Scholastic Book Clubs Fall Order

On Monday, I will be sending home the catalogues for our Scholastic Book Clubs fall order.  If you are interested, this is a great opportunity to get good quality, inexpensive books for your home reading library.  If you can't wait until Monday, you can go to Scholastic's website to view all of their catalogues and place orders using our classroom code:  HBWPH.  Please place orders online or return order forms to me (with a check or money order) by Monday, November 26th.  And FYI, when you buy books through Scholastic, we earn free books for our classroom library, so it's a double-whammie of literary goodness :)

Curriculum Night

Last night, DDES hosted a Curriculum Night for our families.  Since many of you were unable to attend, we thought we'd post the Power Point we shared with parents here.  Please take a few minutes to look through it to learn about what your child will learn this year, the changes taking place with the new curriculum, and the expectations we have for your child this year.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email and I'll be glad to talk to you about it.

Authors Among Us!

If you're a fan of Captain Underpants (like me!), then tomorrow, August 30th, is your lucky day.  The author of this hilarious series (and many other fabulous books), Dav Pilkey, will be having a signing at Quail Ridge Books tomorrow, August 30th, at 4:30.  This is a FABULOUS opportunity to cultivate a love of reading and writing with your child.  The chance to hear an author speak about his/her books and characters is not to be absolutely magical.  There is no cost for admission, but usually they ask you to buy one of the author's books at their store to participate in the signing.  Follow the link or call the store for the specific details.  I hope to make it, but may not be able make it myself.  If you do go, please get a picture with the author and we will post it here :)

Welcome to 2nd Grade!

Today was a fun and busy day.  Mostly, we took care of business.  We collected out parents' homework packets (please send those in ASAP if you haven't already) and all of the supplies you sent in (Thank you!).  Then we went over SOAR Rules for the hallway, bathroom, cafeteria, and playground.  We toured the classroom and learned many of the procedures that we need to all work together and share one space.  We also practiced our fire drill procedures.  After all of that, we did have some time for recess and some preassessments in writing and math. 

Tomorrow you can expect that we will get down business as learners and dive in to our academics.  We will begin to learn about The Daily 5 (our new literacy structure this year), begin to learn about the writing process (which we will use heavily in 2nd grade), explore the base-10 number system, and learn ways to be a good citizen in our classroom.

Look for updates to be added to the website soon, including our class schedule and specials schedule.  Homework and agendas will begin next week (after Labor Day).  I you haven't gotten an agenda yet, it can be bought from the PTA for $5.  If your family is able, please consider donating an agenda for a family in 2nd grade.

I you have any questions, please email me at ksteel-keelor@wcpss.net.  Have a great evening and I'll see you tomorrow :)

End of the Year Celebration

It's been fun, but now we're done!  The end of the year is (almost) upon us.  To celebrate all that the children have accomplished, we will be having a little celebration this Thursday afternoon.  We have had lots of parents volunteer to bring or send things in.  So far we will be having pizza, drinks, cupcakes, cookies, chips, and other snacks.  Honestly, at this point, we do not need any more food - we might burst as it is!  We will also be having some wonderful surprises courtesy is Mrs. Austin.  It should be a fun afternoon.  We'll end the 2011-2012 school year in grand style.  Thank you all very much!

Field Day Fun

We had an absolutely AMAZING time at Field Day this morning.  We want to send out a BIG "Thank you!" to Mr. Lawson and Mr. Rotberg and all of the volunteers who made today possible.

Out morning started out with some relay games...

Then we visited face painting, freeze-pops, and the misting station...

Then we played some teamwork games...

And finally, the main event, Tug-of-War!  This was the longest Tug-of-War battle this teacher has ever seen!  We've got some seriously strong kids in this grade.  Sadly, we lost to Mrs. Liberto's class (but we were outnumbered!). 

All together it has been a great day.  We're all exhausted, but in a good way.  This has been a great way to round out our year together. :)

(And good news for parents is that we should all sleep well tonight!)

 





Parent Survey

WCPSS is looking for feedback on the school choice process and has asked me to share this with all of you.

"The Wake County Board of Education would like parents of all current and incoming students to complete a survey about the choice selection process for 2012-13 school assignments. The questions will take you only five to 10 minutes to complete, and the results will help the board and district to make decisions and better serve our families.

You can take the survey online by following the links at (school website) or www.wcpss.net/feedback/surveys. We also have paper copies of the survey in our office. Whether you participated in choice process or choose to keep your pre-assignment for next year, we want your input. Please take the survey!"

Field Day

Next Monday, June 4th will be our Field Day!  We will spend the morning (afternoon for 3rd-5th graders) outside playing games, running obstacle courses, and having fun.  To make the most of our day outside, please send kids to school on Monday in athletic shoes, shorts, hats, and sunscreen.  You can also send a water bottle if you'd like, but it will be the kids' responsibility to keep up with them.  If you are free Monday morning and would like to come and volunteer for field day, please contact Mr. Lawson (wlawson@wcpss.net) or Mr. Rotberg (erotberg@wcpss.net) and they will put you in the game!  It's sure to be a great time and we're all looking forward to it.

Field Trip Fun

     We had an absolute BLAST at the Museum of Natural Sciences today. 
     When we first arrived, we went straight to our curiosity class in the new building.  In the class, we looked at the life cycles of different animals and decided if they had a "metamorphosis" or "just got bigger."  We learned about the life cycles of butterflies, frogs, birds, turtles, and mice.  We got to touch a real dove and turtle saw live frogs and mice also.  We learned a lot and would like to thank our teachers Ms. Sharon and Ms. Karen.  They knew a lot about these animals!
     After that, we explored the museum.  There is SO much to see - especially with the new wing!  Some of the things we saw included dinosaur bones, microscopes, preserved animals, giant butterflies, sea horses, interactive maps, oh - and probably tons more!
    It was an awesome day, but we didn't get close to seeing it all.  The Museum of Natual Sciences does not charge admission and would make a great summer activity.  You should check it out - there's always so much going on!  link

 Jude and Pearce pet a dove.

 Jahneek touched some snake skins.

Johnny is watching the butterflies flying above.

Field Trip

Next Friday, May 25th, we will be taking our Field Trip to the Museum of Natural Sciences (Yay!).  We will explore the museum and take a Curiosity Class about life cycles.  It is sure to be a wonderful time.  To help us old folks (teachers, chaperones, dinosaurs) keep an eye on the class, we are asking everyone to wear blue shirts next Friday.  If you are free, we would love to have you as a chaperone.  If you are interested in chaperoning and haven't contacted me yet, please shoot me an email so that I can put you on my list ksteel-keelor@wcpss.net.  Chaperones should look for  letter with more specific information in next week's Tuesday folder.  If you're curious about what the museum has to offer, check out their website here.  I am also including a link for the class we will be taking which has a chaperone guide.



Metamorphosis

As we learn about life cycles, one of our main goals is to be able to compare and contrast the life cycles of different kinds of plants and animals.  So far, we have looked at butterflies, kangaroos, and frogs.  We discovered today, that butterflies and frogs have something amazing in common - metamorphosis!  We also watched an entertaining video about metamorphosis  that the kids really wanted you all to see.  Enjoy :)

Scientastic!

Last Wednesday, the 2nd Grade took a little trip over to the middle school for a science fair.  Sixth through eighth grade students led us through activities about all sorts of interesting topics, like echolocation and mixtures.  We got to use some funky materials like "Elephant Toothpaste" and "Goo."  Cary News came to check out the action and wrote an article about our adventures.  If you'd like to read it, check it out here.  We had a really fantastic time and are thankful to Mr. Regan and the middle school students for inviting us!

photo from carynews.com

What's the Buzz?

Well l, it must be that our Spring Concert is THIS THURSDAY!!!!  Please plan on joining us Thursday evening to watch Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades sing their sweet hearts out (and there's some dancing, too!).  All children should be in their classrooms by 6:15.  After their performance, they will return to the classroom and you can pick them up there after the entire show.  Mark your calendars, clear your schedules, and make plans now - so I don't have to "bug" you again.  It's sure to be a "buzzing" good time :)

Lock Down Drill

     Just in case you haven't heard yet, we had a lock down drill today.  This was a planned drill that we've known about well in advance of today.  Just like fire drills and tornado drills, we practice these periodically just to prepare everyone for those "what if" scenarios.  I just wanted you to hear it from me just in case your child did not give you the complete details :) Your children did a fantastic job following directions and practicing a safe lock down.  I was very proud of them.
     Occasionally, kids who are more savvy to current events show some anxiety over lock downs, so you may want to be sensitive to that for a few days if your child really seems to want to talk about it.  When we practice at school we don't go into much detail, but rather relate the experience to fire and tornado drills and the need to practice safe procedures from time to time so we don't forget what to do.  I like to tell anxious children that I was a student for 13 years, in college for 4 years, and a teacher for 10+ years and that in all that time, I've never been in a "real" fire/tornado/lock down at school and that I don't worry about it one little bit.  That usually helps :)
     If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss them.  I hope that you all have a fantastic weekend - It is supposed to be absolutely GORGEOUS!

Goin' Buggy

On March 22nd, our class will be performing in the DDES Spring Concert.  The title of our program is ""Goin' Buggy."  The children have been working hard to learn songs, memorize lines, and perform dances that they will share with you that evening.  Please plan on joining us that evening as we show off our sweet songs, voices, and moves!  It will be a lot of fun :)

School Pictures

     This Friday we will be taking our spring pictures.  In tomorrow's Tuesday Folder, please look for 2 separate order forms.  One is for individual pictures and one if for our class picture.  We will be happy to accept orders all week long, but please turn in your order forms by Friday if you wish to purchase pictures.  Then start practicing your best, sweetest, loveliest, handsomest (not cheesiest) smile for Friday!

                                                       Photo from www.speaklikeapro.co.uk

Welcome!

Hello!  I've been wanting to get this up and running all year and I've finally done it (It's OK to cheer.)!  Please check back often as I update and add to the page.  You can be on the lookout for newsletters, homework, pictures, student work, and general commentary from yours truly :)