Parent/Teacher

Thank you to everyone for connecting for our online Parent/Teacher Conferences. It was wonderful to meet everyone and discuss the amazing things your children have been working on this year. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out via email. 

This week we officially moved on from Small Flying and Crawling Animals and onto Magnets. Students had fun exploring with different materials to discover which objects were magnetic and which were not. By the end of the exploration they concluded that metallic objects are magnetic and nonmetallic objects are not magnetic. Then, we moved on to learning about the poles on magnets and how opposites attract and the same sides repel!

In Social Studies, we have been learning about Inuit culture. People who live in Iqaluit, the Inuit, build Inuksuks to send messages, navigate, and point toward hunting and fishing areas. They also use Quilliqs (seal oil lamps) as part of their traditional ceremonies. 

They have been practicing adding details to their writing while remaining on topic. As we have been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we have used some opportunities to write about the book!

We have lots of events coming up as we get into December so be sure to read the December newsletter and look at the calendar to be in the loop for all the exciting events to come!

Monday- FORMAL UNIFORM
Tuesday-
Wednesday- Library books due
Thursday-
Friday- Homework NOT due (additional week given to complete project)

 The learning (and fun) never slows down in grade 2! 

Writing- Students worked on adding detail, like sensory details and similes, to their writing about their favourite foods. I loved reading about all the yummy meals they enjoy!

Reading- Room 15 put their literacy skills to work during more literacy centres. Students work individually or in a group to work on spelling words, reading, writing, and experimenting with new words in a multitude of activities. During this time, I take the take to read with small group where we have been focusing on comprehending texts. 

Math- Last week we finished off our unit on increasing and decreasing patterns, which means this week it's time for something new- building, comparing, and sorting 2D and 3D shapes!

Science- Science is also taking a shift this week. Last week, students researched on the Chromebooks about snails, including their appearance, habitat, diet, predators, and more! Then, they compared 2 of the animals we have studied during this unit using a Venn Diagram. On Friday, our new unit was introduced- Magnets!

Social Studies- Now that students have learned about natural resources in Iqaluit, Meteghan, and Saskatoon and why people might be drawn to live in those areas, we will focus our attention on the unique cultures and identities of the people who live in each location, starting with Iqaluit. 

Reminders...

1. Sign up for parent/teacher conferences this week if you have not already. Thank you to the many parents who have already booked a time! The only remaining times are for Friday morning.
2. The weather is getting colder every day. Please send your child to school with appropriate clothing for going outside. They go outside every day for recess and lunch and it is very important that they have the necessary items to keep warm. 
3. Students need to have a pair of indoor Gym shoes. Black shoes with black soles are not to be worn in the gymnasium, as they leave marks on the floors. If your child does not have gym shoes, please send them as soon as possible.
4. Students are also required to have a pair of headphones, sent to school in a plastic (ziploc) bag. 4-5 students are still missing their headphones, which were requested at the start of the school year. We use these during literacy centres, and when using the computers for various activities to minimize noise distractions. 
5. Scholastic book order forms have gone home in student folders. If you would like to purchase a book (great holiday gift idea!) visit scholastic.ca and use our Classroom Code. The code is written on the book order form for your reference. 

This week...

Monday- Formal Uniform!
Tuesday- 
Wednesday- Library books due; Fun lunch
Thursday- Regular school day, Homework due, Parent/Teacher Conferences in the evening
Friday- Parent/Teacher Conferences (NO SCHOOL)

Quick Post!

 Just a quick post this week with some reminders. Check out the "Pictures" page for Room 15's art about respect.

We had a lovely moment of reflection for Remembrance Day on Wednesday. Please take a moment to watch the Grade 2 Assembly that was sent from Mrs. Taylor if you have not already. 

Fun lunch has been posted on Healthy Hunger. It is Booster Juice. If you would like to order for your child please make sure to do so before the deadline. 

There is no new homework this week, as it is a continuation from last week. Please make sure it is completed and handed in by Friday. This includes daily reading and Mathletics. 

Parent/teacher conferences are coming up on November 25th and 26th. Watch on your PowerSchool account for your chance to sign up for a virtual conference time. 

This week:
Monday: FORMAL UNIFORM
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Library books due
Thursday:
Friday: Homework due

As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Happy Diwali!

I hope everyone who celebrates has a safe and happy Diwali! I loved seeing all the students' formal Diwali clothes, and hearing them share about their Diwali traditions. Together, we read the story, "Binny's Diwali" and decorated diyas. 

Don't forget to sign in to Healthy Hunger if you would like to buy fun lunch for your child. The next fun lunch day is Booster Juice on Nov. 24th. 

Writing- Students this week wrote about what makes their family special. They worked to add detail to their writing using triple-scoop words and "magic words" (sometimes, if, when, once). Grade 2 also started looking at similes, and our class wrote their own similes to make simile monsters.

Math- We continued working on increasing and decreasing patterns. Students are figuring out how to get information from a word problem to show a pattern in pictures, a number sentence, and a word sentence, and explain the pattern rule. 

Social Studies- We are looking at landforms and bodies of water in Meteghan, Iqaluit, and Saskatoon. After sorting various bodies of water and types of landforms into their appropriate place, we moved on to looking at the flags of each location and the symbolism in them. 

Science- We spent this week learning about bees! Students discovered why bees are useful to the environment, watched videos showing the inside of a beehive, and watched honey get extracted from a beehive. Save the bees! 

Computers- Room 15 practiced their typing skills on the computer. They independently signed in, opened their word document, and copied their family writing to be printed. 

Art- We read a book called "The Lost Teachings" which highlights the 7 Grandfather Teachings of the Indigenous Peoples (wisdom, love, respect, humility, courage, truth, and envy) and learned that the Buffalo represents Respect. In keeping with our character education about Respect, students painted with ground coffee to create their own buffalos. They paired this art with writing about how they show respect for themselves, others, and the environment.

Monday- Formal uniform
Tuesday-
Wednesday- FORMAL UNIFORM (For Remembrance Day); Library books due
Thursday- Remembrance Day (NO SCHOOL)
Friday- PD DAY (No school for students)

 Hello!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween, if you celebrate. And I hope that everyone is excited for the coming winter months! 

Since we have now had the first snowfall, please remember to send your child to school with everything they need to be safe and warm outside. This includes snow pants, a warm jacket, a hat, mittens/gloves, and appropriate footwear. We will continue to go outside for snack time, lunch, and Phys. Ed. so it is very important that your child has the appropriate clothing for these activities. 

Please also keep in mind that EVERY Monday is a formal uniform day. Students are not to wear leggings with their uniform on any day of the week. We are working to have perfect uniforms every day. If your child comes home with a blue piece of paper, please take note of what was missing or incorrect about their uniform. If you have questions about uniforms please send me an email and I will be happy to clarify. 

Room 15 had so much fun with various art projects and our Halloween activities this week. On Monday, students earned the opportunity to draw on our temporary construction wall. Throughout the week, they worked on making growing patterns and making art for our Remembrance Day assembly. And on Friday, we learned all about bats, and had a dance party in our costumes! 

Monday- FORMAL UNIFORM (Filming the assembly)
Tuesday-
Wednesday- Library books due
Thursday- 
Friday- Homework due

How is October ending already?

If you would like your child to get photo retakes done on Monday, you MUST email me to let me know. 

Grade 2 students are preparing to put on the Remembrance Day assembly. It will be another virtual assembly and available to parents before November 11th. Our class has been practicing In Flanders Fields to recite, and preparing LOTS of artwork to showcase in the bulletin boards and the video. Ask your child if they remember the poem! 

Writing: We have been brainstorming triple-scoop words to use in our writing to replace boring words. Students looked at examples of boring words and how we could make them even better. They read stories that show examples of triple-scoop words and practiced replacing boring words with triple-scoop words in their own writing. Check out the "pictures" page to see examples of triple-scoop words. 

Math: We have just completed a unit on repeating patterns and will be moving on to growing patterns this week. I encourage students to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to complete the pattern math homework so that they can learn it in class first. 

Reading: Many reading groups have continued learning about how to read with expression- not like robots! 

Social Studies: In continuing our exploration of Meteghan, Iqaluit, and Saskatoon, students have learned about various landforms and bodies of water in each location. Ask your child what landforms there are in Iqaluit and what bodies of water are near Meteghan!

Science: We have compared spiders and ants and will soon be moving on to bats and bees in our study of small flying and crawling animals. Buzzzzzzzz

Gym: This week we had the opportunity to participate in adventure running! Classes in all grades practiced their endurance running, learned how to properly read a map, and follow it to collect clues and solve a mystery word.

Coming up in Room 15...

Monday- Photo retakes; Formal uniform
Tuesday-
Wednesday- Library books due; Fun lunch
Thursday-
Friday- Homework due

SCHOOL PHOTOS

 

SCHOOL PHOTO ORDERS ARE DUE (online at www.platinumphotography.ca) ON OCTOBER 19th. Please send me an email if you would like your child's password to look this weekend. Otherwise, your child's proofs will be sent home on Tuesday and MUST be ordered that day to avoid a late charge. I understand this is VERY short notice, and appreciate the understanding. 

Reading- All students continue to work on their reading skills at their personal level. All students reviewed the sounds that letters j, k, and l make. They also started looking at the 5 jobs of silent e.

Writing- Students continue to work on narrative stories. This past week they wrote about an important adult in their life. Students are learning how to check their own work to make sure their sentences make sense. (Do they have a noun, verb, and adjective? Do they start with an uppercase and end with end punctuation?)

Math- Room 15 students worked on math centres this week. They included practice counting by 2s starting at 1, creating and extending patterns, solving math problems using a picture and number sentence, and drawing base ten blocks. 

Social- We continued our exploration of Meteghan, Saskatoon, and Iqaluit by studying the landforms and bodies of water surrounding Iqaluit. 

Science- Students watched videos and read books to do research about ants. See the picture below for an example of the information they pulled from just 1 video!

This week: 
Monday- PD DAY 

Tuesday- School picture orders due!! (ONLINE)
Wednesday- Library Books due back
Thursday- 
Friday- Homework due; Spelling test