First of all, thanks again to all of you for bringing smiles to your children's faces on Valentine's Day morning during Morning Meeting. Each had a turn to open up their secret parent valentines and share the joy with their classmates. (Slideshow capturing their sweet expressions at the end of this newsletter.) Your creativity and loving words were incredibly touching! I kept telling the kids, I was feeling the love!! How lucky are they!
We've had a great week of celebrating Valentine's Day, attending B Street's "History Extravaganza," and wrapping up our Math unit on double digit subtraction with and without regrouping. We also have been hard at work researching, writing, and rehearsing for our Living Museum showcase scheduled for Tuesday, March 14th from 9:00 am - 9:40 am in our multi-purpose room and its vicinity. During this week, please have a conversation with your 2nd grade researcher to find out how far along they are in the process and to self-identify their next steps. Celebrate their work so far; they are all working so hard and diligently at their respective paces. Please help them plan and assemble their costumes for their famous person during this time as well--be creative and resourceful! Let me know if you need assistance or if you'd like me to reach out to our families for ideas, materials, or things we can borrow from each other.
Homework over the Break:
While there is no formal homework over this break, I do encourage students to continue reading orally, chorally, in turns, and independently for a sustained amount of time (research shows a minimum of 30 minutes per sitting is ideal) in between the fun and rest time! Students may also access our resources page to keep their brains warmed up before returning to the assessments that will befall them upon return from break. Planning and assembling their famous person costume is also recommended during this respite.
Assessments, Report Cards, and Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences:
It's that time of year again! With 2nd Trimester coming to an end, we will be in another Assessment Window upon return from break. I will have a guest teacher Monday, February 27th, so that I may test students one-on-one with their oral reading fluency and comprehension. Students will be taking other assessments including timed math fact tests, an informational writing test, and a summative math test. Please support your child by making sure they are well-rested and breakfasted in the next few weeks. I know the 2nd graders will do their best!
Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences will be the week of March 13th. I plan on making these conferences student-led, allotting 20 minutes in duration for each, with a little bit of transitional time built in. Students will share with their parents their assessments, work, and growth. I will also be distributing report cards at this time.
Sign up for our conference together! Click HERE to see the Parent Instruction Sheet. Remember, conference week is March 13th-17th, and all grades will have early dismissal that week.
New classmate coming on Tuesday, February 28th! We are so excited and looking forward to meeting Cassius, who will be joining us after the break!
March Core Value--Global Perspective:
During the month of Global Perspective, we will be celebrating the beautiful diversity we have at Westlake Charter School. Every Tuesday during the month of March, we are asking for families to come to our Morning Line Up to share about their culture with our explorer students. Click Here if you are interested in sharing during Morning Line Up. We will also be celebrating culture through dance on Fridays during our Music Friday, and we are looking for families who would be interested in bringing different types of music and dance to our afternoon recesses on Friday. Click Here if you are interested in helping with Music Friday.
Second Grade Quote of the Week:
We are working hard on our People Who Make A Difference/Living Museum project. Some of us early finishers who have already completed the process and have memorized our scripts are helping fellow classmates along in their research journey. Audrey, one of our early finishers, is happily circulating with me. I notice Justus at a standstill with his research. I ask Audrey if she could help him along: "Audrey, do you think could help?" She replies, "Who's Audrey? I'm Sacagawea! Sure, I'll help Blackbeard!"
Have a great week!
Mrs. A
Second Grade Slideshow of the Week: