Welcome Back to another school year- 2009-2010!

I wish to welcome all the new Grade 1s and 2s to my classroom. I have some fun things, (as well as all that ’school stuff’) planned for this year, and we’ve had a great 2 weeks to start it off.

Planners go home every night as a link from school to home. Remember to check them for notes and up-dates.

The nightly reading program is going well, and everyone is settling into a routine as we figure out those ‘just-right-book’ levels. We’ve even had a few brave souls who were willing to read their books to the whole class. Bravo!

 Our first Downtown Library trip will be Tuesday, September 15th.  A note will be going home prior to the date to remind those people who HAVE cards- to send them along. New cards will be processed on Tuesday for others.

In Math, we are working through ‘Number Sense and Numeration’- please ask your child about the ‘balloon’.

This coming Thursday, is our ‘Meet-the-Creature ‘ahhh …I mean “Teacher”…night for all Tilbury Area Public School students. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

 If you cannot make it, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can set up another time!

I think that’s it-one of my goals this year is to spend a little more time on the computer…. (September/October 2008…how embarassing!)

P.S. I do send paper copies of newsletters  to everyone though…..so always check that backpack!

Mrs. Fox

Just a little note to let everyone know, that Grade 2 has settled into a routine and we are slowly plugging along with school!

I wish to express my appreciation to all the parents, whether at Thursday night’s Meet-the-Creature activities or by e-mail/phone/planners who have contacted me about their child. It is truly a gift to have parents who care about their child’s education and well-being. Do not ever think that you are being over-protective or worrisome; some day they will be teenagers and you’ll wish that Grade 2 ’stuff’ was the only thing you needed to worry about….

This Monday, September 22nd we will be trekking to the Chatham-Kent Library. I have most library cards at school but please send your child’s card if you keep it at home.

Friday will be our yearly visit from Elmer the Safety Elephant, as part of the Chatham-Kent Police’s Community Service program. They usually review proper bike and road safety for children in the primary grades.

Mark your calendars for September 29th, as this will be the Board’s first ‘Monday’ Professional Development day, in case you would like to take advantage of a long weekend or need to make plans for child care on that day.

The next day, Tuesday will be Picture Day for Grade 2, and registration forms will be coming home this week for you to choose poses and backgrounds.

We are finishing patterns soon in math and will begin ‘recount’ writing as our focus for language. This is definitely a life skill, for all of us who have ever had to fill out an incident report! Daily reading pages should be complete this week as well and the children will be happy to choose something from the ‘Treat Box’ for their efforts.

That’s it for now!

Mrs. Fox

Welcome Back ! I hope that everyone had a good summer break. I know the boys and girls were happy to be back into a routine (no more complaining ”I’m bored….’). Most survived the first week, but I saw a few heavy eyelids by the end of each day!

 I spent my summer at home, purging my house- you know how much junk one can collect over 20 some years? It was one of those jobs that you know you really should get to, but avoid it like the plague! (like the shower stall…? or organizing all the Christmas lights? yikes!) My Mom doesn’t own a computer so she won’t know about all the stuff I threw out and gave away! (and no one will tell her….)

This week, you should have received the Grade 2 Planner. This comes home every Monday to Thursday. Almost all notes have been brought back to school regarding information updates (new addresses, phone numbers, etc) for the office, Chatham-Kent library card registrations and the walking permission form to leave school property. If you need any of these papers, or have misplaced yours, let me know.

On Monday, September 8th, we will be starting our Home Reading program. Each night the students are required to read 1 book independently (to anyone who will listen!). Children who read chapter books, can read 1 chapter per night and you may just listen to an excerpt of it. Look for the plastic bag with a yellow recording sheet in it.

Also on Monday, there will be a list of common sight words that will be listed in the planner. These can be worked on during the week. Spelling tests are passe but I will be looking for these words in writing activities in class. We will also be using them as part of our ‘Working with Words’ sessions during Language time.

We have started patterning in math, and will integrate this concept into music (clapping pattern rhythms) and art (look for student names on the Grade 2 bulletin board during Meet-the-Creature night).

Our language block now is 120 minutes. I have scheduled it as such that when we switch from reading to writing @ 10ish, the kids can have a little snack. It seems to be working so far. Remember they are always allowed to have fresh fruit and water on their desk during the day.

Monday is also our first trip to the Downtown Library. The books chosen will stay at school (I have holders for each child to keep their books in) so you won’t have to worry about keeping track of them at home.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Have a great week!