Week 3

 Dear Parents,

       This week in math we continued our lessons with money, students were assessed if they recognized, knew the name and the value of each coin, and began lessons on base ten numbers. We are currently working on two digit numbers. We put them in a t/o box to show how many tens and how many ones a number has. We learned tens can be called towers and ones can be called left overs. Then we built these numbers with blocks! When we put check plus done together at the top of a page it means we solved each problem as a class. We do this quite a lot when learning a new math skill.

        In writing we are learning that we can start a story by drawing pictures, then add the words. We think, picture it and put it on paper. We need to be sure that our story has a beginning, middle and end. The class is doing a good job of using their personal dictionaries to help them spell difficult words.

         In reading we took our first comprehension assessment of Clark the Shark. We read the story, discussed each page and then listened to a recording of the story. We went over a graphic organizer and all the questions that were on the assessment. The children could use their reading books and spelling dictionaries to complete the test. Since it was a test, it could be retaken for a 70% if it was not passed the first time. I support the children quite a bit at the beginning of the year as they learn and grow. I read each question to clarify and gave them time to answer. As they become more independent, I let them work more independently. We also read our first Scholastic News article. We will use these as  reading grades in the future as there are comprehension pages that go with each article. 

          In science we finished up our first unit on science safety. We began our new unit on matter. We will be learning about the properties of matter.

We chose items around the room and described them using their properties. We looked at a slideshow and watched a discovery education short movie.

 

*Common Sense Media Agreement – This agreement is in your child’s Friday Folder. Please fill it out with your child. We had lessons during science and met with our librarian through Webex to learn all the rules we should follow while we are online. Your child can earn 3 stars for his/her  responsibility chart if he/she brings it back on Monday. I have also attached this agreement to my e-mail.

 

*Picture Day Flier- This is also in your child’s Friday Folder. Picture Day is Aug. 29^th. You can buy the pictures online or send the money in the envelope back to school before the 29^th.

 

* Please take all of. The papers out of the Friday folders each week and send them back to school on Mondays.

 

*A note from Coach Ray:

 

PE is off to a great start this year.  2^nd-5^th grades are in their volleyball unit and the younger students are practicing throwing and catching.  I have a few reminders to help your student be successful in PE.

 

• Please try to remember to send your students in tennis shoes on their PE days.  Flip flops are not allowed per LISD dress code and slides, crocs, sandals, etc are not safe for PE.  
• Students wearing dresses should wear shorts under their dresses as we sit and stretch every PE class.
• Please make every effort to begin teaching your student how to tie their own shoes!  This is a really important motor skill for ALL STUDENTS to learn.  Coach Ray will be doing a lesson with kindergarten and first grade students on how to tie.  However, that is not happening until October.  Students need lots of practice to achieve this skill; not just the 15 minute lesson in PE.  It takes patience and determination from the student (and parent) but they CAN do it eventually! 😊

Week 2

 Dear Parents,

       This week in Math we focused on counting coins.  We learned the names of the coins and their value. We learned to line them up from greatest value to the least value (putting the value on or above the coin), then we wrote how much money we had as we counted each coin. (25, 50, 60, 65) We can’t forget to put that cent sign! Please practice counting money! We will continue working on this skill next week.I will send a 100s chart home in their blue folder. It is easier to count up using the chart. I have taught them that a quick way to add a dime, or 10 cents to another coin value is to go down 1 row. They put their finger on 25 and hop one box below and land on 35. To add numbers 1-9 they need to go to the right and count their hops. If they get to the end of a row, they must go to the beginning of the next row down to continue counting.

       In writing we used books as inspiration for our writing notebook entries. We began conferring and learning to write on the lines using complete sentences. I loved reading their entries so far!

        In reading we learned that we read wherever we go. We learned how to make connections- text to text, text to self, and text to world. We began using our reading stamina and graphing our progress. We learned the three ways we can read a book and how to pick a just right book. We are learning the expectations during guided reading. Soon I will be working with reading groups and they must work independently.

        In science we learned what scientists do as we went to each second grade class to meet a different scientist. We learned that there are many kinds of scientists and discussed what they do. The children picked a scientist they might like to be when they grow up and wrote about what they study, where you might find them, the tools they use and what they think is cool about that scientist.

 

   * Home work clarification:  We usually will send 2 math homework pages, and one reading homework page home each week. Additionally your child needs to fill out their reading log, Monday- Thursday each week. I will check their blue folder each Friday. Spell checks will be on Fridays. Please help them study a little each night. On Monday your child’s list of 12 words go home. They will be spelling those words in groups 2 and 3. Group 1 is sorting cards right now. There are also 2-3 sentences that will be a separate spelling and language grade. This helps them understand how to write sentences and reinforces correct spelling in context.  The sight words are read on Fridays. I put three weeks of words together as 1 reading grade every 3 weeks. Homework should never take more than 30 minutes a night. If it takes longer, you may turn in what was done in that amount of time. I will send it back home in the Friday folder in case you would like your child to have more practice. I do not want to frustrate you or your child. The goal is to practice harder math skills at home and to support more reading.    

 

*2nd  Parent Orientation was last night. If you were unable to make it, an orientation packet is in your child’s Friday Folder. You can use this link below to access the PowerPoint. There are many useful links that you may need throughout the presentation. If you have any questions at all, please contact me.

 

Link to slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wKFtts4trTMJE92549kVpYfX0o82ZAkw0vXoZ0PMp08/edit?usp=sharing

 

 

*As part of their back-to-school program, the Denco Area 911 District has provided lanyards so that each student may receive one for the start of the school year.  Dnco is the agency responsible for the operation of the 911 system, and their goal with this initiative is to help educate students on the purpose of 911 and the system's text-to-9-1-1 capability.  Denco has more educational resources available at denco.org/public-education.  For questions, please email PubEd@denco.org

 

 

Hello CRE families!  Our 2023-2024 Yearbook store is now open!  You can now pre-order the yearbook and if you choose to personalize it, Jostens is giving you 4 free icons to add to your personalization!  Visit our store by clicking the link below or scanning the QR code!

 

Yearbook store:  https://bit.ly/CREYB

 

 

Mrs. Clements and Mrs. Hernandez

Yearbook Advisors

 

*Student Dress  Code:

https://www.lisd.net/studenthandbook

 

With continued hot temps, we know your child needs to be cool and comfortable. As a reminder, the following district expectations will be monitored and addressed as needed by campus staff and administration. Thank you for your support. 

Week 1

 Dear Parents,

        What a great first week we had.  I absolutely adore your children. It is going to be a fantastic year. I look forward to partnering with you to help your child be well prepared for third grade. Please make sure your child brings a snack and a water bottle to school every day. If they forget a snack I do have a bin where they can get Goldfish or Cheezits. I will be asking for donations when I run out of snacks. I bought over 100 snacks so they should last a while.

         In math we set up our notebooks and learned about intentional problem solving. We talked about what questions we ask each other as well as how to figure out what the problem is asking. We learned about our math boxes and the manipulatives we can use to help us solve problems. We also learned about using number lines, part/part/whole boxes and number sentences. Next week’s math is going to focus on counting groups of coins. Please practice with your child at home this weekend and all next week as that will be our math focus. This can be a difficult5 skill for second graders.

         In writing we compared the writing process to creating a playdo sculpture with brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. We set up our writer’s notebook and wrote about our first day of school. We also brainstormed ideas that are close to our heart that we could use as topics for other writings. We copied a poem to show our handwriting at the beginning of the year. They grow so much in this area. And , yes- after winter break we learn cursive.

          In reading/social studies we learned about our gathering spot, how to turn and talk with a partner as well as good listening expectations. We created a class treatment agreement about how we as a class should treat one another. We talked about good manners and completed a matching sheet. We took our first istation test so that I could see what level your child is reading. We worked on our reading stamina and quiet independent reading while staying focused on our book. On Monday we will begin our reading log. The students are to read 15 minutes every night , Monday-Thursday and mark it on the sheet found in their blue folder, behind their sticker chart. I check them each Friday.

        In science  we learned about what scientists do. We set up our notebook and had our first challenge. Ask your child- did they and their partner save Sammy?

      

* There is a digital copy of our second grade newsletter attached to my weekly e-mail to you. Additionally this week there is another attachment that has 3 papers in it. All you need to do is scroll down. There is are two sign ups from PTA as well as the free lunch sign up.

 

*Kindness Week is just around the corner. If you would like to buy a kindness shirt please purchase by August 18th to ensure you receive your shirt in time. LINK TO ORDER: https://lewisville.revtrak.net/hs/lewisville-hs/lhs-kindness-shirts/

 

* Our school is doing a school wide Class Dojo rewards system for behavior. Our class will start next week. Each child will get 1 point from me each day if they have a star on their behavior chart in their blue folder. They may receive more points from other second grade teachers or the enrichment team. I also do a sticker chart in my room for extra rewards. I found this works best with my second graders as it is a constant visual of their good choices.