A new day...

I spent the majority of my weekend glued to the television watching the horrific events unfold.  I shed so many tears and had my heart broken again and again.  I can’t even begin to put into words the amount of pain and grief I feel for Newtown and those innocent little babies.  I tossed and turned all night last night thinking about how I would get through the day today.  I had such a heavy heart and couldn’t even make the short ten minute commute to school without breaking down into tears again.  I went to the staff meeting where we discussed what we should/should not say to the kids and I cried even harder.  I kept thinking to myself, How will I ever make it through this day? 

When the bell rang and the kids starting filing in, it suddenly hit me: I need to put a big smile on my face and hug my students, my children.  I need to teach them, guide them, and make them feel happy, safe, and loved.  I tell my class all the time that they are my second family; Mr. Weber and Keaton are my first family, but they are my second family.  I always tell them that I love them, care about them, and respect them as individuals, but today was the day to really show it.  We had such an amazing day.  We didn’t discuss the events that happened on Friday; instead we focused on all the positives that were happening today.  We were all a little kinder, a little more patient, a little more compassionate, a little more tolerant, and a little more understanding of one another.  We laughed, we sang, we hugged, we learned, and we had fun.  I went to school today with a heavy heart and left with an overwhelming feeling of joy.  My heart is full of happiness as I think about being a teacher:  I love my kids, my school, our community, and everything else that comes with it.  I am so grateful to have a job that feels more like a hobby than anything else.  I truly love what I do and I’m so thankful that I am lucky enough to do it.    

On a lighter note, the kids do not have a homework assignment sheet this week.  Instead, I told them that their homework is to find ways to help out around the house.  I know how busy things can get around the holidays and I want to help make your week as stress-free as possible.  The kiddos are prepared to scrub floors, take out the garbage, wash dishes, anything you need.  :)  Enjoy your time with your babies.  

 

The Weber Weekly

First of all, I want to thank all of the families that donated items for our recent science experiments. The kiddos had a blast experimenting with the different states of matter.  What a fun way to end our unit on solids, liquids, and gases!  I will be posting pictures soon.  Tomorrow we will be moving into our Holidays Around the World unit in Social Studies.  The kids will learn about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Christmas, and Saint Nicholas Day.

We had a very fun week in shared reading; the kids had traveling teachers!  We did a genre study on tall tales, prose, fairy tales, folktales, and fantasy.  Each second grade teacher spent a day visiting every second grade classroom to teach about a specific genre.  Ask your child about his/her favorite genre and help your child look for that genre the next time you're at the library.  Maybe you'll even hear some new Christmas list book ideas?!

Our wonderful writers have been working hard on a narrative story about the time they lost a tooth.  The stories are humorous!  Did you know some of our kids had to have their teeth pulled out with a wrench?!  The dialogue that they're including in their stories makes for great reading!

Our geometry unit is jam-packed with new vocabulary, but the kiddos are doing really well with it.  Your child should now be able to identify all of the plane and 3D shapes as well as describe the attributes of the shapes.  We're also working on parallel/non-parallel lines, points, and line segments.  Next week we'll continue our geometry unit with area and perimeter. 

We started a new chapter book this week, The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  The class can't get enough of this hilarious book about a mouse named Ralph who lives in a hotel.  What a fun adventure!

Here are a few things happening next week:
Monday & Tuesday - I will be out of the building for Common Core.
Tuesday - December book orders are due.  Books will arrive just in time for Christmas!  
Wednesday - Second Time-Around Shop and Community Mall (It's not too late to sign up.)
Holiday Gift Shop (Our class is shopping Thursday.)