Spring Break is Here!

Happy Friday!

I hope you have had a wonderful week!  We have had a great week in 2nd grade!  There is information about our fun activities for the week, as well as our plan for after Spring Break

RBE Mission: Rock Bridge Elementary is a community of lifelong learners where everyone learns in a safe, supportive environment.

RBE Motto: Everyone learns at RBE!

No Friday Folders
There are no Friday folders this week.  The next Friday folder will come home on Friday, April 7.

Reading with the Stars

• Here is the entire day of Live Feed from our Reading with the Stars event.  You can "fast forward" to see the sessions the kids didn't get to see or if there were any they really enjoyed and want to watch again.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbKoMaiG-w4

Fun Events from the Week

• James and the Giant Peach watch party

• The kids really enjoyed the watch party.  We had a great discussion about the similarities and differences between the movie and the book.
• Bugz Play by 1st Grade
• The first graders performed a Bugz musical on Thursday.  It was very cute.  We have some very talented students!




• MakerSpace



















• Today in MakerSpace, the students enjoyed playing different games together.
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• Brain Cap

 Our normal picture.  :)

Our thinking picture.  :)
• We learned about the Nervous system this week and the students created "Brain Caps" with facts about the brain
• Sick Day




• We had a great class celebration today.  The students enjoyed being "sick" at school.  :)
• "Local" Authors




• Addi wrote a book and it was illustrated by Avery.  They shared it with the class.

• Alice wrote a book and shared it with the class.

• Lexi read Sometimes You Barf for Sick Day
• Famous People Posters




• During intervention, two of the groups have been studying famous Americans.  Today they shared their posters with the class.
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• Mrs. Howard's Award

• Mrs. Howard was named Teacher of the Year by Columbia Fund for Excellence. Congratulations to Mrs. Howard, this is a great honor and we are lucky to have her at RBE!

Field Trips
We have some upcoming field trips.  The dates and approximate times are below.

• Wednesday, April 5: TRYPS Performance for James and the Giant Peach at Macklanburg Playhouse on Stephens College Campus
• We will be gone from approximately 8:45-11:00.
• We have moved our lunch time back on this day to make sure students have plenty of time to eat.
• Wednesday, April 12: We Are Always Swing presentation at Hickman High School
• We will be gone from approximately 8:45-10:45.
• Tuesday, May 2: Runge Nature Center in Jeff City
• More information will be coming home about this after Spring Break.
• Parents can chaperone this field trip if you would like to join us.  
• There will be a place on the permission slip to indicate an interest in going.

Week After Spring Break

• Math
• Your student's math test should have come home yesterday.  If you haven't signed and returned it yet, please do so after Spring Break.
• Our next unit in math is measurement.  We will be working on identifying the proper unit (inch, foot, yard) for different objects, determining the difference in length between 2 items which will also allow them to practice their measuring skills.
• Reading
• We will continue taking notes on non fiction with body systems.  The week after Spring Break will be our last week doing body systems.
• The following week, we will be working on comparing texts.  We have been comparing James and the Giant Peach and Matilda through our read alouds.  We will also be comparing information found when researching to compare and contrast information from different sources.
• Writing
• Our next writing project will be a combination of informational and opinion writing.  The students will be creating a Would You Rather book.  They will be choosing from seasons, jobs, countries, pets, people or holidays as a general topic, then be choosing 2 specific topics to research and compare.  Once these are completed, we will be having a Showcase for parents/grandparents, etc. to come in and see all their wonderful work.  Our goal is to have this before the end of April.  We will let you know the date as it gets closer.  
• Science/Health
• We will continue working on our final body system.  We will be learning about the digestive system.  Its function, organs, how to keep it healthy and also how it helps other systems. 
• Grammar
• We will be doing a specific grammar lesson each week.  Our first focus will be on compound words.  Students will learning what are compound words and have an opportunity to sort compound words and not compound words, then creating different compound words.
• Spelling Words
• Our next group of spelling words focus on r-controlled vowels.  It is not required for students to practice their spelling words for homework, but the words are getting more challenging, so please encourage your child to study.  We work on them in class, but for some students, this isn't enough practice for them.  
• ar: dark, smart, harm
• ir: dirt, whirl, thirst
• or: north, porch, storm
• ur: burn, burst, hurt

Spring Break Pictures

• If you take any pictures of your student/family over Spring Break, whether it's a vacation or a stay-cation, that you would like to share, feel free to send them in the Monday after Spring Break.  We will display the pictures in the classroom. 

Have a fabulous Spring Break!

Mrs. Ross and Ms. Hackmann

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

I hope you have had a wonderful week!  We have been busy in Room 27!

Pledge on Clear 99

Our class (with 1st and the rest of 2nd) said the Pledge of Allegiance last Friday for Clear 99.  Our Pledge was on the radio this morning!  You can click here to hear us on the radio!

James & the Giant Peach Movie Viewing Party

As a reminder, we finished reading James & the Giant Peach a few weeks ago & will be watching the movie on Wednesday.  If you need an additional copy please let me know or you can find an electronic copy here.  If I have not received your child's permission slip I wrote a note in this week's Friday Folder.  Your child can bring a snack (peanut free) & a drink (no glass) to enjoy while they watch the movie.  Pick up time is 4:15.

RBE Mission & Motto

RBE has a new mission & motto!!!  Our mission is: Rock Bridge Elementary is a community of lifelong learners, where everyone learns in a safe, supportive environment.  Our motto is: Everyone learns at RBE! 

Parents & Principals

This month's Parents & Principals meeting is Wednesday, March 12 at 12:00 pm.  

Guest Reader

Alice's brother, Jack, was a special guest reader this week!  He earned enough stickers & chose to come to read to us - which was really nice!! :)  

 Summer School

As a reminder, enrollment for summer school is open now.  You can enroll your child online or on the enrollment paperwork that I handed out at conferences.  Summer school is a way to stay in the school routine during summer and continue to practice reading, writing and math skills.  Also, there are fun activities!  If you have any questions please let me know!

Next Year

I cannot believe that we only have a little over two months left together in your child's 2nd grade year!  Towards the end of  April all the 2nd grade teachers will be starting to make class placements for next year.  There is so much that goes into class placement!  We always think about which teacher will work best with each student, other students (who they would work well with & who they might not work the best with), etc.  There is a parent form that you may fill out if you would like to share teacher qualities that your child would work the best with, but please only list these qualities, as specific teachers cannot be requested.  If you would like one of these forms you must request these forms from the school office at RBE.  These forms are due by April 14.

Friday Folders

Make sure to check thoroughly through your child's Friday Folder this week.  

• There are several graded papers (spelling test, math review, etc.).  
• Texas Roadhouse Fundraising Night flyer.  You must present the flyer on either Monday, March 20th or Tuesday, March 21st from 4-10 pm, and RBE will receive 10% of your total food purchase.  In last week's Friday folder was a bookmark to be filled out at home if your student read 3 books, they receive a free kid's meal with the purchase of an adult meal.  Monday or Tuesday would be a great time to use this certificate!
• Next weekend MU Baseball will be playing Arkansas.  There is a voucher for 2 free admissions to one of the games.

What's Happening in 2nd Grade?

• Math: This week, we finished up our subtraction unit by taking our post-test today.  These tests will be coming home next week for you to review.  Please be on the lookout for them!  
• Next week, we will be reviewing what we have covered all this year.
• Reading: This week we have been working on reading nonfiction texts (in books and online) and watching informational videos to take notes.  This is an important skill for students to learn.
• Next week, we will continue to practice note taking skills.
• Word Study: This week our words were making focusing on making words plural that end in "y".  This was not an easy skill.  We talked about if a word only ended in "y" you must change the "y" to an "i" and then add "es" (example: pony to ponies).  However, if the word ended a vowel "y" all you had to do was add "s" (example: boy to boys).
• Next week, we will working on changing tenses of four different base words.  Please practice these words with your child.  I have included the base word and next week's spelling words below.  There are 12 spelling words instead of 10.  
• reply - replying, replies, replied
• study - studying, studies, studied
• enjoy - enjoying, enjoys, enjoyed 
• carry - carrying, carries, carried
• Writing: This week, we finished up our last reason in our opinion writing about the best place to live.  The last reason was our counter argument "______ is better than ______ because..."  Then we worked on revising and editing by using CUPS and ARMS.  We started publishing our opinion writing today!
• Next week, we will finish up publishing our writing and then start a fun opinion writing piece based on the book You Don't Want a Unicorn.
• Health: We have focused on the skeletal and muscular system this week.  We have learned SO many facts and talked about how these systems work together.  Your child should be able to tell you what organs make up these systems, what both of the systems do, how to keep these systems healthy, and some interesting/fun facts.   Make sure to ask your kiddo about what they have learned - you will be super impressed!!  
• Next week, we will continue to talk about the body systems, but we will be focusing on the nervous and the circulatory system.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mrs. Ross and Ms. Hackmann

Final Day of Reading Week!

Our last day of Read Week was a success!! All the kiddos looked great in all their flannel & pajamas today!

Reading With the Stars!

Mrs. McKinzie worked hard on securing local stars this year for RBE's 3rd Annual Reading With the Stars!! The kiddos were given clues to try to infer who the star is.  See if you can infer (use the clues and your own schema) who each of the stars that we saw today!!

Star Reader #1 Clues:

• I enjoy writing and grammar.
• I am usually at work when you are sleeping.
• My boss hired me to ask questions and tell everyone what I learned.
• I really like peacocks and sleeping in.

Drum Roll......Mrs. Angie Bailey.  Did you infer correctly?  She read to us Actual Size and Biggest, Strongest, Fastest.  Both of the books were nonfiction books about animals.

Star Reader #2 Clues:

• I have healing hands.
• I love Mountain Dew.
• I recently walked down a "Hall."

Ms. Mottaz's class was able to listen to read was Mr. Rex Sharp (Mrs. Sharp's husband - RBE's music teacher).  Mr. Sharp is the Associate Athletic Director of Sports Medicine at MU.  He was recently inducted into the Sports Medicine Hall of Fame!  He read to us Rainbow Fish and Read to Tiger.  We watched it streaming live in the classroom.

Star Reader #3 Clues:

• I grew up in Columbia. MO.
• I can go around and around in circles and not get dizzy.
• I can go really, really fast.

Do you have an inference?  If you inferred Carl Edwards you were correct!  Unfortunately, we were not able to see him in person but we got to watch him live streamed.  He read What Do You Do With an Idea?  Then he answered a lot of questions.  You should ask your kiddo one thing that they thought was interesting about being a professional race car driver!

I might have been just a bit excited to get my picture taken with Carl Edwards.  :)

Star Reader #4 Clues:

• I can eat breakfast with you in the morning buy you can't see me.
• I ride to school with you in the morning, but you won't see me.
• I talk to thousands of people everyday but no one sees me.

The fourth star reader we listened to was Scotty and Cara from Scotty and Cara in the Morning on Clear 99.  They read How I Became a Pirate.  In person they sound just the same as they do on the radio!  After they answered several questions, they recorded us saying the Pledge of Allegiance - you will have to listen in to them in morning to hear us say the Pledge! :)

Star Reader #5 Clues:

• My busiest day is Saturday.
• I work with a striped animal.
• When I do a great job at work, my "employees" dump Gatorade on my head.  

This mystery reader was MU Football Coach Barry Odom.  The students enjoyed listening to him read Family Huddle and then they also got an autograph (should be in their Friday folder) also.  It was fun because we have his nephew, Ben, in our class.

One of the Reading With the Stars was J'den Cox!  Unfortunately, we were not able to watch him in person because the kiddos were in specials.  So we rewound the live stream of him reading, and then...J'den Cox came into our room!!!!  He sat and watched himself read the book!  It was SO COOL to have a bronze Olympic medalist sit with us.

Mystery Readers

We were lucky enough to have three special mystery readers come to our classroom today!  Our first reader was a real published author!  Janice Skinner (one of Grandma Jane's friends) wrote Parker Jane's Curls.  She came in read her book to us and then told us the process of how her book was published.  She even gave us a few books for our classroom.

Our second mystery reader was Elly (my daughter).  She read The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs.  It was super neat to have Elly read to our class!!

Our last mystery reader of the week was Ms. Benson, RBE's associate principal.  She read Ragtime Tumpie a book about Josephine Baker and played some ragtime music while she read!  Ask your child what s/he learned about her.

Gruffalo Lunch!

We have read the book The Gruffalo this year and Samuel brought in The Gruffalo's Child for us to read as well as the movie of The Gruffalo so the students ate lunch in the classroom today and watched the movie.

What's Happening Next Week?

This week has been so different with Read Week, but next week we will be going back to a normal week.  This is what we will be doing next week:

• Reading: We will be working on taking notes in our own words from nonfiction books.
• Word Study: Over the last few weeks we have worked on making present tense words past tense.  Next week, we will making singular words plural.  Our spelling words are donkeys, valleys, toys, boys, journeys, parties, candies, babies, families & ponies.
• Writing: We will continue to work on our first draft of our opinion writing about our favorite place to live.  We have completed our lead paragraph, and two supporting reason paragraphs.  Next week, we will focus on our counter argument paragraph.  After we complete our first draft, we then work on editing and revising our writing using CUPS & ARMS.
• Math: We will be finishing up our subtraction math unit.  We have scheduled our post-test for Friday.  Please continue to practice with your child on 3-digit subtraction with regrouping, even over 0.

Spring Pictures

As a reminder, spring pictures are Tuesday, March 14.  If you are wanting your child to take pictures please send in the online confirmation or the order form by Tuesday morning.  Only students who have ordered pictures will be getting their picture taken (this is a little different than some years in the past).

Movie Viewing Party

Last week, we finished our read aloud book James and the Giant Peach.  We are scheduled to go to TRYPS to watch the play next month; however, we thought it would be fun for the kids to be able to stay after school for a movie viewing party.  Our watch party will be March 22 (Wednesday before Spring Break) from 2:45-4:15.  Your child can bring a snack (must be peanut free) and a drink to enjoy during the movie.  Coming home with your child today is a permission slip.  For your child to be able to stay after school I must have a signed permission slip.  Please send in a signed permission slip by Friday, March 17.

I cannot believe that yesterday it was in the mid-70's and tomorrow it is expected to snow!  Well, that's Missouri weather for you! :)  I hope that you have a wonderful weekend & stay warm!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Ross