Dear 2-H Families,

Our final week is coming up quickly. Boy oh boy has it been a great year of learning! On top of that, our class has gained a firm understanding of what it looks like to be respectful and active learners. I'm so proud of them!

PEAS Farm Field trip: Our field trip was a great success today! The weather held out and the farmers did a great job presenting various parts of the farm. (Thank you for joining us, parent volunteers!)

Language Arts: We have completed our 2nd grade Poem Packets. Please look for your child’s creative packet in today’s mail.   The poems will surely make your day.

This week, our class has also been reading informational text. We’re currently writing mini animal reports to share with one another. 

Math:  We’re reviewing- reviewing- reviewing.  

Compliment Cups: Next week, we'll engage in an activity that offers the opportunity to "fill each other's bucket". First, each student will provide a written compliment to each of his/her classmates. Next, we'll fold up the compliments and place them in each student's container. Finally, each student will read their compliments privately. I'll send home the compliment containers for you to enjoy as well. This activity is a great way to wrap up the year. So much positivity and kindness is shared!

Last Day of School:  Friday the 7th marks our last day of 2nd Grade. 180 Days will be complete! Hooray! We have an early dismissal at 11:00 to wrap-up our last day.

Last Day sack lunch mix-up: Lunch staff was misinformed. There won't be sack lunches prepared on the last day of school. Sorry for the confusion!

FYI: Thursday the 6th, I'll send home report card packets for the final time. (On the 6th, I'll also send home all school supplies and we'll clear out lockers as well.)

Thank you for sharing your kiddos with me this year! It's been great getting to know them and also getting to know all of you. Take care & have the best summer break with your kiddos! 

Sherrie 

I hope this update finds you enjoying May, and looking forward to summer break in just a few short weeks. Please take a look at the highlighted material below. We’re trucking along and working hard to be well engaged, as the end of the year is just around the corner.            

 Language Arts: “Going West” writing assignments are complete and have been shared with one another. We sure enjoyed the various ways that the original story took a twist. Have fun reading your child’s writing. You’ll find the adapted story in today’s mail.

This week, we’ve also been working on Poetry, and have completed many poems so far. Please ask your student about the topics that they’ve written about.  (We’ve written acrostic, sensory, and haiku poems so far.)

Math: We completed our final iReady math diagnostic of the year. Hooray!

The remainder of the year, I’ll review concepts that have accumulated some “dust”. Lol- We’ll tighten up our knowledge and finish up with a “Year End” Review. 

PEAS Farm Field trip: On May 30^th, we'll begin walking to the farm at 8:30. I’d like to have 4-5 parent helpers join us. If you are available, please let me know.

Dear 2-H Families,                                              

May is upon us…. Today marks 155 days complete. That means we have 25 days remaining! How did the end of the year sneak up on us so fast? Team Harris has accomplished so much & will finish strong the remaining weeks ahead..  

Language Arts: We’re currently working through the writing process as we adapt specific events from the story, “Going West”. The task is to expand the storyline and create exciting details to support specific parts of the story.  Please ask your student which part of the story they're expanding. We’ve covered prewriting, drafting, revising, and are currently editing. Soon we’ll publish and share our adapted stories with one another. I’m super happy with the creativity shown so far.  

Math: We’re having fun working with fractions this week. We understand that fractions represent parts of a whole and that all the parts need to be equal. We’ve also been reviewing many important math concepts. I will continue to do this throughout May. Next week, we’ll begin our STAR assessments and the following week, we’ll complete our final iReady math diagnostic. 

Class Picture Day: Tuesday the 7th is Class Picture Day. I'll send home an order-form flier after the class picture has been taken.  You'll be able to preview the photo online and decide if you'd like to purchase a copy.  :)

Reminders:

Music Informance link - Our class will have a music informance on May 10th @ 1:15. Please click on the link to see the invite from Ms. Gibson. We hope you’re able to join us and witness what your kiddos have been learning each time they visit the music room.

Boosterthon Fundraiser: To wrap up the Boosterthon, the Fun Run will take place tomorrow from 10-11 am.  Feel free to stop by and watch the festivities, if you're able. 

Have a happy rest of the week!!    

Sherrie ….                                                               

Dear 2-H Families,                                              

April has arrived and our class is definitely looking forward to continued spring-like weather. We can’t wait to see new growth and all the colors that accompany it.

Language Arts: Our new unit of focus is centered around, “New Ideas and a New World”.  The past few weeks, we read, John Chapman & Johnny Appleseed. Please have your student share details about the historical fiction story and biography we enjoyed reading together. Currently, our phonics focus is the “oooo” sound. This common spelling pattern includes- oo, ue, ew, ui.  Finally, we’re having fun playing around with words that fall into the “Onomatopoeia” category. (Words that sound like their meaning)  Onomatopoeia Video  Please look for onomatopoeia examples in today’s mail.

Math: This week, we’ve been organizing data into tables and line plots.  Ask your student which way they prefer to document and analyze data. (table or line plot?)  Also, we've been revisiting 3 digit addition & subtraction. I'm happy with the class growth, even compared to last month.  

Seed Science: We’re cruising along nicely in our seed unit. We planted individual radish cups last week. We also started a prediction experiment that involves radish seeds with ample soil & water, minus direct light. Please ask your student about the results so far. Our next lesson involves determining how much light & sun are needed for specific plants found all over the USA.

Spring Break Newspaper: Each student wrote a little article about what they did over spring break. We compiled the articles & created a newspaper to allow classmates to read the work of others.  You’ll see your child’s article in today’s mail.   

I hope April has started out great for your family….      

Sherrie ….                                                                    

Dear 2-H Families,                    

Hooray, hooray, it's almost Spring Break....  I’ve included a quick version of what’s happening in Room #102.

Language Arts: We’re currently reading an awesome native American story titled, “Morning on the Lake”. We’re recapping parts of the story that caught our attention and are writing and illustrating to represent them.

Math:  Measurement continues to be our focus, but we’ve also added in setting up line plots to represent given measurement data. We really like how easy it is to obtain information from line plots.

Seed Science: We started our study of seed distribution. Our 1^st experiment involved flying 3 seed-pod prototypes. We evaluated whether or not the seed could escape the “Zone of Darkness”.  We also dissected seeds to identify the seed coat, cotyledon, and embryo. This week, we'll experiment with a variety of seeds to determine whether the seeds can be relocated by air, water, or animal fur. We Love Science!!

Parent Teacher Conferences:  I’ll begin holding conferences tomorrow. Each conference will be student led. I’m looking forward to visiting with you and your 2^nd grader.

Reminder:

Early Out: On the 14^th, we’ll dismiss at 11:00 to allow for afternoon conferences.

Spring Break:  March 15-24^th. School resumes on the 25^th.

Have a happy day!

Sherrie ….                                                

Dear 2-H Families,                                              

Just this past Tuesday, we reached our 100^th day of school. We had a great time reminiscing about day 1, day 10, day 50 and so on. We’ve covered a great amount of material, strengthened relationships, made new friends, and have discovered new interests together. We have such a great learning community in Room 102. I’m so proud of my class! Here’s what we’ve been up to the past 2 weeks. 

Language Arts:

We’re enjoying our unit, “Facing Challenges and Change”.  Last week, we began the unit by reading, Tornado. This book had us on the edge of our seats. After a tornado struck a rural area, a small family realized that a doghouse dropped in their backyard. Little did they know, the doghouse had a black lab inside. Please ask your student to tell you all about the story, Tornado. Today, we completed a reading selection titled, Seek the Sun. This story took place in 1966 and is based on true events. Please have your student share details, plus have them describe what a tatami mat looks like. Finally, we’ve been practicing adding er & est to base words to help make comparisons. The spelling of these words can be tricky. 

For example: big=bigger     happy = happiest    

Biography Posters: All individual posters have been shared. We gained awesome knowledge from each presentation. I’m super proud of the effort my students displayed, while completing this project.

Math: We’ve shifted from 3 digit addition to 3 digit subtraction. We’re working hard to make sense of the stack and subtract method. We’ll practice 3 digit addition and subtraction continuously throughout the year. But, it’s also time to focus on measurement. Beginning next week, we’ll begin measuring in inches and centimeters. This is a super fun unit that provides the class with lots of hands-on opportunities. 

Valentine Party: I’m looking for a few families to help provide treat items for our Valentine Party on the 14th. We’ll enjoy strawberries and whip cream after valentines are opened. If you’re interested in supplying an item, please let me know. (We'd like 2 cans of whip cream and 4 containers of washed strawberries) Thanks so much! 

2 Reminders:

No School Monday the 12^th due to teacher in-service day.

No School Monday the 19^th due to President’s Day.

Wishing you all a happy February!

Sherrie ….                                                           

Dear 2-H Families,                                               I hope this newsletter finds you all doing well as 2024 takes off! Tomorrow will be our 84th day of school. Wowza, this means we only have 6 more days until we’re officially ½ way through 2^nd grade. Please enjoy reading the newsletter to help provide a snapshot into our classroom.   

Language Arts: We’ve had fun reading about “change makers” in the world. The book we read highlighted students that thought of clever ideas to make a positive change and how they put their ideas into action.

*Short Paragraphs: We engaged in short paragraph writing as students brainstormed & wrote about ways they could possibly make a small change as well.  Please look for these paragraphs in today’s mail. I was so pleased with the variety of ideas.  

Math: This week we’ve been practicing writing 3 digit numbers, expanding them (468 = 400 + 60 + 8) and comparing them too. (439 < 698)

We’re also knee deep in reviewing math concepts from the past. This will help prepare the class to complete their winter diagnostics. I’m super pleased with their recall and progress so far this year!

Science: We’ve continued our study of “Solids”. We have been using the following properties to describe solids. (rough, rigid, transparent, pointy soft, colored, flexible, smooth, hard, flat) Please ask your students about using mini screens to sort out all the ingredients of a soup mix and creating boats to float. These were both hands on experiments. It was so fun to watch the class create & discover! Next week, we’ll engage in activities that center around liquids. We LOVE SCIENCE!

Homework: As we kick off 2024, I’d love to see students stay the course and make sure to read at least 100 minutes per week to an adult.  We are really taking off with fluency & comprehension. The “at home component” is crucial for continued growth.  I appreciate your commitment, and definitely see the direct result of consistent at home readers! THANK YOU  

Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

Please remember we have the 16th off in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.

I hope you’ve all had a positive January start! 

….  😊