"You're Crazy, Mrs. Gavalis!"

On Friday Mrs. Gavalis was acting crazy. . .she let us write all over our desks!  We used our dry-erase markers on our desks to practice two and three-digit addition using symbols!  We have to remember to trade (or "regroup") 10 ones for 1 ten, and 10 tens for 1 hundred!  Ask your student about the "Wonder Wheel Factory" and the words "In Stock," "New," and "Total" to help them review!

News from Last Week!

Last week Aidan J. was our star student!  We learned that he likes to play football, read "Captain Underpants," and he has 2 pets - a fish and a hamster!  He also showed us a trophy he earned on his bowling team!  Thanks for sharing Aidan - We hope you had a great week as STAR!   :)

 

Our current spelling pattern is contraction words!  Students have been reading, writing, sorting, and building contraction words and learning how to use apostrophes!

Plimoth Plantation

Today we went on our field trip to Plimoth Plantation!  Even though it was a bit rainy, we really enjoyed the trip and learned a lot!  We visited the 17th century English village and got to speak with many people acting as pilgrims and got to learn about how they lived back in 1627.  Then we visited the Wampanoag homesite to learn about their culture too!

Check out the slideshow on the sidebar (see right) to see some pictures from our day!  (If you click on it, it should open larger in a new window).

Enjoy!   :)

Publishing Celebration

Earlier this week the writers of A312 had their first publishing celebration!  After working hard on several drafts, students chose one to "fancy up."  They then revised by changing, adding, and deleting to make their stories better.  Next they used a checklist to edit on their own, as well as with a partner.  Students then recopied their stories neatly, put color in their illustrations, and then added a cover page.  We finally shared our stories with each other and everyone responded with great questions, comments, and compliments!  All the stories are now hanging in the hallway for others to enjoy!  Please ask your student about all the work they did on their story!  

Congratulations writers!  :)

Please also check out the Writing Workshop page for other updates!

Spelling Pattern

This week we are reading, writing, sorting, building, and searching for R-controlled words.  We are only focusing on the /ar/ and /or/ sounds for now.  Ask your student to explain why we call it "bossy r"!

Mistake!

I apologize for this mistake:

I originally was under the impression that the book fair would be open during family night on Thursday, but today learned that was incorrect.  The book fair will be open on Thursday between 2:30 and 6:00pm for families wishing to go.  It will close when Family night begins at 6:00.  Sorry for the mix-up!

Think Math!

There are new updates on the Think Math page!  

Check them out the see what we've been learning!  :)

Star of the Week and Synonyms!

Deborah is our Star of the Week!  Yesterday she brought in pictures to share and we learned that she has two sisters, like to read "Fancy Nancy," wants to be a singer when she grows up, and was born in Haiti!  She also brought in a special stuffed animal dog that her mom gave to her.  Thanks for sharing, Deborah!  Have a great week as STAR!

 

This week we have also been discussing synonyms!  (a very hard word for second graders to pronounce!)  The kids have been generating their own lists and came up with some impressive examples!   See if you can spot any of our previous amazing words on the list!

Reminders!

Just a few reminders for this week . . .

Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair is at Forestdale this week!  Our class will be visiting the book fair on Thursday afternoon.  If you are sending your child with money, please put it in an envelope or plastic bag with their name and the amount that they are allowed to spend.  I try to stress to the students that it is a book fair, and that the purchase of pencils, erasers, and posters should be a secondary priority after choosing just right books.  Please discuss appropriate book choices prior to our visit, and also make it clear to your student whether or not they can purchase anything other than books.

Unless you have signed up in advance to volunteer at the book fair when our class visits, the school administration has asked that you do not meet your child at the book fair during our visit.  Again, please discuss book choices and look at the flyer together before Thursday, and please see Mary in the library if you wish to volunteer.  Otherwise, please feel free to visit the book fair during "Family Night" on Thursday from 6:00-8:00.  In addition, if you are looking for ways to support our classroom, we are always excited to receive new books!  Check the Teacher Wish List in the library for my name and our class wish list (all books wished for are $5 or under)


Plimoth Plantation Field Trip
We are getting excited for our trip to Plimoth Plantation on Wednesday, October 26th!   Please send in your student's permission slip and money this week so that we can finalize our plans.  Check out      http://www.plimoth.org     with your student to get an idea of what we will see and do!  (There is a really neat page that teaches kids how to talk like a pilgrim!)  We will be visiting the 17th century English village as well as the Wampanoag homesite (unfortunately we will not have time to visit the Mayflower II or Plymouth Rock).

Star of the Week and Spelling

This week our star student is Nathan!  Today he shared about himself and brought in a few pictures for us to see!  We learned that Nathan enjoys playing games, has visited New York, likes cats, and has a big family!  Thanks for sharing with us Nathan, and have a great week as STAR!

Our spelling this pattern this week focuses on consonant digraphs!  Below are a few common digraphs (commonly known in classrooms as the "H brothers") and a word sort that we completed as a class! 

Exploring the Desert!

For the past week we have been using our reading book to explore the desert!  We've learned a lot about all the different plants and animals that live there!  Did you know that a cactus stores water inside its stem?!  Or that most of the animals come out at night when it's not as hot?!  Ask your student about all the other facts we've learned and see if they can tell you about this week's amazing words!  (see below)  We've also been working on identifying main idea and details while reading!

Bullying Discussion

For the past few days we have been talking as a class about the topic of bullying. We have used the books below as read-alouds and discussion starters in order to talk about the difference between bullying and other behaviors, the difference between tattling and reporting, and what to do if you see someone being bullied or feel you are being bullied yourself. 

Bullying involves:   
     -trying to harm someone on purpose (physically or emotionally)
     -a power imbalance (due to age, size, or perceived social status)
     -repetition (happens regularly, not just once)

If you see someone else being bullied:  
     -stand up for them and tell the bully to stop (if you feel safe to do so)
     -report it to an adult
     -let the person being bullied know you care about them

If you are being bullied:    
     -tell the bully to stop (if you feel safe to do so)
     -report it to an adult

Tattling: telling on someone to try to get them in trouble
Reporting: trying to keep someone or yourself safe

Please sit down with your student and have a discussion about bullying and the importance of reporting it to a trusted adult.  Have them tell you what we talked about in class and about the books that we read.  Together we have decided that we will NOT let bullying happen in our classroom or at our school, and that we will always try to take care of each other!

Box Tops for Education!

Just as a reminder, we are still collecting Box Tops!  Until the end of October, for each box top collected by a student from our class, we will receive 10 cents back for our classroom!  As of today, our class has collected over 400 box tops!  That is $40.00 that we will get back to spend on supplies, etc. for our classroom!  In addition, in the school-wide race for box tops, we are in the lead!  Way to go kids!  Keep up the good work and keep the box tops coming!   :)

Box Tops can be found on many common grocery store items - cut them out and send them with your student in an envelope or plastic bag with the following information:

Student Name

Mrs. Gavalis

A312

Reminders!

Just a few quick reminders . . .

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5, 2011 is an EARLY RELEASE DAY
Dismissal is at 12:30pm

Scholastic Book Orders are due on Friday!  Send in your money and order form to Mrs. Gavalis, or order your books online!  Visit  http://clubs.scholastic.com/    and use our class code:  H P D 7 B

Busy Monday!

Today we had a very busy day!  First we listened as Thomas, our Star of the Week, shared his favorite things, family pictures, and a trophy!  We learned that Thomas is part Japanese, has a sister named Jessica, and a pet cat!  He really enjoys baseball and someday wants to be a firefighter like his dad!  Thanks for sharing your soccer trophy with us Thomas - we enjoyed learning all about you!  Have a great week as STAR!

 

Later we reviewed our spelling pattern of the week.  We are learning all about how to add -ed and -ing endings onto words - chat with your student to help them review the different patterns, and have them share their spelling words with you!

 

 

Later, Mrs. Gavalis surprised us by coming into the room in "fancy" clothes (like "Fancy Nancy" - a book we read last week).  We learned how to start "fancying-up" our writing in order to get it ready for publishing.  We started with revising, which means changing or adding to our writing and we got to use fancy green pens!  Ask your student about "Fancy Nancy" and today's writing workshop!

WOW Lunch!

Friday marked the end of September and therefore the first time we picked names out of the jar for WOW Lunch!  Students have been earning WOW tickets all month for following directions, trying hard, helping others, and otherwise being great members of our classroom!  The five winners will join Mrs. Gavalis in the classroom for lunch, will play a game, receive a prize, and enjoy a special treat!  Congratulations to the winners!

September WOW Winners:  

Rena, Riley, Aidan D., Nathan, and LeRon

Monday we will start filling the jar again and 5 more names will be picked at the end of October!