These past two days have been the most productive days in February. No storms distracting us means we are back into the swing of things. We were lucky enough to present our dioramas before vacation. I didn't think we would be able to finish them but we did and they were AWESOME. Be sure to check out our secure EDLINE site to see pictures. They will be posted (hopefully today) by the end of the week.
This Friday students will be tested on mountain ranges. The ranges they are responsible for were in the homework packets. We will be practicing in class but please practice at home as well. Students will be given a map with no words and a list of ranges. They will use the list to label the map. Our very own Miss Nicole, just came back from a ski trip to the Alps. How exciting.
We have started reading about laws and how they are made. Students brainstormed lists of laws we have that keep us safe and laws that ensure equality.
The subtraction with regrouping is going beautifully. We had to dust off some math cobwebs yesterday but today everyone remembered. Please keep on XTRAMATH! We are more than half way through the school year and by now students should be finished with addition. Math fact fluency will make math for your child a MILLION times easier for the rest of their life and is graded on our report card.
The Wyman School Talent show is this Friday night at 7:00 at the Kennedy Middle School. Believe me you won't want to miss this. It's my favorite night of the year. I'm so proud of each and every student that gets on that stage. This year we have quite a few students from our class performing. I can't wait.
Reminder: Next Thursday is parent teacher conferences. It's not to late to sign up if you are interested. Friday is a half day. Dismissal will be at 12:30.
********Notes from Mrs. Potamis' Class
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Snow, Snow and More Snow
I love snow and love all these snow days. I'm sure, in June, I'll regret that I said that but snow days are FUN! The down side to all these snow days is the lack of consistency in class. Students started learning subtraction with regrouping, which is a pretty big deal in second grade. I had hoped to get a LOT more practice in before February vacation but time hasn't been on our side.
We started writing our animal reports. Dioramas were due on Monday so I hope everyone has them in school tomorrow. We will continue writing our reports but may have to wait until after vacation to present our projects.
We read a biography on George Washington last week and wrote an expository paragraph about him. This week we will do the same for Abraham Lincoln.
Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Friday. Thank goodness we started making our mailboxes. Your child should bring in a valentine for each classmate, remember no candy, and a special snack for themselves to eat during our after lunch party.
Mark you calendars, Thursday, March 5th will be parent teacher conferences. A note will be sent home tomorrow with the information about signing up. Friday, March 6th, will be a half day. It is the make up half day for the one we missed because of snow.
Next week is February vacation! I hope everyone enjoys and for those going away somewhere sunny, please sneak me into your suitcase. I love snow but love tropical sunshine too!
We started writing our animal reports. Dioramas were due on Monday so I hope everyone has them in school tomorrow. We will continue writing our reports but may have to wait until after vacation to present our projects.
We read a biography on George Washington last week and wrote an expository paragraph about him. This week we will do the same for Abraham Lincoln.
Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Friday. Thank goodness we started making our mailboxes. Your child should bring in a valentine for each classmate, remember no candy, and a special snack for themselves to eat during our after lunch party.
Mark you calendars, Thursday, March 5th will be parent teacher conferences. A note will be sent home tomorrow with the information about signing up. Friday, March 6th, will be a half day. It is the make up half day for the one we missed because of snow.
Next week is February vacation! I hope everyone enjoys and for those going away somewhere sunny, please sneak me into your suitcase. I love snow but love tropical sunshine too!
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Thursday's Field Trip
The theater company has cancelled Thursday's performance. Our field trip will be rescheduled for a later date. I hope everyone is enjoying the snow!
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Projects
Boy! Did the time lines come out FANTASTIC! They all really did come out great and it was fun to watch the children present them to the class. It was very clear that they were excited about their projects. I thought I had a picture to post but it disappeared from my phone. Stay tuned for that.
We have been reading lots of great things in class. First, we are in the middle of reading The Littles Go Exploring. The Littles have set off down the brook looking for Grandpa. They accidentally found a group of Brook Tinies who invited them for lunch and told them they have seen Grandpa. The Brook Tinies warned the Littles that it was dangerous to continue down the river but the Littles decided to keep on going. They want to find out what happened to Grandpa.
We also have read two non-fiction books. One about Buddy the first seeing eye dog and another about Penguins. We have been reading Tacky the Penguin books too. Tacky is an "odd bird but a good bird to have around". Ask your child to tell you more about him.
This up coming week will be fun. Last week, I went to a day long workshop on science. It was FUN! This week I plan on sharing the owl pellets. I have two already dissected and one ready to go. We had hoped to check them out on Friday but time got the better of us so I PROMISED we'd do it on Tuesday. I know they are excited about them. There were lots of disappointed faces on Friday.
We are starting our animal diorama projects this week. Directions will come home tomorrow but basically, the students pick an animal to research, answer questions on, and create a diorama about. A diorama is a scene in a shoe box. Ideally, each student will pick a different animal so we can learn from each other's projects. On Thursday, the children will have the opportunity to check out books about animals from library to aide in their research. Start thinking about what animal you'd like to choose. Remember, this is your child's project and I know you'll have to help but the diorama does not need to look like it belongs in the Museum of Fine Arts. ( I'll search for some pictures from last year to share-stay tuned for that too.)
I'm feel as though I haven't been posting as much as I'd like. I will be completing my Retell course this week. It's a course all teachers must take in order to renew their certification. I've been taking it since Sept. and it isn't hard but it is LABOR INTENSIVE. It ends this week-whoop whoop. I know you all feel me when I say I don't have a spare second in my life (does any parent?). So fitting this course in has been anightmare challenge. I should be back to my old (but still overbooked) life by Friday-YIPEE!
We have been reading lots of great things in class. First, we are in the middle of reading The Littles Go Exploring. The Littles have set off down the brook looking for Grandpa. They accidentally found a group of Brook Tinies who invited them for lunch and told them they have seen Grandpa. The Brook Tinies warned the Littles that it was dangerous to continue down the river but the Littles decided to keep on going. They want to find out what happened to Grandpa.
We also have read two non-fiction books. One about Buddy the first seeing eye dog and another about Penguins. We have been reading Tacky the Penguin books too. Tacky is an "odd bird but a good bird to have around". Ask your child to tell you more about him.
This up coming week will be fun. Last week, I went to a day long workshop on science. It was FUN! This week I plan on sharing the owl pellets. I have two already dissected and one ready to go. We had hoped to check them out on Friday but time got the better of us so I PROMISED we'd do it on Tuesday. I know they are excited about them. There were lots of disappointed faces on Friday.
We are starting our animal diorama projects this week. Directions will come home tomorrow but basically, the students pick an animal to research, answer questions on, and create a diorama about. A diorama is a scene in a shoe box. Ideally, each student will pick a different animal so we can learn from each other's projects. On Thursday, the children will have the opportunity to check out books about animals from library to aide in their research. Start thinking about what animal you'd like to choose. Remember, this is your child's project and I know you'll have to help but the diorama does not need to look like it belongs in the Museum of Fine Arts. ( I'll search for some pictures from last year to share-stay tuned for that too.)
I'm feel as though I haven't been posting as much as I'd like. I will be completing my Retell course this week. It's a course all teachers must take in order to renew their certification. I've been taking it since Sept. and it isn't hard but it is LABOR INTENSIVE. It ends this week-whoop whoop. I know you all feel me when I say I don't have a spare second in my life (does any parent?). So fitting this course in has been a
Friday, January 9, 2015
Timelines
Today, I sent home a timeline project. It is not due until next Friday but I thought that some students may want to get a start on the weekend when they may have more time. We have created a few timelines in class, one on Martin Luther King and one on Miss Nicole, so the process is familiar to your child. Make them colorful. I will use them to decorate the hallway. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Happy 2015
Happy New Year everyone one. I hope your winter break was full of fun and you're ready to start a wonderful 2015!!!
We wrote our resolutions for the New Year. Let's hope we all try our best to make ourselves or our world better. We also wrote about our vacations and winter.
We are off and running this week. We are reading all different things. Some students are reading about Buddy and some about a Principal from the Black Lagoon. We are all reading about The Littles. They are heading out on an adventure to find Grandpa.
In math, we have been working on some geometry and measurement. We found the perimeter of squares and rectangles today. Did you know that all squares are rectangles? As your child to explain to you why this is so.
Our field trip to the theater is on January 29. There may have been an incorrect date on a previous notice so please mark you calendar accordingly.
This Friday is Patriot's Day. Wear red, white and blue to help cheer our beloved football team to victory. I'm pretty sure that Derek and Jason will have football jerseys on but for different teams. For some crazy reason they never root, root, root for the home team.
We wrote our resolutions for the New Year. Let's hope we all try our best to make ourselves or our world better. We also wrote about our vacations and winter.
We are off and running this week. We are reading all different things. Some students are reading about Buddy and some about a Principal from the Black Lagoon. We are all reading about The Littles. They are heading out on an adventure to find Grandpa.
In math, we have been working on some geometry and measurement. We found the perimeter of squares and rectangles today. Did you know that all squares are rectangles? As your child to explain to you why this is so.
Our field trip to the theater is on January 29. There may have been an incorrect date on a previous notice so please mark you calendar accordingly.
This Friday is Patriot's Day. Wear red, white and blue to help cheer our beloved football team to victory. I'm pretty sure that Derek and Jason will have football jerseys on but for different teams. For some crazy reason they never root, root, root for the home team.
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