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2nd Graders and 2nd Grade families,

I hope you're all doing well and feeling well! I miss you already! I'm at school today working with Ms. Mikle and Mrs. Bender to create a plan for our digital learning days coming up. So far, I'm excited for the activities that we are working on for you! The first day of digital "school" will take place on Monday, March 30th. Starting on that day, I will be posting assignments and updates via SeeSaw daily before 9:00 am.  There will be "must do" assignments in the areas of math, writing and reading. There will also be some "may do" activities that you can choose to work on.  I will do a digital test via SeeSaw to connect with all of you by the end of this week (hopefully sooner).  

If at any time you have questions or concerns throughout our time apart, please do not hesitate to message me on SeeSaw or send me an email. (alexande@hssdschools.org). I will be checking them both as often as possible. 

Also, if your student was not at school on Monday, I have gathered his or her iPad, cord and block, math workbook, art boxes, and writers notebooks and placed them next to their hooks in the hallway. Please feel free to come to school and grab it anytime today between 12 and 5. 

Thanks so much, 
Ms. Anderson

Updates and Reminders

The 2nd graders sure have been busy lately! 

*In reading, students are still working on their fluency. We are working on scooping up phrases that make sense together, making our voices match the feelings and moods of the characters, and paying attention to punctuation. I appreciate all of you that are practicing this with your children at home!

*In writing, did a fun writing project on "How to Catch a Leprechaun." We have also started our poetry unit! Students got to try out writing a poem about things they are lucky for.

*We have started a new science unit on magnets! Students have learned that opposite sides attract and same sides repel. Students have also learned that magnets are in a lot more products than the initially thought. Be sure to ask them at home what surprising things magnets can be found in.

*In math, students are still working hard on multi-digit subtraction with regrouping. This remains a tricky concept for many 2nd graders, so I recommend as much practice at home as possible. Students have also been working on solving money problems involving dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. Be sure to quiz your 2nd grader on the value of these coins and if possible, practice adding multiple coins together. 

*With all of the illnesses and sicknesses going around, we have been taking extra precautions in our classroom. We have been talking about the importance of washing hands for at least 20 seconds, sneezing into sleeves, and we have even watched a special "Mystery Doug" video on germs. Additionally, we have been sanitizing our desks and table tops at least every other day. We have gone through a LOT of Clorox wipes... but it's worth it! If you would like to donate any hand sanitizer or Clorox wipes for our classroom, it would be greatly appreciated and well used!  Please see additional information on the flu, coronavirus and other illnesses sent out by the district in your e-mail. 

*Remember that there is no school for students tomorrow, Friday, March 13th.

*Next Tuesday, March 17th is St. Patrick's Day! Please allow your child to wear green to help us celebrate. 

Updates & Reminders

We sure have been busy in 2nd grade lately! Here are a few updates and reminders:

*As I'm sure you've noticed based on the work that has been coming home, the 2nd graders have been learning how to solve 2-digit subtraction problems with regrouping in math! This tends to be a tricky concept for 2nd graders and they benefit from as much practice as they can get. We have been working hard on it in school! I highly recommend having your child complete any of the optional math sheets that come home related to 2-digit subtraction.

*In reading, the students are working on their individual reading goals with an extra focus on fluency. Please make sure your child is reading at home each and every night for at least 20 minutes!

*In phonics, the students are working on ways to solve tricky words and spelling words with suffixes. 

*In Social Studies, we are continuing to work on our Important People in History unit. The students are working on researching their chosen person and coming up with a timeline to show off the most important events in their lives. 

**As a reminder, parent-teacher conferences are this week on Tuesday and Thursday night. I'm looking forward to meeting with all of you to discuss your child's growth and goals for the remainder of the year! :)

**There is no school this Friday, February 28th!

Reminders

*Our Valentine's Day party is tomorrow, Thursday, February 13th! Kiddos can bring in their Valentines and will have time to pass them to their friends tomorrow afternoon. Students can also wear festive colors and outfits. I will give them 14 dojos if they choose to participate. :) 

*On SeeSaw, I sent a message to all families regarding the district's new Snow Day procedures. Please try logging into SeeSaw sometime soon to check it out if you have not done so already.

*We are changing our morning work routine in class! Instead of doing daily writing prompts, 2nd graders will now have a piece of independent math work to complete. I will do my best to make sure these are graded and ready to go within one day for you to take a look at. This is a true picture of what your child is retaining and able to do at an independent level. All of the math will be *review,* meaning it shouldn't be too tricky for them. If you notice that your child is struggling with a certain concept, I encourage you to review it with him or her at home. Please let me know if you have any questions! (*Students will also have an opportunity to do a "free write" in their journals if they finish their math early, so you might still see some morning work SeeSaw posts!) 

Yearbooks

An order form for this year's yearbook is coming home with your child tonight. The order forms and money are due by Monday, February 17th. The yearbooks will arrive close to the end of the school year. Suamico always has time on one of the last days of school for yearbook signing, which the kiddos love doing. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the school office. 

Updates and Reminders

We sure do have a lot to look forward to in our classroom! Here are a few reminders:

Friday, February 7th: Suamico's Annual Sweetheart Auction. A flyer is coming home tonight that includes one free ticket! Be sure to look for it in your child's take home folder.

Monday, February 10th: The 100th Day of school! The whole school is invited to dress like you're 100! Think sweaters, tucked in checkered shirts, glasses, loafers, rollers in your hair... the possibilities are endless! I told the kiddos that if they dress like they are 100, I will award them 100 dojos! That's my best deal of the school year! :) Check out Pinterest or other sites for tips if you need help. Here are some images I found on Pinterest:

Monday, February 10th: February Scholastic Book orders due.

Tuesday, February 11th: We will be making our Valentines boxes in class. (More information was sent home earlier and can also be found on the blog in an earlier post.) Please make sure your child has his or her box at school for this day. If you have extras, we would appreciate it in case someone forgets. :)

Thursday, February 13th: We will celebrate Valentine's Day in class! We will be passing out valentines in class on this day. If you need help getting supplies, I would be happy to provide you with construction paper. Please let me know. Also, thank you to all of the families who have offered to supply something for our party! We really appreciate it! We are still in need of conversation hearts. :)  

**As a reminder, we do have a gluten allergy in class.**

Friday, February 14th: No School for students

Thursday, February 20th: Read 20

Friday, February 21st: Full School Pajama Day

Friday, February 28th: No School

Updates and Reminders

Here are a few updates and reminders. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions! 

*I am officially done with doing running record assessments on all of the students! The kiddos did great! I was so excited to have the opportunity to work 1:1 with each of them and listen to them read. Their growth is exciting! New reading groups have been formed and you should see a new book coming home with your child this week if you haven't already. 

*This Friday, January 31st is a school-wide Sports Dress Up day.

*Monday, February 3rd is the due date for the 2nd grade Time Line project that was sent home last week. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask. Here is a copy of the letter that came home with the paper last week. (Click on image to enlarge.)

*Friday, February 7th is Suamico's annual Sweetheart Auction.

*Thursday, February 13th is our Valentine's Celebration. A letter was sent home last week. A copy of the letter can also be found here: https://msanderson2.blogspot.com/2020/01/valentines-day-letter.html

*There is NO SCHOOL for students on Friday, February 14th. 

Welcome Back!

It was so great to see all of the kiddos again last week! We had a short but fun and learning-filled two-day week. 

In writing, the students learned about New Years Resolutions and were able to create their own. They did a fantastic job thinking of ways that they could improve themselves!

 In math, we spent time reviewing how to do two-digit addition and how to show proof drawings that match. We also worked on explaining their thinking with two digit addition problems by using words like hundreds, tens and ones to support answers. Students will be assessed on two digit addition this week. Our next math unit focuses on shapes and measurement. 

In Phonics, we are beginning to learn about homophones. You can help your child practice at home by pointing out when you notice a word that sounds the same as another, but is spelled differently. 

In Reading, our focus is still on non-fiction books. Please encourage your child to read non-fiction books at home and review with them what they are able to take away from their books. We are also reviewing the different non-fiction text features such as the table of context, index, diagrams, headings, maps, etc. 

I am so excited for our new Social Studies unit! We are beginning to learn about important people in history. We will start as a class by learning about George Washington. Throughout the unit, students will also learn about Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, Harriet Tubman, and more. By the end of our unit, students will have an opportunity to learn about one important individual and make a poster to show-off a timeline of their person's life. They will also get to dress up like their chosen person for our class "living wax museum." More information about this will come home as it gets closer. 

Last week, we also celebrated Weylin's 8th Birthday! He turned 8 over Winter break and we were so excited to celebrate him on our first day back. Thanks for the delicious cupcakes, Weylin! We hope your birthday was as special as you are! :) 

Ephram also won our "Cherry Pie" spelling game again last week! I have officially lost count of how many times he has won now! We are so proud of him!

Coming up...

*Our Scholastic book orders for January will be due next Wednesday, January 15th. The flyers will be coming home with your child tonight. 

*The 2nd Quarter ends next Friday, January 17th. There is also NO SCHOOL for students next Friday. 

*Monday, January 20th is our full-school "Read 20" day.  It is also Martin Luther King day. We will spend time learning about Martin Luther King on this day.

*Friday, January 31st is a school-wide "Sports" dress up day.

*Friday, February 7th is Suamico's annual "Sweetheart Auction." I hope to see you there! Our classroom basket is themed "Green Thumb." Thank you to those of you that have already donated gardening items to our class basket! We are still accepting donations. 

*Thursday, February 13th: We will have our Valentine's Celebration in class. More information about this will come home as it gets closer. We will exchange valentines at this celebration. :) 

Winter Celebration Information

Please click on the image below to read a letter that is also coming home with your child tonight. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me for questions and/or concerns! :) 

Reminders

Here are a few updates and reminders:

*Our November Scholastic book order is due this Friday, November 22nd. If you would like to keep your orders a secret or surprise, please send me an e-mail. I would be happy to either send the books home in stapled paper bags or leave them in the office for parent pick up. 

Our code for ordering online is: Q89TM

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns!

*This Friday, November 22nd is an early release due to the Bay Port football team making it to the State Championship in Madison. Second grade's lunch schedule will change to be from 10:15-10:35. We will NOT be holding recess on Friday. School will be dismissed at 11:45.  Please let me or the office know if you have any questions. 

*A message from our 3rd graders:  A group of third graders at Suamico Elementary are learning how to run a business in their Consumers and Producers unit.  This Thursday and Friday they are collecting $1.00 for a bag of popcorn.  The popcorn will be delivered to the classrooms on Tuesday, November 26th.  The profit made from the sale will be used for fleece material to make tie blankets for an area nursing home. If you are interested in contributing to this cause, please send $1 with your child on Thursday or Friday.  Again, the popcorn will be distributed next Tuesday, November 26.  

Thanks for your support!

Suamico Elementary 3rd Graders

*Thank you again to all of you who have brought in things to be recycled for my daughter Aria's classroom. We will keep collecting things to be recycled for as long as we can. In case you missed it, here is the link to the blog post for more information:

https://msanderson2.blogspot.com/2019/11/recycling-project.html

*I sent home a letter earlier this week about our Thanksgiving feast next Tuesday, November 26th with our PAWS Pals. Here is a copy of that letter:

*Thank you to the families who have donated to our Sweetheart Auction basket ("Green Thumb") and/or donated items for the Giving Tree! We appreciate it! If you wish to donate to the Giving Tree, please have items in no later than Wednesday, December 4th. Mrs. Bender, Ms. Mikle and I will deliver all of the items to the Giving Tree after school that day. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Fall Celebration

Our Fall Celebration is coming up this Thursday, October 31st. I am including a copy of the original letter sent home. I appreciate all of you who have offered to bring something in or do a craft. We are looking forward to a great time! Please also remember that all family members are invited to join our celebration! If you forgot what you signed up to bring, please send me an e-mail and I can happily remind you. :) Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

*A few parents have asked about allergies in our classroom. I appreciate that! We DO have one GLUTEN allergy. Thank you!!

Click on image of letter to enlarge:

New Carpet

The 2nd graders are loving their new carpet! We are enjoying our morning meetings, full-class lessons, and independent work time on it!

Also, here are a few reminders:

*Tomorrow you can choose to wear Bay Port apparel and/or colors (blue).

*Our October Scholastic orders are due tomorrow.

*Our Life Long Ago interviews are due tomorrow.

Updates and Reminders

We had a great four-day week together in 2nd grade! Here are a few updates and reminders:

Reading: In reading, the 2nd graders have been learning about our first unit, "Readers Grow Like Beanstalks!" They are doing a great job! They are working on choosing how to set goals for how much reading they can do in a session. They are also working on reading the books how the author intends for them to be read by using clues like punctuation, pictures, and context clues.

Math: We have done a lot of reviewing in math with number sense. The second graders have spent some time focusing on place value and also the "Make 10" strategy for addition. At home, please take some time to review correct number formation with your child. I have noticed that a few kiddos are still mixing up their numbers and making them backwards. I would also recommend practicing addition and subtraction flash cards (a bag with flash cards should be coming home with your child each night and should be returned to school each day). 

Social Studies: The second graders did a great job wrapping up their citizenship project! Be sure to check out your child's SeeSaw account to see their project. (*SeeSaw information was sent home a few weeks ago. If you need an extra copy, please let me know.) We have now started our second Social Studies unit on "Life Long Ago." Our field trip to Heritage Hill this week was a great kick-off to the unit! 

From Mrs. Foley's (Guidance) office: Just a reminder for families from Mrs. Foley. (This is also found in the school newsletter). Click on image to enlarge:

Week #4 Cherry Pie Spelling Winner: Our winner this week was Delaney! We are so proud of you! 

Paws Pals: We met with our kindergarten Paws Pals from Mrs. Preston's class on Friday for the first time! The second graders got to share picture books with their Paws Pals and did a great job!

Have a great 3 day weekend!

Reminders

A few reminders:

*Our field trip to Heritage Hill is fast approaching. Please let me know by tomorrow, September 13th, if you would like to have your name put in the hat for our one chaperone. I will try to let the person we pick know as soon as possible.

*We will be taking our MAPS tests next Tuesday and Wednesday. Please make sure that your child is well rested and has a good breakfast for these tests.  

*Optional: Wear Packer clothes tomorrow! 

*Scholastic orders are coming home tonight! These are always optional! Feel free to contact me with any questions and/or concerns! 

Updates and Reminders

Our first week in 2nd grade is complete! 

We accomplished quite a bit this week! 

Here are a few updates and reminders for you:

*A 2nd grade "Handbook" will be coming home next week with your child. The handbook will include information on our "dojo" points, Seesaw information, our planners, my homework policy and our classroom management (classroom jobs, arrival procedures, bathroom procedures, etc.). The handbook also touches on birthdays, vacation time away from school, how to send money to school with your child for various reasons, our classroom schedule, and my policy on gum in the classroom (Yes! I do allow sugar-free gum. :)).

*Yesterday, I sent home materials and a letter about completing a cover for your child's journal in school. Please check your child's backpack for this if you have not already done so. They are due back next Friday, September 13th. If you have any questions regarding this project, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

*Today, your child is coming home with a half-sheet of paper with information on our first field trip of the year. On Wednesday, September 25th, we will be going with the other 2nd grade classes to Heritage Hill. Our next Social Studies unit is on "Life Long Ago" and Heritage Hill offers an amazing program to help our students really grasp this unit. Please read over the sheet at home. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

*If you ever need extra copies of papers, forms or projects from school or if there is anything you need from me, please don't be afraid to ask! One of my favorite parts of teaching is building strong relationships with the kiddos and their families. 

*Today, we introduced our "Word Wall" in our classroom and played two spelling games. The 2nd graders had a blast! We also had our first "Cherry Pie" winner of the school year. Congratulations, Ephram! Great job! I was also extremely proud of everyone's positive attitude while playing this game! 

*Our class had it's first "Innovation" class of the school year today with Mrs. White! This is a new class at Suamico this year and I am so excited about it. Be sure to ask your child at home tonight all about it! :) 

*We are looking for at least one parent (or grandparent, step-parent, aunt, uncle, etc.) to come in on Fridays as our "Points Parent." Points Parents will take students individually to "shop" with them using their Dojo Points. We shop on Fridays. If I get more than one volunteer interested, we can have a rotating schedule. If you are interested in doing this, I ask that you check in with the office to make sure your volunteer background check is updated. Let me know if you are interested! :) 

Have a great weekend!