Reading Magic

Every day after lunch we take a few minutes to choose new books from the classroom library.  When books are chosen, everyone sits down to read before we move on to our afternoon activities.  I love those moments when the entire class gets drawn into their books.  On this afternoon, they were so engaged in their books, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt them.  They read for thirty minutes and whined when I finally told them we had to stop!

What a show!

The 2011 MES Christmas Program was fantastic!  I'm so proud of my nutcrackers and snow fairies!  You were wonderful!

MES Christmas Program

You won't want to miss our Christmas program this year!  We will be performing in the YHS Auditorium on Friday, December 9th.  Show times are at 9:30 am and 1:30 pm.  See you there!

Canned Food Drive

We're having a canned food drive at MES!  Please send in a non-perishable food item to donate.  We will collect all items at our holiday sing-along on the morning of December 21st.  The food will be delivered to the Yuma Community Cupboard for families in need this Christmas season.  Second graders are learning how to be Bucket Fillers, and this is a great way to help them learn the important idea of sharing and helping others.  Thanks in advance for your support!

Daily Calendar

Each day when we've finished our math lesson, students move to the back carpet to complete calendar.  This time is a great way to reinforce number sense concepts and introduce new ideas.  During calendar time we work on place value, days of the week, months of the year, even/odd, patterns on a hundred chart, graphing, tally marks, and money.

Self Portraits

The dangers of second grade...

So, it's starting to look like second grade is a rather hazardous place to be.  Thankfully, none of these injuries have happened on my watch!  Beware...football games, piggy-back rides, and sidewalk races can all have an abrupt and painful end!

Hi, my name is...

            In an effort to make students more aware of some common words they're often reading incorrectly, we changed our names last week.  Everyone wore a name tag with a frequently misread word on it.  All day we called each other by our new "names."  Students walked around introducing themselves to partners and reading the words.  It was a fun way to reinforce these words, and I've noticed that students are reading some of those words more carefully now.  In fact, I'm thinking of many other uses for this activity...commonly missed math facts, spelling words, math symbols...

Partylite Candle Fundraiser

Don't forget about the MPAC PartyLite Candle Fundraiser.  Students can sell candles through next Tuesday.  Orders and money are due back at school on Wednesday, November 9th.  This is such a great fundraiser because the school receives 50% of the total money raised.  MPAC uses this money to support MES teachers and students. 

Have you filled a bucket today?

           Second graders can tell you all about being a "Bucket Filler."  At the beginning of the year we read this book together and discussed how everyone carries around an imaginary bucket.  When we feel good, our buckets are full.  When we feel sad, mad, or lonely, our buckets are empty.

           We practice filling each other's buckets throughout the day.  One specific way we work to be sure everyone in our class feels loved and cared for and has a full bucket is by writing "bucket cards" to each other.  When students have finished with their daily writing assignment, they work on writing compliments and kind words to each other.  We deliver the cards to our classmates' buckets and take them home each Friday.  I love to see their smiles as they read their cards each week.  Students will go find someone to thank them for writing the card, and they'll share them with each other.

Yep, I get bucket cards, too.  And they make me feel just as good as the kids!

Save those receipts!

        

     Don't forget to save your Shop-All receipts.  Send them to school with your child.  The school earns great resources, and the class with the most receipts at the end of the year wins a party!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up!  I'll be meeting with parents on the evenings of November 15 and November 17.  Please check your child's Friday Folder for your scheduled date and time.  I'm so excited to share your child's progress with you!

Book Fair

Once again, we will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair in the K-8 library during parent/teacher conferences.  This is a huge project, and we need parents to help run the book fair.  If you are able to donate a few hours of your time, please call the school and ask to be transferred to the library.