Space Station Mystery Island

2012-02-09T14:59:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is test day... we'll be testing on Officer Buckle and Gloria (students should have their reading book and comprehension sheet to study) in reading, patterns and equalizing problems in math (the practice test came home tonight that you can review) and the prefixes un, re and dis in language arts.

Students had library today but did not have time to check out books. Students will be given additional time tomorrow to check out books. Please make sure that they return any old books. We will also have P.E. tomorrow... wear your sneakers!

Have a great family night.

2012-02-08T13:41:00.002-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Please see Monday and Tuesday's posts to see what's happenin' here on Mystery Island!

Have a great family night.

Valentine's Day Reminder

2012-02-07T14:10:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

If you didn't read yesterday's post about Valentine's Day, please read here!

Tonight's homework is math sheet 9-12. (9-11 was sent home just as a refresher) Tonight's sheet is on exploring equality. The problems will look like this: 7+6=9+_____. We know that 7+6=13 so now we have to find what plus 9 = 13. We know that 9+4=13 so we know that 7+6=9+4. They are equal on both sides of the equation.

Tomorrow is early release and P.E. (wear your sneakers!).

Have a great family night.

Valentine's Day Goodies!

2012-02-06T14:24:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Please take a look at our pictures from our cultural day and the 100th day.

This week we are working on Officer Buckle and Gloria - a great story! We'll be wrapping up unit 9, patterns, in math. In language we'll be working on prefixes un, re and dis. In science we're wrapping up our human body study of bones and in writing we're just starting report writing.

This Wednesday is Wacky Wednesday and early release. Students will move from one resource to another until after lunch.

Next week is Valentine's Day! We are asking that every student decorate a bag or box to collect their cards in. Use your imagination! Please make the boxes NO larger than a shoe box or cereal box.

Here are the rules: Send a card for every student (28). If you send treats, please send enough for all students. Please do not allow your child to bring a special gift for 1 or 2 students - they can always share those gifts after school.

Here are the names for the cards: Marnie, Alexa, Sydnee Eric, Camden, Kyle, Georgia, Tanner, Victoria, Aidan, Chase, Parker, Ashlee, Adrian, Lauren, Bethany, Rees, Caleb, Alexis, Kaylee, Ariya, Gavin, Ajay, Matthew, Zachary, Ariana, Brenden, Jaiden.

Reminder: If your child is using the links section of Mystery Island at home.... YAHOOOO! Just remind them NOT TO GO ONTO EASY CBM (WALLY) AT HOME. This is done in class only.

Have a great family night!

Passport Around The World

2012-02-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Friday's celebration was a huge success! Our students represented many different lands in our world and we were able to work our way around the world in flavors. Below is a little glimpse into our busy day.

Eric shared Dutch cookies from Denmark:

Here was our team "Dark Wolves" doing a 100 day graphing activity with Skittles:

Victoria was proud of her shirt from the Dominican Republic:

Georgia represented America with Little Debbie Snack cakes:

Marnie also represented the United States with Dr. Pepper and a western outfit:

Victoria shared a delicious dessert from the Dominican Republic that was homemade by her mom!:

Ariya and her mom made a breakfast treat from India as well as her beautiful, traditional Indian outfit:

Gavin shared cookies from Italy, where he was born!:

Kyle shared information about his family who lives in France as well as some yummy french bread:

Matthew shared the story of a generous neighbor from Columbia who gave him this authentic soccer jersey:

Alexis wore her beautiful Chinese outfit and her mom made these incredible Chinese pork rolls:

Ariya's mom came in and helped us serve our feast:

Another 100th day graphing activity:

The boys were grouping so they could count and graph:

Before we tasted our foods around the world we made passports to do our traveling. Each page in the passport represents a food that we sampled during the day!:

Ajay's great passport to foods around the world:

Marnie showing us where in Texas Dr. Pepper is made:

Brenden sharing his delicious and spicy Mexican Taquitos:

Georgia getting ready to share about Little Debbie snacks:

Ariana sharing a picture of her that was taken LAST WEEK in the Dominican Republic!:

Some of our delicious food to share:

More graphing on Mystery Island:

Parker enjoying his 100 pieces of popcorn while we go over the bones of the human body:

Aidan checking out George, our skeleton, and identifying the major bones in the human body:

Ariana starting her skeleton:

2012-02-02T14:54:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is the 100th day and classroom cultural day. We have quite a few students bringing in treats tomorrow morning! Here's what we have coming in: Georgia - American, Alexis - Chinese, Aidan- Korean, Brenden - Mexican, Victoria - Dominican Republic, Kyle - French, Gavin - Italian, Eric - Dutch. YUMMY!!!

We'll be having the cultural food first thing in the morning and in the afternoon we'll be celebrating the 100th day of school. Please send in a snack that your child has counted out 100 of in a Ziploc bag. They will not be sharing their snack with others. (Think Cheerios, Fruit Loops, raisins, sunflower seeds, popcorn, etc.)

Today we finished up the benchmark. Reading benchmark grades are already in the gradebook for you to view. The writing benchmark will be graded over the next week.

Enjoy your evening!

100th Day and Cultural Celebration Reminder

2012-02-01T15:00:00.005-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Just a reminder that the 100th day is just around the corner! So is our cultural day! Please click here to know what to send in.

Today we worked more on our reading benchmark. We went over the importance of going back and re-reading to find answers and clues. Please work on this at home with your child when they are reading. This is a wonderful habit to start and a skill that will be useful for the rest of your child's life!

Here's what we have coming in for our cultural day on Friday: Brenden - Mexican, Ariya - Indian, Victoria - Dominican Republic (and plates!), Gavin - Italian, Eric - Dutch, Kyle - French.

2012-01-31T12:44:00.003-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

If you checked the box requesting a parent conference on the report card, please click on the Sign Up Genius picture above and enter the password: Mystery Island Now you can choose an available date to have a conference with us.

Remember that this week is Benchmark week. Please go over the importance of giving a complete answer and going back into the story to find answers with your child.

Remember that Friday is the 100th day and our class is also celebrating different cultures. Here's who we have signed up so far: Ariya - Indian food, Victoria - Dominican Republic food, Gavin - Italian food and Eric - Dutch food.

Have a great night with your family!

Ramona Field Trip

2012-01-30T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today we had our field trip to the Florida Theater to see Ramona by Beverly Cleary. It was a great play. It felt like we had to climb a small mountain to get to the "nose bleed" section! Tonight ask your child who the main characters were and what the play was about "in a nutshell".

This week is a benchmark test week so there is NO weekly homework. Please have your child continue to read for at least 20 minutes per night.

So far we have Gavin signed up to bring Italian and Eric signed up to bring Dutch for this Friday's cultural day.

Enjoy the pictures below!

2012-01-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! There's a new member of Mystery Island.... Alexis has a new baby brother, Mason! Welcome to the world, Mason!

Remember that we have a FIELD TRIP ON MONDAY! Please pack your child a bag lunch and drink. Remember to wear your spirit shirts.

Please take a moment to read yesterday's post if you missed it. We have some fun stuff coming up next week to celebrate cultures and the 100th day of school. (So far we know that Gavin is bringing in Italian food... yummmy!)

The students who read the blog last night and had their parents write the mystery words in their planner get a 1 night homework pass: Caleb, Marnie, Ariya, Eric, Lauren, Alexis, Victoria, Kyle, Rees, Ashlee, Kaylee, Gavin, Georgia, Victoria, Bethany and Aidan. THANK YOU FOR READING THE BLOG!

100th Day and Cultural Celebration

2012-01-26T14:37:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight's homework is to review for tomorrow's reading test using the book and the comprehension sheets. Practice for the vocabulary and spelling tests as well. In math we'll be having a quiz on growing patterns. In language we'll be having a pronouns quiz.

Remember that next Monday is our field trip. Students will need to wear their BSE spirit shirts and bring a bagged lunch. No lunch boxes, please.

Next Friday, 02-03-12, we are going to celebrate the 100th day of school AND individual student cultures from around the world!

If your family is from a particular culture we would love for you to send in a dish from your culture that we could give each student (28) a *sample*. We will not need a portion for each student, just a teaspoon size. Your student is also welcome to wear an outfit that represents their own culture. Please send in an index card telling us what culture (Indian, German, Mexican, Japanese, etc.) your child is representing and a few facts about it.

The second fun activity for Friday is the 100th day celebration. We would like your child to bring in 100 dry food/snack/candy items in a ziplock bag. For example... your child could count and bring in 100 m&ms or 100 Cheerios or 100 raisins or 100 pieces of popcorn or 100 of whatever small food item that YOUR CHILD likes! We will not be sharing food items with each other for the 100th day activities. We will be doing math activities with the 100 snack items so please make sure to send them in!

Tonight's mystery words are: "I read the class blog!"If a PARENT writes this in the planner the student will recieve a very exciting treat!

Have a great family night!

2012-01-23T14:30:00.002-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

This week we are reading and comparing two stories, Grandpa's Corner Store and Barrio - Jose's Neighborhood. You can visit the author's website here. Practice deciding if writing is fiction or non-fiction here. We will be comparing fiction and non-fiction in reading and writing. In math we are on unit 9, making, identifying and extending number patterns. This is where our students get a preview of multiplication!

Remember that we have a field trip on Monday the 30th. Students will need to bring a bagged lunch that day.

Enjoy your family night.

2012-01-19T15:05:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Remember... NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS TOMORROW! Two math sheets have come home for 9-2. Please complete them this weekend and return them on Monday.

Please encourage your child to go to our links section and work in STUDY ISLAND. Destination Success is also set up for your children. Please use these wonderful and fun tools to help your child improve in reading, math and science.

Have a great weekend.

2012-01-18T15:12:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was our science lab on the human body. We did all kinds of great things as we learned about how our heart and other muscles work!

Following the scientific method:

Checking our pulses after exercise in Mrs. Schmidt's room:

Writing our pulse down:

Using our calf muscles to raise on our toes:

These two athletes have some serious muscles in their arms!:

Feeling the muscles in our throat as we swallow:

Explaining how we use muscles to.... ummm.... throw up:

Using our large muscles to hold ourselves in one position:

More large muscle use:

Feel the burn:

Trying to say, "licking lollipops all day long" without using our tongue:

Tonight's homework is math sheets 9-1.

2012-01-17T14:55:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today we wrapped up our math unit 8. Those tests have been graded and are loaded in the grade book for you to view!

Tomorrow we will be having our second grade science lab day on the human body. It's going to be a fun day of learning and experimenting! We'll try to get some good pictures for you.

Remember, there is no story, homework, spelling words, etc. this week. There is no school Friday for students!

Have a great family night.

2012-01-13T14:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

This is a three day weekend... no school on Monday! We have sent home math sheet 8-8 to complete at home. We'll check it on Tuesday before we have our unit test. Please practice adding and subtracting double digit money. Students must use the decimal point and cent symbol.

Reading, vocabulary and spelling tests have been graded and are available for you to view online.

Enjoy your weekend!

2012-01-12T15:06:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is test day for some subjects. In math we will be testing on adding and subtracting money (coins up to $1) with regrouping on TUESDAY. Please work on this at home tonight. In language we will be having a test on adding 'ies'. (Our language test may also be on Monday because our copier is down.) In reading we are testing on Jamaica Louise James.

Please review your child's comprehension sheet with them at home tonight. We went over them together in class this week.

Tuesday folders will be sent home NEXT Tuesday. Please remember that you can always see your child's grades online through the parent portal right here or by clicking on the link on the left sidebar.

*We have had students forgetting their reading books and comprehension sheets this week. It is VERY important that they have them every day!

Have a great family night!

2012-01-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Here we are! No, we didn't get lost... I just had to be away from the computer for a few days. If you were one of the parents asking where it went.... WOOOHOOO! You're following our class blog and we are very thankful for you!

This week is yet another whirlwind adventure. We are hitting functional (how-to) writing really hard right now with writing about how to eat an Oreo cookie, how to tie your shoe, how to walk your dog, how to dress a doll, etc.

In math we're hitting addition and subtraction with regrouping and estimation.

In science it's all about the water cycle with evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

In social studies we're learning about government (local, state, national).

**If you would like to send in a box of Kleenex, we would love it!

Have a great family night!

2012-01-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

PLEASE make sure that you read last night's post! Remember that tomorrow is test day. We'll be testing on Big Bushy Mustache in reading, addition and subtraction with regrouping in math, irregular plurals in language, vocabulary and spelling.

Tonight's mystery word is: BULLDOGS

2012-01-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today we are sending home Tuesday folders. We have included a current progress report in the planner for you to review, sign and return tomorrow.

*Important* - The day before winter break we sent home a pink sheet with the Eagle News Weekly printed on it. On the BACK of that sheet was a letter from Superintendent of Schools, Ed Pratt-Dannals regarding all students in Kindergarten, First and Second grade that score 54% or less on the FAIR (Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading) test. His message states that any student who scores below 54% on the third administration of the FAIR WILL BE RETAINED AND MUST ATTEND SUMMER SCHOOL READING REMEDIATION. The third assessment will be given the fourth nine weeks of school. This is a new DCPS policy. If your child is anywhere near this percentage, we have sent home a copy of this letter and your child's first two FAIR scores. Please feel free to contact us for a conference if you have any questions about this new policy.

Tonight's mystery word is: FAIR

2012-01-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Welcome back! Today we are happy to report that everyone came in ready for learning and well rested!

This week's story is Big Bushy Mustache. Homework sheets came home before the winter break so your child should have one. Tonight's math homework is adding money, 8-1.

Have a great family night.

Finally!

2011-12-20T19:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick look at our Winter Wonderland Party! If you have any pictures that you would like to share with the class from your home holiday celebrations, just email them to me at plisht@duvalschools.org and I'll be happy to post them for all to enjoy!

Free slideshow made with Smilebox

2011-12-19T17:37:00.002-05:00

Having a little SmileBox trouble. The winter party slideshow will be up as soon as the problem is fixed!

2011-12-16T15:05:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Blog update with a slideshow to follow in the next day or so!

2011-12-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is our Winter Wonderland Pajama Party! Your child does not have to bring their planner. They may want to bring their backpack to hold their towel or sleeping bag.

If your child brings a sleeping bag, they must know how to roll it by themselves. We will not be rolling sleeping bags. A beach towel is much easier for students this age!

PLEASE refer back to the letter sent home or the previous blog post below to know the "rules" for tomorrow's party.

If you would like to come in tomorrow, PLEASE contact our room mom for a schedule (shyers2201@hotmail.com). We will have parents helping with crafts in the morning and serving lunch around 11:30. Other than that, the room is a full house!

2011-12-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is test day. Please - no, PLEASE, review subtraction with regrouping (borrowing) tonight! We have sent home a practice test for them to work on tonight. Check it over with your child.

Tonight we had all students bring home their reading text book and study guide. Remember to review our story tonight.

One day left until our winter wonderland pajama party! Woooo Hooooo!

THANK YOU to the parents who came in to help today! We sure do appreciate you.

Have a great family night.

2011-12-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight's homework is to complete math worksheet 7-5. Instead of a mystery word, your child can do these two word problems to earn classroom Jaguar dollars... they DO NOT have to write the words, but they MUST show their work!

#1: Chase has a book with 87 pages. On Sunday he read 16 pages. On Wednesday he read 27 pages. How many pages did Chase read in all?_____________ How many pages does he have left to read?___________.

#2 Tanner bought a Spiderman comic book with 112 pages. Kyle read 18 pages on Friday, Marnie read 9 pages on Saturday and Matthew read 16 pages on Sunday. How many pages did they read in all? ___________ How many pages do they have left to read? _______________

THANK YOU to all of you who have sent in your winter party money!! It's going to be a great time!

2011-12-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Many papers came home today! The Tuesday folder (which did not come home last week) is coming home today. Please have it returned no later than Thursday of this week. Today we also sent home a letter about our class party. It's copied straight from our blog, so you may have already read it! Tonight's homework in math is worksheet 7-4.

Today in science we are still working on graphing the weather. Each student is responsible to keep their own weather graph. Here's a peek at it:

Have a great family night.

2011-12-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

(Today waiting on our assembly to start)

Hello Parents and Students,

Remember to scroll down and read about our class party next Friday!

Next week we WILL have our usual testing. It will be on Thursday instead of Friday.

Have a great family weekend.

2011-12-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow we will be testing on the reading story, Chinatown, double-digit subtraction in math (without regrouping / borrowing), spelling, vocabulary and adjectives.

Please see the post below regarding our Winter Party. Have a great family night!

2011-12-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

Digital invite customized with Smilebox

Hello Parents and Students,

Yes, it's time for our Winter Wonderland Pajama Party! WOOOOHOOOO!

Here's what to expect:

*Students can wear their comfy pajamas (if they want to) and bring a sleeping bag or towel to have a spot to sit on the floor to play games, read or watch a movie.

*Students can choose to bring ONE of the following things to SHARE that day: a doll OR a stuffed animal OR an action figure without guns or knives. Please do not send in a toy that is so special that if it should become lost or damaged that your child would be devastated! Lost or damaged toys or games will not be replaced by the teachers, other students or the school.

*Students can also bring ONE age appropriate board game with their name on it. Please note that pieces may become lost - do not send in a prized family game! Lost or damaged toys or games will not be replaced by the teachers, other students or the school.*Stations will be set up around the room for students to play games, play with Legos, and work on crafts and cards.

*We will plan on eating lunch around 11:00 - If you would like to help serve lunch, send in treats, or help in the morning putting crafts together, please email our room mom at: shyers2201@hotmail.com

*We are asking that each child send in a $5 donation by Monday in an envelope marked "Room Mom" to help cover the costs of the pizzas, drinks and crafts.

*This is going to be a wonderful winter wonderland celebration!*

2011-12-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Thank you for all of the well wishes! I'm feeling MUCH better now. Now back to class work... in math we've started a new topic, subtraction with regrouping. Regrouping is the same term as "borrowing". Please help your children practice this new skill at home.

Remember that Friday is pajama day to support the children of the Sulzbacher Center. Your children are welcome to wear their PJ's to school! If you decide to give pajamas, please send new, unused only.

Tonight's mystery word is: Giving

Have a great family night.

2011-12-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Sorry that I haven't updated the blog in a few days... I've been under the weather! This week in class we'll be covering Chinatown in reading and Ms. Stanberry has some great ideas planned.

This Friday is pajama day to show our support for the Sulzbacher Center. We've collected 2 pairs of pajamas for our class so far. If you would like to send a pair in, they'll be put to very good use!

If you are planning to come in to eat with your child this Wednesday, please note that our lunch time has been changed for that day to 11:00. It'll be back to normal next week.

Friday the 16th is our winter party day. Georgia's mom will be in touch with you very soon about the activities. We are going to have an action-packed, fun-filled day!

Have a great family night.

2011-11-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Please practice addition facts tonight and read for 20 minutes in place of your nightly homework. Have a great family night!

2011-11-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

This is a benchmark week so there is no nightly homework sheet. There are no tests this Friday. This Friday progress reports will be sent home. Remember that you can monitor your child's grades daily through the parent portal!

Tomorrow we are having a science lab day learning about weather. Tomorrow afternoon students will rotate through music, art and PE!

Have a great family night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

A picture slideshow by Smilebox

2011-11-21T14:42:00.004-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today we started our reading benchmark testing. We also started Reader's Theater with a play called The Meal Must Go On! Here are our parts... (click on pictures to enlarge)

Here's a glimpse at the play (sorry for the sideways picture!):

Thank you to everyone who sent in pie filling. If you have any peach or blueberry filling, we could use it! Have a great night with your family.

2011-11-18T16:36:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: Today's grades have been added to the Parent Portal

Hello Parents and Students,

What a fun day! We had our fun run and I'll get some pictures up... just not today!

Next week we have our reading benchmark on Monday and Tuesday. We will not have a reading story, spelling, vocabulary, math test or homework sheet.

Enjoy your weekend!

2011-11-17T14:48:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents,

Tomorrow is a busy day! We have our weekly tests, we have the Boosterthon Fun Run, and our students earned a HAT DAY tomorrow! Your student can wear a funny hat, a sports cap, a winter hat or any hat they want. Please have your child wear sneakers tomorrow so they are ready to run.

Your child will be getting a FREE Boosterthon Fun Run T-Shirt tomorrow when they come in to class. They have extended the pledges for one more night. You do not have to pledge per lap - you can make a total donation of even $1!

Have a great night with your family.

2011-11-16T15:01:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents, Students and Tim Deegan,

Today we learned a little about high pressure, low pressure, meteorology, clouds, hurricanes, wind, rain, snow and more! Here are a few pictures from our visit with Tim. Tim gave us a great talk today that fit in perfectly with fables because as he told us the story of how he became a meteorologist and we found a lesson in his story: Keep Working Hard to Reach Your Goal. Great lesson, Tim. Thanks for visiting Bartram Springs Elementary!

2011-11-15T14:55:00.004-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

What a great day of learning! Today we had our crazy sock day for having sooo many pledges for our Fun Run Boosterthon. We had a lot of cool prizes given out, too! (Tuesday folders will come home tomorrow. Tomorrow is early release.)

Tomorrow Tim Deegan from First Coast News will be visiting with us to teach us about weather... We can't wait! We'll be sure to take some great pictures for you.

Here's a fun weather site for you and your children to visit: webweatherforkids

Here's some crazy socks for you to enjoy:

Have a great family night.

2011-11-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Good news... we are in second place out of the WHOLE SCHOOL right now for the Fun Run Boosterthon pledges!!! WOWZA! Lots of prizes went home today and the students earned a homework pass for tonight. They also earned 10 minutes extra recess to use this week AND tomorrow will be CRAZY SOCK DAY! Have your child wear the craziest, mixed-up socks that they have!

In reading this week we are working on fables - short stories that teach a moral or lesson. In math we are doing addition with regrouping. PLEASE have your children practice their math facts.

Thanks to those of you who have volunteered to send in supplies for next week's pie tasting. We have plenty of plates and spoons, so if you haven't already sent them in, even if you signed up for them, you do not have to send them in. If you want to send something, we can always use the fruit fillings (blueberry, pumpkin, apple, cherry and peach).

Tonight's mystery word is: EPIC

Have a great family night.

2011-11-10T16:58:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

It's a looong weekend! Today we had a wonderful flag raising in honor of our veterans. We want to send out a big shout out to all of the parents, grandparents, siblings and friends of our students who are veterans....THANK YOU for all that you do and have done for our country!

Today we had some very skilled volunteers come in to decorate our classroom door for us and boy did they make it look good! A HUGE THANK YOU to Georgia's mom, Marnie's mom and I *think* Marnie's sister!!!

Look at that happy face!

Can you guess who this guy is?

Today was test day. Here's a glimpse into what test day looks like in our room:

Today we had a popcorn party to celebrate all of the compliments that our students have earned from adults in our building. Way to go Space Station Mystery Island!! While we had our popcorn party we watched a Discovery Education video about the pilgrims (Unit 5 in our Social Studies book):

Please practice your math facts this weekend, read a good book and enjoy your family time!

2011-11-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Thank you for starting your EPIC adventure so quickly! Our team, The Splish Space Rangers, already had 6 kids with pledges today... WOO HOO! Please make sure that your children do NOT enter any pledges themselves. Only an adult should enter pledges.

Tomorrow we will be having a flag raising in honor of our United States military veterans. Please have your children wear red, white and blue. If you're reading this and know of a parent who does not read the blog, please give them a call and remind them to have their children wear red, white and blue tomorrow.

Tomorrow is test day. Reading textbooks and comprehension sheets were sent home to help your child prepare for the reading test. In math we sent home a "Florida Test" to help your child practice for tomorrow's test. Please go over this practice sheet with them. Have them show their work! We want to know how they are solving each problem.

Have a great family night.

2011-11-08T14:51:00.000-05:00

We went on an EPIC adventure today! Actually we had a pep rally filled with cheering, roaring and excitement about raising money to support Bartram Springs Elementary students and their learning. Our awesome PTA has worked so hard to get our school ready to roll for this fundraiser that will benefit our kids. Your child has come home with their very own Epic Adventure passport and log in ID - check their planners.

Tuesday folders will be coming home TOMORROW.
There is no math homework tonight but we would love for your child to log in to either Destination Success or Study Island to work on math or reading.

Have a great family night.

2011-11-07T14:45:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today is report card day! Please review your child's report card, sign the box on the bottom, cut it out and return it in the envelope. We will be using this same envelope for each report card this year. If you want a conference, please note that on the slip and we will be more than happy to schedule one with you. Side note: There are some items missing on the report card that are written in by hand this nine weeks. This will all be corrected on the next report card... we hope!

Tonight's homework is to finish today's math sheet and complete the worksheet 5-9 that covers what we learned today in class.

Have a great family night.

2011-11-04T14:50:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Have a wonderful weekend!

2011-11-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight students have math sheet 5-7. Tomorrow we will be testing on Around the Pond in reading, exclamations and commands in language arts and adding (finding the sum) tens and ones in math. There will be 2 word problems on tomorrow's math test. We will also have our spelling and dictation and vocabulary tests as well.

Here's some math practice for tonight! If your child figures these out, have them bring their work in with their name and date on it and they will get a treat. They MUST show their work:

1. Marnie has 32 peppermint sticks. Eric gives her 67 more. How many peppermint sticks does Marnie have in all?

2. Lauren has 14 Barbies. Bethany gives her 13 more. Then Lauren gives 3 of them to Ashlee. How many Barbies does Lauren have now?

Have a great night with your family.

2011-11-02T16:53:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight's homework is to finish the math sheet that we started in class (if not already completed) and the math worksheet that covers what we did in class today.

Shout Outs: Yesterday we had a wonderful time on the field trip and we want to thank the chaperones who accompanied us. You were all so "on the ball" and helped to make our field trip awesome... thank you! We also want to take a minute to thank all of you for remembering to send in a packed lunch and drink for your child - we had NO missing lunches! Thank you to all of the parents and students who sent in goodies to share on Monday - WOW! Thank you to Georgia's mom for thinking about what we need before we do!

If you get a minute, please have your child share with you what they are working on in reading each day in class and who their character is that they are developing in writing. We have some interesting characters emerging!

Have a great family night.

2011-11-01T15:38:00.000-04:00

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2011-10-31T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is our field trip! We will be gone from about 9:15 to 1:00. Have your children wear sneakers, long pants and their BSE shirt if they have one. If you want your child to wear bug spray, apply it before they leave home unless you are a chaperone and will be there to apply it for them. Remember to pack your child a lunch and drink in a disposable bag (market bag, Ziploc bag, paper bag) with their name clearly printed on the outside of it.

If you are chaperoning you may follow the bus or meet us at the location. There is a $3 parking fee.

Have a safe Halloween night with your family!

2011-10-27T15:04:00.001-04:00

Update: We will not be having a Halloween party in class. However, you are welcome to send in treats for the class (30)!
Hello Parents,

We'll post pictures from today's wax museum later... too many important things to share with you tonight!

REMEMBER: No school tomorrow! Field trip on Tuesday!

Today's tests were graded and are on the Parent Portal under the second nine weeks. Our bean plants and seeds are coming home today. WARNING: The beans in the Ziploc bags have quite an odor! They have been hanging in the sun for over a week as part of our bean experiments.

Have a wonderful long weekend with your family!

2011-10-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

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2011-10-25T14:44:00.000-04:00

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2011-10-24T14:30:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Our Reading Festival Week kicked off to a great start! Today we watched a play and talked about our 25 book reading goal and our books of the month.

Tomorrow we will be having a "Dude" come in to read to us from NAS Jax!

Wednesday is our book parade and we want to have our class dress up as characters from our favorite Magic Tree House book, High Tide in Hawaii. We sent home a letter in the planner last Friday about it.

**TESTS THIS WEEK ARE ON THURSDAY. HOMEWORK FOR THE WEEK IS DUE ON THURSDAY.**

Homework tonight is math sheet 5-1.

Have a great family night.

2011-10-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tests are graded and loaded on the Parent Portal for you to view.

Tonight is our Fall Festival! Wooo Hoooo! Ms. Stanberry will be there to say hello and I'll be at home celebrating my my son's birthday with my family!

Next week is a busy, busy week with many activities for our Reading Festival Week.

Enjoy your family!

2011-10-20T14:12:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was jam-packed with action! This morning we worked independently and in small groups during Reader's Workshop as we worked on comparing and contrasting, soft g / hard g and reviewing our comprehension sheet for tomorrow's reading test.

We also worked on counting money for tomorrow's unit test on counting money. We had a store today and each student got to "purchase" all the hot toys and gadgets on the market! After our in-class store we got to go to a real store - the Book Fair.

Tomorrow we will have our reading test on Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night, a vocabulary test, a spelling test, a dictation sentence quiz, a quiz on compound words and that's it!

Tonight we sent home a math practice test for each student. It is NOT required to be returned tomorrow. It is for you to practice with your child on their counting money skills.

Tomorrow is the LAST day to turn in money for field trips for students AND chaperones. There will be no exceptions unless we have a chaperone drop out and then we will be in touch with you if your name is drawn to fill the space.

Have a great family night!

2011-10-19T13:33:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was a successful science lab with lots of exciting activities!

Tonight's homework is math sheet 4-9.

Thank you to Georgia's mom for sending in the Toys R Us ad!

Have a great family night.

2011-10-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is our science lab day! Students will go to different rooms within the second grade and learn about seeds and how they grow. Today we talked about a lima bean: the outer coating the cotyledon and more.

The first step of the scientific method is to ask a question: Will a lima bean germinate if it is placed in a moist environment?

The second step of the scientific method is to make a hypothesis (an educated guess): I predict that... (each student has a different prediction)

Tomorrow during our science lab we will plant our seeds to test our hypothesis out!

Tonight's homework is to finish math sheet 4-8.

Have a great family night and enjoy the rain that is soon to come.

2011-10-17T14:50:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

This week the book fair is starting. On Thursday we will be taking our class to browse and buy. If you send in money, please put it in an envelope or Ziploc with your child's name and "book fair" written on it as well as Plish / Stanberry. Thank you!

This week we'll be working on Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night in reading as well as compound words. In math we'll be wrapping up our unit on money this Friday with our Topic 4 test. (If you have any toy catalogs at home like Toys R Us or Walmart that you can donate, please send them in tomorrow with your child for an activity. They will be cut up so we can't return them to you!)

Please practice counting money at home. We're counting money all the way to $100. Don't forget, our math book is located under the links tab and is called Envision!

Tonight's homework is to complete math classwork 4-7 (most students are already done this) and math worksheet 4-7.

TONIGHT'S MYSTERY WORD IS: Dollar (A PARENT must write this in the planner for it to count!)

2011-10-14T14:51:00.002-04:00

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2011-10-13T16:14:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Remember... NO regular weekly tests tomorrow! NO math homework tonight! Tomorrow we wrap up the benchmark testing.

Have a great night!

2011-10-12T14:59:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

There is no homework tonight! Please make sure your child gets their rest tonight and eats a good breakfast... we're still benchmark testing. Please go back and read this post if you want to review what the benchmark is. Please remember to send in your field trip money and permission slips by 10/21/11.

Have a great family night!

2011-10-11T15:13:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Please take a minute to go read last night's post about testing this week. Tuesday folders came home tonight and include your child's first writing prompt as well as a packet on how second grade writing is graded and what we are working towards. Please keep the packet at home and sign and return the writing prompt. We will give a writing prompt every quarter this year.

Tonight's homework is math sheet 4-4.

Have a great family night.

Tests, Tests, Tests

2011-10-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow we have our weekly tests (that we usually have on Fridays) and we begin our reading and writing benchmarks. There is no weekly story, homework sheet or spelling words this week. Tonight students need to finish their math classwork (most already finished) and homework sheet 4-3.

Tonight your child is bringing home a study guide for the poetry reading test for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will also be testing proper nouns and synonyms for language, spelling and dictation sentences, math counting coins (nickels, dimes, pennies) and comparing the amounts, and a social studies communities quiz on rural, urban and suburban areas (open book).

Tomorrow your child's social studies map project is due!

Please remember that you have until 10/21/11 to turn in your field trip money and forms. If you are chaperoning on any of these trips, the money is due when you turn in your child's money.

Please remember to have your child get a great night's sleep and eat a big breakfast each morning this week.

2011-10-06T15:58:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was an ACTION packed day. No joking! Today we had Erin Hawley from First Coast News visit our classroom. Mrs. Plish was more than a little nervous! Ms. Stanberry was as cool as a cucumber! Students, did you catch that simile?

Erin, thank you for visiting our class today and for reading our blog!

Today in reading we worked on plurals, syllables and synonyms. We also made a recipe for eyeballs today - ewww! The students had to read the recipe by themselves and follow the directions to make the eyeballs. When we finished they had to answer questions about the recipe and then of course, eat the eyeballs! In writing today we worked on adding details to make our writing vivid.

Housekeeping: We still have a couple of students who have not returned their permission slips to be on the blog or on any media. Please try to return those or make a stop in the office to get new paperwork if you have lost yours.

Tomorrow Ms. Stanberry and I will not be in class. Please remind your child to be a leader and make good decisions while we are out. We're expecting a great report on Monday morning!

Here's a peek at our day...

Peer Editing during Writer's Workshop:

Georgia and Bethany edit their work:

Ashlee and Gavin help each other to make their writing better:

Parker and Marnie team up:

Sydnee and Ariya read their stories to each other:

Caitlin and Alexis working hard:

Our second grade peer editing form:

The question we started our lesson with today:

The beginning of making our yummy eyeball recipe:

A little red icing for "veins":

Eric made creepy eyeballs:

Ariya and Rees read very carefully before they continue their project:

Kyle carefully follows the directions:

Morgan, Zachary, Bethany and Caleb all work hard at following the recipe exactly:

Aidan did a great job:

Sydnee is concentrating to get hers just right:

Georgia put her Craisins in her "eyeballs":

Gavin looks very pleased with his results:

Matthew definitely didn't like the craisins:

Marnie tries to get her eyes as big as the ones she made!:

Brenden followed the directions great:

Caleb caught with a mouth full!:

Tanner ended up with handfuls of icing!:

Jaiden was pleased with her recipe results:

2011-10-05T13:47:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

We have added our math series to our links section.... YAHOO! This means that you can now access our math worksheets and activities online! If you want to look at it tonight, we'll be working on 4-3 tomorrow. Go ahead, get a jump start!

There is no math homework tonight. Have a great family night and THANK YOU for reading our class blog to stay informed!

2011-10-04T15:22:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Please read last night's post about testing for this week and next week. Please see the calendar at the bottom of the page so that you know what's going on each day.

Tomorrow is Wacky Wednesday and the students will be attending resource classes in the morning while we attend trainings. Please make sure to have your child wear sneakers so that they can enjoy P.E.

Today Tuesday folders have come home and they include the field trip packet. Please read it carefully. Field trip money is due in before 10/21. No field trip money will be accepted after that date! Please note that we drew names for the chaperones for each trip. If your name has been selected, please let us know ASAP if you are no longer able to attend so that we can give another parent the opportunity to go.

Remember that Social Studies maps are due on or before October 11th. We've already received some great maps! Here are a few maps that we've received so far:

September's Character trait of the month was RESPECT. Zachary was the winner for our class! Go Zachary!! Zachary was able to attend a party to celebrate with other BSE students who won this special award.

The MYSTERY WORD for you to write in your child's planner tonight is: CALENDAR

Have a great family night.

2011-10-03T15:16:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight's Homework is to complete math sheet 4-1 (many students already completed this in class today) and do the nightly homework.

SPECIAL NOTE: We will NOT be testing this Friday as we normally do. Ms. Stanberry and I will not be in class on Friday and we would rather be with the students when they are testing. Instead, we will be giving all tests next week. Next week is also our first reading and writing benchmark test. Benchmark tests are given at the end of every reading theme and include passages that are "cold reads", meaning the students have not read the material before. Benchmark tests are notoriously difficult for the students and grades do tend to drop on them. We will be giving the reading and writing benchmark tests each day next week. To help your child do their best you can make sure that they get to bed on time and eat a good breakfast each morning.

Tonight we finally have a mystery word! The mystery word tonight is "BENCHMARK". Please write this word in your child's planner.

Have a great family night.

Happy Friday

2011-09-30T14:49:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

All test grades are in Oncourse for you to view. Please check your child's planner for a sheet to help you and your child at home with asking good questions while reading. We've also added a reading log to every student's planner. Please log every book that your child reads at home.

Enjoy your weekend together and thank you again for all of the congratulations and well wishes this week.

2011-09-29T15:25:00.001-04:00

Remember that tomorrow is test day! We will NOT be testing on proper nouns tomorrow. We will have our reading, math, vocabulary and spelling tests tomorrow. There will be dictation sentences on tomorrow's spelling test (Spelling, capitalization and punctuation ALL count on dictation!!).

SHOUT OUTS: THANK YOU to Marnie's mom and to Georgia's mom for coming in today and doing our class store!! THANK YOU to all who participated in giving me (Mrs. Plish) the beautiful daisies, balloons, signs and cards today. It was VERY special and I appreciate it so much.

Enjoy the slide show:

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2011-09-28T15:24:00.002-04:00

Ms. Stanberry gives the "TEACHER OF THE YEAR" a big smooch!!!!!

Bethany is hard at work during writing:

Rees caught with a frog in his throat....!

Eager beavers with hands out for the CHAMP dollars.

Hugs for the Teacher of the Year.

Mrs. Plish with her BIG smile.
Posted By,
Commander Stanberry

2011-09-27T14:22:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow is picture day! Our pictures are scheduled at 10:30 (Before recess - yeah!!).

Today we worked on story mapping in reading. Ask your child to explain a story map to you.

In math we are working on number symbols such as greater than, less than equal to. Today we worked on what comes before, after and between. Please work on these concepts at home with your child.

Tonight's homework is math worksheet 3-5 and the nightly sheet.

Have a great family night!

2011-09-26T15:43:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents,

This week we are comparing and contrasting fiction and non-fiction stories, George and Martha and the Surprise and Hippos. This week we have 25 spelling words and 2 dictation sentences (We didn't give the dictation sentences last week on the spelling test - we will this week!).

Wednesday is fall picture day.

Tonight's homework is the nightly sheet and the math facts sheet that was sent home today. The math sheet is always due the next day. Of course, reading for fun is always, always encouraged and appreciated!

Have a great night with your family.

2011-09-23T22:01:00.002-04:00

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2011-09-22T19:26:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

I sent out an email after school today letting you know that I couldn't get in to Blogger this afternoon. Sorry about that! I'll recap what I said in the email... Tomorrow we have the following tests: language, reading, spelling and vocabulary. Tonight's homework is worksheet 3-2. The math sheet and the weekly homework is due tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will be sending home progress reports. Next Wednesday is picture day.

Have a great evening (what's left of it!) with your family.

2011-09-21T15:27:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Quick note tonight! Homework tonight is math sheet 3-2 and the nightly sheet. The other math sheets that came home today were already checked in class today. Please encourage your child to READ, READ, READ at home for FUN!

Enjoy your family time tonight.

2011-09-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

What a wonderful day of learning! Today in reading we worked on literacy centers, comprehension questions for our story, Mrs. Brown Went to Town, and fluency in our reading. We finished up our beginning of the year FAIR testing, we had P.E., we worked on character's motive in writing and we worked on solving two-step word problems in math. It was an action-packed day! (Ask your child what a character is and what a motive is!)

Tomorrow we will be having our math unit test on adding and subtracting and two-step word problems. Here are some practice word problems if you want your child to do them tonight:

Marnie brought in 8 grapes. Bethany gave her 4 more grapes.

When Zachary came to the lunch table, he ate 5 of the grapes.

How many grapes does Marnie have now?

Parker has 12 cookies. He ate 7 of them. How many cookies does he have now?

Tonight's homework is the nightly sheet and the Florida Test sheet for math. No, this is not the actual test - it's just practice!

Have a great night with your family.

2011-09-19T14:09:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight's homework is the nightly sheet and math worksheet 2-8. We will be testing on our subtraction unit on Wednesday of this week. Remember... P.E. tomorrow!

For those of you who have joined the PTA, your membership cards are in your child's planner tonight. THANK YOU for your support of our PTA! You will also notice an Ident-A-Kid brochure in your child's planner tonight. You can read over it to see if this is something that you are interested in.

Parents - please take a moment (or several!) to read through the new tab located above labeled, READING. There are many helpful strategies and reading ideas located on this page.

Have a great night with your family!

Open House

2011-09-16T15:53:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Please enjoy the slide show from last night's open house. Thank you all for coming and spending some time with us. We hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into our classroom and looking through your child's work. To watch the slide show below, just push the arrow button.

Thank you to the Dougherty family for taking and sending us pictures from last night!

Tests from today have been graded and put in Oncourse if you would like to view them.

Enjoy your weekend family time.

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Open House

2011-09-15T17:00:00.003-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Welcome to our Open House! We're so glad that you could make it tonight. Please be sure to sign in on one of the many sign-in sheets located around the media center. We'll make tonight's presentation brief so that you have the opportunity to walk with your child to our classroom to see some of their work hanging in the hallway.

Greetings!

2011-09-14T15:20:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tomorrow night is our Open House at 6:30 p.m. in the MEDIA CENTER.

This Friday we will be testing on the reading story, Julius. In language we will have a test on verbs, we will have a spelling test and a vocabulary test.

Friday we have P.E.

Today our science lab went great! We watched a video on erosion and rocks, we did an experiment on rocks and erosion and an experiment on types of soil. Ask your child about the scientific method and how we used it today to answer our questions!

If your child didn't finish math worksheet 2-5 today in class, they should complete it tonight.

Have a great family night.

2011-09-13T15:42:00.001-04:00

Hello Students and Parents,

Tomorrow we're having our first grade level science lab. This is a fun learning experience for all of the students as they rotate to different classrooms (with us) to perform experiments and do science activities. Tomorrow our focus will be on rocks and soil.

Thursday night is our Open House. Due to size limitations in our classroom our Open House will be held in the MEDIA CENTER (library). Open House starts at 6:30 p.m.

Tonight's homework is the nightly sheet and a fact family math sheet.

Today we were asked a wonderful question: My child found it easier to use a different strategy to solve her math problem. Is it OK to use a different way to solve the problem than shown on the homework? ABSOLUTELY! Everyone solves problems and works in their own way. Please encourage your child to use the method that works best for them. Thank you to the parent who sent in this question!

Have a great family night.

2011-09-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents,

The blog is back in action! Tonight's homework is the nightly homework sheet and math sheet 2-6. Please return the math sheet tomorrow.

Thursday night of this week is our Open House. We MAY be holding our open house in the library due to size limitations. We'll let you know.

Tonight's mystery word is: SECRET

Have a great family night!

2011-09-06T15:18:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Tonight the first Tuesday folder came home. Please take a look in the folder and review your child's tests with them. Initial each test and the form in the folder for week 1 and week 2. Any loose papers, you keep.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week the blog will not be updated. This will probably be the only time this year that you'll hear that! Please look over the calendar at the bottom of this screen to keep you in the loop of what's happening. The blog will be back in business on Monday!

Tonight's homework is the math sheet in the planner and the nightly homework sheet. Remember, math sheets are always due the next day. The nightly homework sheet isn't due until Friday mornings.

Housekeeping: As we head into cold and flu season please, please, please keep your child home if they are sick! If your child is running a temperature, please do not medicate them and send them in - they are still contagious! If they are throwing up or have thick green or yellow mucus, please keep them home.

Enjoy your family tonight.

Hello Friday!

2011-09-02T15:54:00.002-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Don't forget that Monday is a holiday and there is NO SCHOOL! Now on to classroom business... We've been working on planning and rough drafts in Writer's Workshop this week as well as brushing up on punctuation and capitalization. In Reader's Workshop we've been working on independent reading and practicing on getting books that are just the right level. In math we've just wrapped up our unit on adding doubles, near doubles and multiple addends. Today we took our first official tests with a grade in math and language. The tests have been graded and are on the parent portal for you to see. The tests will be sent home in the Tuesday folder next week for you to review with your child, sign and return.

Next week we'll hit the ground running with nightly homework (it's in their planner tonight), our first reading story, Dragon Gets By, subtraction strategies in math, nouns in language, narrative writing in Writer's Workshop and how to work as scientists in science. We will also have library, early release and art next week!

Have a wonderful, safe weekend with your family. I'll leave you with some smiling faces:

Alexis:

Ajay:

2011-09-01T15:37:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was super sonic.... wow! It flew by. It sounds like quite a few of you made it to Chick-fil-A last night and had a great time. We heard that Batman may have even been there?? Thank you for your support of our school!

Tomorrow we'll be testing on math and sentences (questions and statements). Homework sheets for next week will come home tomorrow.

Have a great night with your family!

We Love Mrs. Dix!

2011-08-31T14:37:00.001-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Our days a flying, flying, flying by! Today was our first day of music resource. Tomorrow we have P.E. so please remember to wear sneakers. We are still covering our routines and rituals in Reader's and Writer's workshop. Tomorrow in math we'll have a unit review that covers adding doubles (7+7), near doubles (6+7) and adding 3 different numbers (1+8+9). Friday we are having our first math unit test on those same strategies and we will also be having our first language test on sentences. Next week starts regular homework for the students so be on the lookout for our weekly homework sheet.

Tonight is Chick-fil-A night to benefit our school from 5-8 at the Chick-fil-A on Southside next to the Avenues mall. Mrs. Wells and Mr. Royal will be there to hand out homework passes to every child who attends! See you there! (Edited to say that Ms. Stanberry and I are not able to attend. Eat some yummy chicken for us!)

Terrific Tuesday

2011-08-30T16:18:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,
Tonight's homework is to complete and return today's math sheet on adding. They do not have to do the front page.
Tonight's mystery word to write in the planner is **DRAGON**!
Have a great night with your family.

Monday, Monday

2011-08-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was another great day of learning. Today in Reader's Workshop our students learned about literacy centers. Go ahead, ask your child what literacy means! I bet they can tell you. Ask them what centers they visited today. We also introduced our first story of the year, Dragon Gets By. You can read this story tonight by clicking on the reading book on the right side of your screen (themes 1-3). We'll test on this story next Friday. That brings us to another thought.... the calendar at the bottom of this screen is updated with our testing and resource schedule every week. You can always look there to be reminded of what's going on in class.

Happy Birthday to Morgan and Alexa!!

A little housekeeping:

Our tests will be every Friday unless we tell you otherwise. Tonight you will receive a SAMPLE homework sheet to show you what our homework will look like every week. A homework sheet will come home every Friday... unless we forget. Then it will come home on Monday. Tonight we would like your child to complete math lesson 1-6, Adding Three Numbers. Many students finished this in class. Please look it over with them and return it tomorrow. PLEASE make sure your child eats breakfast every morning - our lunch is not until 11:40! Plenty of rest is great too.

Don't forget, we have a language quiz this Friday on how to make a sentence with capitals and punctuation.

Here's a peek into our recess today (please remember to send in your paperwork so that we can put your child's picture here on the blog!):

Kaylee:

Parker:

Kyle:

Jaiden:

Gavin:

Camden:

Tanner:

Birthday Girl A.K.A. Morgan:

Have a wonderful night with your family (and don't forget to read)!

One Week Together!

2011-08-26T15:48:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

What a wonderful week of meeting your children, learning about each other and discovering how our class functions!

Today we continued with Reader's and Writer's Workshops, went a little deeper into math and met some of our resource teachers for the year. Here's a little picture walk for you to wrap up our week:

*
This is Matthew explaining why we have to pick books that are "Just Right" for us. (After this mini lesson each student was given their very own bag of "Just Right Books") Just click on the arrow to play:

Here's part of our class getting ready to meet our resource teachers in the music room:

Marnie during independent reading time:

Ariana and Tanner listening during Writer's Workshop:

Our math vocabulary words from this week (ask your child what each one means!):

Another quick look at part of us in the music room:

Ariana enjoying her independent reading:

These are our mountain of journals that were given out today. Our students each have a writing journal, math journal, science journal and reading journal. Today we worked very hard on establishing our reading and math journals:

Today's Essential Question for Readers Workshop (See if your child can answer this question and tell you what a genre is!):

These are our "Just Right" book bags before we gave them out today:

Kyle found a comfy spot for his independent reading today:

Chase loves a good book!:

Georgia found a nice spot with "personal bubble space". Personal bubble space is when a student stretches their arms out they should not be able to touch anyone around them:

Here were some genres that we learned about today (click to enlarge):

Caleb read so quietly that we didn't know he was in the room!:

See all those binders? They are like GOLD! These are our writer's sourcebooks. Every student has one and by the end of the year they will be filled with priceless pieces of writing, sources to help with writing and works still in progress. These will come home with your child at the end of the year. They truly are a treasure:

That's it for the week. Ms. Stanberry and I are very tired and very happy! It's been a whirlwind of a week and we're so thankful that you're a part of it with us. Enjoy your family this weekend and we'll talk on Monday.

F-O-U-R Down!

2011-08-25T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

To say today was a whirlwind of learning would be an understatement! Whew! Today in Reader's Workshop we practiced getting books that are not only interesting to us, but books that fit us - "Just Right". We talked about how when we pick a book that is too hard that we have a hard time understanding what it's saying. In Writer's Workshop we started lists to go in our "Ideas and Sources" section of our Writer's Sourcebooks so that we always have a good topic to write about. We talked about where these ideas come from - like our dreams, books, etc. Then we started our own lists. There were some very interesting stories shared today that we could use for writing! This morning in our writing journal our prompt was, "Last year my teacher turned into..." Oh my goodness did we get some hilarious stories from that! In math we're still on unit one, addition. We worked on doubles (like 7+7 or 9+9) and near doubles (7+8 or 9+10).

Special notes:

THANK YOU to all of you who turned in your paperwork and supplies!
If you need a PTA form, please let us know and we'll get one to you.
Remember that we usually can't check our email during the day but we'll get back to you as soon as we can!
Please practice math facts with your child.
Reading 10 - 20 minutes a night with your child adds up to a love of reading!
We had 7 students turn in the mystery word today - WOOO HOOO!

Tonight's homework is to enjoy your family!

Hello Day 3!

2011-08-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Thank you to all parents who have sent in paperwork! We still need 10 more packets before we are complete. We would also love for as many of you to join PTA as possible. Our class gets a party if we get to 100% Woo Hoo!

Today we continued to work on our routines and rituals and getting to know each other. In writing we got our Writer's Sourcebooks and wrote about a story we heard, The Art Lesson by Tomy DePaola. We talked about books giving us great ideas for writing! In reading we worked on shared reading and how to be a good participant (ask your child about that huge word - they know it!). In math we worked on stories about joining and adding 0, 1 and 2. We sent home the math sheets that we worked on and a sheet that explains our first math unit. All of these math sheets are in the back of your child's planner notebook. This is where we'll put all homework and completed work. Any papers for you to sign and return will be in the front pocket, the "parent mailbox".

Tonight's homework is to enjoy your family!

Tonight we have our FIRST MYSTERY WORD.... The mystery word tonight is: **kindness**

More pictures will be posted as soon as we get signed paperwork back. We cannot post your child's picture until we have your permission. (Many of our pictures have both students with and without permission and that's why I can't post them.)

Day Two Comes To A Close

2011-08-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,

Today was another busy day of learning! Did you ask your child what P.R.I.D.E. is? Today Gavin showed real integrity when he found a behavior dollar in our room. He turned it in instead of putting it in his bank. We're so proud of him for showing integrity!

Today in Reader's Workshop we learned how to be good listeners and how to pick a book that's just right. In Writer's Workshop we learned that we're ALL good writers and we ALL have great things to write about! We finished up our reading benchmark test and started our math benchmark tests. We've also started checking to see what level each child is reading on. This takes us a while to do, but we'll be in touch with each of you to let you know how your child is doing.

Every few days we'll post a riddle or a mystery word here on the blog. If you see it, please write it on a slip of paper and have your child show it to us when they come in to class in the morning.

Thank you all for sending in so many supplies... WOWZA! Be sure to send in your signed papers and check your child's planner every night for their behavior grade and initial it. Thanks!

No pictures tonight, but more to come this week. Have a wonderful family night!

Welcome Back!

2011-08-22T18:00:00.002-04:00

Hello Parents and Students,
*What a wonderful, action packed first day we had here on the space station!  Our class is full of awesome students - the best at BSE!
*Today in class we were able to go over our Bartram P.R.I.D.E. - see if your student can tell you what those letters stand for. We toured the school. We went over our classroom rules and routines.  We had Reader's Workshop. We took a reading benchmark test. We read books with partners and independently. We wrote about our summer. We met new friends and most importantly, we learned that KINDNESS is number one in our room.  It seems like we already have many students who are great at kindness!
Our lunch is at 11:40 and the students were so hungry by the time we went. Please make sure that your child eats a big breakfast in the morning so they'll have extra fuel to burn while we learn!
A few odds and ends: we need 3 ring binders from a handful of students. If you are unable to get one, please let us know so that we can see about getting one for your student. I can't post pictures of your child here on our blog until I have your paperwork giving me permission to do so.  If you haven't already, please, please turn your paperwork in. I can already tell that we not only have the best students in the school, but we have the best parents too!
We'll leave you with a few pictures of our day (more coming as we get permission slips). Tonight's homework is to play, eat, rest, sleep. Have a wonderful evening with your family!

Are You Excited? We ARE!

2011-08-21T08:58:00.000-04:00

It's finally here boys and girls... our first day together on Space Station: Mystery Island is tomorrow! We're going to give you a virtual tour here on our blog so that you know what's going on tomorrow when you arrive. Tonight make sure you get plenty of rest and eat a big breakfast before you come to school tomorrow. You'll need lots of energy here on the Space Station.

Now let's take a look at our room, OK?

Here you can see the book nook (it's blue with a yellow roof). That's where about 4 or 5 of you will go sometimes for a quiet place to read. It's also our classroom library. Next to that is our teacher desk and our guided reading table. We'll meet together a whole lot at that table this year. See that map of the United States in the front of the room under the whiteboard? You get to put push pins all over that map this year! Every time you read about a place in one of your books, you'll find where it is on the map and pin it. We want to read all over the country this year!

This area in the back of the room where you see the red buckets is our math and science storage area. We have some really neat things back here like sharks teeth, snake skins, globes, magnifying glasses, dice, cubes, counters and more and more!

This is a look at the back of our room. See the tan cubbies? That's where you'll keep your coats (if it ever gets cold enough to wear one!) and backpacks. Everyone will have a space in the cubbies. When you come in tomorrow you're going to see a little number sticker on your astronaut name tag hanging on your chair. That number will be your cubby number too. That same number is also on all your text books. By the end of the week you'll remember your number easy-peazy-lemon-squeezy!

This is next to our front door. You'll put your lunch boxes in these cubbies every day when you come in. Tomorrow you're also going to see your lunch tags hanging on the wall too. Your lunch tags will have your number on them that match your cubby and name tag. This makes getting to lunch really easy for everyone. Don't forget your lunch or lunch money tomorrow! See the green circles hanging on the door? Well, after the first couple of days, that's where your name will be to say how you get home every day. Make sure your mom or dad tell us how you're getting home every day.

Are you wondering what this big red wall area is? Well it's our "Out of This World Word Wall"! We'll be hanging lots of new words that we learn this year right here on this wall. See the black shelf below it? Well that's where we store lots of supplies, but it's also where you'll put pencils that need to be sharpened and get yourself a new one when you need it. See the blue bucket? It's loaded with hundreds of erasers! We also keep our rulers, scissors, glue and some other supplies here just for you to use.

Now this. This is the main gathering area in our room. You'll be sitting on that nice soft rug when we meet together. We'll do Calendar Math, read, talk, discuss, laugh, sing and learn a WHOLE LOT right here in this spot. We need a name for this spot - have any ideas?

This is our listening area. It's right next to our computers. This is where you and a few friends will choose a seat and listen to some great stories, talk about them, read them, do special projects and learn, learn, learn.

Here's our front door just in case you forgot! We're in room 165 on the red hall. We need to spruce up this door. Don't you agree?

This is a look inside of our Book Nook. We have hundreds of great books to dive into adventures with. We'll be talking more about this awesome space over the next week.

More books in the Book Nook.

Another view of our science and math goodies and your supplies.

Tomorrow when you arrive you will sit in the hall with your supplies. We'll call you in one at a time to get your name badge (all astronauts wear name badges), put your backpack away and give us your supplies. We're so excited to meet our whole crew tomorrow and get started on our big adventure. I think a famous space ranger once said, "To infinity - and beyond!". Let's go!

Space Ranger Hugs,

Mrs. Plish and Ms. Stanberry

Thanks for Coming!

2011-08-18T17:56:00.001-04:00

Dear Parents and Students,

Thanks for coming to visit our classroom today! It was wonderful to meet each of you. Please take some time this weekend to explore our class through our blog. There are great links for you to use as well. Each tab (above this post) has valuable information. If you were unable to drop your supplies off today, please take a peek at the supply list tab above.

We're excited to see you on Monday to get our adventure started!

2011-07-16T10:57:00.007-04:00

** Second Grade Orientation**
Thursday, August 18th, 9:00 a.m.
See You at Space Station: Mystery Island
Room 165 Red Hall
Mrs. Plish and Mrs. Stanberry

2011-06-07T15:06:00.003-04:00

Hello Parents,

Awards day was awesome - thank you for coming.

Tomorrow is our class party day! WOOOHOOO!

Thursday is game day. Students can bring in a board game to share. Make sure it's nothing too important if a piece gets lost! Students can also bring in snacks to share on Thursday. No toys please. UPDATE: Students can bring an electronic hand-held game but it is THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. If your child brings a hand held game it is with the understanding that if it is lost or stolen it is NOT the responsibility of myself or the school. Only E (for everyone) rated games, please.

Have a great night with your family.

2011-06-02T14:34:00.002-04:00

Hello Parents,

Next Tuesday at 1:30 is the second grade awards ceremony. If you would like to come, we would love to see you! Please meet us in the cafeteria. If you would like to check your child out afterwards, you will need to go to the front office while we head back to the classroom. The office will call for your child.

Next Wednesday is our class party day! We will combining with the other second grade classes for a day of fun, food, crafts and games.

If your child is not going to be present on the last two days of school, please let me know in advance so that I can send their things home with them earlier.