to the rubric so I expect all of my Heroes to score at least a 3. If you need any supplies for the project let me know and I'll be happy to find some for you, but just so you know it doesn't have to be fancy. The project only has to be informative.
Your student will also be coming home today with a daily homework sheet. Every day at the end of school (3:30pm) we will go over the homework for the day. Your child will record the assignments on the sheet inside the correct subject area and day. I will keep a class copy at the front of the room and remind your student each day at calendar of what they should have done the prior day. Don't forget that homework is due on Monday but that we go over the Math sheets daily. It takes to long to go over all of the math sheets on Monday plus it doesn't help me to see which students are struggling with a concept. Projects have significantly more time so please don't worry about that.
The word of the week this week is Shifty which means of questionable character, duplicitous. Please try to use this adjective at home this week and praise your child if they use it. I am trying to increase your students' vocabulary so that we can bone up their writing however I am only going to be successful with your help. The student of the week is Gavin. Please be sure to give him a high five or pat on the back if you see this guy around school. He's shown "STAR" behavior since school started and is an excellent Hero.
Wrapping Up...
*Math Tiles will start next Friday (September 23rd) from 1:40-2:20 so if you are available to help out I would LOVE to have you!
*The Radical Reader Assembly is on September 27th at 9:30 am.
*Friday, September 30th is a Teacher Workday so please don't send your student to school.
*October 13th is the One Hunter Family Fall Picnic at 5:30pm. It should be awesome so please mark it down on your calendar!
Monday, September 5, 2011
September 6th Post
Hello Parents!
Have we got an exciting week planned or what? It all kicks off with our very first Open House of the 2011-2012 School year on Tuesday at 6pm. There will be a short PTA meeting and then everyone will be free to visit our classroom and ask me any questions you have. It may help things if you come ready with questions or email me with your questions so that I can have a response ready.
Before breaking to our classroom the entire 2nd grade Team will go through standard grade level items in the Media Center. These items include: Homework for the Year, Math Differentiation, Fundations, The Healthy Snack Mandate from WCPSS, and Field Trips for the year. Afterward, in my classroom (107A) I will explain things unique to my room such as an upcoming Social Studies Project, K.I.T.S. (Kids into Thinking), and how I hope to utilize you amazing parents for volunteers! I will also have a conference schedule ready but please keep in mind that those dates will start in October after the first grading period has ended.
In the Classroom...
this week your student will begin their 1st Lesson in FuNdAtIoNs! This is a terrific spelling curriculum that I whole-heartedly believe in. Please remember to keep the spelling homework packet at home so that your student can continue to practice the words and sounds over the entire two week unit. This first unit will have your student reviewing blends (sh, ch, th, wh, ck) as well as how to mark them. We will also have the extension word of the week which is Sham. The definition of Sham is: something false or empty that is purported to be genuine.
In Math, we will continue to examine word problems and problem solving strategies such as identifying key words and double checking our work. Students who qualified will begin being pulled out for differentiation with Mrs. Tally Evans however I will continue to differentiate within my classroom so that all student receive the education which they deserve.
In Social Studies we will spend the next two weeks to learn about our community and how it has changed. Specifically the Harvey's Heroes will take a quick look at the Colonial America, The Revolutionary War, and War of 1812. On Friday, September 9th we will briefly discuss September 11th using some WCPSS recommended tools. The following Friday (9-16) we will observe Constitution Day. I'm hoping that some of you amazing parents will feel brave enough to prepare a few colonial recipes I found lying around the house:)
In reading we will continue to learn Comprehension Strategies from the Daily 5 and the Cafe. I will also begin instructing small reading groups at the half-moon table in my room. During our reading the individual reading groups will examine spelling patterns in the words that they see (in alignment with Fundations) as well as work on understanding the setting of a story. Specifically, we will discuss how the setting can change over time. This skill will help your student understand how a character changes over time in the future. The books we will be reading are: Dom's Dragon, I Love You the Purplest, A Barrel of Gold, and Anansi and the Impossible. Please be sure to ask your student which book they are reading!
Last week in writing we discussed how all good writers indent the first line of each sentences and use punctuation marks. Each student also completed their unassisted writing sample which will be available to see at our first school conference in October. This week, we will work on writing responses to what we have read in our Reading Journals. You can help at home by having your student respond to what they thought of shows you have watched at home (Wizard of Waverly Place, etc).
Don't forget...
*Open House is at 6pm in the Media Center. The Second Grade Team will begin their explanation of procedures immediately after the PTA meeting. Upon the conclusion of the Second Grade Presentation each teacher will take parents back to their respective classrooms for a question and answer session.
*Elective Registration is Wednesday and Electives begin next Monday!
*The First Early Release of the Year is on Friday, September 16th at 1:15pm. Please be sure to email me or send in any transportation changes by 8:45am that Friday or call the office. I cannot be responsible for any emails regarding transportation changes after 8:45am as checking my email is very difficult once the school day has begun.
Have we got an exciting week planned or what? It all kicks off with our very first Open House of the 2011-2012 School year on Tuesday at 6pm. There will be a short PTA meeting and then everyone will be free to visit our classroom and ask me any questions you have. It may help things if you come ready with questions or email me with your questions so that I can have a response ready.
Before breaking to our classroom the entire 2nd grade Team will go through standard grade level items in the Media Center. These items include: Homework for the Year, Math Differentiation, Fundations, The Healthy Snack Mandate from WCPSS, and Field Trips for the year. Afterward, in my classroom (107A) I will explain things unique to my room such as an upcoming Social Studies Project, K.I.T.S. (Kids into Thinking), and how I hope to utilize you amazing parents for volunteers! I will also have a conference schedule ready but please keep in mind that those dates will start in October after the first grading period has ended.
In the Classroom...
this week your student will begin their 1st Lesson in FuNdAtIoNs! This is a terrific spelling curriculum that I whole-heartedly believe in. Please remember to keep the spelling homework packet at home so that your student can continue to practice the words and sounds over the entire two week unit. This first unit will have your student reviewing blends (sh, ch, th, wh, ck) as well as how to mark them. We will also have the extension word of the week which is Sham. The definition of Sham is: something false or empty that is purported to be genuine.
In Math, we will continue to examine word problems and problem solving strategies such as identifying key words and double checking our work. Students who qualified will begin being pulled out for differentiation with Mrs. Tally Evans however I will continue to differentiate within my classroom so that all student receive the education which they deserve.
In Social Studies we will spend the next two weeks to learn about our community and how it has changed. Specifically the Harvey's Heroes will take a quick look at the Colonial America, The Revolutionary War, and War of 1812. On Friday, September 9th we will briefly discuss September 11th using some WCPSS recommended tools. The following Friday (9-16) we will observe Constitution Day. I'm hoping that some of you amazing parents will feel brave enough to prepare a few colonial recipes I found lying around the house:)
In reading we will continue to learn Comprehension Strategies from the Daily 5 and the Cafe. I will also begin instructing small reading groups at the half-moon table in my room. During our reading the individual reading groups will examine spelling patterns in the words that they see (in alignment with Fundations) as well as work on understanding the setting of a story. Specifically, we will discuss how the setting can change over time. This skill will help your student understand how a character changes over time in the future. The books we will be reading are: Dom's Dragon, I Love You the Purplest, A Barrel of Gold, and Anansi and the Impossible. Please be sure to ask your student which book they are reading!
Last week in writing we discussed how all good writers indent the first line of each sentences and use punctuation marks. Each student also completed their unassisted writing sample which will be available to see at our first school conference in October. This week, we will work on writing responses to what we have read in our Reading Journals. You can help at home by having your student respond to what they thought of shows you have watched at home (Wizard of Waverly Place, etc).
Don't forget...
*Open House is at 6pm in the Media Center. The Second Grade Team will begin their explanation of procedures immediately after the PTA meeting. Upon the conclusion of the Second Grade Presentation each teacher will take parents back to their respective classrooms for a question and answer session.
*Elective Registration is Wednesday and Electives begin next Monday!
*The First Early Release of the Year is on Friday, September 16th at 1:15pm. Please be sure to email me or send in any transportation changes by 8:45am that Friday or call the office. I cannot be responsible for any emails regarding transportation changes after 8:45am as checking my email is very difficult once the school day has begun.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Welcome 2011-2012 Parents
Hello Parents,
Can you believe that the first step in our Second Grade Journey has just begun, the 2011-2012 school year! In an effort to reduce the Harvey's Heroes carbon blueprint I will be sending all newsletters out via blog this year. It's a new process for me so please be patient and understanding.
Top News
This week your student will be completing a Second Grade Math Pre-Assessment on Monday and Tuesday. This assessment will be used to determine if your student is eligible for Math Extension with Mrs. Evans. Please make sure that your student has a good nights rest on Monday night and a healthy breakfast on Tuesday.
Your student will also be given a Reading and Writing assessment this Tuesday-Friday so please remind them to use all the strategies they remember from last year. In Reading, we will again be using various Wake County approved assessments to measure your students fluency and reading comprehension levels. In writing, your student will be able to write about anything they wish. The important thing to remember with all of these assessments is that they will serve as a baseline for your student's achievement level and will not be used to determine any grades. As such, please remind your student to try hard but not stress over them.
.....A late breaking announcement...This just in, the Harvey's Heroes Class President for the 2011-2012 School Year is none other than Ellia! Assisting her with the various duties will be Eve as her Vice President. Speaker of the House will be Will and the Senators for this year are Noah and Gavin. Please be sure to congratulate these students next time you see them. All of the other Heroes will serve as congressmen and women for the duration of the year.
Don't Forget...
*Elective Forms are due ASAP. We register for electives next week and your student cannot register without a completed sheet. The longer it takes to register your student the less likely they are to recieve the electives they desire.
*Any beginning of the year paperwork (Data Sheets, Lunch Forms) should be turned in as soon as possible.
*Next week we do not have school on Monday due to Labor Day. Please be safe and enjoy the extended weekend (I know I will as I'll be going to Charlotte for the ECU vs. SC game).
*Open House is on September 6th at 6:30pm. Please come directly to our classroom (Rm #107A) for a 15 minute session before we all go down to the media center and go over various Second Grade Information. The program should go no more than an hour.
Homework
*This week the homework is very easy. Students are to cut out an article from a newspaper, magazine, or flyer that comes in the mail (they can use the Time For Kids from Meet the Teacher if they like). The students are to glue the picture down on a piece of paper and then write at least 3 Second Grade sentences (proper capitalization/punctuation/details) about the picture. They can write more if they like. The best ones will be put on display in the class but having completed one as a group project today in class I know that everyone is capable of doing an amazing job!
Can you believe that the first step in our Second Grade Journey has just begun, the 2011-2012 school year! In an effort to reduce the Harvey's Heroes carbon blueprint I will be sending all newsletters out via blog this year. It's a new process for me so please be patient and understanding.
Top News
This week your student will be completing a Second Grade Math Pre-Assessment on Monday and Tuesday. This assessment will be used to determine if your student is eligible for Math Extension with Mrs. Evans. Please make sure that your student has a good nights rest on Monday night and a healthy breakfast on Tuesday.
Your student will also be given a Reading and Writing assessment this Tuesday-Friday so please remind them to use all the strategies they remember from last year. In Reading, we will again be using various Wake County approved assessments to measure your students fluency and reading comprehension levels. In writing, your student will be able to write about anything they wish. The important thing to remember with all of these assessments is that they will serve as a baseline for your student's achievement level and will not be used to determine any grades. As such, please remind your student to try hard but not stress over them.
.....A late breaking announcement...This just in, the Harvey's Heroes Class President for the 2011-2012 School Year is none other than Ellia! Assisting her with the various duties will be Eve as her Vice President. Speaker of the House will be Will and the Senators for this year are Noah and Gavin. Please be sure to congratulate these students next time you see them. All of the other Heroes will serve as congressmen and women for the duration of the year.
Don't Forget...
*Elective Forms are due ASAP. We register for electives next week and your student cannot register without a completed sheet. The longer it takes to register your student the less likely they are to recieve the electives they desire.
*Any beginning of the year paperwork (Data Sheets, Lunch Forms) should be turned in as soon as possible.
*Next week we do not have school on Monday due to Labor Day. Please be safe and enjoy the extended weekend (I know I will as I'll be going to Charlotte for the ECU vs. SC game).
*Open House is on September 6th at 6:30pm. Please come directly to our classroom (Rm #107A) for a 15 minute session before we all go down to the media center and go over various Second Grade Information. The program should go no more than an hour.
Homework
*This week the homework is very easy. Students are to cut out an article from a newspaper, magazine, or flyer that comes in the mail (they can use the Time For Kids from Meet the Teacher if they like). The students are to glue the picture down on a piece of paper and then write at least 3 Second Grade sentences (proper capitalization/punctuation/details) about the picture. They can write more if they like. The best ones will be put on display in the class but having completed one as a group project today in class I know that everyone is capable of doing an amazing job!
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