Oct. 19-23

Oct. 19-23

Dear Parents,

We have had a very exciting and busy few weeks of learning in second grade! I want to thank you for your time in meeting with me for Fall Conferences. I am looking forward to the goals that we have made for your child and continuing partnering with you in your child’s education. This is a phenomenal group of students and parents. The month of October has been a fun-filled one as we have had many events such as the Fall Book Fair, Reflection Competition, Mystery Guests, Fun Fridays and coming soon will be the Fall Festival on Oct. 24^th. Henry and I hope to see you there. Closer to the date, I will let you know when we plan to arrive between 10-2. I would love to see your child if possible J Information about the Fall Festival can be found on the Sarah Smith website and a letter will be coming home in your child’s folder today, Friday Oct. 16^th.

A look into next week’s curriculum:

Phonics:

Vowel teams (ea) as in eat and (ee) as in tree

Ex: meet, greet, peek, see, beat, teacup, meal,

Red Words: A list of Red Words will be sent home Monday: 2^nd graders are expected to know and spell Stage 2 and Stage 3 words by the end of the year. J Please find a central location for these words for your child to reference in his or her writing at home.

Writing:

Informational Writing and Research

Math:

Expanded form with three digit numbers, using knowledge of Place Value to solve problems.

Updates and Reminders:

Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Anna Baesman! Anna is principled when she stands up for what is right. She is a great friend to others and is determined to do her best each day. We are proud of our Star and look forward to learning more about this special friend next week. Way to go, Anna!

A letter is going home today requesting 4 pictures of your child in different stages of life. We will be completing an in class project on our own life cycles. Please have those pictures requested in the letter by Oct. 21st. Thank you!

Please remember that our Mystery Book Pumpkin Book Report is due Oct. 29th. Please make sure that your child has chosen their book and had their choice approved by me. 

We are excited about the implementation of our new Ipad mini’s as learning tools in the classroom. The students have been using them in math, reading and science throughout this week and are enjoying this additional resource.

We are in need of several volunteers for Thursday Helper. Please check out the shutterfly website and see if you would like to volunteer.

Halloween- Your child may dress up on Oct. 29th in celebration of Halloween. No play weapons allowed. Thanks for your understanding. :) I can't wait to see them in their costumes.

As always, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful children with me and for supporting us!

Sept. 21-25

Dear Parents,

We are going to have another fun-filled and busy week of learning together in second grade. Please mark your calendars for the announcements below.

 Here’s a look into the curriculum this week:

Reading:

The Happy Lion

Junior Great Books Week J

Phonics:

Common ending blends

nt, xt, ct, nd

ex: pant, next, fact, bland,

Red Words: odd, even, what

Grammar:

Identifying verbs

Social Studies/Science:

Locating and Studying about the Major Rivers in Georgia.

Math:

Even and Odd Numbers and Using Number Lines.

Writing:

Personal Narratives

Important Announcements and Reminders:

·      Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Evan! Evan is a caring and cooperative friend to his classmates and has shown lots of enthusiasm this year in second grade. We are excited about learning even more about Evan this week.

·      Please be reminded that the Students’ Book Report in a Bag was set to be due this upcoming Wednesday, Sept. 23^rd. I am extending this deadline to Friday, Sept. 25^th as I have been out at the Reading Training and want to make sure the students are prepared to present their first project in second grade.

·      Elizabeth Sharpton sent an email with information regarding the Annual Reflections Competition. Please consider encouraging your child to participate in this wonderful competition to stretch their creativity. There really is a category for everyone. The class with the most participation wins a party!

·      Please be on the lookout for a Signup Genius email coming soon inviting you to Fall Conferences. If you are not able to find a time, please let me know.

·      The Fall Book Fair is coming up soon! Our class is scheduled to preview the Book Fair next week on Tuesday from 10:45-11:15. Next Friday, Oct. 2^nd will be our Purchase Day from 10:45-11:15. You are welcome to join your child!

·      Please be reminded that we have our trip to Zoo Atlanta is Oct. 5^th. Please pack your child a sack lunch as we will be eating at the zoo that day.

·      Fall Pictures will be Oct. 6^th J

Thanks for your continued support!

Mrs. Peake

Sept. 14-18

Dear Parents,

I have been very pleased with our second graders these past six weeks and all of their hard work and kindness that they have shown one another. I look forward to our seventh week together and all of the exciting adventures that we have ahead of us. Time flies when you are having fun!

We had a very special guest, Representative Beth Beskin, visit our classroom on Tuesday and share with us about how the local government is structured and how a bill becomes a law. Please make sure to request to join our closed Facebook group if you have not done so already. I have posted a video and several pictures from this event as well as previous events in our classroom.

The kids are getting VERY excited about our trip to the Governors Mansion on Wednesday, Sept. 16^th. I would like the students to dress nicely for this Field Trip rather than wear their blue Sarah Smith Field Trip shirt. We will not be eating lunch on the field trip so we will have lunch in the classroom. Please pack your child a lunch on this day.

      Here’s a look into the curriculum this week:

Reading:

Identifying a story’s structure.

Beginning, Middle, End and Problem & Solution

Phonics:

Reviewing initial and ending blends with l, r, s

Example words:

Blade,

Glide

Clam

Strum

Stop

spot

Just

Best

wisp

Red Words can be typically found in your child’s agenda however for this week I will provide them here. The words are:

Many, their, there

We will be discussing the difference between “their” and “there” and when to use each word.

Grammar:

Collective Nouns

Social Studies/Science:

Identifying and exploring the regions of Georgia.

Math:

Solving one-step word problems.

Writing:

Narrative Writing

Important Announcements and Reminders:

·      Please be reminded that I will not be on campus on Monday or Tuesday due to a reading training that I will be participating in at the Intermediate Campus. I look forward to taking what I learn from this training and applying it right away in the classroom to benefit our children.

·      We are still in need of 5 pairs of black socks for students to use as erasers. Thank you to those who have sent in some already J We will share them in the meantime.

·      Thank you Dawn and Elizabeth for working together to set up our classroom volunteering opportunities. The kids and I look forward to having you all in the classroom this year! Please check out our class Shutterfly website to view sign ups. J Team work makes the dream work!

Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Alex! Alex is an inquirer and encourages his friends to think outside the box. We are proud of our hardworking friend and look forward to learning about what makes him so special this week. Way to go, Alex!

Thanks for your continued support!

Mrs. Peake

August 31-September 4

Team Peake,

It's hard to believe that it's almost September and that we have almost been in second grade for a whole month together. The kids are off to a great start, becoming better readers, writers, mathematicians and citizens! One of the many things we have discussed and practiced together has been how to become better readers by choosing texts that are a good fit. Each week your child will have the opportunity to Book Shop in our class library as well as our school library on Wednesdays. Our class library is arranged by genres rather than levels so students can become more independent in selecting "just right" books in the real world where books are arranged in this way. When choosing a book children are trained to go through the "I PICK" acrostic poem in our classroom that states:

I- I choose a just right book.


P- What is my PURPOSE in choosing this text?
I- Does the text INTEREST me?
C-Do I COMPREHEND the words?
K- Do I KNOW how to read most of the words?


Students also have a bookmark in their book baskets that have the same poem. Please ask your children about how they choose books in the classroom and encourage this same process at home, at the public library, book stores, etc.

I have noticed that many children have written about building their "reading stamina" in their Friday Journals. They are referring to a time called "Read to Self" where they practice reading their "Just Right" books independently. We spent the first couple of weeks building up to 20 minutes of reading without stopping or getting tired as a class and this is now a center choice for students while I work with individuals or groups during guided reading. I am happy to say that this group is more excited about reading than ever before...MANY of them choose to Read to Self before anything else because they cannot wait to dive into their books. I will send a detailed letter explaining our Daily 5 Center time in folders this week.

Here's a small glance into what we are covering this week:

Phonics:

Decoding and Spelling Multisyllabic words that include CVC patterns (closed syllables: ex: cat, mop, tim), CV patterns (open syllables: ex: hi, go, me) and CVCE (Magic E syllables: ex: time, take, pole)

Multisyllabic word examples:
concrete
humid
cupcake
compensate
tadpole
dishpan

Our Magic E Spelling Test will be this Friday with our Red Words that were in your child's agenda last week. After this week all of 2nd Grade will be giving Spelling Tests weekly rather than biweekly. 

Reading:

Identifying an Authors Purpose

Writing:

Drafting, Editing/Revising, and Publishing a Narrative Piece. 

Math:

Commutative Property of Addition and Reviewing our study of Place Value to the hundreds place all the way to 1000. 

Social Studies:

Identifying the different roles of our government at the state and city level.

Important Updates and Reminders:

Please join our closed Facebook page to view pictures and quick reminders throughout the year. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/teampeake/ click on the link and it will send me a notification that you would like to join our closed group. No one will be able to view our information without being accepted by me. 

Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Robert! We are so proud of our new friend Robert as he is dedicated to learning each and every day. He is caring to his friends and his teacher as he always greets us with a smile every morning. We are thankful for his positivity and look forward to learning more about what makes him so special this week. 

Way to Go, Robert!

Our class would love nine pairs of black socks to use as erasers for our dry erase boards. We have 4 pairs already as I had mentioned the need to a parent in passing so we have shared them. If you are able to donate these as a wish list item, please email me.


Thank you all so much for the gift of your children.

All the best,
Jean Peake

August 24-28

Team Peake,

It was great to see most of you at Orientation last Tuesday! Please take the time to watch the following video that explains all of the amazing benefits that the Sarah Smith Education Foundation provides for our children. http://www.sarahsmithelementary.com/foundation/index.cfm

We are going to have another busy and fun-filled week in second grade!

Here's a look into the curriculum:

Phonics: 

Magic 'e'

ex: make, use, time, poke

"e" at the end of a word has the power to jump over one consonant to make a vowel say its name.

*please see child's agenda for the week's red words

Reading:

Comparing and Contrasting between texts.

Grammar: Common and Proper Nouns

(Please see Links tab for a game if you would like your child to practice this skill)

Math: 

Continuing our study of Place Value

Social Studies:

Continuing our study of government.

Writing:

Personal Narratives

Working with Editing Buddies

Important Updates and Reminders:

Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Isa Dowdle! Isa is a kind, hardworking, and curious friend who encourages others to do their best. We are so thankful to have Isa as a part of our class family and look forward to learning more about what makes her so special this upcoming week. Way to go, Isa!

August 17-21

Team Peake,

We had a fantastic first week together in first grade! You truly have amazing children who have come to school each day eager to learn. Thank you for supporting this at home. I look forward to seeing each of you at Orientation this upcoming Tuesday at 5:30. Please bring any questions that you may have about second grade. I will have a lot of information prepared to discuss with you about what to expect this year and how to stay connected with our class. I am THRILLED to have this evening with you all as I missed it last year while on Maternity Leave. :) Please arrange for childcare as this evening is not for the children, but for parent/teacher collaboration.

Please encourage your child's independence as they will have more responsibilities this year, including keeping up with their agenda. Each morning your child will write down his or her homework in the given subject as well as any important words to memorize throughout the week. This is where our class will be keeping the Red Words for the week. I will not be posting these online as your child will keep them in their agenda.

If your child has trouble throughout the day and has moved his or her clip to "parent contact" this is where I will write a small note that is to be signed and returned the following day.

We will be continuing and expanding upon the previous weeks' skills.

Important Updates and Reminders:

Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Jackie Dwyer! This spectacular student has been welcoming and gracious to our new friends and has shown great kindness to all of her classmates and teachers by always lending a helping hand. We are thankful for Jackie and look forward to learning more about what makes her so special this upcoming week. Way to go, girl!


Our classroom could benefit from having a dehumidifier. I would like to add this to our wish list because our end of the school does not have the best central air system.




As always, please e-mail me with any questions or concerns.

Have a great week!

Jean Peake

August 10-14

Greetings Team Peake!

We had a fantastic first three days together last week and are ready to take on a full week of learning in second grade. The children (with some assistance from me) came up with our Essential Agreements that we will follow for a successful year. I was very impressed with their ideas and reasonings behind each agreement.

1. Be caring.

2. Keep personal space. 

3. Be respectful.

4. Be safe.

5. Have fun!

Here is a glance at the curriculum for next week:

Phonics: Reading and Spelling words that have the Short /a/ and short /i/ spelling. 

ex: skip, that, rap, fit

We will also begin decoding multisyllabic words that follow this specific pattern.

Grammar: Identifying the Subject and Predicate of a sentence and organizing words into alphabetical order.

Reading: Identifying the sequence of events in a variety of texts.

Math:  Addition and Subtraction fluency.

Social Studies and Science: Begin our Unit of Inquiry into the structure of our government system.

Writing: Writing a personal narrative.

Important Updates/Reminders:

Congratulations to our first Star Student, Tyler Barcus! Tyler is very enthusiastic about second grade and is already showing a commitment to learning and growing with his friends. Way to Go, Tyler! We look forward to learning more about what makes you so special this upcoming week.

Thank you to those who have already brought in items from our class wish list. We have enough Emergency snacks for the time being, so you can wait to bring those in until further notice.

I would also like to thank you for ensuring that your child is on time to school each morning! Each member of our class was on time every day last week! The students have benefited greatly from this as they can complete their morning routines with ease.

Please mark your Calendar for August 18th. We will have Second Grade Orientation at 5:30. More details will follow. We will discuss many important topics about your child's second grade year.


All the best,

Jean Peake