One more for the road! Grab that chunk of fudge and your fifteenth cookie of the day and let’s go!
FEBRUARY 6: The kids will return on Monday, February 6th.
OFF TRACK PACKETS: I do not give off track homework, but several of you have expressed concern about your kids having stuff to do. So I did send them home with a math packet that they can work on. Also, here are some worksheet websites that you could use…
http://www.math-drills.com/
Good math worksheets. Have them work on adding and subtracting two digit numbers.
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/
Lots of good stuff for all subjects.
…these sites generally provide an answer sheet if you want to correct the work. If you want to use the incentive of having it sent in to me after we come back, please feel free to tell them that all the work will be coming in to me. I’ll review the sheets, stamp them, and then hand them back to them.
I hope you and your families enjoy the holidays and your extended break! I’ll see you all in February!
Mr. Watson
Posted in Uncategorized December 20, 2011
Happy December! The wind had everyone whipped up this week. Next? Apparently some chilly, chilly weather. Get those markers out and start putting names in all of the jackets they’re going to be leaving out on the playground! Meanwhile, grab a comfy chair and a peppermint mocha and let’s get down to it!
HOMEWORK TYPO: The date on this week’s homework is wrong. It is NOT due on February 20th. It is due December 9th. The kids were very concerned about this.
HOLIDAY GIFT NIGHT: Tonight is our school’s annual gift night. This is not a fund raiser. In fact it is provided as a service to our students to let them come and purchase gifts for their families. Every item is only a dollar! They can shop in private in our multi purpose room while you enjoy some snacks in the parent waiting area. It’s a good time, and great for the kids. I’ll be working the cash register for the second half of the evening. Hope to see you there!
PERFORMANCE: Our dance performance is coming up fast. Our performances will be Thursday, December 15 at 8:30 am and 6:30 pm. Parents are welcome to attend either performance. The kids need to have their costume at school by Friday, December 9th. It is simply a black shirt, and a black pair of pants or a black skirt. Mrs. Bray will provide the rest.
TRACK CHANGE DAY: Our last day for this section of the year will be Tuesday, December 20th. We will be off until February 6th!
OK, I feel like I’m forgetting something…nope, it’s not coming to me. Well, stay warm and have a great weekend!
Mr. Watson
Posted in Uncategorized December 2, 2011
November?!?!? Already?!?!? Wow! Where has 2011 gone? Turkey time will be here before we know it! Grab yourself a caramel apple and let’s get down to business!
PERFORMING ARTS: Our class began their performing arts class with Mrs. Bray this week. The single biggest thing you need to know is Thursday, December 15th. That will be the date of our performance. There will be a morning performance and an evening performance. Exact times to follow. So to repeat, our class will be performing in the multipurpose room on Thursday, December 15th. Mark your calendars!
HOMEWORK TYPOS: Two things to look out for this week. First, the due date on the front says Friday, December 4th. While it would be lovely to have a month to finish your homework, that is, alas, not the case. The packet is actually due Thursday, November 10th. (Friday is a holiday.) Second, one of the pages printed upside down. This caused an amazing amount of concern in class this afternoon.
VETERANS’ DAY: Friday, November 11th there will be no school in honor of Veterans’ Day. A special thanks to all those of you who have served in our country’s armed forces.
MINIMUM DAYS: Monday, November 14th and Friday, November 18th will be minimum days.
THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION: Our class will be having a Thanksgiving luncheon on Thursday, November 17th. We will be simplifying the typical Thanksgiving menu (turkey sandwiches, dried cranberries, sweet potato crisps, etc.) A note with more information, and seeking donations and helpers, will go out next week.
HOLIDAY GIFT NIGHT: A note for our annual Holiday Gift Night went home today. This is a great chance to let the kids come and shop for friends and family members, while keeping their purchases secret! Everything at the gift night is $1!!! Holiday Gift Night is December 2, 5:30-8:30.
Posted in Uncategorized November 4, 2011
Boo! Did I scare you? Probably not. Oh well. I realize I just sent one of these out on Wednesday, but the news is coming fast and furious! Time to grab a pumpkin latte and pull up a chair!
REPORT CARDS: Report cards for first trimester went home today. The report card is yours to keep, but I would like to get the envelope back, so that I know you have seen it. Thanks.
APPLES: Thanks to the families that are supplying apples for our class on Monday. Please slice the apples before sending them in. If you rub them with a cut piece of lemon, or soak them briefly in some water with lemon slices in it, they won’t turn brown. You can also just buy the pre sliced apples as well. Please send them in on Monday.
MOVIE NIGHT: Sims will be showing the original Star Wars movie at its next movie night! The date is Thursday, November 10. Tickets are $3.oo. An order sheet with more information went home today.
YEARBOOKS: The advance order forms for the yearbooks also went home today.
MINIMUM DAY ON NOVEMBER 14: There will be an additional minimum day on the 14th of November. All students will be released at 12:40 that day.
TISSUE BOXES: Thanks to the families that donated tissue this week. We will, and do, need more! Please think of us if you make a stop by Costco or Target this weekend. Your children’s noses will thank you for it.
Posted in Uncategorized October 28, 2011
Hi families! A lo-o-o-o-ong overdue update! Thanks for your patience. There’s a lot to cover, so grab that hot apple cider and make yourself comfy!
APPLES, APPLES, APPLES: On Monday, October 31, the entire second grade will be hosting a Harvest Day. All of the kids will be rotating through stations in each second grade classroom. At one of the stations we would like to provide a treat of sliced apples. If you are willing to help us out with some apples, a note went home today that you could fill out and send back. Thanks!
MISSING MATH HOMEWORK: There was no math homework for this week. We wrapped up Chapter 2, and started chapter 3. I decided to let us get a bit of chapter 3 under our belts before handing out homework. Math homework will return next week.
MINIMUM DAY: Friday, October 28, will be a minimum day. Students will be done by 12:40.
HALLOWEEN: Yes…I know…it’s just around the corner! Please remember that no costumes or dressing up is allowed at school. And please keep the candy at home in the days after.
HARVEST MOON FESTIVAL: Our school will have its 3rd annual Harvest Moon Festival this Friday evening. Everyone can come in costume for this fun family event.
REPORT CARDS: First trimester report cards will be sent home either this Thursday or Friday, depending on when the district gets them printed and sent back to us.
KLEENEX SEASON: As the cold and flu seasons start to ramp up we need to start gathering tissue! We will gladly accept any kleenex donations. When he hit the full swing we can sometimes go through a box a day!
MRS. HOPNER: Last year I was given some increased responsibilities in the school district. These responsibilities have been requiring me to be out of the classroom 2-3 days per month. In order to keep things moving as smoothly as possible I have tried to have just one guest teacher fill in for me on those days. We are very fortunate that Mrs. Hopner has been available to take all of the days so far. Mrs. Hopner is a former Sims parent who is still very active on our campus, and is one of the best guest teachers a class could have.
Thank you again for all that you do for your kids! We have been having a great year so far! Here’s to second trimester!!!
Mr. Watson
Posted in Uncategorized October 25, 2011
Just a couple of quick items at the midweek point…
1. PICTURE DAY: Tomorrow is picture day. If you would like to order pictures, you have to do so in advance using the forms that were sent home Friday. If you haven’t seen these forms yet, they are in your child’s important papers folder.
2. BOOK FAIR: Our annual book fair is currently under way. The kids got to go today and write up wish lists. The fair goes till August 30, and is open until 4:00 pm. On Tuesday August 30 they will have Family Night and be open from 5:00-7:00. I have also left a teacher wish list in case your family would like to donate a book to our class library!
3. FUNDRAISER: The packets for our annual PTO fundraiser went home today. All of the important information is enclosed within the envelope. Please note: the students have been told not to do door to door sales. Please restrict sales to family, friends, and Mom and Dad’s coworkers.
That should do it! Hope your week is going well!
Posted in Uncategorized August 24, 2011
Big update today! Grab that iced mocha, and make yourself comfortable!
Papers, papers papers! If you check in your child’s important paper folders today, you will see an awful lot of papers!
OLD HOMEWORK PACKETS: Any homework packets I send home after looking them over, are yours to keep/recycle. Some kids still have the yellow packet in their folder. It was joined by the purple packet today.
NEW HOMEWORK PACKET: The math page in this week’s homework packet is on a lesson we have not yet done in class. You may want to wait until Wednesday to do the math homework.
TEST PACKET: The weekly test packet was sent home today with a bright blue note on it. PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN THIS PACKET ON MONDAY! Students who don’t return their packets on Monday lose recess.
LETTER GRADES: This week marks the debut of letter grades on the quizzes and tests coming home. I want to make sure you are aware of how your child is doing. There are no D’s or F’s in 2nd grade. Students not meeting standards will find an N on their paper instead.
CH. 1 MATH TEST: The chapter 1 math test was given in two parts this week. Part 1 was a multiple choice, and part 2 was a free response (where the kids fill in their own answer.) Part 1 was sent home today and part 2 will come home next week. We reviewed part 1 as a class before moving on to part 2.
PICTURE DAY: Thursday, August 25 will be the day for our fall pictures. Two notes with information about this came home today. Fall pictures are taken with uniforms. Please do not use any Free Dress passes on Thursday.
SILLY BANDS: Silly bands are shaped rubber bands that many kids enjoy buying and wearing and sharing with their friends. They take many shapes, including these…
Mrs. Hughes recognized some behavior issues associated with them, and so they are not allowed at school.
BIRTHDAYS: Birthday season seems to be ramping up! Some ideas and guidelines:
*One day notice of birthday treats is very much appreciated. We live on a pretty tight schedule and I always want to have enough time to honor our birthday kids.
*We have a couple of students with peanut allergies. This rules out most baked goods, and all commercially baked goods.
*We have had great success with ice cream cups recently. The kids enjoy them, they’re easy for Mr. Watson, and they come in packages of twelve, so 2 packs takes care of us. Please try to get them to me right at the morning bell, if possible, so I can quickly get them in the freezer.
*Fun pencils are easy, and the kids love them!
*I’ve seen yogurt tubes, popsicles, otter pops. All kinds of nifty ideas. I realize I may have to do some thinking for our non-summer birthdays.
*Some friends of mine always donate a book to the class on their child’s birthday. We’ve already had one family do this, and it was great. We shared the book at read aloud in honor of the birthday, and then put the book into our class library. The kids were really thrilled.
PTO: We are still having our annual PTO membership drive. This is a great and inexpensive way to show support for your school. The cost is $5 per family. Two kids at Sims? $5! Six kids at Sims? $5! Such a deal. That money will wind up right back in your child’s classroom, supporting them with important supplies.
VAPA: Visual and Performing Arts! Our class started last week. Half of the class goes to the art lab with Mrs. Bray while the other half stays in class and gets some very focused instruction. Then we switch places! Everyone gets to go!
MATH FACTS: We will start weekly quizzing on our math facts next week. We will be starting with addition facts. The goal in first trimester is to be able to do 50 in five minutes.
OK…that should just about do it for today! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Mr. Watson
Posted in Uncategorized August 19, 2011
ASSEMBLY: We had a great Friday Assembly this morning. All of our students helped make the letters and write the presentation. They were great up there!
HOMEWORK PACKETS: The return date on the homework packets sent home today is incorrect. The purple homework packet is due Friday, August 12.
ASSESSMENTS: This week I am sending home the first graded assessments for the school year. There is a sheet that describes them attached to the front. Please review them and then send them back on Monday.
MATH: Next week in math we will be talking about fact families. Fact families are groups of addition and subtraction problems that go together. For example…
5 + 3 = 8
3 + 5 = 8
8 – 5 = 3
8 – 3= 3
SPELLING: This week’s spelling words will focus on the /st/ and /nd/ blends. If you get a chance, see how many words that use those sounds you and your child can come up with.
Have a great weekend!
Posted in Uncategorized August 5, 2011
