Slime

Classroom Sunband Celebration! 

Today we celebrated all of our safe, kind, and responsible behavior (and the start of a new science unit, All About Matter) with SLIME! 

Here is the recipe we used to make Fluffy Slime: 

The Best Ideas for Kids- Fluffy Slime

Book Orders

Book Orders will be submitted tomorrow morning to ensure that they arrive in time for the holiday's. Please make sure you order online tonight if you would like to place an order. 

Scholastic Book Clubs
Class Code: RBT6P 

Thanks!
Ms. Novotny 

December Updates

Book Orders Due: Friday, December 8th 

Social Studies

Last week, we wrapped up our Communities and Economics unit in social studies. After learning all about community helpers, wants, needs, goods and services, students designed a business plan. Their plan included the name of their business, whether they were providing a good or service, what good or service they provided, the cost of their good or service, and where the business was located. As a final product to showcase their hard work, students created a commercial to advertise their business. By clicking on the links below you can watch your child's commercial at home. If you are interested, there is also a link to all of the scripts for you to follow along with. Enjoy!  

Business Commercials

Scripts for Commercials

Break Box Food Drive

The Summit Street School PTO is collecting food to distribute to Summit families in need over the holidays. Each class has been assigned a different food item. Our class box holds Macaroni and Cheese. If there are items that have been assigned to other class that you would like to donate, don't hesitate to send those in as well. Students are more than welcome to place items in other boxes. Thank you to those who have already donated! 

Bergstrom          Canned Soup

Cole/Dall            Canned Fruit/Applesauce

Currier                Spaghetti Sauce

Filipek                 Jelly

Murtha                Oatmeal/Cereal

Hall                      Soap

Hamilton            Granola Bars/Fruit Bars

Mahoney            Shampoo/Conditioner

Manz                  Canned Vegetables

Neil                     Pasta

Novotny             Macaroni & Cheese

Pacy                    Dried Rice/Dried Beans

Underwood        Peanut Butter

November 4 Winds

Thank you again to Heather Hammack for another FABULOUS 4 Winds yesterday. During the puppet show, we learned that there is an abundance of life that live in, on, and around trees that are dead and rotting. After the puppet show, we explored rotting logs in order to discover all of the living things within. We learned about different types of insects, fungi, and other animals that make logs their home. At the end, we even got to see what happens to a log over time by using a time machine! 

Welcome Back

Happy Snowy Tuesday, 

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. There was a lot of important information in last week's Friday Folder, which was sent home yesterday. Please go through the information in the folder and return the folder to school before this coming Friday. We were excited to see our class picture in there! 

Book orders are due Friday, December 7th. Orders should arrive just in time for the holidays.

Students will get new home reading logs in this week's Friday Folder. Please help your child remember to turn in their November reading log by the end of the week or early next week.

Here are a few pictures from our fun in the snow today :). 

Best, 

Ms. Novotny 

Thanksgiving Break

Dear Families, 

Happy Thanksgiving Break! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the snow day on Friday. Unfortunately, students were not able to bring home some things they have been working hard on, as well as Friday Folders. Friday Folders and other completed work will be sent home on Monday, November 26th. 

Last Thursday, we took some time to reflect upon what we are thankful for in our lives and created a hand and foot turkey. Check out the pictures below to see their beautiful creations. Ask your child to point out which turkey is theirs. 

Social Studies: Economics Project

Last week, students worked in small groups to design a business plan, create a poster to advertise their groups business, and write a script for a commercial advertisement. The original plan was to film the commercials on Friday, November 16th. Due to the snow day, we will now film on Tuesday, November 27th. We will be working with Mr. Davidson and Mrs. Duggan to film in front of a green screen. I will send a reminder closer to time, however, students have been asked to not wear green on that day, as any green will be covered by the picture they have chosen for the background of their commercial. I can't wait to share the final products with you. 

Ways to Stay on Track Over Break

• Read, read, read. 
• Breaks from school provide a great opportunity to pull out a good book and find a comfy spot to read. Reading can also include helping to read a recipe or the instructions for how to make something. Students can also access Raz Kids and Pebble Go from home through the school web page, or by clicking on the hyperlinks included here. The username for Pebble Go is ssps, and the password is read.  
• Practice math facts within 20. 
• We work on adding and subtracting within 20 all year long in 2nd grade. On the Summit Street School web page you will find my name under classes. On the left hand side of my page is a link called Helpful Links. Click on "View All" under the math heading and you will find some great resources for practicing fluency.   

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great break!
Ms. Novotny 

Sunband Celebration

Our Sunband jar is full once again! We will celebrate with Pajama/Comfy Day tomorrow (Friday, November 2nd). Even with such a busy week, students have continued to work hard at being safe, kind, and responsible at school. Students know that what they wear does not necessarily have to be what they wear to bed. The focus is on comfort!

Reading Logs

Happy November!  

Please help your child remember to return their completed October Home Reading Log. The November Home Reading Log will be sent home in this weeks Friday Folder. As a reminder, students may exchange home reading books from the library at any time. They also do not have to read the books from the school library, as long as the book seems like a "just right" book (not too easy, not too hard) . Thanks for all of your support with reading at home! 

Best,
Ms. Novotny   

October 4 Winds

Last Wednesday, we had our second 4 Winds! We learned all about life in the dirt. During the puppet show, Wiggle and Woggle worm helped us learn about what worms need to survive, and how they break down organic matter, like leaves and grass, into things that plants can use. Ask your child if they can remember the 4 things worms need to survive. 

Wear Red or Pink

Tomorrow is the Fun Run!!

If your child has something at home that is red or pink, please have them wear it to school tomorrow. Ideally, a sweatshirt, long sleeve, or jacket to wear as an outer layer. This will help me to be able to more easily identify which kids on the field are in Room 8.

Thanks so much,

Ms. Novotny

Busy Week Ahead

Tuesday, October 23rd: Pasta Dinner 

I hope to see you at the pasta dinner and book fair this evening. The book fair will be open all week long in the Learning Center before and after school.

Friday, October 26th: Fun Run 

Friday is our annual Fun Run! Our class will be outside running from 2:00-2:30. If you are able to volunteer to help at the Fun Run, please make sure you have completed the district wide volunteer form as well as the sign up genius. 

Kindness Challenge and Picture Re-Take

Good Afternoon 2nd Grade Families! 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Today we read a story about bullying and friendship called Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld. We had a class discussion about the lesson the author is trying to teach us and how we can spread kindness at home, at school, and in the community.  

       
                              

In your child's backpack tonight you will find a "Kind Acts BINGO" game sheet. Students have been asked to complete as many of the acts of kindness on the game board as they can during the month of October. If they bring it back with at least 5 in a row completed by October 31st, they will earn a small prize of their choice. If they get 5 in a row quickly, they are encouraged to complete as many as they can for the remainder of the month. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.  

Wednesday, October 17th is Picture Re-Take day. We will also have our class picture taken on Wednesday. 

I look forward to meeting with all of you at conferences! 

Best,
Ms. Novotny 

Happy Friday!

Curriculum Updates 

In Social Studies, we have been learning all about different types of communities, including urban, rural, and suburban. Today, we began researching community helpers that we would like to be when we grow up!  Ask you child what community helper they chose to research. 

We are wrapping up our first unit in math- all about adding and subtracting within 20, solving word problems and showing our thinking, and identifying numbers as odd or even. 

Coding and Chess 

At Summit Street School we are very fortunate to work with talented and creative staff members who provide us with enrichment opportunities. We had our first day of Coding with Mrs. Duggan and Mr. Davidson today. Ask your child about what Coding is and what they learned how to do. 

We also had our first Chess lesson from Mr. Mills. Two of the most important things to know about Chess is that it is a quiet game and a thinking game. We are already well on our way to becoming Chess masters!  
  

Important Dates

• Picture Retake Day: Wednesday, October 17th 
• Parent Teacher Conferences: October 18th (please reach out if you do not have a time confirmed slot yet) 
• Book Fair Week: October 22nd-October 26th 
• Pasta Dinner: October 23rd 5:30-7:00 

Meet Gerald!

In case you have heard about Gerald and are wondering who he is, he is our take home class pet! Gerald will go home with your child on a Friday and must be returned to school no later than the following Wednesday. Gerald will come in a clear zippered tote bag along with a book and a journal. While Gerald is at your house, your child's job is to read to him and write about all of the adventures they had with him during their time spent together. I have done the first entry as an example of the types of information that might be included in a journal entry. They may write on more than one page. Feel free to add real photographs or your child can draw pictures to accompany their writing. If your child has not signed up for a weekend, they will receive Gerald on the next available date. I will let you know a week or so in advance in case there are conflicts with a particular weekend. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns! 

P.S. Gerald is machine washable and will be washed between visits, however please do your best to help keep him safe while he is in your home.

Friday Updates

4 Winds

This week we had our first 4 Winds! We did some exploration of leaves and worked as detectives to figure out what kind of critter could have eaten each leaf. We also learned about ecosystems and habitats from the characters in the puppet show. After the puppet show, we worked together to figure out who-eats-who in the ecosystem. Thank you Heather for coming in to teach us all about leaf eaters, habitats, and ecosystems!
  

    

 

                

 

Home Reading

Today we visited the library and learned how to shop for books for our reading homework. Each student has a mesh zippered pouch in their backpack with home reading books, a letter explaining reading homework, and a book log. Students will have an opportunity to return books on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's. Please read the letter in your child's book bag and let me know if you have any questions!  

Trash, Compost, Recycling

Today three students from third grade came in to our classroom to talk about what goes in the trash, compost, and recycle bin. We practiced putting our waste into the correct bins at the end of snack and lunch. Ask you child to share with you what types of items belong in each bin. 

Book Orders Due

Book Orders are due tomorrow- Friday, September 27th. You may send in the completed order form(s) on the back page of the book order with payment, or order online. 

To order online, go to scholastic.com/bookclubs and enter our class code. 

Class Code: RBT6P 

Open House and Conferences

Open House 

Please join us for Open House on Tuesday, September 25th from 6:00-7:00. Open visit in the classroom will be from 6:00-6:30, followed by a curriculum presentation from 6:30-7:00. Your child has been working hard to show off all of their great work so far this year! We hope you can join us. 

Conferences 

A confirmation of your conference date and time were sent home on an orange slip of paper in your child's Friday Folder. Please let me know if you signed up for a conference and did not receive a confirmation. I look forward to meeting with you all in October. 

Happy Monday!

Ms. Novotny 

Sunband Celebration Fun

It was the perfect day to celebrate our safe, kind, and responsible behavior with extra recess!

Book Orders and Chromebooks

Book Orders

This year you will have the opportunity to order books through Scholastic every couple of months. The first set of book order flyers went home in your child's backpack this afternoon, along with a letter outlining how to order books online. Every dollar spent also goes towards new books for our classroom library. Happy reading! 

Due: Friday, September 28th  

Chromebooks 

Mr. Davidson will be coming to our classroom on Thursday morning to review with us how to care for the Chromebook computers. Students who have returned the Google Permission form will also be able to practice logging on to the computer. If you have not yet signed and returned the Google Permission letter, please do so so that your child can participate. 

Have a great rest of the week,
Ms. Novotny 

Happy Friday!

We made it through the first FULL week of school- Yay! Thank you for all of your effort to get your child to school on time every day. Seeing your child's smiling face walk through the door is my favorite part of the day. 

Parent Teacher Conferences

In this week's Friday Folder is a form to sign up for parent teacher conferences. Please fill out the form and return it to school ASAP. 

SMART Spots 

Starting this week, students were able to pick their own "SMART Spots" during independent work time. A "SMART Spot" is the work space that helps each of us do our best learning. Everyone has a different learning style and does their best work in spots that are comfortable and distraction free for them. It's not a chance to sit with friends or a time to visit. Ask your child what their favorite "SMART Spot" is in our classroom. 

Share

Starting next week, students will have an assigned day for share. They found out their share day this afternoon. In this weeks Friday Folder is a letter all about Morning Meeting with more information about the purpose of share and what it looks like in 2nd Grade. Students know that share is different from show and tell. For their weekly share, please help them remember that this is not a time to bring in toys or other tangible items from home. We will save those extra special items for show and tell celebrations! 

First Sunband Celebration!! 

Our classroom Sunband Jar is full due to all of the safe, kind, and responsible behavior demonstrated these first few weeks of school. We brainstormed some possible celebrations and took a class vote. Here are the results: 

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	Show and Tell	Extra Recess	Work Outside	Theme Day

We will celebrate our safe, kind, and responsible behavior with Extra Recess on Wednesday. 

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend! 

Ms. Novotny    

Welcome!

Welcome to our classroom blog! 

I will be using this blog space as a way to share with you all of the great things that are happening in Room 8. I will also post frequent reminders of important dates and upcoming events. Please feel free to post a comment or send me an e-mail (dnovotny@ewsd.org) if you have any feedback or requests pertaining to the blog. 

What have we been up to?  

Last week we were busy getting to know one another, learning classroom expectations and routines, and having fun. This week we will jump more into our math, reading, and writing units- while still having fun and growing our classroom community of course! 

Starting this week your child will be able to earn Sunbands for demonstrating safe, kind, and responsible behaviors in the classroom. I am excited to see how quickly we can fill our classroom Sunband jar! 

We are very excited to go on our new play structure tomorrow at recess.   

Reminders:

• If you have not yet done so, please return your child's Friday Folder with any important documents that need to be filled out and returned to school (ie. health updates, dismissal form, field trip release, etc.)
• Please review, sign, and return the Google Permission form, as your child will not be able to go on the computer without it. 
• Picture Day is this Thursday, September 6th- please return the picture order form if you would like to purchase copies of your child's school picture.