Oral Reports

Today we did our International Oral Reports.  All of the kids did a fantastic job.  I am so proud of these kiddos.  Here are some pictures from their morning.  They all agree that standing behind the podium make them feel like the president.

December 13, 2015

We have a packed week in room 6.  Here is the run down of what is going on:

• We are doing our end of the unit testing on Monday and Tuesday.  Please be sure your kiddos get a good night sleep and a healthy breakfast to get those brain cells moving!  
• On Thursday we are doing our oral reports. I listened to them practice on Friday and I was impressed. They did a great job!
• Thursday is also pajama day.  Please make sure what they wear is warm enough and safe.  Students should wear shoes and not slippers.
• Friday we have our Student of the Month assembly at 8:20.  We will have our international celebration after that.  
• Friday is also a short day, so don't forget to pick up your student at 1:00!

There is no ELA homework over vacation, but please have you kids read (for fun) over the break.

I hope you all have a fantastic vacation and a wonderful holiday! 

We Still Need Food For Our Party!

To celebrate the end of our unit we will be having an international celebration on Friday, December 18th.  

If you would like to contribute a food, please contact me via email at vhudson@navigatoschools.org. We also need things like cups, plates, and small bottled waters.

Please do not bring any food that has not been pre-approved by the school ahead of time.  We want international dishes, not cupcakes and Christmas cookies.  The student that brings the dish should be able to share with the class where the dish came from.

2nd Grade International Celebration

We are currently working on international reports. Each group has a specific area of study and then each student in the group is preparing a oral report on a  topic from that area.  We will be giving our oral reports in class on Thursday, December 17th. 

To celebrate the end of our unit we will be having an international celebration on Friday, December 18th. 

Students are welcome to wear international costumes to school on the 18th.  We will be watching the movie “An American Tail” and enjoying some international foods.

If you would like to contribute a food, please contact me via email at vhudson@navigatoschools.org. We also need things like cups, plates, and small bottled waters.

Please do not bring any food that has not been pre-approved by the school ahead of time.  We want international dishes, not cupcakes and Christmas cookies.  The student that brings the dish should be able to share with the class where the dish came from.

We Need A Parent Volunteer

Second grade needs a parent to sort Gator Bucks each week. It is really easy, it just takes a little time. It can even be done at home in front of the tv!  All that is involved is picking up the Gator Bucks from room  6 on Friday and make a tally sheet for the amount of bucks each student has earned.  The tally sheet just needs to be returned to me on Monday morning. Please let me know if you are up for the job!

10 Tips for Reading Improvement

1. When reading together, use your finger as a guide; when your child mispronounces a word, tap your finger on the word so he knows to back and try again. If the child can not get the word, cover it up with your finger, only revealing the parts (one part at a time), get your child to sound out the syllables.

2. When you no longer need to guide your child (using your finger), get two books (identical) so that you won't need to share when reading together.

3. When reading to your child, make it interesting and set a good example; use inflections in your voice, laugh when you think something is funny, get excited about the story. Ask your child questions, such as what they think will happen next, or if they think the main character made the right decision.

4. After reading a book rent the movie (if there is one) and watch it together. Ask the child if they imagined the story like it was in the movie, ask what was different and which one they liked better.

5. Preview the chapter beforehand, writing down any word that you think will be unfamiliar to your child (such as "peer", "reluctant", "vast", etc.) and talk about these words before reading (better yet, look them up in a dictionary). Point out these words when you come to them in the book.

6. Don't put a TV in your child's room; the goal is to get them to read more, a TV will only lessen the chance of reading before bedtime. 

7. Bring your child to the library or book store; make them participate in selecting a book to read. Also, pick up a magazine that they would find interesting. Use your computer; there are many great web sites that are great reading and writing motivators. 

8. Increase your child's vocabulary; watch documentaries, visit museums, engage in quality conversations. 

9. Be a role model; read books yourself. If you enjoy fiction, tell your child about the book you're reading. Let them know what's going on in your story. 

10. Encourage your child to write about what he or she read. Have him/her draw pictures and explain to you what the story was about. This is a good time to introduce concepts such as plot, climax and resolution. Discuss the characters; who was the good or bad "guy". Basically, open up a dialogue so your child can share what was read.

Sprit Day

Our next spirit day is this coming Thursday. The theme this month is sports.  A flyer went home today with all the details.

Book Orders

Book orders went home today.  All orders are due next Thursday.  I will be placing the orders that night so that they will (fingers crossed) be here when we get back from vacation. Please place orders in an envelope with the student's name printed on it.

Just A Few Reminders

Monday we go back to full day schedule.  Don't forget to pick your little darlings up at a 3:05.

There is no school next Wednesday.  Enjoy your day off!

We are still in need of parents to help run the student store.  Please contact Miss Hill if you can help out.

Student's should be reading every night.  We have several students that are behind in AR.  All students not meeting their goal should have had a note sent home in their Thursday folder this week.

Congratulations To This Month's Students of the Month!

Today we had our first Student of the Month assembly and I am so proud of our award winners!

 PE: Malia and Dominic

ELA: Grace and Tianna

Math: Tucker and Kai

And our PRIDE awards for positivity go to Emma and Nash!

Great work second grade!

Happy Halloween!

October 22, 2015

Parent teacher conferences start on Friday.  We have 60 meetings to pack into a relatively small amount of time. Please be on time for your meeting.  We can't wait to meet with you all.

Because of conferencing, school will be getting out at 1:00 for the next two weeks.  I hope your kiddos enjoy the extra free time.

School photos went home today.  Be sure to go into your kid's bags to dig them out.  They are pretty cute.

The Halloween carnival is next Thursday.  The parent club is looking for volunteers. If you can spare the time, please come on down and lead a hand.

Next Thursday is also our monthly spirit day.  Students area allowed to wear their Halloween costumes to school.  I can't wait to see them all dressed up!

Remember, there is no school next Friday.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Field Trip Friday!

October 15, 2015

Today's Thursday folder has your conference time in it on a bright blue paper.  Please mark your calendars. There is also a very important paper from the office. We need your intent to attend GPS letter signed and returned ASAP.

Today we finished up or unit testing in ELA and every single students did such a good job!  I am so proud of these kids.  I can't wait to sit down with each of you to talk about all the great work they are doing.

I hope you all have a great Friday!

Tomorrow's Field Trip

Tomorrow we go on our field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  

• We will leave the school at 9:00 and will not be back until 4:00.  
• All students must be in uniform.
• If you bring a lunch, please put it in a labeled disposable bag.
• We will provide the students with a bottle of water.
• Students are not bringing their bags on the trip.

Contraction Review

October 9, 2015

I can not believe that we are ending our first quarter of school already, but here we are. Next week we will be doing our end of the unit testing in ELA.  The kids are doing great and I feel very confident in their ability to breeze through all that is asked of them.

We are ending our week with a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We ask that they not bring bags with them on the trip. If you could put their lunch in a paper bag instead of a lunch box, that would be very helpful as well. Please remember that they will not be home until 4:00.  If you have not sent your permission slip in, please do so on Monday.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

October 2, 2015

Happy October everyone!  This week's Thursday folder was full of important stuff, so please pull those folders out of  your kids bags.

• There is a bright green or blue paper in the folders. These are the permission slip for the field trip on October 16th.  Please get them back to me as soon as possible.
• There is also a book order form in the folders. Please return all orders by October 9th.
• Students that are behind in AR received a notice this week.  If there is no notice in your child's folder, then they are doing well in AR.
• The school newsletter came home this week.  
• The contractions quiz the kids took this week is also in their folder.  Most of the students did fantastic.  If your child still needs to work on contractions, please practice at home.

If you would like to chaperone the field trip, please contact me ASAP. 

Have a great weekend!

September 26, 2015

We had another great week in room 6.  Can you believe we have been in school for 6 weeks already? Only about 30 more until summer vacation!  (Sorry, my mind is always counting off the weeks I have to left to cram everything in that I want to do. After all this heat, the last thing I want to think about is next summer.) 

This week we are focusing on contractions.  At the beginning of the  year I sent home flash cards.  I will send home a new set (in case you have misplaced yours) next Wednesday.  Please practice with your student at home.

School Pictures are this Tuesday!  I will send home order forms on Monday.  Check your students bags!

Classroom Needs:
We very much need a parent to come in on Thursday mornings and do our Thursday folders.  If you are available, please email me at vhudson@navigatorschools.org

School Needs:
We need parents to help run the school store.  If you are interested, please contact Ms. Hill at jhill@navigatorschools.org

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I'm heading out for the day with my kayaks and my kids.  I'm looking for cooler weather and some time to read with my toes in the sand. If I'm lucky, I may even find some whales! 

We Need Field Trip Chaperone!

On October 16th we will be going to a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and we need chaperone.

Here are all the details:

• We will be leaving school around 9:00 and be back by 4:00.  
• We have 10 free passes for the first ten people to email that they would like to chaperone (one per family please).
• Any additional parents will have to pay $20 to get into the aquarium. 
• Only the parents with free passes get to go into the 45 minutes class with the students, but all parents get to explore the aquarium with a group of kids.
• Depending on the number of volunteers, each adult will have 2-4 students in a group. Those students will be your responsibility for the day.
• We do not have room on the bus for parents, so please plan on driving yourself or carpooling. 
• Siblings are not allowed on the field trip.  

If you would like to chaperone, email me at vhudson@navigatorschools.org

Another Artistic Wednesday!💜

September 16, 2017

Wow, it is only Wednesday and we have had a full week!  I hope you all enjoyed your second long weekend in a row!  

We started off our week with a bang and celebrated international Dot Day.  That is a day dedicated to celebrating the book "The Dot".  This book has several wonderful messages including self confidence and creativity.  After reading the story, we did a pretty cool dot project.  Each student decorated their own dot and then we used the iPad to make our dots come to life.  Here is what happened when we projected Brianna's dot.

Today we had our official opening of the Gator Store.  All of the students were so excited to go shopping. We do need more parent help running the store, so if you are interested, please contact me.

There will be information in your student's Thursday Folder about our first Spirit Day!  It will be a week from this Friday.  Be sure to grab the flyer and put it on your fridge.

Book orders came in today.  Most students received their orders.  Only one student had items on back order and will be getting them later this week.

I am going to be off campus on Friday, but please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

September 11, 2015

Happy Friday everyone!  Remember, there is no school on Monday.  I hope you all enjoy your long weekend.

This week many of our reading groups are going to start "Book Clubs".  We will be reading novels like The Whipping Boy and The Sword in the Tree.

In writing, we are currently writing our first narrative paragraph.  I am happy to say that things are going very well.  No one has even cried (yet), including me! They are doing a great job.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

GATOR Store Opens Next Week!

Miss Hill and I can't wait to open the GATOR Store Next Wednesday!  We have filled it with tons of cool prizes, so keep on earning those Gator Bucks!

Sept 3, 2015

Week three of school is almost over and we are going strong! We have so much going on in room 6 that the week just flies by.  I hope your kids are having as much fun as I am.

Homework
Mrs. Trewman and I were talking and we want to make homework as simple as possible for you at home. So starting this Friday, we will be sending home all of the homework in Mrs. Trewman's homework folders. All homework will be due to Mrs. Trewman on the following Friday.  If there is anything your child does not finish in class (or personally needs more practice with), that will be sent home for that individual student on an as needed basis.  For example, one of my reading groups went home with a book today for fluency practice. We hope this makes homework easier for you all to keep track of.

In Reading
This week we learned about fables and finding the moral in a story.  Try reading a fable together and ask them what they think the moral is. Your kids come up with some pretty hysterical ideas. The best one I heard this week was "Never trust a goat."

In Language
We are still really working on our capitalization rules and finding the subject and predicate in a sentence.  Our first quiz on these two skills will be tomorrow.

In Writing
Next week we are starting our first narrative paragraphs.  I can't wait to see what they come up with!

No School
There is no school the next two Mondays.  Two four day weeks in a row! How great is that!?!? Have a fantastic long weekend!


This should have went home in your Thursday folders, but I wanted to be sure you all got a copy.

Student of the Week Update

Hello Gator Families!

We are off to an amazing start with all of your wonderful children. We are about to start our Student of the Week program and want to let you know details of what to expect.

●     One student will be chosen from each class per week.  Classroom teachers will notify you the week before your child is selected as Student of the Week.

●     The Students of the Week will have to opportunity to participate in Free-Dress Friday for their week. See below for dress code.

●     Kindergarten through third grade will give each student a turn at being Student of the Week.

●     Fourth through sixth grade will choose students based on their behavior at school.

Free-Dress Friday Dress Code

We believe that appropriate dress and grooming contribute to a productive learning environment.

➔     Clothing should not present a health/safety hazard or a distraction that would interfere with the educational process.

➔     Girls skirts should be no shorter than 1 inch above their knees.

➔     Closed-toed, athletic shoes are still required as students are participating in PE.

➔     Shirts must have appropriate images or words on them.

➔     Shoulder straps must be two inches or wider.

Today we dabbled with Picasso.