March 23, 2016

Today was jam packed with awesome activities here at RBES! 

We began our day by reading to the Kindergartens.  Mrs. Garlough's class throughly enjoyed hearing the amazing CWACOMB stories that 2B students wrote. In the afternoon, we joined 2C for our CWACOMB movie wrap up party.  A special thank you to Mrs. Ganton, Mrs. Jayanadhanpadmini & Mrs. Bengtson who came in and popped popcorn this morning!!  

This was our final MindUp lesson with Mrs. Kehoe.  She lead us through two different mindful activities.  The first was mindful smelling and the second was mindful tasting.  Ask your child to tell you all about them!  We also learned that when we experience something that makes us happy, our brains release a chemical called dopamine. This is important for learning because it helps us concentrate, pay attention and encourages us to keep trying.  

Our day ended with a Spell-A-Thon celebration.  Congratulations to the RBES students on their amazing fundraising, all together, over $9500 was raised!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone tonight at the Family Dance!  Tickets will be for sale at the door for $5.00/family.  2B students enjoyed getting a "taste" of the Cake Walk today during lunch!  There are many more amazing cakes to be won this evening!

 

March 22, 2016

Tasty Tuesday was chilly!  We made Polar Bear Ice Cream which seemed like a fitting choice given the snow that arrived last night.  

Notes:  
-Tomorrow is CWACOMB Day, students are welcome to bring their favourite stuffy to snuggle with during our afternoon movie.  
-The Word Sort test has been postponed until April 8.  This will give students a little time with the sort after Spring Break also.
- Bring your loonies for the Cake Walk tomorrow!

March 21, 2016

Today we had the pleasure of having Mrs. Kehoe in our classroom again to teach the second MindUp lesson.  We reviewed the neuroscience from last class, focusing on the roles of the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex.  A poster of the concepts can be found HERE.  The focus of today's lesson was being mindful; students also used the sparkle bottles to practice calming and being mindful.  Directions on how to make your own Sparkle Bottle can be found in our March 8 blog post.  Ask your child to share with you the difference between mindful and unmindful.  

In Math, we continued to focus on adding two 2-dgit numbers with sums to 100.  This is a concept that can be reviewed nightly at home, using the same format as students demonstrated during the student led conferences.  The only supplies required are a piece of paper and a pencil.
1. Create a math equation using any 2-digit numbers that are less than 45 (i.e.: 24+35=?)
2. Solve the equation on a tens frame.
3. Write the answer to the equation 
4. Solve it on an open number-line.
5. Are your answers the same using both strategies? 

Weekly reminders:
Tuesday - Spell-A-Thon money due, Tasty Tuesday
Wednesday - home reading due, CWACOMB Day (popcorn parent needed, please email if you are all to assist), Spell-A-Thon assembly, Family Dance, Cake Walk $1.00.  Note: The word sort test has been postponed until after Spring Break.
Thursday - PD Day, no school
Friday - Spring Break, no school  

March 18, 2016

Congratulations to Ty, who was the 2B Student of the Week!

The Spell-A-Thon was yesterday and I wish to congratulate all students on a job well done.  2B results show we had 7 students who scored 100% on their test and we raise approximately $550!  Way to go 2B!! 

Today students had a special guest, Mrs. Kehoe came in and did the first of three Mind Up introduction lessons.  We are so excited to officially launch this curriculum in our classroom! Students were extra excited to learn about neuroscience today and how the brain affects us.  They held their fists together and compared it to three parts of the brain: - prefrontal cortex (wise owl), amygdala (guard dog) and hippocampus (happy hippo).  Ask them to share their learning with you!

March 17, 2016

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

We were visited by Lucky the Leprechaun who left us a letter and tasty treat, what a kind leprechaun.  

Today, students wrote very creative stories about their attempts to catch a leprechaun and also played the 'St. Patrick's Day Make 10' game.  This game can be downloaded HERE and played at home.  

March 16, 2015

Congratulations to Brianna, who was the lucky recipient of the Golden Ticket for the Bookfair.  She had a great time shipping at the VIP shopping time and purchased some awesome items!  

This afternoon our CWACOMB books came off the presses, just in the nick of time!  Students read their stories to their friends today and are looking forward to reading them to their parents this evening.  

Thank you to all of the amazing 2B parents who attended the Student Led Conferences this evening.  I know the 2B students were very proud to share all of the learning that is happening in the class with you!

March 15, 2016

We have been working had on our double digit addition, focusing on adding multiples of 10 to a number between 1 and 49.  Students are looking forward to sharing the tens frames and open number-line strategies with you on Wednesday night.  

Students wrote their "about the author" today.  It was the final page for their CWACOMB books, so now they are ready to send their masterpieces to the publisher. 

March 14, 2015

It's a busy week, here are a few important reminders:
Monday:
- No Word Sorts this week due to Spell-A-Thon
- Book fair begins - details HERE
- Rainbow Lunches begins
Wednesday:
- Student Led Conferences - details HERE
Thursday:
- Wear green
- Spell-A-Thon test
Friday:
- Pretzel sale - details HERE
- Hot lunch orders due

March 11, 2016

Congratulations to Brianna, who was the 2B Student of the Week! 

March 10, 2016

It was a hard fought battle right to the final buzzer; the Teachers vs. Girls Floor Hockey Game ended in a 6-6 tie! If you are looking for a fun family activity, stop by the school and watch the Black Gold Girls Floor Hockey Tournament this weekend, it's bound to be entertaining!  Good luck to all of the Grade 3 & 4 girls who are participating! 

Students worked hard on their CWACOMB cover pages today.  They are eager to share their stories with you at the Student Led Conferences next week.  

March 9, 2016

Today we completed our final Oilers Energize Challenge.  Students worked together to act out a short story that was provided by the Oilers.  You can read the story HERE and watch our video HERE. Now we cross our fingers during the Grand Prize Draw!!

March 8, 2016

One of the PD focuses at RBES this year has been MindUp.  This research based program encourages students to "self regulate behaviour and mindfully engage in focused concentration" in order to maximize their academic potential.  Today we talked about the importance of breathing and watched this great video.  We have a calming glitter bottle for mindful relaxation in our classroom and I have encouraged all students to make one at home too (the directions are found HERE - although I suggest a plastic bottle, with the lid glued on, instead of a mason jar). 

Student Led Conferences will be held school wide on Wednesday, March 16.  Our class conferences will run from 3:30-7:00pm.  Please ensure that you arrive no later than 6:30pm and prepare to spend about 20 minutes in the classroom. Please note that it is not a formal teacher/parent meeting; this is a wonderful opportunity for your child to share with you the learning that has been taking place in the classroom.  Due to the busy nature of the evening, it is kindly requested that alternate arrangements be made for younger siblings.

I look forward to seeing all 2B parents and students next week!  

March 7, 2016

Today we launched into the most intense Math unit of Grade 2, addition and subtraction to 100!!!  We began by adding 10s using rods and cube manipulatives.  Students caught on quickly and had fun "playing" in math.

Here is a little note from Mr. Henderson for any students interested in participating: 
Klondike Relays

Team Meeting - Noon Recess for runners in grades 1 through 4 on Monday, March 14th

Practices run MWF during the noon hour recesses (11:55 - 12:25) beginning on Wednesday, March 16th.

Klondike Relay Meet - April 5th at Butterdome (UofA) in Edmonton

March 3, 2016

I'm Happy Super Hero Day!!

Today, in Science, we pretended to be polar bears and learned how blubber works by immersing our hands in two separate buckets of water.  One containing a blubber glove and another containing a plain plastic glove.  We learned that blubber would make a HUGE difference in keeping us warm if we were swimming in cold water.  

Near the end of the day, all RBES students gathered in the Gym for the THIRD ANNUAL RBES SPELL-A-THON Assembly!! Students are excited to practice for their test and fundraise for this exciting event!  Copies of the Grade Two Fundraising Sheet and Spelling List are available HERE.

Tomorrow is a PD Day; there is no school.  Enjoy the long weekend!

March 1, 2016

Today we launched our Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs unit!  This is a Grade Two favorite and I look forward to all of the amazing writing that students will do over the next three weeks.

The 2B March Newsletter has been posted.