Sunday, October 1st

First of all, thank you to everyone who came to our Parent Information/Open House night this past Wednesday.  It was great to see many of you there, as well as the children as tour guides.  They really do take pride in their classroom and their accomplishments.  We hope enjoyed your visit.  Please let me know if you have any more specific questions.

We were busy finishing up many projects this week.  Here are some examples:  Our Coat of Arms are now hanging from the ceiling in the classroom.  These highlight unique information about each of the students in the class.  Here are the questions students had to answer in the 
form of drawings.  What is something you do well or are really proud of? What is one of your favorite places?  What is something you've tried but would like to get better at?  What is something you've never tried? 

As we continue to build a community of care and trust in the classroom, it is important to hold each 
other to agreed upon expectations.  Students generated these two wordles.  When asked what makes a great second grader, and also what makes a great teacher, second graders had amazingly thoughtful and important character traits to share. These visuals serve as our promises to each other this year. 




Home Practice (AKA Homework)
I will be making a conscious effort to refer to reading and math work done at home as, "home practice," rather than "homework."  Although the concept of homework can be exciting for many incoming second graders, it can also feel overwhelming and stressful for some.  The work that students do at home should simply be some additional practice with building stamina in reading and fluency in math facts.  Once the children have gotten into the habit of weekly reading and math home practice, I will evaluate with students how the home practice is going.  I will follow up with students and parents before November conferences to ask how the home practice is going.  At that point, if students and parents are interested in additional, OPTIONAL work, we can talk further about putting that into place.

Please look for a reading calendar in your child's YELLOW folder.  Although I'll be using the term, "home practice," the folder says, "Homework," as it was a standard company's folder that was ordered.  I will be talking with the class tomorrow about the reading calendar (expectations, how to fill it out, etc.) Please ask your child to explain how the calendar works.  If you still have questions after, please let me know.  Two things to note about the reading calendar: 
1.  Each day that your child reads, he or she should mark what type of reading (were they read to, read with someone, or read on their own).
2.  At the bottom of the page are some prompts for you to use when reading with your child. When it looks like your child might need help with a word, these should help.

Math Games for home practice will not go home this week, but look for them to start coming home soon.

Kids and Community, Fire Safety & Walk to School Day
Tomorrow we will gather as a whole school for our Fire Safety assembly. Members of the Hanover Fire Department will visit and talk with students. Second graders are looking forward to an upcoming presentation by the Concord, NH 911 dispatcher, Wanda Bowes on October 24th.  

Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 4th.  Please see the RAYS of SUNSHINE for drop off spots and walking routes. 


Wednesday, October 18th - Field trip to Lebanon Opera House to see the play called, "The Money Tree."  Thanks to everyone for getting permission forms back so soon! 

Tuesday, October 27th or 30th - 2nd graders will be experiencing something for the first time in our grade's history.  We will take part in a Super Junior Rangers program that is related to our Forest habitat studies.  Stay tuned for more!

Outdoor Seating Project - please look for more information on this in the next week or two.  We would like to get going on this project as soon as possible, and in order to do that we need volunteers who are willing and able to assist students in measuring, cutting, hammering, and assembling.