Grubbs

February

This month we are beginning our study on our Solar System, which is part of our Georgia Performance Standards. We will be doing a brief overview report as a class on the Solar System but each child is expected to do their own report on one of the many "celestial bodies" that are in our solar system. I have attached a letter to parents that explains how to do the report with some articles your child may choose to study, along with some ideas for taking notes, organizing them, and then writing a brief report to share with the class. Posters and/or models are also a great way to share what they know about their researched object. I hope parents can take some time over the next two weeks and work with your child to do this project together, since this is one of the first times they will do this.  This skill is so important, they will be using it for years to come.

I am attaching the latest newsletter and the Parent Research Letter which explain it more.

Download newsie_notes.doc

Download research_letter.doc

I want to tell you that we are having our Winter Centers this Wednesday from 9:00-11:00 with Mrs. Wingo's class. You are invited to come and join the fun as we review some of the skills we have been learning this year.  Thursday is Valentines' Day and we will be trading Valentines and/or Friendship cards with each other in the afternoon from 1:15-2:00.

Please note that next week, Monday and Tuesday are "no school" days.  Monday is the Presidents' Day Holiday and Tuesday is a teacher workday all day.  I hope you can enjoy the long week end with your child, and remind him/her that the reading a math homestudies are still expected!!

Please email me if you have any questions about the project.

New Year

Well, here we are, beginning our new year, 2008.  I want to make sure you understand that report cards will go home next week during our conferences. We'll talk then about what is expected from your child to be considered "ON GRADE LEVEL." 

I'm finding the children who are reading and taking more and more AR tests weekly are the ones whose reading is improving the most. For that reason, I'm expecting the children to read 2-3 AR books and take AR tests before they can play on Fridays.  We have many wonderful books in our Media Center that can be read quickly and tested. If your child continues to take tests and make 100%, this level might be too easy for him/her. However, when he/she makes 60%-80% on tests, the level they are reading might be too hard. We want this AR testing experiences to be positive experiences, and when they read at home where they can concentrate better, they do better on their tests. Please help ensure your child is reading and testing 2-3 times weekly. Again, we'll discuss this at the conference next week.

Counting money and making change is difficult for some of the students. Working at home on this skill with change from your pocket will help your child do better in Math.  We're studying plane and solid shapes these next two weeks and then go into measuring inches, yards, centimeter, meters, and temperature with word problems that apply to the skills. Watch for the papers your child brings home and review missed items.

We have a lot of skills to learn and practice these next 9 weeks. Any help at home will greatly improve their knowledge of reading and math. Thanks for your support. Remember, it takes all three of us...you, your child, and me working together to make sure their ability and their love of learning continues to improve.

Holiday Post

Wow! The year is flying by and here we are at the end of 2007.  We've had a great year so far with lots of learning going on as we learn new math , phonics , reading , writing skills, and Social Studies/Science information. The children have been presenting their Science and Social Studies projects to the class; and we are enjoying their presentations, which include ideas about the survival of animals and people today and during the early years of America, in the three forms of matter and three sources of energy. We've been shown how to make a lightbulb light by using a battery, and how to make "exploding spots" and blow up balloons with the chemical changes of mixing vinager with baking soda. 

However, I can't stress enough the need for the children to read, write, and practice math adding with carrying and subtracting with borrowing, counting and trading money, and telling time to the 5-minute intervals during the long 2 week break. Many skills we've worked on will suffer without review throughout the days. The childlren who continue to practice even a little every day, will keep their skills sharp.

I'm uploading my latest New-N-Notes for you to read. I'm also uploading some information on  the importance of sleep. I hope you find these articles as interesting as I do. I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season and Happy New Year.  We have a busy first week back in January as school starts back on Tuesday the 8th with our in-school field trip "High Touch High Tech - Force of Course" dealing with the energy it takes to move objects. The students learn with hands-on experiences and experiments about the sources of energy of light, heat, and motion. Some of my class will attend Tuesday the 8th and some will attend Wednesday the 9th.  I still need permission from some parents, however. Thursday evening we're inviting parents to school for "Bring Your Parent to School Night" to get some make-and-take games and activities to use at home. Friday, the 11th, I'll be sending report cards home for the 2nd nine-week progress update, and then the 22nd - 28th we'll be having parent-teacher conferences. I'm making the schedule now, if you'd like a special time and day, let me know.

Download newsie_notes.doc

Download more_information_about_sleep.doc

Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Year!

Food Additives

Below I have uploaded an article I was reading about food additives and how they affect our bodies. I was studying articles like this for myself and for the children I work with daily. Magnesium seems to be an important nutrient we are missing in our diets. I hope you enjoy these articles. If you do, let me know and I'll send more.

Download food_additives_and_insensitivities.doc

Also, please find my latest newsletter:

Download newsie_notes.doc

Giving Thanks

This is just a note to say thank you for your support. The children are improving nicely. All of the children are now reading on a Second Grade level, their writing has shown great improvment, and their math skills are right on target. Please, continue to work over the holidays on reading, writing, and math practices. The little paperback nonfiction readers I'm sending home are getting more and more difficult for some of the children. Please have your child read 2 or 3 pages and then stop and check for comprehension. Some children continue to do word calling instead of reading for meaning, which is crucial for good readers to learn to do. It'll take lots of work at school and some practice at home to keep the children succeeding at or above grade level, which is our goal. If we all continue to work together, we can make this the best year yet. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. I'm uploading this week's newsletter for you to check out.

Download newsie_notes.doc

November Blog

The following is a site which gives me some concern. Please review it and let me know what you think.

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

I am downloading my latest newsletter. Please look it over.Download newsie_notes.doc

October updates

Well, October and November are fast filling up with Fall activities. I just wanted to update you all on upcoming events for our class. First, a reminder that there will be no Conferences in October. We will have conferences in January this school year. This coming Wednesday, October 17th is our Early Release. The school day ends at 12:20 for the students. Please make sure your child knows how he/she is to go home on that day. We are finalizing our 2 upcoming field trips. Monday, the 29th of October is our field trip to the Cherokee YMCA. They have a wonderful program that shows how early pioneer people survived with very little material wealth. We will take our lunches and eat there, have a hay ride, make a craft, and learn about life in early American times. I sent home permission forms and envelopes to help pay for the costs. Please sign and return the permission forms asap. The next day, Tuesday, the 30th, we're going to the Cobb Civic Center for the ballet, "Firebird" which we feel will be very rewarding and entertaining for the 2nd graders. Then Wednesday, October 31, Mrs. Wingo's class and our class will combine for our Fall Centers of fun and learning.The room moms and teachers are working and making plans to keep Halloween out of the centers and have fall/autumn seasonal activities instead. The centers will include learning, reading, math problem solving, and fun craft activities. We invite parents to come and join the fun. We will do these centers from 9:00-11:00 with 15-minute rotations. The room moms are preparing a letter letting you know what we'll need and how you can help. November 5th and 6th are workdays for teachers in Cobb County. Then November 8th is our Varner PTA meeting. All the Second Grade students will be presenting a cute performance of Autumn/Fall songs and poetry. We hope you can come.

Performing Arts and Newsletter 4

Dear Parents,  This is just to remind you who have not returned the Performing Arts permission and payment brochure, that we need it asap. If we don't get enough money to pay for the play "Firebird" we will not be able to attend.

I'm attaching our Newsletter to this blog to update you on our  new Character/Life Skills words,  curriculum changes, and upcoming dates for you to see.Download newsie_notes.doc

Important Information

Parents
The service that we use to automatically notify you when the blog is updated has changed their terms of service in such a way that an ad will begin showing up at the bottom of the email that comes to you.  Your email address is still not being shared with anyone other than the school!  The mere placement of advertising in school communications is of concern to us, especially since we have no control over what the ad may be.

We are exploring other means of providing this service to you at this time.  For now, we ask your patience as we work through the concern.  In the meantime, if you receive an ad that is objectionable to you, we would appreciate your notifying the school, and holding onto it so that it may be forwarded to proper personnel.

Thank you for your patience!"

TShirts

This is just to remind you all that the TShirt order needs to be in to me by this Thursday, Sept. 14th so we can place all the tshirt orders and have them back by our first field trip, which I think will be in October.

Check the download below for the latest News-N-Notes:

Download newsie_notes.doc