Weekly Newletter 12/18

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 12/18/15
Happy Friday!
This week has been full of so many things with the approaching holiday!  We have tried to keep learning to a maximum by connecting as many things as possible.  Math has been focussed but with a holiday theme.  Reading and writing have focussed on skills with a holiday theme as well as a look into the stylings of author Jan Brett.  Bus safety kicked off our week, student council fun carried us through the week and the Trimester Tea brought us to the end.
The Trimester Tea for writing was a wonderful success!  Thank you to everyone who was able to send in ice tea and cookies for this event!  Our special guest author was one of our very own 5th grade teachers, Heidi Bullen.  She is the author of the book Eddy The Yeti.  She talked to second graders about key parts of the writing process which included brainstorming ideas, drafting, revising, editing and publishing.  She even brought along Eddy himself!
Next Week: Our holiday party will take place on Monday in the afternoon and begin around 1:15. We will do our secret santa gifts and have our special treats.  Thank you to all who were able to help with treats and supplies.  On Tuesday afternoon we will be having our December Coyote Coupon Celebration!  
Christmas Break Reading Challenge:  Attached you will find a green paper that is the Christmas Break Reading Challenge.  It is full of fun reading challenges for your child to do over the break to keep his/her reading skills sharp.  If they are able to meet the challenge of completing 10 of the activities they will be rewarded with a coyote coupon because they are showing they are responsible for their own learning and perhaps another small treat. :-)
Lunch Menu:  Unfortunately we will not have a completed January lunch menu before Christmas Break, but here is the first week to get us started!
1/4 - Popcorn Chicken
1/5 - Brunch for Lunch (Pancakes & Sausage)
1/6 - Italian Sandwich
1/7 - Hot Dog
1/8 - Pizza
Rug Rats Skiing:  Please find the attached Rug Rats skiing reminder sheet.  Since we will be skiing on the first day back from vacation, it is crucial that this form be filled out for proper pick up information and that your child be dressed appropriately!  Please return the completed form with your child in his/her yellow folder.  Thank you!
Gina Lavoie
Please have a wonderfully festive and memorable holiday with your families!
Dates To Remember:
December
12/21 - Classroom Parties
12/22 - Coyote Coupon Celebration
12/23 - Christmas Vacation Week Begins!
January
1/4 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
1/22 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
1/25 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
February
2/1 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30

2/8 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30

12/11 Weekly Newsletter

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 12/11/15
A Fabulous Friday to You!
Second graders are all abuzz with excitement over our upcoming Author's’ Tea!  On December 17th we are having a guest author visit in the morning to talk about the writing process and share her published book.  In the afternoon we are going to meet in the cafeteria to share our writing with each other.  We have practiced whole body listening in our classroom (ears listening, eyes looking, brain thinking, mouth quiet, feet and hands still).  Giving our second grade friends respect when they share is a skill in itself!  We will then have a celebration tea party with iced tea and cookies.  The second graders have decorated their own mugs for the occasion.  We are looking for donations of iced tea and cookies for our celebration.  Please let me know if you are able to send in either.   
Our holiday party takes place on Monday, December 21st at 1:10pm.  Just a reminder:  Please try to keep the price of the gift between $4 and $5.  The class has decided that they want to try to keep it a secret as to whom they are giving a gift for.  On the tag of the gift they send in, they should put a ? on who it is from.   Gifts can arrive anytime.  Please have your child’s gift in by December 18.  In order to help your child keep the gift a secret, please place the wrapped gift in a plastic bag and have your child give the bag to me, and I will place it under the tree when no one is looking.   Thank you!  Gina Lavoie
Dates To Remember:
December
12/18 - Report cards coming home
12/21 - Classroom Parties
12/22 - Coyote Coupon Celebration
12/23 - Christmas Vacation Week Begins!
January
1/4 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
1/22 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
1/25 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
February
2/1 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30
2/8 - Rug Rats PM - Pick up at 4:30

Weekly Newsletter 11/20

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 11/20/15
Dates To Remember:
November
11/23 - P/T Conferences
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
December
12/2 - PTA Meeting
12/4 - First Trimester Ends
12/5 - Breakfast with Santa
12/7 - 12/11 - Children’s Stage Adventure (Mahoosuc Arts)
Hi Everyone,
Gobble, gobble from second grade!  In writing, the turkeys are all on strike.  We have made beautiful turkeys with signs that state….”Save a Turkey!  Eat more__________!”   In addition to creating these fabulous birds, we also stated the top reasons why we should eat other things on Thanksgiving.  Second graders are writing up a storm and loving it!!!  This writing activity is a great introduction to one of our Common Core Writing Standards, (CCSS.W.2.1) where students write opinion pieces on a topic and give reasons to support their opinions.
In addition, we watched an amazing documentary about a man named John Hutto who raised turkeys when a local farmer left eggs on his front porch.  He put them in an incubator and waited for them to hatch.  When the chicks emerged from their shells, they thought John was their mother.  John became an unusual, but dedicated parent to these turkeys.  
Please make sure your child comes to school prepared to play outside even on cold days.  Second graders need that lunch recess - the fresh air and exercise does a world of good for the mind and body!
Thank you to all the parents who conferenced on Thursday evening, and I look forward to seeing you on Monday if you are scheduled at that time.  The teacher - parent connection is so important for your child’s progress.  Thank you for discussing accomplishments and setting goals to help your child reach his/her potential.  
Next week is a short week.  I will not send home a new spelling list.  Please have your child READ, READ, READ over the Thanksgiving break.  If you need books, the Bethel Town Library is free to Bethel residents and open Tuesday 1 - 5 and Wednesday 1 - 8.
 Please remember that we are asking K-2 parents to donate pumpkin baked goods for our Coyote Coupon Celebration on next Tuesday the 24th.  Donations may be dropped off in the office before noon on Tuesday.  Thank you for making these celebrations special for our CPS students!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Gina Lavoie

Weekly Newsletter 11/13/15

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 11/13/15
Hi Everyone,
Second grade is such a busy place, even on the short weeks!  Everyone is working hard on mastering second grade skills in all areas. The reading focus this week has been on retelling a story in writing to include, characters, setting, problem, solution, beginning middle and end.  The children have also begun using sticky notes during independent reading time and sharing about what they read about with the group or a partner.  Second graders know that good readers think about what they are reading and I am very pleased with the effort I am seeing!
In math, as we work on double digit addition and subtraction, we are finding that many students are having difficulty still with their basic math facts.  It is crucial that these math facts are mastered!  Please, please practice!  We do have a few mathematicians who are on top of their math facts, and they are certainly finding success in their daily math practice.  
At our conference you will be receiving your child’s fall NWEA scores in the area or math, reading, and language arts.  Keep in mind that the tests your second grader took this fall were very different from the tests in grade one.  The grade one tests are audio and they need to mark their answers.  The second grade assessment are done on their own.  Each second grader was responsible for reading the questions, text, and their answer choices.  Sometimes we find a “big” difference in the spring to fall scores, particularly from grade one to grade two; perhaps due to the difference in the format of the test.  Each student’s goal is to increase their RIT (Rasch Unit) score.  
Spelling - Next week is a review lesson in spelling.  There will still be ten words which each second grader will know what they will be tested on.  The homework is a bit different for a review week.  There will only be one homework assignment, but it is a project and they have three choices to pick from.  If you want a sneak preview of the words and the homework project, the blog has all the information you will need.   I can’t wait to see the what everyone creates.
Please make sure the conference time that you have been given works for you.  If you need to make a change, please call the office and Tammy can reschedule you for a time that fits my schedule.  I am looking forward to meeting with all of you.


Enjoy the weekend!
Gina Lavoie
Dates To Remember:
November
11/16 - Tooth Fairies
11/16 - Photo Retake Day!
11/19 - P/T Conferences
11/23 - P/T Conferences
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
December
12/2 - PTA Meeting
12/4 - First Trimester Ends
12/5 - Breakfast with Santa
12/7 - 12/11 - Children’s Stage Adventure (Mahoosuc Arts)

Weekly Newsletter 11/6

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 10/30/15
Hi Everyone,
Wow,  November looks like a short, but very busy month!  We have a lot of important days/holidays to learn about; Veterans Day, National Smoke-Out, and Thanksgiving.  These important events will be woven into our ELA (English, Language Arts) blocks.  We have also been learning about Veteran’s Day through books, videos and our Scholastic News magazine.
Math groups are sailing along working on a lot of important concepts: odd/even, number patterns, place value and number sense, rounding, greater than and less than.  We are in the process of assessing where our mathematicians are in demonstrating their understand of these second grade concepts.  Our next focus will be on addition and subtraction and we will quickly jump into regrouping.  
Conference Sign Ups - If you have not yet sent in your conference paper requesting a certain day and time, please send it in on Monday so that the office ladies have time to fill out and get appointment cards back to you.  
       
Have a beautiful weekend!
Gina Lavoie
Dates To Remember:
November
11/11 - No School - Veteran’s Day
11/12, 11/13 & 11/16 - Tooth Fairies
11/16 - Photo Retake Day!
11/19 - P/T Conferences
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
12/2 - PTA Meeting
12/5 - Breakfast with Santa
12/7 - 12/11 - Childrens Stage Adventure (Mahoosuc Arts)

Weekly Newsletter 10/23

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 10/23/15
Hi Everyone,
We are cruising through October!  Next week we will be celebrating Halloween on Friday with our parade through town at 1:15pm.  Please have your child bring in their costume and we will get ready after our lunch recess.  If you are available to walk with us, or help students with their costumes, please arrive around 1:00pm.
         It has been determined that the whole school Coyote Reward assembly will be first thing in the morning.  We will have a special snack and some fun activities after library.  Thank you Marcy for providing veggies and dip.  Is there anyone willing to send in a drink?  I already have cups.  We will not need anymore than this as the children will have had their regular snack at 10:00 and this celebration is right before lunch.
Also, as a reminder, if your child has picked a spelling activity that is not working - for example, it requires computer access and your internet is down.  Please help your child find something that works.  Keep in mind, the goal is to learn how to spell and understand what the words mean.  Your child can put the words in A -Z order, write the words twice, write them in a sentence, or take a test with your assistance.  You decide how to best help your child.  If the activities listed on the homework paper do not work for you, find something that helps your child learn the words.  
Math groups continue to give it their all!  We have been practicing skills for Numbers and Operations in Base 10.  Some of these skills include: counting to 1000, skip counting by 5’s, 10’s, 100’s, and reading and writing numbers to 1000 using numerals, number names and expanded form.  We are also working on getting faster at addition.  We are reviewing addition strategies and using them to pick up speed.  If you have access to a computer, your child can practice at home on XTRA math and IXL.  There are so many wonderful math web sites that make learning fun.  If you are having any trouble signing on at home, please let me know.  
We started new Language Arts skill work this week.  We are learning about proper & common nouns, irregular plural nouns, reflexive pronouns, collective nouns, and homophones.  We are rotating into all the second grade classrooms to learn these important ELA skills.  They are skills that will be reported on the first trimester report card.

Sincerely,
Gina Lavoie
Dates to remember:
October
10/30 - Halloween Parade @ 1:15pm
November
11/3 - No School (Workshop Day)
11/4 - Flu Shots
11/11 - No School - Veteran’s Day
11/12, 11/13 & 11/16 - Tooth Fairies
11/19 - P/T Conferences
11/23 - P/T Conferences
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break

Weekly Newsletter 10/16

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 10/16/15
Hello Everyone!
  What a wonderful morning we had today with all our Grandparent’s and Special Guests!  It is so nice to have so many caring adults come out to share in the lives of our students!  The children practiced and sang a song called "A Song For Grandma And Grandpa" by Singer/Songwriter Johnny Prill which is the official song of National Grandparents Day. They did a great job! The children were able to share so many activities with their special guest including: “When I am 100” writing and photos, lots of activities about spiders and fun spider headbands!
   Math groups have been hard at work learning and practicing skills for Numbers and Operations in Base 10.  Some of these skills include: counting to 1000, skip counting by 5’s, 10’s, 100’s, and read and write numbers to 1000 using numerals, number names and expanded form.
  Halloween Class Party Update- There will be a whole school Coyote Coupon Reward assembly on the morning of the 30th! (More to come on this!) The timing of this assembly may change the time of our class party.  I have decided to just keep everything simple so we can be flexible on this day.  I am hoping to have the food for the party take the place of our normal snack.  I am looking for a few people to provide a few “goodies” for our event.  If you are able to provide a drink, fruit, crackers, cheese or plates.  Please let me know.  Thank you!
  Box Tops - Keep sending in those Box Tops! The final date for sending in Box Tops for this competition is October 23rd.

Dates to remember:
October
10/23 - Box Tops Competition Ends!
10/30 - Halloween Parade @ 1:15pm
November
11/3 - No School (Workshop Day)
11/4 - Flu Shots
11/11 - No School - Veteran’s Day
11/12, 11/13 & 11/16 - Tooth Fairies
11/19 - P/T Conferences
11/23 - P/T Conferences
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
Sincerely,
Gina Lavoie

Weekly Newsletter 10/8

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 10/8/15
Dear Parents,
From the Office - The CPS/PTA will once again be organizing the Trick -or-Treating for Halloween; which is scheduled for Saturday the 31st.  You will be receiving more information soon.  Please help if you can!  We are asking for donations of peanut free candy or non-perishable small items.  Donations can be sent in anytime!  Thanks in advance for your generous contribution.
Important Picture Day Information - October 13
You can simplify picture day by ordering online at mylifetouch.come.  No need to send cash of flyer back to school when you order online.
Spelling - Spelling for the continued week 4 will go home on Tuesday.  There will be three homework assignments; Tues, Wed, and Thursday.  Homework needs to be returned on Friday.  Our test for the “ee” words (Week 4) is on Friday.
Halloween Class Party - We will be having our Halloween party during our snack time, so as to allow a little more time than what we have in the afternoon.  Our party time will be from 9:15 – 10:00 on Oct. 3th.  Our room parent, Sarah Berry will be getting in contact with some of you in regard to sending in some refreshments.  Thank you in advance for helping to make our party special.
Box Tops - Keep sending in those Box Tops!  Right now Mrs. Wight’s class is in the lead.  The final date for sending in Box Tops for this competition is October 23rd.

Dates to remember:
October
10/12 - No School - Columbus Day
10/13 – School Picture Day
10/16 – Grandparent’s Day at CPS 9am-10:30am
10/23 - Box Tops Competition Ends!
10/30 - Halloween Parade @ 1:15pm
November
11/3 - No School (Workshop Day)
11/4 - Flu Shots
11/11 - No School - Veteran’s Day
11/12, 11/13 & 11/16 - Tooth Fairies
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
Sincerely,
Gina Lavoie

Weekly Newsletter 10/1

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 10/1/15
Dear Parents,
Next week is National Fire Prevention Week – On Wednesday afternoon, our local fire departments will be coming into our classrooms to remind our second graders about the fire safety rules.  This is also a good time to replace those batteries in your fire alarms and to talk about your family’s plan!  Please make sure you have working smoke detectors!!!  If you can not afford them please let your local fire department know that you are in need. They will happily supply them!
Thursday was our first school wide celebration for the earning of Coyote Coupons for being responsible, respectful and safe.  Every student in the school received at least one coupon for the month of September and was able to attend the celebration.  We sang our new school song, had a drawing for school t-shirts, celebrated everything that kiddos have been doing well, had an awesome dance party and everyone got a cookie too!  Fun! Fun!  Fun!
Math - We are very excited about our plans to meet all our second graders math needs.  After looking over the NWEA results and teacher observation, we have grouped our mathematicians for Numbers & Operations, Geometry, and Measurement & Data.  Our math block is now from 11:15 - 12:05 and we started this  week with Numbers & Operations.  Students will continue to receive their math fact practice with their classroom teacher.  
Spelling - Due to our upcoming four day weeks,  our Week 4 spelling will go home on Monday as usual.  Since there is no school on the 9th (Friday), and the 12th (Monday), we will extend our spelling practice and homework and test on Friday the 16th.  
Reading Logs will be adjusted and sent home at the beginning of both weeks.  I love seeing all the various books being read!  Keep up the great work!
Social Sciences - We are finishing up on our unit on plants and we are also working on our first Social Studies Unit on needs, wants, goods, services, consumers and producers.
Reading & Writing Workshop - Now that we have established our dos and don’ts for our workshop time, we are off and running!  Both workshops begin with a mini-lesson (skill), reading and writing time, and end with sharing.  
Dates to remember:
October
10/9 - No School (Workshop Day)
10/12 - No School - Columbus Day
10/13 – School Picture Day
10/16 – Grandparent’s Day at CPS
November
11/3 - No School (Workshop Day)
11/4 - Flu Shots
11/11 - No School - Veteran’s Day
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
Sincerely,

Gina Lavoie

Weekly Newsletter 9/25

THE HOOT -  News from Ms. Lavoie’s Second Grade - 9/25/15
Dear Parents,
We have had a busy week in second grade!  The NWEA fall testing is over, (except for a few make-up tests), and we are beginning to get into a good routine.  We have switched our schedule to a literacy block in the morning, math at 11:05 am after our special, and science, social studies, or writing workshop in the afternoon.  
This week our afternoons focused on:  SCIENCE ACTIVITIES  In Mrs. Wight’s room, second graders enjoyed the seed dispersal game where they discovered animals play an important role in dispersing seeds.  Some seeds get eaten, some just don't survive, some get buried (make more plants), and some get stuck to fur and may or may not survive.
In  my room, students participated in a hands-on activity that demonstrated how bees pollinate flowers.  The activity was designed to bring pollination to life for our second graders as they were suppose to see how the pollen moves from flower to flower. We were still able to see this through video representation as we learned that sometimes experiments need to be tweaked in order to work. Scientists are always learning!
In Mrs. Lee’s room it was all about the soil.  Students took an in depth look at the difference between loam, silt, sand, clay, and rock.  They observed the way water flows through the different materials (permeability).  They discussed the importance of nutrient rich soil to grow healthy plants.  
Homework: I am pleased with the effort students are making to complete spelling activities, study spelling words, and keep track of their reading progress.  Your effort and support makes the difference! (See the attached letter for more information on the Reading Log Homework.)
RAZ: Second graders can use Raz Kids for their Reading Homework as well.  Attached is the information to get online and their passwords.
Other Services:  Once all the data from the NWEA are in, we will be meeting to discuss Title One Reading and Math services and G/T math.  
Math: Students are still being taught all the strategies for learning their math facts.  We will continue to work on the zero property, starting with the biggest number then adding 1 , 2, or 3 (2 + 7; think 7, 8, 9) making ten (8 + 5; think 10 + 3), and all the combinations that make ten.  Knowing their facts is key to their success in many of the upcoming math lessons.  Please practice with your child at home.  I recommend card games, the Dollar Tree has flash cards, practicing in the car, etc.  
Dates to remember:
October
10/9 - No School (Workshop Day)
10/12 - No School - Columbus Day
10/13 – School Picture Day
10/16 – Grandparent’s Day at CPS
November
11/3 - No School (Workshop Day)
11/4 - Flu Shots
11/11 - No School - Veteran’s Day
11/25 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
Sincerely,
Ms. Lavoie

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