Monday, September 25, 2017

Monday Update:


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We hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Here are some important notices for Room 6 families:

Conferences
Here is a link to the Conference Schedule.  Please check to make sure your calendar agrees with ours.  If you have not signed up, please let me know which open slot(s) would work for you and I’ll put your name in.  We look forward to talking with you about your child’s goals for this year! Maddie Keyes will be joining us… if you have any concerns about this please let me know.

Please bring the Surprise “Cornucopia” project to your child’s conference, so we can have them all before Thanksgiving.  Here is a link to the directions… and let me know if you need another cornucopia.  These were handed out at Curriculum Night, and were mailed home to those families who could not attend, but we are happy to send another!  Remember … it’s a surprise!

IMPORTANT THIS WEEK: Parents: please read the Happy Hollow Handbook and sign the page indicating you read it- and ask your child to sign their page in the Student Handbook. We realize these are long, so feel free to read a little each night.  Happy Hollow requires this for every student.  You can find these by:
      • going to the Happy Hollow home page.   
      • Under "For Students", you can find "Student Handbook" for your child to read and sign.
      • Under "For Families", you can find the "Family Handbook" for you to read and sign.  Please send back the signed pages asap.  Thank you!

We hope many of you enjoyed the Happy Hollow Back to School Picnic yesterday!  It was a hot day but we hear that fun was had by all!  

Finally, it’s great to see your children bring healthy snacks each day. It is so important that they also have a good breakfast, and stay rested and hydrated.  Feel free to send in a reusable water bottle for them to keep in the classroom, particularly during these warm fall days! We are picking up the pace of our academics, but we want your children to feel successful and competent this year.

Want to volunteer?  We are always looking for Math Station Volunteers!  Let me know if you can help out- the time is different each day but we will fit you in!   If you have any concerns please let us know.  Thank you!

Deborah Niles and Maddie Keyes








Sunday, September 17, 2017

First Friday Letter

September 15, 2017
Dear Family,
Here is our first Friday Letter of second grade!  The ideas came from the students… our teacher helped us type it up.

This week in school we made a math tree with doubles facts and making 10’s.  We also went on a website called GoNoodle to calm ourselves down and follow some exciting dance moves like the DAB! We read trivia on our calendar every day.

We read from the books we chose in our book buckets. We read every day and sometimes read with other teachers.  We wrote and drew our Hopes and Dreams for Second Grade.

We went out to the gardens and watered them.  They looked really pretty!  We picked tomatoes, strawberries, swiss chard, and a huge carrot!  The vegetables will be served in the cafeteria on Harvest Day coming soon!IMG_3348.JPG

We had fun in our Specials like Technology, Library, Art, Gym and Music. We have Buddies every Friday!  They are in 4th grade in Mrs. Aronian’s class. We have been seeing them around school and on our bus. The soccer field is really big and we are having fun with friends at recess.

We’ve been doing a great job on our Star chart and we will be a Star Classroom soon! We hope you liked our letter!

Love, Your second grader!


Sunday, September 10, 2017






Dear Families,

Our school year is off to a great start! We are working on getting to know each other and building our classroom community. Children are quickly adjusting to classroom routines and seem happy to be here!  You will see a lot of papers come home at the start of the year... please send them back asap. If you have any questions please let me know... The best way to do that is via email at Deborah_Niles@wayland.k12.ma.us. Thank you for sending in the supplies!


Curriculum Night will be on Thursday, September 14, at 7:00.  I hope you can make it, as I will review a lot of information about what your child will be doing this year, and how you can support them as we journey together.
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in October and November… there will be a sign-up sheet available on Curriculum Night.
Classroom Routines:
Snack: Students have time to eat a healthy snack every day. Each student must bring his/her own snack. I am not allowed to supply them and students cannot share. PLEASE make sure your child also eats a nutritious breakfast before they leave for school.
Homework: Your second grader will have homework on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights this year. Homework for the week will usually be sent home on Monday and will be due back each Friday. Please look for this in their homework folders.
There will eventually be a small amount of reading, math and spelling homework. Once in awhile there may also be special projects in other academic areas. If your child has been focused when completing homework, they should not spend more than about 30 minutes per night.  If it takes them longer, or if you have any questions, please let me know.
Information will come home about homework and other important happenings at school on a Weekly Letter from me on the back of a Reading Log. This should be kept in the folder. Please check the homework folder each night, and take out any corrected work or notices.
 
Missed Work: If your child is absent, late to school, or is dismissed early, missed classroom work may be sent home.  Please have your child complete and return it to school within a couple of days, since our curriculum builds on prior learning. Please call the office, or send an email to them and myself, if your child will not be in school.
After School Destinations: If you have not already sent back the destination sheet that went home on the first day, please do so asap.  If they are going home a different way, please send in a note or call the office… I don’t always have time to check email during the day. Your child may not change plans without a note or call from home.


Volunteers Welcome! Help is always welcome in our classroom. I will be asking our room parents to coordinate this. The most important opportunities at this point are:
* Math Stations Assistant: This person would be in charge of one math station and help children complete the activity. I will notify you of possible dates and times.
* Curriculum Assistant(s): This is a very important role that involves helping the teachers: laminating and cutting, changing bulletin boards, making copies of class work papers, or collecting and preparing materials for projects. This will take about 20-30 minutes, at your convenience!  If you are interested, please let me know the day(s) and time(s) you are available.  Some projects may be taken home and brought back to school.


We will also need chaperones for field trips and volunteers to help with classroom parties and special events. Room parents will assist me in finding volunteers for these. Important:  Any parent who wishes to volunteer in the classroom or chaperone a class trip must complete a CORI form. These forms can be found in the office. Please do this early in the year, since they take a week or so to process.
Sharing: There will be lots of chances for students to share stories from their lives with the class, so we can get to know each other.  If something special is going on in your family and you would like to send in a picture, or your child wants to share something timely, let us know. Please do not send in any toys or electronic devices.
 
If you have any questions or concerns here are some ways to contact me:
*    e-mail me at Deborah_Niles@wayland.k12.ma.us (I check before school and in the evening)
*    Send a note in your child’s homework folder (I check this every morning)
*    Urgent/ during the day:  call the school office at 508-358-8641.
NOTE: A copy of this letter will be posted on our class blog: http://msnilesroom6.blogspot.com/. We are all looking forward to meeting you and helping your children learn, grow and have fun in second grade!


Thank you!                                                   

Deborah Niles and Maddie Keyes