Thank you!

Hello Families!

Thank you so much for making it out to conferences. Ms. Johnson and I had a great time getting to know you and your children better.  

It has been a VERY busy week with a lot of activity.  We finished up our science unit on the states and properties of matter.  We will be having a final assessment on this next week.  Please see the pictures below of the students building TALL and then STRONG towers out of paper.

Ms. Johnson has been delivering math and reading lessons this week.  In math, we are working on solidifying understanding of place value as we move into working with bigger numbers.
In reading and writing, our focus is now on nonfiction texts.  We have been learning about text features, main ideas and supporting details. 
During the next two weeks, we will continue our study of the brain and growth mindset.

Help:
For some reason, we have had a problem with respecting school property this year.  We have had yoga ball chairs popped, pencils purposely broken, spinners broken off of math materials, a computer broken, etc.  Please talk to your children about the importance of respecting school property and the property of others.  We have had many discussions about this in class and will continue to work on it during the year, but it always helps to have families mention this sort of thing at home as well.  Thank you.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Families of Room 108!

I am sorry that it has been 3 weeks since my last blog post. Things have been busy!  Conferences are next week, and I look forward to sitting down with each of you to discuss your wonderful children.  You will be getting a conference reminder in today's Friday Folder.  Please double check your calendar. If the date or time no longer works for you, please send me an email so we can find a different time.  Conferences are a great time for us to catch up and for me to get your perspective on how your child's 2nd grade year is going.  

Also, there are NO behavior sheets coming home today.  It has been a busy week and I did not get them all filled out. 

Fire Safety:
A couple of weeks ago, Emmett's dad, Ryan, came in to share some fire safety tips.  Check out the photos below!

In Science, we are continuing our study of properties of matter. Today, students did an experiment with aluminum, cloth and styrofoam to determine which of these materials was the most insulating and which was the most conductive.

Below are pictures from a couple of weeks ago when students used information about the properties of different materials to design a hat to protect them on a desert island.

And finally, the Portland Water Bureau come to school and presented an assembly on the Bull Run Watershed and how we can work to conserve and protect our water sources.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing you at conferences.

Happy Halloween!

Hello Families.

Believe it or not, October 31 was not only Halloween, but the last day of 1st quarter as well!  I can't believe that the year is going so quickly.  Our Nov. 1 planning day will be spent getting ready for conferences.  Conferences will take place on Monday, Nov. 25 and Tuesday, Nov. 26.  I will be sending out reminders a week ahead of time.  In the meantime, you can take a look at the schedule outside the classroom door to sign up, change your time, etc.

Ms. Johnson will be here full time for the three weeks after Thanksgiving.  She will be teaching a math unit and picking up her involvement in the classroom.  

Cauliflower Popcorn Recipe
When we were in the garden last week, Ms. Brice gave us a taste of a yummy snack, Cauliflower Popcorn.  Here is the recipe for those who might want to try it at home:

Cauliflower Popcorn! 

INGREDIENTS:
● At least ½ large head raw cauliflower (or broccoli, green beans, carrots, or other veg- tastes best with brassicas) cut into small bite-size pieces
● About 1 teaspoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
● About 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
Close and shake for 2-5 minutes until veggies are well coated- add more seasonings if desired.
Enjoy!


Doubles, Doubles!
In math, we are still practicing our basic math facts to prepare us for the work of larger numbers.  If your student would like to practice the doubles song we learned this week, you can find it here:

Wanted:

We are still in need of 16 ounce water bottles.  If you use bottled water at home, please bring your empty bottles to school for science.  Thank you!

Dates to Know:

Friday, Nov. 1 - No School, Teacher Plan Day

Sunday, Nov. 3 - Daylight Savings Time Ends (move clocks back one hour)

Monday, Nov. 4 - Make Up TAG Testing

Tuesday, Nov. 5 - Picture Retake Day

Monday, Nov. 11 - No School, Veterans Day

Nov. 25 & 26 - Conferences

Nov. 25 - 29 - No School, Thanksgiving Holiday

Field Trip Photos and More!

Hello Families!

What a wonderful week we had!  OMSI was lots of fun.  THANK YOU to our volunteers for helping us out by taking small groups around the museum.  We couldn't do that trip without you.  Unfortunately, the labs were closed on the day we were there, but otherwise, the students stayed busy exploring, inventing and asking questions.  I will post pictures below.

Please keep checking for lice every few days.  We have had some cases in school and we want to catch it early.
Also, we have had a couple of students home with a stomach bug.  Get lots of rest and eat well this weekend!

NO BEHAVIOR SHEETS THIS WEEK:  With the field trip and other excitement, we did not get behavior sheets done this week.  We will be sure to get them to you next week.

Pictures from our trip to OMSI:

Pictures from GARDEN TIME last week:
In garden last week, students learned about the parts of plants, tried cauliflower "popcorn," planted garlic, and went on a seed hunt.  You may have found a little packet of seeds in his/her backpack!

Dates to Know:

Thursday, October 31 - Halloween!  We need volunteers for our                                                                  2nd grade fall festival.

Thursday, October 31 - End of 1st Quarter.  

Friday, November 1 - No School, Teacher Planning Day

Sunday, November 3 - Daylight Saving Time ENDS (Fall Back)

Monday, November 11 - No School, Veterans Day

Thursday, November 21 - Garden Day, Volunteers Needed!

Mon/Tues, Nov. 25/26 - No School, Conferences.

Wed-Fri, Nov. 27-29 - No School, Thanksgiving Break

OMSI, TAG Testing, Hand Washing, and Other Second Grade News

Hello Families!

We have had a fun and busy week.  We have a new principal (yay!) who is working hard to get to know the students, teachers and school routines.  We started a new science unit on states of matter, and we wrapped up our first math unit on growing patterns and graphs.  In writing, the students are busy creating personal narrative stories and trying out writing craft moves that we admire in our mentor authors.  

TAG Testing:
All Atkinson 2nd graders will have TAG testing next week on Wednesday, October 23.  This test is used to help us identify potentially Gifted students in the district.  This testing will fit into our regular schedule.  More information is coming home in  today's Friday Folder.  Hopefully the letter will answer any questions you may have.  Please be sure that your student gets plenty of rest and a nutritious meal the night before and morning of testing.  Thank you!

Hand Washing Experiment:
The results are in!  We finally got an answer to our scientific question, is it important to wash our hands?  For our experiment, we had three pieces of white bread.  The first was our "control" and only handled with sterile gloves.  The second was our clean bread, handled only with clean hands that had just been washed with soap.  The third piece was our dirty bread that had been handled by all of the students in class after they had been outside playing and had not washed hands.  Please see the results below:

We hope that this experiment illustrates how important it is to wash hands as often as possible throughout the day.  
Speaking of which...  some of you have told me that you have taken your children to get flu shots.  Thank you!  It is nice to know that we have a protective shield around our sensitive students at Atkinson who may be unable to get a vaccination.

OMSI Trip:
Our trip to OMSI is on Tuesday, Oct. 22.  THANK YOU to the parents who have stepped up to volunteer.  Our Trimet bus is leaving EARLY on Tuesday, so it will be very important for students to be ON TIME to school.  We will be walking out of the building at 8:45 am, so please plan to be here at 8:35.  Thank you!

Fall Festival:
It is a 2nd grade tradition to hold a fall festival of crafts on Halloween day.  We divide the three 2nd grade classes in thirds to form new class size groups, so that the students have a chance to get to know each other.  The students circulate through the 3 rooms to complete a fall craft.  This activity will be held in the afternoon and we could use as many parents as interested to help out.  If you would like to join us, please let me know.  Thank you!

Regular Volunteer Gigs:
We have a few current times that volunteers are always welcome: garden, running club and during art class.  

Our garden times are once a month and listed outside of the classroom door, and also here:  9/20, 10/18, 11/21, 1/17, 2/14, 3/13, 4/23, 5/15 (12:10 - 12:55 each session).  If you would like to join us for garden, you can sign up outside the door, or just show up!  Thank you to Lilah's mom, Erin, for helping us out today!

We have art class once a week, on Mondays from 10:10-11:10.  The art teacher, Kawaji Armitage, has told me that she welcomes parent volunteers, so if you would like to join the class for art, please let her know or just come on by.  

Running Club takes place during our lunch recess on Fridays.  This exciting event is run by the wonderful PTA and can always use volunteers.

Thank you!
I will be getting more volunteer opportunities out to you as they become available.  

Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Upcoming Field Trips + More

Happy Friday Families!
It has been a busy week in Room 108.  We wrapped up our first Health unit (on disease transmission/prevention).  Our word work groups are getting started on their leveled work.  We have begun talking about different types of communities. 

Many of us have felt a bit under the weather with sore throats and other ailments this week.  Please remind students to wash their hands with soap each time the use the bathroom.  We are reminding them at school as well.

Creepy Crawlies:
It is that time of year when uninvited, itchy friends often get on heads and hair and cause lots of stress and work for families.  I went through it MANY times with my own children, so I sympathize with those who get to deal with lice.  Although schools are not allowed to share information about outbreaks, etc., I would like to recommend that you check your child's head for nits and live bugs weekly for the next few months.  It is easiest to deal with if caught early.  Thank you for your help!

Field Trips:
We have 4 field trips scheduled for this year.  I sent home a letter in today's Friday Folder explaining the trips and costs.  I will put them below as well.  Trip donations can be made on SCHOOL PAY. Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thank you!

OMSI (Oct. 22, 2019) Click here for more details

Tickets = $6.00 per person

Trimet = $1.00 per person

PLAY (Dragons Love Tacos on February 7, 2020)

Tickets = $8.50 per person

School Bus = $3.00 per person

PYP (Portland Youth Philharmonic on April 8, 2020)

Tickets = FREE!

School Bus = $3.00 per person

Mt. Tabor (Portland Parks and Rec Geology Study, May 20, 2020)

Cost = $8.50 per student

Total Field Trip Costs Per Student = $ 30.00 THANK YOU!

Scholastic News Magazine:

Each (most?) weeks, your child will be bringing home a Scholastic News magazine in their Friday Folder. You do NOT need to return these to school. Students may keep them home to help them answer their homework pages and also to practice their reading skills. Thank you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!