Look who came to our class!

Yesterday, this fine little puppy showed up in our classroom.  We read his story about how, with the help of a little yellow bird, Rocket learned the letters of the alphabet, their sounds and  how those sounds go together to make words.

Today, Rocket brought along a basket full of  friends.  He wanted to know if the students in our class could help all of his puppy friends learn how to read.  The students agreed! 

They each got to choose a puppy and give it a name, which was added to the puppy's collar.

The students have been building their stamina, which means doing something for a long time without getting tired or giving up.

Our goal for reading to self is 20 minutes.  Today the students read to their puppies for 7 minutes!

A.P.P.L.E. classroom

The Alberta Project Promoting active Living and healthy Eating (APPLE Schools) is helping to define effective ways to create healthy school communities in Alberta. 

Our Purpose: 

1. To improve healthy living habits of students. 
2. To increase knowledge about healthy living for parents, students, teachers and the school community. 
3. To apply and sustain Comprehensive School Health in school communities.
4. To sustain capacity for healthy environments in school communities.

Every morning, the students spend their recess running around, climbing on the playground equipment, and using the new equipment that each class was given for this school year.  

After recess, the students come inside and enjoy either a fruit or vegetable that has been packed in their lunch kits.  Please help your child learn that the 'healthy choice should be the easy choice.'  Ensure that there are apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, dragon fruit, carrots, snow peas, cucumbers.....you get the idea...in their lunch each and every day!

These happy, little faces are worth the effort!

This is how we do it....organize for a great start to the day!

Every morning, the students bring in their B.E.E. Binder, with BEE standing for "Bring Everything Everyday"  It's our central communication station, all in one neat package!

In the front are a series of page protector sheets with different pages of information for the parents to use.  Please read and keep these pages in the binder to look back to, as the year goes on.  The first page explains what a B.E.E. is.

In the second sleeve is a pull out explanation about how things can work smoothly with parents and teachers working together in the best way for the success of our little ones.  Please take it out and read, but return it so that if you need to look at it again, it's right there at your fingertips.

The next page explains about 'brag tags' which will be given to the students for many reasons, increasing their excitement about learning, honouring their accomplishments, reminding them about important days of the year and recognizing their growth in character.

There are a number of pages about our home reading program and why it is so important.

It is the fifth part of our Daily Five program which is "Read to Someone."

It is important that the students take pride in their written work.  Doing their best means that they work to be tidy so others can read their ideas.  Making the letters correctly will help.

Here's a page to assist in those all important after school talks.  Since coming to school is each students' job, they may not see the day as new and exciting, thus the answer to "What did you do at school today?" is often "Nothing!"  So not true!!  Try asking more specific questions and the answers will change!  This page may help get those important conversations started.

This year the students will be using an agenda.  Just a quick note that on our classroom blog, I work hard to keep the identity of my students private.  That means that I will try my very, very best to ensure that their names do not appear.  That's why the little green paper is hiding the name of the student who's binder this is.

Depending on the type of binder you purchased, there will be one of two different types of tabs to allow the students to quickly find the page that is for the week that we are currently in.  Please keep the tabs in the agenda.  I only get enough for the current class so I cannot replace any that are lost.

It would be sooooooo very helpful if each and every parent reads the day's note and signs that they have read it.  Remember that I have all those binders to look at so I might not sign that I have read the note, but I do try to do so each morning.  If you have a note for me to see, please let your child know. I ask each and every morning.  Most of the time, your child will be writing in the agenda.  This week, I made sticky labels for the important events for the first week of school.

At the back, I have included a plastic pouch for your convenience to return sheets that need to be signed, envelopes of money and information that I would like to share.  Again, I purchased these so please recognize that I will not be able to replace them if your little one tears off the tab to close the pouch.  I am encouraging them to be gentle.

Most weeks on Friday, I will be sending home a folder.

The folder is the one with the two pockets.

Pages that can be kept at home will be on the LEFT hand side of the folder.  The work will help you see what we are doing in the classroom and will act as a way to guage your child's progress.  The pages are also great discussion starters.  For example, if you notice that 3 out of the 4 pages are not complete, the conversation might be about why the student was not able to finish their work.

On the RIGHT hand side of the folder will be pages that I would appreciate having back in the classroom on the next school day.

Hope this helps as you get used to a new way of doing things in Grade Two!

Come to our School Barbeque!

Tomorrow (Thursday) all families are invited to come to our Meet the Staff Barbeque.

It starts at 5:30!  The Parent Council is getting all the hot dogs ready! Yum! Yum!

After everyone's tummy is full, families are invited to come and visit the children's classroom!

Hope to see you there!

School starts tomorrow! Come visit the classroom!

Welcome to Mrs. Matheson's Grade Two classroom!  I am going to take you on a little tour of the room.  Here is the board next to the classroom's entrance.  Soon it will be covered with a variety of student's work all about the alphabet.

Behind the classroom door I have placed our POPCORN words, named because they keep 'pooping' up in our stories.  The students will be focusing on remembering all of these words over the first few weeks.

Here is what the classroom looks like from the front door.

Just to the right, as you walk in, is our Calendar with so  many different ways to talk about numbers, weather and calendar.

To the left as you walk in is the teacher table where small groups will gather for guidance in reading, writing and math.  It's a busy place!

Each table has a variety of materials available for the students at that table to share as they work.

Our first focus this month will be reviewing the alphabet, numbers and colours.  Bill Martin Jr. has two great books that we will be using "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and "Brown Bear".

This is the first of our gathering spots on the floor.  We will hold our Morning Meetings here.  The white shelves will be housing our blue bins that have all of our school materials in them.

Here's our second gathering spot, with different learning materials in each of the black bins.

We follow the Fountas and Pinnell leveling for reading within our school district, so I have leveled all of my classroom books.  The students will be using these books as part of their home reading program.

On the side shelf are more supplies that we use as a community.  To the left as you look at this photo, is where all of the student's duotangs and scribblers will be kept, neatly organized and ready to use.

One of the most important areas in our class is our Religion table, where we ensure that we remember that Jesus is Our Ever Present Teacher.

From this area just to the left of the Religion area, are all the technology components to run the computer and SMARTBoard.

The SMARTBoard is front and center and is used all day long!

Here's a little shelf that will play a part in our independent Word Work during Daily Five activities.

Teacher's Desk, always a busy active area, but I never get to sit there during the day!  I am too busy interacting with the children!

Meet Kit.  She has joined our classroom this year and will be a vital part of our learning about life in the past.  She's ready for her first day with her backpack and binder.

See you all on Monday, August 31.  Classes begin at 8:45!