Congratulations to Yessenia!!  She was selected as our Honesty Character Kid! She will enjoy lunch and games with Mr. Steele and Dr. Musick, as well as be honored at our awards assembly on Monday. Way to go!!

A huge thanks to all that contributed to our annual Food Drive. I'm always amazed at the generosity of our families! Thanks to your contributions, our class collected more items than any other class in the school, which the PTA will be rewarding with ice cream treats on Monday afternoon. Thank you!!

On Tuesday, we will spend part of the morning enjoying hot chocolate while wrapping gifts and writing Christmas letters to our families.  We will also enjoy lunch together in the classroom for our holiday celebration.

A reminder that homework is due on Tuesday.  We will also be taking our spelling test on Tuesday, due to the winter break.

Tuesday is CRAZY SOCK DAY.  Wear your silliest and craziest socks to school!

Our school has an opportunity to earn $5000 if we have the highest number of hours logged into the MyOn online reading program over break.  We are competing with other schools in the Tri-town area and this would be such a great opportunity for our school, while encouraging all of our students to read more.  

Over break, we are sending home a reading and math log for students.  It is our hope to help keep them in the routine of reading and practicing math facts. Students that complete the ENTIRE log for both sections will get to eat in the classroom and enjoy a treat with their friends and teacher when we return in January. Keep reading!!!   



What are we learning this week?

Reading: After break we will be starting Theme 6,  Many States, One Country.   Our focus will be on the Fix-Up Strategies for reading, and our new vocabulary words will be reside, route, journey, state, terrain, and boundary.

Writing: Our writing focus in January will be shifting to Authors as Mentors.  We will be looking at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces.

Math: We will be giving students a pretest before we begin our new unit on double digit addition.   Based on this assessment information, we will again be regrouping students for this larger unit, helping to ensure that all students’ needs are being met appropriately.  

Science: After break, we will continue our physical science unit studying balance and motion.  We are currently working with different shapes and strategies to see how weights and counterweights effect balance.   

Social Studies: We are working on Geography as we learn to use a compass rose, map keys and legends to read and create maps.

Word Study/Spelling: This TUESDAY's spelling test will be on the 20 NO EXCUSE WORDS.    We will take a new pretest on Wednesday, January 9th to determine our new words and a new homework packet will come home too.  

Weekly Peek...

Monday:  PE, Awards Assembly @ 2:00
Tuesday: Music, homework due, spelling test, Crazy Sock Day

WINTER BREAK-WINTER BREAK

Thursday (1/3/13): Art
Friday: PE, Happy Birthday Anthony!

Saturday: Happy Birthday Brandon!


Upcoming Events:
Winter break:  Dec. 19th - January 2nd (Kids return on Thursday, January 3rd)

Congratulations to Alaina, Brandon and Sidney!! They all have art on display at the Carbon Valley Library in Firestone during the month of December.

Please make sure you and your child have discussed his/her report card that came home on Friday. All of the paperwork is yours to keep. The empty envelope needs to be signed and returned no later than Wednesday.

Our Holiday Shop will be here this week!! If your child would like to purchase gifts from the shop, we will be shopping on Wednesday. Students just need to bring in the envelope filled out with their information and the money that they are going to spend.

This week we will be working closely with our 5th grade buddies. On Monday, our class will be spending the day with Mrs. Wickett’s 5th grade class, and they will spend the day with us on Wednesday. This will allow both teachers to conduct mid-year reading assessments.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are wrapping up our learning about Historical Fiction genres and the reading strategy Making Inferences as we finish our theme Where People Live and take theme test 5.

Writing: Our writing focus is writing for readers, as we work to ensure that all writing is accurate in capitalization, punctuation and spelling.

Math: We are continuing our short unit on measurement. Students are working on using centimeters and inches to accurately measure lengths as well as perimeters of shapes. We will be taking our unit test on Friday. When we return from break we will be moving onto double digit addition.

Science: We have begun our physical science unit studying balance and motion. We are working with different shapes and strategies to see how weights and counterweights effect balance.

Social Studies: Students are working on our current character trait of Honesty.

Word Study/Spelling: This Wednesday's spelling test will be on words with the AL vowel pattern (talk, always). Our new focus will be a review of 20 No Excuse Words that we have worked on the past several months. We chose the words that students continue to struggle with the most. This test will be on Tuesday, December 18th.



Weekly Peek...

Monday: Buddy Day with Mrs. Wickett's Class
Tuesday: Art, Happy Birthday Julian!
Wednesday: PE, Library, Computer, Holiday Shop
Thursday: Music
Friday: Art



Upcoming Events:
Winter break: Dec. 19th - January 2nd

Reminder: Holiday book orders are DUE MONDAY! If you would like to keep your purchase(s) secret, please let me know!

We are nearing the end of our annual canned food drive. We appreciate all the continued support as we work to collect items for our local families in need.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are learning about Historical Fiction genres and the reading strategy Making Inferences as we continue our theme Where People Live. Our vocabulary words will be crossing, rural, build, purpose, social, and urban.

Writing: Our writing focus is writing for readers, as we work to ensure that all writing is accurate in capitalization, punctuation and spelling.

Math: We have begun a short unit on measurement. Students are working on using centimeters and inches to accurately measure lengths as well as perimeters of shapes.

Science: With our solar system research complete, we will begin our physical science unit of Balance and Motion.

Social Studies: Students are working on our current character trait of Honesty.

Word Study/Spelling: This Wednesday's spelling test will be on words with the AU and AW vowel patterns. Our new focus of words with the AL vowel pattern (talk, always) will begin on Wednesday.

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Art
Tuesday: PE
Wednesday: Late Start (11:10), Library, Computer
Thursday: Art
Friday: PE



Upcoming Events:
Holiday Shop: December 12th

Thank you so much to all of the volunteers that joined us for Thursday's field trip.  The kids and I had a GREAT time and we couldn’t have done it without your help. Thanks!!

We have a new at home reading program to share with our families. The MyOn reading program allows students to access thousands of books online, at their reading level.  Students have been trained on the program this week and were sent general info and login information in their Friday folders.  This coming week would be a great time to get started on this program with your child! MyOn.com

Over break we are encouraging students to continue to read and practice their math facts to help keep them in the routine of school. Every child that reads for at least 7 days and fills up his/her math card, they will earn the reward of eating lunch in the classroom with friends and myself. Reading books from the MyOn program can count as daily reading - you may simply write MyOn in the title section of the reading log.  Also, a new homework packet and spelling list will come home after the break, on Wednesday the 28th.

Our Penny Harvest is complete and now we are waiting to see what the school’s grand total is.....stay tuned. Thanks again for all of your support!!

We are also working on our annual canned food drive. Thank you in advance for anything you can donate as we collect items for families in need this winter.  We are well on our way to a goal of 200 items!  Thanks to all who have helped so far, and to all those that can contribute after the break!!

Weekly Peek when we return...

Monday: PE
Tuesday: Music
Wednesday: Art, Library, and Computer
Thursday: PE
Friday: Music
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!!

Field Trip: This Thursday is our field trip to The Denver Museum of Nature and Science! Please remember to send the permission slip and fee of $8.00 by Monday. We also need the pink note indicating whether you would like to have the school provide a free sack lunch or if your child is planning on bringing his/her own cold lunch on that day.

Thank you so much to all of the Grandparents and family members that attended our annual lunch on Thursday. We also owe a huge thanks to our cafeteria staff and all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make this day a success!

Homework will continue to come home on Wednesdays after the break (11/28), however, we will NOT be sending a homework packet for break.  Students will be responsible for their reading logs and continuing to practice their math facts over the break. First trimester grades will be based on the expectation that students are expected to know at least 20 addition and 20 subtraction facts in 3 minutes.

Penny Harvest: Our Penny Harvest is wrapping up! Keep those pennies (or any other coins) coming as we work to raise money for others in need. This is our LAST week to collect coins.

We have also begun our annual canned food drive. Thank you in advance for anything you can donate as we collect items for families in need this winter.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are learning about Historical Fiction genres and the reading strategy Making Inferences as we begin our new theme Where People Live. Our vocabulary words will be crossing, rural, build, purpose, social, and urban.

Writing: This week in writing, students will have an end of trimester assessment, will be writing about our field trip and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Math: We are wrapping up Unit 3. The Unit 3 assessment grades will be based on a clear use of a correct equation, proof picture, label and answer for various story problems. When we return from break, we will begin our new unit on Measurement.

Science: We continue working on publishing our research of the solar system.  Each partnership or team is typing their research as we work to create an informative model of the solar system to display.

Social Studies: Students are learning about the responsibilities of the President. We are also researching a few different Presidents.

Word Study/Spelling: This Wednesday's spelling test will be on words with the UE and EW vowel pattern. A new list will come home on the Wednesday AFTER break.

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Beginning of 2nd Trimester
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Library, Computer, Homework is Due, Spelling Test
Thursday: Field Trip, PTA Meeting at 6:30p.m.
Friday: No School



Upcoming Events:
No School: November 16 - November 25

A huge thanks to Robert van der Hoeven for joining us as a WatchDOG this past Thursday!  We loved having him and encourage all dads (uncles and grandfathers) to consider spending a day at school!

Field Trip: Second graders will be going to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Thursday, November 15th. A permission slip with more information will be coming home on Monday.

Grandparents' Day  We look forward to seeing lots of Grandparents at our annual lunch on Thursday.  Our class will have lunch at 11:10.  Tickets may be purchased in the office for $3.00.

Our class earned 1000 Frederick Five hands and we have earned the reward of having Pajama Day. Yahoo!!! Pajama Day will be on Friday, November 9th.

Don't forget the change with Wednesday’s homework. Each week students will now need to practice their addition and subtraction math facts as part of their weekly homework. They can practice their facts online or using the flash cards that we handed out at conferences. One possible website is: http://www.mathfactcafe.com/worksheet/flashcard

Each week this will need to be turned in by Wednesday. We are looking for 6 signatures - 3 addition and 3 subtraction.

Penny Harvest: Our Penny Harvest is going strong! Keep those pennies (or any other coins) coming as we work to raise money for others in need. We will be collecting pennies until November 15th.

We have also begun our annual canned food drive.  Thank you in advance for anything you can donate as we collect items for families in need this winter.  

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are learning about Expository genres and the reading strategy Determining Importance as we continue our unit The Sun. Our vocabulary words will be daily, orbit, solar, ray, rotate, and position. 
We are wrapping up Theme 4 and will be taking the test this week.

Writing: We are wrapping up our work on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. Students will be writing a final small moment of the unit as we assess for a lead (topic sentence), mighty middle (3 or more details) and a satisfying ending (concluding sentence).

Math: We continue working on story problems in Unit 3. Students are working on reading a story problem, correctly identifying the equation, and drawing a proof picture to match. We will be taking the Unit 3 test at the end of this week on Friday.  Grades will be based on being able to clearly use a correct equation, proof picture, label and answer with each story problem.  All classes will also be taking the Galileo Math Test which is an assessment of skills learned during our first trimester.

Science: We are working on publishing our research of the solar system. All students have chosen part of the solar system to research with a partner or small team.

Social Studies: The presidential election is our focus in Social Studies. Students are learning about the election process and the importance of being an educated voter through a mock election of popular Angry Birds characters!

Word Study/Spelling: This Wednesday's spelling test will be on words ending in Y.  Our new focus on the UE and EW vowel pattern (blue and knew) will begin on Wednesday and be tested the following week.

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Happy Birthday to Kylee AND Dante!
Tuesday: Galileo Math Test
Wednesday: LATE START (School begins at 11:10), Library, Homework is DUE, Spelling Test
Thursday: Grandparents’ Day @ 11:10
Friday: Pajama Day



Upcoming Events:
Field Trip: November 15th
PTA Meeting: November 15th at 6:30
No School: November 16 - November 25

Congratulations to Kalob for being our Responsibility Character Kid this month! 

There will be a new change with Wednesday’s homework. Each week students will now need to practice their addition and subtraction math facts as part of their homework. They can practice their facts online or using the flash cards that we handed out at conferences. One possible website is: http://www.mathfactcafe.com/worksheet/flashcard

The Believe Fundraiser items will arrive this Friday, November 2nd.  If your child sold a lot of items, please make arrangements to pick them up after school on Friday. Thanks again for all of your support!!

Schedule Change: Now that library and computer class has changed to Wednesdays, we will also be changing our homework schedule in order to reduce the impact of instruction time. Beginning this Wednesday, October 31st, homework will come home each Wednesday and be due the following Wednesday. Spelling tests will also be given on Wednesdays beginning November 7th.

Halloween: Students are allowed to wear costumes on Halloween, as long as they are appropriate for school (no blood, gore or weapons). We will be having lunch together in the classroom on that day. If you would like to send treats, we have 27 students and would appreciate your consideration of some more healthy snacks (crackers, pretzels, cheese, fruit, veggies, etc.) as we know the kids get plenty of candy on that day!

Penny Harvest: Our Penny Harvest is going strong! Keep those pennies (or any other coins) coming as we work to raise money for others in need.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are learning about Expository genres and the reading strategy Determining Importance as we continue our unit The Sun. Our vocabulary words will be daily, orbit, solar, ray, rotate, and position. 


Writing: We are wrapping up our work on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. Students will be writing a final small moment of the unit as we assess for a lead (topic sentence), mighty middle (3 or more details) and a satisfying ending (concluding sentence).

Math: We have begun working on story problems in Unit 3. Students are working on reading a story problem, correctly identifying the equation, and drawing a proof picture to match.

Science: We have begun our research of the solar system. All students have chosen part of the solar system to research with a partner or small team.

Social Studies: The presidential election is our focus in Social Studies. Students are learning about the election process and the importance of being an educated voter through a mock election of popular Angry Birds characters!

Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focus will be words ending with Y (try, really, family).



Weekly Peek...

Monday: Art
Tuesday: PE
Wednesday: Music, Library, Computer, Homework/Spelling comes home, Say Boo To Drugs (wear Halloween costumes)
Thursday: Art
Friday: PE



Upcoming Events:
Late Start: November 7th - School begins at 11:10
Grandparents’ Day: November 8th.
PTA Meeting: November 15th at 6:30

Red Ribbon Week: This week is an opportunity for us to make our students aware of the dangers of drug use as well as prevention in their own lives and the lives of those around them. Students will be discussing different topics ranging from drug abuse, awareness, and prevention, as well as dressing up for different “theme” days throughout the week (see the Weekly Peek for the dress up schedule).

Schedule Change: Now that library and computer classes have changed to Wednesdays, we will also be changing our homework schedule in order to reduce the impact of instruction time. Beginning Wednesday, October 31st, homework will come home each Wednesday and be due the following Wednesday. Spelling tests will also be given on Wednesdays beginning November 7th.

Halloween: Students are allowed to wear costumes on Halloween, as long as they are appropriate for school (no blood, gore or weapons). We will be having lunch together in the classroom on that day. If you would like to send treats, we have 27 students and would appreciate your consideration of some more healthy snacks (crackers, pretzels, cheese, fruit, veggies, etc.) as we know the kids get plenty of candy on that day!

Penny Harvest: Our Penny Harvest is going strong! Keep those pennies (or any other coins) coming as we work to raise money for others in need.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are learning about Expository genres and the reading strategy Determining Importance as we begin our new unit The Sun. Our vocabulary words will be daily, orbit, solar, ray, rotate, and position.

Writing: We continue our work on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. We are really focusing on ensuring that our stories have a strong lead (topic sentence), mighty middle (3 or more details) and a satisfying ending (concluding sentence).

Math: We have begun working on story problems in Unit 3. Students are working on reading a story problem, correctly identifying the equation, and drawing a proof picture to match. Keep practicing those math facts - they are essential in successfully solving the story problems!

Science: We continue our study of the moon and an extension to the solar system. All students are encouraged to observe the progress of the lunar faces each night, as we track the progression in class.

Social Studies: The presidential election is our focus in Social Studies. Students are learning about the election process and the importance of being an educated voter through a mock election of popular Angry Birds characters!

Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focus is a short vowel followed by CK. (lock, pack, sick).



Weekly Peek...

Monday: PE, Give Drugs the Slip (wear your favorite bedroom slippers)
Tuesday: Music, Picture Retakes, Hats Off to Being Drug-Free (wear a crazy hat or any hat)
Wednesday: Art, I’m Too Bright For Drugs (wear sunglasses), Grandparents’ Day homework DUE (on the back of the spelling list)
Thursday: PE, Living Drug-Free Is No Sweat (wear sweatshirts and sweat pants)
Friday: Music, Team Up Against Drugs (wear your favorite team jersey/shirts)



Upcoming Events:
Grandparents’ Day will be November 8th.
Wednesday, October 31st - Say “Boo” To Drugs (wear Halloween costumes)

Exciting News!!!  Our class is so proud to have received TWO gold stars this week!  We have a "secret agent" in our building searching for classes that are demonstrating Frederick Five behaviors throughout the day.  Last week, our class was selected for our hallway AND cafeteria behavior!  We also received 50 hands to add to our class total!!   

Due to scheduling conflicts, we have made a change in our weekly schedule.  We are now moving our computer and library days to WEDNESDAYS, beginning this week.

Payback Books: Thanks again to everyone who has supported our fundraisers this fall. We still have a number of students who have not returned the sample Payback Book. Please remember that the sample book, or the money, must be turned in this week.

Penny Harvest: Our student council is hosting our first Penny Harvest in which students will be bringing in pennies to raise money for others in need. We watched a short video in class (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq_YPNuUhE0&feature=em-share_video_user) to introduce the project, and our class has suggested donating money to create care packages for military troops serving overseas.  All classrooms will be brainstorming ideas for how the money should be distributed, and student council will be making the final decision(s).  (Plus, the first class to fill their bag will earn a pajama day!)


What are we learning this week?

Reading: We will be wrapping up theme 3, The Moon in Motion, and will take our theme test at the end of the week.  We will be moving onto The Sun as we continue to work on the genre of Mysteries and the reading strategy Asking Questions. Our vocabulary words are fascinate, exploration, journal, measure, calendar, and interval. 


Writing: We continue our work on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. We are really focusing on ensuring that our stories have a strong lead (topic sentence), mighty middle (3 or more details) and a satisfying ending (concluding sentence).

Math: We took our Unit 2 Geometry test this past week and will be starting our new unit on Monday. Unit 3 is our story problem unit in which students will be working on reading a story problem, correctly identifying the equation, and drawing a proof picture to match. Some students will be switching teachers for math beginning on Tuesday. While all classes will be working on the same unit, this will allow us to further ensure that all needs are being met.

Remember to keep practicing those math facts!  We test each week to track our progress as we work toward our goals. Homework will soon include a weekly practice with addition and subtraction facts. Be watching for this change in the upcoming weekly homework.

Science: We continue our study of the moon and an extension to the solar system. All students are encouraged to observe the progress of the lunar faces each night, as we track the progression in class.

Social Studies: The presidential election is fast approaching and this will be our new focus in Social Studies. Students will be learning about the election process and the importance of being an educated voter.

Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focuses are the R controlled vowel sounds of IR and UR (bird, turn).



Weekly Peek...

Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, Library, Computer
Thursday: Music
Friday: Art



Upcoming Events:
Grandparents’ Day will be on November 8th this year.

Thank you so much to all who have attended conferences the past two weeks!  This was such a valuable time to celebrate your child’s progress and to set goals for the year. We will have conferences again in January, but please feel free to contact me ANYTIME that questions or concerns may arise.

Don’t forget! Our Payback Books fundraiser ends MONDAY. All students need to return the white envelope with any orders and money. If you did not sell a book - no problem! Simply return the sample book along with the envelope. If you have sold one or more books, please keep the sample book and any additional books you need will be sent home.

October 7 - 13th is National Fire Prevention Week! Every family is encouraged to take the time to discuss / review fire safety in your home, as well as your home exit plan. This is also a good time to make sure your child knows your phone number and home address.

On Thursday, our class will celebrate earning 500 Frederick Five hands with a 30 minute game time.  Students are welcome to bring a favorite game from home to share. We continue to earn hands daily for demonstrating the character traits of respect, responsibility, honesty, caring and citizenship. Our next goal is 1,000 hands in order to earn a pajama day!

What are we learning this week?

Reading: Theme 3 is The Moon in Motion. Your student will be working on the genre of Mysteries and the reading strategy Asking Questions with Mrs. Blake.  Our vocabulary words will be fascinate, exploration, journal, measure, calendar, and interval. 


Writing: We continue our work on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. We are really focusing on ensuring that our stories have a strong lead (topic sentence), mighty middle (3 or more details) and a satisfying ending (concluding sentence).

Math: This week we will conclude our short geometry unit which has brought many new vocabulary words including square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, parallelogram, quadrilateral, polygon, cube, sphere, cylinder, prism and pyramid. Remember to keep practicing those math facts. We test each week to track our progress as we work toward our goals.

Science: We are beginning our study of the moon with a focus on the surface conditions and phases of the moon. All students are encouraged to observe the progress of the lunar faces each night!

Social Studies: Your students continue the study of laws, rights, civic responsibilities, and citizenship with Mrs. Mercier.
 This supports our focus on the Character trait of Responsibility.

Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focuses are the R controlled vowel sounds of OR and AR (corn, part).



Weekly Peek...

Monday: P.E., PAYBACK book envelopes and unsold books DUE
Tuesday: Music
Wednesday: Art
Thursday: P.E., Game Day (30 minute reward for earning 500 class hands!)
Friday: NO SCHOOL, Happy Birthday Dillon!




Our Payback Books fundraiser has begun. Students will be selling coupon books that are good for so many great places in our area!! Good luck!

Monday is our official October Count day. It is extremely important that all students are at school Monday as this count helps to determine funding and programing for our school.

We celebrated earning our first 250 class hands on Friday with an extra recess! We have also just met our goal of 500 hands which we will celebrate with a 30 minute game time in the next week or so!

Our first book order was sent home on Friday. Please remember that there is never any pressure to buy, but simply offered as an easy way to get some new books. Remember, you can order on-line with our classroom code (FMBJY), or submit orders directly to me. All orders are due next Friday, Oct. 5th.

We really need your ideas for a name for our new K8 next year. The deadline has been extended to October 4th.

What are we learning this week?


Reading: We took our 2nd theme test this week and will be starting theme 3, The Moon in Motion. Your students will also be working on the genre of Mysteries and the reading strategy Asking Questions with Mrs. Blake. Our vocabulary words will be fascinate, exploration, journal, measure, calendar, and interval. 


Writing: We continue our work on personal narratives as we write our small moment stories. This allows us to take just one moment of a special time, and really give it detail so it becomes a wonderful story!


Math: We have started our new unit of geometry. We are discussing 2D and 3D shapes, including squares, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, pentagons, parallelogram, quadrilaterals, and much more! We continue to work on making fast tens, breaking apart numbers and relating concepts of addition and subtraction. 
 Remember to keep practicing those math facts!! We test each week to track our progress as we work toward our goals.

Science: Last week we took our end of the unit test on the parts of, and the life cycle of plants. We will now take a brief break from life sciences in order to tie into our Rigby lessons with the study of the moon.


Social Studies: Your students have been studying laws, rights, civic responsibilities, and citizenship with Mrs. Mercier.
 This supports our monthly Character Kid focus of Responsibility.

Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focus is the long U sound created by UE or UI (clue, fruit).



Weekly Peek...


Monday: Music
Tuesday: Conferences (Art)
Wednesday: LATE START - school begins at 11:10
Thursday: Conferences (Music)
Friday: Book Orders are DUE (Art)



Looking ahead:


Conferences continue this week (10/2, 10/4). I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress and set new goals for the year. If the time does not work for you, just let me know and we can find a time that will.



Tues. 10/2
3:20 Sidney
3:40 Diego
6:50 Anthony

Thurs. 10/4
5:05 Heaven
5:20 Yarely
6:35 Kalob
6:50 Kylee

There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, Oct. 12th. 

Have a GREAT week!

Congratulations to Vincent for being chosen as our Respect Character Kid of the Month.  He will get to enjoy lunch with Mr. Steele and Dr. Musick on Thursday.  Way to go Vincent!!

Thank you so much to Chico Garcia for spending the day with us on Monday as our first WatchDOG!  It is our hope that he is just the first of many dads (or grandpas, or uncles, or...) to commit to joining us for a day!

A huge thanks to our amazing PTA for sponsoring the Colorado Rockies Assembly last Monday. Dinger and the team shared great messages of staying in school, getting involved, saying no to drugs and Respect.  Please make sure you take the time to discuss these important topics and complete the question page with your child.  Don't forget to return it to school so s/he can get the Rockies poster!

We really need your help in naming the new K-8 school next year.  The deadline has been extended to October 4th, so get those ideas in.


What are we learning this week?

Reading: The class had fun coming up with similes in Mrs. Blake's class (The pool was as cold as an iceberg.). We continue to work on making connections and visual images to texts. We have also begun working on the genre of personal narratives, which is the focus of our writing as well.  Our current vocabulary focus words are member, rely, role, identity, sibling, and symbol.

Writing: We are working on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. This allows us to take just one moment of a special time, and really give it detail so it becomes a wonderful story!

Math: We will have our first unit test in math this week. We will continue to work on making fast tens, breaking apart teen numbers and relating concepts of addition and subtraction.
 Basic addition and subtraction facts continue to be a main focus.  Twenty-one of our students met the goal of increasing their timed facts test score by at least four correct answers this week!!!!!!!!  Keep up the great work!

Science: We are observing our wheat seeds in order to continue our studies of the parts of a plant, the plant life cycle and what plants need in order to survive and adapt to their environment.


Social Studies: Your students have been studying laws, rights, responsibilities, and citizenship with Mrs. Mercier.


Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focus is the long O sound created by OA or OW (boat, know).


Weekly Peek...

Monday: Fundraiser Packets DUE!  Happy Birthday Misael!  (Art)

Tuesday: PE
Wednesday: Conferences, Hearing and Vision Screening, (Music)
Thursday: Art

Friday: PE, Library and Computer

Looking ahead:

Parent / Teacher conferences begin this week (9/26, 10/2, 10/4). I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress and set new goals for the year.  Please return the pink schedule form on Monday if you haven't already done so!

Wed. 9/26
4:05 Diego
4:20 Aiysis
4:50 Julian
5:05 Jonathon
5:20 Alaina
5:35 Dillon
6:20 Justin
6:35 Vincent
6:50 Vicky
7:05 Zanna
7:20 Rylee

Tues. 10/2
3:20 Sidney
6:50 Anthony

Thurs. 10/4
5:05 Heaven
5:20 Yarely
6:35 Kalob
6:50 Kylee


There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, Oct. 12th. 


Have a GREAT week!

What are we learning this week?
Reading: We are working on making visual images to texts.  We have also begun working on the genre of personal narratives which is the focus of our writing as well.

Writing: We are working on personal narratives through writing small moment stories. This allows us to take just one moment of a special time, and really give it detail so it becomes a wonderful story!

Math: We continue working on making fast tens, breaking apart teen numbers and relating concepts of addition and subtraction.

Science: We are planting wheat seeds in order to continue our studies of the parts of a plant, the plant life cycle and what plants need in order to survive and adapt to their environment.
Social Studies: Your students have been studying the different communities: rural, urban, and suburban with Mrs. Mercier.
Word Study/Spelling: This week's spelling focus is the long E sound created by EE or EA (jeep, peach).

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Wear your purple and black!! Happy Birthday Alaina!(P.E.)
Tuesday: Picture Day…..Smile!! (Music)

Wednesday: Art

Thursday: P.E.

Friday: Fundraising packets are DUE!! (Music, Library, Computer)

Notes:
Remember, a spelling list will come home with the homework packet each Friday and tests will be given the following Friday. Each week your child has 12 words to study, based on our pretest. On Friday, all students take a test of all 20 words from the week, but your child's grade is based entirely on his/her individual list (which will be highlighted on the test).  It is important that you and your child make practicing the spelling words a regular routine at home. Each week there will be a new word pattern, as well as 4 "No Excuse" words that students see, and are expected to use, in their daily reading and writing.  Please review the Spelling Tab to get additional information and ideas for helping your child study at home.

Homework will continue to come home on Friday and will not be due until the following Friday. If your child is ready to turn in the homework before Friday, please make sure the spelling words are written down at home, in order to continue practicing through the week. Also, there will always be a back side to the spelling page. Many students forgot to complete the back side, or failed to turn it in at all this week. Please help your child to remember that all 3 pages will need to be turned in at the same time in order for the homework packet to be considered complete.  

We are excited to welcome Dinger, from the Colorado Rockies on Monday.  Our wonderful PTA has arranged an assembly (2:00-3:00) that we're all looking forward to!

Friday is the LAST DAY to turn in fundraising packets. Thank you so much for all of your support on this. Remember, each time your child sells 5 items, s/he can bring a signed coupon from the packet to receive a reward necklace!

Looking ahead:
Teacher conferences are right around the corner (9/26, 10/2, 10/4). I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress and set new goals for the year. Please return the pink conference form indicating that you can make it for your scheduled time. If the time does not work for you, just let me know and we can find a time that will.

Vision and hearing screening will take place on Wed., Sept. 26th.

There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, Oct. 12th.

Have a GREAT week!

We have begun our weekly spelling program. Lists will come home, with the homework packet, each Friday and tests will be given the following Friday.  Please review the Spelling Tab to get additional information and ideas for helping your child study at home.  This week's spelling focus is the long A sound created by AI or AY (rain, play).  Remember, the last 4 words on your child's list are NO EXCUSE WORDS and won't follow any particular pattern.

Our school fundraiser has begun! This year, the money raised will go to support the AVID for Adventure program scheduled for next Spring.  Sales will go through September 21st. GOOD LUCK!!!  Also, don't forget to help raise additional money for our school, by sending in all of your Box Tops and Campbell's Labels.  Anything you can contribute helps and is greatly appreciated!!!

Please return the yellow, conference scheduling note no later than this Wednesday. I look forward to meeting with you in the next couple weeks!

CALLING ALL DADS!!  We have begun our second year of WatchDOGS (Dads of Great Students) and we need you!  WatchDOGS is a program focused on getting more male role models in our building.  We ask all dads (as well as grandpas, uncles, etc.) to commit to spending a day at school this year.  You will have the opportunity to interact with students at recess, lunch and throughout the school, as well as spend time in your child(ren)'s classroom(s).  Please sign up on the calendar in the front hallway, or just let me know what day you would like to come!  

DON'T FORGET!!  Our first K-8 information meeting is THIS THURSDAY (Sept. 13th) at 6:00.  Come find out what's happening as we prepare for the big changes next year!  You will have an opportunity to get information and have your questions answered by various district staff, as well as provide your input on many important issues.  Childcare will be provided!

Science Notes:  Thanks to all of you that are supporting potentially crazy experiments on the grass and alfalfa plants your child brought home this week!  We are still looking for different seeds to study - please keep searching for those and sending them in!

August 31, 2012

It was great to see so many families at our information night last night! We were glad to share our school updates and 2nd grade information with many of you.

This week, we successfully learned and practiced our new reading rotations. Monday through Thursday, every child will be seen by a teacher for reading instruction, along with a rotation schedule that also includes independent reading, centers, and seat work. The seat work that students are working on is always related to the books that they are reading in reading group to help strengthen comprehension.

Next Friday, September 7th, we will begin our spelling program. Spelling lists will go home on the 7th and the first test will be given the following Friday (Sept. 14th).

HELP! Due to an early onset of the sniffles, we are already running out of the few boxes of Kleenex that were donated. If you can help us by donating a box or more, we would greatly appreciate it! 

Dates to Remember:

There will be no school on Monday, September 3rd, in honor of Labor Day.

Tuesday - Happy Birthday Rylee!!

Wednesday, September 5th is our first Late Start day. School begins at 11:10.

We have our Believe Kids Assembly on Friday, September 7th. This will be the kickoff to our school wide fundraiser.

August 26, 2012

We have been working on learning and understanding the expected Frederick Five behaviors throughout our day at school. Please check your child's Friday Folder for an outline of these expectations. All families are asked to review these behaviors and return the signed contract this week.

Homework also came home in your child's Friday folder. A homework packet will be sent each Friday and will not be due until the following Friday. If the homework packet is complete, it can be turned in at any time during the week. Homework will typically consist of 2-3 pages, in addition to home reading and weekly spelling practice (which will begin soon!).

Home reading begins tomorrow, MONDAY, AUGUST 27th. Students should be reading "just right" books, for 20 minutes Monday - Friday, followed by a comprehension check. You can click on the HOMEWORK tab to review my expectations and policies in regard to both homework and home reading.

This Thursday, August 30th, will be our Parent Information Update Night at 5:30. We hope you can join us! Following the school wide presentation, the Second Grade team will be covering our policies and routines for the year as well as giving families a chance to ask any questions they may have.

Please be sure to check the IMPORTANT DATES tab - it includes information about upcoming events, as well as the days we have P.E., so students know to wear those tennis shoes!


Friendly Reminders:
There will be no school on September 3rd in honor of Labor Day.

Thursday, September 13th will be our first Community Information night about our move to becoming a K - 8 next year. Please plan to come learn about the plans for this change as well as give your input on many different aspects!

August 20, 2012

Be sure to mark your calendars!!

Thursday, August 30th will be our Parent Information Update Night.  Please watch for more information to come about this very important evening.

Thursday, September 13th will be our first Community Information night about our move to becoming a K - 8 next year.  Please plan to come learn about the plans for this change as well as give your input on many different aspects!

August 16, 2012

Parents and Family Members

1.  Please complete the front AND back of the pink blog information page tonight before you leave.

2.  The folder on your child’s desk may be taken home.  Please return the folder and completed paperwork by MONDAY.

3.  I look forward to working with you this year!  Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to volunteer this year.