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Hello Amazing Parents, I recognize that is has been some time since my last updated...this has been a perfect display of "no news is good news". We are finishing the second quarter today and I am feverishly grading papers and working on report cards. I hope everyone had a restful and wonderful start to the new year. I would like to continue to thank you all for your support in and out of our classroom. You are the parents of amazing, thoughtful and generous students that make me so happy to come to work. As I am sure you heard the class received their second reward party last Friday. We are very very thankful that one of you brought in pizza and juice to celebrate the accomplishments of our class. We have started to work towards our next celebration by having perfect attendance and receiving compliments as a class. As always, please let me know if I can help you in anyway.

November 24, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope everyone has a safe and restful holiday season. During the break everyone should excersice and enjoy time with their family. Also, reading and math homework has come home. Finally, a Social Studies project is to also be completed. The dioramas were amazing and I am confident the Social Studies Books will be equally amazing. Construction paper came home on Monday to create the book. Beyond that students are encouraged to be creative and use common household and craft materials. Finally, students were able to bring home their social studies books as a resource; they must be taken care of. The science books are another great resource on Natural Resources. The science book may be accessed online- look on the Student Links Tab. If any questions come arrive- I will be working most of Wednesday; please email me with any questions. Thank you!!

In an effort to conserve paper and be green we will not be sending out hard copies of the Newsletter to parents that have email addresses. I have attached the newsletter to this email. If you would like a hard copy please let me know, and I will get you a copy.

November 3, 2009 This Friday we will be planting tulips as part of the Journey North project. If you are fingerprinted and would like to help, it would be greatly appreciated! We will be planting from 10:00-11:00 around the trees by the bus loop. If you have any small shovels or trowels that would also be appreciated! Finally, please help make sure your child dresses appropriately. They will get dirty!
 * Tulips**

The Beta Club is sponsoring a food drive. There are details in the attached newsletter, but please send in non-perishable food to help support our community efforts.
 * Food Drive**

I have had the pleasure of meeting with most of you this year! It is extremely important to have strong communication between school and home. If we have not met, or you would like to meet again please let me know. November 11th is the offical conference day for the county and I will be here for that. If we have not met or you would like to meet again I have attached the conference request form; a hard copy will be coming to everyone I have not met with yet. If you would like to schedule for another morning or afternoon let me know that too.
 * Parent-Teacher Conference Day**

We are in the process of taking orders for our last book order before the holidays. There is a link of the class webpage and the forms were brought home last week. If you would like to make a holiday order and need books hidden I am willing to do that...books are amazing gifts! Finally, thank you to everyone that order. When you order books I recieve points to spend in the classroom. All most all of our bookclub books are curiousty of those points and so very appreciated! **Website Update**I have added another section to the website- PowerPoints. Today we reviewed a PowerPoint I made about the butterfly life cycle and we a PowerPoint I found of Fact & Opinion. They are both interactive and the students really enjoyed them. As I find more I will keep adding. As always, if I can do anything or you have any questions- please let me know!** Story Book Parade- Wednesday is our 2nd Annual Story Book Parade. Information was sent home on Friday. If you have any questions please let me know.**
 * Book Order**
 * Thank you so much for all of your support; it is evident everyday in the amazing children that join me for a great day of learning.
 * October 26, 2009

Report Cards & Grades- I must have my report card information in by this Friday. I have been feverishly updating the online grade book please use the SchoolMax home portal for updated grades.

First, a huge thank you to all of the fathers that were able to join us on Monday. We had a wonderful turn out and I know it meant a lot to your children to see you. I always enjoy any extra helpers and eyes. Please do not wait for a formal day or an official invention- you are welcome any time and all the time. For the last week my very talented class has been working on their first research project- a state. We have read nonfiction text, answer questions and we just began writing TWO paragraphs with compound sentences (so smart!). This weekend I have asked them to complete a diorama about their state. They will be bringing home specific directions and their information/rough draft about their state. I asked them yesterday to begin collecting shoe boxes or any other similar box. More information will be coming home on Thursday- keep an eye out. Of course, if it doesn't make it please check the webpage or email me. For the next two days of reading we will be participating in a reading assessment that will allow the students to show what they have learned in the first four stories. There is nothing for them to study, it does not count as a grade. The assessment provides me with a chance to know what I need to reteach /spend more time on and what skills I can spend less time on in the future. It also provides the students with a chance to see and practice taking a standardized assessment. We will continue to write our poems and meet with book clubs. **During testing there will be no spelling. Spelling will resume on Monday, October 19. I will provide the students with a modified reading calendar.**
 * October 13, 2009**
 * Diorama (the scene in the shoebox)**
 * Formative Assessments in Reading**

September 24, 2009 We continue to move through the year with grace and high expectations. Your children are wonderful and there hard work is evident. Progress Reports will be coming home next week. However, if you were here last year and would like to see your child's grades remember that we have the Family Portal for our online grade books. New Parents- of course you can also see your child's grades. However, you will need to contact the Vansville Office first to receive directions for your sign on and your passcode. You will be able to see grades that are up to date for your child. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will do my best to answer them, and will definetly refer you to people that know more than I about the system.

Homework procedures continue to be a problem for many students. Please review the Homework Policy, Back To School Letter, and, most importantly, your child's Agenda book. It has the exact homework requirements list for each day!

August 24 Wow! It has been a wonderful day. Thank you all for helping make the beginning of our year so successful. We had a wonderful day. Please be sure to talk to your students about our classroom activities. Please do not except "nothing" when you ask about their day. Research has shown that students that discuss their day remember and process the information more effectively. In addition to beginning routines and rules we also started our first writing project, practiced making predictions, reviewed the safety rules of science, and toured the school while completing a scavenger hunt. It was a truly wonderful first day. Hope to see you soon!

Thank you for continuing to support our classroom, and understanding the process of getting back into the swing of things. The entire class seems to have adjusted to second grade very well, and I am proud of how quickly they have adapted to a new grade level.

We will be having Back to School Night on Thursday, September 17 for all of the second grade classess. Please note that this is a change from the previously scheduled date of Tuesday, September 15. The time will remain the same 6:00-7:00 pm. I look forward to seeing you there!
 * Back to School Night**

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8, will be the first day of our "normal" homework schedule. Students will be bringing home their agenda books daily. Their agenda books are the best place to look for that nights homework; if there are any changes to the schedule or important notices it will be listed in there. They will also be writing their spelling list in their agenda book. Please check it and sign it nightly.
 * "Normal" Homework Schedule for Reading & Spelling**

Spelling and Reading Calendars are completed on a 6 day cycle. Tomorrow will be Day 1 which will make everything due in 6 school days (September 15). Tomorrow everyone will receive a new Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe board with their new spelling list. The board and the work will not need to come back to school until Tuesday, September 15. All work should be completed in their homework journal.

The new Reading Calendar will also come home tomorrow. The reading calendar stays in the students homework folder and comes back every day, signed by you, after your child has read for 20 minutes. The back of the reading calendar requires the students to practice our current reading strategy. The back must be completed by the due date.

From past experience I know it can be difficult to adjust to such a unique schedule. This is a county calendar that allows us to ensure a correlation between what we are doing in class and what the students are practicing. It also provides us with extra time to ensure students are practicing and understanding each skill.

On Friday directions for our book clubs came home along with a catalog. If you have any questions please let me know. You are able to order online or send in cash to me. The book order are due Wednesday, September 16. Book clubs are a wonderful place for students to create a classroom library. I also earn points that I use to increase our classroom library and buy books for students to use in our own Book Clubs and group discussions.
 * Scholastic Book Club**