weekly update

Thanks so much to everyone for sending in stuff to make slime on Friday. The second graders had a ball! It was a great reward for reaching their collective behavior goals. This is an amazing group of kids and I am so happy that I get to work with them every day. We have about a month left of school and I am really going to miss this group!

Reading:

We have been working on reading poetry and these second graders have been doing great! We have talked about poetic devices like rhyme, rhythm, stanzas, couplets, alliteration and more. We will continue to study and read poems next week too!

Writing:

The second graders all turned in one last informational piece on Friday. Since the second graders' writing has improved so much since this winter I am excited to read these and score them. I will use the better score for the report card. Next week we start writing poetry by exploring a few different types of poems like cinquain, diamante, and haiku.

Math:

We have started our last math unit and it is all about data collection and reporting. We have graphed how many tiles second graders can hold in one hand, and then we invited Mrs DeSmit's kindergarteners to come and grab tiles. We graphed that information and are hoping to invite 4th graders to grab tiles next week! We have also started to experiment with marble runs. We used different materials to build and marbles made of glass, wood, and metal. Now that we have built all sorts of runs and experimented with different designs we will move on to collecting data about ramp height and distances travelled. Thanks for sending in all your paper towel and toilet paper rolls. It is an exciting time to be doing math in second grade!

Phonics:

We are continuing our work on prefixes and suffixes next week. We have been comparing words with prefixes to compound words and working on building our word collections We played charades using  words with prefixes and we watched a few clips of the un people. 

Important Dates:

Field Trip:  Weds 5-14 See more info here.

Last Day: Fri 6-6 This will be an early release day.

From Mrs. Stefanich:

This May, our display case outside of the new library will be completed, just in time for us to leave school for the summer. I'd love the opportunity to start the school year and our open house next Fall with some of our amazing Park Students on display! Here's how you can help:

If you're willing, would you send a picture of your Park student doing something that Sparks Joy for them? Please send the picture in a 4x6 or 5x7 frame that stands on it's own. No need to buy anything new - just grab a frame you have laying around, or construct a cardboard easel out of a cereal box. (The internet will teach you how!). You will receive these pictures and frames back to you, but not until next year, so please don't send a precious, "only copy" photo or frame to school.

Some examples might be a picture of your child at the beach, holding a favorite stuffed animal, or doing a favorite activity. It might even be the same photograph you sent for our beginning of the year "Spark Joy" project currently hanging on the wall! Have your child bring it to my office, or give to their teacher to deliver to me. I'll collect them and get them on display for next Fall!

From Parents' Club::