Last Day in 2nd Grade

WOW!!!!  You are now the parent of a 3rd grader!  :)

 

I'm so proud of all the students and how much they have grown this year.  In their backpack today, they have a piece of writing they did today alongside a piece of writing from the beginning of school.  They were amazing at how much they had grown as writers.  This is true for their math and reading also.  They have also matured so much this year.  It is amazing!  I am going to miss all of them so much.  I reminded them that they can come and visit next year.  There were some tears, but I got a high five or a hug from everyone before they left.

I want to say thank you to all the parents also for their fabulous support this year.  These kids are very lucky to have such wonderful and supportive parents!

We had a fun last day.  We watched the 5th graders walk down the hallways one last time.  I might have teared up a little watching my own daughter walk down the hallways.  It is fun to see former students walk by and see how they have continued to grow since they left my classroom.  I can't wait to see this group walk down the halls in 3 years.  I'm sure a lot of them will be taller than me.  :)  We did our end of the year writing today, then ate in the classroom one last time and had our final balloon pop.  The students got to eat ice cream this afternoon.  :)  It was a great way to end the year.

Again, I had a wonderful year with your students and I can't wait to see them next year!

Mrs. Ross

Wonderful Wednesday

It was a wonderful Wednesday in 2nd grade!

Nutrition Class

This morning we started off with our last Nutrition Class with Ms. Zapata.  She talked with us about the importance of protein and exercise to keep our muscles strong.  We did some jumping jacks and ran in place for one minute.  Afterwards, we worked on our arm and ab muscles by doing push-ups or squats and held a plank.  Then we enjoyed hummus that Ms. Zapata made with pita bread and cracker.  Several of the students really liked the hummus (even trying to lick their plate clean), so she shared her recipe. :)

Lunch Bunch

We had a wonderful End of the Year Lunch Bunch today at the pavilion!  The weather was a little cool when the sun went away and the wind came out, but even that couldn't dampen our lunch together.  Check out the pictures from lunch here.

Memory Book/Yearbook Signing

After lunch, all of the 2nd grade enjoyed time together signing yearbooks and memory books.  I know that they have many different memories from this year with their friends - so they can look back at these books and remember their 2nd grade year!

Celebration

Our 2 days left of 2nd grade celebration was being able to walk the track.  It was a great way to end the day!

Early Dismissal

Please remember that tomorrow is the last day of school and it is early dismissal.  School will dismiss at 12:10 tomorrow.  If your student is going home a different way, please let me know as well as the office as early as possible.  

Have a wonderful evening!

Mrs. Ross

Last Tuesday :(

What a terrific last Tuesday that we had together!

Field Day

We had a wonderful Field Day yesterday.  A huge thank you to everyone who helped out with Field Day!  I took a lot of pictures.  :)  Check them out here.

Assembly

We started the morning off with an assembly.  First, the fifth graders shared their graduation song with us.  Then, we said goodbye to Ms. Archer, Ms. Benson, and Mr. Jim who is retiring.  All of the students had learned a song to sing to Mr. Jim.  Mrs. Nichols also presented him with a certificate of appreciation.

Movie Celebration

The students enjoyed watching the movie "Matilda" and then we compared it to our read aloud book.  You can check out pictures here.

Rock Bridge State Park Hike

We had a blast yesterday on our hike to Rock Bridge State Park.  Thank you to everyone who came with us on our hike or met us there!  The pictures from the hike are on the celebration page as well.

Stuff Coming Home

We did a little cleaning this afternoon. Your child is bringing home a lot of belongings from their cubby today.  Please make sure that your child's backpack is cleaned completely out so that additional items can be sent home tomorrow.

Yearbook

If your child has a yearbook (sent home on Friday) and your child would like to have an opportunity for it to be signed tomorrow - please send it to school tomorrow.  All of second grade will have an opportunity to sign each other's Memory Books and Yearbook tomorrow.

Lunch Bunch

As a reminder, tomorrow is our End of the Year Lunch Bunch (11:00-12:00).  Please remember that there is not a huge number of picnic tables outside in the pavilion - if you would like to bring a blanket to sit on that would be great! :)  We are hopeful that the weather holds out, but if it's raining we will eat inside.  It will be chilly, so please make sure your student is dressed to be outside in case it doesn't rain.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!  Fingers crossed for good weather!

Mrs. Ross

Final Friday

I cannot believe that this is my last blog that I will post on a Friday afternoon updating you on what we have done and what we will be doing next week!!  Our third trimester together has flown by!!

What's Been Happening in 2nd Grade

• Math: We have focused this week on telling time on an analogue clock.  The kids are getting really pretty good with it.  We talked about that there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in a hour, and 24 hours in a day.  Your child should be able to tell the time on an analogue clock!  I understand that many of the clocks in our households are digital, but try to find an analogue clock this weekend and have your child show off for you!  We also have been playing addition and subtraction checkers to review either basic facts or multi-digit regrouping problems.  These are great games to play to practice math during the summer!  You can go here to print off basic subtraction.  or here to print off 2-digit problems.

• Writing: Since we have finished up all of our writing units the kiddos have been enjoying having a chance to free write.  There are some excellent examples of what your child can do on his/her own coming home in Friday Folders today.  We have also been writing about our 2nd grade memories as we complete a Memory Book book for the year.  It has been fun to see the kids reflect on everything that they have done and learned during 2nd grade!

• Reading:We have talked about adverbs this week and reviewed what a noun, verb, and adjective are.  The students are doing really well with this.  We continue to work on increasing our reading stamina during these last few weeks of school. 

End of the Year Countdown

As the year comes to an end, we have been having some extra fun these last 10 days together.  Check out what has been happening for the End of the Year Countdown here - there are LOTS of pictures!! :) 

• Our celebration on Monday is a hike to Rock Bridge State Park - please make sure that your child is wearing comfortable clothes and tennis shoes.

• Our celebration on Tuesday will be watching the movie "Matilda."  We haven't popped this balloon yet, so keep it a secret.  :)  If students would like to bring a beverage and snack to enjoy during the movie they can.  Please remember the drink should not be in a glass container and less than 20 ounces. 

Lunch Bunch

As a reminder, we have our End of the Year Lunch Bunch on Wednesday, May 24.  Our plan if the weather is nice is to eat in the pavilion at the back of the school.  There are some picnic tables, but if you would like to bring a blanket to spread out on the grass to eat you may.  Please remember to check in at the office before when you get to school.  We will be walking to the pavilion at 11:00 a.m., so please meet us in the room a few minutes before 11:00.  If you or your student needs a lunch from the cafeteria, we will walk them down to get their lunch and then head out to the pavilion.  Recess is at 11:25, students will have an option to go to recess at 11:25 or hang out under the pavilion.  

Field Day

Field Day is on Monday.  (It will be a busy day!).  K-2 Field Day is in the afternoon.  We will have an early lunch and then go outside at 11:30.  Please make sure your student have a full change of clothes (shirt, pants/shorts, underwear, socks and shoes) as there are water games at field day and the school is not providing a change of clothes.  We don't want them to be uncomfortable on the way home.

Nutrition

Ms. Zapata came again this week for our nutrition class.  She taught the students about the importance of the dairy group and calcium.  She did an activity to show them the different amount of fats in different types of milk (whole milk, 2%, 1% and skim).  She also talked with them about hidden sugars in items in the dairy group such as ice cream, chocolate milk and strawberry milk.  She showed the students how the calcium and Vitamin D in dairy foods help to fill in holes in their bones (which are normal at their age), so they will be stronger as they get older.  They had yogurt as a snack this week.  Next week will be our last nutrition class.  The students have really enjoyed learning about the different food groups.  

Friday Folders

Friday folders are coming home today.  The folders are full today - so make sure to check through them carefully  - your child's Which is Better Writing is coming home today (also if your child completed the Six Flags Read to Succeed program their ticket is in there). They do not need to be returned on Monday as this is the last Friday Folder of the year Thank you very much for signing and returning the folder throughout the year!  It is a great form of communication between teachers and parents.  

Yearbooks

Also, if you ordered a yearbook earlier this year, your child's yearbook is coming home today.  We will have an opportunity to sign Memory Books (we have been working on these in class) and yearbooks on Wednesday with all of second grade.  If your child would like to have his/her yearbook signed please send it back in on Wednesday.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mrs. Ross

Happy Friday!

I cannot believe that the final countdown for the end of our 2nd Grade year has officially began!  This year has flown by, and I am so proud of how much your child has grown this year.  I was looking through student files and found one of your child's first piece of writing that they wrote in 2nd grade and they have change SO much as a writer.  You should be SO proud of your child!! :)

End of the School Year Countdown

We started our End of the School Year Countdown today - today we only had 10 days of school left this year.  For our countdown, each day we will have a small celebration.  Today the kiddos received a Blow Pop as a special treat.  On Monday, we will eat lunch outside at the new picnic tables (shh, the kids don't know yet)!

On day 4 (Monday, May 22), we will be going on a hike to Rock Bridge State Park.  This will be a surprise to the students (we will pop this balloon next Friday).  If you are available to come and hike with us, or meet us at Rock Bridge State Park with either water bottles of popsicles, we would love to have you.  Please do not mention this to your kiddo, but email me.

On day 3 (Tuesday, May 23), we will be watching the movie "Matilda."  Today we finished reading the book Matilda and the kiddos have so enjoyed the book!  We thought the kiddos would enjoy watching the movie.  The movie is PG.  Again, please do not share this with your child, we are wanting this to be a surprise also.

School Year Lasts

Today, we had our final Maker Space of the school year.  The kiddos were able to choose from magnetic tiles, Zoob Builderz, K'nex, and Legos.  Lots of fun was had building today!! :)

This week was our last week of Word Study and homework.   Today was also our last "official" day of reading intervention.  Each group had been working on a different project and all the students had a chance to share their projects in small groups.  These projects are coming home with your child today.

Gentry Middle School Choir Assembly

On Tuesday, Mrs. Lenz (RBE's music teacher for the past few years) brought her middle school choir over from Gentry Middle School.  They sang a variety of songs, including songs from Wizard of Ox, Wicked and Trolls.

Writing

The kiddos enjoyed being able to write a variety of different types of writing this week.  On Wednesday, we had a special, small, green visitor in our classroom.  We found a turtle trying to get into the school on the way to lunch, so we brought him into the room.  The students wrote about the turtle on Wednesday, and their stories were AMAZING!!!  Here are pictures and videos.

Yesterday, each student started writing a book that they had been wanting to write but hadn't had a chance.  Some students wrote a personal narrative, others let their creative juices flow and wrote a fictional story, and one student even tried out a historical fiction.  You know that they are hooked as writers when over half the class came in and wanted to continue to work on their stories during morning work time today!

Next week, we will continue to work on writing that we started this week and also including some different prompts that the students will be writing to.

Reading

This week, we worked on comparing informational resources.  The students researched an animal using two different resources (PebbleGo and an article).  Next week, they will use an H Chart to show what they learned from PebbleGo, the article, and information that was learned in both.

We reviewed compound words again this week for grammar and the kiddos made compound word flowers.

Next week in addition to the H chart, the kiddos will be making a reading project on a book that they really loved reading this year.  Their project will be an advertisement to encourage other students to read the book!

Math

This week, we finished up our graphing unit.  The students made a new survey question and collected data.  This time when we collected data we kept Ms. Mottaz and Mrs. Ross's class data. We introduced a double bar graph, and the kiddos made a double bar from their data.  Then they used the totals of both classes to make a pictograph.  We also made a double line graph of the temperature highs and lows of last week.  We have been working extremely hard on making noticings and analyzing the graphs that we make.

Next week, we will be reviewing addition, subtraction, and telling time.

Lunch Bunch

As a reminder, we have scheduled an end of the year lunch bunch for Wednesday, May 24 at 11:00.  If you have not had a chance to return your child's RSVP please do so by Wednesday.  I need to let the cafeteria know how many lunches to plan for. 

Nutrition Class

We had our third Nutrition Class with Ms. Zapata.  This week, she focused on fruits and vegetables.  The kiddos learned about the importance of eating a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables, and then we had a tasting party!  Ms. Zapata brought in red peppers, dried cherries, raisins, mandarins, sugar snap peas, jicama, and kumquat.  The students tried kumquat, which can be sour - make sure to check out the video! :)

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend! 

Mrs. Ross

Busy, Busy Week!

Happy Friday!

Wow!  We have had a busy week, but it has been a fun week for sure!  It seems that the weather has taken a nice turn away from the storms and cooler weather!

Mark Your Calendars for Our End of the Year Lunch Bunch!!!

We cannot believe that the end of your child's second grade year is literally right around the corner!  We have thoroughly enjoyed teaching your child this year!  As an end of the year celebration we will be having a lunch bunch.  This is a time for parents to come in and enjoy lunch with your child, and fingers crossed that the weather will hold out & we can eat outside!  We would love for you to join us on Wednesday, May 24 to eat lunch with your child.  You may choose to buy lunch from the cafeteria, bring a lunch from home, or pick up lunch from a restaurant for your child.  We will be sending home a sheet for you to let us know if you will be coming and if you or your child will be buying a lunch from the cafeteria that day.

This week we have had a lot of different fun activities happening!

• On Tuesday, we went on our Runge Nature Center field trip.  We really appreciate ALL the parent chaperones who were able to attend!!  This allowed many small groups to be able to go at their own pace on the different trails around Runge.  We enjoyed a presentation on Food Chains before lunch.  Then, after lunch, we explored inside the center.  We had a scavenger hunt to complete both on the trail and inside.  Fun was had by ALL!!! :)  You can look at all the pictures here.
• Today, we had our Which is Better Project Presentation.  It was so wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents, etc. with us this morning!  We are so proud of all the students and their hard work on their projects.  After parents left, we had first grade and other second grade visitors to our presentation.  Mrs. Reynolds, Ms. Ragsdale, and Ms. Holt were so impressed with how far our second graders have grown as writers!  You can check out pictures from today here.
• Today, was Ms. Hackmann's last day.  We enjoyed a pizza party to celebrate her last day, and gave her a tote full of teaching supplies, and books from the donations that you gave.  The students also made her a book of advice for her first year of teaching - which turned out super cute!  She will be truly missed by the students and by the teachers, and we know she will go on to great things!

What's Happening Next Week:

• In math, we will continue to work on turning information gathered from survey questions into pictographs, and both vertical and horizontal bar graphs.  We will also be tracking the temperature in the morning and at recess to make a double line graph.
• In reading, we will be comparing information learned in two different nonfiction sources.  We will continue to work on reviewing different things that we have learned in grammar (compound words, adjectives, etc.).
• Next week will be our last week of word study.  We are finishing up r controlled vowels with ur words.  Next week's words are: burn, purse, cure, sure, nurse, lurch, pure, splurge, blurt, and purple.
• In writing, we will be generating a list of topics to write for our big final writing piece of the school year.  The students have a choice of writing about summer.  This could be a personal narrative, a fiction story, or an informational book.

Upcoming Events:

• May 9: PTA Meeting (6:00 pm in the Media Center)
• May 16: Variety Show
• May 19: Twin Day
• May 19: Field Day
• May 25: Last Day of School (early dismissal at 12:10)
• June 1: Summer School Open House 4:30-5:30
• June 5: First Day of Summer School

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Ross