First 2 Days of School

Hi Families,
Welcome to our 2nd grade classroom! We had a great 1st couple of days. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and orienting them to some of our classroom routines and procedures. Students were very eager and respectful. They already seem on track to be a great class. Next week we will begin a few academic subjects. My goal is to launch our literacy blocks –Reading, Writing, and Phonics, as well as Math. I hope to introduce our routines for those subject areas, quickly screen students to determine their skill development, and get students excited about the learning ahead. I also hope to launch every day with a welcoming Morning Meeting that includes a greeting, a fun activity, a share time, and an overview of what to expect in our day.

Below I’ll outline highlights from our week and include some pictures. If you would like more detail about anything we do throughout the school year, please feel free to reach out!

Important Dates
Friday, September 8th: Back to School Picnic, 5:00-6:30pm
Thursday, September 14th: Elementary Open House in evening, 5:30-6:45 pm
Friday, October 20th: PTO Monster Mash (rain date: 10/27).

Here are some highlights from this week:

Community Building

• Learned our Morning Routine to make our morning time predictable, productive, and welcoming;
• Ran our first Morning Meeting –played Four Corners for our activity; students shared about something they enjoyed over the summer;
• Practiced doing a “Turn and Talk,” which gives every student a chance to respond to a question in a safe, low-stress way.

Reading 

• Teacher read-aloud of “First Day Jitters,” and “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates;”
• Practiced noticing details in illustrations that connect to the text;
• Took a mini tour of our classroom library and selected books.

Other

• Practiced the morning routine and dismissal routine;
• Learned about lunch and recess expectations and boundaries;
• Distributed supplies and folders and learned their uses;
• Discussed “full-body listening and being a respectful audience;
• Learned how to write in bubble letters and use shading with crayons to make graphics pop. 

​​Thank you for taking the time to read the update! Please reach out with any questions.

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