Box tops and happy little thoughts...

Good afternoon! I was happily reminded by Jermaire this morning that the first box top contest is on! He brought in several this morning and even caused Mrs. Swinney to panic that we just might be in the lead! Collect, collect, collect...and turn them in before September 16th!

We had a fun day in class today. It is my birthday, so I let the students THINK they weren't working a whole lot when, in fact, we accomplished a lot! We are working on rotating stations in Daily 5, having our first week of word study, finishing up STAR tests (information soon), beginning problem solving strategies in math, learning about symbols in America, went to the library for the first time, practicing writing and recognizing good, complete sentences...whew. And that's not even everything.

I hope that your student is coming home and sharing something from the day that they learned, enjoyed, or even thought was challenging. There IS a bit of math homework in their folder today, so please be sure to check for it. Always, they should read at home each night and complete their word study activity for the day. Be sure that you are on the lookout for red, white and blue pictures for our project and have them to school by Thursday. It's going to be really cool...

From the Beehive,
Laura

Counting Bags

Good afternoon! Day 5 is done! Wow! Today, I asked your students to please prepare a ziploc bag of a number of items for us to use in math class. The bag can contain any number of SMALL items from 20-99. Some examples are: pennies, paper clips, marbles...the list is endless! Small foods could be used, too, I suppose. Cheerios, cheez-its...although the might get crushed and be unusable. Please send the baggie to school with your student tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest. We are using them to practice various counting strategies as we prepare for problem solving strategies.

Also, please subscribe to the classroom blog. This is where you will be able to find quick updates about what is happening in the classroom, as well as see pictures of your child at work (unless you have requested otherwise through FERPA). As I stated in the back to school newsletter, I won't send a paper newsletter every week. I am still trying to figure out the best way to communicate homework. Any suggestions?

Wow. That's really all I can say about this group of second graders. And I mean that in the BEST possible way!

Laura

The First Friday!

Wow! I can't believe that the first week is officially over! We were busy getting to know one another and learning the routines of second grade. It is amazing to me how much children change in the summer between first and second grade! We have started our writing notebooks, learned a great word building game (it's my favorite thing to do on Friday afternoons), practiced a 4-S line (be sure to ask your student about this), put our first fluency poem in our poetry folder, and a MILLION other things! Have a happy and restful first weekend of the school year!

The Welcome Buzz

Here is the PDF version of the newsletter that you will find in your student's forms folder tomorrow evening. If you have any trouble with the formatting of the newsletter on your device, please let me know as soon as possible so that I can work out (most of) the kinks! I am so excited to use this platform to share information! Here's to hoping that this works!

http://www.mediafire.com/?1ahn84aank2qq12

It's almost time!

Are you ready for a new year at TMSE? I know that I am! It has been a busy summer for me, for sure! As many of you know, our family was blessed by the birth of our second daughter in June. The excitement over her arrival has made the transition back to school bittersweet this year, but no less exciting! I hope that you and your family have had time to relax and recover from April's storm.

There are so many new things happening at TMSE this year, especially the addition of Alberta Elementary's school family. Both Mrs. Burkhalter and Mrs. Parker (Alberta's principal) are committed to excellence among the two schools while sharing one building. As Mrs. Burkhalter told us, there's no manual for combining three schools into one building following a tragedy. Everyone is learning along the way!

A BIG "new thing" is our approval as an International Baccalaureate school candidate. This is a large undertaking that will lead toward integrated curriculum and the opportunity to teach students to have a perspective that extends far beyond Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Lots of information will come your way as the school year gets started, and if I can't answer your questions I'll find someone who can!

Throughout the school year, please check this blog often. I will not send home a weekly newsletter. Instead, I will update our blog at least twice a month. On here, you will also be able to find links to important documents and websites for use at home. This is an effort to both conserve resources and to offer technology-driven access to the happenings in the classroom!

I look forward to starting the school year and getting to know your families! See you soon!

Laura