Division 1 - Grade 2/3

2012-01-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 6th

Happy 1st weekend of 2012!

News:
We celebrated Theas birthday today.
Young Peoples Concert on Monday - this time it is the Buzz Brass music group
The Mathletics website is experiencing some difficulties and some students have had their accounts cancelled. I will look into it and get it going for next week.

Learning:
Please expect to see Home Reading packages home to start on Monday.

Homework:
Please have students do any spelling corrections from Unit #11 test by writing the word 3 times correctly beside the incorrect word on the test.

Thanks! Have a great weekend.

2012-01-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 5th

News:

Coran put on an excellent magic show for us today. Ask about seeing him float off the ground!
We now have a total of 10 teeth lost since September (from different students, not all one!).
There are lots of sore throats around the school this week, so please keep your child home if they are sick, and remind them to wash their hands often. We really appreciate it when families send in a box of kleenex as we go through a lot this time of year. If each student brings one box sometime during the year (and some of you already have) then we usually have enough to replace the sandpaper version we get from the school district.

Learning:

In Social Studies, we are starting the study of personal communities by looking at "Me" and setting goals for the term.
In Math, Grade 2s are working on place value up to hundreds and Grade 3s are reviewing place value and working on addition of 3-digit numbers.

Homework:

Study for Spelling; test on Unit #11 words tomorrow.
Special Helper tomorrow is Thea.

Have a good evening, and if you want some fun, ask your child to show you how they "magically" make food disappear - they are really good at it.

2012-01-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 3rd

Happy New Year!

Given the reports from your youngsters, it sounds like you all had wonderful times together over the holidays. Still, the kids seemed excited to be back and we agreed to commit to some hard work and good learning in the next few months.
The virtue of the week is "Commitment" and we will all be working to show our commitment to friendships, family responsibilities, and schoolwork. If you get a chance, talk about what commitments you have and how you keep them.
We also started Unit #11 in Spelling today. Homework tonight is to print the words into the agendas.
The precious new books that Santa left under the tree for our class were shared for reading today. Thanks, also, to the families that added some new books to our collection at Christmas.
We choose special helper days for the month and a calendar will come home in the next day or so. Tomorrow, Wednesday, is Coran's day, Thursday is Alex, and Friday this week is Thea. The special helper leads the calendar activities, heads the line-ups, acts as class messenger to the office, and gets the couch for reading. He/she also is able to bring an item for "Share and Care" (they share and we care by complimenting).
We added another new member to our class today. Taylor has moved here to be the 14th Grade 2 in Division 1.

2011-12-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 15th

One more "get-up" til holidays!

The kids had a great time decorating their candy houses with the big buddies. I hope the sugar had worn off by the time they got home. Thanks to the folks who sent in milk cartons to help with the construction.
Thanks, also, to everyone sending back the fruit and veggie forms. We have 100% participation in our class so it will be a great treat to try something new when the healthy treats come around.
Tomorrow is the day that everything has to come home from lockers, so please send a bag with your child if you think they may have lots of things to carry. Also encourage them to check the lost-and-found if they are missing anything, as those items get packaged up and sent off if they aren't claimed by the holidays.
The PAC is setting an example of generosity and kindness by handing out free hot chocolate tomorrow. Students are being asked to bring an unbreakable mug with them to school so we can teach them to support the environment, too.
Have a great evening. We will see your bright-eyed darlings tomorrow for the last school day of the year 2011.

2011-12-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 12th

Notes on a Monday:

You should have received a large envelope full of your child's work and a checklist to indicate his/her progress to date. Please let us know if you did not get the package, and/or if you have any questions. We will continue to send home information and samples in the new year as well.
My apologies to you and your children for having to miss the day tomorrow due to medical appointments. Mrs. Inge Ratuski, a very experienced primary teacher who has just moved here from Eastern Canada, will be taking the kids through their day, and I will be back on my usual days, Thursday and Friday. Ms. Carter will be in class, as usual, on Wednesday.
Thank you to the families that have already sent back the learning logs. If you have not done so already, please try and get it back before Friday so it doesn't have the chance to get lost over the holidays.
Library books will also need to be returned or renewed during our usual Friday library time. Everyone needs a couple of good books to read to have a really good holiday, don't you think?
Lockers will also need to be completely emptied by the end of the week, so encourage your child to bring home those extra lunch containers and mittens.
Please put Friday, January 27 and Friday, February 3rd on your calendar as these are our assigned days for going skating. We will be going from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. both days, and will be with our Big Buddy class, Mrs. Ohrling's Grade 5s. We will need parent drivers to get us there and back, and some help at the rink with lacing skates and holding up skaters (that includes me!), so please consider joining us for the morning. Permission slips will come home the first week back in January.

Have a good evening. Only 5 sleeps until the holidays!!

Friday, Dec. 9th

2011-12-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 9th

Thank you to all the parents, grandparents and others who joined us for the Christmas concert and classroom visit on yesterday. It was great to see you all and the kids loved having you as their audience and guests. I apologize if I did not get to speak with you personally but I am sure you understand the decision to not let a 7 or 8 year old run the punch bowl!

Some bits and pieces of information:

We had a new student join our class today. Ask your child to tell you about how they made Ryan feel welcome in Division 1. They were wonderful.
Ask your sons and daughters to tell you about their original versions of the 12 Days of Christmas that they are writing. You have some pretty funny, crazy kids.
We have had to postpone the decorating of candy houses until next Thursday, December 15th (it was supposed to be on Monday). I am providing the "cookie" walls, the icing, and the candy to decorate, but I would still really appreciate if you could send in a 250ml milk carton (empty and clean). If you order milk at McDonald's or pick up coffee cream this weekend, you could send one in on Monday. You can understand that, while they only cost about 73cents each for you, it would cost me that, times 46, to provide them all myself. Thanks for helping out. The kids really love this activity.
Big oops! We were having such a good day today, I forgot to send home the folders of work samples home today. I am so sorry. Please expect to see them come home Monday afternoon. (I will tell the kids to remind me and they NEVER forget things, right?!)
Thank you to the folks who have sent in food and winter clothing for the donation box. The items will be picked up next Thursday, so you still have time to send something in next week if you can. The discussions about who receives the donations are helping the kids understand the joy of giving to others at this time of consumer madness.
Also, if you did not receive it by e-mail already, you may want to check out the December newsletter from the office on the school website.

One other note regarding the season;
At Christmas time, some families choose to send in gifts. While those are most appreciated, and definitely not expected, if you are thinking of doing that, we are humbly asking you to consider sending something for the classroom instead of the usual teacher gifts. We are one of the most recently set up primary classrooms, and do not have the books, games and toys other classes might already have, so, those kind of items would be well-loved and well-used. (Hopefully, you understand us sharing our thoughts and do not feel offended or obligated by the suggestion.)

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, December 6th

2011-12-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 6th

For your information:

No Spelling words this week; we are working on Christmas vocabulary
Reminder to send Santa hats with your child tomorrow for concert rehearsal
Primary performance this Thursday, Dec. 8th at 11:15 a.m. in the gym students to wear fancy clothes and Santa hats; parents invited for refreshments in classroom after the performance

Still looking for:

clean, dry 250ml cream or milk cartons
donations of non-perishable food items for Food Bank
gently used coats, hats, mitts, scarves for donating

Also:
The class decided to start designated Special Helper days now instead of waiting for January. Individual students will be given a day on which they are the "special helper" which means they lead the calendar activities, have first dibs on the couch for reading time, lead the class line-ups, and take on other special duties that day. He or she is also encouraged to bring something to show for "Share and Care" time (they share about the item and the other students "care" by asking questions or giving compliments). When it is your child's day, please help them find something interesting to bring. No toys, please. They have been asked to bring one of the following; something interesting from nature or science, something from their family's history/heritage, or something they made themselves or represents a hobby they have. We are making up the calendars for the next couple months to send home, but the names drawn for the last two weeks are as follows;

Tuesday, Dec. 6 - Caden
Wednesday, Dec. 7- Toryn
Thursday, Dec. 8 - Morgan
Friday, Dec. 9- Mackenzie
Monday, Dec. 12 - Daniel
Tuesday, Dec. 13 - Dany
Wednesday, Dec. 14 - Felicie
Thursday, Dec. 15 - Drew
Friday, Dec. 16 - Laura
Wednesday, January 3 - Milah

Finally, the students filled out their learning logs for November but we forgot to write it into agendas, and many left them in the mailboxes. They will be coming home tomorrow, and we would really appreciate your taking the time to read over it with them, ask questions, and write an encouraging note on the page for parent comments. Remember, this is unedited work so you can see exactly how your child's writing is progressing. Please send the learning logs back in the next few days before the Christmas break (last day of school is on Friday, Dec. 16th)

Thursday, December 1st

2011-12-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 1st

Welcome to our new class blog. We will be using this page to keep you updated, and to share interesting news about our days. Please continue to e-mail, phone, or write a note in the agenda to ask questions or voice concerns, but we will use this blog as our regular communication. We hope it helps!

Sue Steenson & Rae Carter

Everyone should have received an e-mail today with the following information:

Important Dates

Thursday, December 8th - Primary Christmas Concert: Our class performs at 11:15 a.m. in the gym. Students are asked to wear their fancy clothes that day, and we will have refreshments in the classroom for parents and grandparents that have time to stop in the room afterwards.
Monday, December 5th is a Pro-D day so there is no school for students.
Week of December 6th - student progress summaries and work samples will be coming home

Can You Help?
We are collecting the following things for crafts and community needs:

clean, dry 250 ml milk cartons
wire coat hangers (not coated or coloured, please)
gently used cold-weather outerwear - coats, mitts, glove, scarves...any size
non-perishable food items for the Food Bank

Homework:

Study spelling words for test on Friday
Practice saying "Chubby Snowman" poem by memory for Friday
Get agenda signed