The Weber Weekly

First of all, thank you for coming to your child's conference!  I greatly enjoyed sitting down with each of you to discuss your child's progress thus far.  I'm so happy that you took the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me.  I feel really motivated to take on each individual's needs for the second quarter.  I truly believe when we all work together, children WILL succeed!  Thanks also to everyone who chose an apple from our "Giving Tree" at conferences.  Your donations to our second grade classroom mean so much to me!  I really couldn't do it without your generosity.   

I'm thrilled to begin teaching math again this week with a guided approach.  I will set up math groups much like guided reading groups.  Each morning, I will teach the kids a whole-class lesson.  The children will then break into math centers while I teach small groups of students at their skill level.  This approach will allow me to meet every individual's need, whether it's to provide extra support or to give a bit of a challenge.  Our focus this week is on Mental Addition.  The children will learn how to use models, mental math, and a hundreds chart to add two-digit numbers.

In shared reading we will be learning how to use our schema to infer meaning of unknown words as well as meaning of the text.  Some of our mini-lessons will include initial and final r- and s- blends, appropriate pacing, and vocabulary.

This week's writing focus is response to literature.  We will be reading several picture books and responding in our writing through character letters, sentence stretchers, and summaries.  Later in the week, we will be writing our recipe for November Snazzy Snacks, "Helpful Squanto's Snack".

I'm happy to announce that we will be having a Thanksgiving Feast next Tuesday, November 20th, in the afternoon.  I'm hoping that each child will be able to bring in a food for the feast.  I will assign each family an item; be on the lookout in your child's folder on Monday.  If you're not able to donate items for the feast, I completely understand.    

Here's a few other things happening this week:
Tuesday, November 13th - PTO Meeting at 6:00 pm in the Media Center
Wednesday, November 14th - Picture Re-take Day and Scholastic Book Order Due





 

The Weber Weekly

Last week was a blast!  From the Red Ribbon Week activities to Cheesy Spider Webs and the Fall Festival, we really had tons of fun.  I would like to thank the families of Mackenzie and Madison for being our October Snazzy Snack shoppers.  Check out the pictures below!  I would also like to thank everyone who donated supplies for our Halloween party.  A special thank you to Mrs. Lydon for being our party coordinator and to Mrs. Roark, Mrs. Burgess, and Mrs. Mahalik for helping out at the party.  We couldn't have done it without all of you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

In math this week we are finishing up our unit on number sense.  We will review rounding and then learn how to estimate.  Later in the week, we are going to take our first math assessment on number sense.  After the assessment, we will start a unit on mental math. 

The kids have been working so hard on writing friendly letters.  We are currently writing a letter to the beloved E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web.  The class is following the format of a friendly letter and they are including questions, connections, and any feelings they had while reading the book.

This week we will be reading a nonfiction big book, Putting On a Play.  From this book we will be learning how to build our vocabulary while reading.  This strategy will really help the kids gain a deeper understanding of the text. 

In science we are looking at the various states of matter.  We are focusing on the differences between liquids, gases, and solids. 

Check out the following important dates:
Monday, November 5th:  Market Day orders due
Tuesday, November 6th:  No School - - Don't forget to vote!
Wednesday & Thursday, November 7th & 8th:  Five hour days - 2:05 dismissal
Thursday, November 8th:  Market Day pickup 4:45-6:00

Halloween

GLADS Support Group

Please see the following letter from Mrs. Dassinger, our school social worker:

 

Dear Grand Prairie Families,

We are very happy to announce that GP Elementary School will again be offering support groups for students experiencing difficult life circumstance related to grief, loss, and/or parental separation and divorce. This year, instead of the Rainbows Program we will use a new program called G.L.a.D.S. (which stands for Grief, Loss, and Divorce, Separation) which we developed after thorough consideration of our students’ and families’ needs.

If your child has experienced the death of a loved-one or is adjusting to a separation or divorce, they may want to participate in our G.L.a.D.S. program to share with other children and sensitive, trained Grand Prairie staff facilitating the group. Furthermore, the group will provide your child with a safe place to share his or her feelings and to receive support from other children who experience similar circumstances.

For more detailed information and to register your child(ren), please refer to the program flyer that was sent home. Additional flyers can be found at the GP office or requested through your child’s teacher.

For any other questions, please contact Bianca Dassinger, our school social worker.

Pictures

Cheesy Spider Webs

 The Morris Brothers - Anti-Bullying Assembly

The Weber Weekly

Grand Prairie is celebrating Red Ribbon Week!  Here are the daily themes:

Monday: "Healthy living is no sweat" - wear sweats or workout clothes

Tuesday: "Follow your dreams" - wear pajamas and slippers

Wednesday: "Color your world healthy" - wear bright colors or tie-dye

Thursday: "Team up for a healthy lifestyle" - wear sports apparel

Friday: "Live heart-healthy" - wear red

 Wednesday we will be having our Fall Festival!   Children will not be allowed to wear the costumes, makeup, or hair color to school that day.  Instead, we will be getting ready shortly before the parade in the afternoon.  Please make sure your child's costume is appropriate for school; i.e. no blood, weapons, or violent themes.  Your child needs to be able to get into costume on his/her own since there will not be anyone to assist with costume changes.  I encourage you to save the face paint and makeup for after school.  We welcome all families to attend the parade outside the school at 2:00. 

In math we are expanding our number sense knowledge by exploring numbers up to the ten-thousands place.  We will be comparing and ordering numbers as well as learning how to round and estimate.  If everything goes as planned, we will be taking our first math outcome assessment next Wednesday.  Your child's math homework next Monday will be a review of everything on the test.

Today we began writing our Snazzy Snack recipe for Cheesy Spider Webs.  We will finish the writing piece tomorrow and then move into the editing and publishing stages of our Class News Story.  Later in the week, we will be learning how to write a letter to an author.  The kids will include connections, feelings, and questions in their letters.

Today we began a new book in shared reading, The Ox-Cart Man.  The children will be learning how to activate their background knowledge and how that can be helpful when reading.

We began a science unit on Matter.  The children will be reading their textbook and completing hands-on experiments to learn all about solids, liquids, and gases.

Here are a few other things happening this week:
November 1st - Market Day Pie Fundraiser ends
November 1st - October reading log/homework calender is due
November 3rd - Electronic Recycling Drive (10:00-1:00)

Remember that we have an Institute Day next Tuesday, November 6th.  Parent-teacher conferences are also happening next week.  Please let me know if you need a reminder of your scheduled conference time.  

 
     
 
 

Pictures

Our trip to the Joliet Fire Station

Community Workers Week

The Weber Weekly

We are off to a great start already this week!  Today the children began taking their first quarter Language Arts Assessment.  The test is pretty lengthy, so we will be taking it over the course of several days.  I will share the results of the assessment with you at your child's conference. 

We are continuing our Place Value Unit in math this week.  Today the kids learned about even and odd numbers.  The rest of the week we will focus on place value up to the thousands place.  If you're utilizing the Pearson resource (from Parent University), you will find these lessons in Topics 4 & 17.

The children are still working on their narratives in writing this week.  They are learning ways to make their writing more interesting by including things such as similes and dialogue.  Their narratives will also need to include capital letters, punctuation, and transition words.  They have been drafting some amazing stories!

In shared reading, the kids are learning how to summarize and retell.  They are being introduced to strategies such as note taking, combining information, and determining important/less important details.  They will apply these strategies while reading our big book, The Remarkable, Adaptable Turtle. 

With the election right around the corner, I'm excited to announce our focus in social studies this week is all about voting.  The children are going to go through all the steps of the voting process.  This week they will make campaign posters, register to vote, receive a voter's registration card, and so much more.  What an exciting and informative week we will have!

Today your child is bringing home a weekly homework sheet.  On the front side you will find the daily homework assignments as well as our sight words for the week.  On the back, the children have recorded their clip color for the day.  This homework sheet will replace the half sheets of homework that you've seen in the past, the sight word flash card sheet, and the monthly behavior calendar.  Hopefully this will make it a little easier for the kids to keep track of their assignments.  This homework sheet will need to stay in the yellow take-home folder for the whole week.  Be on the lookout for this homework sheet every Monday. 

 

Here are a couple of reminders for this week:

• Book Buddies went home today.  YAY!  Don't forget that Book Buddies are due back to school on Thursday.  
• Our class visits the school library for book checkout every C Day.  Our next C Day is Wednesday.  Please make sure you child has his/her two books.  
• Tomorrow our class will be shopping at the Book Fair.  If you're sending money, please make sure to place the money in a sealed envelope labeled with your child's name.
• I'm still missing a couple of conference forms.  Once I have all forms returned, I can finalize the schedule and send home conference dates.  Please return the form tomorrow.
• Book Fair Family Night is Thursday from 4:30-7:00.
• The PE Department is hosting Open Gym on Thursday from 6:00-7:30.
• The Scholastic Book Order is due Thursday. 

Phew, it sounds like we're going to have another busy week of learning in second grade!   As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns :)

The Weber Weekly

This week we will be learning how to compare two-digit numbers by identifying if the numbers are greater or less than.  We will also learn how to order two-digit numbers using a hundreds chart.  Remember every Friday we will take our Minute Math test on addition and subtraction facts.  You can help your child practice by quizzing him/her on the basic facts.   

In writing this week we are starting a narrative unit.  The kids will be introduced to the characteristics of a narrative and then they will brainstorm ideas for their own writing piece.  We will also be looking at different aspects of writing like similes and transition words.

In shared reading we will be learning how to compare and contrast two different books by the same author using a Venn Diagram.  The kids will listen to two different stories read aloud and then write about the books' similiarities and differences.    

In social studies we are learning about the different leaders in our country.  This will be a great segue into our voting/election mini-unit next week.  

We have several reminders this week:

• We are still collecting coins for our Book Fair Change Drive.  The money collected will be used to purchase books for our school library.  In addition, the class that collects the most money will be able to spend that amount of money at the Book Fair!  Tomorrow we are collecting quarters and Friday we're collecting any coins.
• Don't forget to return the form indicating your preference of a conference time.  I would like to have all conferences scheduled by the end of the week.  If you've already returned it, thank you!  
• Parent University is tomorrow night at 6:00 pm.  We are so excited for this event!  If you returned your RSVP letter, you will be receiving a personalized magnet with your child's username and password.  If you did not RSVP, you are still more than welcome to come; however, you will not be receiving the refrigerator magnet.  Don't forget that child care and light refreshments will be provided.  See you in the Media Center!      
• The October Book Order will be due next Thursday.  
• Market Day pick-up is tomorrow from 4:45 to 6:00 pm.  If you ordered taffy apples from Student Council, you can also pick those up tomorrow as well.

Finally, I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered time last week to speak about a career.  The class had a great time learning about many different jobs within in the community.  I have some fun pictures that I will be posting soon.  Thanks also to Mrs. Mahalik for being our Mystery Reader last week! 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.  We're really off to a great start this year!  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful class!!  :) :) :) :)

The Weber Weekly

OH MY, we have a BUSY week ahead of us!!  Today we kicked off our Community Worker visits by welcoming Officer Burgess into our classroom.  Mr. Burgess was fully dressed in his police uniform and ready to answer questions from the curious minds of our classroom.  He explained the importance of following the law and staying safe.  He even showed us some of the tools he needs for his job, such as his flashlight, badge, and handcuffs.  Thanks for visiting our classroom, Mr. Burgess!  We will have several other guest speakers from the community this week including the Mayor, a firefighter, and a nurse.  I can't wait to post pictures of all of our visitors.

In math this week we will learn how to write numbers up to 99.  We will also learn how to compare two-digit numbers using models and symbols.  Don't forget to encourage your child to practice his/her math facts.  Every Friday we will have our Minute Math test, which is a timed 1:20 for 40 addition problems and a 1:20 for 40 subtraction problems. 

Our wonderful writers have been so busy drafting, editing, and revising descriptive paragraphs.  Mrs. Starkman invited us into the Media Center to publish the paragraphs using Microsoft Word.  The kids began typing their paragraph today and will continue to publish on the computer all week.

We began a new nonfiction big book today, Tell Me a Story, Grandpa.  The kids will be learning about and then applying skills to help them decode unfamiliar words in this text.  These strategies will be useful when kids come to tricky words during independent reading. 

Other things happening this week:

Tuesday 

• Zoo Day - Your child can bring his/her favorite stuffed animal.  Please make sure the stuffed buddy is small enough to fit on top of a desk and that it doesn't make any noise.
• Mystery Reader Day 
• Mayor Collins and a firefighter (Mr. Kraft) will be visiting for Community Workers Week.
• PTO Meeting - 6:00 PM in the Media Center

Wednesday

• Picture Day - If you would like to order pictures, payment and order form must be sent to school. 
• Naglieri Testing for 2nd Grade
• A nurse (Mrs. Erhardt) will be visiting for Community Workers Week.  

Thursday

• Grand Prairie Spirit Day - PJ Day!  Your child can bring slippers to wear in the classroom, but please make sure he/she wears gym shoes to school.
• Fire Station Field Trip - Don't forget that this is a walking field trip.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately and has comfortable walking shoes.  
• Market Day orders are due

Friday

• International Walk/Bike to School Day 
• Taffy Apple order forms due 

In other news, I would like to congratulate Colin and Ashlee for being named our "Pillar of the Month" and "Student of the Month" for September.  Congratulations; keep up the great work!!  

Finally, I would like to thank all of you for thinking of me on my birthday.  You sure made my day extra special!  I was amazed with all the cute home-made cards, gifts, and well wishes.  Thank you!!  I couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather this weekend either.  Mr. Weber and I took our little guy to Honey Hill Orchard to pick apples and pumpkins and to see the animals in the petting zoo.  It was a perfect day!