OPEN HOUSE

Some inspirational videos to get you thinking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5yCOSHeYn4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwlhUcSGqgs

Here are the slides from the power point:

Tidbits...

As a grade level we made a few changes, so I wanted to update you here.

Word study. Please be sure this is getting done each day. I will have look say cover copied on the back of each list weekly. This should be done each Tuesday. I check that all work is done daily. 

This week I am tweaking the work so there is less homework on Tuesday for open house. Please reference the assignment sheet. The daily homework is written each day. The day work is due, we will go over the work in class to see if there are any questions. If the work has not been done, it's impossible to go over specific questions.

*Open house is Tuesday, 7/29/14 at 6 pm. We will begin with a PTA clip and vote on the budget and then begin delving into second grade. :) I look forward to seeing you!
-If you can not make it, I will be posting the power point.


To make things easier at the end of the day, we adapted the links sheets. It will be on the back of the weekly assignment sheet. With this form, the children will only have to check the box to explain what they did to lose a link. If there are multiple checks for the day, that shows what multiples were lost for. 

LUCKY LINKS                       Name______________________   Date______

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Number of Links I have today…	Number of Links I have today…	Number of Links I have today…	Number of Links I have today…	Number of Links I have today…
I lost a link for not…	I lost a link because…	I lost a link because…	I lost a link because…	I lost a link because…
□ listening □ obeying rules □ following          directions □ using time           wisely □ doing my best                 work □ not working        well with others □ other     (see below)	□ listening □ obeying rules □ following          directions □ using time           wisely □ doing my best                 work □ not working        well with others □ other     (see below)	□ listening □ obeying rules □ following          directions □ using time           wisely □ doing my best                 work □ not working        well with others □ other     (see below)	□ listening □ obeying rules □ following          directions □ using time           wisely □ doing my best                 work □ not working        well with others □ other     (see below)	□ listening □ obeying rules □ following          directions □ using time           wisely □ doing my best                 work □ not working        well with others □ other     (see below)

Each week, students are given 10 links on Monday. If they keep all ten links by Friday they may trade them in for a jewel. Jewels will be spent at the class store for prize box items.

Teacher Notes:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________                         _________________________________

              Teacher Signature                                                                Parent Signature

The teacher will sign this sheet and place it in the student’s Friday Folder.  Please sign and return this sheet every Monday. J

math homework resources

Happy Tuesday!

Here are some additional resources for you to use to help your child at home with our math objectives this quarter.

Strategies/Skills:

Second Graders internalize facts and develop fluency by repeatedly using mental strategies that make sense to them. 

·         Counting on

·         Making ten                                          

·         Creating an easier problem using known sums                                               

·         Using the relationship between addition and subtraction

·         Using doubles

In addition, students can explain why addition and subtraction strategies work by using drawings or objects to support their explanation.

·         Using a number line to add or subtract

·         Using a hundreds board to add or subtract

Video Support:

Video support can be found on The WCPSS Academics YouTube Channel. **If the link does not work from this email, just right click on it and open link in another browser.

·         http://tinyurl.com/WCPSSAcademicsYouTube

o   ES 2 Math Mental Strategy-Counting on

o   ES 2 Math Mental Strategy-Making ten                                         

o   ES 2 Math Mental Strategy- Creating an easier problem                            

o   ES 2 Math Mental Strategy-Using the relationship between addition and subtraction

o   ES 2 Math Mental Strategy-Using doubles

o   ES 2 Math Using a number line to add or subtract

o   ES 2 Math Using a hundreds board to add or subtract

Let me know if you need help using these resources. :-)

Thank you for your continued support!

class emails

Hello family members!
I just sent out a class email. If you did not receive an email from me, please let me know. My email is ksimmons3@wcpss.net.

Most of my communication will take place here on the blog, but from time to time I will also send out reminders via email. I just want to be sure I have all your emails, but I do make mistakes, so please let me know if you didn't get an email from me.

Happy Tuesday!!

news from 7/14-7/18

A few more tidbits as we start the new year...

We are starting to slowly settle into a routine as we all learn about each other. But we are off to a great start. Our link system seems to be working well. Lots of students are earning links for doing the right thing and showing good character throughout the day. Links are also being taken away for various reasons; when students are not following directions, shouting out of turn, and being disrespectful. Each afternoon your child will count their total links for the day. Their total count may be higher than it was the previous day, but they still may have lost a link. The reason for them losing a link will be recorded at the bottom. NFD means not following directions. It may be written more than once or x2 beside it, meaning multiple links were lost for the same reason. Please sign the bottom of your child's sheet daily. This lets me know you are aware of how your child's day was based on their links. If there is anything else important to share, I will record it in the larger box towards the top where the assignments are written.  

Letterland/ word study seems to be going well. I just graded our first spelling test and everyone did great!! For the most part each week we will do the assignments listed on the main page with the spelling words on it. Monday-day 1; read the words twice, Tuesday-day 2; look/say/cover/write (I will be sending home a copy this week in a sheet protector and markers so we can save some paper each week), Wednesday-day 3; write 6 sentences using your words (these can be done on the back of the weekly words), Thursday-day 4; practice test (this can also be done using whiteboards at home and doesn't necessarily have to be pencil and paper.) We also have some games we are learning how to play in class. We will also be using list A throughout the year. List B and C are listed in case there is a particularly difficult unit, then we can use those lists as additional practice. You may also reference the pink sheet sent home the first week of school for additional information.

Wednesday math games! Yay! As a whole, Wednesday's homework will be to play a math game. This is a great way to practice the various skills we are learning in class at home. ***All the materials you need will be sent home. PLEASE KEEP THE VARIOUS MATERIALS SENT HOME ON CARDSTOCK AND KEEP THEM IN A SAFE PLACE! These will be used throughout the year. The dice sent home this past week will be used in a later week. This week I will be sending home some number cards. These will be needed for the games we will be playing over the next few weeks.

Please make sure either you or your child is recording the number of minutes read each night. I collected all the sheets on Friday and children who read and recorded their reading each night will earn a homework pass. As we get further into the year, they will have to do more to earn them.

Moving on to this past week....

Writing-This week we looked at different ways to make our narratives better. We used sticky notes to add more details to our writing, practiced editing and revising, and did some peer conferences.

Reading-We continue working on building stamina and staying on task during our read to self time. As a whole, the class is doing a great job. There are still a few things we need to work on like making sure we have several books in our book boxes and that we get started right away. This is a very important foundational skill that we will be building on throughout the year. We have read several books this week, two of the class favorites are from the Walter the farting dog collection. Yes, you read that right. It's a big dog that has really bad gas and gets kicked out of various places, but somehow his farts always save the day. They are great books that the kids think are hysterical, who wouldn't! But there are great pictures, characters, settings, problem, and solutions. All the basic story elements we are working on as a class.

Math-we continue working with addition using various strategies. This week we took our first test. The computation part was great, the kids know basic addition facts and know how to use different methods to solve problems. The weakest area is the written part. They had to explain how they used the counting up method to find their answer. Unfortunately, not everyone explained. For the most part on each test the class will take, there will be one to two word problems to explain. Full credit will not be awarded for just a correct answer. How the answer was achieved also needs to be explained completely.

Letterland/word study- we worked on the difference between short and long vowels based on open and closed vowels. We compared open and closed to a train (which is another anchor of letterland), and looked at basic differences. 
So=open (nothing after the vowel, makes a long vowel) 
sock=closed (ck comes after the vowel, making it short)
no vs not, go vs got...

Looking ahead...
Specials for the week:
Computer, Art, PE, Music, and Guidance

We are becoming story detectives and breaking down what we have read:

Our CAFE wall. These are some reading strategies we are working on.

news from 7/7-7/11

What a great first week we have had!! I am very excited about our upcoming year. We spent a lot of time working on routines and procedures. There was some learning happening too. Here is a synopsis of what we did this week...

>>In math we practiced "math houses or math towers." These are just finding partners for addends. (4+1 and 1+4) We also practiced counting up. (I have 5 now and need how many more to get to 9??? ..  6,7,8,9...4. 5+4=9)
You should see a classwork sheet that shows what we did and it will make more sense.
*First math assessment will be next week

>>In reading we started building stamina and seeing how long we can read to self. Our first run was 1.36 and second was 3.01 minutes. Great improvement. As our class practices reading to themselves, I would like to make sure they are focused on reading and thinking about what they read. We will be working daily at building stamina. 
We also started talking about our CAFE strategies (comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary), but we only worked at making connections and predictions as we read. 

>>In writing we did an unassisted writing piece so I can see where we all are. We also wrote a short "me I am" poem to be shown at open house, and started brainstorming ideas to write about at a later date.

>>In letterland/ word study, we reviewed our letter land characters/sounds and focused on short vowels. We did a lot of exploring and learning routines this week. There was no test, but you should have seen homework twice this week. There was a letter in your child's Friday folder about letterland. We will be spending more time this week practicing the letters/sounds and forming words.

**Please be sure that you are checking the daily folders and signing the links at the bottom. The total minutes read each day should also be recorded. I will check these daily and is a great way to communicate about our children.

We traded in our links today and most everyone was able to exchange them for a jewel. Monday we will all start out with 10 links again and work at keeping them all or earning more throughout the week. Those students who had more than 10 today will hold on to them until next week and if they earn 20 links all together can exchange them for 2 jewels. We will then go shopping at the end of the quarter with the jewels earned.

This has been working great so far and it's amazing to see how excited the class is over earning links each day.

lucky links-behavior management system

NEW!

Mrs. Simmons’ Classroom Behavior System

                                    LUCKY LINKS 

After a grade level meeting last Thursday, I decided to change our behavior management system in order to be consistent with all of second grade. I will give each of the kids a container with 10 links in it. They will keep this in the basket under their chair. They can earn more links, but they can also get them taken away. This would be like getting a verbal warning for being off task or not following directions. Students can earn links by doing good deeds or for positive behavior.

Each week, students will start out with 10 links. If they have 10 links by the end of the week, they will turn them in for a jewel. They will collect these jewels all quarter. Students only earn jewels if they have 10 links by each Friday. Some children will have extra links, so they will be able to keep those links and receive and receive 10 more the next Monday.

Towards the end of the quarter, we will have a shopping day. Students will be able to purchase prize box items with jewels or purchase other rewards with jewels (like go barefoot in class, wear sunglasses for a day, etc.) There will be a price list as some prize box items will be worth more than one jewel. Some rewards will only cost one jewel. I would greatly appreciate any prize box items you would like to donate. You can ask your child for ideas of things they would enjoy buying with their jewels.

Each day your child will bring home an assignment sheet for homework. At the bottom of the sheet is a section that tells how many links your child has at the end of the day. If they lost a link, I will write why on the chart. Please sign and return this sheet every day in the daily folder. Remember, the students will always start fresh on Monday with 10 links.

If you have any questions about this system, please email or write me a note. I am trying to teach and develop basic economic skills (earning and losing).

The ABCs of second grade

Mrs. Simmons’ ABCs of Second Grade

                                                           

A-  Attendance and Absences:  School hours are from 9:15 to 3:45. When your child is absent from school, parents are required to send in a note the next day giving the reason for the absence.  If a note is not received, the absence is marked unexcused.

B-  Birthday- Parents may send in a treat for the entire class to recognize a child’s birthday.  It is stated in our staff handbook that the snack is to be a healthy one and will be distributed in the cafeteria.  No party favors, goodie bags, etc. are to be given out.  Prior teacher notification is appreciated.

C-  Correspondence- If you need to talk to me during the school day, please call the office at 363-1391 and leave a message. You may find it more convenient to email me at ksimmons3@wcpss.net or send a note in your child’s daily folder.  With prior notice, I will be happy to meet with you before or after school.

D-   Discipline- Please refer to my Lucky Links behavior sheet for my discipline policy.

E-  Encourage- Let’s encourage your child’s special talents to make them feel good about themselves.

F-  Folders- Every Friday your child will bring home a folder containing some of his/her school papers from the week, papers from the PTA, our newsletter, Lucky Links behavior sheet, and other school information.  After you have removed the papers, sign the newsletter and Lucky Links sheet and have your child return their folder to school the following Monday. One side of the folder will be papers to keep at home. The other side of the folder will contain papers that need to be signed and returned to school. There will also be a daily folder that will be sent home with your child Monday-Thursday. Please check it each night for correspondence, homework, reading log, and behavior sheets.

G-  Going Home-If your child is going home a different way than usual, I need to be informed in writing or by a call to the office if there is a last minute change.

H-  Homework- Homework should be a reflection of your child’s neatest and best work.  After a few weeks, your child should be able to complete most homework independently. Homework will be sent home in your child’s folder and should be returned the next day.

I-   Independence- It is important that you allow your child to walk to the classroom alone.  This encourages independence and gives your child a feeling of confidence.

J-  Job- Encourage your child to realize that it is his/her job to remember to bring a healthy snack and all required materials to school each day.

K-  Keep in touch- Keep me informed of any address, email, or phone number changes throughout the year.

L-   Lunch- You are welcome to eat lunch with your child any day.  Please meet your child outside the cafeteria doors.  Our lunchtime will change through out the year. Please refer to my daily schedule for the new lunch times. Canned drinks are not allowed in the lunchroom.

M- Medication-Your child will not be permitted to take any kind of medication at school without a doctor’s note.  The medication must be in the prescribed bottle and dropped off at the office.

N-  No- No valuables or toys are to be brought to school unless requested for a special occasion.

O-  Office Notification- If your child arrives at school after 9:15 AM he/she must check in at the office.  If you need to pick up your child before dismissal time (3:45), you must stop by the office to sign your child out.  The secretary will call the classroom and give me permission to release your child. There are no checkouts after 3:15.

P-   Personal Items- Label all personal items brought to school with your child’s name. Please do not put labels on your child’s school supplies. I will do this in the classroom.

Q-  Quality time- Spending time with your child reviewing school work or listening to them read will increase their success in school.

R-  Recess- Please be sure that your child wears comfortable shoes, clothing, and sunscreen for outside recess.

S-  Snack- Please send in a healthy snack for your child each day.  Fruit, cheese and crackers, vegetables, sandwiches, or small bags of low sugar cereal are a few good choices.  No drinks in the classroom. Water bottles are allowed.

T-  Tardy- Your child will be marked tardy and must go to the office for a late slip if he/she enters the classroom after 9:15.

U-  Use dress code- Please refer to the Wake County dress code as a guide when choosing clothes for your child to wear to school. Also make sure your child keeps a sweatshirt or light jacket in their cubby. Our classroom temperature changes a lot and I want the kids to stay comfortable.

V-  Volunteers- I do appreciate and will need parents to volunteer for help with various activities in the classroom and on field trips.  I will request your help through email, my Room Mom, or in my newsletters.

W- Work Together- Let’s work together so we can make decisions about what is best for your child.

X-  Exercise- Students will have outside recess on most days.  Please dress your child in comfortable clothes and shoes.

Y-  You- You can help your child to have a successful school day by sending him/her to school well rested, on time, with their daily folder, a snack, and lunchbox or lunch money.  If a book is sent home, it needs to be returned the next day.  Establish a routine at night where your child packs his/her backpack.

Z-  Zero- I have zero tolerance for bullying in my classroom.  I will do all I can to see that your child feels safe, free to make mistakes without fear of being ridiculed, and respected in a loving and warm environment.

Important Information: schedule, specials...

*Mrs. Simmons’ Class Schedule*

Room # 605

8:45-9:20 Morning Arrival/Announcements/Attendance/Media Center

9:30-10:05 Writer’s Workshop

10:05-10:50 Reading Workshop/Daily 5/Café

10:55-11:25 Lunch/bathroom break

11:30-11:40  Read aloud/wrap up work

11:45-12:25 Specials

12:30-1:30 Math

1:30-1:50 Read Aloud/Snack

1:50-2:20 Recess

2:30-3:00 Word Study (Letterland)

3:00-3:30 Science/Social Studies

3:30-3:40 Pack Up/Behavior Sheets/Folders/Jobs/Dismissal

*This schedule is tentative and subject to change with different special events or as problems come up. I will try to notify you if and when anything is different.

Specials for the first week of school, Monday-Friday are:

Computer, Art, PE, Music, and Media

7/14-7/18 Specials:

Computer, Art, PE, Music, and Computer

7/21-7/25 Specials:

Computer, Art, PE, Music, and Guidance

You will note that our specials on Friday will vary. It will throughout the year.

Tumblebooks at home!

Our school website has several different educational links on it, but Tumblebooks is one of the most popular. Below you will find directions for accessing the Tumblebooks website and the information you will need to help your child login, if they would like to experience the stories at home.

·         Open the Turner Creek Home Page: http://turnercreekes.net/

·         Find “Web Resources” along the top of the page, and click on it.

·         Find the Tumblebooks link, and click on the link.

·         Username: turnercr

·         Password: books

*This counts towards your child’s daily reading log.