11/16/12 Porte Post Newscast

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Week in Review - 11/16/12

Hello 2-3 Families!

I'm looking forward to meeting with you all next week!  Here is the latest news from our classroom..

Report Cards

You will find your child's report card and the MAP test scores in the envelopes that were sent home today.  Please make sure to look these over before we meet so that we can go over any questions or comments you may have.  Please sign and return the report card folder.  We will use the same folder throughout the year.  You can bring them to conferences if you would like.  I am happy to start collecting them right away!

And the Winner Is..............

Last week we had our own classroom election where we chose our new class pet (stuffed of course!).  The kids have been working very hard on their Citizenship unit and have learned about the election process.  The kids chose the candidates, created campaign posters, and gave speeches for their stuffed candidates.  The class even filled out their very own Voter Registration Cards before filing into the voting booth to cast their ballot.  Check out the slideshow of photos and the campaign speeches below.

Oh wait, you probably want to know what pet won.......Class, take it away!!

Mayor Mulder Visits 2nd Grade

Last Friday Mayor Mulder also took time out of  her busy schedule to come and visit the 2nd grade classes.  We talked about the Presidential election, our local elections, and the duties of the Mayor.  Here are some photos from her visit with us.

Treasures

It's hard to believe that next week is another review week for Treasures and the class will complete their Unit 2 Treasures test.  This week in Treasures, we worked on a variety of blends that make the long O sound....oa, ow, oe.  We also continued working on singular possessive, plural possessive, and plural nouns.  This is a very tricky concept to grasp and is something that will take continual practice.  The kids are working very hard on this though. After the Unit 2 test, the kids will begin taking their tests individually.  Up until this point I have read and explained the tests to them.  Now that they are familiar with the process and expectations, they will be working independently on the tests.  I will be reinforcing that they take their time and double check their work.

Scholastic Book Orders

This week I sent home a few different Scholastic orders.  With the holidays around the corner, I often have parents who want to order books as holiday presents.  If you want to order something without your child knowing, just let me know and I will arrange for you to pick-up the book order without them knowing!  Please submit your orders online or to me by November 30th to ensure delivery before winter break.

Math

The kids are continuing to work hard on their math facts.  I know I say this all the time, but PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS!  Having your child practice their facts at home using the Everyday Math login information, XtraMath, or other means of practice are so important for their continued growth. Having a solid grasp of these skills will make the transition to subtraction much smoother this winter.  We have also been practicing how to make change by counting up.  This strategy encourages the kids to start with the total cost and count up to the amount they paid with to determine how much change they should receive.  You will also notice that in chapter 4 some of the problems will have multiple steps.  Answering these types of problems takes quite a bit of practice to master.  I have been reinforcing to the class that it is not important how fast you finish your work, what is important is taking the time to double check your work to avoid silly mistakes and errors.

I wish you all a safe, relaxing, and wonderful Thanksgiving break.  I look forward to see you next week at conferences!

-Danielle Porte

Friday By Sara

Our classroom blogger, Sara, would like to tell you a little bit about our week....

We got a new class pet.  It is a penguin.  We watched the 3rd grade musical.  We did a fall project.  We made a tree.  We said different things we were thankful for..our family, our friends, our world.  We had a great week!

-Sara

Our Week in 2-3

Hello 2-3 Families!

I told you last weekend that this was going to be a busy week and it sure was!!  We had so many wonderful things going on in and out of the classroom.  Here's a look at our week in 2-3.

CONFERENCES

Thank you to everyone who has turned in their conference form so far.  They are due on Monday (November 5th) so please make sure to send them back with your child on Monday if you have not done so.  Attached to the conference form was an optional survey for you to fill out about what YOU would like talk about at conferences.  Our time together is so important and goes by quickly so I want to make sure I cover the topics that are important to both of us.  I am looking forward to meeting with all of you!

BREAKING NEWS.....2nd GRADE MUSICAL ROCKS!

To say the 2nd grade crew is talented would be an understatement!  I am so proud of the incredible performance 2-3 gave during the musical.  I was so proud to see all the kids sing, 7 Continents Make Our Globe, which is a song I wrote a couple years ago.  Check out the photo gallery and special video clips that Mr. D put together for the musical.  GREAT WORK KIDS!!

VAMPIRES, and NINJAS, and SUPER HEROES....OH MY!!

We had so much fun during our Halloween parade and party!  Thank you to our volunteers and Room Moms for organizing such a great party for the class.  There were treats, games, and even a dance party with Mrs. Sessler.  Check out our slideshow below.

THANK YOU MISS O'DONNELL

Today was our last day with our D214 student, Miss O'Donnell.  She has been a wonderful member of our classroom for the past 10 weeks.  We are sad to see her leave, but wish her all the best in her future studies.  The kids created a book of letters telling her what they enjoyed most during her time here and the advice they have for her if she becomes a teacher!  Thank Miss O'Donnell for being a part of our class this fall.  You are always welcome to come and visit.

TREASURES

This week in Treasures we took a trip to the ER with our story from Time for Kids.  We had a great discussion about visiting the ER using real life stories from some friends in class.  We also continued our discussion on how a story can be segmented into what happened “first, next, then, and last.”  Understanding the sequence of a story is an important part of comprehension in 2nd grade! 

We had a GREAT grammar week this week.  We are continuing to work on making singular nouns plural (because PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS!!).  The students were also introduced to proper nouns.  A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, month, or day.  The class has worked very hard this week in grammar and it is a concept we will continue to work on throughout the year!   

FIRST TRIMESTER ASSESSMENTS

This week I began giving the 2nd graders a variety of first trimester assessments to see how their skills have grown in math, writing, and spelling.  The class has been working so hard since school has started and I am very proud of their growth.  The end of the first trimester is next Friday, November 9th.  Progress Reports will go home on Friday November 16th.  Your child must be here in order to receive their report card.

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:

Tuesday November 6th: NO SCHOOL
Friday November 16th: REPORT CARDS GO HOME
Monday November 19th: Conferences
Tuesday November 20th: Conferences
Wednesday November 21st-Friday November 23rd: NO SCHOOL

Have a safe and happy weekend!
-Danielle Porte