October 5-October 19

Hello Families,
We have had a great beginning of October! We ended September completing our Catching Compliments incentive. We earned an extra recess for adding  20 baseballs to our catching compliments baseball glove. This group of kids takes care of each other's feelings and work well together. Now we are starting a new incentive with a Fall theme- Kind Words Are Falling Out of our Mouths. At the end of everyday, we will share any kind words we heard someone say to us. Check the right sidebar to see what we are learning in 2nd Grade. Have a fabulous weekend!

Conferences- I am looking forward to meeting with everyone in the next two weeks to talk about where your child is and how we are going to progress throughout the year. I did send home a brief survey for you to fill out and return before your scheduled conference time. I appreciate your time. The Book Fair will be open beginning next week. Our class will go to a preview session where your child will make a book wish list. This is a great opportunity to participate in a school fundraiser and help build your child's love for reading. You could have your child earn their book i.e. cleaning up their room everyday, following directions at school, starting their homework right away...
4th Grade Buddies-We met with our 4th grade buddies for the second time. Mrs. Schultz and I are so excited about the learning partnerships that have been created. Our 4th grade buddies have prepared a book talk- they practice reading a book and prepare questions for their 2nd grade buddies to answer. It has been wonderful for the second graders to hear what a 4th grade reader sounds like and how they talk about books. I have notice3d my second graders using the same language during buddy reading in our own readers workshop. It has been a great experience so far!
Math Facts- We took our first addition math facts 3 minutes timed test this week. Fact Power is very important for kids to develop. Therefore, I encourage you to have your child practice basic math facts several nights a week. An addition fact is defined as a 1 digit number plus another 1 digit number (ex 4+5 not 15+19)
Ask Your Child
What is a sum?
What does balance mean?
What are three different types of communities? (urban, suburban and rural)
What are some strategies you can use to figure out a tricky word in reading?
What is a personal narrative? (A true story about yourself)
Reminders
*Ye Olde School House field trip slip and fee
*Conferences are coming- double check your calendar

Balancing a Pencil Trick