New Math Website!

Please check your child's Friday Folder this week and you will find his/her log in information into our newest math learning website called MATHLECTICS. I have added this link to my blog, but it may also be accessed through the Mill Creek website.  The students love it! Be sure to place the user name and password information in a safe place at home and log in this weekend to check it out. This quarter we are spending a lot of time on learning our new math strategies you will notice that I have copied a help sheet like this one on the back side of student practice sheets.  It will hopefully help parents become familier with the new methods of solving addition and subtraction problems. I will give the students one or two practice problems during the week to bring home and demonstrate what they are learning.

Knitting Indian Headbands

We are busy knitting our Indian headbands a fun holiday craft. A special thank you to McKinnon and Melissa's mothers for helping me get all 22 students started. This activity helps build small motor skills. It's fun to watch my class build friendships and share stories during knitting circle time.

Golden Horseshoe Award!

Our class was one of only two in the entire school to receive the Golden Horseshoe Friday fitness laps. Friday fitness promotes healthy habits and is a voluntary program. My class has had a 100% participation and have worked together as a team to reach our weekly goal.

Dear Parents,

Let me start by saying thank you for taking timeout of your busy schedules to attend parent/teacher conferences. I always look forward to sharing “gifts and goals” and seeing parents in person.  We will not have conferences  in the spring so please check Skyward regularly to view your child’s progress. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me  LHedberg@msd134.org . 

Reading:  This week we began a new unit on “Kindness”. Over the next 6 weeks students will be reading fiction and non-fiction stories that demonstrate the spirit of kindness in some way. Your child will encounter age-old classics in this unit, such as “Elves and the Shoemaker” and “Cinderella”.  Our first story was about forest animals that make room for one more friend to get out of the rain, under an expanding mushroom.  In another story we will watch a young girl practically bring a stuffed bear to life.  Students will read a real-life account of people helping whales in trouble and research facts about different whales as a writing connection.  It is my hope that this unit will bring some inspiration, as well as adventure, our way!  I have challenged my students to show an act of random kindness each day.

  “Life’s most urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” Love and kindness are never wasted”. As a reminder every student is asked to turn in his/her Book-It -Reading calendar at the end of every month.  I was sad to see that only 4 out of 22 were turned in on time for the month of October.  I feel so strongly that students should develop good reading habits at home that I am adding an additional incentive.  Students that show responsibility and turn in their reading calendars on time will not only get a pizza coupon but will also be invited to "Lunch Bunch" on the first Wednesday of each month! Students will get to come back to the classroom and have lunch with the teacher and watch a fun video for part of their recess.

Math: 2.0A.2 Develop fluency to add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies.  By the end of second grade know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.  Students should be able to use the friendly number 10 to compensate and hold numbers mentally. Please use decks of playing cards at home and or dice to add and subtract like in the traditional game of War. Play subtraction and addition War as a family. Even though daily math sheets don't come home your child should be demonstrating thier math knowledge by participating in the Passport Math program and games. 2.0A.1 Using addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together,taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, using new mathematical strategies, refer to some examples on your child's November Math Passport. (these were handed out as conference in your child's conference folders.  In addition we will be reviewing +/- 0,1,2 make ten and doubles.  Can your child tell you all the doubles facts?  Please be watching for practice sheets to come home once or twice a week for additional practice! 

Character: Patriotism/Citizenship
With the presidential elections and Veterans Day this month we will learn a lot about what it means to show patriotism and be good citizens  in our communities and our classroom. If anyone is a Veteran or knows a Veteran that would like to talk or visit our class please call.  If anyone has a name of a family member or friend that is serving or has served at any time in our nation's armed forces please e-mail me with information and I would like my students to write a friendly letter of thanks for his/her service to our country.

Holiday Projects:  We will be knitting Indian head bands and making friendship bracelets in November please watch for flyers on these projects and start shopping for yarn!      

 Sincerely,
Mrs. Hedberg

Happy Halloween

Thank you to all those that sent in goodies and helped make our Halloween party lots of fun!

Peter Pan Field Trip

 

We have been given an amazing opportunity to go to the Nampa Civic Center and watch Peter Pan the Musical by Music Theater of Idaho. We will be going on Wednesday, October 24 from 8:30-12. We will eat lunch upon return to Mill Creek. Space is limited for this feild trip,  but there will be another feild trip in the Spring open to as many parents as would like to come. Please ask your child about the show when they get home Wednesday evening. It should be a wonderful experience an a great wrap up to our first theme in reading of Sharing Stories!

Nurses visit Mill Creek

Joseph's mom and her team of nurses came to present a lesson on hand washing as part of a community service project. The students got to view their hands under a black light to see the way germs like to hide! Ask your child what song they can sing while washing?

Our reading pillows are awesome!

Thank you to a parent of a second grader in Mr. Myer's class that heard we needed pillows and offered to make some as a service project. What an act of kindness.

Health lessons

This year the second grade teachers have split up the health curriculum in four sections . Every Tuesday the four second grade teachers rotate to a new class as the guest teacher and present a health lesson. This has been exciting for both the teachers and the students.
Ask your child what topics they have been learning about as they view the attached pictures. One important reminder Mr. Myers lesson this week was about proper nutrition and your child was given an opportunity to keep a food journal and earn a free ticket to Farmstead corn maze and pumpkin festival!

A special message for our 2nd grade friend