Welcome to this year's 2nd Grade web page! My hope is that the site will be useful for you, as a student and as a family. I will post helpful links in the section to the left, as well as upcoming events and monthly birthdays. The site is designed to extend and enhance the things we learn and study in the classroom. As always, I welcome any suggestions for things to include on the web page. You can easily reach me through the link to my email.
I am so excited about this school year! I hope you share my enthusiasm. This web page is designed to be an integral part of our experience together. Enjoy!
Blessings to you all!
Mrs. Pryor
Class Basket For Silent Auction/Open House
"A Day at the Beach!" is the theme of the basket our class is putting together for the silent auction at Open House on June 4, 2009. Please bring in new items that would fit that theme: beach towels, beach chairs, sand toys, sun screen, picnic supplies, umbrella, sunglasses, etc. I realize that some of the items are too large for a basket, but anything we can do to make the presentation fantastic would be great! Of course, I understand that not everyone will be able to participate. Please donate items only if you are able. All donated items need to be turned in by this Friday, May 29. Please contact our room mom extraordinaire, Chasie Conway, if you have any questions. Her email link is to the left.
LAST CHANCE TO BUY BOOKS FOR SUMMER!
Today the last packet of book order forms will go home. Scholastic is offering an enormous number of sales just to get books into kids' hands for the long summer vacation. Check out the great deals. You may order online (starting Saturday, May 23) or with the paper form any time before Friday, May 29. The order will be placed on that day.
Upcoming Spelling Bee
Next week we will have a class spelling bee to determine which two students will represent our class in the all-school spelling bee next Friday, May 29, 2009. Click on the link below for the list of words used in our class spelling bee.
MAY Blessings!
I am so proud of each of you who have completed your community service projects. You spent so much time and energy on others and making an impact in their lives. Your presentations were professional and an inspiration! Thank you all for working so hard!
School-Wide Service Project
The months of March and April have been focused on service in our leadership curriculum. As such, we have been discussing for about a month now the community service project that each student in the school will need to complete. Under "Project of the Month" in the Helpful Links section to the left you will find the handout detailing exactly what is expected of the kids in my class (this includes my PACE 1st graders).
I'll be presenting my own service project on Friday, April 17, in class as an example. Enjoy!
Thank You So Much For Valentine's Day!
I was so very blessed by the generosity in our classroom! Thank you for making me feel like a very special valentine to you all! Also, the day was a huge success because of all of your donations (of your time, your Capri Sun boxes, your food and goodies, your love). Thank you so much, Mrs. Conway, for organizing the Jar of Joy and personally wrapping umpteen Capri Sun boxes. Your thoughtfulness blesses me daily.
How truly honored I am to know you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Free Rice To Feed The Hungry
I am so excited to tell you about one of my favorite websites ever! FreeRice.com allows people to answer multiple choice questions; they have a variety of subjects (English Vocabulary, Grammar, Art, Math, Geography, Spanish, etc.). For every answer that is correct, the organization donates 10 grains of rice to the hungry through the United Nations World Food Program...FREE! If you get an answer wrong, the correct answer is displayed. A few questions later, the question will repeat, giving you a chance to learn new information. The more you learn, the more you feed someone. It takes about 2,000 grains of rice to make a small bowl as a meal. You can easily switch subjects by hitting the "Subjects" tab at the top. Let's all do our part to put a dent in world hunger.
Valentine's Day Celebration Coming Soon!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Thank you so much for your help in donating Capri Sun boxes. 17 have been collected so far. We still need 9 more to be able to include all the students who come and go from our classroom. Blessings to you!
Our Room Mom Chasie Conway will be contacting those of you who have responded to her with your email addresses (thank you!). We will be doing a simple celebration on Friday, February 13, and we do need you to sign up to bring cookies and juice boxes. Please contact Chasie by emailing her through the link at the left if you will be able to help out.
The kids will be free to pass out Valentines. I do ask, though, that if you are wanting to do Valentines you should include all of our kiddoes. A list is provided below. I expect the students to do all of their own writing. This is a great opportunity to show empathy for their fellow classmates and write encouraging notes to each other.
Victoria Turner Grace Dallas Madison
Tori Aeverie Jacob Caleb L. Sydney
Isaac Logan John Dori Justin
Jeremiah Isaiah Makena Cara Kira
Ethan Caleb B. Juliet Abigale Abby Ian
Spanish Spelling Test in February
The parts of the body are what we have been learning in Spanish. The kids voted to do a spelling test this time around instead of a spelling bee. Tuesday, February 17 is the date. The words are below:
First Annual Family Writing Night
All you families are in for a treat! ILCS is sponsoring its first ever Family Writing night Thursday, January 22, 2009 at the school from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Below I have pasted a message from Mr. Gordon detailing the specific events of the night.
Thank you so much for attending our first ever Family Writing Night. This year we have been focusing our efforts on improving student writing and tonight we hope will also help you as a parent understand how to aid your student at home. We will be starting in the Sanctuary with Diane Adams who is a renowned author. Then you will be given the opportunity to attend two
different classes geared toward your interests.
6:00-Diane Adams presentation (Sanctuary)
6:50-Break
7:00-First session (pick a class)
7:35-Second session (pick a class)
8:05-Event is over
Seminars
Mrs. Bressler: What to look for in your child's writing; 6 Traits of Writing (all grades)
Mrs. Stanley/Perkins: The stages of writing and how to take them to the next level. (primary)
Mrs. Marion: Using websites to inspire and support young readers and writers. (All grades)
Mr. Gordon: Motivating your student and getting them to love writing. (All grades)
Mrs. Whitlock: Response to Literature and taking your student's writing to the next level (4th,5th and 6th grades)
Mrs. Chan Is Having...A Baby GIRL!!!!
The results are in! In May, Mr. and Mrs. Chan will welcome Grace Ellen Chan into the world. Congratulations, Chan Family!
Click here to see Grace's first pictures!
Scholastic Book Orders Now Online!
On Friday, January 16, 2009, a new packet of book orders went home. You can now place your order and pay ONLINE! Follow the link below and use the username and password that were on the handout to login and order. If you lost the login info, feel free to email me and I'd be happy to send it to you again. Orders are due (either in class with a check made out to "Scholastic Book Clubs" or online with credit/debit card payment) by Monday, January 26. There are some GREAT offerings in each catalog at fantastic discounted prices! Enjoy!
Help Needed For Valentine's Day!
Even though we just barely finished celebrating Christmas, we need your help with a project for Valentine's Day. I need any of you who can to start sending in to the room empty Capri Sun (or any other similar name brand) 10-pack boxes. We'll use these in the classroom for a creative decorated mailbox for Valentines. I'd love to have one for each kid, so I'm starting the collection early. Any that you have may be dropped off in the classroom at any time. Bless you!
"Warriors For Change" Project of the Month
Our second Project of the Month has arrived! Make sure to look for the handout. It was sent home on Monday, January 5. If you lose yours, I have attached a similar copy (same words, slightly different picture) in the Helpful Links section to the left. Be sure to use the Child-Safe Search Engines in the Links section, as well, as you do your research.
You have two and a half weeks, plenty of time if you get to work now! I am so excited to read your reports and see your warrior bags and boxes!
January Spelling Bee For Spanish Class
A number of you have requested the list of words for the upcoming Spanish Spelling Bee. Here you go!
- silla 6. borrador 11. pluma
- libro 7. ventana 12. escritorio
- mesa 8. cuaderno
- lapiz 9. papel
- tijeras 10. puerta
THANK YOU!!!!!
Chasie Conway is Room Mom extraordinaire and put on a FANTASTIC Christmas party for our kiddoes. A number of you helped out, as well. What would I do without my giving selfless parents?! Merry Christmas to you all. I'll see you in the new year! You are a blessing to us all!!!
Our First Field Trip!
The second grade and PACE 1st graders will be heading to the Orange Empire Railway Museum on Thursday, December 4! In support of our Science unit on motion, we will be touring many of the first locomotives that changed our concept of "people moving," or transportation.
We will leave school at 8:00 a.m. Please note that this is BEFORE school officially begins! Thank you for being at school a bit early that day. We will be back to the school by 1:00. Please be sure to pack a snack that can be neatly eaten on the bus. Our field trip T-shirts will be decorated this week and distributed on the day of the field trip. Full steam ahead!
"Going Batty" For Bats!
Fruit bats flying in Zambia
We have been learning all about this fascinating mammal in class. The Kitti hog-nosed bat, the Townsend's big-eared bat, the red bat, and even the vampire bat have become friends of ours. Below is a link to an incredible National Geographic: Kids video of our friend, the flying fox.
National Geographic: Kids "Foxy Fruit Bats" Video
Our amazing room mom, Chasie Conway, is sending out information about our "Going Batty" party on Friday, October 31. Look for the handout as it includes ways you can help, either through donations of food, decorations, and supplies or by volunteering on that day. Be sure to check out the sign-up sheet posted outside our classroom door. Email me if you would like to be able to reach Mrs. Conway and don't have her information.
Thank you for all the ways you make your kiddo's learning experiences fantastic!
Red Ribbon Week ~ October 20 to October 24
Monday: Crazy Sock Day!
Tuesday: Crazy Hat Day!
Wednesday: Backwards Day!
Thursday: Pajama Day!
Friday: Rally in Red Day!
"Knowing Your Family" Project of the Month
The class is under way with their first Project of the Month, "Knowing Your Family." Handouts were gone over in class and passed to go home on October 16 and 17. If you happen(ed) to lose your paper, never fear! I uploaded the information in the link section to the left.
Be aware of the amount of time you have left. The reports/posters/ presentations are due in class Thursday morning, November 6, 2008. Be sure to go over the requirements carefully! I so look forward to learning about your heritage! Below is a link I think could be very helpful if you're interested in putting together a family tree.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Osborn!
If you're used to seeing the face of 5th grade teacher, Mr. Osborn, and wondered why you hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks, the explanation comes in the form of a bouncing baby boy, Calvin Matthew! Be sure to pass on your best wishes as you see Mr. Osborn around campus. (Yes, he's now back. You'll recognize him as the one walking with a constant glow about him...could be sleep depravation, could be love!)
Check out Mr. Osborn's class webpage to see pictures and a video of baby Calvin! Just look at the top menu bar and click on "My Albums" and "Movie." (NOTE: The movie took about 2 minutes to load on a Mac, about 20 minutes to fully load on my PC but SO worth the wait!)
New "Classroom Classifieds" Web Page
Click on the link below to access the new Classroom Classifieds section of our website.
Mrs. Pryor Featured in The Press-Enterprise
There is an article about Mrs. Pryor in The Press-Enterprise, Thursday, October 2, 2008. Click on the link below to check it out!
Backstage With Jennifer A. Pryor: Playing Lots of Roles
Our First Authors' Celebration...SUCCESS!
"We're gonna wake up in the morning and come to school to WRITE!..." Every morning our song echoes through the hallways. The kids have been writing feverishly in Writers' Workshop since the first day of school, and Friday, September 26, 2008 was the first day to show off what they had been working on. Students worked in pairs earlier in the week to choose their best (or favorite) work to be published. Then they rewrote and illustrated their work into books (complete with publishing company name!).
Our classroom was packed with excited and nervous students and so many excited (any of you nervous?) parents Friday morning. We giggled, we clapped, we oohed and aahed. Thank you all for making the morning a huge success!
My Birthday...I'm Overwhelmed!
My birthday was Thursday, September 18. I was SO overwhelmed by your outpouring of kindness. The students were so dear. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Spelling Practice Website
In the links to the left you will discover a link to the site www.spellingcity.com. Though it shows a username and password sign-in area at the top right corner, I have not experienced that you need to have any account with them to be able to use the site.
Type in our words each week and the site will automatically generate online games to practice our words! Very cool! Check it out as part of your weekly practice and study.
Class Birthday Graph
Our math program, Saxon Math, periodically asks the kids to use a Class Birthday Graph to answer some of the questions. Learning to graph and interpret graphed data is incredibly important in second grade. I have included our class graph as a resource for you, either for math or for your own partying use. Enjoy!
Writers' Workshop
"Write deeply about small moments." Instead of writing a lot of "stuff" about everything, the kids are learning how to choose one item or one event to narrow in on and write with a lot of detail about. We begin every day with our Writers' Workshop. How can you help?
As you spend time as a family, in the evenings, weekends, holidays, keep your eyes open for possible moments to turn into brilliant writing in the classroom. This first month or so of school we are focusing school-wide on writing interestingly detailed personal narratives. Bringing attention to some interesting "moments" at home will help support what we are doing in the classroom.
The last Friday of each month the class will be hosting an Authors' Celebration to read, share, enjoy each other's work. Parents are highly encouraged to attend these special times of celebration. Our first Authors' Celebration will be Friday, September 26 at 8:30 a.m. Just be sure to check into the school office and get a Visitor Badge.
Thank you for supporting your kiddo!
(I use pictures in the classroom to illustrate writing concepts. Below you can see some of the ideas we have discussed in regards to "writing deeply about small moments.")
Too much info... A fascinating closeup...
The possibilities are endless!
CLASSIFIEDS
- NEEDED- Small trinkets for classroom prize box (pencils, pens, erasers, stickers, keychains, etc.)
- HOME FOR SALE- Mrs. Pryor is selling her home! Email her for more info if you have an interest (or an interested party).
- *If you have something you would like to add, please email me at the link to the left.
