Grade Two News - Friday, September 28th

Friday, September 28th, 2012

Grade Two News from BVE

Dear Families,

Welcome fall, and October!  I can hardly believe that we are nearing the end of our first month at school.  It has been a very busy first month in Grade 2, and I am so impressed and proud of the hard work that I see happening every day in our classroom.  Thank-you students for the amazing work you do, and thank-you parents for your support at home.    

Classroom Expectations

We have been reviewing our classroom expectations daily:

            1.  Quick, quiet transitions

            2.  Use kind language

            3.  Take care of our room and each other

            4.  Co-operate with others

            5.  Work independently

            6.  Stay in our own space

As well our class has started collecting “work ethic” points.  Work ethic points are given when the class as a whole is positively demonstrating our classroom expectations.  Once we have collected 100 work ethic points we will decide as a class how to celebrate our success.

Important Reminders (and some changes!)

•   Kokanee Fish Fest Fieldtrip – Oct. 3^rd, 12:30-2:30pm
• School Photo Day – Friday, October 5^th
• Our library book exchange day will be Tuesday (it has been changed from Wednesday!), so please have books returned to school Monday in order to get them signed back in before our book exchange the next day.
•  Please be sure that your son/daughter has proper footwear for gym class.  Flip-flops or strappy sandals are not suitable for gym.
• Spelling words for the week will be assigned on Monday and our weekly test will occur every Friday.  We will be practicing our spelling words each day during our Word Work time.  
• We will begin “sharing” the week after Thanksgiving.  Each day we will have one student who gets to bring something for “sharing” (show and tell).  Your child will be asked to bring in their sharing the day AFTER they are the VIP.  
• Home Reading Program: I will be reviewing home reading over the weekend and sending it back out on Monday.  Please make sure all reading bags, books, and record sheets come to school every Friday.  If you or your child would prefer to have home reading over the weekend, please let me know and we can discuss this. 

 

Units/Topics of Study

For Language Arts we are working on our Daily 5 routines.  The students are building up their “stamina” during Read To Self time each day.  Our Word Work (spelling) routine is getting well under way.  Our topic this week for reading and writing was Terry Fox.  We read a non-fiction book all about Terry’s life, and are in the process of creating a classroom book about Terry Fox.  We will begin our Read To Someone routine next week.  

In Math we have been exploring repeating patterns and pattern cores.  Our next topic is increasing patterns, which will wrap up the unit.  Our next unit will explore numbers to 100.

We are continuing our Social Studies unit on “Who Am I? Our Friends, Our Classroom, Our School”.  We have been learning about our rights, roles, and responsibilities at home, as well as at school.  In the coming weeks we will be exploring our school through mapping, and learning about the people who work in our school.  We will finish this unit half way through our first term, and move into Science and properties of matter. 

Parent and community involvement can be a powerful tool for enriching the learning experience for students.  If you have any special gifts or talents to share or any ideas for enhancing our studies, please let me know.

I am enjoying each and every day in our classroom, and look forward to the rest of the year!

Yours,

Naomi

                                                                                                                       

Happy Fall!

Fall has officially arrived.  We welcomed it with a beautiful maple leaf art project that will be displayed in the hallway shortly.

Just a few reminders and changes:

• Could all home reading books, bags, and sheets be sent to school every Friday to be collected and reviewed.  I had originally planned to do this on Monday, but the students and I discussed this and agreed that Friday would be a better day.  Therefore, home reading will not be sent home over the weekend.  If you or your child feels strongly about continuing home reading over the weekend, please speak to me and we can work something out!
• Please send in some "Fall" items (rocks, leaves, moss, acorns, chestnuts, twigs, dried flowers, etc.) with your child.  Next week we will be creating Thanksgiving centerpieces during Art. 
• Wednesday Walk  - please feel free to join us if you are available.  We leave the front of the school around 10:10 am (weather permitting!)
• Word Work - We have started our spelling routine for the year!  I hope you received the introduction letter and first set of spelling words in your child's agenda today.  If not, please let me know! 
• I will send home/post a newsletter on Friday.

I am truly enjoying this amazing group of children!  Thank-you for your support!  Have a wonderful rest of the week everyone.

Our First Wednesday Walk

Today we took our first Wednesday Walk with Ms. Rollheiser's Grade 2/3 class.  Along our walk we made a quick stop at the home of Alexandra Luxmoore who is in Ms. Rollheiser's class.  While there we got to explore their fabulous backyard (urban farm) full of chickens, fish, a rope swing and beautiful gardens full of vegetables.  It was a wonderful experience, and had us back at school right as recess began!

Please feel free to join us for our Wednesday Walks at 10:10am!

Kokanee Fish Festival Fieldtrip - Re-scheduled!

I hope everyone received the school note in our agendas today.  Unfortunately the salmon have not yet arrived in Revelstoke, so we will be attending the Fish Fest on Wednesday, October 3rd in the afternoon (from 12:30-2:30pm).  If you indicated that you were able to join us on the permission slip initially, I will assume that you can still attend, unless you let me know. 

Thanks for your understanding!

Early Dismissal - Sept. 17th and 18th (Mon, Tues)

Just a reminder that students will be dismissed early on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  Early dismissal will be at 12:30pm on those days, followed by parent-teacher conferences.  I look forward to meeting with everyone!

Have a wonderful weekend!  Enjoy the sunshine :)

Newsletter - Sept. 14

Friday, September 14, 2012

Ms. Ford’s Welcome Back Newsletter

Begbie View Elementary                                 Grade 2, Rm.111                     Ph. 250.837.3085

Dear Families,

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to meet the students who will make up this class, I know we are going to have a great year!   

           

To help you stay informed about our classroom activities, I will be preparing a classroom newsletter, electronically and on paper, every two weeks throughout the school year.

           

We have enjoyed a wonderful first full week and I am really excited about spending the year with this lovely group of students.  I will strive to build a safe, positive and effective learning community for everyone in my classroom and to provide your child with the strategies and tools they need in order to effectively explore the world around them.

Classroom–Management Procedures

Classroom Expectations

Throughout the first week of school we brainstormed and discussed what we wanted our classroom community to look like, sound like, and feel like.  We have narrowed it down to the following list of classroom rules:

            1.  Quick, quiet transitions

            2.  Use kind language

            3.  Take care of our room and each other

            4.  Co-operate with others

            5.  Work independently

            6.  Stay in our own space

These rules are posted in our classroom and will be reviewed regularly.  

Consequences

Consequences in our classroom will be logical and democratic and will, whenever possible, follow the process of least intervention.  Most importantly students will be given opportunities to practice and learn expected behaviours.  If I have concerns I will be in contact with parents as soon as possible.  If you have questions or concerns about your child’s school experiences, please contact me.

Routines

Classroom routines are essential for an effective learning environment.  From day one, the students and I have been working to become familiar with our classroom routines, and those of the school.  Below is a list of routines that I would like parents to be aware of:

Ø  Our library day is Wednesday, so please have books returned to school the day before (Tuesday) in order to get them signed back in before our book exchange the next day.

Ø  Indoor shoes are to be kept at school.

Ø  Spelling words for the week will be assigned on Monday and our weekly test will occur each Thursday.  Spelling will be starting next week.

Ø  If your child is absent from school, a “While I was away…” folder will be placed on his/her desk, and any handouts, marked work and notices will be placed in this folder.

Ø  At the end of each day, I will write homework and/or any reminders on the board and students will fill in their own agendas.

Ø  Each day we will have one student who gets to bring something for “sharing” (show and tell).  Your child will get to be “share” about 8 times throughout the year.  I’d like to add these topics to sharing:           
           -something I found
           -things I (we) collect
           -something old
           -something I can do
The other 4 times your child is “sharing,” the topic is open.

Units/Topics of Study

We will begin our year with a focus on setting up daily routines and structure, becoming familiar with classroom expectations, and building respectful relationships in our classroom. 

For Language Arts we will be kick starting our literacy routine called The Daily 5, which includes Read to Yourself, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Listen to Reading, and Spelling/Word Study.

Our first Math unit will be on patterns.  Alongside this unit we will be having daily discussions and activities around number sense with a focus on mental math strategies (doubling, making 10, one more, one less, etc.)

Kendra Von Bremen and I will be teaching our Physical Education this year.  She will teach PE Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons.  On Friday, we will be having buddy gym with the Grade 2/3 class.

During Science we will be studying the properties of matter!  We will spend time exploring all that is solid, liquid, and gas!

Parent and community involvement can be a powerful tool for enriching the learning experience for students.  If you have any special gifts or talents to share or any ideas for enhancing our studies, please let me know.

Important Reminders 

The following is a list of important reminders for you and your child:

Ø  If students wish to distribute any sort of invitation/cards, every student in our class must receive one.  Otherwise, please do so outside of the school setting.  Attached to this newsletter is a list of first names of every student in our class.  In the case of a new student, I will send home a revised list. 

Ø  If you wish to speak/contact me, please come and see me after school, or I can be reached by email at naomi.m.ford@gmail.com, by phone at school 250-837-3085, and at home 250-837-3443

I look forward to getting to know you all.  Have a great weekend!

                                                                                                                       

Naomi Ford

First Day of Home Reading!

Today your child will be bringing home their Home Reading Bag.  Enclosed is a letter explaining my expectations, as well as a record sheet.

Below is a copy of the letter!  If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Thank-you for your support!

Naomi

Our Grade 2 Home Reading Program

Dear Families:

By now, I’m sure most of you are familiar with some type of home reading program.  I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to be reading at home.  The purpose of a home reading program is to help “grow readers”, children who read competently and independently for the joy of it. I encourage students to read for a minimum of ten minutes each night from the literature of their choice.  Attached is a copy of the Home Reading Log that will go home each day in our home reading bags.

How the Home Reading Program Works

Books

Any book can be included and recorded as part of our Home Reading program. These include personal books, magazines, comic books, books from the classroom, or books from the school or public library.  ln the case of chapter books, each chapter can count as a book.

Record Sheet

The record sheet has a place for you (or your child) to record the title of each book you have read. Feel free to vary the columns in which you initial the sheet; being exposed to literature beyond one's reading level is both beneficial and enjoyable. Please have your child return the record sheet daily. Each completed "Home Reading" form entitles your child an entry in our classroom book raffle.

Book Exchange

Book exchanges for home reading will occur daily. lt is acceptable to read a favourite book more than once, but experiencing many different types of literature is encouraged, too. Unless your child is ill, books must be returned each morning as they are part of the classroom collection and must be available when needed.

Care of the Books

I ask your assistance in ensuring that the books are handled with care, as all of the books in our classroom library are from my personal collection (I started collecting books young!).  Some of the classroom books are old and with your cooperation they will be enjoyed for decades to come! Please keep the books in a safe place and transport them to and from school in the plastic bag I have provided.  I hope that you and your child will enjoy the time spent together as you explore the magical world of books!

First Letter Home

We are ready for our first full week in Grade 2!  The beginning of the year is a busy time for everyone, please check your child's agenda daily, for any notices/forms that are being sent home.

Notices sent home on Monday, August 10th, 2012:
- Student Verification Form, to be returned to the office (or me!), no later than Friday, Sept. 14th.
- PE Letter - from our gym teacher Mrs. Kendra Von Bremen.  Mrs. Von Bremen will be teaching our class gym on Tues, Weds, and Thurs afternoons.
- Welcome note from me!  I have sent home a brief note, along with a short questionnaire to be filled out by families.  Please return the student info form to me as soon as possible.  A more detailed newsletter will be sent home next week.

A few reminders:

-If you haven't sent $5 to school for agendas, please do so when convenient.  Any concerns, please let me know!
-I am encouraging the students to be drinking water regularly throughout the day.  Staying hydrated is extremely important for learning.  Sending a water bottle in your child's lunch kit each day is would be wonderful.  Alternatively, they can have a separate water bottle that stays at their desk all the time.  Either works for me!

See you tomorrow everyone! 

Naomi