Super Fun Grinch Day!

What an absolutely busy and incredibly fun day we all had in kindergarten through second grade!  How the Grinch Stole Christmas was read and celebrated, activities kept us excited all day, and we ended with hot chocolate, a special snack, and a viewing of the Grinch movie.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped us out today!  This day could not have been done without you.  Also, thank you to the PTG, who funded the event helping us to purchase needed supplies for our activities.  This is a day that students and staff look forward to every year.  Having such a supportive community helps to make it all happen.


A few photos of Grinch Goo:

CONCERT INFORMATION ---

IF Wednesday is a snow day, our concert will be held on Thursday, December 19 instead.

Book Celebration Day

On Tuesday, December 17 the kindergarten through second grade classes will participate in a book celebration day.  The day will center around Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  The day will begin with a read aloud by Principal Marvin, and then students will rotate through a variety of theme-related activities in mixed grade-level groups.  The day will end with a viewing of the animated version of the movie.

"Grinch Day" will also be a Pajama Day!  Students may wear their coziest pajamas while celebrating the day.  Please remember to send your child with appropriate outdoor gear, as we will still be going outside for recess.

Hat Day

This is a reminder that tomorrow, 

December 6, is a 

Hat Day.  

It costs 50 cents to participate.  

The next Hat Day will be December 13.

Snow Gear

Now that winter weather is officially unpredictable, proper snow gear for the playground will be needed.  Please make sure that your child has snow pants, snow boots, (and shoes for inside), hat, mittens, and of course a winter jacket.  If you are unable to provide winter apparel for your child, please let me know.

A word on boots and snow pants:

In my classroom I allow students to leave their snow pants and/or sneakers at school over night, if I have a note from the parents.  This is helpful if your child has extra snow pants or sneakers, and reduces the risk of forgetting them or the need to carry them back and forth.  Leaving snow gear at school is not necessary, it is just an idea for families who choose to do so.  Again, I need written permission from the parent before I allow a child to leave belongings at school.  Remember, if we have an unexpected snow day and your child's only snow pants are at school, you will not have access to them.

Mark your calendar!

Wednesday, December 18: K - 4 Winter Concert at 1:00

Friday, December 20:  1/2 day, noon dismissal - begin school vacation

Thursday, January 2: First day back from vacation

Thankful Thoughts...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd deliver our classroom news as things that I am thankful for:

Thankful for Hat Days

We have two more Hat Days scheduled for December.  On December 6 and December 13, your child may wear a hat to school.  The cost to participate is 50 cents.  The money raised by December's Hat Days will benefit a service activity yet to be named by the school.  I am so thankful for the many opportunities the children of Center Drive School have to learn about ways to be good citizens and help their community.

Thankful for Book Responses

I am thankful for the positive feedback on Book Responses!  What a creative bunch of students we have!  Sharing with others about the books we have read really gets us thinking about what makes a book interesting to read.  It also opens up new reading ideas as we see what our friends are reading.  November's Book Response choices were to make a Time Line or make a Movie Poster.  Below are some photos of students sharing their Book Responses.  These will be on display in the classroom.

Thankful for Personal Time Lines

As we explore different events in history, we have been able to place them on a time line.  To help put time over years into perspective, students have created their own personal time lines.  This was a big project, but one very much worth doing!  Each student also has the opportunity to practice public speaking, as they share their time line with the class.  It is so interesting learning more about our friends!  I am thankful for the thoughtful work that each student has put into making their time line.  Time Lines are on display in the hallway.

Thankful for Math

That's right.  I said it.  I am thankful for math!  Through whole class discussions and small guided group work, I am able to see growth in our students every day.  Each new lesson builds upon previous lessons; and it is fabulous to see those light bulbs flash above their heads when students "figure it out".  We have been using what we know about math facts to help us solve "number strings" - addition equations with many addends; as well as revisiting story problems about addition and subtraction using two digit numbers.  Being able to break a number into tens and ones, and looking for patterns or things we already know, is helping us to solve problems with larger numbers.  

Here are some strategies that we have been using to add and subtract:

An example of a number string:

5 + 3 + 7 + 4 =

7 + 3 = 10 (combination of 10; knew it right away)

5 + 4 = 9 (a near double; think "5+5= 10, -1 = 9 ...or 4+4=8, +1 = 9)

10 + 9 = 19

There are so many things to be thankful for!  Don't forget that there is no school Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29.  I hope all families have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Rainy Reminder!

Just a reminder that tomorrow we will be loading and unloading all of the Food Drive donations.  It will be rainy and windy out!!  Please be sure that your child dresses appropriately for the weather, as we will be outside for a bit.

Monday, November 18

HAT DAY

There will be one last Hat Day on Monday, November 18.  Once again, it will cost 50 cents to participate.  All donations will be collected by the radio station 107.3; and will be used toward their Turkey Drive.

FOOD DRIVE FIELD TRIP

Also on Monday, Mrs. Pelkey, Mrs. Lent, and Mrs. Wright's classes will load up all of our Food Drive donations and take them to the Bread of Life Food Shelf, here in Orrington.  I am so proud of all the support from students and families during our Food Drive!

So Much Going On!

We are incredibly busy here in second grade; and there is a lot of information that you will find helpful.

Book Orders

Book Orders came home today.  They are due Wednesday, November 13.  This is the last Book Order going home until after Christmas vacation!  The next Book Order will be in January.  If you are ordering, please remember to send in a check (no cash), or order online by November 13.  There are 3 different order forms for you to browse.

Book Fair

This is different than the Book Order, but also supported by Scholastic.  Our school library will be transformed into a Book Fair beginning next week!  A letter that tells you all about the Book Fair is coming home, as well as a flyer.  This flyer looks like the Book Order fliers, but it is larger and says "BOOK FAIR" right across the top.  Please do not get the Book Fair and Book Orders mixed up!

This seems like a lot, but it is simply another way to offer a selection of books for your children at great prices.  Also, each book ordered, either through the Book Order or Book Fair, benefits your child's school through bonus books and bonus points that can be used toward books.

Report Cards

Report Cards are going home today.  This is the first time that we have used computer based report cards, instead of the handwritten ones.  You do not need to send the report card back to school, but please fill out and sign the bottom of the letter that is enclosed with the Report Card, and send that back to school in the envelope.  We will reuse the Report Card envelopes each quarter.

Food Drive

Our Food drive has come to an end - and it was VERY successful!  PreK - grade 4 collected at least 513 food items!!!  This total does not even count any middle school donations or donations that may have been left on the collection table in the lobby.  Our class set a goal of 500 and clearly we beat it!  I have heard that this comes at a great time, as the Bread of Life Food Shelf in Orrington is running low.  Thank you to all those who donated, and to all of your children who helped with the work that goes into running a Food Drive!

Food Drive Field Trip

On Monday, November 18 Mrs. Pelkey, Mrs. Lent, and Mrs. Wright's classes will load up a bus with all of our Food Drive donations and personally deliver them to the Bread of Life Food Shelf in Orrington.  Once there, we will unload the donations and learn a little about the services the a Food Shelf provides.  This is such a wonderful opportunity for young children to realize how they can play an important role in their community.

Hat Day and Food Drive

Friday is Hat Day again.  Students may wear a hat with a fifty cent donation.  All donations benefit a turkey fundraiser run by the radio station 107.5.

Don't forget the Food Drive is still on!  One more day for collection!  If you forget, donations will still be accepted throughout Parent/Teacher conference week.  Donations will not be delivered until Monday, November 18.

Showing Our Support

Red Sox pride was evident in our classroom on Wednesday - and it paid off!  A special "Thank you" and photo credit goes to Mr. Dale - longtime Yankees fan :)

Upcoming Events

School Photo Retake Day

Picture retake day is Wednesday, October 30!  If your child was absent on School Photo Day, or if you would like for your child's photo to be taken again, please have your child prepared to get his/her picture taken on Wednesday.  If you are getting re-takes, please send in the photo package that went home with your child on Monday.

Red Sox Day

Teachers have received an email asking that staff and students who wish to support the Boston Red Sox please wear Red Sox clothing on Wednesday, October 30.  Hats are only to be worn outside, as it is not an official "Hat Day".  There is no fee to participate.

Halloween

The Center Drive PTG and volunteers put on a wonderful community Halloween Party last Saturday.  There were several families in attendance, including most of our class!  This was also a great opportunity for your child to show off his/her costume, and begin his/her candy collection.  Because of the wonderful job that the PTG does in offering a Halloween celebration, combined with many other family Halloween activities, we are not having another Halloween Party in our classroom.  I have set aside some time on Thursday for some Halloween activities, and I will provide a Halloween treat.  I ask that students do not wear or bring their costumes to school; instead they can save them for Thursday night.

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Our Week in Pictures

Friday morning we had inside recess.  I thought I'd share a small moment of what our cherubs decided to do:

That's right - they are playing school!  I am so proud!  


As promised, I am also sharing some photos of our hallway bulletin board.  All of our Columbus letters are now on display.  It seems as though our sailors from 1492 were a little more than worried after sailing days and days with no land in sight!

Also as promised, here are a couple photos of the Book Mobile responses that some students chose to do.  Our next Book Response, due on October 25, will offer the same two choices of Cereal Box or Book Mobile.

Reading, Writing, and 'Rithmatic

Reading

October's Book Responses are a creative choice between a "Cereal Box" response and a "Book Mobile".  Although not everyone has had a chance to share theirs yet, they all look fabulous!  I love that students are really thinking about books they read, and are able to make connections and share what they have read.

Here are a few pictures of the Cereal Box responses.  Look for Book Mobile photos next week.

What is this?!  The Rainbow Pants by Orrington, Maine author Kelly Brooks-Bay! 

Writing

We are in the middle of focusing on poetry in both reading and writing.  Students have been creating "Shape Poems", as well as working on writing poems that rhyme.  It's not easy as it sounds!

We also have been working on letter writing.  In response to our study on Christopher Columbus, students are pretending that they were a sailor on one of Columbus' ships.  They have written a letter back home (pretending that it could be carried by messenger pigeon, of course) detailing how they are feeling and what they are wondering.  These letters really show an understanding of what it would have been like to be sailing in the unknown in 1492.  Once these letters are complete and added to our bulletin board, I will post a photo.

'Rithmatic

We have not left telling time, coins, addition facts, or working with story problems, but we have added geometry to our math lessons.  Students are learning about 2- and 3-dimensional shapes, as well as how shapes fit together, turn, and flip.  Visit our Portaportal page (the link can be found on this blog page, under "Web Links") to see what computer games we are playing to support our geometry learning.

"Find the Block" - matching 3-dimensional blocks to their 2-dimensional face shapes.

Fire Safety

Today Firefighter Shellie came to our classroom to teach us about fire safety.  We reviewed some very important fire safety concepts.

Most important:  The Smoke Detector is your NUMBER ONE tool for fire safety!

Tips to maintain your smoke detectors:

          *  Test the batteries every month (when you flip the calendar to each new month)
          *  Change the batteries 2 times a year (when you set the clocks for Daylight Savings Time)

The only safe place to burn candles in on the stove top - NOT in the bathroom, living room, on the kitchen table, or anywhere else.
         
If your smoke detectors go off -- Your ONLY JOB is to get out and STAY out.

The best way to move toward an exit in the event of a fire is crawling on your hands and knees (not too close to the ground, but still under the smoke).

If you are at a window on the second floor or higher, open the window and yell for help.  Someone will come get you.  DO NOT jump!

If your clothes catch fire:  STOP, DROP, COVER FACE, and ROLL.  Ask your child why these steps are important.

HOMEWORK for all families:

          *  Make a family plan and practice fire drills at home.  Be sure to have               an agreed upon meeting place for the family outside.

          *  Parents: teach children how to open their windows and remove the                 screens independently.

THANK YOU, FIREFIGHTER SHELLIE for giving us ongoing fire education!

Brenden shows us how to crawl in case of a fire.

Tilden will test the smoke detector to see if it's working.

Firefighter Shellie uses a model bedroom to show
how fire can spread and how to exit the room.

Our Timeline

Where Have We Been?

Mrs. Pelkey's class has just finished up learning some overarching themes in science, including the use of models, scale, and parts that make up a system.  We have also been following the scientific method as a way to answer questions we have about the world around us.

In social studies, we have been reviewing our Core Values, understanding rights and responsibilities, and learning what it means to be a good citizen.

In math, we have been working on ,comparing numbers, counting strategies, double checking, and showing how we solved a problem.  These are all skills that we will need to be good at throughout each grade.

Reading instruction has been focused on reading strategies like summarizing, predicting, and re-reading for clarification.  We have also been thinking a lot about the author's purpose, or message, for each text.  We are reviewing words with long and short vowel sounds, as well as words that are "surprise words" because they do not follow the "rules" of their spelling pattern, during Word Work activities. Writing Workshop had us thinking of ways to come up with ideas for writing, focusing on a topic, and adding details.

Where Are We Going?

For October we are going to take a look back into history to learn a little about Christopher Columbus.  We are then going to skip ahead on the time line and look at Pilgrim life.  Focusing on Pilgrims, we will be able to compare the life of a child in the early to mid-1600's to the life of children now. 

Our next science unit will carry us through November as we look at living things and different habitats.  Students will understand how plants and animals depend on each other and the environment in which they live.

In math, we have just begun to take a look at story problems and are sharing strategies for solving story problems.  We begin with visualizing what is actually happening in the story.  We need to figure out what we already know, and what we need to find out.  We have to decide if things are being put together (addition), taken apart (subtraction), or if we need to know "how many more" (still subtraction, or "counting up").

Here are some examples of strategies that we have shared in class so far:

 

Some Dates to Remember:

Tuesday, October 8: School Picture Day
Monday, October 14: No School - Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 15: No School - Inservice Day

What's Happening in Science and Math?

How are models like the real objects they represent?

That's the question that students in Mrs. Pelkey's second grade are working on right now.  By the end of September, students will be able to demonstrate how scientists use models to show the parts or movement of the object it represents.

Counting, Combinations, Clocks and Coins!

In math, we are continuing to make sense of the number system; with numbers less than 100.  We are working on two great math habits: double checking your work and showing how you figured out a problem using words, pictures, and/or numbers.  We continue to work on strategies for comparing two numbers (such as the difference between 37 and 19), and are beginning to work on being fluent with addition combinations of plus 1 or 2.

Students are really good at telling time to the hour on an analog clock, and are even becoming more automatic with using the proper vocabulary words (hour hand, minute hand).  We have begun a study on coins; first by making observations of each coin, then by learning the value for each coin and well as coin equivalencies (such as one dime is equal to ten pennies -  or two nickels - or one nickel and five pennies).  

Two math games that help to reinforce our math skills are Collect 25 Cents and Plus 1 or 2 BINGO.  Please ask your child to explain to you how these games are played.

Don't forget --

We are still NWEA testing.  Our testing time this week is Wednesday, September 18 8:45 - 9:45.  Please be sure your child has had plenty of rest and encouragement; and eats a healthy breakfast in preparation.