This week, we have been learning about telling time on an analog clock. To practice this, I have found some really awesome websites with practice games.
Tomorrow we are celebrating reaching 3,000 class dojo points with a PIZZA PARTY! We will eat pizza for lunch tomorrow, Wednesday 4/13! Your child should bring their own special drink. If you would like to donate a couple dollars to cover the cost of the pizza, you are welcome to, but it isn't required.
I'd like to welcome Sree Vankaylapati to our classroom! Sree joins our class from Los Angeles, California! We are so glad you are here and can't wait to get to know you better!
Check out our Facebook Page for some recent pictures!
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - PLEASE COME BACK LATER TODAY FOR MORE DETAILS!
Monday 3/21 - Friday 3/25 - No School - Spring Break!
There will be NO SCHOOL next week due to the Spring Break holiday! Enjoy your time off! I can't wait to hear all about the fun the kids will have!
Friday 4/15 - STL ZOO Field Trip
We will be going to the ZOO on Friday April 15th. We will leave Concord at 8:45 and be at the Zoo until 2:00. We should return to Concord around 2:40 pm. We will eat lunch at the zoo - all students will need to pack a sack lunch. Students should NOT bring money. They will not be allowed to buy anything while we are there.
Parent volunteers are welcome to ride the bus with us, or meet us there. More information to come on that. Also - parents, please do not buy the children anything at the zoo (train rides, food, souvenirs, etc.) We will be far too busy seeing fun things to buy stuff :)
There will be more details to come as we get closer to the trip!
If you have any questions or concerns, let me know! Have a great week!
We used to think that or intellegence was fixed - meaning we were either smart or we weren't. Scientists have proven that is simply not true. Our brain acts like a muscle - the more we use it, the stronger and smarter our brain becomes.
We have been learning more about GROWTH MINDSET and how to embrace challenges with these videos from Class Dojo!
I hope everyone had a nice three day weekend! We had snow and sunshine and everything in between! Thankfully the weather is warming up this week and we will hopefully get to spend plenty of time outside and with the windows open! We have had MANY sick kiddos in our room in the past few weeks (and a sick adult... ahem) Please remind your children of the important of covering their mouth when they cough, washing their hands, and other general good hygiene. I hate seeing my kiddos sick! I'm thrilled to be able to open the windows this week, gets some fresh air, and kill some germs that may be lingering in our room!!
In reading, we are reviewing non-fiction writing as we jump into some exciting scientific topics! In writing, we beginning an exciting unit on writing like scientists!
In math, we will continue to expand our knowledge of algebra with larger numbers in the thousands and beyond!
Monday 2/15/16 - No School (Presidents Day) No Library Class this week! Students will visit the Library individually throughout the week to exchange books. Due to our day off to celebrate Presidents Day, we will not go to the library for class this week. We will visit Mrs. Graeff next week!
Tuesday 2/16/16 - Magic House Field Trip
We will be visiting the Magic House on Tuesday! We will have lunch at school as usual, just at a later time. It is helpful if your child wears their purple "Ignite, Innovate, Inspire" shirts they received at the beginning of the year!
If you are a parent planning on coming with us and plan on riding the bus, please be at the classroom by 9:00. There is plenty of space, so you are welcome to ride along with us! Otherwise you can meet us at the Magic House around 9:30 near the Emerson Education Entrance. We will return to Concord by 12:15 pm and have lunch in our classroom when we return.
Thursday 2/18 --- Maker Fair 3:30 - 6:00 pm
Friday 2/19 --- Spring Picture Day (This is the one where kids can bring a prop!)
Friday 3/4 --- Half Day of School (Dismissal at 11:50 am)
If you have any questions or concerns, let me know! Have a great week!
Tomorrow, Wednesday 2/10/16, is an early release day! Students will be dismissed at 1:40 PM. Please send a note or email with your child if their dismissal plan is changing!
We will have a small Valentine's celebration in class next Friday February 12th! We will exchange Valentine cards and have a friendship trail mix! Today your child brought home a paper with each child's name on it in both print and cursive. They aren't required to use cursive, but some of them wanted to try! It's great practice! Please have a Valentine card for every child. We will make special envelopes in class on that day. Please do not attach candy to cards, due to allergies. Pencils are fine, but please no candy attached to cards.
Each student should also bring their own special drink for our party - juice box, Gatorade, soda, etc. They just need to bring one for themselves.
Please sign up to bring an item for our trail mix as well as a few other supplies.
I hope everyone had a nice day off! I'm excited to see everyone back tomorrow!
Did you sign up to get School Messenger alerts from the district? Be the first to know about snow days, school-wide event information, and other important information from the school. This will replace the Remind 101 service used in the past. You can ready more about how to get these texts and emails here: http://go.lindberghschools.ws/Page/12940
THANK YOU! A huge thank you to everyone for participating in our Hat Day to raise money for the families affected by the flooding. As a district, we raised over $9,000! Check our Facebook page for pictures! I'd also like to thank all of our lovely moms, grandmas, aunts, and special friends for coming to Muffins with Mom on Friday! It's such unique chance to slow down and enjoy some breakfast with our little people! They LOVED having you visit our classroom and sharing their books with you! ! Check our Facebook page for pictures
In reading, we are AMPING up our reading power! We spent some time last learning "big idea" words like fluency, tone, rate, and dialogue. We learned that when we read, both out-lout and in our head, it should sound just like a spoken conversation. Not a robot! This week we will begin to explore "literary language" and how authors use comparisons, metaphors, idioms, and other interesting language to make a reader stop and think. In writing, we are continuing our work as poets! We have been using the items in our inspiration bags to get new ideas! Poets see the world differently and write about things to show the way we see it. Ask your child to "put on their poet eyes" and they can tell you what a poet sees! We also experimented with line breaks, music, and rhyme. This week we will start to talk about different kinds of figurative language like similes, metaphors, as well as synonyms. This will connect it a BIG way to our reading unit!
In math, we are off and running with both addition and subtraction regrouping. This week we will take it a step further and practice this skill with much larger numbers, as well as look at some strategies to stretch our thinking. Coming soon... telling time on an analog clock!!
Monday 1/18/16 - No School (MLK Jr. Day) No Library Class this week! Students will visit the Library individually throughout the week to exchange books. Due to our day off to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we will not go to the library for class this week. We will visit Mrs. Graeff next week!
If you have any questions or concerns, let me know! Have a great week!
There are so many exciting things going on this week, so please take a minute to read through the notes below. This has been quite an eventful week in our household. My 1st grader broke her arm and we spent the better part of two days in the ER and visiting orthopedic doctors for a lovely sparkly purple cast. It has been quite the experience! Thank you for your patience with my slow-response to emails last week. If I have missed a question, please let me know and I will get back to you this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning.
Gentle Reminder:
If you use a Concord classroom after school for girl scouts or boy scouts, please be sure you put things back how they were. Please do not use the classroom supplies. Additionally, if any snacks are served, be aware that children with allergies use this space too so you should wipe tables down afterwards. Thank you for helping us to keep our learning spaces clean.
In reading, we are continuing our work with fiction texts. We are learning all about characters, their feelings and personality traits. This week we will take our final work-study tests of this quarter. This week we all focused on work with plural nouns and contractions using an apostrophe.
We are also continuing our work as fiction writers. We focused a lot on problem and solution, and how characters react with emotions.
We have wrapped up our chapters on addition with regrouping. We will continue to refine this skill this week while we work on subtraction with regrouping!
Monday we have LIBRARY with Mrs. Graeff! Please help your child remember to bring back their books. They can't get new books until they are returned. This week, our class gets to use the Robots in the library! How exciting!
Thursday - Holiday Party
The Reindeer Relay Assembly is right before the party at 1:30, allowing for set-up time in the classroom. The party starts at 2:00!
If you haven't had a chance to check out the sign up for the party, please do that here:
Tomorrow, Wednesday 12/9, is an EARLY RELEASE DAY! Students will be dismissed at 1:40. If your child will have a change of dismissal plan, please send an email or a note to let me know where they are going.
The Winter Party is on Thursday 12/17. Please check the sign up genius to see what you can volunteer for:
It's showtime this Sunday, December 6th! Your children have been working very hard preparing a wonderful musical for you, and they are ready to go!
Please, have your children wear black pants, sweaters, and winter hats or earmuffs. (Scarves are optional.)
Your children should meet me in the Lindbergh High School Auditorium lobby at 2:45 p.m. They should line up with their teachers.
Snow Way Out will start promptly at 3:00 p.m.
Should something happen that prevents your child from being there, please call or text me at 314-620-7849 or email me.
Mrs. Creech emailed a copy of songs lyrics and scripts this morning in case you need an extra! (Scripts went home with those students who requested a speaking part, and every student brought home a note about their role in the show.)
I look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday afternoon at 2:45 p.m.!
In reading, we are wrapping up our nonfiction unit. This week we will begin to study fiction more closely - looking at characters and their motivation, the setting's role in the story, and problems and solutions.
We will be publishing some of our hard work in writing this week! We can't wait for you to see what we have created in out nonfiction unit!
BIG NEWS IN MATH!
We started a new chapter on Friday with regrouping in addition. This is a brand new concept to most second graders. It involves some abstract thinking and new strategies they aren't very familiar with. The have done a WONDERFUL job so far. This week there will be HOMEWORK coming home on Wednesday. It will be in the form of a worksheet that actually says "My Homework." Since it is early release, I figured this would be a good day to give it a try. This should only take about 5-10 minutes to complete.
Early Release Wednesday!
Dismissal will be at 1:40 pm. Lunch will be served as usual. If your child has a different plan for dismissal, please send a note or email by Wednesday morning.
It's also Wonder Wednesday, which means we will have Genius hour at the end of the day. Has your child shared their topic with you?
Leadership Binders will also be coming home this Wednesday. Please look at it with your child on Wednesday night and send it back on Thursday!
Zoo Field Trip
Thank you for sending in your child's permission slip and money for the zoo trip in the spring! I know it's quite a ways off, but they require early reservations and payment when booking.
Six Flags Read to Succeed Program Last week, a yellow packet came home from Six Flags. Your child has the opportunity to earn free tickets to Six Flags St. Louis! They need read at leas 6 hours by February 23rd. They should easily be able to accomplish this with their nightly reading. Their weekly reading log can count towards both their homework minutes and the Six Flags program.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, November 17: PTG Meeting (6:00 Party Planing; 7:00 General Meeting) Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27: No School, Happy Thanksgiving!
If you have any questions or concerns, let me know! Have a great week!
Last week, a yellow letter came home about our new adventure in 2nd grade - GENIUS HOUR!
I showed this to the kids - it inspired ideas and they are SO excited!
This is one part of our week where the kids are completely in control of their learning. They are choosing a topic that is important to them, researching, and creating something to share their learning. Genius Hour is based on Google's 20% time. Here is a video that explains a little bit about where the idea made it's way into the classroom:
Imagination Playground Blocks:
The children are beyond excited about the arrival of the Imagination Playground big blue blocks. We thank you and the financial support of the PTG for this incredible donation. These blocks will be available during recess and will be stored in a shed purchased from the iDiscover project. They promote creativity and collaborative thinking.
Check them out!
Jammies and Blocks!
We also had inflatables last week! They were a blast!!!
Monday is Library Day! Please help your child remember to return their books.
Veteran's Day is this Wednesday!
Concord is celebrating the veterans in our community! We will share thank you letters, poems, songs, and invite the veterans and their family to breakfast at Concord. Please come celebrate with us!
Please submit form and make payment by PayPal or by sending money to school. DEADLINE TO ORDER IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH. Orders that have not received payment, will not be filled. You should expect to have items come home by the week of December 14th. All orders will be delivered before the holiday break.
Helping Hands 2015:
Concord has had a great start to our Annual Helping Hands Campaign. The program will run through Dec. 11th. All proceeds from the Winter Festival on December 5th also go directly to our families. The money collected during this program will go towards Ameren UE cards and/or grocery gift cards so that the families can buy perishable food items. The Giving Tree will begin on Monday, November 2nd! The tree is an opportunity for you to provide toys, clothing, and gift cards specific to the family’s needs. The Giving Tree will be sent to you through SignUp Genius or you can find the link on the PTG website and the PTG Newsletter. We appreciate your family’s participation in this Concord tradition
This week we are collecting Paper Products.
We are so proud of all the amazing donations that students have already sent in. This week we will be collecting paper products such as toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, plates, etc. Keep up the great work
Monday, November 9: 7:00 p.m. DOC meeting
Wednesday, November 11: 9:00 a.m. Veterans Day Assembly
Friday, November 13:Mom's Night Out, 6:00-9:00
Friday, November 13:Picture Retake day
Tuesday, November 17:6:15 Party Planning Meeting
Tuesday, November 17: 7:00 PTG General Meeting in Library
Wednesday, November 18: Early dismissal and Leader in Me Assembly
If you have any questions or concerns, let me know!
