August 1, 2013
The “We Are Teachers” website publishes a list of school supply deals every week. This week, they posted a list of school supply prices at various chain stores. Toys ‘R Us’ price for 24 count boxes of Crayola crayons- 4 for $1.00-is particularly impressive!
We hope you find this list helpful as you shop for your children this year.
August 1, 2013
Dear Second Grade Families,
Hello from your Second Grade Team! We hope you are having a wonderful, fun, safe summer vacation! As the first day of school draws near, we are eager to meet and get to know all of you.
We have complied some materials that will help us kick off the 2013-2014 school year and will be mailing them to you shortly. Below is a general outline of what you can expect to receive.
The first item you will receive is a Second Grade supply list. We are asking that every student come prepared with these items during the first week of school. We also request that you do not send your child with additional supplies of a personal nature, such as pencil cases, special folders, or large boxes of crayons or markers. All supplies in our classrooms will be shared, and if students have particular items, all kinds of conflict can ensue. We have also included a Wish List of desired classroom supplies that we will use throughout the year. Hand sanitizer and facial tissue will be in particular demand, especially this fall! (*Please note: The Supply List is also online, in the previous post on this blog!)
We have also included in our mailing a Reading Log and Reading List. The list is not required reading, but intended to provide suggestions for grade-level appropriate books. On the Reading Log, you may record any books your child has read this summer, and any books you read specifically in preparation for the start of the year. By requiring the home Reading Log, we hope to encourage a love of reading at home-where the love of reading truly starts. The Log you receive in the mail will be due on the first day of school.
If you are familiar with Accelerated Reader and want to get a head start, you may definitely select A.R. books for your child. To determine if a book is an A.R. book, visit the ArBookFind site and search for titles. If there’s a quiz for your book, the book qualifies! As an added suggestion: If your child has a STAR test score from first grade, look for books that roughly match the ZPD on their last test. For example, if your child earned a ZPD score of 1.4-2.4 on their last STAR test of the 2012-2013 year, look on the ARBookFind site for books between those levels. Many first graders don’t have a STAR test score. If that is the case for your child-or you just want to find good books for them to read and aren’t worried about their ZPD score-look for first and second grade books on the ARBookFind site or at your local library!
In short, you will be receiving in the mail: A Second Grade supply list, a Reading Log (due on the first day of school!), and information to give you a head start on Accelerated Reader.
If you have questions after reviewing these materials, contact one of the Second Grade teachers. Remember that you may contact us through this blog, by leaving a message through the Carson Elementary voice mail system, or by our San Jose Unified School District email addresses.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
August 1, 2013
Hello Second Grade Families!
Please send your child with the following supplies by FRIDAY, August 16th. If you have purchased supplies for your child already, please send any additional supplies you can from the list.
• 2 boxes of plain #2 pencils (Ticonderoga)
• 1 6-pack of Elmer’s glue sticks
• 1 box of 24-count Crayola crayons
• 1 pack of pencil top erasers
• 1 wide ruled composition book
• 1 highlighter pen in yellow, green, and pink
The following supplies will be used for the whole class:
• 1 ream (500 sheet package) standard copy paper (i.e. Office Max Multi-Use copy paper)—to be used for A.R. Tops Reports
• 1 pack of multi-colored copy paper (green, pink, and yellow)—to be used for Writer’s Workshops
• Box(es) of Facial Tissue (i.e. Kleenex)
• Bottle of Hand Sanitizer and/or Hand Soap
All school supplies in our classroom are shared. I know your child is very excited about school and also very excited about using school supplies. Unfortunately if a student has particular pencils, crayons, etc. it can create:
• Conflict between students
• Wasted time locating lost items
• Sad students if items are lost ☹
For these reasons, your child may NOT bring personal items to school. Please do not send your child with any supplies not listed above.
Thank you!
Carson Second Grade
Teachers
Are you getting ready to come back to school?
I have been getting ready. I have already gotten my new Teacher Plan book and a new class calendar. I also took a class for teachers this summer; I worked on being a better writing teacher. In addition, I am reading teaching books to help me be more organized and effective in the classrrom. Last but not least, I have started to think about all the big things and the little things that I can plan for my new second grade class to do next year! As you can see, I have started to get ready to come back to school.
What are you doing to get ready to come back to school?
San Jose Public Library Graphic Novel Making Contest
Do you want to write a graphic novel? Take up to 8 sheets of copy paper and get to work! Entries are due July 31st. Please click on the above link for more rules and guidelines for this contest.
Speaking of the public library…have you signed up for the Summer Reading Celebration yet? They give you prizes for reading a certain number of books. To find out more about that, please click here.
Families, your child needs their own library card, if they don’t have one already! Here is more information for you:
1. Library Branches and Hours
2. Getting a Library Card
3. SJPL Parents’ Site
4. SJPL Kids’ Site
June 13, 2013
Dear Families,
Did you know that studies have shown that students lose about 26% of their knowledge gains during the summer vacation if they don’t practice what they learned that year? The antidote to “Summer Slide” is to keep learning all summer long!
Here are some online resources to support your efforts to keep your children from experiencing that “Summer Slide”. Online and indoor activities can’t replace camps, family activities, time in nature, and of course reading (ideally, 35 minutes per day). Study skills honed by pursuing appropriate online activities and quiet seat work, such as Summer Bridge workbooks, are crucial for academic success, however. Aside from maintaining knowledge gains, summer learning activities simply help maintain the study good habits learned in school.
Please check these safe sources out and let me know what you think:
1. San Jose Public Library Kids’ Page. Kids’ catalog, events, and games! Lots of games.
2. Khan Academy. If your child is going to private summer school or studying virtually anything this summer, Khan Academy can help.
3. National Geographic Kids. Science and nature!
5. The American Museum of Natural History’s Science Website for Kids. Visually interesting and informative.
6. San Francisco Symphony Kids’ Website. For “Fun With Music” and to explore what the A-3 All Stars learned with Miss Gail this year!
7. Cool Math 4 Kids. Extremely colorful and kinetic web design; lots of activities.
8. Tumblebooks. Read books online through the San Jose Public Library. Kids may also: Watch informative videos, learn a language, read along with a recording, play lots of educational games, and store their favorites on MyCloud so they can retrieve their booklist from any computer in the world. This is an exciting, FREE resource, and I encourage all families to explore and use it! Note: Your child will need a library card.
This is only a start! Please keep checking back for this summer for more ideas, announcements, links, and projects.
June 13, 2013
We have been on Summer Vacation for a whole week. Now that you are rested, it’s a good time to start reading books to keep you in shape for school and even get you ready for Third Grade!
I searched the Internet and found some websites with book lists for those kids entering Third Grade this Fall. Click on the links below and look over the lists. If you don’t see books you think sound good, follow my “Safe Search” guidelines to look up your own!
Akiva School’s Reading List for Graduating Second Graders
Education World’s Second Grade Reading List
More Challenging Books at the Third Grade Level!
To do a “Safe Search” for your great book titles on the Internet:
1. Go to KidzSearch.com.
2. Type words that will help you find what you are looking for in the search box. Examples of useful words include:
You may also type in the names of book titles you like, and see what else comes up at the same time. That way you might find books that are similar to ones you have read and enjoyed!
Happy reading, A-3 All-Stars! Keep checking back for more summer ideas!!
May 29, 2013
These students need to turn in their completed and signed field trip forms on Thursday, or they will be doing work in a classroom all day instead of going to Meadows Park:
Joshua, Janessa, Miguel, Jakob, Nathaniel, Marco, Aaron, Grant, Hatziry, Katelyn, David, Alex.
Remember, you must have a field trip form signed by your parent or guardian in your teacher’s hands if you plan on going on the field trip!
Remember that you must also pack a lunch and take it to the park with you.
May 29, 2013
Dear Families,
Tomorrow the Second Grade classes will take their annual class field trip to Meadows Park. Here are the main things you need to know:
1. Students MAY bring outdoor toys and games, such as frisbees, footballs, beach balls, bubbles, badminton, volleyball, mini golf, or anything else that facilitates safe, imaginative play.
a.Students MAY NOT bring any toy they ride or that has wheels, such as scooters, bicycles, or heelies.
2. Thank you for chaperoning! We may ask chaperones to help out at activity stations, walk with the classes to the park and back, and escort small groups of students to the Carson bathrooms, should they require it.
a. Activity stations will include areas for three games that students will rotate through in groups. We will need help setting up, supervising, and clearing away games.
b. Families may attend the picnic without signing on to help. We do appreciate the help, though!
3. Sunscreen cannot be applied by a teacher unless we have written permission of a parent or guardian.
a. Please apply sunscreen to your child’s skin in the morning, and send them to the picnic with a hat, if possible. If you come with us, you can reapply their sunscreen!
4. Bag lunches are required of all students. Please send your child to school with something they can carry to the park with them.
a. We will eat lunch with our homeroom classes.
Finally, here is a checklist of what you and/or your child needs for this field trip:
o Signed, complete (on both sides) Field Trip form
o Bag lunch that doesn’t require refrigeration
o Comfortable shoes
o Comfortable uniform they can play in
o Hat, if they have one
o Outdoor play items that are sturdy and don’t have wheels
We will leave Carson at around 9:30 Thursday morning, and plan to stay at Meadows Park until 1:30.
If you have other questions or concerns, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.
Yours truly,
The Second Grade Teachers: Mrs. McMillan, Ms. Seyan, and Ms. Won
May 29, 2013
Ooops!!! I have a correction to make:
Thursday, June 6th is the last day of school. We get out at 12:52 p.m..
I have to work on Friday, June 7th…but you don’t!
A-2 All-Stars 