Welcome to Grade 2!!
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
Welcome to Grade 2!! This is going to be an exciting year!! The first thing you will notice is that this class will be trying out a few different things, all based on the inquiry model. For example:
We have tables, not desks We will be working in Science/Social Studies “themes” Things are going to happen that I have not planned for, and I am excited about that!
What I mean by “themes” is not the types of themes we had growing up. All our themes are based on the science or social studies curriculum, and my grade team and I spent some long hours working on integrating all aspects of the curriculum into them. Math, language and arts will be woven into the themes. Yes I will still be specifically teaching and doing lessons, but your children’s thoughts and ideas will help guide our lessons and where we go. This is a new process for all of us, and I thank you in advance for your help and support during our inquiry year. You will notice that you have received MANY forms today. Here is a break down of what they are:
Blue/Pink form is for you to tell me things about your child that you think I should know, what your child likes to do, learn about, struggles with. Red form is that emergency information page that goes home with EVERY trip form. I want to have one completed now so I don’t have to send it home ever again. This will save you time filling out the same thing over and over, and paper! o I will from time to time ask if there is anything that needs updating, and please don’t hesitate to write in your child’s agenda if something needs adjusting. Green form is our walking trip form. Yellow form this is a technology form asking permission to use your child’s picture and initials on various social media sites like our class blog, twitter, etc. This is going to be a huge part of our learning this year White form is REMIND101 a texting service I want to try out this year. This is an FREE APP you can download onto your phone to receive blurbs from me – things like what our class is doing that is AWESOME, don’t forget reminders, etc. o Don’t worry. You won’t have my phone number, I won’t have yours. o You can sign up using the information on this sheet, or I can help you do it through the computer at school (entering email or phone number)
Please return all forms by Friday September 11th 2015.
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
Boomerang Lunches Boomerang lunches are all about being GREEN! In class, we will recycle but everything else will be sent home. This serves two purposes. 1.
You will be able to see what your child is and is not eating during the day and
2.
You will be able to green bin your child’s “left-overs” (How Green!)
As much as possible, please send reusable containers in your child’s lunch and encourage them to place their left overs back into those containers or any wrappings. This will help to keep their lunch box clean.
GYM Gym is on days 4 and 5. Please bring appropriate gym attire at the beginning of the week (shorts, tee shirt, running shoes). On Fridays I will send it home to be washed (minus the shoes). SHOES Our caretakers worked incredibly hard over the summer to make sure our classroom was ready for the first day of school! Our floor is SO clean you can pretty much see yourself in it! Please help us keep our floors looking fantastic by sending your child with indoor and outdoor shoes. We will leave the indoor (running shoes preferably) at school so your child always has something dry and clean to put on after playing outdoors. Thank you for your support. LABELING May of our students will have the same items in the same size. Please label EVERYTHING that will come off or could be misplaced. This will help the students be able to find their own items quickly and result in less lost items. Items that should be labeled:
Lunch bags Shoes Boots All winter clothes Jackets Sweatshirts, etc that will come off during the day Water bottles Pencil cases
Thank you for your support with this matter.
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
AGENDAS Students will be using and filling out their agendas daily and it is an expectation that you will be checking and signing it every night. We use agendas to:
Share our class schedule Mark upcoming trips Important information that you need to know Notes Homework that needs to be signed, etc.
It is your child’s responsibility to make sure they bring it daily; this is a REPORT CARD Learning Skill expectation. HOMEWORK Reading is the most important homework your child has. Please read 20 minutes a day with your child. You can:
Take turns reading a page or sentence together Have your child read to you Have your child read on their own then ask them comprehension questions after Read to your child, while they follow along, and ask them comprehension questions after
A monthly calendar will be sent home with homework for your child. Do one activity a day together. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS When reading with your child, it is a good idea to ask them a question or two to make sure they understand what the book is about. Some students find reading easy, but when asked what they have read, they are not sure. They can read the words, but the story line may be too difficult for them. I equate it to being able to read German, I can sound it out and read it, but I don’t understand what it says. Questions you can ask:
Who was the main character? (Remembering the names of the characters is VERY important) o When answering the questions your child should be using the characters names, not HE, SHE, IT etc. What was that chapter about? Can you tell me the problem the characters are having? o How would you solve that problem? o How do you think the character will solve the problem? Did that make you think of anything? o A connection that they have experienced themselves
I will send home a more thorough list later this month. These are just a few questions to get you started.
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
PIZZA I will let you know when pizza starts. Until then, here is how pizza money works in my classroom. I only accept money on Wednesday mornings. I only accept exact change. I cannot order for siblings. No form will be sent home. We are in grade 2 and can pick our own slice of pizza when asked. We do not save pizza. If your child is away for any reason their slice will be given to a hungry student. Thank you for your help and understanding. MONEY Anytime money is sent to school, I ask that you write how much you have sent and what it is for on that day, in your child’s agenda and initial beside it. Example: Wed Oct 5 Pizza money 1.50$ - parents initials TCBY 2$ - initials This helps when money goes missing and helps with confusion about if money was brought in for treats or not. Please place money in the same spot and let your child know it is there. I do not check for money, I ask students to look themselves. If you have written that money was brought in, I will flip to the back to check for it. Thank you.
For the rest of the year, newsletters will be found on: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/ @mcnultysclass
is our twitter handle
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
September Homework Calendar Monday 7 LABOUR DAY Read for 20 minutes
Tuesday 8 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Read for 20 minutes Tell your family about your first day!
Wednesday 9 Read for 20 minutes Count by 1s to 200
14 Read for 20 minutes Count by 2s as high as you can. I can count to _________ without a mistake! 21 Read for 20 minutes Read together as a family.
15 Read for 20 minutes Explain to your family what LIVING THINGS need to live!
16 Read for 20 minutes Create a pattern that has 2 attributes.
22 Read for 20 minutes Count by 10s as high as you can. I can count to _________ without a mistake! 29 Read for 20 minutes Tell your family something you learned about your animal!
23 Read for 20 minutes Who is Terry Fox? Why do we run?
28 Read for 20 minutes Count by 1s to 200
Thursday 10 Read for 20 minutes Practice all your spelling words. Write them out as someone says the word to you. 17 Read for 20 minutes Practice all your spelling words. Write them out as someone says the word to you. 24 Read for 20 minutes Practice all your spelling words. Write them out as someone says the word to you.
Friday 11 Read for 20 minutes FORMS ALL DUE Make a repeating pattern. 18 Read for 20 minutes Talk about your favourtie book. Why is it your favourite?
25 Read for 20 minutes Count by 1s as backwards starting at 50
30 Read for 20 minutes Count by 25s as high as you can. I can count to _________ without a mistake!
NAME: _____________________________________________________ Parent signature: ______________________________________________
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
Welcome to Grade 2!! This is going to be an exciting year!! The first thing you will notice is that this class will be trying out a few different things, all based on the inquiry model. For example:
We have tables, not desks We will be working in Science/Social Studies “themes” Things are going to happen that I have not planned for, and I am excited about that!
What I mean by “themes” is not the types of themes we had growing up. All our themes are based on the science or social studies curriculum, and my grade team and I spent some long hours working on integrating all aspects of the curriculum into them. Math, language and arts will be woven into the themes. Yes I will still be specifically teaching and doing lessons, but your children’s thoughts and ideas will help guide our lessons and where we go. This is a new process for all of us, and I thank you in advance for your help and support during our inquiry year. You will notice that you have received MANY forms today. Here is a break down of what they are:
Blue/Pink form is for you to tell me things about your child that you think I should know, what your child likes to do, learn about, struggles with. Red form is that emergency information page that goes home with EVERY trip form. I want to have one completed now so I don’t have to send it home ever again. This will save you time filling out the same thing over and over, and paper! o I will from time to time ask if there is anything that needs updating, and please don’t hesitate to write in your child’s agenda if something needs adjusting. Green form is our walking trip form. Yellow form this is a technology form asking permission to use your child’s picture and initials on various social media sites like our class blog, twitter, etc. This is going to be a huge part of our learning this year White form is REMIND101 a texting service I want to try out this year. This is an FREE APP you can download onto your phone to receive blurbs from me – things like what our class is doing that is AWESOME, don’t forget reminders, etc. o Don’t worry. You won’t have my phone number, I won’t have yours. o You can sign up using the information on this sheet, or I can help you do it through the computer at school (entering email or phone number)
Please return all forms by Friday September 11th 2015.
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
Boomerang Lunches Boomerang lunches are all about being GREEN! In class, we will recycle but everything else will be sent home. This serves two purposes. 1.
You will be able to see what your child is and is not eating during the day and
2.
You will be able to green bin your child’s “left-overs” (How Green!)
As much as possible, please send reusable containers in your child’s lunch and encourage them to place their left overs back into those containers or any wrappings. This will help to keep their lunch box clean.
GYM Gym is on days 4 and 5. Please bring appropriate gym attire at the beginning of the week (shorts, tee shirt, running shoes). On Fridays I will send it home to be washed (minus the shoes). SHOES Our caretakers worked incredibly hard over the summer to make sure our classroom was ready for the first day of school! Our floor is SO clean you can pretty much see yourself in it! Please help us keep our floors looking fantastic by sending your child with indoor and outdoor shoes. We will leave the indoor (running shoes preferably) at school so your child always has something dry and clean to put on after playing outdoors. Thank you for your support. LABELING May of our students will have the same items in the same size. Please label EVERYTHING that will come off or could be misplaced. This will help the students be able to find their own items quickly and result in less lost items. Items that should be labeled:
Lunch bags Shoes Boots All winter clothes Jackets Sweatshirts, etc that will come off during the day Water bottles Pencil cases
Thank you for your support with this matter.
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
AGENDAS Students will be using and filling out their agendas daily and it is an expectation that you will be checking and signing it every night. We use agendas to:
Share our class schedule Mark upcoming trips Important information that you need to know Notes Homework that needs to be signed, etc.
It is your child’s responsibility to make sure they bring it daily; this is a REPORT CARD Learning Skill expectation. HOMEWORK Reading is the most important homework your child has. Please read 20 minutes a day with your child. You can:
Take turns reading a page or sentence together Have your child read to you Have your child read on their own then ask them comprehension questions after Read to your child, while they follow along, and ask them comprehension questions after
A monthly calendar will be sent home with homework for your child. Do one activity a day together. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS When reading with your child, it is a good idea to ask them a question or two to make sure they understand what the book is about. Some students find reading easy, but when asked what they have read, they are not sure. They can read the words, but the story line may be too difficult for them. I equate it to being able to read German, I can sound it out and read it, but I don’t understand what it says. Questions you can ask:
Who was the main character? (Remembering the names of the characters is VERY important) o When answering the questions your child should be using the characters names, not HE, SHE, IT etc. What was that chapter about? Can you tell me the problem the characters are having? o How would you solve that problem? o How do you think the character will solve the problem? Did that make you think of anything? o A connection that they have experienced themselves
I will send home a more thorough list later this month. These are just a few questions to get you started.
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
PIZZA I will let you know when pizza starts. Until then, here is how pizza money works in my classroom. I only accept money on Wednesday mornings. I only accept exact change. I cannot order for siblings. No form will be sent home. We are in grade 2 and can pick our own slice of pizza when asked. We do not save pizza. If your child is away for any reason their slice will be given to a hungry student. Thank you for your help and understanding. MONEY Anytime money is sent to school, I ask that you write how much you have sent and what it is for on that day, in your child’s agenda and initial beside it. Example: Wed Oct 5 Pizza money 1.50$ - parents initials TCBY 2$ - initials This helps when money goes missing and helps with confusion about if money was brought in for treats or not. Please place money in the same spot and let your child know it is there. I do not check for money, I ask students to look themselves. If you have written that money was brought in, I will flip to the back to check for it. Thank you.
For the rest of the year, newsletters will be found on: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/ @mcnultysclass
is our twitter handle
BLOG: http://msmcnultysclass.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
TWITTER @mcnultysclass
September Homework Calendar Monday 7 LABOUR DAY Read for 20 minutes
Tuesday 8 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Read for 20 minutes Tell your family about your first day!
Wednesday 9 Read for 20 minutes Count by 1s to 200
14 Read for 20 minutes Count by 2s as high as you can. I can count to _________ without a mistake! 21 Read for 20 minutes Read together as a family.
15 Read for 20 minutes Explain to your family what LIVING THINGS need to live!
16 Read for 20 minutes Create a pattern that has 2 attributes.
22 Read for 20 minutes Count by 10s as high as you can. I can count to _________ without a mistake! 29 Read for 20 minutes Tell your family something you learned about your animal!
23 Read for 20 minutes Who is Terry Fox? Why do we run?
28 Read for 20 minutes Count by 1s to 200
Thursday 10 Read for 20 minutes Practice all your spelling words. Write them out as someone says the word to you. 17 Read for 20 minutes Practice all your spelling words. Write them out as someone says the word to you. 24 Read for 20 minutes Practice all your spelling words. Write them out as someone says the word to you.
Friday 11 Read for 20 minutes FORMS ALL DUE Make a repeating pattern. 18 Read for 20 minutes Talk about your favourtie book. Why is it your favourite?
25 Read for 20 minutes Count by 1s as backwards starting at 50
30 Read for 20 minutes Count by 25s as high as you can. I can count to _________ without a mistake!
NAME: _____________________________________________________ Parent signature: ______________________________________________
