Homework Sheet November 18-22

Homework Sheet for November 4-8

Pushing the Spelling Envelope One More Month

After all of the positive feedback I received regarding the spelling tic-tac-toe homework, we are going to keep at it and see if it's something the littles can stick with for a while.

I could tell they were getting tired of the same choices, so I created a new tic-tac-toe board that's JUST for the month of November! We will only have three weeks of spelling, so there's definitely enough choices to do something different! Please remind your child they can only do one square one time; it's not fun if you're just doing the same thing over and over again!

Instead of copying the board on the back of the homework sheet, I'm only going to copy it once onto the back of the November calendar. Please make sure the students' calendars stay stapled in their folders. With the tic-tac-toe board on the back, all you'll need to do is simply flip it up, choose one, and draw a line or a check-mark on the completed square. Have fun!

 

 

It's November!

Finally, my FAVORITE month of the year is upon is! We survived Halloween, the sights, smells, and sounds of Thanksgiving are fast approaching, and of course, Christmas is just right around the corner! {Not to mention, there's a birthday for me in the middle of all that fun!}

I'm sure there will be updates to the calendar, so please understand if your child has to hand-write something!

 

Spider Research Project

Let's be honest... the kids are the only ones who enjoy this project. Moms don't really care for looking at tons of pictures of spiders and I, for one, can guarantee I do not like looking at 22 different posters, covered in spider photos and facts all over my room! However, the little people are worth it. I'll admit, after last year's projects were all said and done, I did have a TINY bit more appreciation for the little critters. That doesn't mean I still don't arm myself with the strongest hold hairspray in my arsenal when a Wolf spider decides to take a detour through my restroom. *And just so you know, Windex works GREAT!*

I digress... projects are due this week. If you absolutely cannot get them turned in by Wednesday, Friday will be fine without any penalties. I'll hang them in our hallway for ONE WEEK- then they go home. That's about as long as I can handle it before I start to have nightmares! LOL!

I have NO idea why I can't get this thing to sit upright!

Homework Sheet October 28-November 1

 

Looks like a BUSY week!

Red Ribbon Week, Halloween Party, Spider Research Projects (**shudder!!!**)... Goodness!

 I know it looks like a lot of homework, but it's really just a lot of words!

The History of Troy, Texas

This past week, we were finally able to view pictures of what Troy, TX looked like over 100 years ago! Our littles really enjoyed it because it's exciting for them to see the town they live in look completely different than what is "normal to them"!

I've attempted to upload it so that you can see what they experienced. If the link to Shutterfly.com doesn't work, please let me know and I'll do my best to figure out a way to make it work!

 

 

Click here

 

 

When the Shutterfly page opens, click on "View Album", then "Play Slideshow".

Homework Sheet October 21-25

At least these words are a little better than last week's! ;)

Let me know if you have any questions about this week's changes.

**PLEASE ignore the errors on the HW sheet!

My brain isn't ready to function fully until Monday morning!**

 

 

Choose 1 activity each night (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) to make a tic-tac-toe.

 

These Words are Hard!

Fair warning... these words might take a little more practice than the previous lists have. Our pre-tests  weren't too stellar, but we will be working on them in class as well!

Spelling Equations Homework

I have no idea why I can't get this image to sit up straight!

Just in case your child didn't come home with their spelling homework tonight, it was left in their mailbox. After I came back to the classroom from putting the kids on the bus, I noticed several little people didn't get their mail, which included their homework! Responsibility is a tough lesson to learn, isn't it?!

If your child made it home with their Spelling Equations sheet and is confused about whether or not Y should be considered a vowel, here's a good trick to remember:

Every word has to have a vowel and a consonant to be considered an actual word. In words like MY and HYMN, the Y is the vowel. But, in CITY, for example, it's just another consonant. Hope that helps!

Conferences

Hi Families!

I've been trying for over a week to get the conference times sent home to you! Between my own sick kids and everything going on at school, I just haven't been able to do it.

 

Conferences are Monday, October 14 beginning at 12:00 and ending at 6:00pm. The students won't have school that day. Each conference is scheduled for 15 minute intervals. If you have a child in another grade and that conference is already set, let me know so I can have your 2nd grader's before or after. The only time that's already taken is 5:30. All of the others are still available. I'll do my very best to send home the times I have allotted for you by the end of this week. If it doesn't work, simply let me know and we will find a time that does.

 

Thanks! 

Homework Sheet October 7-11

Germ-X

We need germ-X! With the stomach virus all around us, we need as much prevention as we can get! We've been fairly lucky so far, with only a couple of students coming down with the bug.

 

Unfortunately, we only received a few bottles of antibacterial gel at the beginning of school. At the time, it wasn't a problem. But now that the ickies are everywhere, we want to keep them out of our room as much as we can!

 

If you can help send some to class, it would be greatly appreciated!

No Math Homework Tonight!

OOPS! Before I fall asleep and if anyone is checking to find out if what your kids are telling you is true... YES! They did not have homework from me tonight!

Since Mrs. Ramirez begged me to use her homework sheet this week, ***she accidentally printed out an insane amount of copies***, I'm not accustomed to her homework agenda! I completely forgot to look and by the time the littles reminded me, we were ready to hit the door!

No worries!

Homework Sheet Sept. 23-27 & a quick update

We have a busy week at school again, so I'm trying to keep the homework light. But your little one STILL needs to read 20 minutes every night! I know it's hard to do, I try doing it with my own munchkins and it's tough. But I promise you it's making a HUGE difference every day when we are building our reading stamina! We are up to 10 minutes now! We've been stuck at 10 for a few days, however, so keep doing what you're doing and we will be up to reading independently at 20 minutes before long!

 

Our school computer labs are finally ready for us to take our STAR reading and math tests! What that means is that your little reader will finally know what level book they are reading on! I know I've told them to find books that are 2.9 or lower, and you may have thought that's either too hard or too easy for them. As a class, we learned how to pick "Just Right" books, so your child should be using those skills to find books that are just right for them.

 

TES has been invited to the Pep Rally at THS this upcoming Friday morning. This is quite honestly one of my favorite events of the school year! There will be a permission slip headed your way soon!

 

{I have no idea why it's gray!}

 

Homework Sheet Sept. 16-20

This is Celebrate Freedom Week! Tuesday is Constitution Day. Please discuss with your child the importance of a Constitution. We will be creating one for our class and each student will sign their "John Hancock"! :) 

Science is Everywhere!

Unfortunately, I had to stay home from school on Friday because my gal had the pink eye. Pink is her favorite color, but let's keep it anywhere but IN her eyeballs, ok!

Anyway, she's my little explorer, so we were outside on the beautiful Friday morning enjoying the weather before the heat set in. She found an egg in the dirt that started a heated debate between the two of us. We ruled out that it could be a bird egg, and immediately started going down the list of reptiles. She thought it had to be a turtle egg and I just knew it was a snake. Thanks to Google and iPhones, we went straight to the Internet to browse images to compare.

Turns out, turtle eggs are typically rounder than this egg was. So, could this Momma be right? I was pretty sure I was...

 

 

After much convincing in the name of science, she and I cracked open the tiny egg. Another thing I was certain of what that this egg was a dud. It was found near another egg that had already cracked, so I innocently assumed this one wasn't following its sibling's lead.

 

WRONG!

 

You will notice in the video that it was not, in fact, a dud! This was one of those times I wish that smell-o-vision existed!

This thing was

SUPER.

DUPER.

STINKY!

 

The amount of comments from Facebook friends about this little guy was amazing! I love that we were able to educate people just by our curiosity! Remember- Science isn't just in textbooks!

It's everywhere! And it's FUN!

 

The Third Week

Using shapes to help subtract

 

 

Building STAMINA while we read.

we are at 8 minutes of reading without stopping now!

 

Writer's Workshop Mini-Lesson: Illustrating our Writing

(Don't laugh at my artwork!)

The picture started out with "me" and my "dog" as stick figures, the pencil sketch. I added a few colors, the students helped me label "Me" and "Molly", and they came up with the details to add to the picture. The final drawing looked much better than what we started with. Just like their pictures did! 

 

 

 Working on Writing. This week's topic was Sunshine and Lightning Moments. Sunshine Moments are those that make us happy and we enjoy. Lightning Moments are things we dislike, and maybe even scare us. These little friends had some interesting dislikes...

 

 

I had to tease my little friend about his Sunshine Moment. I have nothing against the Texas Longhorns, but I like to pretend I do when it comes to messing with my kiddos.

 

 This little dude had a hard time thinking of Lightning Moments... If only life were that great. His mom helped add a few things to it in the end: Chili, homework, making his bed, brother's baseball practice in the heat.

 

Remind 101

There's a new tool for communication that I think is pretty neat. I had it ready to go before Meet the Teacher Night, but I chickened out at the last minute! My daughter's teacher uses it also, so I figured if she's brave enough, then I can do it, too!

From what I have learned, it basically sends out a mass text and/or email when I have a notification for you. Instead of sending a message to each one of you individually, and other people getting your numbers, this is sent from a generic number.

For example, say I want to remind you all of an upcoming field trip. I can send a notice telling you when to return permission slips. In theory, it seems like a great idea! Let's try it out! Simply follow the directions on the image below.

 

Homework Sheet Sept. 9-13

Thanks to one of the brilliant moms of one of our students, she suggested I put the homework sheet on our class website so you can see it at any time!

20+ heads are definitely better than one! Keep those great ideas coming!

Updated Class Schedule

The past two weeks have felt like a juggling act, trying to see what lessons fit best at each time of the day. As of this moment, this will be our daily schedule. If any changes need to be made, I will let you know!

Scholastic Book Orders

Our Scholastic Reading Club flyers will come home today, along with this letter. If at all possible, I highly encourage you to order your child's books online. When you do, not only do you earn free books for your child, but our class earns free books for our library as well! 

Please return your orders if you're paying by cash or check by Monday, September 16th. I will do my best to get all orders entered by that evening so that your children can get their books in a timely manner. 

OUR CLASS LOVES TO READ! 

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub

One-Time Class Activation Code: L993Y

Dear Families,

Encouraging reading is one of the most important things we can do to help your child succeed. It can be tough finding the right books to keep them interested, which is why I am so excited that our class will be participating in Scholastic Reading Club this school year.

With Scholastic Reading Club:

•    Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library

•    You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child

•    You'll find the best values on a variety of formats, including eBooks

Each month, your child will bring home Reading Club flyers. Together you can choose from books hand-selected by teachers and experts, and then order online or by returning your order form and payment to me.

I'd also love some help growing our classroom Reading Club. If you'd like to help out, please let me know! I'm excited to get our class reading!

Thank you for your support,

If This Is Your First Time Ordering Online:

•     REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub

•     ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter

•     CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks

•     SUBMIT the order to me by the due date listed on the website

•     EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!

And then there were twenty...

Sadly, our class has already lost a student due to a move. I found out on Wednesday afternoon that we would have one less friend. One thing I'm always going to remember about this student was this comment:

"Mrs. Hart, how long have you been teaching?"

"5 years. :) "

"WOW! Then you must be an expert!!!"

Why, yes. Yes, I am an expert. 

{in my dreams...!}

A New Year

Phew! That week was a whirlwind! 

Between getting my own little people settled into their school and welcoming a brand new crop of 2nd graders, I'm surprised I'm still functioning! How did I not sleep away this entire Labor Day weekend??? 

I'm already infatuated with my new little friends SO much! They are absolutely precious to me and I'm so blessed and honored to share my days with them!

Many of my "new" friends aren't really new! I've either known them since before they were born, or I've had the pleasure to get to know them and their families just this year. 

Some are coaches' & teachers' kids, some are already familiar with our campus, and some are brand spankin' new. We all survived the first week of school together! I can't wait to explore this year together, to learn from each other, and develop a classroom family of our own. 

My goal for this page is to keep our families connected to our classroom. I hope to be able to give you that "fly on the wall" feeling when you wonder just what it is that we do in class each day. Naturally, I can't take pictures of every move they make during every lesson taught. And it's most likely that it could take a week to publish new posts. I also want it to be known that while I'm in charge of my little friends, their safety is top priority, even over their education. You will see pictures posted of them, but for their privacy, I will keep their sweet faces protected. 

Here's to a year full of Happy Little Harts! 

A Peek into the First Week

The first week of school is usually a blur for everyone. Our bodies are trying to figure out a new sleep schedule and our bellies are grumbling at odd times of the day. We are getting reacquainted with old friends and learning about new ones. In a nutshell, this week was filled with learning procedures in the classroom, as well as throughout the school building, playing "getting to know you" games, and reviewing basic knowledge from last year.

Writing about our summers and coloring a special "Welcome to 2nd Grade" page

 

Who doesn't love painting on a Friday afternoon?!?

 

Sharing our "Me Bag" presentations. Students had to bring 3 (or more) things in their bag that would tell us more about themselves.

Teaching the Teachers

I spent the better half of the first week in August at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in Downtown San Antonio among thousands of other colleagues from around the state. The 2013 CSCOPE State Conference was an amazing learning experience for me! I cannot wait to use all of the wonderful information that was given to us! 

We even had a little time to do some sightseeing, shopping, eating- you know, typical tourist stuff. You just can't beat walking around in 105* heat with 90% humidity! :P

Meet The Teacher Night

One of my favorite nights of the year is Meet the Teacher Night! I love getting to meet all of my new friends and their families! It's almost like New Year's Eve for everyone at school. Our classroom has been hibernating all summer, just waiting to be filled with people again!

 

I loved meeting all my new little friends and their families! Looks like we are going to have a GREAT year!

Counting Down the Days...

 

 

It seems like it wasn't that long ago when we were all counting down the days for summer to begin. I feel like I have blinked and summer is now almost over.

Today is August 1st. In many teachers' eyes, that means summer is done. It definitely is for this one.

Workshops, conferences, trainings, and in-service, oh my! I wouldn't trade it for the world, though. Honestly, I'm ready to go back. I'm ready for the routine. I'm ready to meet my new little friends, as well as see my old ones. Luckily I've been able to see a few here and there over the summer. It makes me happy to see their sweet smiling faces.

Swim as much as you can, keep on reading(!!!), take about one more week of staying up and sleeping late, and I'll see YOU on Meet the Teacher Night on August 22!

 

 

 

Let the price matching begin! Or not...

I had mentioned in a previous post that I was going to look all around and let you know where I find the best prices on school supplies. I also mentioned I was pretty sure I already knew where that was. Similar to 99% of the time, my intuition was right. I looked at Target, Staples, Office Max, Dollar General, and of course, Wal-Mart.

I found a few good prices at Target, but nothing that really stood out. Office Max & Staples, as wonderful as they are, we're the highest priced. However, they both offer great prices on items if you spend a certain amount first. I'd rather just start saving my money right out the chute, no thinking required. Dollar General was ok as well. They just don't have a very large selection, which is fine. It only becomes a problem when they have run out of stock and you don't have the time to wait for them to refill because the store is full of people and only three employees are working. I'm not knocking it. I love that place. It's just better for me and my family as a convenience store rather than a buy-all store.

And finally, trusty ol' Wally World wins again. I'll be the first to admit there's plenty of stores I'd rather spend my money for plenty of reasons. But when it comes right down to it, as far as school supplies are concerned, they have an upper hand on their competition.

I was looking at the local ad for this week's special prices on back to school items and YOWZA I had no idea what I would be seeing. If you have a family with one child, 5 kids, or if you're like me and you have a whole classroom to prepare for in addition to your own children, this is the place you should go.

I'm sure lots of people have convictions regarding why they do or do not shop at WM. It's a love-hate relationship for many folks. Well, I'd say this is a time to set aside your differences and save a buck or two! I'm pretty sure my wallet will be thanking me. :)

 

Back to School Shopping Phase 1 Complete!

I took my little people shopping for their backpacks and lunch boxes today. Before we actually went to the store, I looked online at a few places online to get an idea of the prices so I wouldn't have sticker shock! I didn't show them what I had found before I asked them what they had in mind. Lady Bug knew immediately what she wanted, so that was easy: something exactly like what she had last year. It was pink and covered in glitter. Fortunately, The Children's Place (one of my favorite stores!) had a backpack almost identical to the one we bought at Academy last summer. She debated between two choices before she picked the one I really wanted her to have. :)

 

 

BMan on the other hand wasn't quite as easy, unfortunately. I thought we had already made the decision to get one backpack and a non-matching lunchbox. Once we got to the store, all of that changed! He saw the other, not-mom-approved options. 

"BMan, you have two choices," I said. "Camo or sports?"

Cute, right?

 

No such luck. This is what he just had to have:

I mean really. He's four. Ugh. So I called my husband from the store to get his opinion on the subject. "Pick your battles. He's going to like things that you don't. If you get him a bag he doesn't want, he's going to fight you on it all year." Sheesh. Every once in a while, he's the voice of reason. Usually that's my job.

 

Being the smarty-pants that I am, I thought I'd try a compromise. Again, he's four. Suggesting that he get a flames lunch box and one of the other backpacks didn't work. At one point, I thought I had Lady Bug doing the dirty work for me. BMan asked her if she liked the flames. As I stood behind him, facing her, I suggested she tell him no by shaking my head at her. He walked away, proudly taking his big sister's advice, ready to put the bag away. She and I shared a private high-five before realizing he didn't really care what she thought after all. Turkey.

 

I hope you're having, or have already had an easier time shopping for backpacks. Somehow I presume we all share similar experiences. The joy of being a parent!

 

***Here's my super cool little people with their new digs!***

 

 

Time to go shopping!

Do you have your school supply list yet? Have you found where the best prices are? Have you set aside a budget?

Back to School shopping has always been one of my favorite times of the year! Even when I was a little kid, I loved the smell of school supplies! Since I began teaching, I've loved getting them for my own students. However, this is the first year I'm not quite as excited about it. Landry is starting Kindergarten. I swear her supply list is a million miles long. I suppose it only feels that way because my more-than-ready, too-big-for-her-britches little girl is officially starting school. She's been in Mother's Day Out programs and preschools since she was two years old, but this. This makes it real- She's growing up. Whether I want her to or not!

*** OK, mommy rant over! ***

If you haven't yet picked up or printed out your school supplies list for 2nd grade, you can grab it here.





2nd Grade School Supplies

I plan on doing plenty of price comparisons {even though I'm pretty sure I already know where the best prices will be}... I'll make a note of anything really great I find on here.

I'm definitely working with a super-tight budget this year. Both kiddos starting school, supplies for my own classroom, and not to mention school clothes and shoes. Oy!!! Baby steps! Buy a little at a time. I don't want my wallet (or my husband!) to flip out! We will make it fun though! I can't let something I love doing so much become a burden! Maybe make a game out of it? How about we get the backpacks and lunch boxes first? Then on our next trip, we will only buy the things that will fit in our bags. After that, the big jumbo things: like a million boxes of Kleenex and 10,000 bottles of Germ-X! Depending on sales, we might hold out for school clothes until the very end. It's not like they need an entirely new wardrobe all at once. They still have clothes to wear. Not to mention, since we live in an area that feels like it's next door to the sun, they can probably wear their summer clothes until December. Shoes are a must. Their sweet little feet grow so much and so fast, I don't know how their little piggies haven't popped out of them yet! Thank goodness for Crocs and flip flops!

Check out THIS post I wrote last year as I was school shopping!