Open House and Matter

 Thank you some much for attending your child's Open House. It was a pleasure seeing you again and telling you all about our classroom. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask!

We have had a great time learning and exploring matter this week. We shared our matter homework and got to look at what all of the other second graders brought in. As I am sure you heard, we did an experiment this week called the "Magic Balloon". We were learning about gases and how they take up spaceWe also discussed mixtures. I wondered if adding more liquid would change what happened to the balloon-boy did ever. The balloon went flying! we will continue to study matter and how it changes next week.

Our Mission Statement,Science Lab, and Healthy Food Choices

This week we put together our classroom mission statement. This went along perfectly with Habit #2: Begin With The End In Mind. All of the students had input and together they came up with what was most important to them in our classroom, how we will treat each other and what we want to say we have accomplished by the end of the  year. Our mission statement will take place f traditional classroom rules. If all students do as our mission statement says, we can't help but be leaders!

We continue to work on place value in math. This week we learned how to play a game called Bull's Eye. Ask your child about it. You may even be able to create your own playing board at home!

If your  child has been extra picky about their snack and dinner choices it may be my fault! We have been discussing healthy and unhealthy food choices. Second grade students are responsible for being able to distinguish between the two. This fits perfectly with Habit #2. Of course we want them to grow up to be healthy adults!

We had our first visit to the science Lab. The students reviewed the rules and noted differences between a sloppy scientist and a prepared scientist. We met the new pet snake and checked on the gardens from last year.

In class we are learning about the three forms of matter. Don't forget to send in your child's examples of each by Monday!

Place Value , Read to Self, and Word Work

This week in math our focus has been on Place Value. The students are responsible for reading and writing 3 digit numbers using base ten blocks, number words, and expanded form.We practiced this standard in a variety of ways. We created place value houses, rolled numbers to build using dice,made our initials out of ones and tens, and we ate ones tens and hundreds. We will continue working and building on this standard for the first 9 weeks.

In Language Arts we practiced using out Words Their Way books. Our first sort was initial consonant blends. The students worked all week learning br, tr,sm,sk,and dr words. We played memory, did word work, and quizzed each other. Working with words is one of the Daily 5 activities your child will participate in.

Another component of the Daily 5 is Read to Self. Students learned how to choose a "good fit book". They also learned the 3 ways to read a book (pictures, words, retelling). We are working on our stamina. So far we have read for 9 minutes without any interruption! Our goal is 20.

Reminders

Here are a few quick reminders:

• Please initial agendas each day.
• Check orange take home folders daily.
• Send any transportation changes in writing in agendas or orange folder.
• Pack your child a healthy snack.
• Letter Home Journals will come home each Friday and are to be returned the following Monday.
• Our lunch time is 10:54. You are welcome to eat with your child.
• If your child is going to participate in any enrichment programs, please let me know the program and when it starts.
• As soon as your child is done with their library book, send it back in so they can check out another. (We will go to the library this Thursday). 
• If you would like to volunteer in the classroom, I need help first thing Monday mornings. I can also use take home help( cutting, sharpening pencils...) on occasion if you can't come in.

First Week of School

We have had a fantastic, fun, and busy first week of school. The students have been learning our routines and their roles. We have done a lot of group and team building activities. We started to develop our classroom mission statement and learned the first Habit of Happy Kids: Be Proactive. In math the students completed a Math about Me project and we learned how to complete math journals.

Please be sure  to check your child's orange folder and agenda daily. Send important notes or papers in the folder and sign the agenda each day. Today your child wrote their first letter home to you. Please read the letter and respond.Send the Letter Home Journal back on Monday. Thanks for your support! We are off to a great start!

Nice To Meet You

It was so nice to meet everyone this morning at Meet and Greet. I can't wait to get to know you and your children better. Please read over the material in the Cobb County folders and turn in sheets as you complete them. Thanks!

Meet and Greet

I look forward to meeting with you on Tuesday, August 6th. Meet and Greet will be from 7:30 to 9:30 am. If you have them, please bring your child's school supplies. You will have the opportunity to register and pay for ASP, Lunch, and after school enrichment programs. Also, please consider joining our PTA and Foundation. See you soon!