Peek at the Week for January 19th

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

Thanks for joining us for a our muffins with mom reading celebration!
Posted by Ms. Frederich's 2nd Grade on Sunday, January 17, 2016

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!

Peek at the Week for 12/14

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:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084ea4ac22a13-winter1

Friday -- NO SCHOOL!!! It's record day!

Winter Break 12/21 - 1/1 -- School Resumes on Monday 1/4

If you have any questions or concerns, let me know! 
Have a great week!

Quick Reminders!

Hello 2nd Grade Families!

Just a few quick reminders:

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:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084ea4ac22a13-winter1

There is NO SCHOOL on Friday 12/18 for Record Day.

Have a GREAT rest of your week!

Winter Musical!

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.!

Peek at the Week for November 16

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!

Genius Hour

GENIUS HOUR!!!!

Go to these places to explore new ideas:

www.kidrex.org

http://www.kidzsearch.com/kidztube/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Coding in the Classroom

Coding is something we have added to our math workstations. 

You might wonder... what is coding?? How does it benefit my child? 

Here is an excellent article all about it!

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/5-unbeatable-reasons-your-kid-should-coding.html

Interested in coding opportunities for your child outside of school?

Check out these websites and apps:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daisy-the-dinosaur/id490514278?mt=8

http://www.scratchjr.org/

https://www.kodable.com/

http://www.code.org

Peek at the Week November 8th

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!

DOC's Mom's Night Out is happening on Friday, November 13th 6-9PM! Only $5/child. Register here: http://dadsofconcord.org/moms-night-out/

Concord Spirit Wear November 2015 Order Form -- click here!

 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! 

Have a great week!

Check this out!

Check out the awesome video that was taken during our all-school photo shoot!

Peek at the Week October 25, 2015

Welcome to one of the busiest weeks of second grade!!

 Your child might have shared with you that out class had a sub last week for a couple of days - I was unfortunately at home sick, fighting off pneumonia. But never fear, I am MUCH better now and really glad to be back with the kiddos tomorrow. I missed them!!

There are so many exciting things going on this week, so please take a minute to read through the notes below.

In reading, we are continuing our work with nonfiction texts. We are learning all about the different text features that authors use and how they teach us different information. Readers use a different lens to read diagrams, maps, charts, and photographs. We are working hard to use the text to learn lots of new information!

This week we will be playing catch-up with word study. I missed a few test being sick, so we are going to take this week to catch up.

We are also continuing our work as nonfiction writers by writing as experts. It has been really neat to learn about what the kids are experts at - they have taught me a lot!

In math last week, we skipped ahead to Chapter 5 to study "place value" before we begin more complex addition and subtraction. They are doing a great job working with numbers. We will continue to practice writing numbers in standard form, expanded form, and in word form. We have also been practicing decomposing numbers. This is all setting the foundation for adding and subtracting larger numbers in the weeks to come.

There is a LOT of information this week... please read carefully!

Monday and Wednesday - Parent Teacher Conferences!

I'm thrilled to welcome all parents to our classroom for a conference about your fabulous children! I can't wait to show-off how hard they are working in 2nd grade!

You can check the schedule here online! If you need to reschedule, please contact me by phone at 314-729-2400 ext 3712 or by email ASAP.

You can view the schedule here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BWqZqW7PPqt7rjSeK141o9gyNHx-6TnUXyk0eOl0l2M/edit?usp=sharing

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 is Red Ribbon Week!

Mindful Monday - Read Heart face-painting at lunch!

Totally Red Tuesday - Wear ALL red!

Soulful Sock Wednesday - Wear your whacky socks!

Tuesday- Powell Hall Field Trip

On Tuesday, all Lindbergh 2nd Graders will be visiting Powell Hall to see the St. Louis Symphony! It is VERY IMPORTANT that all children arrive to school on time on Tuesday. We leave at 8:45 sharp in order to get downtown for a 9:30 performance time. 

Thursday - Halloween Parties and Fall Festival!

Here is the schedule of events for second grade:

Mad Scientist Assembly -- 10:00

Pumpkin Run -- 12:05 - 12:25  This event is down the street at Sperreng Middle School. We will run the course and enjoy the fresh air!! You are welcome to run with your child! Afterwards, we will come back to the patio for dancing and fun!

Costume Change --1:20 - 1:30 Please send your child's costume to school in their backpack or a separate  bag. They should not wear their costume to school. Please show your child how to dress in their costume independently. There will be a few parents around to help, but it's helpful if the kids know how to get it on by themselves.

Halloween Costume Parade --1:40 - 2:00 Parents are welcome to find a spot around the school to get pictures! Party volunteers will also have access to the classroom to set up at this time.

Classroom Parties -- 2:00 - 3:00 Please check out the sign up genius or contact Megan Boyd if you have any last minute questions about the party. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d44a9a62ca2fd0-2ndgrade 

Friday -- NO SCHOOL!!!

If you have any questions or concerns, let me know! 
Have a great week!

Laptop Friday!

We practiced starting up laptops, logging into the network, and shutting the computer down. We also learned how to log into our Google account to access the drive. 

Peek at the Week for October 12th

Fall is officially here!! I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather! It was so fun seeing some of the girls at the Girl Scout's troop round up this weekend! I also ran into some boys on the soccer field last week!! I even got to see a few of you at Trivia Night! It was a blast!!!

WELCOME IRIE!!!!

Our class is excited to welcome our new classmate, Irie and her family, to second grade at Concord Elementary! Irie will be coming to visit us this week and join our class next Monday! We are so thrilled to welcome a new friend into our class! Welcome!

This week, every child should have come home with a "Word Study" list of cards.
We have groups Tuesday - Friday working on new spelling patterns and applying this into our writing. While we have a "spelling test" every week, I know they have a full understanding of that spelling pattern when they consistently use it correctly it in their writing. It is really neat to see their understanding of words and how they work "take off" in second grade!


This past week we started learning about all of the brainy work that non-fiction readers do! They may have been digging through the mail, reading the nutrition facts on cereal boxes, and carefully looking at details of a dollar bill. It has been FASCINATING looking at the world around us and learning from things we see all the time.  We learned that non-fiction readers are always reading carefully, noticing details, and asking questions. Reading non-fiction is different than remind fiction, and we are loving it!

In writing this week, we finished up our unit on Personal Narratives. We also did some intense work with technology. We used laptops as a class to log into the network and locate Google Drive! Each student has begun typing on the Drive. Some parents have asked what apps they can download to let their child use this on their own device:

Google Drive
Google Slides
Google Docs
Gmail

 If you'd like more information on their log-in or how it works, visit the parents page of the blog.

This week in math, we took our Chapter 2 test. We will finish up correcting our tests on Monday and they should come home Monday night for you to see. Please be sure to send the test BACK to school so we can put it in their Leadership Binder!
We will continue to work on arrays while we start the next chapter on place value this week! This was a tricky topic! We still needed some practice together. Here is an array, in case that word isn't familiar:

In science, our caterpillars have turn into a chrysalis! This week they will emerge into Painted Lady butterflies! I can't wait for the kids to see!!

Tomorrow 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. 

Starting Monday-RACE FOR RECESS-Box Top Collection

Start collecting those Box Tops from everyone you know! We are holding a grade level competition.   The winning grade will receive an extra recess. All proceeds will go towards the new iDiscover project: http://idiscoverproject.weebly.com/

Monday-Cookie Dough Fundraiser Kick Off: Our fundraiser will start on Monday.  More info coming soon!

Friday is a Half-Day!!!!
Dismissal is at 11:50 - this is different from the typical Early Release. There is no lunch served, but my class is welcome to bring a snack! I'm sure they will be starving at 11:00 ;)
If your child will have a different dismissal plan, please send a note or email by Friday.

Friday we will also have an all-school Assembly and take a school picture! Please have your child wear their purple leadership shirt!!

Monday, October 12: Boxtops and Cookie Dough Fundraisers begin!

Tuesday, October 13: Dad's of Concord Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 16: Half-Day {11:50 dismissal}; End of First Quarter 

Monday October 26 & Wednesday October 28: Parent Teacher Conferences 

Tuesday October 27: Field Trip to Powell Hall

Thursday October 29: Fall Festival and Halloween Class Parties
Friday October 30: No School!

If you have any questions or concerns or even just a funny story, I'd love to hear from you! 
Have a great week!