October 31 - November 4

It's Halloween Week!  

Many students brought Halloween books from home to share!  They had a great time reading these fun stories.

Halloween Costumes - Please remember to send your child's costume to school on Monday.  We will be changing into costumes after lunch.  Remember no toy weapons are allowed and make up will not be applied.  Everyone is welcome to join us for the parade, outside weather permitting, beginning at 1:00.

Dates to Remember...
Mon. Oct. 31 - All School Halloween Parade  1:00  Everyone is welcome
                        Classroom Party 1:30  Only those parent who are signed up may attend
Mon. Nov. 7 - No School Conference Week
Tues. Nov. 8 - No School Institute Day
Nov. 9 & 10 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Fri. Nov. 11 - Veteran's Day Assembly  Students wear red, white, and blue to honor veterans
Tues. Nov. 15 - Picture Retakes
Thurs. Nov. 17 - 2nd Grade Concert at LV  7pm
Fri. Nov. 18 - End of 1st trimester
Tues. Nov. 22 - Grandparents Day
                         Report Cards

Reading -  We will finish our Friendship unit this week by reading How To Be a Friend.  We will discuss "I Messages" and work with the vocabulary words compromise, conflict, cooperation, and resolution.  Students will participate in an activity by role playing a friendship scenario with a small group.

Classroom Reading Logs are due on Tuesday. Nov. 2.  The class voted to have a pajama day for all students who return a completed log.  We'll have it one day next week ~ date to be determined.

Math - We will begin working on 2 digit addition.  We'll be using several different strategies to regroup.

Positive Paw Winner - Aubrey
New Student of the Week - Isabella

October 24 - 28

Dates to Remember...
Mon. Oct. 24 - Facilities Plan Meeting  7 pm at Ide
Tues. Oct. 25 - Friendship Day
Wed. Oct. 26 - Early Dismissal  11:35
Fri. Oct. 28 - Reading Incentive Day  BOO-tiful Book Day - Wear black and orange and bring a Halloween book from home if you have one
                     PTO Halloween Party 6:30 pm
Mon. Oct. 31 - All School Halloween Parade 1:00
                        Classroom Party 1:30
Mon. Nov. 7 - No School
Tues. Nov. 8 - No School  Teacher Institute Day
Nov. 9 & 10 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Fri. Nov. 11 - Veteran's Day Assembly

Parent Teacher Conferences - Conferences will be held on November 9 & 10.  You should have received an invitation email to sign up (through Sign Up Genius) today, Oct. 21.  If you did not, please email me and I'll be sure you get the link.

Halloween costumes - Halloween costumes should be brought to school in a bag on Monday, Oct. 31.  Costumes should be easy for your child to put on over clothes.  No toy weapons are allowed and make up will not be applied.  Students will be putting costumes on in the afternoon.

Costume parade will be held outside ~ weather permitting.  The parade will begin at 1:00 and everyone is invited!  Our classroom party will follow at 1:30.  Only those parents who have signed up to help may attend.

Reading - Our focus this week will be Poetry.  We will be reading lots of poetry and learning how words and phrases supply rhythm and meaning in a poem.

Vocabulary words will include: rhyme, rhythm, regular beats, repetition, figurative language, and alliteration.

Grammar focus will be on past tense of irregular verbs.

Math - We will solve problems with equal groups by modeling with counters, use repeated addition to match an array, and finish the week with a chapter test.  We'll also be doing our 5 minute timed test for October.

New Student of the Week - Nana
Positive Paw Winner - Mia
Estimation Jar Winners - Mustafa and Andrew

Birthday - Nick Oct. 28  Happy Birthday Nick!!

October 17 - 21

Dates to Remember...
Mon. Oct. 24 - Facilities Plan Community Event
Tues. Oct. 25 - Friendship Day
Wed. Oct. 26 - Early Dismissal  11:35
Fri. Oct. 28 - Reading Reward BOO-tiful Book Day
                     District Halloween Party
Mon. Oct. 31 - All School Parade & Classroom Parties
Week of Nov. 7 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Mon. Nov. 7 - No School  Conference Week
Tues. Nov. 8 - No School  Teacher Institute

Welcome Ms. Hernandez!  Carol Hernandez, attending Lewis University, began working with us this week.  She will be observing and working with our students during the next 8 weeks.  She is excited about getting to know the kids and we're glad to have her!

Reading - We will be doing a reading/writing workshop this week and focus on writing an opinion paragraph. Students will learn to state their opinion, find reasons that support it, and write a concluding statement.  We will work on editing and use strong adjectives in our writing.

Reading logs - The class voted to have a pajama day as a reward for October reading. Please encourage your child to read for 20 minutes each night and fill in their reading log.

Math - We'll continue working on addition and subtraction strategies this week.  We'll discuss how addition and subtraction are related, we'll practice subtraction facts, and use 10 to subtract.  We'll end the week by using equations to represent problems.

Positive Paw Winner - Ella
New Student of the Week - Nate
Estimation Jar Winners - Mustafa and Amey

October 10 - 14

Picture Day!

Dates to Remember...
Mon. Oct. 10 - No School  Columbus Day
Mon. Oct. 24 - Community Event at Ide
Tues. Oct. 25 - Friendship Day
Wed. Oct. 26 - Early Dismissal  11:35
Fri. Oct. 28 - BOOtiful Book Day  Reading Incentive Day
                     We'll be writing and drawing about our favorite books
Mon. Oct. 31 - All School Picnic and Classroom Halloween Parties

Math -  We're starting a new chapter this week focusing on addition strategies.  We'll work on doubles, doubles plus one, and making a ten.  Please encourage your child to practice addition and subtraction facts at home

Reading - This week we will be reading Tarra and Bella, a nonfiction story about an elephant and a dog who became best friends.  We'll finish our research writing and also focus on the comprehension strategy of cause and effect.

Grammar focus will be on adjectives this week.

Progress Reports came home today with your child.  Please sign and return it to school on Tuesday.

New Student of the Week - Andrew
Positive Paw Winner - Isabella
Estimation Jar Winner - Gio and Allison

Birthday - Vanessa Oct. 8  Happy Birthday Vanessa!

October 3 - 7

Dates to Remember...

Mon. Oct. 3 - September Reading logs due
Tues. Oct. 4 - Fall Picture Day
                     Please return payment envelope or pay online
Fri. Oct. 7 - Progress notes go home with all students
Mon. Oct. 10 - No School  Columbus Day
Wed. Oct. 25 - Early Dismissal  11:35
Mon. Oct. 31 - All School Parade and Classroom Halloween Parties

Math - This week we will continue working with numbers to 1,000.  We will work on finding number patterns, and comparing numbers.  Our chapter test will be near the end of the week.  

Reading - Our focus this week be on collecting research and learning about text features.  Students will be researching either hippos or the Aldabra Tortoise (both characters in Owen and Mzee).  We'll discuss author's message and relate it to the essential question, "How can stories help us learn life lessons?"

We will focus on shared research.  The students will pull important information from both a text and digital source and put those facts into an expository paragraph.

Reading Logs are due on Monday, October 3.  Our class voted to have a Show and Tell day for everyone who returns a completed log!  We'll have our Show and Tell day on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Grammar focus will be on action verbs.

New Student of the Week - Ella
Positive Paw Winner - Ryan

Birthday - Marnie Oct. 5  Happy Birthday Marnie!!

September 26 - 30

Thank you to all the families who donated money to purchase books from the Book Fair!  I was able to choose 7 new books for our classroom library.  We love our new books!!  

Dates to Remember
Tues. Sept. 27 - Early Dismissal  11:35
Tues. Oct. 4 - Fall Picture Day
Fri. Oct. 7 - Progress Notes go home with all students
Mon. Oct. 10 - No School  Columbus Day

Last Magazine Turn in Day is Tuesday, September 27.  

Reading logs are due on or before Monday. Oct. 3.  Our class voted to have a Show and Tell Day as their reward!  All students who return completed logs will be able to bring something special to show the class.

Thank You for filling out the Name Jar information this week.  We had some wonderful conversations about the origin of the students' names!  Students designed their own name stamp and wrote in their journals about their names.  

Next week we will read the text, Owen and Mzee.  It is a story about 2 animals that formed a bridge of friendship, that also helped them live happier lives.  Discussion will focus around author's purpose and we'll talk about using context clues to find the meaning of unknown words in a text.

Grammar focus will be on plural nouns.

Math - This week we will continue working with 3 digit numbers.  We'll read and write numbers in word form, expanded form, and standard form.  We'll continue to "build" numbers.  We'll finish the week by counting on and back by 10 and 100.  

We will also be taking our 5 minute timed tests (addition and subtraction) this week.  Many students should be practicing their math facts at home.  Please encourage your child to use their flash cards or Xtra Math during the week.  

Science - We have learned about all 5 food groups.  This week we will learn about Smart Snacking!  

New Student of the Week - Mia
Positive Paw Winner - Andrew
Estimation Jar Winner - Nick

September 19 - 23

Dates to Remember
Thurs. Sept. 22 - Book Fair and Ice Cream
                         Social at Ide @ 6:30    

Tues. Sept. 27 - Early Dismissal  11:35
Mon. Oct. 3 - September Reading Logs due
Tues. Oct. 4 - Fall Picture Day
Mon. Oct. 10 - No School  Columbus Day

From our head room parent, Mrs. Rerucha:

Parents,

My name is Jeanne Rerucha (Allison's mom) and I will be the room mom for Mrs. Oliver's class this year!  At curriculum night, many of you signed up to help with planning the parties (which is great). I will email you when it gets closer for what we need. We are only allowed to have 4 parents attend per party, so I will draw out of a hat to keep it fair.

I will also reach out during the year to coordinate a class gift.

Will you please email me with you and your child's name so that I have everyone's correct email address? I will use that for communication.

Thanks and looking forward to a great year!

Jeanne  Jeanne Rerucha

             
Name Jar Assignment
All students brought home a Name Jar questionnaire on Thursday.  Please fill it out and return it to school on Monday, Sept. 19.  Thank you to those that have already returned it!

Reading - This week we will do a close read of Weird Friends:  Unlikely Allies in the Animal Kingdom.  We will read to determine the main purpose of a text and also discuss how specific images in a book help to clarify the text.  Next we will read, The Name Jar.  The story is about a little girl who recently moved to America from Korea and is getting used to a new school.  

Students brought home a "questionnaire" yesterday.  Please take a few minutes to answer the questions relating to your son/daughter's name.  We will be discussing our names next week and this information will be helpful.  

Math - We will begin chapter 2, Numbers to 1,000.  We'll start by grouping tens as hundreds, explore the value of 3 digit numbers, and modeling (building) 3 digit numbers.  

Science - We learned about the Fruit Group this week.  We read about Queen Anna Banana and how fruits contain Vitamin C, which helps our skin heal.  We'll learn about the Grain Group next week, represented by Prince Waffle.  

New Student of the Week - Ryan
Positive Paw Winner - Amey 
Estimation Jar Winner - Andrew