Homework & Spelling

This week the students do not have new spelling words or a homework packet. We will resume homework and new spelling words when we return from Holiday break on January 3rd.

Games & PJ's
Christmas is quickly approaching and the excitement and energy leading up to Mr. Claus' arrival is bursting at the seams. In addition to many fun and exciting plans and events we have this week, we will wrap up our last day together before break with a small holiday celebration. Thursday afternoon we are celebrating with pajamas, fun and games...board games that is. All students are allowed to bring one or two school appropriate board games or card games. We will get all games out later in the afternoon to play with one another right up until our holiday sing along at 3:00 in the gym. Students are also allowed to wear pajamas to school that day to add to the fun! Please keep in mind all students will still be going outside, so weather and school appropriate clothing is necessary.

For Thursday:

Bring a board game (dice, cards, etc.)

Wear (school & weather appropriate) PJ's to school

Bring a pair of slippers to wear (for classroom only)

*All items are optional

Letters to Santa

We had a couple of Santa's elves visit our classroom! Students wrote letters to Santa for a couple extra ideas for Christmas, a quick hello, and even just a good luck note for the upcoming weekend! They had fun and did an awesome job! We'll see if Santa has time to write us back. We all know how busy he is this time of year!

 

TCAPS 24/7 is a resource designed for students, grades K-5, to use when school is closed due to inclement weather. Students can access a number of age and grade appropriate lessons using a computer or mobile device. Many of the lessons come from resources that students are already using in the classroom, including math lessons from Khan Academy. It also allows students to continue lessons they were working on in class or to try something new. Participation is voluntary, but students can submit their work to their teacher when they have completed a lesson. 

To acess TCAPS Online Learning Click Here

Homework & Reminders

Homework
This weeks homework is one activity short. The students will NOT have spelling this week or next week. We are in the beginning stages of wrapping up Unit 3.

The students also have  anew fluency and comprehension passage coming home named the Pirate Song. Fluency is optional for all students but highly recommended. Please help to remind students to have the back three questions completed for comprehension and turned in by Friday. Thank you!

Field Trip to The Polar Express

Tuesday, December 20th from 9:00 - 12:00
Completing the google form grants your permission for your child(ren) to attend this field trip.

Here is the link to the form

https://goo.gl/forms/CdFbUgACg98D6nqy1

The total of the three buses to transport your child safely is $375.

$3 to cover the cost for one child

$9 to cover the cost for my child + 2 other

Please send your donation in cash or check made payable to: Westwoods PTO

Please have this form filled out and any donations in by Wednesday, Dec. 14th. Thank you!

Silent Auction Baskets for the Winter Carnival
The Winter Carnival is just around the corner on Jan. 27th! Please donate any items you can to our classroom basket. Our theme is ARTS & CRAFTS.
All baskets are due this Friday, Dec. 16th.

Donations

We are in need of a few items if you are out and about and willing to purchase items for our classroom as a donation.

Clorox Wipes

Kleenex Boxes

Big Black Expo Markers (no colors please)

Thank you in advance!!

Upcoming Field Trip

Just a reminder...

The second and third grade classrooms will be attending the Polar Express on Tuesday, December 20th from 9:00 - 12:00. Students will board the bus at 9:00 for the 9:30 viewing at the Traverse City State Theater.  Completing the google form grants your permission for your child(ren) to attend this field trip.

Here is the link to the form

https://goo.gl/forms/CdFbUgACg98D6nqy1

In addition, to the permission slip we are asking for a donation toward buses to and from Downtown TC. The total of the three buses to transport your child safely is $375.

$3 to cover the cost for one child

$9 to cover the cost for my child + 2 other

Please send your donation in cash or check made payable to: Westwoods PTO

Please have this form filled out and any donations in by Wednesday, Dec. 14th. Thank you!

Homework & Spelling

Homework & Reading Fluency/Comprehension
A new homework packet is making its way home today along with a new reading homework assignment. The students are bringing home a reading fluency and comprehension page for the week. The fluency portion of this activity I am leaving optional for students and is an added bonus if they choose to complete. This activity aligns with our Six Minute Fluency in the classroom. Which means directions on the necessary process are not included, and instead the students can teach you an aspect of their day that they are now bringing home. They greatly enjoy seeing the growth in the classroom each day with how fluent they are becoming, and I know they would like to show that at home as well. If they choose to test their fluency, there is a graph that is coming along. This is a visual for students to see their results and to show growth. This graph can be left at home and does NOT need to be returned back to school. At school we graph our results everyday, but at home with this passage, they will only need to graph the first read (cold read) and the last read (hot read).

There are also three comprehension questions on the back that students need to answer with complete sentences and then return each Friday. 

Now students can come home and teach you one way fluency and comprehension is tested!

Spelling

The focus this week for spelling are antonyms and synonyms.

Antonyms = Opposite

Synonyms = Same

We having been working on this concept for a few weeks now, and will continue to master the difference between both antonyms and synonyms and giving examples of each. 

Spelling test will be Monday, Dec. 12

Eat My Dust!

Hagerty Classic Cars participated in Giving Tuesday today by donating a brand new book, Eat My Dust: Henry Ford's First Race, to all 2nd grade students. One of Hagerty's staff members was welcomed to our classroom to read the story and to also answered questions from students. In addition, each book had a special message from a Hagerty staff member! 

All students received a brand new book to take home and share! Thank you Hagerty!!

Scholastic Extended

I have extended the Scholastic Book Order due date. If you are still wanting to give me an order to place, I will accept these up until Friday, Dec. 2nd. If you would like to place an online order you can do so at anytime. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Homework & Spelling

Welcome back from a long weekend!
We are back at in the classroom digging in and working hard. A new week means a new homework packet. This made its way home on Monday and is due back on Friday.

You will see on the bottom of the homework schedule a note about our carnival basket. Our classroom theme is Arts & Crafts.  If you have any items to donate please send them in with your child. I have a place in the classroom to put these. Our baskets are due to the PTO by Dec. 16th. Thank you!

New spelling words this week!

The spelling words this week have words with the spelling

kn for /n/

wr for /r/

wh for /w/

qu for /qu/

Some words also have the suffixes -ing and -ed

Spelling test is on Monday, Dec. 5th!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our classroom did a super fun Thanksgiving activity today! We made thankful pumpkins!

All students did an awesome job on this! NO ONE came to me asking to help of what to write down. EVERYONE had at least eight thankful things to write down. Needless to say, this activity went by a lot faster that I anticipated. Which was a very good thing...they have a lot to be thankful for :)

Thankful pumpkins are coming home today with your child. Enjoy going over their pumpkins with them!!

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday! See you back to school on Monday, November 28th!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Updates & Reminders

Scholastic Book Order

Monday ALL students brought home a Scholastic Book Order. If you are ordering online you can enter orders whenever you want as many times as you want. If you are sending in an order for me to place, please have these into me by Monday, November 28th.

Please keep in mind books are GREAT holiday gifts for all students! If you are ordering anything for your child that you are gifting later this year, just let me know and I will contact you when they are in. 

Let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Thank you!

Donations

We are in need of a few items if you are out and about and willing to purchase items for our classroom as a donation.

Clorox Wipes

Kleenex Boxes

Big Black Expo Markers (no colors please)

Thank you in advance!!

Homework & Spelling

As I am sure you child has already told you, we do NOT have homework or spelling this week. There also will NOT be anything sent home over break. My homework to the kiddos is to rest, relax and read while they are on a four day break. I would love for them to be well rested and perky for a fresh Monday to dive into school work. We will resume homework and spelling that Monday, November 28th.

Silent Auction Baskets for the Winter Carnival
The Winter Carnival is just around the corner on Jan. 27th! Please donate any items you can to our classroom basket. Our theme is ARTS & CRAFTS. All baskets are due by Dec. 16th.

Winter Wear
Our Northern Michigan air is getting colder. The snow has made an appearance as well and will be coming back frequently. Please remind your child to bring the appropriate winter clothing with them to school. Hats, mittens/gloves, snowpants, winter coats, and optional scarves.

Take the A Away

Today we read a very clever story that gave a twist to the alphabet. 

Take Away the A.

The idea behind the book is that within every language there are words that change and become a different word through the simple subtraction of a single letter. Students do this in the classroom now and then with a process called "chaining" in CKLA. The link from this book to what we are doing in the classroom was exciting!

Here are a couple examples below:

 

 

After we read the story, and had a few laughs, we discussed our own play on words. In addition, I gave the students a task over the weekend to think of one, two or a few different phrases to then create on Monday. Next week we are going to make our own classroom book, Take Away the A!

Stay tuned to see all the imaginations at work!!

Thankful for YOU!

Thursday with our learning buddies we made Thankful cards for a family member! 

Look for these coming home this weekend!