Last Post of the Year!

Hello Families, this is our last post of your child's second grade career! They are going to be third graders in one week- so crazy! It has been my privilege to be your child's second grade teacher. I will miss each and every kiddo! I have told them that they may not ignore me in the hallways next year- they must smile and wave:) It is always a hard transition for me every year to let my class go. I am grateful that I will be at Tonawanda teaching second grade so that I can still see everyone. Thank you to everyone for your support throughout the year, especially while I was away on maternity leave! I hope everyone has a fabulous summer!

Reader's Theatre: You are all invited to attend our Reader's Theatre on Monday at 2:45 in our classroom. The kids will show off their fluency as readers while they read a part in a fairy tale readers theatre. Ask your child which part he/she has.

Bag: Please send a bag with your child next week Wednesday. We will take home all our materials on Wednesday, rather than the last day, Thursday.

Extra Materials: If anyone is considering throwing away school supplies left over from this year, please consider donating it to the classroom. I am in need of scissors, markers, crayons and colored pencils. Please let your child know if he/she can donate materials to the classroom.

Reading: While summer days can fill up very quickly, it is important to make time every day to read. We worked hard all year long in reading; it's important to maintain and practice good reading skills throughout the summer. Here are some suggestions for summer reading:

1. Participate in your library's summer reading program- it's free!

2. Participate in Barnes and Noble or Borders summer reading program- it's free and your child will receive a free book or gift card at the end of summer

3. Do the reading Bingo sheets in your child's folder today

To quick off your child's reading for summer, I am gifting each child a book. It is both a thank you for a great year and a motivation to continue reading!

*See the Ye Olde School House photos below (most of the photos were taken by Sylke Vonk- Ethan's mom)

Ye Olde School House

May 20-June 3

Hello Families,

We have a lot of fun and exciting activities coming up! The first is our trip to the Ye Olde School House on Monday. Please help your child pack a cold lunch. We are trying to make this experience as authentic as possible. So if you can help your child pack their lunch in a pail or basket and dress more old-fashioned or in rural attire, that would be great! (there are suggestions attached to the field trip note)

Community Project: Your child's building is due on Wednesday. We will put the communities together on Thursday so they will be on display at the Fine Arts Fair on Thursday night.

Math: U11 Math Test is on Wednesday. We will finish the year with a review unit. Please continue to work on math facts until the end of year and through the summer. Fact power is very important in math- flash cards can help your child practice and memorize the facts. Second grade proficiency is 54 facts in 3 minutes.

Surprise Reader: If someone in your family has not come in to read this year, I am still open to any day of the week and time for you to come in to read a short book to the class for 5-10 minutes. Please let me know if you are interested.

Mark Your Calendars:

Wed May 26-Fine Arts Fair 6-8:30 come see our community projects on display

Mon June 6- Readers Theatre 2:45-3:30

Our Poetry Cafe-Friday May 6

*Sorry there are not more pictures- I was so immersed in poetry, I kept forgetting to take pictures!

May 6-20

It is May already! We have a lot to get done before the end of the year-yikes! But, it should be a fun journey to the end of 2nd grade! Here are some of the things we have planned:

Reading/Writing: We are finishing our fabulous Poetry study and moving into Reading and writing Fairy Tales. We continue to work on reading and responding to text. I encourage you to ask your child questions after he/she finishes a chapter or entire book. We talk about how good readers think while they read. It is so important for 2nd graders to comprehend what they are reading. This might mean they need to slow down as a reader.

Math: Unit 10 tests went home on Tuesday. Please go over the test with your child. Remember only the non-shaded problems on the front sheet need to be proficient by the end of the unit. The shaded questions should be mastered at a later date.

Social Studies: We have a social studies community project coming up- a note will come home in next week. Students will chose a building to create that would fit in either an urban, suburban or rural community. The individual building will be done at home and then brought to school on May 25th for students build a community in small groups. The communities will be on display for the Fine Arts Fair on Thurs. May 26 from 6:00-8:30

Reminders: Please turn in the Ye Olde Shcool House field trip form and fee by Friday May 13.

*The All School field trip to the Brewer Game is Wed. May 11.

Ask Your Child:

*How did you create a a water fountain with air?

* Who is your favorite charter in the read aloud Sideways Stories from Wayside School? Why?

*What was your favorite part of writing poetry?

*When making change, what does Mrs. Dahms tell you to do (Count up)

April 15-May 6

Hello Families! We thought spring was here and then... Swooosh! Winter weather returned (We're working on adding sound words to our writing!) Our class filled our pebble jar this week-Yay! We earned a Teddy Bear picnic- we'll eat our lunch outside with a stuffed animal from home(kids can have school lunch or cold lunch). The stuffed animal must fit into a backpack. I told the kids we'll wait until next week to schedule a day. We are hoping for good weather Wed or Thurs next week. Poem in My Pocket Day: We had a wonderful day sharing our poems with our buddies, first graders and other teachers in our school. Ask your child to read you their poem with good fluency. Poetry Cafe: Mark your calendars! Our second grade Poetry Cafe is scheduled for Friday May 6 at 2:45. All families are welcome! Field Trips: We have 3 upcoming field trips to end the year. #1 Brewer Game on Wed May 18. Justin's dad will be joining us! #2 Ye Olde School House Mon May 23rd. We have 3 chaperones- both Ethans moms and Abby's mom. #3 Our walk to Elm Grove Village Day there is no date set yet. I will need about 3 chaperones for that trip as well. Thank you to all the volunteers for the entire year! Reminders: Schloastic Book Orders were due today. If you are still interested in ordering you can either order online or email me your list of book by Sunday. Ask Your Child: What is happening in the class read aloud The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane? What is a similie? (using the words "like" or "as" to compare- often used in poetry) What are some of your favorite poems you have written? How did you get the plunger to pop-off during your science experiment? Why did it happen?

Planning a Community

Readers' Theatre