Happy Friday!

We have had amazing learning experiences and celebrations in the Moss world this week!

What's Been Happening in 2nd Grade?

• Math: This week we finished up Unit 3 - our subtraction unit.  Overall, the students did AMAZING in this unit!  We can really see the growth in the student explanation of how/why they did something.  We took the Unit 3 assessment earlier this week and this test will be coming home on Monday.  We ask for you to review the test with your child and talk about their growth (the pretest will be attached).  Please sign the assessment and return to school on Tuesday.  We ask you to sign and return so that we know that you have seen the assessment.  Today we started Unit 4 - the main focus of this unit is time, measurement and place value.  Please practice with your child on telling time on an analogue clock.  In second grade, the expectation is that students can tell time to the nearest quarter hour.  However, we will also be talking about the nearest 5 minute, so any support that you can give your child with this skill will be valuable!

• Writing: This week, the students turned their second personal narrative into a published piece of writing.  This writing, is a true reflection of what your child can do independently because we did not teacher conference as much with this piece of writing.  The students will have an opportunity to share their published personal narratives with their peers.  Also, the students worked on a fun Thanksgiving persuasive writing prompt.  The students pretended that they were a turkey and wrote a persuasive speech of trying to other people to not eat turkey for Thanksgiving but another main course food.  They designed an advertisement poster to go along with their speech.  Next week, we will focus on being thankful in our writing - more to share next week (it's going to be a surprise)! :)
• Reading: This week, we will focused on two different parts of speech: nouns and adjectives.  We learned that a noun is a person, place, thing or idea, and developed a list of nouns.  We also took some of the these nouns and came up with a list of adjectives to describe them.  The students had an opportunity to show their understanding of nouns and adjectives by making an adjective turkey,  They chose a Thanksgiving food and described the noun.  These adjective turkeys are on display in the classroom - you should come by and see them!
• Science:  This week, we continued to learn about the three different states of matter!  The students made a states of matter sort poster that is hanging in the hallway - the next time that you are at RBE make sure to check them out!  Then yesterday, we used marshmallows as molecules to show our understandings of the characteristics of a solid, liquid and gas.  Today the students had a variety of fun science stations to show their understanding of states of matter.  They built the different states of using marshmallows and toothpicks, had molecule dance party, designed a states of matter flip book, and tasted a solid ice cream, a liquid root beer and when combined together they made a gas (aka...they enjoyed Root Beer Floats).  Next week, we will be moving away from science and back to social studies.  We will start talking about the way of life, jobs and clothing of the Pilgrims.

• Word Study: This week we continued our study of long vowel sound.  We focused on two different long a patterns (ai and some more "magic e" words).  Next week we will have a fun Thanksgiving spelling word list: Thanksgiving, feast, eat, potato, November, turkey, pie and family.  We will talk about the importance of capitalizing proper nouns, that the long e sound at the end of a word can be made different ways, and that vowel pattern ea can also make the long e sound.

Even With All the Learning, We Had Fun!

When the weather isn't the best outside, the kiddos get to enjoy a variety of inside recess games and activities!

On Wednesday, we had our trimester pizza party celebration!  The students enjoyed pizza, fruit, vegetables and popcorn as they had a chance to watch a short video or enjoy a longer lunch time to chat with their friends.  Fun was had by all as they enjoyed a yummy lunch!

The students earned their twenty-fifth compliment earlier this week, and today we wore pajamas for our class celebration!  Plus, it was stuffed animal day for our school wide dress up day.  The kiddos looked so warm and comfy today in their pajamas!

Meals on Wheels Food Drive

Thank you for the support of Meals on Wheels, which is one of our Partners in Education!  Service club bagged up the donated food into different Snowy Day bags for the Meals on Wheels clients for the inclement weather days when drivers are not able to deliver food.  This food drive is so important and vital to so many people - thank you!

Special Next Week

As a reminder, we are only in school on Monday and Tuesday next week, due to Thanksgiving.  With a shortened week, we will not be assigning homework.  However, please continue to encourage your child to read over next week!  I hope that you have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Ross

Happy Thursday!

We are so lucky to have such an amazing group of parents this year!  We have loved being able to talk and share with you about your child over the last two weeks.  Thank you so much for coming and talking with us!  I just can't believe that we are a third of the way done with your child's second grade year.  Please remember, if you have any questions as we continue throughout the rest of the year, please let me know.

Veteran's Day Assembly

Yesterday we had our Veteran's Day Assembly.  Mrs. Sharp does a wonderful job to make this assembly happen every year!  The second graders sang two songs during the assembly and last week we made a poster to hang up in the gym for the assembly.  Below are a few pictures from the assembly and a class picture in front of our poster!

Special Events Next Week!

• Our first trimester pizza party is scheduled for Wednesday, November 15.  Your child can bring a special drink (Gatorade, juice, soda) to enjoy.  If you choose to send in a drink for your child, please make sure that the container is not glass.  Your child will still need a snack to enjoy in the morning.
• Our November school-wide celebration will be stuffed animal day on Friday, November 17.

Meals of Wheels Food Drive

Just as reminder that 2nd grade is bringing in peanut butter for the food drive. If you are wanting to donate a jar of peanut butter the table is set up in the foyer outside the RBE office.  All food items are due by November 14.

Special Readers

We had two special readers this week!  Noelle L. filled up a sticker chart and chose to read a book to the class earlier this week. Today, Bradyn shared a book that he had been working really hard on!  He has been reading the I Survived series and wrote his own version of surviving a tornado.  We talked about that writers can get ideas from other authors!

What's Been Happening in 2nd Grade?

• Math: We are wrapping up our third math unit on subtraction next week.  We will be testing over this unit on Tuesday.  Coming home in your child's Friday Folder is a set of Home Links for Unit 3.  These are worksheets that can be used to review the concepts that we covered during this unit.  Also, if you would like your child to complete a Home Link for homework instead of playing a game that works!  These Home Links do not need to be returned to school completed, but are simply a resource for you.  Next week, we will be starting Unit 4 which is over time and measurement.
  
  
  
  
• Writing: This week, the students worked hard on their writing their second personal narrative. As they finished writing their story, they went back and revised/edited their writing.  We use ARMS and CUPS for this process.  We are working hard with the students that they can ALWAYS do something to make their writing better.  The students also met with a writing partner to go over ARMS and CUPS.  Their second personal narrative has a lot less teacher input, so we can see what the students can write on their own.  Next week, we will be publishing our writing and getting creative by letting the students pretend to be a turkey and try to persuade us to not eat turkey for Thanksgiving. 

• Reading: This week, we focused on answering questions from the text and specifically talking about how to refer back to the text to answer questions.  We read about carving pumpkins and spiders.  We had a conversation about that it is important when answer comprehension questions from a text to use the text to support our answers, and that we can't just use our schema (what we already knew about the subject).  Next week, we will talk about two different parts of speech: nouns and adjectives.
• Science:  This week, we learned about the three different states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.  We sang about the states (song below to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell") and learned about how the molecules move (or don't move) in the different states.  The kids are showing themselves all tightly packed together like a solid below.  Next week, we will continue to learn about states of matter and on Friday we have some fun science stations about matter!

• Word Study: Over the last five weeks we have focused on long and short vowel words and understanding that adding the "magic e" to the end of the word makes the vowel say it's name.  The next spelling patterns we will be talking about are other ways to make a long vowel sounds. Next week we will focus on two different long a patterns (ai and some more "magic e" words).  Next week's long a (CVCe) and long a (CVVC) words are: blame, snake, fame, taste, stale, brain, paint, chain, wait, main.

 Nut Free Classroom

As a reminder, our classroom is now a peanut and tree nut free classroom.  Thank you for making the effort that your child's daily snack do not include peanuts, peanut butter, nut products, or processed where nuts are processed.  Thank you in advance for checking your child's ingredient list on his/her snack.  A note and a list of different snack options that are peanut free came home in your child's Friday Folder last week (or click on the link).  The items you pack in your child's lunch box do not have to be peanut free.

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Ross

Happy Friday!

I hope that your family had a wonderful Halloween.  If you have a picture of your child dressed up in his/her Halloween costumes - we would love to see it!  You can email me a picture or send in a picture.  I can't wait to see all the costumes!

Nut Free Classroom

Our classroom is now a peanut and tree nut free classroom.  Please make sure that you child's daily snack do not include peanuts, peanut butter or nut products.  They also cannot be processed where peanuts have (or may have been) processed.  Thank you in advance for checking your child's ingredient list on his/her snack. The items you pack in your child's lunch box do not have to be peanut free.  A note and a list of different snack options that are peanut free are coming home in your child's Friday Folder (or click on the link).

Special Things Happening Next Week

• Parent/Teacher Conferences are up in full swing!  Last week, you received your parent/teacher conference time - we have had some this week and most are next week.  This is the first year that Mrs. Ross & I are doing our conference together, and both of us like to talk - so we will be setting a timer to help us stay on track and be respectful of your time.  We are looking forward to meeting with everyone during this time.
• The Book Fair will be set up in the Media Center next week.  A flyer came home last Friday with some of the books that will be on sale and the kiddos were super excited!  On Monday, we will get a chance to tour the book fair and the kids will have an opportunity to make a wish list.
• Progress reports will be coming home on Wednesday for any families that we met with on conferences earlier than Wednesday.  If we have a scheduled conference time with you on Wednesday or Thursday, we will give you your child's report card then.
• We will have a Veteran's Day Assembly on Wednesday at 9:30.  Mrs. Sharp has been working hard with the kids on learning some patriot songs as a tribute to the veterans who will be coming to the assembly on Wednesday. 
• Flu Clinic is on Thursday, November 9, for any student who has a signed permission slip turned in.
• As a reminder, we will have no school next Friday, November 10, due to conferences.
• Please help your child remember to bring a jacket/winter coat next week.  On many of the days the high will be in the 50's - which would mean it will be in the 40's when we take our morning recess.

Upcoming Fun the Following Week!

• Our first trimester pizza party is scheduled for November 15.  Your child can bring a special drink (Gatorade, juice, soda) to enjoy.  If you choose to send in a drink for your child, please make sure that the container is not glass.  Your child will still need a snack to enjoy in the morning.
• Our November school-wide celebration will be stuffed animal day on Friday, November 17.

Meals of Wheels Food Drive

Just as reminder that 2nd grade is bringing in peanut butter for the food drive. If you are wanting to donate a jar of peanut butter the table is set up in the foyer outside the RBE office.  All food items are due by November 14.

What's Been Happening in 2nd Grade?

• Math: This week, we talked about a variety of strategies to solve subtraction problems.  We learned about counting up and back, and the rule when +0 or +1.  Today we learned about In/Out Boxes.  We talked about the rule and if a number went in, what number would come out?  Below are a few examples.  Next week, we will continue to talk about subtraction strategies of doubles, counting back 10 and counting up 10.

• Writing: This week, the students began to write their rough drafts of their second personal narrative.  This is a lot less teacher led, so it is a better representative of what the child is able to do.  Next week, we will continue to work on this piece of writing by editing and revising.
• Reading: This week, we focused on using context clues to figure out made up words.  In a small text, there was a made up word and in our reading small groups we talked about the clues that the author gave us to figure out what the unknown word was.  We had to be word detectives! :)  Next week, we will be answering questions from the text and specifically talking about how to refer back to the text to answer questions.
• Science:  We will be starting our states of matter unit next week.  We will be talking about solids, liquids, and gases. 
• Word Study: We will continue to work on short and long vowel word patterns next week.  Next week we will focus on short vowel (CVC) and long vowel (CVCe) words.  Next week's words are: vote, rule, safe, wipe, space, which, lots, tall, spend. club.

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Ross