STAR Students!

I have to apologize for my lack of updating the blog lately - between being sick, finishing up my graduate classes, the holidays and the business of the daily classroom, the blog has taken a back seat!  Most importantly, I want to make sure we acknowledge our STAR students of the last few weeks . . .

Alain was our STAR right before Thanksgiving.  We learned that Alain likes playing basketball, eating pizza, and reading "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"!  Alain also told us that when he grows up he would like to be part of the Secret Service so that he can help keep our President safe!  Good for you Alain!  We hope you had a great week as STAR!   :)

Last week Michael was our STAR!  He shared that he likes baseball, monkeys, and the color red!  We also learned that Michael's favorite author is Mo Willems (one of mine too!)  Michael has visited Universal Studios before and would like to someday visit Aruba to see the pink sand!  Michael also brought in his snowboard to share with the class.  All the kids were really interested to hear about his mountain adventures!  Thanks for sharing Michael!  We hope you had a great week as STAR!   :)

Lastly, this week Rena is our STAR student!  Today she share that she enjoys soccer, Christmas, and the book "If You Give a Cat a Cupcake."  She also told us that she has a cat named Cookie and visits family in Greece every summer!  Someday Rena would like to be a veterinarian so that she can help animals (and maybe even a tiger - yikes!).  Rena brought in a Monster High Doll to share with the class.  Mrs. Gavalis was really surprised that her hands, arms, feet, and legs come off!  Thanks for sharing with us Rena!  Have a great week as STAR!   :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

On Wednesday we celebrated having earned 100 marbles with a Read-Over!  The students wore their pajamas and slippers and brought stuffed animals, pillows, and all sorts of reading materials!  Mrs. Gavalis and Mrs. Carney read some favorite stories, the students read to their stuffed animals, with partners, and in the dark with flashlights!  Later we enjoyed our breakfast feast - a big thank you to all the students and families who contributed!  Check out all the pictures below from our special morning (the dark ones are from our flashlight-read)!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families!  See you on Monday!     :)

100 MARBLES!

Today the class earned their 100th marble!  Congratulations Second Grade!  In order to celebrate this accomplishment, we will be having a special "Read-Over" tomorrow!  This is like a sleep-over, except we get to read!  Students will spend time hearing favorite stories, reading to their stuffed animals, and reading with friends!  We will also be having a special breakfast feast!

Tomorrow students are allowed to . . . .
-wear their pajamas or sweats and slippers (they may change at school if it's raining)
-bring one stuffed animal
-bring any favorite books or other reading materials (magazines, comic books, etc.)
-bring a pillow and/or a small blanket (no gigantic ones please!)

If you were willing to contribute something to our celebration, please make sure you email or call me by this afternoon so that I can make sure we have an assortment of healthy breakfast items.  Thank you in advance!  Check back this weekend to see some pictures of our Read-Over day!    :)

(DISMISSAL IS AT 11:00am TOMORROW!)

Veteran's Day!

Last Friday was Veteran's Day and we found some ways to learn about and honor this special holiday.  We read two books: one to learn about the holiday and why we celebrate, and another called "The Wall" by Eve Bunting.  This second book was about a little boy and his father who visit The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. to find his grandfather's name.

We also wrote letters to Mrs. Carney's son Chris, who is a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army.  He is an officer with the 101st Calvary and his job is to make sure his men supply fuel and ammunition to all the helicopters for his unit.  We hope Chris will enjoy hearing from us at Forestdale!  Thank you Chris for your service to our country!  :)

On Thursday Mrs. Carney actually brought in part of Chris' uniform that he wore for special occasions.  The students enjoyed getting to try on his dress coat and hats, especially the one used for parades!  Check out some pictures of the students below!

 Mrs. Carney                     Riley and Aidan D.

          Michael and boys                         Aidan J., Timothy, and boys

                       David                    Micaella, Ashly, and Davenche

 LeRon                                          Nicholas

  Thanks for sharing those with us Mrs. Carney!  We really enjoyed getting to try them on!