Spelling Words for this week:
NO SPELLING WORDS FOR THIS WEEK
How to study a spelling word:
1. LOOK at the word.
2. SAY the word.
3. THINK about the word (Make a picture of it in your mind.)
4. WRITE the word.
5. CHECK the spelling.
6. Write it again if you did not spell it correctly.
If you are planning to leave school before June 18th, please send a note to school with your child. This note will inform the office of your student’s upcoming absences.
Earlier in the year, students were given a blue Federal Form that needed to be returned in a timely manner. Our class, along with Mr. Ericson’s class, were the first classes to turn the forms in completely! As a prize, Mr. McCormick will be providing a pizza lunch for us tomorrow. He will also be providing drinks.
Last week, Rhayanna and Melissa were our Wildcats of the Week. We learned that Rhayanna has a new gray and white kitten named Scaredy Cat and a new baby sister named Chloe. Her favorite sea animal is the great white shark and reading is her favorite subject. June is Rhayanna’s favorite season and she enjoys eating donuts for breakfast (those are her favorite!). Melissa likes to draw pictures, sing, and dance. Her favorite subjects are reading and writing. When not in school, Melissa enjoys playing tennis and she also likes Bakugan.
Today your child is bringing home important end-of-the-year papers. Please take a moment to look over these with your child. Here is a description about some of the papers being sent home:
Accelerated Reader- This report lets you know what books your child read independently over the past trimester. A comprehension score and grade level for each book your child read are listed. Your child is aiming for at least 85% accuracy and 2.8-3.0 book level.
STAR- This test shows your child’s reading level based on an assessment that measures vocabulary knowledge. Goal= 2.7-3.0 minimum
Reading Fluency- These are weekly running records that show how many words your child read in a minute. Before the timing, your child read the story individually, with a partner, and whole group at least 6 times. The goal is to read 94-124 words in a minute by the end of 2nd grade.
Math Spring Trimester Assessment- This assessment includes topics discussed and learned during our Spring trimester. Please continue to review each of these concepts over the summer.
Math timing– This 3-minute math timing was given on the first day of school, in November, and then again last week. You should see growth in this area. Goal= 37+ for addition and 30+ for subtraction. Please continue to practice these facts as well as addition with carrying and subtraction with borrowing over the summer. Students have also been introduced to basic multiplication and division facts.
Writing Prompts– Your child was given a writing prompt three times during the year. Each prompt was graded on various writing skills including ideas, organization, and word choice. Please note your child’s progress in handwriting, spelling, and writing skills.
Here are a few ideas for keeping your child’s academic skill sharp over the summer vacation:
Monday: Write in a journal once a week to help maintain writing skills.
Tuesday: Write 3 spelling words each day and write a meaningful sentence for each of the 3 words.
Wednesday: READ and write about a book you have read. Retell, compare, and contrast. You could even draw a picture about what you have read.
Thursday: Practice and review math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Practice column addition and subtraction with borrowing. Work on counting money and telling time.
Friday: Read for fun! You could shop together and choose a chapter book to read and discuss all summer.
Thanks to all who have donated school supplies for my trip to Africa! I will be leaving on June 21st and returning August 19th. Please don’t hesitate to stop by my classroom next year to see pictures and hear stories about my adventures. Thanks again for your support!!
You should be receiving your child’s report card around the first of July.
Have an exciting and adventurous summer!
I can’t believe that this year is coming to an end. It has been a joy to be your child’s teacher! I hope that your student had a fun time learning and making friends in class. Thanks for your words of encouragement and support. :-) Many students have asked for my address to keep in touch during the summer. It is:
Kim Witte
P.O. Box 247
Tracyton, WA 98393
I will be in Africa for the majority of the summer so e-mailing me would be better:
kimwitte@hotmail.com
Next Tuesday June 16th, we will be having a read-in. Our class will be at Camp-Read-A lot!!! Students will be able to bring in extra books and pillows from home. If you have a tent, please let me know. We will be setting tents up in our classrooms. The read-in will be from 8:45am-11:20am.
During the last few weeks, the librarian has been talking about Summer Reading 2009. Students in good standing with the library and who plan to attend Woodlands next year will be able to participate. There is an application that needs to be completed before students will be able to check-out up to 10 books for the summer. An application can be found at: http://woodlands.cksd.wednet.edu/Library/ You can also contact the school librarian, Ms. Roberts, at 662-9720. Happy Summer Reading!
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you ever have any questions: kimwi@cksd.wednet.edu OR 662-9740.
While you read to your child, talk about your thinking when you make a connection. Explain and demonstrate the comprehension strategies to your child. As your child reads to you, ask him/her to stop after they make a connection. Then, have him/her discuss the connections they have made. These specific strategies will help to improve your child’s comprehension.
Below I have listed a few of the essential learnings that your child should be able to do independently by the end of 2nd grade. Please review them. I handed out a complete list at Open House. If you would like one another copy, please let me know.
Count by 2s, 3s, 5, 10s, 25s, and 100s
Tell time to the nearest quarter hour
Identifies and counts coins, $1, and $5 bills
Uses strategies to decode
Recognizes elements of literature (characters, setting, problem, solution, plot)
Writes a four-sentence paragraph that focuses on one topic
When reading with your child, be on the look-out for contractions. We have been discussing these in class and have been looking for them in stories that we are reading. Students should be able to recognize a contraction and explain what it means (don’t= do not, they’re=they are, etc).
Please remember that students should not be arriving at school before 8:05am unless they ride a bus. Some students are being dropped off around 8am and they are allowed to come into the classroom. If for some reason your child needs to be dropped off early, please send them to the office or to the cafeteria.
**Please know that your child should know how to do 2-3 digit subtraction with and without borrowing without any assistance (ex. 215-89). If you are finding that your child is struggling, please continue practicing this skill at home.
For those children who are interested in trying some Dr. Seuss activities, go to the following website:
http://www.Seussville.com This is full of fabulous activities for younger kids. There is also a link to this site from http://www.nea.org/readacross which has teacher/parent resources for the Read Across America/Dr. Seuss celebration.
Spending a few minutes with your child every evening can send the message that school is important. Here are two ways to support your child’s learning:
Ask your child to go through his/her backpack each day check for homework or papers for home.
Encourage your child to share what they learned at school today.
Please continue to read every night with your child! Also, encourage them to check out Accelerated Reader books during our Library Days. Accelerated Reader books are specially marked in our library with a reading level. Students can check these books out and then take a comprehension test on them. If students read AR books at home, come to school and take a test, earn 100% correct, then they get to put a dog bone up on our Reading corner bulletin board. KEEP BEING SUPER READERS!
Due to limited space in the building, we don’t have a computer lab anymore. We do have 8 computers in our pod area that we share with the other 3rd grade classes. If you have access to a computer at home, please check out the following websites:
http://www.primarygames.com
http://www.thekidzpage.com
http://www.funbrain.com
While driving down the road, you have probably been seeing the blue, reflective signs hanging on houses or mailboxes. These signs make it easier for firefighters to find your residence in the case of an emergency. The blue, reflective, durable aluminum signs are 18 inches by 6 inches and virtually glow when lit by approaching headlights. If you would like a sign for your house, please call Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue today for your FREE sign (447-3550).
Don’t forget that PTA is collecting BOX TOPS for Education and Campbell Labels for Education (ex.. Soup Labels). Tell your friends...tell your neighbors….tell your family members to start collecting these for us! We have an envelope in the classroom for collection.
Students who spend as little as 30 minutes a day reading books, magazines, and newspapers are more likely to become good readers and do better in school.
What children eat at mealtimes has a dramatic impact on their overall health. One out of five children in the United States is currently over 20% overweight. Currently many children are not meeting their dietary requirements for calcium and vitamins. A good place to help meet those requirements is your child’s lunchbox. Set out all the items that normally go into your child’s lunch. Is the amount of food similar to the amount you would consume in one meal? Children have smaller stomachs than adults. They will pick out what they want when the quantity of food sent is too large. Unfortunately, their choices will probably not be the most nutritious.
Too much sugar at lunch time will give children an energy boost for lunch time recess. It will also cause a rebound drop in blood sugar in the early afternoon making the child feel sluggish and unable to focus on class work. Here are some suggestions to maximize the nutritional content of your child’s lunchbox:
* Keep the snacks small. A package of twinkies is the same size as a sandwich. Which do you think a child would prefer? Try a package of fruit snacks instead.
* Instead of potato chips for something crunchy, try sending carrot or celery sticks.
* If your child does not like milk, substitute low-fat cheese sticks or yogurt.
* For a sweet treat offer fruit rather than sugared snacks.
Wednesdays are library days! Bring your books back so that you can check new ones out!
Please remember to be reading with your students! Students should be continuously practicing the paper stories sent home in the homework packet. Second graders: Please have the goal to read 90 words or more per minute.
Please continue to practice the spelling words and math facts daily. Spelling words are put in each week’s newsletter. It is very important that students increase their vocabulary as well as how to spell sight words. If you would like to challenge your child at home with harder words, please do! Math facts are also important! Please let me know if you would like some extra math practice sheets for practice at home.
Every staff member and volunteer must wear a badge during the school day. If you will be volunteering in the classroom or think that you would help out during a possible future field trip, it is required that you have filled out a volunteer form from the office. Along with this form needs to be a copy of your driver’s license. Every two years, these forms must be renewed. Let me know if you would like a volunteer form.
Each Monday your child will be bringing home papers from the previous week. Please don’t forget to sign the outside of the envelope and return it by Tuesday.
Please send in a snack that can be shared amongst the students during snack time. Some ideas could be a box of graham crackers, a bag of pretzels, or some fishy crackers. Your help is appreciated!
I have found, on the internet, a website that has a webcam in Africa. When clicking on the website you can actually view a watering hold and you might also have the chance to see some African animals. Usually at night, between 8:30pm-10pm our time, the animals are out because of the time difference. I have watched an elephant taking a bath, a group of zebra getting water, and have also seen a family of giraffes. The website is:
http://www.wavelit.com/popup/playerAfricam.asp
Spending a few minutes with your child every evening can send the message that school is important. Here are two ways to support your child’s learning:
**Ask your child to go through his/her backpack each day check for homework or papers for home.
**Encourage your child to share what they learned at school today.
Please continue to check your child’s homework daily. The assignments shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to complete. Please don’t get behind on doing the assignments.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your child!
:-) Miss Witte
662-9740
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