November/December 2012 Blog

Hi Parents,

     I hope this finds all of you safe and with power!  It has been a rough two weeks or so dealing with Hurricane Sandy.  We are all back to our routine in school and have come out even stronger as a community and family.  The children had a chance to express their feelings and stories when we returned back to school on Tuesday, 11/6.  It makes me feel good that our school and teachers provide a safe and comforting place for all of us when we need it.  That is what Wardlaw-Hartridge is about!

     Onward and upward as they say.  We have had quite a busy October and November so far.  The rest of 2012 will follow along those same lines!  We have begun our Dinosaur unit. I cannot tell you how happy the children are to get this underway!  We are setting the stage for our grand finale--The Dinosaur Museum which will take place the morning of Tuesday, December 18th.  An invitation will come soon giving details.  We will also be going on a field trip to the Morris Museum.  We will participate in the Earth Explorers program which deals with rocks/minerals and, of course, DINOSAURS!!   Details to follow.

     Second grade has completed the unit on germs.  Our last experiment was using "Glo Germs."  We rubbed a special lotion into our hands, washed our hands like we normally would, and then came back to class and put our hands under a black light.  The black light exposed all the spots we missed!  Boy, do we need to do a much better job of washing our hands.  The main areas that need to be concentrated on are around our cuticles, in between our fingers, and around our wrists!   We had a competition between the two sides of the room and guess what--tied!!  This was a terrific lesson on how to wash our hands more thoroughly. This also produces a great opening into having a conversation at home about hygiene.

     U.N. Day was a huge success.  This unit coincided with our study of continents and oceans.  All the children did so well on their geography "test" too!  Thank you to everyone in second grade for making food from your country.  We had a spread of lunch dishes and desserts from around the world.  The children also did a wonderful job presenting their country of origin.  This is one of the highlights of our school-- that we are in contact with so many different cultures and global experiences.  We had Mrs. Faust come in to tell us about England.  She put together a PowerPoint presentation and topped it off with cupcakes and a flag of England.  I hope you were able to see on the WHEN a special tribute to second grade and our U.N. Day celebrations.  Check it out if you haven't already.

     Math has just gotten more exciting!!  We have begun our Math Minute.  Asyou recall, I reviewed the details of our Math Minute Program at Back to School Night.   You can check your folder to refresh your memory. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  The children are so happy to earn "Sweet Treats" as they accomplish 20/20, 19/20, and 18/20 in one minute.  We are also working on double digit addition/subtraction and graphing. 

     We have enjoyed reading a great mystery.....Jigsaw Jones and the Case of the Disappearing Dino.  There are more mysteries to come before our break in December.  We will begin our Book Talks using other series this week.  In spelling and phonics, we are working on short vowels.  We even watched Taylor Swift online via Scholastic being interviewed and then singing for us.  I hope the children told you all about why she loves to read and how books have influenced her in writing her songs!
     For the month of October our "Spooky Stories" have graced our bulletin board!  The children are very creative writers.  They will be sent home this week for all to see.

     Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Monday, December 10th.  I will have a sign up sheet outside my door beginning tomorrow.  Please email me, come in, or send a note about a time and I will do my best to accomodate your schedule.

     Below are some reminders for November and December:

Monday, 11/12 - News Report due
Tuesday, 11/13 - School closed Diwali
Wednesday, 11/14 - Matthew Teacher
Monday, 11/19 - Kaili Scientist & Jack Teacher
Wed., Thurs., Fri. 11/21, 11/22, 11/23 school closed Thanksgiving
Thurs., 11/29 Mystery Book Report due
Week of December 3 - News Reports due
Monday, 12/10 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Wed., 12/12 - Jayne Teacher
Tuesday, 12/18 - Dinosaur Museum in Oakwood Room - 8:30
Wed., 12/19 - Ryan Scientist
Friday, 12/21 - Winter Concert at 11:00 and 12:00 dismissal before winter break

      I invite you all to come in anytime to see the wonderful work the students are doing.  They love to show off and share what they are up to.  Also, if you ever have any questions about something we are doing, please feel free to ask.  Our door is always open......  :)

Enjoy--
Mrs. Pedde