Monday, March 28

I hope everyone had an excellent Easter weekend. Here is some information about the reading buddies program we'll be participating in for the next several weeks.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are very lucky to have Iroquois Ridge High School students visit Falgarwood for the next 8 weeks to participate the the Reading Buddies Program. An Iroquois Ridge student will read with your child on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s for 20 minutes. We have had the pleasure of working with Iroquois Ridge High School for the Reading Buddies program for the past 5 years, and it has always proven to be a big success. Students get an extra opportunity to practice their reading skills while developing a positive relationship with a student mentor.

If you have any questions about the program, please ask! Questions can be directed to the homeroom teacher or to Carolyn Falkenham.

Thursday, March 24 - Easter Reading Challenge, bottles, lids...

Happy Ice Day to everyone! I hope everyone is staying warm and dry and safe at home today.

As promised, here's your Easter Reading Challenge. To make it easier for me to track the reading, please use this to write your reading list for the weekend (even if your read on Raz). Prizes next week...

Easter Weekend Reading Challenge

Also, we are still in need of 500 mL bottles and plastic lids to use as wheels for our balloon operated cars. We are anxious to get those built next week, so please send us whatever you you can find in your recycling boxes.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Friday, March 11 - A request and a challenge

Happy March Break! I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing break.

Just a quick note to let parents know that we cleaned out the coat hook area of our classroom today. Indoor shoes and extra clothes were all sent home with the hope that parents will check sizes and season appropriateness and then send back what's needed when we return next Monday.

A request: Later in the week when we return we will be building balloon operated cars using 500 mL water/pop bottles and a variety of bottle caps. I have a few, but not enough to go around. If you can, please save a few bottles and as many bottle caps as you can over the next week. A variety would be useful, so lids from juice bottles, milk cartons, pop bottles, and whatever else you can think of would be greatly appreciated. Old film canisters also work well for this, but those are few and far between these days. A girl can dream...

A challenge: The March Break Reading Challenge is on! Prizes will be forthcoming for anyone who provides evidence that they read 9 or more books over the break. That's just one book per day. For those reading chapter books, a minimum of 9 chapters is required. Raz keeps track of what you have read, so that's an option. If the kids are reading books elsewhere, they have been asked to write down the titles of the books and have a parent sign it.

See you soon!
Ms. S

Monday, February 29 - Reports Go Home Today!

Hi everyone! The kiddos will be bringing home their report cards today. Some things to remember:

• Please fill out the bottom of pages 3-4 and return it ASAP.
• Please return the envelope so we can reuse it in June.
• Please email me if you would like to sit down and chat about your child's progress.

Ms. Douglas has sent home some art today as well. She asks that you spend some time looking through it as a family and reflecting on how awesome it is. Here's a little note from her.

Dear Families,

The grade two students are bringing home a collection of their artwork today. They are quite proud of their work and are eager to show it to you. Together, please look through it and answer the following questions:

Our favourite piece of artwork is _____________because____________________________________

The one we feel can be improved is ____________________. This could be done by ____________

We find ___________________ to be most interesting because _____________________________

Please write the answers on a piece of paper and return it by Friday.

Thanks,

Ms. Douglas 

Wednesday, February 24 - Pink Shirt Day!

Today is Pink Shirt Day! We'll be having some discussion in class about bullying and anti-bullying. My observation, since becoming a teacher, is that many people (kids and adults alike) don't have a really clear definition of what bullying is. We'll be looking at a video today that talks about what bullying is and what it is not. 

Here's the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYx4CSOtsl0

I'm going to ask the kids to take the discussion home tonight and discuss it with their families. 

Weekend Update: Sunday, February 21

Just a quick reminder that term 1 report cards will be sent home with the kiddos on Monday, February 29. Unclaimed reports will be held for pickup in the main office after that date.

The coolest part about writing report cards is the opportunity I have to reflect on the growth of each child in my class. My conclusion: We have 25 amazing and unique individuals in grade 2! How lucky I am to spend my days with this bunch. :)

Have a wonderful week.

Wednesday, February 17

We have started looking at simple machines as part of our our Science unit on Movement. I've placed a few references on the Science tab (at the top of the main blog page) to help reinforce the concepts. Tonight's homework is a request for the kids to take a look around the house to see if they can find any simple machines. They're everywhere, but sometimes they're so simple we don't realize they're simple machines. :)