Treat Day #1

THANK YOU all so very much for all of your help in making Treat Day #1 such a success! Because of YOU we didn't just have random snacks passed out...we had a caramel apple buffet! Thank you to everyone who donated, purchased, and sent items for our special day!  I am so appreciative of the amount of support that I get from you every day!  You all are amazing!  I believe that the kids had a really great time and thoroughly enjoyed their caramel apple slices!  

We had a wide variety of toppings! Some of them included:  crushed Butterfingers, crushed Oreo's, chopped peanuts, chocolate syrup, gummy bears, white chocolate chips, mini M&M's, coconut flakes, sprinkles, and mini marshmallows! 

Binder Check & Updates

If you have not done it already please check your child's Take Home Binder! I graded many papers over the weekend that they completed last Friday that are in there as well as these other items:  Flu Shot forms/information packets, our weekly parent newsletter, and an Accelerated Reader parent info letter that explains how you can get on AR at home to check your child's AR points.   Also, in their binder was a Magic Tree House book, "Ghost Town at Sundown".  They were supposed to read Chapter 3 tonight at home for homework.  Some of them did get some or most of this Chapter read during their Daily 5 choices this afternoon. 

Updates! 

Last weekend I took some time and added MANY new educational websites to the "Links" section of my page on the schools website.  I discussed this with the kids today and even let them explore some of these new sites for a few minutes.  After you click on "Links" then at the top you can change the section to Sci./Soc. Stud, Math, Books, etc. The children know exactly how to do this because they do it every day when we have our computer time. 

I also have added many new photo albums and pictures from our school year thus far.  When you get to my page on the schools website just click on the word "Albums" that is located below my picture.  Click on 2014-2015 and then you can check out the different albums such as:  Back to School, Football Homecoming, Treat Days, etc.  

The students worked so very hard all day today!  I am seeing so much growth in them already!  They have got our procedures down perfect which makes my heart so happy.  I am beyond proud to be their teacher.  

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

-Ms. Poole 

Flag Day

This past Wednesday September 24th was Flag Day.  That morning we watched a video about American symbols and discussed what those symbols meant to us.  That afternoon we were able to attend a very special and informative presentation by a group of Veterans from the VFW. They told us the history behind many of the different flags.  They also shared many historical stories with us such as how Francis Scott Key's Star Spangled Banner became famous.  Did you know he originally wrote it as a poem, not a song? We learned that each of the 13 folds in the flag represent the 13 original colonies.

AR Goals

Tomorrow I am sending home a letter that has your child's current AR goal.  Please sign and return this letter.  Normally I will set these AR goals and send home these letters at the beginning of each 9 weeks but since I just now set their goals and our 9 weeks ends in 3 more weeks you will notice that their goal this time is not that big. Their goal for the next 9 weeks will be bigger because it will be for the whole 9 weeks not just 3 weeks.  The letter also explains some of the rewards they can receive if they meet that goal.  We also have rewards in our classroom for AR points.  Also, if your child has many books at home that they read they can take AR tests on those books at school if they have read them recently.  Just send a note to school with the list of the titles of the books that they are ready to test on.  Thank you so much.

-Miss Poole

Parent Toolkit App

Here is an AWESOME and FREE app that I found for Parents.  All you have to do is text the word
TOOLKIT to the number 33733 to get the app on your mobile device.  This app allows you to create a profile for each of your children.  It provides academic and health & wellness tips throughout each grade level all the way up through their 12th grade year.  Along with tips on things such as fine motor skills, physical activity, nutrition, math, literacy, etc. it also provides examples of exactly how to help your child with each of these skills.

This link gives you some more information about the app.

http://www.parenttoolkit.com/index.cfm?objectid=B66C4990-11CF-11E4-97A30050569A5318

-Ms. Poole

Parent/Teacher Conference #1

Our first Parent/Teacher conference is coming up on Tuesday October 21st and Thursday October 23rd.  That is about a month away but I know some may need to ask off of work in a couple weeks advance.  So if I have your email address please check your email! You should have an email from www.signupgenius.com with a link that you can click on to sign up for the conference day and time that works best for you! Pick your slot before it gets filled! Conferences will be on Tuesday October 21st and Thursday October 23rd from 3:30 - 6:30.  If you did not get an email or You know that I do not have your email address please let me know. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

-Miss Poole

Measurement Fun

Today we celebrated the end of our Measuring Unit by doing some fun measuring!  We measured gummy bears, gummy worms, and gummy fish.  After we measured these things the students stretched them out without tearing them and measured them again!  After all our measuring was done and our data was recorded they got to enjoy eating their gummies!

Purple & Gold day!

Here are some pictures from our wonderful day last Friday! We had a blast at the Pep Rally! 

Homecoming Info

Our class will be attending the Homecoming parade and pep rally.  Here is a schedule for tomorrow afternoon's Homecoming festivities.

1:40 - Parade begins

2:10 - Homecoming Pep Rally and presentation of Homecoming court

3:00 - Elementary students are dismissed from gym

3:30 - ESPN Radio tailgate party

6:45 -  Homecoming ceremony (@ football stadium)

7:30 - Football game vs. Jessieville begins

Daily 5/CAFE

In our classroom each day is an adventure filled with new experiences for each child.  Daily 5 and CAFE are one of the Reading and Writing programs we use in our classroom.  During Daily 5 the children are busy completing meaningful literacy tasks.  They make a "choice" for each round of Daily 5 that we do.  Whatever choice they make is what they will be working on for that period of time.  Their choices are:

Read to Self

Read to Someone

Work on Writing

Word Work and 

Listen to Reading 

At the beginning of the year we worked very hard to learn what the guidelines and expectations were for each choice.  We also practiced building our stamina (working on something independently for a long period of time).  While students are completing their literacy tasks I will be meeting with small groups and conferencing with individual students.  CAFE is an acronym for the 4 major components of Reading.  They are:

C - Comprehension

A - Accuracy

F - Fluency

E - Expression 

The children will learn reading strategies within each category.  They will use these strategies daily to help themselves become better readers and writers.  If or when your child is reading at home please remind them to use some of the strategies from our CAFE menu that we have been learning and practicing in class. 

Here are a few pictures of what Daily 5 looks like in our classroom.

   Nathan and Cameron comfortably working on Read to Someone.

                         

                          Trinity working on Work on Writing.

                          


Mackenzie working on Listen to Reading where she completes a listening form while listening to her book on the computer. 

Gavin and Jessica working on Read to Someone in the Reading corner. 

Brianna and Jackson building words with magnetic letters 

on cookie sheets during Word Work.

Red, White, & Blue Day

Today for spirit week we all came dressed as patriotic as possible in our red, white, and blue.  We were showing spirit for our school and also showing spirit for our country.  Here are a few pictures showing some of the ways that we celebrated today.

I did actually take a wonderful, serious picture of all the kids in their red, white, and blue but then....I accidentally deleted it. :(

At least I still had this one that I took per their request and it shows their personalities a little bit more.  Second graders like to be silly sometimes.

Our good friend Mrs. Cragg came down and shared with our class some very special memories and memorabilia.  Both of her sons served our country in Iraq and at the same time.  They are both back home safe now.  The huge smile on her face shows us how proud she is of them,

The children colored and cut out yellow ribbons to put on our classroom door to show our support for our troops and service men and women.

Tomorrow I will share this wonderful book with the kids.  This book was written by a class of first grade students in Missouri.  

Grammar Games & AR Tests

This week in Language we are working on Subject-Verb agreement.  Here is a fun game I found on the internet that your child can play to practice this grammar skill.

http://www.gotkidsgames.com/sv/2ndGradeSV.html

Your child can take AR tests at home if you have internet access.  Please make sure no one is helping them answer the questions.  Also, since we are working on our comprehension skills (understanding the story) they need to try their best to answer the questions without looking through the book.  They can get there by going to my page

 http://www.flcobras.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=453422&type=u

then click on Links underneath my picture then click AR at the top.

Hawaiians, Hippies, & Royalty

Here are some pictures from the first three days of spirit week this week! The kids have done such a wonderful job showing their school spirit! This week has been so fun!  Thank you all for your help at home! Remember we are wearing patriotic colors/clothes tomorrow and purple & gold on Friday!

   

Healthy Snacks

I believe that all of us benefit from a healthy snack in the late morning or early afternoon.  For this reason I do allow my students to have a healthy snack in our class.  I myself need a handful of almonds or a banana to keep me alert and energized throughout the day so I will not deprive my students from this opportunity.  I know if I am starting to feel down they probably are too.  We work very hard every day and it can be mentally tiring at times.  I allow this until I start to find trash or food on our floor or in desks.  I have discussed all of this with the students so they are aware of the guidelines.  A few examples of a healthy snack your child could have in our room would include:  fruit in a sealed bag or container, granola bar, nuts, graham crackers, etc.  Also,  I think it is very important for all of us to stay hydrated throughout the day.  So I do allow and encourage students to bring a bottle of water to keep in our room.  If you have any questions about this please let me know.

Thank you

-Miss Poole

Sight Word Practice

It is critical that each student become fluent with their sight words to ensure that they have a foundation to be a successful reader this year.  Please make sure that your child is practicing the sight words on the back of their spelling word list that they are bringing home every Monday in their take home binder.  Also, there are many wonderful and free apps available to practice sight words.  If you have a smart phone or tablet and would like a list of apps to help your child practice sight words please just let me know.  Here is a list of websites that your child can access for free on the internet to practice sight words.

http://www.fun4thebrain.com/English/popcornWords.html

http://www.cookie.com/kids/games/sight-words.html

http://www.familylearning.org.uk/sight_word_games.html

http://www.dolchword.net/dolch-second-grade-games.html

http://www.starfall.com/n/matching/sight-words/load.htm

http://www.abcya.com/dolch_sight_word_bingo.htm

http://www.abcya.com/dolch_sight_word_spelling.htm

Homecoming Week

This week is something that I look forward to every year.  Homecoming week is a time that I like to use to teach the students about school pride.  We will be showing our school spirit all week by dressing up each day.  Here is a list of the dress up days and a few ideas of what your child can wear.

Monday:  Hawaiian day- anything floral that looks Hawaiian, leis, sunglasses, and sandals.

Girls- grass skirt over their clothes and Hawaiian/floral shirt.

Boys- swim trunks instead of jean shorts, floral shirt or shirt with a surfboard on it.

Tuesday:  Peace, Love, and Tie Dye day- anything tie dye or that has peace signs, hearts, or bright colors.

Wednesday:  Prince & Princess day- any clothing or shoes that look very fancy. 

Girls- nice pretty dress or top, crown, jewelry, and anything that sparkles.  

Boys- nice pants, dressy shoes, nice top, and tuck shirt in.

Thursday:  Red, White, and Blue America day- anything patriotic or red, white, and blue.

Friday:  Purple and Gold day- show your school spirit today by wearing purple and gold or a Fountain Lake Cobras shirt.     

Don't forget to come support our football team Friday night at the football game against Jessieville. The game is here at 7:30.

-Miss Poole

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