The Weber Weekly

The stockings hanging in our classroom are ADORABLE!!  I wish we could celebrate Christmas all year long!  It's so fun being a teacher in the month of December; especially to some completely innocent second graders.  I absolutely L-O-V-E being a teacher!!

I would like to give a special thanks to Nicole's mom, Mrs. Ortiz-Jones for being our Mystery Reader this week.  She read a cute holiday story called I've Seen Santa and even donated a copy to our classroom library!  She also brought candy canes for the kiddos as well as her favorite version of The Night Before Christmas.  The kids had a real treat on Tuesday!

We've continued to work really hard at our Geometry unit this week.  The kids should now be secure with plane & 3D shapes, parallel & non-parallel lines, and area & perimeter.  They will be taking their outcome assessment on geometry next week.

Reading was so much FUN this week!  The kids had a blast learning about the various types of humor that authors use in their writing such as alliteration, puns, and personification.

Our nonfiction writing is off to a great start.  Everyone has chosen an animal, written "I wonder" questions, and began researching their topic.  They're finding out really interesting facts about their animals!

Our suitcases are packed, our passports are ready, and we've boarded the Polar Express!  The train is taking us to many places around the world to learn how different countries celebrate Christmas.

We wrote another recipe and created "Rudie the Reindeer" this week.  Thanks to the families of Nicole, Matthew, and Zoe for being our Snazzy Snack Shoppers this month.  The reindeer turned out really cute!

 We're going to have a busy week next week.  Please take note of the following important days:

• December 20th is the last day to donate non-perishable food for the Student Council Food Drive.
• If you're donating items for our stockings, please send in your goodies by Wednesday.
• Thursday is the Winter Party!  Everyone is encouraged to get into the festive spirit by wearing a Santa hat, Reindeer antlers, or a pretty holiday bow.  I can't wait to spend this last day before break with my class!
• There is no school on Friday, December 23rd.  School will resume after break on Monday, January 9th. 

Stockings

The stockings were hung in our classroom with care...

And if you’d like to send something to stuff them with, we’d really love it!  Each child in our class has a stocking hanging, waiting for our winter party.  If you are able to send 26 small “somethings” for the stockings, we would appreciate it!  You can send whatever you’d like, but some ideas could include: holiday stickers, pencils, erasers, small toys, notepads, etc.  Our party will be on Thursday, December 22^nd.  I would like to have the stockings ready to go that morning, so if you could send in your goodies on or before Wednesday, December 21^st, that would be really great.  Thanks for helping to make this a special treat for the kiddos!  Happy Holidays!!    

Baby Update

Many of you have been asking lately about the arrival of Baby Weber, so I thought I'd post an update.  My due date is January 16th, so I have about six weeks to go.  My plan is to come back the week after winter break (January 9th) and teach that whole week.  I'm due the following Monday, so we'll just have to see how it goes.  I know some of you are concerned about your child while I'm gone, but I want to assure you that everything will be fine.  Miss Hampton (my student teacher) will be taking my maternity leave and I am confident she will do a great job with the class.  Her and I keep in touch on a daily basis and I will be able to stay informed of the class happenings through her.  I'm only going to be out about six weeks, so I'm looking to come back at the end of February or early March.  I hope you will keep my family in your thoughts while I'm out; I'm really looking forward to this new, wonderful adventure!

My amazing mother-in-law threw us a baby shower this past weekend.  (My family lives in Southern Illinois, so we had to have two separate showers.)  Here are a couple of pictures from the special day:

 My husband, Zach, (on the left) and his family - - the wonderful hosts

 The beautiful room where we had the shower :) 

 What an amazing cake!! 

 My mother-in-law put a lot of effort into the small details; the centerpieces were "flowers" made out of washcloths, booties, and onesies.  How creative!! 

 She even made the baby his very own Christmas tree, complete with Cardinals and Packers ornaments!  It looks so adorable in his nursery :) 

Such a beautiful baby shower - - I'm so blessed!  

The Weber Weekly

We had such a fun week back after break!  The kids were so cute in their PJ's Thursday.  Thanks to everyone for participating in this school-wide Spirit Day.

We have been busily writing letters to the soldiers this week.  The kids reviewed all the steps of a friendly letter, brainstormed ideas, and then drafted a letter.  After editing, they wrote a final copy on fancy stationary in their best second grade handwriting.  We're going to send the letters to the troops overseas for the holidays.  Some of their ideas included things such as, "You're very brave for fighting for our country.";  "I wish you could come home for Christmas.  I'm sorry you won't be able to see your family."; and "Thank you for protecting our freedom."  They really poured their hearts out into these letters and I know the troops will be happy to read them.  I have such a caring group of second graders this year!  :)

 
We started a Geometry unit in math this week.  The kids are becoming experts at plane shapes and solid figures.  They're really expanding their math vocabulary with words such as face, edge, and vertex.  We'll continue geometry next week as well.

Our shared reading focus for the week was story elements.  We read a big book called His Majesty the King and identified the different parts of the book including main characters, setting, and plot.  The kids then learned how to use a graphic organizer as an aid to create a summary of the book.

We had a blast in science this week!  We began by reading a Dr. Seuess book called Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  In the book, a gooey green substance called Oobleck fell from the sky and wrecked havoc in the kingdom.  The kids had to make predictions about the Oobleck by using their five senses.  They were shocked to learn during the experiment that Oobleck has characteristics of both solids and liquids - - it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it.  You can grab it and then suddenly it will ooze right out of your hands!!  Check out our pictures from the experiment:

We concluded our science unit by making a delicious experiment that shows all three states of matter - - Root Beer Floats!  Here are some more pictures: 

Thanks again for donating items to make these experiments a success!!

We have a lot of upcoming events at Grand Prairie that I'd like to highlight:

December 6th - - PTO Meeting at 6 pm in the Media Center

December 8th - - Market Day pick-up at 4:45 in the gym

December 8th - - Scholastic Book Order due (GREAT holiday gift idea!)

December 12th - - Holiday Gift Shop (Be on the lookout for more information)

December 22nd - - Winter Parties 

Mitten Tree:  In the "Spirit of the Season", 5th Grade Student Council needs your help to continue to give to those less fortunate.  December 1st – 15th you can donate new or gently used mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves for the “Mitten Tree”.  We will display the donations on our mitten tree, along with your child’s name and class.  (Please be sure to include the student’s name with your donation.)  Student Council will also be collecting new and gently used boots and coats.  These items will be donated to Grand Prairie families in need.  If we have any surplus items, they will be donated to a local shelter.  Give from your heart and help keep our Grand Prairie community and beyond warm this season!!

Food Drive:  Student Council will continue to collect non-perishable food until December 20th.  All food will be distributed to Grand Prairie families this holiday season.  

Is your family in need of help this holiday season?  It's the time of year for holiday giving!  Grand Prairie will be able to assist families who might be less fortunate during this year’s holiday season.  If you are in need of specific items such as winter coats, clothes, or boots for your children or would appreciate food for your holiday table, please contact our school social worker, Bianca Dassinger at 815-436-7000 ext. 208 or email at bdassing@psd202.org.  You may also write her a note and leave it at the front office.  You can be assured that all names will be kept confidential.  Please be aware that we might not be able to fulfill everyone’s wishes, but we will try our best to put something under the tree for each request.