Mid December News

Greetings on our last full week of school for 2017!  It has been a wild year.  Your children are working hard, even on this last week, and we are all in need of a break to rest and connect with family and friends before 2018 begins! I also notice how well equipped these kids are for the winter cold.  Thank you!

We appreciate you keeping your children home when they are sick, but of course we miss them!  I may send an assignment home if we just can’t find time during our school day to finish them.  Let me know if you have any questions about this. We are wiping desks every night!

We have a math assessment coming up this week on Time and Fractions- ask your child to help you tell time, and continue to practice this all year.  Having an analog clock helps them to understand time to the 5-minute intervals, and using a calendar will reinforce these skills.

In writing we have completed our unit on Personal Narratives and the children are reading them to the class. I will be sending a copy home.  Next we will be writing Opinion Letters about characters in stories, using “evidence from the text”! In reading we are learning about how our “Schema” (what we already know) helps us read the words and understand the text. In Social Studies we are learning to read and create maps.  Finally, in Science we are doing experiments to learn about Changes in States of Matter.  There is never a dull moment in Second Grade!

I so appreciate all of the support you have shown us and your children this year.  It truly “takes a village”... and we have a strong and kind one in which to grow.  Enjoy the holidays whenever and wherever you celebrate them, and let’s hope it snows!  

Enjoy these photos from our recent STEAM experiment:

December is here!

Well, December is upon us and unfortunately we have had much illness.  We will all try to get plenty of rest (not easy!), eat well, and wash our hands often!  

The Second Grade classes will be singing a song in the assembly on Monday, December 11 (between 9 and 9:30) and you are welcome to join us if you are able.  If you are able to videotape it please let me know.

Next, here are some pictures from our Bread Baking on November 22: (A full slide show will be created and posted soon!)

Thank you so much to the volunteers who helped that day, and to all of you who sent in supplies and ingredients. It truly “takes a village” to create 25 mini loaves of bread! We hope you enjoyed the pumpkin bread as much as we enjoyed making it!

Last week we conducted our first STEAM experiment (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics).  We built structures to keep a “Penguin” cold (tested using an ice cube).  They did a fabulous job not only keeping the ice cube from melting, but working together cooperatively, as well as thinking and writing like scientists.  I’m so proud of them!  This week we are “re-engineering” the process to see if we can improve on our designs.

Last week we also had to say Good Bye to our wonderful student teacher, Marina Germain, from Framingham State. I am sure she will be an incredible teacher- Marina please keep in touch with us as you progress on your journey- the students LOVE you!

Finally, I hope the process of writing compliments is something that allows all children to reflect, appreciate and communicate their sincere appreciation. If your child has trouble thinking of something for any children, feel free to send it back to school and I will help them. It’s hard to get to know that many friends that well in such a short time!

Take care and stay warm!
Ms. Niles and Ms. Pond

Happy November!

Greetings!

We are now into the thick of fall- headed for winter!  Now that your children have studied the weather, you can ask them how to know what to wear the next day, and perhaps let them listen to a meteorologist.  

I created our first class slide show last week!  The slide show links will be on the left hand side of this blog.

Thanks to everyone who sent in ingredients for our veggie skeletons!  Here are a few pictures:

(I will create another slide show with the rest!)

This is our student teacher, Marina Germain, in the last photo! Thanks also to Jessica Polizzotti who came in to help.

Social Studies: We have begun studying maps… which fits in nicely with the upcoming season where some of us travel near and far!  I hope your family can share any interesting maps you see, even if they are on a GPS.

In Math we are about to wrap up our unit on Place Value.  We have an assessment this week, and we will be supporting children as they “show us what they know”.  They are challenging and students are given manipulatives, as well as plenty of time to do as much as they can. Thank you to Judy Dion (Charlie N's mom), and to Brooke Stein, who came in for math stations during this unit!

Now that I have shared the tests with all of you, I will be sending a copy home. Please congratulate your child for their hard work, and help with any difficulties as you have time.  Also let me know if any of our Math Games are confusing.  It is an expectation that they play at least once per week- as per the Weekly Notice letter on the back of the Reading Log.

Thank you all for coming in for your parent teacher conference- it was great to talk with you all! Julie Pond and I will be implementing all of the great ideas we shared, and we welcome your feedback and questions as we progress through the year.

Our spelling groups begin next week!  On Monday, your child will receive a list and a Spelling Menu of weekly practice.  It is SO important that good spelling habits, and homework habits, are built early! Please to contact me with any questions about this.

Enjoy your upcoming 3-day weekend as we remember all of our Veterans.  Meanwhile, I know that our room parents sent home a signup sheet for our VERY exciting Thanksgiving tradition! Please consider helping out - it is a fun learning and giving experience.

Take care the thanks for all of your support-

Deborah Niles & Julie Pond

Monday Message

Hello families and friends!

Thank you again to chaperones for your wonderful support on our field trip!  Here are a few pictures that you all might enjoy:

We learned a lot about how the Observatory tracks the weather, made kites and hiked down the hill with a guide, who told us a lot about vegetation in the area.  

Upcoming events:

Tomorrow is Harvest Day! Erin Mueller, Andrew Wineman, Beth Rothschild and Katya Fonkych have volunteered to help chop and serve veggies to the whole school, from our own Happy Hollow gardens!  Thank you! The fun part is… kids LOVE it!  I will try to post pictures in my next blog post. Our class will be able to plant seeds and watch them grow next spring!

Thank you so much to those who participated, and to families for helping your child raise money in this fun event.  It was a beautiful day to walk to school.  I'm so glad Mr. Hernandez's community in Puerto Rico will benefit from this.  It is such an important lesson to teach children- to help those in need.

Conferences

I have truly enjoyed sharing thoughts and setting goals for your fantastic children!  Please let me know if you have any particular questions, since we only have 20 minutes and it goes by fast!  Also, please make sure you bring your secret cornucopia project, or let me know if you need another copy.

Finally, thank you so much for your support of your child’s education.  I would greatly appreciate everyone checking the Notices on the back of the Reading Log for specific information about homework, as it is a useful practice and also builds good study habits for lifelong learning! We will try to keep them brief!

Deborah Niles & Julie Pond

Tuesday News

Hello families-

First, I hope you all had a good weekend and a happy Indigenous People’s Day. Have you heard about this concept?  If you’d like to hear more check this out:

https://teachheart.org/2015/10/07/celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day-in-the-classroom-with-these-resources/.

Last week was busy!  Here are the highlights:

We were delighted to have Todd Winner teach the second grade about fire safety.  In addition to being a fire fighter, Todd Winner is a distinguished Happy Hollow alum.  We are very proud!

Then, the Acton Discovery Museum came to our school with a traveling weather workshop, thanks to our PTO!  Our letters to you about it we’re short, only because we didn’t have much time left in the day.  Feel free to write back to your child in those purple folders.  Their unedited notes are a way for them to enjoy the art of letter writing!  I will post a slideshow from the workshop within the next few days, so watch our website!

Conferences have begun!  I look forward to meeting with each of you over the next few weeks to set goals for our work together this year. If you have any particular questions, please shoot me an email. There is a lot to cover!

Some children are coming in without snacks in the morning, and they do get hungry before lunch. If you could send a healthy snack each day that would be great.

Finally…. Raz Kids is ready! Just click on the link on our HH webpage: http://whh.wayland.k12.ma.us/ under “For Students”.  The Teacher Username is “dnilesb” and the password is your child’s lunchcode.  Please have your child use this at least ONCE PER WEEK, as part of their Reading time, and answer the questions at the end.  It is a great comprehension building tool!

Yours in partnership,

Deborah Niles and Julie Pond

Monday News in Room 6

First, for some important news:  Sometimes Mr. Lee decides to make changes in where our helping teachers work. He has asked that Julie Pond join us as a Teaching Assistant in Room 6, and Maddie Keyes will now join Ms. Dowd’s class. As we all work together, the students will see Ms. Keyes around the school. Now we will be working with Ms. Pond! I have known Julie for at least 12 years, and have had the good fortune to have worked in the classroom with her before.  I know the students will love her and will flourish with her support!

Friday Letters

I hope you enjoyed your child’s first Friday Letter from Second Grade!  You probably noticed that the mechanics were not checked yet (ie spelling, capitals and punctuation, etc.)  This is one of the only writing activities where “First draft is final draft”... the purpose is to have students communicate with you about their school activities, and begin seeing the joy in writing letters.  They will become more polished as the school year continues, and we learn all of the facets of letter writing.  These will go home approximately every 2 weeks.  Let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Handbook

Thank you to the nine families who have sent in the signed handbook pages!  Everyone please ask children to read their handbook, under “For Students” on the HH webpage.  The last page needs to be signed by every student in our school.  This can be part of their Reading Homework!  Parents please take a look at the Family Handbook (under For Families), and sign the last page of that and send it in.  I so appreciate this!

Conferences

Please click this link to the schedule. Check your time, and contact me if you have not signed up yet- we have 3 families who have not.  Please remember to bring in your secret Cornucopia Thankful Project!  I look forward to talking about your child’s goals for this year!

Field Trip

I am sure you saw the Permission Form that went home last week for our Field Trip to the Blue Hill Weather Observatory- please sign and return this week, with your check, and let us know if you can chaperone.  I will choose the first parents to respond… please remember that you will need to drive to Blue Hill, and check your CORI status with our office staff. Thank you!

Weather

We are enjoying our science experiments that help us understand the weather. On Friday we went to our “outside classroom” with our Buddies, to see what would happen to bubbles in the wind!  Unfortunately there was very little wind, so we will probably do this again soon.  (However, the students are enjoying their buddies immensely!) Here are some pictures from that activity:

We will be hosting the Acton Discovery Museum this Friday for an in-house presentation on the weather, thanks to our PTO. We can hardly wait!

Deborah Niles and Julie Pond!

Monday Update:

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

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!

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!