End of September

 Greetings from Room 6!

Tomorrow (October 1) we are saying good-bye to our wonderful Teaching Assistant, Monique Thompson. We will be honoring her in our assembly, and having lunch with her in the classroom.  If your child can bring his/her lunch to school we can spend more of our lunchtime in the room together.  

A few requests before I get to our class update:  

• ·       Students seem very hungry in the morning.  Please keep encouraging a big breakfast, and send in a couple of snacks to get them through our long morning.
• ·       We have already started to see illnesses popping up, so we will be wiping desks every day.  To wash desks we need either wipes, or a spray bottle with vinegar and water and a rag. Any contributions are appreciated!
• ·       Please check this conference schedule to make sure you have the time of your child’s conference on your calendar.
• ·       Finally, thanks to those of you who sent in the permission form for our upcoming field trip.  I will notify chaperones this week who is coming, since we had such a great response!

We are busy getting up to speed and having fun doing so in many areas, here is an “update”:

• ·       In writing we have begun getting ideas for our Personal Narrative writing unit, using “Teeny Topics Notebooks”. You never know when ideas for great stories might come your way, so students can record ideas anytime! Please have them returned to school each day in their Homework Folders.
• ·       September 21 was our first of two fall “Harvest Days”... and thanks go to Scarlett’s mom Laura for chopping, serving and cleaning up in the cafeteria.  Thanks also to Connor’s mom and Jacob Choi’s mom for sending in supplies. You will see an article in the next “Holler”, with pictures!
• ·       Speaking of pictures... the ones below were taken during our “getting to know you” activity with our 4^thgrade Buddies.  Ask your child about their buddy!

• ·       In math we are working on math facts up to 20, using strategies such as doubles, make 10’s, skip counting and even and odd numbers.
• ·       Our Weather unit will include our first field trip to the Blue Hill Weather Observatory in Milton, MA on October 16.  Meanwhile ask your child to watch or listen to a weather report with you.  They can learn so much that way!
• ·       Finally, thank you to Judy Chan and Connor for putting together Monthly Message folders for our students at home.  We hope to send home the first one this coming week! We have many other volunteer opportunities, including helping during Math Stations and helping in the gardens.  Just let myself or the room parents know what your availability and interests are!

Thank you... we welcome your feedback!
Deborah Niles and Monique Thompson

Week 3!

Room 6 News

It was wonderful to meet so many of you at Curriculum Night last week!  Here is a link to the Conference Schedule so you can keep track of your time, and sign up if you have not done so.

Last Friday we picked cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden, and we are serving them in the cafeteria this Friday for our first fall Harvest Day!  Please watch for a volunteer signup from our Room Parents.  If you volunteer please come with your camera!

Speaking of cameras, please remember Picture Day tomorrow!  Please send it the form that went home last week if you have not already done so.

Also last week we sent home Reading Logs, and most of them were returned last Friday.  Today is our second week of homework in Second Grade, and we have added a math game to our expectations.  We played it in school and the children enjoyed it.   Please help your child remember to send back the log on Friday.

We hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather!

Deborah Niles and Monique Thompson

September 2018

Room 6 School Year Kick-off Newsletter

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 Wednesday, Sept. 12, 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.

Handbook:  The office requires that every student reads our Student handbook, and parents read the Family version.  There is a page at the end to sign, and we have made copies of this page for you.  Please read these, sign the pages that I have sent home today, and return them to school as soon as possible.  Thank you!

Classroom Routines:

Snack: We have a late lunch (12:45) so students have time to eat a healthy snack every morning. 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!

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 gradually 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.

   

Absences: 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.

Volunteers Welcome! Help is always welcome in our classroom. I will be asking our room parents to coordinate this. The most important opportunities will be:

* 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. 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

*    Send a note in your child’s homework folder

*    Urgent/ during the day:  call the school office at 508-358-8641.

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 Monique Thompson

Welcome Back!

 

Welcome back to school!

We hope you had a great summer and are ready for an exciting year. Please watch for papers coming home in your child’s backpack.  In the meantime you can poke around this site for information about Room 6. We love to hear feedback!

Deborah Niles and Monique Thompson