Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

I hope you all are able to enjoy a bit of your child's winter vacation with them and that you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. The end of the year is so busy for all of us. Try to take some time to reflect on what is most important in your lives and all that we have to be grateful for!

Here is a photo of the class enjoying a movie and hot chocolate on the last day of school before winter break. 

STAY WARM and see you in 2018!

Ava's Blog Post

This month we are learning about different kinds of shapes like different kinds of triangles and we are learning about sides and vertices. We noticed there is a color pander it goes like this: the background was blue and the shapes were orange, then the background was orange and the shapes were blue!

Busy, busy, busy!

The second grade has been working hard and we have been VERY busy. 

Here are a few pictures of the past couple weeks of school...

Here are some photos of the class sharing our Think Outside the Box Thursday papers. Each Thursday, the students are given a paper with some sort of design on it. The students are challenged to include the design into a creative drawing and to write a descriptive sentence about it. The students really enjoyed sharing these with one another and seeing how their classmates saw things in a different perspective. 

In the STEM lab we started learning about and exploring our 3rd state of matter: gas!

Ask your child what gas experiments we conducted in the lab.

Here we are at our dress rehearsal for the Second Grade Holiday Concert!

STEM LAB - Solids

This week in the STEM Lab, the students have been exploring their second state of matter, solids. The class brainstormed a list of adjectives in small groups that described their solids.  Then we added these words to our states of matter venn diagram. Any of these adjectives that also described liquids, were moved into the shard section of the diagram so the students were able to see what made these types of matter the same AND different.

Mind Jars...

Last week, our class had our last guidance session with Mr. Malinowski until after the holidays. 

We decided to make it an extra special class. The students were read aloud the book, Moody Cow Meditates by Kerry Lee MacLean. This book was about a cow having a VERY bad day and using a strategy his grandfather taught him to settle his mind and body.

After hearing the book, the student brainstormed things that mad them frustrated, anxious or mad. Then the students made their own calming mind jars. With each pinch of glitter, the students thought about the items on their list that made them anxious and added it to their jar. 

To use the jar, you need to shake it a few times while thinking about what makes you frustrated. Then, place the jar on a flat surface and watch the glitter sink to the bottom. While the glitter swirls around the jar, focus on your breathing. When all the glitter is settled at the bottom, your mind and body will be calmer. 

Some students decided to leave their jars at school, while others decided to bring them home. 

Pajama Party!

 Our class has earned another small  celebration by filling up our GEMS box! On Friday, December 8th, we will be having a PAJAMA PARTY!

Students will still need appropriate footwear but they may come to school with pajamas or already wearing them!

Congratulations 2nd Graders!

Mrs. Christie

Publishing Party

On Friday, our class celebrated finishing their narratives with a publishing party! The students worked extremely hard to write, revise and edit their personal narratives. Our class even went to the Innovation Lab to create their book covers using a program called KidPix. The students read their stories to a few of their classmates, and listened to stories from a few of their classmates. After listening to each story, the students would write a compliment to the story's author. 

Each author was able to take these compliments home to read.

Congratulations Authors!

Student stories are on display outside of the classroom on our bulletin board. 

Be sure to stop by and check them out!

Reading Workshop

In reader's workshop, our second grade class has been working on reading fluency. Some of the strategies we have been practicing include: re-reading out loud and in your head, picking up more words to read in a phrase, and reading like the characters in the book. We practiced these strategies last week as a class, in partners and individually. We will continue to use these fluency tools daily as a part of our reader's workshop toolbox.

Happy Reading!

STEM LAB - States of Matter

Second grade is back in the STEM lab learning about the States of Matter. 

We kicked off the week by learning all about LIQUIDS. The students will visit 4 different stations that explore different properties of liquid. After visiting each station, the students will reflect on their learning by writing "I notice" statements and thinking about our focus question: 

Are all liquids the same?

We are challenging the students to describe what they saw at each station using as many science words as they can. Ask your child what station(s) they have visiting so far!

Anika's Blog Post

We colored in "yet coloring sheets" and learned about patience by I can't do it... YET with positive thinking.  Then we put the coloring sheets on the wall under the "I can't do it " poster.

Winter Gear

SNOW!!! 

It’s snow season! We need to be prepared for whatever weather Vermont decides to give us. Please start sending your child into school with winter gear: boots, jacket, snow pants, hat and mittens. 

Thanks so much!

- Mrs. Christie

Cold Weather