Second Grade Happenings May 21-25

It is hard to believe that we are down to our final weeks of the ’17-’18 school year! Many fun activities will keep us busy these next couple of weeks!

A few notes...

We are heavy into end-of-year assessments at this point. So far, we've done MAP and I am excited to say that the kids did amazing! I am astounded by the growth made by the entire class and I'm so proud of the hard work each child has put into this year. I am excited to share the results with you soon!!!

Please return your permission slips for our last field trip if you haven't done so.

If your child still has books from the school library, please have him/her turn them in as soon as possible so the library can take inventory. Also, please check your bookshelves for books that go with our classroom library as well. Thank you!

What's coming up?

Tuesday, May 22 – NDLC Family Fun Night from 6-7 pm at the NDLC Playground - Come join us in celebrating a great school year! Socialize with other families, play on the equipment, have a few snacks, and learn about the summer library program. Bring up to ten books to swap if you'd like!

Friday, May 25 – No school for students

Monday, May 28  – No school for students and staff - Happy Memorial Day

Wednesday, May 30 - Field trip to Grignon Home, Kaukauna Public Library, and City Hall

Curriculum Updates –

We will continue to wrap our writing and reading units through the study of nonfiction. Students are working on a second topic book club and are beginning to write books based on what they are learning in science. We'll take our last unit test in math on Tuesday and will take the end-of-year math test later this week. 

It is sure to be a fun-filled, quick week!

Kathy

Second Grade Happenings May 14-18th

Second graders did an amazing job at their concert! It was a proud moment to see them shine!

Upcoming Events:

Monday, May 13th-Math MAP 8:15-9:25 AM

Tuesday, May 14th-Reading MAP 12:20-1:30 PM

Our next family night will be on Tuesday, May 22nd, from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM. Notes went home on Friday.

There is no school on Friday, May 25th or Monday, May 28th. Happy Memorial Day!

We'll have our last field trip on Wednesday, May 30th. We'll be visiting the Grignon Home, Kaukauna Public Library, and City Hall. Please return your permission slips.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading:

We are finishing up our research on our first topic and will be creating and presenting Google Slideshows before digging into a new topic.

Writing:

We're continuing to work on our nonfiction All About books. Students are experts on so many topics!

Math:
We'll be wrapping up Unit 6 this week. We'll be spending a couple days solving mixed 3 digit addition and subtraction word problems, and then be taking the test at the end of the week.

Content:
As we continue our Works of Water unit, we'll be exploring the question, "How can you stop a landslide?" Ask your child about Mystery Dug and what they have been learning in science!

Second Grade Happenings May 7-11

What a beautiful weekend! I hope you were able to enjoy some outdoor fun and family time.  It was great to see that some of our running club members were able to run the Kaukauna Strong 5K on Sunday. Great job to all who participated!

Do you have a Facebook account? If so, you should follow NDLC at https://www.facebook.com/NDLCCharter/. It is a great way to keep informed. You will often see photos of different class and school activities that your child is involved in.

This weekly update is filled with quite a few reminders. Please be sure to read it carefully and if there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  

It's that time of year! We are organizing the classroom library and have noticed that many books are missing. Please check through your bookshelves at home to see if you have any NDLC books and send them back to school. Also, please remember that if you ever decide to donate books, we'd love to take them off your hands. Thank you! We appreciate it!

Important Dates to Remember:

Thursday is our Second Grade Spring Concert! Mrs. Krueger will send home some last minute reminders on Monday.

Our first MAP test (for math) was supposed to be Wednesday, but the date will be changed due to our spring concert rehearsals that day. I will let you know when that test is rescheduled for. Our second MAP test (for reading) will be on Monday, May 14th at 8:15.

Our next family night will be on Tuesday, May 22nd. Notes will be coming home soon.

There is no school on Friday, May 25th or Monday, May 28th. Happy Memorial Day!

We'll have our last field trip on Wednesday, May 30th. We'll be visiting the Grignon Home, Kaukauna Public Library, and City Hall. Permission slips will come home this week.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading and Writing ~ We are reading from nonfiction during our Readers Workshop time. Students are working on analyzing all the parts of their nonfiction books to see how they go together. They are also working on comparing and contrasting two different books or two different parts of a single book and determining what is important in their reading. 

Writing ~ Students continue to write nonfiction books. They are working hard to teach their readers about something they are an expert on using facts, details, observations, steps, and tips.

Math ~ This week we will continue learning about 3-digit subtraction. We will be wrapping up our last math unit, Unit 6, and will take the unit test late next week.  We will then begin reviewing information that was learned throughout the year, as well as using those skills in different ways. The end of the year math work will be taught through rotations, games, partner work, etc. It will be a great way to use all of our 2^nd grade math skills!

Science ~ Second graders are studying Erosion, Earth’s Surface, & Landforms. Last week, they answered the question "What's strong enough to make a canyon?" by conducting an experiment. Ask your child what he/she learned!

Have a great week! See you on Thursday at the concert!

Second Grade Happenings April 30-May 4th

Welcome to the month of May! It's nice to see the temperatures are starting to warm up! Hopefully they will become more consistent.

I will be out for a math conference on Thursday and Friday. The kids will be in good hands with Mrs. Desmond, but I will also be checking my email frequently so feel free to reach me that way if needed. If it's something urgent, please call Mrs. Mitchell in the office.

Timber Rattlers Reading Program-If your child completed the reading for this program, a note came home on Friday with ticket information. Please return this note as soon as you can. Thanks!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading-We are continuing to read informational books. Students are digging into topics and learning and growing so many new ideas! We are also trying to notice what the authors in our nonfiction books are doing that we can try in our writing.

Writing-We also continue to work on writing our informational books. We are working hard to add details to teach our readers and making sure our books have all the parts. 

Math- Unit 6 continues to grow our mathematical thinking. We are reviewing what we know about 2-digit subtraction and using those skills for 3-digit subtraction. We will be working on this throughout the week.

Content-Students are very engaged in our Work of Water study. We've been studying the mystery, "Why do beaches have sand?" Ask your child what he/she has learned so far!

Second Grade Happenings April 23-27

What a beautiful weekend! I hope you were able to enjoy some outdoor fun and family time. 

Our end-of-the-year assessments are right around the corner. We will take our Reading MAP test on May 9th at 8:15 and the Math MAP test on May 14th at 8:15. All results will be sent home at the end of the year.

The last bases for the Timber Rattler Reading Program were due on Friday. If your child is involved, please return them by this coming Friday. Tickets will be here sometime in May.

This Thursday is Movie Star Day. Students can feel free to dress the part! :)

This is an exciting week in 2^nd grade. We are starting new units in Reading and Writing!

Reading ~ This week we switch genres to nonfiction. In this upcoming unit, we will continue our work with book clubs. However, students will be in clubs based on topics instead of reading levels. Students will use the talking skills they learned from the previous unit to share new learning with their clubs.  

Writing ~ We'll return to nonfiction writing this week. We'll spend time reviewing strategies we learned earlier this year and will build upon them. 

Math ~ We started our last unit late last week. In this unit, students will work toward building fluency with addition and subtraction within 1,000 and mastering all addition and subtraction word problem sub-types. Visual models and real world situations are used throughout the unit to help children understand the meaning of addition and subtraction.

Content ~ We started our final science unit last week: Work of Water. This unit helps students develop the idea that water is a powerful force that reshapes the earth's surface. Students will see that water isn't just something we drink. It carries sand to make beaches, carves out canyons and valleys and, as ice, scrapes entire areas flat.

Enjoy the last full week of April!

Second Grade Happenings April 9-13

The KAT is quickly approaching. See below for a reminder of everything happening next week. More information and the questions can also be found in the yellow envelopes that were previously sent home. I also sent another copy of the questions home yesterday if needed.

The knowledge-a-thon is on Friday, April 13! That means we will have dress up days that week! Student council came up with days that spelled out KAT! 

Monday, April 9= K- "Kozy" day- wear PJs or comfy clothes

(there is no school Tuesday)

Wednesday, April 11= A- "Answer" - dress like an answer to a KAT question

Thursday, April 12= T- "Teacher" -dress like a teacher 

Friday, April 13= Dress like your grade's assigned Olympic color-Black for 2nd grade. (the theme is Olympics so student council assigned a color of the Olympic rings per grade level. 

It is not too late to sign up to volunteer at the KAT next Friday!

2018 Knowledge-A-Thon (KAT) Day

The KAT dance will be this Friday from 6:00-8:00 in the school gym.

A few reminders:

Tuesday, April 10th-No School for Students
Friday, April 13th-KAT Dance 6:00-8:00 PM

Thursday, April 19th-Family Night: Science, Social Studies and Subs 5:30-7:00 PM

Running club starts this Thursday from 3:10-3:50. If your child would still like to join and you need a permission slip, let me know!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading & Writing:  We are continuing to work on learning about characters from reading and using that to help guide our opinion letter writing. The more that we learn about characters, the more we are able to formulate strong opinions for our writing. We are also studying author's craft in reading.

Math: We will be working on length word problems and number line diagrams. We will be finishing up our unit at the end of this week.

Content: We will continue exploring Kaukauna government through centers. 

Second Grade Happenings April 2-6

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend! I know I did! I am excited to see the kids and get back into the swing of things!

A few reminders:

• There is no school next Tuesday, April 10th. Teachers will be involved in staff development that day.
• April 19th is our next family night. 

The knowledge-a-thon is on Friday, April 13! That means we will have dress up days that week! Student council came up with days that spelled out KAT! 

Monday, April 9= K- "Kozy" day- wear PJs or comfy clothes

(there is no school Tuesday)

Wednesday, April 11= A- "Answer" - dress like an answer to a KAT question

Thursday, April 12= T- "Teacher" -dress like a teacher 

Friday, April 13= Dress like your grade's assigned Olympic color-Black for 2nd grade. (the theme is Olympics so student council assigned a color of the Olympic rings per grade level. 

Here is the link to the sign up for KAT volunteers!

2018 Knowledge-A-Thon (KAT) Day

2018 Knowledge-A-Thon (KAT) Day

Curricular Updates:

• Reading - We will continue our series book clubs this week by learning as much as we can about characters across a series. Studying what characters do and say, as well as how they react to problems, tell us a lot about the characters.
• Writing ~ We are continuing to work on learning about characters from reading and using that to help guide our opinion letter writing. The more that we learn about characters, the more we are able to formulate strong opinions for our writing. 
• In our next math unit, students will "... learn about arrays and equal shares and solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of lengths. Visual models and real world situations are used throughout the unit to help children understand important fraction and measurement concepts." (Math Expressions)
• We'll continue to study city government in social studies.

Have a GREAT week!

Kathy

Second Grade Happenings March 19-23

Wow! March continues to fly by! I am looking forward to our portfolio conferences next week and the chance to share your child’s growth so far in second grade.   

What's Coming Up?

Monday-Badger Sports Wear Day

Tuesday and Thursday - Portfolio Conferences from 4:00-7:30

Wednesday, March 28th-11:30 Dismissal

Thursday, March 29th-Monday, April 2nd-Spring Break

The second Fang can be turned in at the end of the week if you are participating in the Timber Rattlers Reading Program.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading -We just began our new reading unit – Series Book Clubs. Much of this unit focuses on characters and author’s craft.

Writing-We finished up our poetry unit and will begin opinion writing next week.

Math - We will finish our data and graphing unit in math next week and will begin 3-digit addition and subtraction after break.

Social Studies - The students are learning so much about the history of Kaukauna in Social Studies. Perhaps your child has told you some interesting facts. If not, ask him/her what they know about Kaukauna's history. You might even learn something new! :)

Second Grade Happenings March 12-16

Clocks have sprung forward and spring is almost here!  I am hoping that the saying is true - If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.  I am really looking forward to taking advantage of warmer, longer days.

Just a reminder that our portfolio conferences are coming up on March 20 and 22. You should have gotten an email link from Mrs. Frischmann last week to sign up. Here it is if you haven't signed up yet: https://ptcfast.com/schools/NDLC

The first base for the Timber Rattler Reading Program was due last Friday. You can still send it in early this week if your child is participating and met his/her goal.

This Friday is a special day: Wear Green!

Curriculum Updates:

Reading - We'll be finishing up our current unit and will begin reading from different book series next week.

Writing - Parents were able to enjoy our 2nd grade poetry collection at our Author's Breakfast on Thursday. We'll continue to write poetry this week, focusing in on what mentor authors do to make their poetry come alive.

Math - Our next focus from Unit 5 is graphing. Students will be learning to create picture graphs and bar graphs, how to read a graph, and how to answer compare questions using the data on graphs. We'll also continue to practice telling time to the nearest five minutes.

Social Studies - We'll be finishing up our Kaukauna history unit this week. Then we'll be moving onto Kaukauna government. 

Second Grade Happenings March 5-9

March is finally here! Spring is right around the corner (hopefully!) and we are beginning to prepare for our last Portfolio Conferences of the 17-18 school year.  This is an exciting and busy time of the year!

~Tomorrow (Monday) is Culver's Night from 5-8 PM

~Thursday is our Author's Breakfast from 7:15-7:45 AM. Stop by, if you are able, to enjoy some of our poetry we've been working on.

Friday, March 9th-11:30 Dismissal
Friday, March 16th-Wear Green
Monday, March 19th-Badger Sports Wear
Tuesday, March 20th and Thursday, March 22nd-Portfolio Conferences-Look for sign up information to be emailed home soon.
Wednesday, March 28th-11:30 Dismissal
Thursday, March 29th-Monday, April 2nd-Spring Break

Curricular Updates:

Reading ~ Book clubs will be setting goals to help deepen conversations and understanding of their books this week. 

Writing ~ Poetry writing has been a great part of our day in second grade! It is amazing to read the variety of poetry topics and strategies that students are using in their poems. We will continue to introduce new strategies that poets use this week.

Math ~ We will finish our unit on 2-digit subtraction this week. We will then begin a unit on time, graphs, and word problems. By the end of the unit, students are expected to tell time to the nearest five minutes on an analog clock. Please practice this skill as often as possible at home.

Social Studies ~ We will be finishing up our study of Kaukauna History this week. 

Second Grade Happenings Feb.26-March 2nd

February certainly came and went quickly! It is hard to believe that March is just right around the corner! That being said, it is going to be a busy one! I look forward to lots of new learning!

Reminders and Notes:

-Tuesday night is our Music, Masterpieces, and Munchies Family Night. The night will consist of an art auction, a bake sale, and music performed by each of the grade levels. Attending is optional, but we'd sure love to see you! The night begins at 6:00.

-Students are excited for the 2nd Grade Spring Concert. This event will take place on Thursday, May 10th.

-We will celebrate Dr. Seuss Day on Friday by dressing as our favorite Dr. Seuss or other book character. Please don't feel the need to go out and buy something new. Be creative and design something with what you've got at home! :)

Curricular Updates:

Reading ~ Book clubs will be setting goals to help deepen conversations and understanding of their books this week. 

Writing ~ Poetry writing has been a great part of our day in second grade! It is amazing to read the variety of poetry topics and strategies that students are using in their poems. We will continue to introduce new strategies that poets use this week. 

Math ~ We will be wrapping up Unit 4 this week after we spend some time working on 2-step problems. We will be reviewing all of the skills covered in this unit early next week and will be taking the unit test as well. Any extra time spent counting money at home would be helpful!

Students will learn more about Kaukauna's history by working through five centers this week in social studies.

Have a GREAT week!

 

Second Grade Happenings February 19-23

We have a short week this week, but it will still be a busy week full of learning!

A Few Reminders:

February 21st-Six Flags Six Hour Reading Logs Due

Thursday, February 22 - No School-Professional Development for teachers

Friday, February 23 - No School

Tuesday, February 27 - Family Night - Music, Masterpieces and Munchies - 6:00
This night will feature a cookie sale, an art auction, and singing entertainment from each grade level. It is an optional event, but students love to come perform for family members! We hope to see you!


PSC links for volunteer opportunities:

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2214726/false#/invitation

This is the link for people to donate cookies for the Music and Masterpieces family night

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2214715/false#/invitation

This is the link for people to sign up to help serve the cookies at the Music and Masterpieces family night

Curriculum Updates:

Reading ~ Our reading lessons focus on the playful language that authors use in 2nd grade books. Readers notice the figurative language and need to think about what the author means. 

Writing - The poets in room 85 are amazing! They are already noticing that poets use the same types of figurative language that we are studying in reading. 

Social Studies - We continue to learn about Kaukauna's history. Students have been excited to learn so many new and interesting facts!

Math - We are using the strategies we have learned for solving 2-digit addition and subtraction to solve mixed word problems. Our word problems this week can be solved using many of the different strategies we have learned. Students will be working on reading the problem carefully, thinking about what they know and what they need to know, and deciding which strategy they can use to solve for the unknown. 

Second Grade Happenings Feb. 12-16

Welcome back for another week of fun and learning! Please take a look to see what will be happening in Room 85 this week!

Important Dates for February:

Wednesday, February 14-  Wear Red, White, and Pink
-We will spend the last hour of the day opening valentines and enjoying a couple tasty treats. 

Friday, February 16 - Funky Friday - Dress in funky clothing

Thursday, February 22 - No School

Friday, February 23 - No School

Tuesday, February 27 - Family Night - Music, Masterpieces and Munchies - 6:00
This night will feature a cookie sale, an art auction, and singing entertainment from each grade level. It is an optional event, but students love to come perform for family members! We hope to see you!


PSC links for volunteer opportunities:

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2214726/false#/invitation

This is the link for people to donate cookies for the Music and Masterpieces family night

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2214715/false#/invitation

This is the link for people to sign up to help serve the cookies at the Music and Masterpieces family night

Classroom Updates

Reading ~ Our reading lessons for the week will focus on the playful language that authors use in 2nd grade books. Readers notice the figurative language and need to think about what the author means. 

Writing - We will begin our unit on poetry writing this week. This unit is a favorite every year! We will be writing free verse poems - poems that do not rhyme or have a certain pattern. You'll be amazed at what the children produce!

Social Studies - The students will continue to learn about Kaukauna's history. Ask your child what he/she has learned so far. You may learn some things as well!

Math - We are using the strategies we have learned for solving 2-digit addition and subtraction to solve mixed word problems. Our word problems this week can be solved using many of the different strategies. Students will be working on reading the problem carefully, thinking about what they know and what they need to know, and deciding which strategy they can use to solve for the unknown. 

Have a great week!