We had another busy week in 2nd grade! Picture Day went without a hitch--many thanks to Mrs. Gruenholz's organization on this! And Grandparents' Day...
Thank you to all who donated breakfast items, their time, and their grandparents on this day! It was a morning of joyful learning as second graders sang to their grandparents "The Westlake Song," "The Wise Old Owl," "Whadiyalatya," and "Tomorrow." After, the 2nd graders broke out into small groups to interview our honored guests and recorded their answers in their Writer's Notebooks. Partner-generated questions ranged from, "What was school like when you were my age?" and "What's your favorite color?" Inquiring minds want to know! Our time ended with presenting our guests with student-made souvenirs for the day; grandparents entered the flex space for a breakfast mingle with other 2nd grade grandparents as our young hosts departed for recess. It was a great day!
Our Families Unit continues...
In your child's blue folder/backpack, you will find another family activity to be done at home with your guidance. It is our Family Past and Present Project, due Monday, 10/8/18. It is a great homework project to do little by little, before or during Fall Break, or perhaps the weekend prior to returning to school. It's composed of 3 elements: Family Tree poster, a family artifact to display and talk about, and a speech to be delivered via a completed outline. Click here for the speech rubric. I do not have any extra copies of the family tree poster; I would suggest doing a "pre-write/draft" before "publishing" on the poster. Please let me know if you have any questions or require an extension on the due date of Monday, 10/8/18.
Road of Life Map: Pre-write homework!
We will be doing a "Road of Life" map in class of significant moments of our life thus far. Please converse with your child on important events in their life and help your child write a list of 8 of them in chronological order. Dates do not have to be exact, but in the correct order. For example:
1. When I was born: birthdate
2. When I learned to walk: Fall 2010
3. My first day of kindergarten: Fall 2015
4. My vacation to Disneyland: June 2016
5. When I lost my first tooth: December 2016
6. When I broke my arm: January 2017
7. When we moved to our new house: Spring 2017
8. When I got my first pet: Christmas 2017
I would like to have this list by this Monday, September 25th or Tuesday, September 26th. On Wednesday, September 27th, I would like to start the Road of Life Map project in class and so this written list will be most helpful in helping your child create their Road of Life Map accurately, efficiently, and confidently. Thank you for your support!
Illuminate Math Testing on Thursday or Friday
I will be administering our first Illuminate Math test on Thursday or Friday morning. Please make sure your child is well rested, breakfasted, and has a healthy snack on these days. Thank you!
1st Trimester Progress Reports out on Friday, September 28th!
Please look for these in blue folders and sign and return 1 copy. Thank you!
Congratulations to Lana and Mason T. for earning Core Value recognition for demonstrating Respect! I will be on the look out for more 2nd graders to receive this honor this month!
School-wide News:
Chili Cook Off: Our 6th annual Chili Cook Off is coming up! This incredible event will take place on September 26th at 6:00 PM.
- 6th-8th Grade - Click HERE to volunteer or donate for the event. Team up with your advisory teacher to take on other classes head to head for the best chili at our Chili Cook Off! We are asking for help with expert chili chefs, decorators, and servers!
- Kinder-5th Grade - Click HERE to sign up. This year we are inviting our Kindergarten through fifth-grade families to join the event by contributing dessert and drink donations. We would love to see at least 5 desserts and 5 drinks donated per grade level. Desserts are best donated in individual wrappings (ie brownies versus a whole cake). Drinks are best as 2 liters or 12 oz cans.
2nd Grade Quote of the Week:
It is "Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character" Day and many of us have dressed up as characters like the Purple Crayon from "The Day the Crayons Quit" and a power ranger from The Power Ranger series. Asmara is wearing her spirit shirt and says to me and Ms. Arzaga, "Today I am the character of Asmara and the book I'm from is the Westlake yearbook!"
Have a great weekend and week!
Mrs. A