December 17 - December 21

Thank you for all of your support with our Christmas Ball and Christmas party last week! We had a lot of fun at both! It was so great to see families out enjoying all of the activities! A big thanks to parents and the Christmas committee for putting it all together.

 

 

Thank you to our snack volunteers as well for last Friday's party!

 

I forgot to add this in last week's email and post with all that was going on but I just wanted to mention in the kindest way that although I appreciate the thoughtful idea of gifts from students at Christmas I really do not want or need anything at all from you and my students. Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness if you have already sent a gift. The students and I have chatted about the great gift of a hug or a kind compliment toward each other and that being more than enough. Thank you for your understanding!

 

This week is a busy one!

 

Wednesday  -Dress like Christmas! Christmas colours and all the fun stuff! Whatever Christmas looks like to you. Reindeer antlers, red and green...it all goes!

 

We will be having a spirit assembly on Wednesday morning combined with our Christmas caroling. The students have been asked to come up with the best Christmas joke that they can find! Perhaps you can help your child find a great one on the internet or in a book and then have them pop it into their agenda or rehearse it so they are ready to share with us! Thanks!

 

 

 

Wednesday is also our cookie baking day! Please make sure you have sent in all of your items for baking by that morning or before. Thank you to those that have already done so. If you need a reminder about your item just send me an email and I will let you know.

 

Thursday we will be decorating! Thank you to Mrs. Caruso, Dr. Balderston, Mrs. Edmonds, Mrs. Chambers, Mr. Hoekstra, Mrs. Pack and Mrs Wiciak who will all be helping us decorate on Thursday morning.

 

Skating this Thursday afternoon! We are still in need of 5 more spots to transport students to skating from our classroom. If you are able to drop off and pick up only that would be great! you do not have to stay. Little ones are welcome too! Please let me know if this works for any of you. Thanks!

 

 

 

This Friday is our last day before holidays. See you back on January 7th!

 

Thank you for everything! Without parent support a teacher's job is very difficult. I appreciate all you do at home and for school. A very safe and happy holiday to you all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

December 10 - December 14

It is the week of the CHRISTMAS BALL at Mike Mountain Horse School!

 

We are so excited to have this event for the first time and we think it will be fantastic and festive!

 

It is this THURSDAY from 6-8 pm at Mike Mountain Horse School.

 

There are many different and fun activities that happen in 30 minute segments. I have attached the newsletter for you in an email to look through as well as a note that will be coming home today.

 

Our classroom Christmas Party will also be this week! It will happen on Friday as it pairs up well with our school wide BINGO activity.

Snack Volunteers for the Christmas Party are:

Marius /– Fruit Plate

Kyle –/ Juice and Napkins

Bronwyn /– Cookies

Morgan /– Cheese and Crackers

Kye /– Meat and Pickles

Veggies and dip - Tayler

Cupcakes - Hayley

 

Thanks to our last minute contributions!

 

 

The spelling test will be this Thursday to free up any student responsibilities for the Christmas Ball! Home reading will also
NOT go home this Thursday.

 

Spelling words this week:

away - pay - may - play - today - mail - rain - paint - afraid - said

 

Sight words this week:

house - too - saw - thank - little

**We are in need of more drivers for skating next week on the 20th. If you are able to help we would love to have you! Please let me know as soon as possible. Thanks!**

December 3 - December 7

December already! I can't believe how fast everything is coming and going!

 

We have been working hard everyday working on building Stamina! Stamina is part of our Daily 5 program in our class. The students are getting very good at reading and writing independently as I confrence with various students about their reading. Check out a few pictures of students in action as they "build stamina"!

 

 

Spelling words this week:

name - place - same - snake - save - wake - brave - skate - face - have

 

Sight words this week:

which - how - read - thing - write

 

After school skating is up and running! Today was the first session starting right after school at Nicholas Sheran. The next dates are December 11th and 18th.

 

We are in need of toilet paper tubes that are ready for recycle. If you have one could you please send it to school with your child tomorrow. We only need one for each child. Thanks so much!

 

The MMH Christmas Ball is almost here!

Thursday, Deember 13th will be our Christmas Ball celebration at Mike Mountain Horse School! We look forward to seeing all families from 6-8pm for MANY fun holiday activities.

 

 

 

Wow we sure have some keeners! I have already received some ingredients for our cookie baking which happens on the 19th and 20th. Thanks so much for your support. As long as we have the ingredients for the morning of the 19th we are good to go!

If you have a baking sheet you would be willing to lend for those 2 days I would really appreciate it. Just send an email or not in the agenda if you are able to send one along for those 2 days. It will be washed and promptly returned! Thank you! We will also be in need of a few gingerbread men cookie cutters if you have any at home to share.

 

Please remember to send in your skating information for the 20th. We only have 3 parents that are able to drive at the moment. If your child is in need of skates be sure to let me know asap. Thanks!

November 26 - November 30

Oreo day was a BLAST! Thank you for all of your support in providing cookies! We enjoyed many activities and I think the favourite was definitely a glass of milk and eating a few!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spelling words this week are:

stand - stick - last - best - stamp - rest - stone - must - fast - taste

 

Sight words this week are:

kicked - played - name - what - our

 

There will be no spelling on the week of December 17-21. The week prior to that we will have the test on Thursday so that students can enjoy the MMH Christmas ball with no stress of studying :)!

 

 

Upcoming December Events:

 

After school Skating on December 4, 11 and 18

 

December 13 - MMH Christmas Ball at MMH from 6-8pm

 

December 14 - Class Christmas Party

 

December 20 - Grade two skating at Nicolas Sheran from 1-2 (drivers will be needed)

 

December 17 - 21  -Christmas Caroling from 8:30-9 in Gym

 

 

 

Important Note:

In the past grade 2's have always done a Gingerbread house decorating day. We would ask parents to provide their child with a gingerbread house and then each child would need a family member to join them for the decorating day. Looking at the calendar and all of the busy school and family events at home we have decided to change things up this year!

 

This year each child will help in baking a class set of gingerbread men to go along with our book study of the "Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett. We will then decorate them and enjoy a cozy winter day in class.

 

The only parent support we will require for this is help in gathering some ingredients. A note will be coming home in the very near future. We hope that this alleviates any stress that comes with holiday time. Thank you for your continued support.

 

Gingerbread men baking and skating will happen on the same day!

 December 20th!

A note will also be coming home about the skating day very soon. Each child will need their own pair of skates and a hockey helmet.  Some extra helmets are at the rink but not enough for every grade 2 child. We will require drivers and supervisors for the skating afternoon.

 

 

 

 

November 19 - 23

Interview Time!

 

Thank you to those who have already booked their interview time online. If you have not already done this could you please sign up for a time. If you need any assistance with this please contact myself or the office. We would love to help!

 

 

Interviews will be held the afternoon of Thursday, November 22 and the morning of Friday, November 23. Because of this there will be NO SCHOOL during these times.

 

Hot lunch is this Wednesday, November 21 for those of you who ordered.

 

Oreo day will be next Monday, November 26th!

 

 

 Thanks to those who have already sent in their one box of OREOS! This day is so much fun and filled with great learning activities.

Things to remember for Oreo day:

 

- Wear black and white

- Bring one box of Oreos on or before November 26th.

 

Sight words this week:

favourite - into - girl - very - your

 

Spelling words this week:

lunch - bunch - branch - such - chip - chop - rich - much - ache - rich

November 13 - 16

What an awesome Remembrance Day assembly our school held on Thursday. I was so proud and impressed with all of our students and the beautiful readings, singing and dancing they put effort into. Well done!

 

 

Please remember that there will be no school this Monday, November 12.

 

Important Events This Week:

 

PJ Day on Thursday!

There will be an assembly at 8:30 as well!

Please send your child to school in thier PJ's and they may also bring ONE stuffy with them. If they would like to wear slippers please pack them in the backpack and they can change at school. Students will still need their indoor and outdoor shoes as they do everyday.

 

 

 Report Cards will be coming home on Friday! I have asked all students not to open envelopes until they are home with you. This is a time to celebrate success and set goals for the future.

 

I am away this week from Tueday to Thursday at a Daily 5 Conference but will be back on Friday to celebrate Report Card Day and hand them out to these hardworking Grade 2's!

 

Remember to book your interview time with me online. Interview days are the afternoon of November 22 and morning of November 23. There will be no school during those times. Please call the office if you have any questions about this.

 

Hot Lunch forms are due on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14. A small red order form should have came home with your child on Thursday.

 

Spelling words this week:

shell - ship - shop - sheep - shut - dish - fish - wish - rush - push

 

Sight words this week:

people - call -  after - school - was

 

 

November 26 will be OREO Day for all Grade 2 students. More info will be coming home soon. Each student is asked to bring one box of oreo cookies for that day. Just a heads up in case you see them on sale in the next few weeks.

 

November 21 will be Hot Lunch Day if you choose to order.

October 29 - November 2

It is Halloween week and the students are VERY EXCITED! Please remember that students will be putting their costumes on in the afternoon. Please send your child with everything that they will need that morning. We are asking all students to please keep costumes simple as there will not be a lot of time for prepping and changing. Thank you for your support with this.

 

 

The Halloween Parade will begin at 12:40 on Wednesday and we will then have our little party in the classroom following the parade (movie and snacks). Parents are welcome to come and help with costumes at 12:20 and then join us for the parade.

 

Thank you again to our snack volunteers! Please send your contribution with your child in the morning as well.

Fruit Plate - Kalli

Veggies & Dip - Chase

Juice & Napkins - Bronwyn

Cookies - Kyle

Muffins/Cupcakes - Morteza

Chesse & Crackers - Marius

Meat & Pickles - Hayley 

 

 

 Tomorrow in Social Studies we are asking students to bring something from their past! A green note was sent home about this last week. It could be an old picture or something from when they were a baby. Perhaps an article of clothing...many possibilities. Please have your child's item ready in their backpack tonight so it is ready for our lesson on Tuesday, October 30. Thanks!
 

 

Spelling words this week:

of - love - gone - done - does - one- some - come - none - from

 

Sight words this week:

said - why - have - because - they

 

In health class tomorrow we will be talking about Halloween Safety! Please ask your child what they know about keeping safe while trick or treating and sorting their treats! I know many students are so excited to bring A LOT of their treats to school the following days after Halloween. May I please ask that we limit these treats to 2 or 3? The amount of sugar can really amp up the classroom and make concentration a struggle.

 

November Dates to Keep in Mind:

November 8 - Remembrance Day Assembly at 10:30

November 9 - No school

November 12 - No School

November 16 - Report cards go home

November 22 - No classes in PM

November 23 - No school

November 26 - Oreo Day- More info to come in the near future

 

 

 

October 22 - 26

Well this will be our first full week after some holidays and PD! The MMH staff took some time to connect and really focus on some great projects for growth in our teaching this year. The Grade 2 team is focusing on math work centers and we are excited to get things going in our own classes as the year progresses.

 

 

Please remember to have a PUMPKIN at school for this WEDNESDAY, October 24! We will be working with them for most of the afternoon in math centers. Each child needs their own pumpkin.Thank you to those who have already sent a pumpkin in.

 

Wednesday is also Hot Lunch day for those of you that ordered.

 

The Scholastic Book Fair will be taking place this Thursday and Friday. Our class will be visiting the fair at 8:45-9 on Thursday and 9:45-10 on Friday. Do not feel pressure to have to buy books unless you are interested.

 

Spelling words this week are:

on - off - spot - stop - box - fox - socks - lot - odd - rock

 

Sight words this week are:

jump - here - why - tell - into

 

The FEED THE BUG campaign started today in our school! We will start collecting tomorrow and will collect all week! Please send any non-perishable food items that you may not be using at home! Our class will be keeping a tally so see how many items we can collect. This is a great way to support our community. Thank you for your generous donations in advance.

 

 

 

Next week will be HALLOWEEN! We will dress up on Halloween during the last part of our lunch time. The parade will begins approx 12:40 and then we will be having our party in class.

 

Halloween Snack volunteers are:

 

Fruit Plate - Kalli

Veggies & Dip - Chase

Juice & Napkins - Bronwyn

Cookies - Kyle

Muffins/Cupcakes - Morteza

Chesse & Crackers - Marius

Meat & Pickles - Hayley

 

Thank you to our volunteers!

October 15 - 18

Sorry for not updating the Blog last week. With the short busy school week it just did not happen! Thank you for understanding.

Thank you to all of the parent volunteers who made it to the Galt Museum with us. The students were fabulous and really were interested in learning about early Lethbridge.

Spelling is due on Thursday and the TEST will also be on Thursday.

Words for the week:

end - send - went - less - mess - yes - next - tell - help - well

Sight words this week:

other - after - best - they - said

There will be NO SCHOOL this THURSDAY AFTERNOON or on FRIDAY.

This Thursday our librarian Mrs. Renner is holding a contest to promote the upcoming Book Fair. Students are asked to dress like a FICTIONAL BOOK CHARACTER if they wish to. Their name will then be entered in a draw for a prize. Feel free to dress up if this interests your child.

Next week MMH will begin the FEED THE BUG campaign.We will be collecting non-perishable food items for the week and donating them to our community food banks! I thank you in advance for helping to create a MOUNTAIN of food to donate!

Something else to keep in mind....Each Student will need a pumpkin for a pumpkin math day we will be having on October 24. The pumpkin can be any size but I suggest something your child can manage carrying on their own.

Upcoming October Events:

October 18 - No school in the afternoon

October 19 - No school

October 24 - Bring a pumpkin to school for a pumpkin math day! Everyone needs thier own pumpkin

October 25-26 - Book Fair

October 29 - Picture re-takes

October 31- Halloween Parade starting at 12:40

Check out this cool link of the free fall world record that happened over the weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bvrjnr7HZc&feature=share

October 1 - 5

How is it October already! The weeks are flying by and I am so impressed with all of the learning and engagement from my students! Awesome group of kids! Thank you for all of your support from home.

Home Reading Begins Today!

A purple information note will be in your child's agenda/backpack. It explains all of the ins and outs of home reading in Grade 2. Essentially:

- Read with your child 15 minutes every night

- Sign the home reading log every night

- Return the books to be exchanged every morning

- No Home reading goes home on Fridays

- Children readinglonger books may take more than one night to complete

- Let me know if the level seems to easy or difficult (books should be a bit of a challenge)

Thank you for all of your help! Reading every night is so beneficial to your child's learning.

Picture Orders are due this Wednesday,October 3rd. It is also the last day for Magazine Orders!

Spelling Words this week:

up - luck - duck - put - bus - mud - us - nut - hunt- bump

Sight Words:

to - more - because -was -nice

It is walk to school week! Let's try to get out there and enjoy these last days of the beautiful Fall weather while getting exercise. Awesomeness x 2!

Galt Museum on Wednesday October 10th

We will be heading to the Galt Museum Wednesday, October 10th at 9 am. The bus will be ready for us at 9 am. Thanks to Mrs. Hoekstra, Mrs. Caruso, Mr.Romaniuk and Mrs. Wiciak who will be joining us for supervision.

Remember there will be NO SCHOOL next Monday the 8th and Tuesday the 9th as it is Thanksgiving followed by a PD day.

September 24 - 28

Fall is here! Hope you are all loving the Fall weather and the beautiful sunshine.It will be perdect weather for our field trip tomorrow to the Galt Gardens! It will be a great startingpoint for our next area of study in Social Studies...The History of Lethbridge! Thank you to our parent volunteers who will be helping with our hunt through the Galt Gardens tomorrow.

Galt Gardens Volunteers:

Joanne Caruso

Melanie Chambers

Bobbie Hoekstra

Deb Edmonds

 

Spelling words this week:

if - gift - lift - him - milk- fix - miss - six - mix - this

 

Sight words this week:

city - little - with - drink - into

 

 

 

Library day is tomorrow (Tuesday). Please send the books back to be returned first thing in the morning. Thanks so much!

 

Magazine Fundraiser is in full swing! Thanks to those who have already sent in orders.

 

Way to go with the Terry Fox Walk Grade 2! You all did a fabulous job walking on Friday.Thanks to Elora and Chase who did a great job raising money for the Terry Fox Fundraiser.  

 

September 17 - 21

What an awesome day! Everyone worked so hard today! Way to go Grade 2!

Spelling started today. Spelling is due every Thursday and tests will be on Fridays. The homework is quite simple and should take a total of 20 minutes over the 3 nights. 5-7 minutes a night. The homework is focused on letter/vowel sounds as well as following/reading instructions. There will be 5 sight words every week to study as well for the test.

Spelling words this week:

am - ask - as - has - hand - land - mad - add - was

Sight words this week:

have - name - use - are- I

Wednesday will be our Coulee walk to compare/contrast the way Lethbridge looked over 100 hundred years ago to now. We will talk about the Battle of the Belly River between the Blackfoot and the Cree as well. Every student should come properly dressed with good walking shoes. I would also suggest sending a water bottle, snack and shopping bag to sit on in case the ground is damp. Thanks to the following volunteers who will join us for the walk at 9:45:

Kevin Mackinnon

Bobbie Hoekstra

Joanne Caruso

Friday is our Terry Fox Walk. Remember to have your child dressed in our school colours of blue and gold for our big walk! Looking forward to enjoying the great weather and some highfives with friends as we walk. Thank you to Bobbie Hoekstra and Kathy Carlson who will be joining us.

Next Tuesday, September 25 we will be heading to Galt Gardens. The bus will be picking us up at 9:00 from MMH. Thank you again to our volunteers listed below:

Joanne Caruso

Melanie Chambers

Bobbie Hoekstra

Deb Edmonds

We have been learning alot about the First Nations people and how they used the buffalo and tipis. Check out the tipi link to the right! Ask your child what they know about how the buffalo was used.

September 10 - 14

Our first full week together! I was so impressed with how hard our class worked last week! What an amazing group! It was great to meet many of you at the Welcome Back/Meet the Teacher Night. If you were unable to attend I sent home all the information with your child. Please feel free to e-mail me at any time with questions. If you have not already signed up on my e-mail list could you please write your e-mail in your child's agenda so I can add you to my list! Thank you!

AGENDAS!

Please make sure you are initialing your child's agenda every night. This is a great way for us to relay information home about the week and to help teach responsibility in grade 2. Thank you for your help with this.

Picture Re-takes will be on October 29. A package will come home with your child's original picture and then you can make decisions from there as to whether or not you would like re-takes.

Scholastic orders for this month will be due on September 24. Please remember to send cheques as cash is not accepted.

Our grade 2 Spelling program will begin next week. We always send home the spelling homework on Monday and it is due on Thursdays. The test will be on Fridays. This is also great for teaching routine and responsibility. The words will always be posted on the blog and in agendas.

Indoor and outdoor shoes are so helpful in keeping our school clean and gym class safe. If you have not already send an indoor pair of shoes with your child, could you please do so. Thanks so much!

Our first field trip will be to the Galt Gardens to help with our study of the History of Lethbridge. We will not need drivers but I would love parent help. Please keep your eyes out for more information coming soon!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

September 17 - First week of Spelling

September 20 - Magazine fundraiser kickoff

September 21 - Terry Fox Walk

September 24 - Scholastic Order Due

September 25 - Galt Gardens Field Trip

Welcome Back!

So sorry that this was not updated for yesterday for those of you that may have checked!

What an awesome first day! Our class is energetic and ready to go! We had a fabulous first and second day and I am excited to meet many of you tomorrow night at our MMH Meet the Teacher Night! We will get started at 5:30 in the gym and wrap up around 7:00 pm.

Please come into our class and say hello. There will be a few events to sign up for throughout the year and a bit of conversation about what Grade 2 looks like. Its a great opportunity to get some paperwork out of the way and answer any questions you may have. If I am looking busy and haven't had a chance to meet you tomorrow please interrupt and say hello. I would love to meet you!

Picture Day was great! There will be a chance for retakes and photos for you to review in a few weeks. 

This blog will be updated every Monday and will have all of the information for upcoming events of the week and month. I will also post all of the snack lists, field trip drivers and spelling lists here.

Please e-mail with any questions or concerns at kellyjo.craddock@lethsd.ab.ca