SUMMER WELCOME - "LOOKING FORWARD TO 2013/14

GREETINGS to my former students and my future students!  I truly hope your summer is going great.  I know many of you have been to camps and have been on swim teams.  Others have traveled a bit.  And then there are those who have just enjoyed down time.  That is what summer is for - memories and family.

My summer has gone well.
Santiago has been participating in the Raleigh Youth Orchestra playing his viola.  He has practiced almost every day (without complaining).  His concert is next week.
Esteban has been sleeping in and is anticipating Mrs. Layton's summer art camp next week. (He also turns 12. . .sniff, sniff. . .)
Cristian has been enjoying his brothers, reading up a storm and playing with neighborhood friends.

Our family just got back from 2.5 weeks in Portland, Oregon.  Portland is where my husband's family resides.  We had many excursions in this beautiful part of the country that has NO HUMIDITY OR BUGS!  That fact was enough to sell me.  We made trips to the Pacific Ocean, Portland Zoo, Evergreen Air Museum (with water park), Portland Women's professional soccer team game at Portland's stadium, and various other outings.  We had a wonderful time, but I am very happy to be back in NC humidity, bugs and all.  This is my home.
(I was thrilled to see my grass growing so well!)

We are visiting the Pacific Ocean.  The two bookends are my niece and nephew who live in Portland.

Santiago looking out at the ocean.

Esteban and I by an inlet where the fishing boats dock.

 All of us together!

ATTENTION  ATTENTION  ATTENTION

I wanted to write a brief blog to let you know some adjustments to my supply list.  They are as follows:
*    NO TISSUES ARE NEEDED!   I have plenty from last year and no room to store more.
*     NO LOOSE LEAF PAPER!     Again, I have plenty from last year.
*     NO HAND SANITIZER!           Same as above.
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WHY TENNIS BALLS?
If you were wondering about the tennis balls. . .  Our rooms have tile that is quite noisy without the tennis balls on the bottom of the chairs.  Having these obnoxious yellow balls really helps everyone's sanity and concentration.    I like to replace the balls every years since the old ones get pretty dirty.  If you are willing and have the time, use an EXACTO blade  knife to cut a cross on the top of the balls.  This will save me time and perhaps my hand.  Then at open house you can "pop" the old ones off and replace them with the bright yellow new ones. Thanks.

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Finally,
Our wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Wilson, has requested we add yarn to our list.  Any color is fine.

Class lists should go out in August.  Presently Mr. Gahagan is finalizing his plan.  You should receive a note in the mail when we know more.

Enjoy the final days of summer.  I am looking forward to seeing my "old" students and also excited to meet my new ones.

Farewell for now!

June 3 - June 7

IT'S OUR LAST WEEK OF 2ND GRADE!  

I've had a few parents ask me if I was happy that the year was almost over.  I think most parents and teachers are very content the year has come to a successful conclusion.  Yet, honestly, I must say, I am happy to see an ending, yet I have enjoyed my class this year and will miss them ALL.  Thank you parents for raising such fine children and allowing me to reap the benefits as their educator.  They have been a joy 95%  of the time.  That is a great percentage knowing I have been with them 185 days since the beginning.

Enjoy your summer.  READ READ READ!

LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL - JUNE 3-7

Wow – can you believe it?  We are almost at the last week of 2^ndgrade.  It has gone fast.  I am so proud of the improvements and growth the children have made this year.  I can only imagine what exciting things their futures hold.  The last week of school will be filled with chaotic events.  I wanted to brief you on the days times of these happenings.

Monday, June 3 – “Normal Day”  This will be a normal Monday at school.  The students may bring in a board game to share with friends at the end of the day. 2nd grade will also have an ice cream snack today in the afternoon.

Tuesday, June 4^th – Field Day and Stone Soup dress rehearsal.  We will have a dress rehearsal in the morning before we begin our field day at 10:30 AM.  Mrs. Dunn will be in charge of donations for the snacks and lunch for this day.  She will be sending home a note concerning this.  Make certain students wear sun screen, have a hat and have an extra water bottle.  I will bring a cooler to school that day.  The food offered will be hot dogs.  If your child does not like hot dogs (Carolina Hot Dogs) – then please send in their regular food items that your child will enjoy.  If time permits we may watch a Magic School Bus toward the end of the day.

Wednesday, June 5^th – STONE SOUP production @ 10:00 AM in gymnasium   We will not have much more planned for the afternoon, so if you would like to check your child out after the production you may do so.

Thursday, June 6^th – Awards day/Report Cards @ 11:00 AM Again, there will not be much planned after awards day, so if you would like to check your child out after the event, you may do so.

Friday, June 7^th – Last Day of School – ½ day.  All students will be counted whether or not they decide to come.  It is up to you!  BUT if Thursday is officially your last day, please make certain I know so I can wish the students a wonderful summer break.

If you have any questions or concerns please e-mail me and I will try to answer your questions.  scabascango@neusecharterschool.org

May 28 - 31

Last official academic week of school!

WOW - this is our last official school work week of 2nd grade.  Next week will be a blur of activities. I have copied the note I will be sending home below.  It is a basic outline of all the events for the final week.

LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL - JUNE 3-7

Wow – can you believe it?  We are almost at the last week of 2^nd grade.  It has gone fast.  I am so proud of the improvements and growth the children have made this year.  I can only imagine what exciting things their futures hold.  The last week of school will be filled with chaotic events.  I wanted to brief you on the days times of these happenings.

Monday, June 3 – “Normal Day”  This will be a normal Monday at school.  The students may bring in a board game to share with friends at the end of the day. 

Tuesday, June 4^th – Field Day and Stone Soup dress rehearsal.  We will have a dress rehearsal in the morning before we begin our field day at 10:30 AM.  Mrs. Dunn will be in charge of donations for the snacks and lunch for this day.  She will be sending home a note concerning this.  Make certain students wear sun screen, have a hat and have an extra water bottle.  I will bring a cooler to school that day.  The food offered will be hot dogs.  If your child does not like hot dogs (Carolina Hot Dogs) – then please send in their regular food items that your child will enjoy.  If time permits we may watch a Magic School Bus toward the end of the day.

Wednesday, June 5^th – STONE SOUP production @ 10:00 AM in gymnasium   We will not have much more planned for the afternoon, so if you would like to check your child out after the production you may do so.

Thursday, June 6^th – Awards day/Report Cards @ 11:00 AM  Again, there will not be much planned after awards day, so if you would like to check your child out after the event, you may do so.

Friday, June 7^th – Last Day of School – ½ day.  All students will be counted whether or not they decide to come.  It is up to you!  BUT if Thursday is officially your last day, please make certain I know so I can wish the students a wonderful summer break.

If you have any questions or concerns please e-mail me and I will try to answer your questions.  scabascango@neusecharterschool.org

This week we will . . .

MATH:

I am sending home the summative math assessment for you to see.  Please note the areas in which your child may struggle.  Make a bit of an effort to keep your child current over the summer break.  xtramath.com is a great place to keep the math facts fresh.  Also, if your child is strong in his/her math facts (addition/subtraction), start working on multiplication.

This week we will begin working on multiplication facts of 10's, 5's, and 2's.

READING:

This week we will continue/finish reading the BOX CAR CHILDREN. I would like the students to make their own box car.  Each child will need a small cardboard box to paint.  A shoe box would work great.  Just cut the top off.  I have a few I can spare.  Send these boxes in by Wednesday.  If you have an extra that would be great!

SMALL GROUPS:

We will read a bag book, but there will not be any to take home or a test this week!  Also, we will squeeze in synonyms and antonyms.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

We will continue our unit on our Economy and Needs vs. Wants.

SCIENCE:

Our chicks have hatched.  So far 8 are here.  My boys have been enjoying them very much.  I will be bringing them in this week.  We have until Thursday to enjoy their presence before we must return them to their farmer friend.

Last note:

Friday afternoon we will be watching "RIO" along with Mrs. Frietas/Mrs. Hill's classes.  Bring a towel to sit on.

May 13 - 17

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY!

I truly one of the highest callings is being a mother.  Many of you know me as a teacher, but the most important (and most difficult) job I have is being a wife and a mother.  I am so thankful I have been given this gift through a wonderful supportive husband and three precious treasures - Esteban Miguel, Santiago Felipe, and Cristian Antonio.  

I wish each of you a blessed Mother's Day.

This week in our room. . .

MATH:

This week will be spent reviewing for our Summative 2nd Grade Math Exam that will be give next week over a period of 2-3 days.  Please note the homework and discuss the problems with your child so that he/she has a firm grasp on the various math concepts.  There will be homework each evening that will reflect the review we do in class.

READING:

THE BOX CAR CHILDREN by  Gertrude Chandler Warner

We will end the year with a chapter book.  This is a simple story that I enjoyed as a little girl and hope the students will as well.  Each chapter will have a set of questions that must be answered in COMPLETE SENTENCES.  The Box Car Children answer packet will be one of the last reading grades for the year.  Please make certain to check over your child's answers to ensure spelling is correct as well as sentence structure.  We plan to read a chapter a day.  Some students will have time to complete the questions in school while others may not depending on the day.  Be watchful for this packet as it comes home each evening.

This week we will complete:

Chapter 1 - Monday

Chapter 2 - Tuesday

Chapter 3 - Wednesday

Chapter 4 - Thursday

Chapter 5 - Friday

Each evening the packet will come home with your child with the exception of Friday.  All of the students will complete the questions in school on this day.

SMALL GROUPS:

We will have new set of bag books this week.  I highly encourage the students to read his/her chapter book at least 3X during the week.  This will help ensure a solid "S" on the test given on Friday.

SPELLING:

Last week for WORDS THEIR WAY.  Make certain your child has studied the words sufficiently!

SCIENCE:

We have butterflies!  Three have emerged and I expect the other two will arrive this week.

Also, our eggs will be delivered by the Johnston County 4-H center on Tuesday.  We will incubate the eggs until May 31st.  On May 31st they should begin to hatch - we hope.  

SOCIAL STUDIES:

UNIT 6 PEOPLE AT WORK

We will finish our year learning about goods and services in our community.  

FINAL NOTES:

Thank you so much for all of your notes, gifts and food for Teacher's Appreciation Week.  I enjoyed all of the generous gifts.  Thank you again.

Also - the Multicultural Projects were wonderful.  I have stapled them onto the wall in the Elementary Hallway.  Please come to see the great work our classroom has done.

Finally, We are working on the illustrations for our Fairy Tales.  Thank you parents for all the work you put in towards editing.  Great teamwork!

May 6-10

IT'S FIELD TRIP WEEK!

Wow - can you believe it?  On Tuesday, May 7th we will meet at the Raleigh Science Museum.  If you haven't visited since the new section has opened, you will be in for a grand surprise.  It is fabulous!  Again, please read below for reminders on the schedule of our trip. . .

FIELD TRIP 

The field trip is on next Tuesday, May 7th.  You need to provide your own transportation.  Please simply meet at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' courtyard @ 9:30 AM.  There are many parking options.  I suggest you take a minute to look up the website on line for specific directions and parking options.

Our class will sign in @ 10:00 AM and then you will be able to roam the museum for about 2 hours.  At 11:45 we will rendezvous on the 3rd floor where our life cycle curiosity class will take place. (About 45 minutes)  Then we will join the rest of 2nd grade in the courtyard of the museum where we will eat our bagged lunch.  At this point we will pass out goody bags filled with small souvenirs.  After lunch the you are free to explore more of the museum.  The teachers will leave the museum around 1:30 to head back to NCS. 

ALSO, I will bring a bin to place lunches in so that you won't need to carry them around the museum - if you wish.  The museum will store these bins in a special room.

THIS WEEK IN OUR ROOM. . .

MATH:

We will continue to work on fractions and review geometric shapes as well.  Next week we will have a test on both math concepts.  NO HOMEWORK THIS WEEK DUE TO WRITING HOMEWORK!

READING:

During whole group reading we will enjoy a non-fiction INSECT book to finish off our life cycle unit.  We will also touch on Antonyms and synonyms in class.  There will be no test on this book, however there will be a small quiz on synonyms and antonyms on Friday.

SMALL GROUPS:

We will have bag books this week that continue to focus on insects, reptiles and amphibians.  There will be a bag book test on Friday.

WRITING:

The students have been working on a Fairy Tale story.  This week the students will bring these tales home for you to peer/parent edit.  I will send a list of expectations for a guideline.  I want you to see where they are at in their writing development.  As I need to remind myself - IT IS A PROCESS!  Take a few nights this week to Peer/Parent edit the writing pieces.  Then, by Friday, please help your child type his/her story.  Send the typed stories in by Friday.  On this day we will share our published pieces and share them with our friends. The students will also be able to add a few illustrations to go along with their writing piece.

SCIENCE:

This is our last week to focus on life cycles - kind of. . .  Wow - we have looked into many living creatures as we have studied this scientific theme.  We officially let our tadpoles/froglets go since we had a few die due to their environment.  Yet, it was exciting to see the transformation from egg to froglet.  Now this week we should have some butterflies!

Some exciting news. . .  we will be able to have some eggs in our room!  The Johnston County 4-H center did not forget us!  Our eggs should arrive next week and they are due to hatch right after Memorial Day.  YEAH!

SO - It should be a busy fun week.  Please e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.  Progress reports go out this week.  some student's grade have fallen a bit.  Encourage the children to keep working strong until the end.  It is almost here!

scabascango@neusecharterschool.org

April 29 - May 3

What's Happening This week. . .

WOW!  Can you believe this week is the beginning of May?  The year has flown by and the children have grown by leaps and bounds.  It's interesting how at the beginning of the year a teacher can be overwhelmed with the task ahead as he/she looks out at her little "projects".  Yet, at this point of the year a teacher tends to sit back a bit and enjoy the fruit of his/her toil.  I am at that point now.  I enjoy continuing a morning task while one of my students takes control of our morning meeting. I enjoy loosely leading a paideia discussion while all of the students participate eagerly.  That is what teaching is - instructing, but handing over the reigns to the student as the student becomes more and more independent. (Isn't that parenting as well. . .)

FIELD TRIP 

The field trip is on next Tuesday, May 7th.  You need to provide your own transportation.  Please simply meet at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' courtyard @ 9:30 AM.  There are many parking options.  I suggest you take a minute to look up the website on line for specific directions and parking options.

Our class will sign in @ 10:00 AM and then you will be able to roam the museum for about 2 hours.  At 11:45 we will rendezvous on the 3rd floor where our life cycle curiosity class will take place. (About 45 minutes)  Then we will join the rest of 2nd grade in the courtyard of the museum where we will eat our bagged lunch.  At this point we will pass out goody bags filled with small souvenirs.  After lunch the you are free to explore more of the museum.  The teachers will leave the museum at 2:00 to head back to NCS. 

:

READING:

FAIRY TALES:

We will continue to look at various fairy tales identifying the common elements of fairy tales in each story.  Monday we will specifically read Cinderella and compare the European version to a Korean version using a Venn Diagram.  On Tuesday the students will begin brainstorming story elements for their own fairy tale.  Wednesday the students will begin composing their fairy tale.

Bag Books:

This weeks bag books will revolve around insects and amphibians.  There will be a test on Friday.  However, there will not be a worksheet this week.  Please make certain the students read their book at least 2X's at home.

MATH:

Monday we will review geometry and take a short quiz.  Tuesday we will begin fractions.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

MULTICULTURAL PROJECTS DUE MONDAY!

SCIENCE:

This week we will move back into science and focus on life cycles.  Our room is becoming one big life cycle science lab.  Presently we have tadpoles that are turning into froglets.  We have caterpillars which have begun to make chrysalises. AND, at the end of May we will have fertilized eggs from the Johnston County Agricultural Center! 

 FUN FUN FUN

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at:

scabasacango@neusecharterschool.org

April 22 - 26

EARTH DAY WEEK!

In celebration of Earth Day this Monday we will have the opportunity to learn more about our special place we call home - Earth.  The PTO will have a presentation in the afternoon.

This week in our 2nd grade class. . .

MATH:  GEOMETRY

This week we will recognize and draw shapes having specific attributes such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces.  We will identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and cubes.

Math will run a bit differently this week just as geometry runs its own unique course in math.  We will be observing and creating various shapes in our classroom.  Geometry deals with a lot of definitions and rules.  This week we will learn these definitions and rules preparing ourselves for future more in depth geometric studies.

READING:

This week we will begin to look into fairy tales and the various literature attributes of fairy tales.  We will start the week slowly since Monday is Earth Day.  Each day we will read a fairy tale and identify literature elements in each story. 

 

SMALL GROUPS:

We will return to our bag books this week.  I realize some of this literature is tough, but encourage your child to push on.  Each child has been stepping up to the plate as the text continue to be challenging.  Each week the cumulative test score have been improving.  I am proud of all the efforts the students are putting forth.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

We will continue our unit on Multicultural traditions.  Remember that the project is due Next Monday.

MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE PROJECT

Due Monday, April 30th

For the past week and for the next two weeks we will be studying multicultural literature in our reading block.  Last week we enjoyed the Anansi Fables from West Africa.  This week we will study various Aesop Fables and next week we will enjoy various versions of Cinderella from diverse countries around the world.  In addition, we are reading about how the cultures of the world have touched our country in many ways – one being literature.

The students will be required to participate by completing the following project at home.  It is due Monday, April 30^th.

1.      Choose a country. (Students MAY NOT choose the US). Complete the country report using the Internet or the library for a resource.  Students may print maps/flags or they may draw these items.  All research should be recorded neatly onto the given worksheets.

2.      Make a “paper doll” that represents a specific people group from the chosen country.  The doll should be a larger paper doll measuring at least 8 ½ inches by 11 inches but no larger than ½ a poster board size. The doll should be decorated with clothes that represent its country.  Students may use cloth, yarn, markers, crayons etc.  Be creative, but make certain the doll accurately represents the people of its country.

3.      Chose one piece of literature (story/book) that is famous from the country.  Create a book to glue onto the paper doll’s hand.  The book should have its title written neatly so that people will be able to read the words and understand that it is a piece of literature that originally comes from that country.  Ex.  Germany – Hansel and Gretel    England – Harry Potter     Ghana – Anansi Stories     Jamaica – Anansi and the Pig  etc. . .   You may need to do a bit of research. The Internet has many websites that will aid your research and choice of country.

4.      Bring Research Worksheets and Paper doll on Monday, April 30^th.  Work ahead of the due date to ensure the project is done well.

QUESTIONS???  E-mail me at scabascango@neusecharterschool.org

SCIENCE:

LIFE CYCLES

We still have plump tad poles in our room.  Nothing much has happened yet except they all have grown quite round.  I am hoping we will begin to see some legs soon.

Our caterpillars should arrive this week.  This is my first time using caterpillars, so I am a bit nervous, but also excited.

FINALLY:

Field Trip to Science Museum is coming up soon.  Make certain you return the attached form so that we know whether or not you are able to transport your child there.  The note had the entire day's schedule for your convenience.  My only suggestion is that you leave early so that you and your child can stop at Crispy Cream on the way.  (That is our family tradition.)  Let me know if you have any questions concerning the trip.