Mid January News

Winter Recess
Snow is expected this weekend! Please be reminded that we go outside for recess whenever possible, including during a snowstorm. Throughout the winter months, please send your child to school with appropriate gear including snow pants, snow boots, winter coat, gloves, and hats.  Keep the snow clothes in a separate reusable shopping bag.  This way, wet gear won't soak everything in the backpack or get lost.  Children should not wear shorts to school in the winter.  It can be quite upsetting to children to be unprepared for a long-awaited winter snowstorm!

Snacks

Please remember to pack a healthy snack for your child each day, and make sure they plan to eat it... some say they don't want their snack. Children should not bring candy to school.  We encourage snacks packed in reusable containers or other earth-friendly packaging.  The best drink for snack time is water.  Juice is a less healthy choice and makes a mess in the classroom when spilled.  Thank you.

Plastic Bag Monster Spotted at Happy Hollow School!

Here are some pictures of Mr. Conaway, Ms. Morrison’s father, who came to speak to our whole second grade class last week about what we all can do to help reduce waste and make our Environment a cleaner and healthier place to live. He wore this costume, made up of 500 bags, because that is the number that the average person uses in a year!!!  He was able to “Ban the Bag” in several towns in Massachusetts!  You will hear more in the days to come…

Also, the school was treated to a beautiful Winter Choral Concert last Thursday.  Here is a picture. They sounded amazing!

Finally, the Wayland Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner is being held next Friday, January 25 at the Middle School.  It is a wonderful event and I hope some of you can make it!

Enjoy the week and stay warm!

Ms. Niles and Ms. Nolan

Happy New Year!

As you know, we had to say goodbye to our Student Teacher, Carli Sherman.  We miss her so much!  Here is a photo you will enjoy:

Our new year is off to a great start!  We are deep into our math unit of “2-digit Addition and Subtraction”.  We are moving from concrete, hands-on representation, to pictures, to numbers and words to describe our strategies.

Students have completed their Personal Narratives in writing, and are reading them to the class.  I am so proud of the work they have done, and they are enjoying each other’s stories.  I encourage them to continue writing about “Small Moments” in their lives, at home.

We are launching a very exciting 2nd grade writing unit, where students form Opinions, and write about them using research to back up their statements.  It is all about the environment, which is a real passion of mine. Ask them about it! (Here is a link to a website they might enjoy checking out at home:  Kids and Plastic)

Finally, we are continuing to rotate to other classrooms to learn about Changes in States of Matter through experimentation. At the end of this month we will have a visit from the Acton Discovery Museum to show students a wonderful presentation.  If you have not visited this museum, it’s a great winter activity!

Thank you as always for your support … stay warm and watch for snow!  Remember boots and snow pants will be required for children to play in it, so have them handy!

Deborah Niles & Elizabeth Nolan