Hi everyone,
So I have been sitting here for about an hour trying to write a note that doesn't sound completely cheesy, but also reflects how much I appreciate the help, time, and gifts you have all given me this year...I haven't been very successful-so I'll just say that I am overwhelmed and grateful by the love and appreciation I felt today (and many days this school year!). 
We are blessed to have two wonderful room parents who put together a great celebration today.  I did take some pictures at the party, so I'll try to get those up in the next few days.  Thanks to everyone who was able to join us and help with supplies!  It's fun to have so many families take part and I look forward to our next class celebration together.
It's hard to believe that it is already winter break.  I hope that whether you are staying home or traveling to visit family and/or friends that you all stay healthy, safe and are able to relax and enjoy your time together! :)  Also, don't forget to include your Flat Stanley in a few of your activities.
Kind regards,
Shannon and RoRo

Hello everyone!
It's hard to believe we are already in the second week of December.  This week we are still finishing up our rocks and minerals unit.  Just when we think we are almost done our conversations in class lead us to new and exciting things to learn about our amazing planet.  This week we decided to talk about volcanoes and the pacific rim of fire, all great learning that I LOVE doing with these kids!  They are all super excited to paint their rock pets that they worked to describe in descriptive paragraphs explaining the properties their rock had.  I'm hoping we can get to that on Thursday or Friday of next week.  (Speaking of painting our pet rocks...if anyone has some paint or googly eyes we'd appreciate some.  I have a little, but it would save me a trip to the store!). 
In math we have been working on estimation and rounding numbers.  I really like to make math more hands on, so we learn a chant that gets stuck into their heads to help them it goes like this:
                            "If it's five or above,
                            give it a shove up.
                            If it's four or below,
                            let it hang low."
We are referring to the ones place in the number and the up or down tells us which direction we should count.  We then count up or down until we get to the next number that end is a zero (0) as estimates always end in zero!  We also add in some fun actions to make it full body learning. 
Next week in math we will be beginning our Geometry unit.  Our main focus for the week is line segments, parallel lines and naming some basic 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. 
We will also be transitioning to social studies next week and learning about Flat Stanley!  In class we will be reading the book "Flat Stanley" and creating our own Flat Stanley's for the students to take over Winter Break and have an adventure with.  They will be writing an entry over break and drawing or taking a picture with their Flat Stanley.  We will then share these when we get back from break.  After break we will have an optional assignment where students can mail their Flat Stanley to family or friends and we'll start to map where they are all traveling on a big map in the 2nd grade hallway.  I love learning about geography this way as it makes it fun and interactive!  There will be more details in their "Flat Stanley Adventure Journal". 
I also wanted to let everyone know that I will be attending a math conference next week, so I will have a sub for a few days.  I am very excited for this opportunity to learn new techniques on integrating thinking strategies into our daily math work and through conferring.  Mr. Al will be teaching and working with the kids for these days, and we'll also have another sub to help work with small groups.  I'm so grateful to have Mr. Al so the students can still have a sense of consistency since he is very familiar with our routines as he works with the kids every day! 
Another quick note-if you know you are leaving early for break would you might sending me an e-mail so that I can make sure to get your child their Flat Stanley before you leave?  Thanks so much!

This week we are working on counting money amounts.  Students will be able to solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies uing $ and ¢ symbols appropriately. (2.MD.8).  We are using our interactive notebooks more and  more and the students are really enjoying the hands-on activities!  We are also continuing to work on our fluency with math facts (addition and subtraction). 
In science we are learning about metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks.  We are also practicing identifying properties of rocks (luster, texture, etc.). I asked the students to each bring in a rock so that we can write a short descriptive paragraph to practice writing about their properties, please have them bring the rocks by Friday, Nov. 8th.  These rocks will be painted at the end of our unit, so make sure they are not special as they might not get the same one back!
Reminders: On November 20th we have picture retakes along with class pictures.  We also have no school next Monday or Tuesday (Nov. 11th and 12th).  Fall Break is coming up soon as well (The week of Nov. 25th). 
Also, we are still having cases of lice pop up, so please check your children when they get home each night and keep their coats nice and clean!  We are doing our best to not spread them here (including spraying each of our classrooms with lice spray for all the furniture and carpets). 

This week in math we are learning about Frame and Arrow routines.  The standard we are focusing on is: 2.NBT.2 (Skip counting by 5, 10 and 100).  We will be doing a fun group project with the frame and arrow routine to help us practice skip counting, making sure that we are not only starting from zero.  We are continuing to work on fluency with our one digit addition and subtraction facts (2.OA.2). 
In science we are continuing our study of earth materials.  More specifically we are learning to identify properties of rocks (texture, luster, etc.).  I forgot to send a note about bringing in rocks-so that will go home this week instead.  Students will be asked to bring in a rock (no bigger than their hand) that they can write a descriptive paragraph about.  We will be painting these rocks at the end of our unit, so please no sentimental or super special rocks that they would be sad to lose.
On Thursday, we will be having a Halloween party at 2:15!  We will NOT be having students dress in costumes, but our room moms have prepared some fun activities and treats for the kids! 
Have a fun and safe week! :)

Hi everyone,
Thank you to those of you that were able to make it to parent/teacher conferences this week.  It's fun being able to share how amazing and unique each of your children are!
As I shared in conferences we have been working on word problems with multiple steps, and now we are pushing for fluency with our addition and subtraction (single-digit) math facts without fingers!  If your child has flash cards or practice sheets at home, I'd love for them to practice for a few minutes each night. 
We are also starting the program 'TenMarks' to help us with practicing our math skills.  Each week I will review the students data for the week and assign them new modules to work on.  For this first set, they have until Oct. 31st to finish!  If they don't finish it during independent time in class, they can always work on them at home with the username and password I sent home Friday.  I really like this program because it allows me to see their progress and also has supports built in to help them if they get stuck. Don't forget you can use the parent code I sent home to keep track of your child's progress as well.  We are so lucky to have iPads in our classroom so that we can use programs like this each day!
This week we are talking about geologists and learning ways to identify properties of rocks.  I will also be asking the kids to bring in a rock that they wouldn't mind painting at the end of our unit.  Please have them look for a rock that is about palm size and rather plain (no geodes or sentimental rocks!).  We will be doing a descriptive writing piece next week and at the end of the unit making them into 'pet rocks'!  If over the next few weeks your child wants to bring in rocks to share, that is fine but I will most likely send them back home with them after a day or two.  If you have any extra special rocks (geodes, desert roses, etc.) that you don't mind donating to our classroom, we love those as well! Also, if you have any googly eyes or paints that you wouldn't mind us using, let me know!
Last thing!  On Wednesday, Oct 23rd we have picture day!  There was a note in Friday folders in case you'd like to order them. 
Thanks again for all of your support!  Have a great week.

I know I said this last week, but I'm SO excited about what's going on in our classroom!  We are continuing our math notebooks and focusing on word problems.  The kids are doing a fabulous job of looking for keywords and really showing their work to help them solve them.  We learned about the six steps to solving word problems.

1. Read the word problem.
2. Find the keywords. (Underline important things, highlight the question)
3. Write the number model.
4. Solve the number model and show your work.
5. Review to make sure your answer makes sense.
6. Label your answer correctly. (including units)

They should be using those in EVERY word problem they come across, even homework!
The students are super excited because we are staring our first science unit 'Earth Materials' this week!  I love science and the students love to bring in things to share with our class.  I encourage this always, but will also send the rocks back home with them! ;) 
Jaime and I just finished putting together our conference schedule for the week of the 14th.  We have set aside two entire days and one evening this week to accommodate working parents as well.  We will be holding joint fall conferences. These will be 15 minutes in length and we will cover math, literacy, and behavior. We ask that you either find alternate care for your children or bring an independent activity for them as these will be adult conversations.  We also ask that you be on time as the conferences are very tightly scheduled. If you have concerns that you think may take longer than 15 minutes, please schedule a separate meeting time via email. Please only sign up for one slot per child. Looking forward to meeting with all of you!
To find the sign up please go here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090544A5AC28A75-umbergerjackson

As always, if you have any questions please let me know!

I am so excited about what we are doing this week in math!  We are finally diving in head first to our 'Interactive Math Notebooks'!  We are starting with standard 2.OA.1 (Word Problems) and using the notebooks to help us explore and work through all sorts of number story problems.  Each day we will be adding additional items and using the manipulatives we make to solve word problems.  This week we are focusing on addition and then introducing subtraction.  We will also be talking about some really important 'keywords' that help us determine which is which.  I encourage you to talk with your students about what we are putting in these notebooks and how they are using them to help them understand word problems. 
Jaime and I are forming a group for Sunday’s Fun Run! We are calling it a “Fun Walk and Roll” and are doing the 1 mile at 10:30. Our team name is Second Grade Super Heroes, and we thought it would be fun if the kids came dressed as super heroes. No costume? No problem. Come join us anyway! Our group is also open to all- not just the kids! Please remember that Jaime and I will be there to participate and have fun with the kids and will not be there in a supervisory role.
Behavior in the cafeteria has been a concern school-wide. Please help us out by talking to your kids about using good table manners, controlled bodies, and inside voices. Our lunchtime supervisors will love you for it!
Conferences are right around the corner.  Mrs. Jackson and I will be sending out a sign-up genius very soon with more information about those.
Also, thank you to all the families who have been generously donating to our snack stash and classroom items from the wishlist.  We really appreciate it!  Have a great week!

This week in math we will be continuing our study of our 'Numbers in Base 10' standard.  You may have noticed our 'Math GNOMe' bulletin board in the classroom.  This is to help support students in becoming active and engaged in their learning.  We will continue adding new skills to the board as our year continues.  Each of the letters symbolizes a standard that they are focusing on this year.
G= Geometry
N= Numbers in Base 10
O= Operations and Algebraic Thinking
M= Measurement
Makes math E=Easier!

My hope is that students will begin to learn and understand what each of these standards relates to and develop their number sense so that math is fun and exciting!

We will also be beginning our first social studies unit this week.  We were going to begin with science, but on Friday we were able to sit and plan in teams and 2nd grade decided to start with a social studies unit about civics and communities.  This is the time of year when we are building our classroom communities so it just seemed to fit perfectly! :)

I have added a few photos to our photo section, so please make sure to check those out.  Also, our Fridays are finally starting to settle down and we are figuring out our crazy schedule!  Typing went much smoother this week, as did our skills block.  Hopefully this week or next we will be able to include our Friday readers so keep an eye out for that sign up!  Lastly, I have noticed that sometimes my e-mails are not always making it to my inbox.  If I haven't replied to you within 24 hours, I probably didn't receive it so feel free to resend it.  I try to check the junk mail section, but it isn't a habit quite yet so they sometimes get lost. 

Have a great week and as always, let me know if you have any questions!

It was great to meet so many of you on Back to School Night this week! If you were unable to attend, the info packet should be in your child’s homework folder.  They should also have some math homework that is due Friday, September 13th. 

This week, we continued to focus on establishing classroom routines and procedures in our math workshop.  We will continue slowly introducing some of our independent routines over the next few week so that the students understand our expectations and agreements clearly during this time. Our first focus in math will be building and practicing our number sense and fluency with math facts and skip counting.  We are also building in review from some skills they were introduced to in first grade.

Our math workshop this year will help students become independent learners and focus on the Common Core State Standards.  (Geometry, Numbers in Base Ten, Operations and Algebraic Thinking, and Measurement- which I like to call the math "GNOMe"!)  Students will begin to understand the standards and what they are learning from each of them.  Together we will chart and show their growth as we continue mastering and practicing new skills.  I will send out more specific information about how our workshop looks once we have it all up and running, but hopefully your child will be excited and start explaining it to you over the next few weeks.

We also started most of our usual Friday schedule this week. The students will spend half and hour in the computer lab learning how to type, and half an hour in the classrooms working on skills packets. These packets are Common Core aligned, and include both math and literacy. In the afternoons, all 50 of our students get together for Nonfiction Friday. They work in small groups  to read nonfiction texts, then determine the main idea, think about any questions or wonderings they have, and write down something important they learned. This will become very routine to them in a few weeks!

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me!

What an incredible first week of school we had!  It has been a lot of fun getting to know your children and I look forward to seeing them grow this year.  We have a great group of students and I'm excited to get our classroom into full swing over the next few weeks. 
Last week we were able to finish all of our pre-tests so that I could get a better idea of where all the students are starting content and skill-wise.  This week we will be working on our math workshop routine, and hopefully by next week we will start group skill work.  I am hoping to begin our first science unit mid-week or early next week, but it depends on how our routines are going.
I sent home a snack calendar this week in the students Friday folder, so please check for the day we'd like you to bring them. If you are unable to provide a snack for 25 children about once a month, please let me know as soon as possible. Snack will be served daily between 9:30am and 10:00am. We have no known allergies so any easy-to-serve snack that fuels children’s’ bodies and minds would be perfect!
Don't forget that we have 'Back to School Night' on Tuesday, September 3rd from 6:30-7:30.   Also, don't forget to check out the photos tab for some cute photo I took last week, if you didn't receive the e-mail with the password please let me know.  :)
Enjoy the long weekend, and see you Tuesday!