February Newsletter

February Newsletter

Dear Parents,

Many of you have been hearing and asking about SWPBIS.

SWPBIS Positive Behavior Intervention & Support is a program to promote and maximize academic achievement and behavioral competence. It is school-wide strategies for helping all students achieve important social and learning goals. We know that when good behavior and good teaching come together, our students will excel in their learning. As part of the PBIS program, we will establish several clear rules for the behavior we expect in all areas of our school. We will explicitly teach those expectations to the students and reward them frequently with positive notes and rewards for their great behavior. The expectations for all student behavior will be clear throughout our building, cafeteria, gymnasium, and classrooms, etc. You will be able to ask your student, “What are the rules in your school?” “How do you follow those rules?” “What happens when a teacher sees you following the rules?”  Ask your child if he/she has received a Mustang’s Shine Ticket? How did it make them feel to be recognized?
Our school rules will specifically address:
· Make Responsible Choices
· Maintain the Right to Learn
· Show respect to all
*These rules now hang in many areas of our building for reminders. On your next visit, look for them! ☺
We will apply consistent consequences and positive reinforcement for all students. By detailing every expected behavior and teaching in a positive way, we will provide a common language for everyone in our building, including students, teachers, front office staff and our paraprofessionals.
We believe that by helping students practice good behavior, we will build a school community where all students have an environment where they respect themselves and others, and feel safe daily to learn, and enjoy their elementary school experience!

Reading:  This week we have a guest speaker coming from Deer Flats Wildlife to talk about animal habitat and camouflage.  Students have been learning about various land and sea creatures and the four things that all animals need to survive. Ask your child what those four important things are? Our next reading theme will be Courage and Bravery the end of February.

Math: This month we will begin a new exciting math unit on geometry. Students will learn to recognize, name, build, compare, and sort two and three dimensional shapes of triangles, rectangles, squares, circles, cones, cubes, spheres, cylinders, and pyramids. They will learn to classify objects by their attributes.  At home connections during this unit may include asking your child to find some of the shapes we are studying in and around the home and identify their name.

Character: Caring is our new virtue of the month.  Integrating this virtue with our animal research students were asked a question to ponder “ how to people show they care about the animals of the earth”.  We discussed what it means for an animal to be considered endangered .  We discussed three ways you can care for the earth.  Ask your child what the 3R’s are? (recycle, resue, reduce)

In closing I’d like to share how much I care about each and every child in my class. You have trusted me with your precious children.  I believe in helping my students master the virtues with in them.  Some of the most important lessons students receive in school go beyond academics.  I like to think of the Virtues as the content of a student’s character, and teachable moments as the “lesson plans” for shaping those virtues.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hebdberg

Animal Camouflage Diorama Project

We are starting a new reading unit that is all about animals and camouflage! Additionally, most of the stories will be expository text. Expository text gives information or explains something. It uses facts about real events or people. It presents information in a clear way, and gives events in the order in which they happen. We will be starting a writing and research project. Each student will choose an animal to learn about, research, and write about. This will be done in the classroom. At home we would like each student to make their own diorama about their animal and its habitat. After your child chooses an animal, please help him/her prepare a simple diorama.
1. Choose an animal that uses camouflage.
2. Get to know your animal by doing research on the internet or in library books.
3. You will find out what the animal looks like, where it lives, what it eats, and how and why it uses camouflage.
4. Use a box (shoebox works well) to create a diorama demonstrating animal camouflage. It should represent the animal and its surroundings, including how it uses camouflage. The following link is an excellent source for instructions: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Diorama

The dioramas are due back at school on February 1st. We will attach the written project done here at school to the at home diorama project and put them on display.  Please let me know if there is anything I can send home (paper, shoe box, modeling clay) to help with the project. Have fun and use your emagination. Students will only be graded on the at school writting portion of this project based on a rubric and not on the at home diorama.
 Thank you!

Sample projects from last year....

January Newsletter

Jumping January News for Mrs. Hedberg’s Class

 

Reading:

This week we started our new reading unit.  The genre is expository text.  Expository text gives information.  It tells people something.  It uses facts about real events or people.  It presents information in a clear way, and gives events in the order in which they happen.  Our new reading theme is “Look Again”. The students will be learning a lot of information about animal camouflage.  If you have any books at home about our new theme please bring them in to share with the class.  Students are invited to visit the Animal camouflage link found on on the Mill Creek Website under student. Have fun exploring this site at home too! This reading unit also fits with one of the second grade science standards ( 2.S.3.2.1 Identify four basic needs of all living things (food, shelter, water, space). Students will be given the assignment of making an animal diorama at home. Watch for information to come home in this week's Friday folder. We will have a special guest come and visit our classroom from Deer Flat Wildlife refuge during this unit.
Math:
We have just begun Topic 9 Subtracting Two-Digit Numbers. Students will be learning various models to subtract two-and one-digit number, some traditional and some not.  Students will draw on prior knowledge of number sense and place value.  There is more than one way to subtract two-digit numbers.  For example they have been breaking apart numbers using place value: Find 52-14:   (50+2)
                             -(10+4)
                             ______
Since they can not subtract 4 from 2 in the set of whole numbers, they need to regroup. The traditional algorithm for subtraction is difficult for most children to master. Please when working with your child at home ask them to explain how they need to regroup 1 ten as 10 ones, if necessary. Be sure they indicate this regrouping in the algorithm. During this unit students will learn how to use addition to check subtraction. This reinforces the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction.  Please remember that I provide two sides of math homework, the Practice side (on grade level) and an Enrichment side(above grade level). Your child should only be doing the level that can be done for independent practice at home.  If you find your child struggles with either please contact me and I will provide a Reteach page if needed. I believe in diffentiating homework to meet the needs of my independent learners. Homework should by no means be a burden to parents.

Character: This month we will focus on Honor for our Character Education lesson.  Students will learn that honor is living with a sense of respect for what you believe is right. It is living by the virtues, showing great respect for yourself, other people, and the rules you live by. When you are honorable, you don’t have to feel ashamed of who you are or what you are doing. You are worthy of respect. You set a good example.

I would like to say thank you for all the cards, small gifts, and goodies that came in over the holidays. I usually write personal thank you notes unfortunately, I misplaced my thank you list so please forgive me for the generic thank you!! 

Sincerely, Mrs. Hedberg