January 4, 2008

Dear Parents,

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season.  I am excited to get started on the next several months.  I would like to thank all of those that purchased items for our classroom.  Your generosity was greatly appreciated and my cupboards are well stocked! 

Today I was very proud of our community.  The hat day fundraiser raised $546 and the bake sale raised $364.15, which makes a grand total of $910.15.  How nice to be part of such a giving community!!

Good Behavior Ski Day is Tuesday, February 12^th.  For the more details, please find the enclosed forms. They are due on Thursday, January 17^th. 

This week first grade completed their theme (magazine) test.  Second grade students should finish on Monday.  I will send home your child’s test in the next Friday Folder.  Next week first grade will begin a new reading unit called “Sharing Time.”  It includes stories called The Doorbell Rang, The Little Red Hen and Flower Garden.  Also poems such as “My Mami Takes Me to the Bakery,” “Together” and “Flowers.”  On the reverse of this sheet are the new vocabulary words for this unit.  Please take time to review these words with your child.  Over the next few weeks, you will see four books come home: I Like Cats, A Big Help, Great Frogs! and In the Cow’s Backyard.  These books will include the new vocabulary words.

Second grade will start a new reading unit called “Family Photos.”  It includes Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon!, A Chair for My Mother, and Now One Foot, Now the Other.  Your will see five books come home using new vocabulary words: The Wish Broom, A Bigger Family, Jenny’s Faraway Family, Wait a Second! And Amelia Bedelia’s Family Album.  Enclosed is a copy of the new second grade vocabulary words to practice at home.

Enclosed in second grade student folders are Unit 4 math assessments.  Most students did very well.  The next unit is geometry.  Studying geometry helps develop spatial sense and the ability to represent and describe the world.  Students will consider five basic kinds of 3-dimensional shapes: prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones, ad spheres.  To sort the shapes, students will explore similarities and differences among them.  Also they will study polygons, or 2-dimensional shapes that form the flat surfaces of prisms and pyramids.  Later in the unit, they will explore line symmetry as they experiment with folder 2-dimensional shapes and matching the halves.  Students will cut out shapes and look for lines of symmetry in each shape.

Second grade students will begin spelling next week.  Your child took a spelling assessment.  Your child’s assessment is enclosed.  Please practice these words, because this test will be given again at the end of the school year.  Your child should know these words by the end of the year.  Our class average was 47 words out of 93, or 50%.  Any misspelled words were added to your child’s spelling list.  Words are added to your child’s list from the spelling assessment and his/her daily writing.  Each week I will choose six words for your child. Students will bring home their spelling list on Mondays.  The test will be given on Fridays.  The first list will come home next Monday.  First grade students will begin their spelling by the end of the month.

Kaleva Norman Dickson School, Bear Lake School & Onekama Consolidated School is announcing auditions for their upcoming production of Disney’s Mulan Jr..  Auditions are open to any student enrolled in any of the three schools.  Students may attend any of the following auditions: January 7 – Brethren HS Cafetorium at 6 p.m., January 8 – Bear Lake Media Center at 6 p.m. or January 9 – Onekama Media Center at 6 p.m.  No advance preparation or experience is needed.  The production is on March 14, 15 and 16 at the Brethren High School Cafetorium.

Warmly,

Shantel

Mrs. N.'s Main Page for 2007-2008

http://www.onekama.k12.mi.us