Wednesday, August 14, 2013
What a super sweet Meet and Greet!
I'm so excited for my new class! What an amazing turnout we had today at Meet and Greet! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to come check out your child's new classroom. I hope your son/daughter is looking forward to the new school year as much as I am. We have an EXTRA large class this year (thirty-one!), but I hear this is the year to do it. All of the first grade teachers, as well as specialists throughout the building, RAVE about this incoming group of kids. I couldn't be more excited to start this new journey with them. I can't wait to see everyone in the morning!!!
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Weber Weekly
Happy
May! I cannot believe we're in the last month of school. I get
teary-eyed just thinking about letting this class go at the end of the
year. This is such a great group of second graders and I'm going to miss
them tremendously!
Our ABC Countdown is off to a great start. This week we have Lounge Day (pajamas) on Thursday; however, that is also the day of our field trip to the zoo. Please dress your child for the zoo and he/she can wear pajamas to school on Friday instead.
We began our multiplication unit in math. The kids understand the concept of repeated addition and are working really hard at their facts. We'll continue this into next week and then move on to division.
The month of May is all about persuasive writing. The purpose of persuasive writing is to convince the reader to agree with the writer. The children have been exposed to several examples of persuasive writing and they've been busy coming up with their own topics. Next time your child asks for something; have him/her try to persuade you with at least three supporting reasons.
We began a new author study on Patricia Polacco this week. She is one of my favorite children's authors and I'm excited to share her books with the class. Earlier in the week we read Thank You, Mr. Falker, a story about a little girl (Patricia herself) who struggles with reading. When her new teacher discovers her hiding under a stairwell, he realizes that the other kids have been bullying her because she doesn't know how to read. Many girls and a handful of boys were in tears while listening to the story. It really sheds light on the problems that struggling readers face. I highly recommend checking out this book from the library and reading it with your child.
We began our science unit on ecosystems. We will be exploring the desert, ocean, arctic, rainforest, and grassland habitats. We also had a special visitor in science last week. Mrs. Kraulidis came to school along with Dylan's chick, Brownie. Dylan gave a report on the chick and answered all of our questions. What a fun science lesson!
We have a PTO Meeting tomorrow night at 6:00 in the GP Media Center.
GP would like to invite the newly registered 2013-2014 Kindergarten students and their families to an Open House. Please come explore the school, board a school bus, meet staff, ask questions, get information from the PTO, and receive a Kindergarten Handbook. If you have not registered your Kindergartener, please contact the school office at 815-436-7000.
Friday night is our 2nd Annual Pet Parade & Expo. The events will be taking place from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Yearbook orders are still being accepted in the main office. The yearbooks are $16.00.
Our ABC Countdown is off to a great start. This week we have Lounge Day (pajamas) on Thursday; however, that is also the day of our field trip to the zoo. Please dress your child for the zoo and he/she can wear pajamas to school on Friday instead.
We began our multiplication unit in math. The kids understand the concept of repeated addition and are working really hard at their facts. We'll continue this into next week and then move on to division.
The month of May is all about persuasive writing. The purpose of persuasive writing is to convince the reader to agree with the writer. The children have been exposed to several examples of persuasive writing and they've been busy coming up with their own topics. Next time your child asks for something; have him/her try to persuade you with at least three supporting reasons.
We began a new author study on Patricia Polacco this week. She is one of my favorite children's authors and I'm excited to share her books with the class. Earlier in the week we read Thank You, Mr. Falker, a story about a little girl (Patricia herself) who struggles with reading. When her new teacher discovers her hiding under a stairwell, he realizes that the other kids have been bullying her because she doesn't know how to read. Many girls and a handful of boys were in tears while listening to the story. It really sheds light on the problems that struggling readers face. I highly recommend checking out this book from the library and reading it with your child.
We began our science unit on ecosystems. We will be exploring the desert, ocean, arctic, rainforest, and grassland habitats. We also had a special visitor in science last week. Mrs. Kraulidis came to school along with Dylan's chick, Brownie. Dylan gave a report on the chick and answered all of our questions. What a fun science lesson!
We have a PTO Meeting tomorrow night at 6:00 in the GP Media Center.
GP would like to invite the newly registered 2013-2014 Kindergarten students and their families to an Open House. Please come explore the school, board a school bus, meet staff, ask questions, get information from the PTO, and receive a Kindergarten Handbook. If you have not registered your Kindergartener, please contact the school office at 815-436-7000.
Friday night is our 2nd Annual Pet Parade & Expo. The events will be taking place from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Yearbook orders are still being accepted in the main office. The yearbooks are $16.00.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
The Weber Weekly
Where is the spring weather? Did you see the SNOW yesterday?! It's the middle of April already!! I guess I don't feel so bad sitting behind a computer doing school work when it's cold out. I hope your child was able to get a lot of rest and relaxation this weekend. We've had a lot of kids out sick this past week (strep, flu, and scarlet fever are going around), so I hope everyone is feeling better for tomorrow. Even my little guy picked up a nasty cold and croup cough. Again, bring on the warm weather!
In math we're working really hard on two-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping. I will be sending home a review for homework tomorrow. We'll be taking our test this week.
We're loving our poetry unit in writing. The kids have learned how to write an acrostic, alliteration, autobiography, and couplet poem. Their poetry writing skills are fabulous!
Have you heard about Robert Munsch and his author fingerprints? We're learning about this hilarious author and his unique book characteristics in shared reading. You can listen to his books and learn more about him on his website: www.robertmunsch.com
Our geography and mapping unit will be coming to a close this week. The kids have worked really hard to learn how to read maps and identify cities, states, and countries in North America.
This week we are celebrating Autism Awareness. Be on the lookout for additional information and an optional homework assignment coming home. Friday everyone is encouraged to wear BLUE for Autism Awareness.
Registration packets were sent home last week. Please fill out the necessary paperwork and return to school by April 25th. Parent input regarding class assignments is due back on April 26th.
The “Family Ties Committee” is sponsoring an expo night on Thursday from 5:30-7:00 PM in the gym.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful weekend! Here's how I spent mine:
In math we're working really hard on two-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping. I will be sending home a review for homework tomorrow. We'll be taking our test this week.
We're loving our poetry unit in writing. The kids have learned how to write an acrostic, alliteration, autobiography, and couplet poem. Their poetry writing skills are fabulous!
Have you heard about Robert Munsch and his author fingerprints? We're learning about this hilarious author and his unique book characteristics in shared reading. You can listen to his books and learn more about him on his website: www.robertmunsch.com
Our geography and mapping unit will be coming to a close this week. The kids have worked really hard to learn how to read maps and identify cities, states, and countries in North America.
This week we are celebrating Autism Awareness. Be on the lookout for additional information and an optional homework assignment coming home. Friday everyone is encouraged to wear BLUE for Autism Awareness.
Registration packets were sent home last week. Please fill out the necessary paperwork and return to school by April 25th. Parent input regarding class assignments is due back on April 26th.
The “Family Ties Committee” is sponsoring an expo night on Thursday from 5:30-7:00 PM in the gym.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful weekend! Here's how I spent mine:
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Weber Weekly
A lot has been happening since returning from Spring Break...
We jumped right into two-digit addition with regrouping and the kids are doing great! Next week we're also going to work on two-digit subtraction.
April is National Poetry Month. This week we learned how to write acrostic and alliteration poems. We'll continue our poetry writing next week.
In shared reading we began an author study on Robert Munsch. The kids are learning about his writing style by searching for "fingerprints" or things that make his books unique. So far they've learned his books usually contain onomatopoeia, kids are the main characters, he writes in repeating patterns, his books are humorous, and he loves to streeeeeeeetch out words. We'll continue learning about this great author next week.
In social studies we're working on a mapping unit. The kids are learning how to read maps, use a compass rose, and locate landmarks. We'll continue map skills into next week.
WANTED: headphones. Do you have any old headphones around the house that you no longer need? Our listening center is in desperate need of a couple of new pairs. We'd really appreciate any donations!
Thank you to everyone that participated in our coin drive. We collected over a thousand dollars that will be used to purchase new books for our school library. Mrs. Watkins' class took 1st place with $225.00 followed by Mrs. Williams with over a hundred dollars. Amazing!!
On Monday I will be drawing names for field trip chaperones. Our class can take four total and so far eight people have indicated that they'd like to attend. I will be putting all names in a hat on Monday and will let you know if you're chosen. Don't forget that all permission slips and $7.00 cash or check paymenst will be due next Friday.
Spring pictures were sent home yesterday. If you'd like to purchase the pictures, please send payment; otherwise, return all the pictures back to school.
Field Day shirts are on sale for $6.00 through May 2nd.
District 202 will sell surplus computers to the community for $70.00 each on Saturday, April 13th. The sale runs from 8 am to 3 pm at the District Operation Center.
The deadline for parents to complete the 5Essentials Survey has been extended to April 12th. The survey will help us serve students and families better, so please share your thoughts. 5Essentials Survey
Enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend! Happy Friday!!
We jumped right into two-digit addition with regrouping and the kids are doing great! Next week we're also going to work on two-digit subtraction.
April is National Poetry Month. This week we learned how to write acrostic and alliteration poems. We'll continue our poetry writing next week.
In shared reading we began an author study on Robert Munsch. The kids are learning about his writing style by searching for "fingerprints" or things that make his books unique. So far they've learned his books usually contain onomatopoeia, kids are the main characters, he writes in repeating patterns, his books are humorous, and he loves to streeeeeeeetch out words. We'll continue learning about this great author next week.
In social studies we're working on a mapping unit. The kids are learning how to read maps, use a compass rose, and locate landmarks. We'll continue map skills into next week.
WANTED: headphones. Do you have any old headphones around the house that you no longer need? Our listening center is in desperate need of a couple of new pairs. We'd really appreciate any donations!
Thank you to everyone that participated in our coin drive. We collected over a thousand dollars that will be used to purchase new books for our school library. Mrs. Watkins' class took 1st place with $225.00 followed by Mrs. Williams with over a hundred dollars. Amazing!!
On Monday I will be drawing names for field trip chaperones. Our class can take four total and so far eight people have indicated that they'd like to attend. I will be putting all names in a hat on Monday and will let you know if you're chosen. Don't forget that all permission slips and $7.00 cash or check paymenst will be due next Friday.
Spring pictures were sent home yesterday. If you'd like to purchase the pictures, please send payment; otherwise, return all the pictures back to school.
Field Day shirts are on sale for $6.00 through May 2nd.
District 202 will sell surplus computers to the community for $70.00 each on Saturday, April 13th. The sale runs from 8 am to 3 pm at the District Operation Center.
The deadline for parents to complete the 5Essentials Survey has been extended to April 12th. The survey will help us serve students and families better, so please share your thoughts. 5Essentials Survey
Enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend! Happy Friday!!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Weber Weekly
Wowie ka-zowie, what a busy week! The kids did a great job following the
alternate ISAT schedule this week. We
will resume our regular schedule on Monday & Tuesday and then follow the
5-hour schedule for Wednesday & Thursday of next week. Next Friday is an Institute Day, so there is
no student attendance.
I’m happy to announce that the kids have learned ALL of
their lowercase cursive letters. We
moved onto uppercase this week. Please
encourage your child to practice cursive writing at home as often as possible. I will be assigning a lot of cursive for “Writing
Wednesday” during the fourth quarter.
Everyone seems to catch on to the individual letters pretty quickly, but
struggle with joining the letters to form words. Practice makes perfect, so we will be doing a
lot of practicing! :)
I’m very pleased with how well everyone did on the
measurement/telling time assessment. I
will be sharing your child’s scores with you at conferences next week. This week we moved onto money. Your child should be secure with counting
coin combinations, showing different ways to make the same amount, and writing
in dollar and cent notation. Next week
is all about making change. We will be
taking the money assessment before spring break.
Our focus during reading this week was character
traits. We read a wonderful story by
Ezra Jack Keats titled A Letter for Amy.
The children shared their opinions about the characters and made several
text-to-self connections. We’re also using
a graphic organizer to summarize the key story elements.
Science has been all about life cycles of living
things. Next week we will finish off our
science unit by exploring food webs and food chains.
Now that we're in fourth quarter, we will be reviewing ALL of the second grade sight words. You will see that the homework sheets have review words listed. Your child should enter third grade feeling secure with the second grade words. Our 4th quarter language arts test will assess students' understanding of these words. The district's expectation is that students will correctly read, write, and spell the word wall words with an 85% or higher. Words written backwards, reversals, and letters written backwards will be marked incorrect. We will be practicing a lot here at school, but I encourage you to have your child practice at home as well.
Now that we're in fourth quarter, we will be reviewing ALL of the second grade sight words. You will see that the homework sheets have review words listed. Your child should enter third grade feeling secure with the second grade words. Our 4th quarter language arts test will assess students' understanding of these words. The district's expectation is that students will correctly read, write, and spell the word wall words with an 85% or higher. Words written backwards, reversals, and letters written backwards will be marked incorrect. We will be practicing a lot here at school, but I encourage you to have your child practice at home as well.
School Announcements:
- Yearbook order forms are due Friday, March 15th. The yearbooks cost $16.00.
- Conferences are next week. Please email me if you need a reminder of your scheduled time.
- March 22nd - Institute Day (No student attendance)
- April 2nd - classes resume after spring break
- Market Day orders can be placed online until 11:00 pm Monday.
District Announcements:
- Have you had a chance to take the 5Essentials Parent Survey? The survey can be found by clicking here: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/ The deadline for completing the survey is March 31st.
- District 202 is in the process of implementing a new student information system for next school year. The new "eSchool" student information system will significantly improve our student data collection and reporting processes. The form can be found here: http://psd202.org/ParStu/student_info.php?p=form The deadline for completing the form is March 22nd.
- The district is currently accepting registration of Kindergartners for the 2013-2014 school year. Please see the district website for more information.
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Weber Weekly
"I gotta feeling...that you're all gonna pass the ISAT....that you're all gonna pass the I-I-SAT"
WOW, we had an incredible assembly Friday afternoon to kick off ISAT testing. Although the tests are only for 3-5th graders, our K-2 students attended the assembly to proudly show their support. We had songs, a dance, a quiz show, and posters to show encouragement to everyone at Grand Prairie. For the next two weeks (during testing), our second graders will be having morning special. This will allow time for the 3-5th graders to have the whole morning block for their tests. Our normal schedule will resume the week of March 18th.
We celebrated "Read Across America Day" Friday with Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. We read the story and discussed the qualities that make us one-of-a-kind. The children then wrote about why they are special and created unique self-portraits of themselves. The portraits are absolutely adorable and their ideas are really, really sweet.
Everyone is working extremely hard on our telling time unit in math. It's so fun to see the light bulbs go off when they finally get it. Your child should be secure with telling time to the minute as well as quarter after, half past, and quarter til. We will be taking our measurement assessment on Wednesday. Tonight's math homework is a stapled review of everything that will be on the assessment.
We're continuing with our expository unit in writing. This week the kids will be choosing a community worker and explaining how the worker helps our community. We will also be writing our next Snazzy Snack recipe this week. In honor of Dr. Seuss, we will be creating "Cat in the Hat" treats.
Today your child is brining home your scheduled conference time. Please mark your calendar. I look forward to meeting with you in a few weeks!
The kids earned their 10th ribbon for their awesome hard work in class. On Wednesday we will be celebrating with a PJ and Stuffed Buddy Day!
There is a PTO Meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 6:00 in the Media Center.
Thursday is our monthly school-wide Spirit Day. The kids are encouraged to wear workout clothes or sweats.
Our PTO is sponsoring a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party Friday night here at GP. There will be games, songs, crafts, and books from 5:30 - 7:00 followed by a showing of The Lorax at 7:00 pm. Admission is $2.00 at the door.
Don't forget to spend a few minutes completing a survey to let us know how we're doing. The survey can be found here: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/
Spring pictures are next Thursday, March 14th. Your child will be brining home his/her order form tomorrow.
Yearbooks are currently on sale for $16.00. Order forms and payments are due by next Friday, March 15th.
With the cold weather upon us, we have been stuck indoors for recess. Although we do have a lot of classroom board games, the kids are becoming bored. If you'd like to donate any new or gently used coloring books to our classroom, the kids would be very appreciative!
Have a great week!
We're continuing with our expository unit in writing. This week the kids will be choosing a community worker and explaining how the worker helps our community. We will also be writing our next Snazzy Snack recipe this week. In honor of Dr. Seuss, we will be creating "Cat in the Hat" treats.
Today your child is brining home your scheduled conference time. Please mark your calendar. I look forward to meeting with you in a few weeks!
The kids earned their 10th ribbon for their awesome hard work in class. On Wednesday we will be celebrating with a PJ and Stuffed Buddy Day!
There is a PTO Meeting tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 6:00 in the Media Center.
Thursday is our monthly school-wide Spirit Day. The kids are encouraged to wear workout clothes or sweats.
Our PTO is sponsoring a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party Friday night here at GP. There will be games, songs, crafts, and books from 5:30 - 7:00 followed by a showing of The Lorax at 7:00 pm. Admission is $2.00 at the door.
Don't forget to spend a few minutes completing a survey to let us know how we're doing. The survey can be found here: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/
Spring pictures are next Thursday, March 14th. Your child will be brining home his/her order form tomorrow.
Yearbooks are currently on sale for $16.00. Order forms and payments are due by next Friday, March 15th.
With the cold weather upon us, we have been stuck indoors for recess. Although we do have a lot of classroom board games, the kids are becoming bored. If you'd like to donate any new or gently used coloring books to our classroom, the kids would be very appreciative!
Have a great week!
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Weber Weekly
We had a short, but very busy week last week. Big thanks to the families of Marty and Carrie for being our Snazzy Snack shoppers for the month of February. The kids loved making "Berry Good Pizza". I can't believe we only have a few recipes left before our books are complete. The kids are going to be so excited to share their recipe books with you at the end of second grade! Check out a couple of our pictures:
In reading we continued using a biography chart to track important information while reading biographies. Some facts that we charted included the person's birth, early life, education, family, important accomplishments, and death.
The kids have been working very hard on their cursive letters in writing. I'm amazed at how well they are doing! We're also working on another expository writing piece. Your child should now be able to write an introduction, three ideas with supporting details, and a conclusion for their expository topic. They will be bringing home their writing this week; you will be so proud!
Our measurement unit is still in full swing. Last week we learned all about weight, including ounces and pounds. This week we're moving onto telling time.
We began our living & nonliving science unit last week. The kiddos are learning the traits of living things and how they connect to our environment. This week we'll be exploring the life cycle of plants and animals.
Don't forget to return your conference preference form at your earliest convenience. Remember that you must check whether you'd like to have a phone conference or a conference at school. As soon as I get all the forms back, I will be able to send home your scheduled spring conference time.
The Million Minutes and February homework calendars are due Thursday.
Did you hear we took 2nd place in the Creekside Cares Food Drive?! I'm so proud of the giving second graders we have in our class. Your child earned a certificate as well as a free dinner coupon for Pepe's Mexican. Way to go!!
In reading we continued using a biography chart to track important information while reading biographies. Some facts that we charted included the person's birth, early life, education, family, important accomplishments, and death.
The kids have been working very hard on their cursive letters in writing. I'm amazed at how well they are doing! We're also working on another expository writing piece. Your child should now be able to write an introduction, three ideas with supporting details, and a conclusion for their expository topic. They will be bringing home their writing this week; you will be so proud!
Our measurement unit is still in full swing. Last week we learned all about weight, including ounces and pounds. This week we're moving onto telling time.
We began our living & nonliving science unit last week. The kiddos are learning the traits of living things and how they connect to our environment. This week we'll be exploring the life cycle of plants and animals.
Don't forget to return your conference preference form at your earliest convenience. Remember that you must check whether you'd like to have a phone conference or a conference at school. As soon as I get all the forms back, I will be able to send home your scheduled spring conference time.
The Million Minutes and February homework calendars are due Thursday.
Did you hear we took 2nd place in the Creekside Cares Food Drive?! I'm so proud of the giving second graders we have in our class. Your child earned a certificate as well as a free dinner coupon for Pepe's Mexican. Way to go!!
Monday, February 18, 2013
The Weber Weekly
Wow, what a special week in second grade! Everyone had a ball passing out their Valentine cards and treats on Thursday. Love was definitely in the air in Room 201! Once again the kids amazed me with their thoughtfulness and generosity. I had fun reading all the sweet love notes and cards; the chocolates and gifts weren't too bad, either! I continually thank my lucky stars for being blessed with such an amazing class. I love each and every one of my kids so much and I'm already dreading the day that I have to send them off to third grade. I couldn't have picked a more perfect class or group of parents. Thank you for all of your continuous support, kind words, and sweet gestures. You are truly the best!
Thank you to Mrs. Kraulidis for leading the Valentine's Day party and to all the other parents that helped out. Mr. & Mrs. Besich, Mrs. Coldwater, Mrs. Roark, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Mahalik - - we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to ensure that we had fun. We even had a surprise visit from Miss Tsevas; what a great day!
I'm very pleased with how hard the kids are working on our measurement math unit. They have been having a great time estimating and then taking measurements of objects around our classroom. We'll continue working on measurement this week.
Shared reading was all about biographies last week. The children learned the characteristics of a biography text while reading a big book about an extraordinary artist named Grandma Moses. We used a biography chart to track our information which could then be used to retell and write summaries. We also did a lot of work with base words and affixes. I'm really impressed with how quickly everyone is grasping word parts.
Have you heard about our new "Walk-To" model for Word Study? Every second grader now switches classes during this time to work with their second grade peers on spelling patterns and word sorts. Both teachers and students alike are loving this new approach.
Market Day orders can be placed online until 11:00 p.m. on February 18th. Please visit www.marketday.com to enter the site. The Grand Prairie account number is 3119. Market Day now accepts the LINK card at pick-up. Did you know that 10% of your pre-tax Market Day purchases are tax deductible? Market Day pick-up is on February 21st from 4:45 - 6:00 PM in the school gym.
Yearbooks have gone on sale for $16.00 each. Order forms and payment are due by Friday, March 15h. Additional order forms are available in the school office.
The deadline has been extended to turn in your nomination for PTO Awards. The new deadline is February 22nd. Please take a moment to nominate a special parent, staff member, or any worthy person for a job well done. We would like to recognize specific individuals' time, effort, and dedication to making Grand Prairie a success. Informational forms are available in the school office.
Have you had a chance to take the 5Essentials Survey yet? From now until March 31st, all District 202 parents are encouraged to take part in this survey. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about our school. The survey can be found here: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/
The 1st Grade Musical, "Go Fish", will be held on Tuesday, February 26th. Performances will take place in the school gym at at the following times:
5:30 p.m. - Mrs. Lindner’s and Miss Eskridge’s classes
6:30 p.m. - Mrs. Toohey’s, Mrs. Krippelz’s and Mrs. Sloan’s classes
The 5th Grade Student Council will be sponsoring a Bake Sale during the 1st Grade Music Program on February 26th. Please consider baking or donating store-bought baked goods for this event. If you are willing to help out, please contact Mrs. Young at (815) 474-7566/dyoung@psd202.org or you can send a note to school (include your name, contact information, and your child's name) to the attention of Mrs. Young.
We are four months into the Million Minutes Reading Challenge! (The challenge runs through May 1st.) After only four months, here are how things are looking:
We have read 240,995 minutes and have 759,005 minutes to go. Second grade is in 1st place overall with 82,047 minutes. Mrs. Watkin’s class is in 1st place with 17,233, Miss Cox’s class is in 2nd place with 17,025, and Mrs. Kulaga’s class is in 3rd place with 16,682 minutes read. The logs will be due on February 28th.
April is Autism Awareness Month. You're welcome to join us on Wednesday, February 27th from 4:00 - 5:00 pm to help plan and organize events and activities for our students, staff, and families. Please contact Mrs. Dassinger, social worker, via email at bdassing@psd202.org or call at (815) 436-7000 ext. 208 if you would like more information.
Spring conferences are right around the corner. Please fill out and return your conference preference sheet at your earliest convenience. During spring conferences, you have the option of a phone conference. Please indicate your preference on your conference form. If you've already returned your form, but forgot to indicate your preference, please email me.
Finally, if you made it all the way through this post, have your child whisper to me on Tuesday morning that I owe him/her a large Fuzzy. Thanks for reading!!
I'm very pleased with how hard the kids are working on our measurement math unit. They have been having a great time estimating and then taking measurements of objects around our classroom. We'll continue working on measurement this week.
Shared reading was all about biographies last week. The children learned the characteristics of a biography text while reading a big book about an extraordinary artist named Grandma Moses. We used a biography chart to track our information which could then be used to retell and write summaries. We also did a lot of work with base words and affixes. I'm really impressed with how quickly everyone is grasping word parts.
Have you heard about our new "Walk-To" model for Word Study? Every second grader now switches classes during this time to work with their second grade peers on spelling patterns and word sorts. Both teachers and students alike are loving this new approach.
Market Day orders can be placed online until 11:00 p.m. on February 18th. Please visit www.marketday.com to enter the site. The Grand Prairie account number is 3119. Market Day now accepts the LINK card at pick-up. Did you know that 10% of your pre-tax Market Day purchases are tax deductible? Market Day pick-up is on February 21st from 4:45 - 6:00 PM in the school gym.
Yearbooks have gone on sale for $16.00 each. Order forms and payment are due by Friday, March 15h. Additional order forms are available in the school office.
The deadline has been extended to turn in your nomination for PTO Awards. The new deadline is February 22nd. Please take a moment to nominate a special parent, staff member, or any worthy person for a job well done. We would like to recognize specific individuals' time, effort, and dedication to making Grand Prairie a success. Informational forms are available in the school office.
Have you had a chance to take the 5Essentials Survey yet? From now until March 31st, all District 202 parents are encouraged to take part in this survey. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about our school. The survey can be found here: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/
The 1st Grade Musical, "Go Fish", will be held on Tuesday, February 26th. Performances will take place in the school gym at at the following times:
5:30 p.m. - Mrs. Lindner’s and Miss Eskridge’s classes
6:30 p.m. - Mrs. Toohey’s, Mrs. Krippelz’s and Mrs. Sloan’s classes
The 5th Grade Student Council will be sponsoring a Bake Sale during the 1st Grade Music Program on February 26th. Please consider baking or donating store-bought baked goods for this event. If you are willing to help out, please contact Mrs. Young at (815) 474-7566/dyoung@psd202.org or you can send a note to school (include your name, contact information, and your child's name) to the attention of Mrs. Young.
We are four months into the Million Minutes Reading Challenge! (The challenge runs through May 1st.) After only four months, here are how things are looking:
We have read 240,995 minutes and have 759,005 minutes to go. Second grade is in 1st place overall with 82,047 minutes. Mrs. Watkin’s class is in 1st place with 17,233, Miss Cox’s class is in 2nd place with 17,025, and Mrs. Kulaga’s class is in 3rd place with 16,682 minutes read. The logs will be due on February 28th.
April is Autism Awareness Month. You're welcome to join us on Wednesday, February 27th from 4:00 - 5:00 pm to help plan and organize events and activities for our students, staff, and families. Please contact Mrs. Dassinger, social worker, via email at bdassing@psd202.org or call at (815) 436-7000 ext. 208 if you would like more information.
Spring conferences are right around the corner. Please fill out and return your conference preference sheet at your earliest convenience. During spring conferences, you have the option of a phone conference. Please indicate your preference on your conference form. If you've already returned your form, but forgot to indicate your preference, please email me.
Finally, if you made it all the way through this post, have your child whisper to me on Tuesday morning that I owe him/her a large Fuzzy. Thanks for reading!!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The Weber Weekly
Can you believe it's almost Valentine's Day? This school year is flying by! On Thursday we will be celebrating with our class party in the afternoon. Your child needs to create a container to hold all his/her Valentines. Also, if your child is creating cards, please make sure there is a card for every member of our class. I can't wait to celebrate this special day with the kiddos!
I am truly amazed at the generous donations of our classroom. We collected so much food and loose change for Creekside Cares. Although I don't have the total of our donation yet, I do know we took second place in the whole school, just behind Mrs. Krupa's 4th grade class. The kids felt so proud hearing our class announced over the intercom on Friday afternoon. Thank you for supporting this wonderful organization!
We finished our graphing unit and have moved onto measurement. The children are learning the attributes of measurement, including length, weight, and capacity. This upcoming week we will focus on measuring length with nonstandard units, inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters.
We're having a blast learning how to read and write cursive! This week we learned the letters: e, l, h, k, and f. The kids are excited about how many words they can actually write now. Please remind them to only practice writing the letters we've learned thus far.
We learned some important new vocabulary while reading Blueberries for Sal during shared reading this week. The kids practiced recording similarities and differences of characters using a Venn Diagram. We also focused on root words with suffixes.
Social Studies this week was all about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We'll continue with some President's Day fun this upcoming week.
A few important reminders:
I am truly amazed at the generous donations of our classroom. We collected so much food and loose change for Creekside Cares. Although I don't have the total of our donation yet, I do know we took second place in the whole school, just behind Mrs. Krupa's 4th grade class. The kids felt so proud hearing our class announced over the intercom on Friday afternoon. Thank you for supporting this wonderful organization!
We're having a blast learning how to read and write cursive! This week we learned the letters: e, l, h, k, and f. The kids are excited about how many words they can actually write now. Please remind them to only practice writing the letters we've learned thus far.
Social Studies this week was all about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We'll continue with some President's Day fun this upcoming week.
A few important reminders:
- Six Flags reading logs are due on Monday. Absolutely no late logs will be accepted.
- Do you have a few extra minutes? Would you like to provide feedback on our school? The district can really use your help! We are asking all parents to take an online survey to help us get an understanding of the workings within our school. The survey can be found here: http://www.psd202.org/survey/5Essentials.php
- Scholastic Book Orders are due Wednesday.
- There is no school on Monday, February 18th.
Friday, February 1, 2013
The Weber Weekly
Because I was out Monday & Tuesday, it seems like we had a very short week. I'll try to keep this a short post to make up from last week's lengthy one! :)
This week has been all about nonfiction. The kids have learned about the text features of nonfiction including: glossary, index, captions, sidebars, headers, and bold words. We'll continue our nonfiction genre unit next week.
In writing we brainstormed a list of things we love about our classroom and Grand Prairie. Can you believe the kids were able to easily come up with 100 ideas?! We will be displaying our ideas on the bulletin board in honor of 100th Day and Valentine's Day.
We continued collecting data and used the gathered information in various graphs this week. The kiddos learned some important vocabulary this week, including: maximum, minimum, and range.
On Monday we are having a change drive for Creekside Cares. If you'd like to help support this wonderful organization, please send coins on Monday. In addition to the coin drive, we're having another food drive. The food collected helps feed more than 160 families in District 202. All next week, we are accepting non-perishable food items. The class that collects the most will receive a mystery prize! Bonus points will be given for the following items: peanut butter, jelly, hot cocoa, Mac -n- Cheese, canned veggies/fruits, rice, Ramen noodles, cereal, instant oatmeal, granola bars, pasta & sauces, and canned soups. Please do not separate any of the items like the Ramen or granola bars. Of course the most important thing I've told the kids is that it's all about giving to others, not the prize. :)
Thanks again to those of you who were able to come to Open House/Fine Arts Night. It was great to see all of you!
Thanks to Ashlee's mom, Mrs. Clayburn, for being our Mystery Reader this week! We still have dates available; shoot me an email if you're interested.
Upcoming events:
This week has been all about nonfiction. The kids have learned about the text features of nonfiction including: glossary, index, captions, sidebars, headers, and bold words. We'll continue our nonfiction genre unit next week.
In writing we brainstormed a list of things we love about our classroom and Grand Prairie. Can you believe the kids were able to easily come up with 100 ideas?! We will be displaying our ideas on the bulletin board in honor of 100th Day and Valentine's Day.
We continued collecting data and used the gathered information in various graphs this week. The kiddos learned some important vocabulary this week, including: maximum, minimum, and range.
On Monday we are having a change drive for Creekside Cares. If you'd like to help support this wonderful organization, please send coins on Monday. In addition to the coin drive, we're having another food drive. The food collected helps feed more than 160 families in District 202. All next week, we are accepting non-perishable food items. The class that collects the most will receive a mystery prize! Bonus points will be given for the following items: peanut butter, jelly, hot cocoa, Mac -n- Cheese, canned veggies/fruits, rice, Ramen noodles, cereal, instant oatmeal, granola bars, pasta & sauces, and canned soups. Please do not separate any of the items like the Ramen or granola bars. Of course the most important thing I've told the kids is that it's all about giving to others, not the prize. :)
Thanks to Ashlee's mom, Mrs. Clayburn, for being our Mystery Reader this week! We still have dates available; shoot me an email if you're interested.
Upcoming events:
- February 5th - PTO Meeting in the Media Center at 6:00 pm
- February 7th - Spirit Day - Sports theme (wear jerseys or GP apparrel)
- February 14th - Valentine's Party (don't forget to send a container to hold cards)
- February 18th - No School (President's Day)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
