As I wrapped up Fall conferences last night, I found myself thinking about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful, supportive group of parents to work with this year. As I mentioned to many of you, I look forward to parent-teacher conferences and value the conversations we have during that time. As you process what was discussed and the goals that I have for your children at this point, please be in touch with questions or thoughts.  Remember, the progress-report which you will receive in January, is designed to capture a “moment in time” and your children are making gains and continuing to flourish each day.

Before, I go into detail about what we have been up to in 2GS, I would like to call your attention to a few important dates.

*Mark your calendar*- Wednesday, December 19^th at 8:00am , 2GS Winter celebration. Details to follow but this will be a time to celebrate all of the wonderful work your children have accomplished thus far this year.

There are two more early release days- Thursday, December 6^th and Wednesday, December 12^th. There are movies being shown on both these days. If your child wishes to attend, please be sure to sign-up by the registration deadline.

Lastly, I will be out for professional development on the dates below. I have tried to book Ms. Bankler as the guest teacher for all days in an effort to provide some sense of consistency for your children.

December 11^th (all day), December 13^th (morning), December 20^th (all day).

There were some common themes and questions that came up at conferences. I will try and further address some questions parents had below.

Homework- The Reading Log continues to be the only homework your children have. It seems that some students are becoming lazy with this work. Please help to make sure that your children are putting in good effort each week. Additionally, most reading logs are being turned in without names. I have reminded second graders that this is a part of being a responsible second grader. If you or your child are looking for some more support in including structure in the reading log, I encourage students to write well constructed paragraphs. In 2GS, students have learned that a good paragraph includes a topic sentence (the big idea), three detail sentences that support the topic sentence and a conclusion (a thought, a wish, or a feeling). Additionally, students know how to summarize using this following quick prompt below.

In math we have been working on subtraction. Currently, students are working on the “lock-it-up, break-it-up” strategy. This is one of the many strategies that students will be exposed to in second grade. The goal is to introduce a variety of strategies in hopes that students find at least one that they will carry with them and use for subtracting in every day life. There are many steps in the process, ask your child to teach you what they have learned!

 

As discussed with many of you at conferences, math games are a great way for students to continue practicing math concepts in a fun and engaging way! The Math Resource Center at our school offers many fun games that you can borrow for periods of time, be sure it check it out! One game that second graders LOVE is Countdown, this game allows students to practice a variety of computation skills as well has the important skill of being flexible when thinking about numbers. If you are looking for a holiday gift for your child, you may want to consider this game.

 

 

Have a great weekend and please be in touch with any questions!