November 30, 2017

I am delighted to be back in class after battling this horrible seasonal illness for the past few days.

When I was away, students created their lobster traps.  They also made clay lobsters.  

In Math, we reviewed the concept of Greater Than, Less Than and Equal to, using playing cards and symbol cards.  This is an activity you could play at home.  Always remember that the alligator eats the larger number.

Tomorrow is a PD day for teachers.  Have a great long weekend.

November 21,2017

We love Tasty Tuesday!  Today students made O'Canada cookies.  Thank you to Ms. Gould who donated the ingredients for this tasty afternoon activity.  

In Math we solved math mysteries.  Students did a great job of identifying the missing numbers on number-lines.  

November 20, 2017

Today was the first day with our NAX Buddies!  18 students from John Maland's female hockey program joined our class today for the first of several special activities we have planned together this year.  

Students began by learning shooting, passing and stick handling skills from their NAX buddies, then the Grade 2s confidently challenged their NAX buddies to a floor hockey game.  After our ice breaker, we came back to class and each buddy group came up with a name, logo and jersey for their duo.  It was a wonderful morning of community building!

We began our second Daily 5 activity, Read to Someone, today.  Students learned how to hunt for a buddy, sit E-E-K-K and use thumbs as bookmarks.  Why do we use the Read to Someone strategy in our classroom?  Daily 5 website says, "Of all the choices children participate in, Read to Someone is often their favorite.  Reading with someone helps readers, especially developing readers, increase areas of comprehension, accuracy, fluency and prosidy.  It also increases reading involvement, attention and collaboration. What's more, children love partner reading and readily participate with books of their choosing." (https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5/read-to-someone)

Reminder:

- Paint Day will be held on December 3.  You can reserve your child's spot by registering in Powerschool.  

November 10, 2017

Today we participated in the RBES Remembrance Day assembly. 

In Social Studies, we learned a little more about the community of Meteghan.  Students made a list of things they hope to learn or explore while we are visiting Meteghan.  They also completed their passport application.  Looks like we're ready to fly next week!

We great a great story, Even Steven and Odd Todd, today which reinforced the concepts of even and odd numbers.  This is a curricular objective that we cover daily as part of our morning calendar, but one that we focused on intently today.  

Reminder: 
- Tonight is Family Movie Night!
- There is no school on Monday.  

November 9, 2017

In class, we discussed our Remembrance Day assembly tomorrow and created a beautiful Remembrance Day art painting.  We also read a powerful story, called The Highway Of Heroes by Kathy Stinson; we talked about soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.   Tomorrow during our moments of silence, we will think of those who served and returned home to their families and also those who sadly, did not.  Please remind your child to wear their fancy attire tomorrow for the assembly.  If your child is in Scouts, Sparks, Brownies or Cadets, they are invited to wear their uniforms.  

As part of the Postcards for Peace project initiated by Veterans Affairs, we created postcards and wrote letters to Veterans.  I will be mailing these thoughtful wishes to veterans across the province. 

November 7, 2017

We love Veggie Grazing!  Here is a photo of today's grazers.

Today students chose books for their Daily 5 bags (4 books from their reading level and 1 interest book).  They worked to build Read to Self stamina and I am proud to say they made it to 3 minutes, 56 seconds!

In the afternoon, we talked about communities.  What is a community?  What community do we live in?  What makes communities unique? 

Reminders:
- Tomorrow is Early Dismissal
- Parent Council (7:00) and Fundraising (6:00) meetings tomorrow
- Dress fancy for the Remembrance Day assembly on Friday 
- Card Orders are due on Friday
- Family Movie Night is Friday, tickets are on sale in the school foyer

November 6, 2017

Today was our first day of Daily 5.  Students learned about our gathering place, the carpet bell and 3 ways to read a book (read the words, read the pictures, retell the story).  Students successfully completed one minute of Read to Self!  

The Daily 5™ is a framework for structuring literacy time so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently.

How does it work?

Students select from five authentic reading and writing choices, working independently toward personalized goals, while the teacher meets individual needs through whole-group and small-group instruction, as well as one-on-one conferring. These choices include

• Read to Self,
• Work on Writing,
• Read to Someone,
• Listen to Reading, and
• Word Work. 

Daily 5 classrooms produce productive, highly engaged students who are developing a true love of literacy. 

The benefits of The Daily 5 for teachers and schools include the following:

• students develop independence, stamina, and accountability;
• less time consumed by classroom management leaves more for instruction;
• the framework adapts flawlessly to district-adopted curriculums and state mandates;
• improves schoolwide literacy achievement; and
• behaviors of independence transfer to other content areas.

Quoted from https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5

In Library, Mrs. Caudron took students on a tour of the library.  She taught them what types of book are in each section of the library and also how to find call numbers on the spines of the books.

A media release note came home today regarding our NAX buddies from John Maland High School.  Please contact me via email if you have any questions, otherwise, it is appreciated if you can return it tomorrow.  

November 3, 2017

Congratulations to Sabastion, who was the 2D Student of the Week!

The Grade 2s looked smashing in their Class Shirts!  They will be wearing them at all assemblies and on all field trips this year, then bringing them home on the last day of school.

Students worked incredibly hard today to complete their reindeer art.  They created these masterpieces on large paper, but they will be shrunk down onto cards for the Christmas Card fundraisers.  I sent home a photo of your child with their art and an order form today.  If you wish to order, please return the blue order form, along with cash or cheque by November 10, 2017.

Thank you to all of the amazing 2D parents, who have been supporting the reading and word programs we are using.  It is wonderful to see everyone's reading logs and rainbow rings filling up quickly.  The hard work you are putting into supporting your children as they build these foundational skills will pay off as they become voracious readers and writers!

A reminder that Family Movie night is on November 10th.  Tickets are on sale now!

November 2, 2017

It is typically challenging to come back after the Halloween PD, but we rocked it today in 2D!  Students wrote amazing stories about their Halloween night:  we used a web to brainstorm topics to include and they wrote an introduction sentence, three detail sentences and then a concluding sentence.  Way to go!  

It was a new month for our morning calendar and students learned how to use their knuckles to determine if a month has 30 or 31 days.  It's a fun trick and I encouraged them to share it with you tonight. 

In the afternoon, students began their art project for the Parent Council Christmas Card fundraiser.  They were focused and hard at work when we had a Hold and Secure and Lock Down drill.  Although these drills can be scary, they all handled themselves with courage.  We will take some time tomorrow to complete the art projects.

Remember that tomorrow is a Word Sort Test and all Home Reading should be returned.