Smile!!

Picture day is quickly around the corner!

Friday, September 29th Westwoods will be doing picture day!

All forms for your child came home on Friday in their communicators. If you would like to purchase school pictures this year for your child please fill out the form that was sent home and have it in no later than Friday, September 29th. If you would like to send in your order early, please do and I will keep your order in a safe place ready for picture day.

All students will get their picture taken that day for the yearbook regardless if you are ordering or not.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thank you!

Learning Buddies

We began our year long adventure with our fourth grade friends of Mrs. DePlaunty's classroom. They will be our learning buddies once a week! 

We meet on Fridays at the end of the day for 30 minutes. Mrs. DePlaunty and I select different themes for the week, whether it be reading, math, or a fun STEM project for all buddies to participate in. This keeps the students engaged and eager, ready and excited for the next time we meet with our learning buddies! 

The first week of school we met our fourth grade friends and got to know one another with a friendly interview. The first week the fourth graders interviewed the second graders, then last week the tables turned and the second graders interviewed the fourth graders. Very fun!!

When we were finished each buddy was able to listen or read a story they are enjoying in their own classrooms during book choice time.

We are going to have an awesome year exchanging learning experiences with our fourth grade friends!  

 

Library!!

Our scheduled library time is Thursday morning at 10:45-11:15

Welcome Mrs. Maniaci as our new librarian!!

Students checked out two books with week in library. Mrs. Maniaci is also asking for all library books to be returned from students the day before their assigned library day. This will ensure all books get checked back in and all renewals are placed before our library time. Which means, all books your child checks out from the Westwoods Library will need to be returned by Wednesdays. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Happy Reading!

  

Math Mountains

We have been doing a lot of exploring with addition and subtraction equations. What we know and what we need to work on. 

A tool that has been a helpful resource this week have been Math Mountain Cards. These show a total (in all) at the top and two addends (partners) at the bottom. These give a visual representation of a total breaking apart into smaller numbers (addends). 

Math Mountains helps with:

Addition: Having two addends at the bottom to add together making a top total

Subtraction: Having a top total and needing to find an unknown addend

Students have learned to write addition and subtraction fact family equations that they can make from a variety of mountain cards.

Math Mountain Card pages are coming home for the students to cut out and keep at home. We also have a set of our own in the classroom.

They can play a game we learned in class as well. We worked in partners, taking turns covering up one of the numbers on the mountains. The other person had to then guess the unknown addend or total using a subtraction or addition equation. This made the students think, use a strategy for addition or subtraction, then solve.

 The yellow cards are easier and the blue cards give more of a challenge.

Please try to play this game with your child at home.

News & Updates

Book Order

All book orders are due on Friday, September 15th.
If you are ordering online our classroom activation code is 
HFPT3

Spelling Words

This week in your child's communicator came home a list of short vowel a and short vowel i spelling words. These are words we are working on in the classroom, reading in our stories, working with in our phonics and grammar lessons, and connecting and using in our writing.

We will NOT be having spelling tests and instead will be continuing conversations with spelling vocabulary involved. Even though we do not have spelling test, I still encourage students to practice these words at home.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks! 

Field Trip

Wednesday, October 4th

Second grade students will be traveling to the Traverse City Butterfly House and Bug Zoo. 

We will leave Westwoods at 12:15 and arrive at the butterfly house at 1:00. The field trip will commence at 2:15 and we will arrive back to Westwoods at 3:00.

Please click on the below link to complete the online form for permission.

https://goo.gl/forms/L4tWLHJMgH19g1pu2

The cost per child is $7.00. This cost will cover zoo admission and also the cost of transportation.

Each class will need two chaperones to attend the trip. The cost for chaperones is $5.00. This cost will cover zoo admission.

 Please contact your classroom teacher is you are interested in attending this field trip. It will be first come first serve on volunteers.

Thank you!

Scholastic Book Order

A new Scholastic Book Order went home today!

There are four Scholastic magazines your child is bringing home today. Please take a moment over the next week to look through all the many options of reading materials for your child. They were VERY excited this was going home today :)

All orders that you would like me to place are due back by Friday, Sept. 15th.

If you would like to make an order online please do whenever you like as many times as you like!

Our classroom activation code is 
HFPT3
Happy shopping!!

Reminders

Morning Procedure
Students are allowed to enter the building in the morning at 8:30am only for breakfast. 
Prior to that time there is no supervision and it is not safe to have them outside the school or waiting in the entryway. Please do not drop your student off until 8:30am when they can go out to the playground with supervision

Change to the End of Day Routine
Thank you for the continuous updates for what your child is doing at the end of the day. However, there have been some students who are unsure what they are suppose to do. If you know your child is going to change their schedule at the end of the day often or have a plan that is different than the normal, PLEASE let the office know as soon as you can so they can let me know and to also relieve a stressful child at the end of the day. It is also helpful to send me a note on Sunday or Monday for what your child is doing for the week. My goal is to keep your child safe and make sure they are where they need to be at the end of the day. Very important.
Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. Thank you!

Lunch has changed
11:20 out at recess
11:40 at lunch

FIRST PTO mtg
Tuesday, Sept. 12 @ 6:30
Location: Westwoods Library
Free childcare!

Popcorn
First popcorn Friday is next Friday, September 15th!
Please have all pre-orders in by Tuesday, Sept. 12th 
If you would like to sign up to volunteer for popcorn Fridays!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094aa8a92ba6fe3-popcorn1

Please e-mail Nicole with and questions/issues (njphilpott@hotmail.com)

First Week Fun!

Such an awesome first week of school! Not only did we get over our first day jitters, but we are now already getting into the groove of second grade!!

We started our year off with some fun activities and have even jumped full force into our school curriculum.  

Our days have been filled with:

Learning classroom expectations

Organizing our OWN desks

Book shopping and being responsible for our own reading

Getting to know each other with a human scavenger hunt

Creating All About Me hot air balloons

Math games and math activities

Reading to self with book choice

Finding new partners to learn with 

AND SOOOO much more!

 

We have had a week of firsts with many smiles and positive attitudes! I look forward to so many more wonderful weeks as the year goes on!

Our year is going to be AWESOME!

Welcome Back!!

So great to meet you all last night!! Thank you for taking the time to stop in, see the room, meet the teacher, and hopefully get that much more excited about starting an awesome year of school!! 

I know our conversations were brief, so PLEASE let me know if you have any further questions or concerns that were not addressed last night. 

Enjoy the last summer weekend before school! See all your little bundles next Tuesday!

A New School Year!

Hello Families!

Hope everyone is having an awesome summer!! I wanted to let you all know the blog from last year will have the same web address. If you are receiving this e-mail from last years blog you will want to unsubscribe so you do not continue to receive updated posts for the 2017-2018 school year.

Good luck to you and your kiddos for the up coming year! I will miss them greatly but will enjoy seeing each and everyone in the hallways. 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Thank you!

K. McNitt