Our Animal Dioramas !!

Reading, writing, technology, oral speaking, art, and creativity all part of this project!

You're INVITED!

~Parent Presentation Day~

You are invited to our animal presentation day for parents.  Students have been practicing all week and have had the opportunity to present their reports to a first or fourth grade classroom. We would like to invite any parents that would like to come on Friday to our classroom presentations.   I will set aside the first hour 8:15-9:15 Friday morning as well as the last hour 2:00-2:50 for any parents that would like to be an audience.  Please let me know if you plan to come so that your child can be scheduled for an a.m. or p.m. time slot. 

 My email address is LHedberg@msd134.org

Thank you and we hope to see many of you on Friday February 8^th

February Newsletter 2013

        

Dear Parents,

Last week we had a reward day SNOW/White OUT, some have asked why?

SWPBIS Positive Behavior Intervention & Support is a program to promote and maximize academic achievement and behavioral competence. We have 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 have established several clear rules for the behavior we expect in all areas of our school. We explicitly teach those expectations to the students and reward them frequently with positive notes and rewards for their great behavior. The expectation for all student behavior is clear throughout our building, cafeteria, gymnasium, and classrooms, etc. You should 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 are simple:

· 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 apply consistent consequences and positive reinforcement for all students. By detailing every expected behavior and teaching in a positive way, we 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:  Last week we had 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 after the President’s Day break. Students will be reading fiction and nonfiction accounts of children like themselves, who find bravery in different situations. These stories reflect feelings and experiences that students can relate to, such as having anxiety about a test, being concerned that he/she is not as brave as a friend, and deciding to do the right thing without realizing that is shows real courage.  Our comprehensive focus will include making connections, summarizing, asking questions, sequencing and exploring cause and effect.

Math: This month we will conclude our unit on subtraction with and without regrouping.  Our next unit will be money, and time. I will be sending some practice sheets so that you can see what we are working on and provide at home support if needed.  By no means are these sheets to be busy work, if your child has mastered the practice side, they may try the enrichment side for a challenge. Some students will need extra help at home.

Science: This month we will begin our Weather Unit. At the completion of the unit each student will have a pocket folder to bring home with evidence of their learning.  As a second grade team the teachers have each selected a section to teach and we will rotate as guest teachers through each classroom. We also have a special guest coming from a local weather satellite station to share how weather is tracked and predicted. We have certainly had a roller coaster of weather this winter so the students will have a lot of prior knowledge to draw on for conversation!

Character: Honesty is our virtue of the month.  I hope to teach my students that being honest is being open and trustworthy. It is admitting mistakes even when you know you might disappoint someone.  Honesty is important because it builds trust. “I am honest I can be trusted to keep my word. I admit my mistakes and I tell the truth” (affirmation statement)

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 within 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

Swpbis reward day!

Events included guest reading to first graders, special art projects, snow balloons and snowflakes in the halls tied to literature!

Dad's and Donuts

Every Classroom had a poster displayed in honor of our Mll Creek Dads!  Fun to have lots of Dad's in the building today thank you for making this event so special and well attended every year!!

Animal Camouflage Presentation by Deer Flats

Today we had a guest speaker from Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge located in Nampa. Our speaker talked about animal camouflage, showed us some great pictures, and even brought in some real examples! Ask your child what the three reasons an animal uses camouflage are. (To find and capture prey, to hide from predators, and to keep their young safe.)

 

 

Snow day

Friday Feb 1st is our SWPBIS SNOW DAY REWARD!

 
My lesson plans include snow related activities.  I would like to make this day truly a reward for my students as they have been working so hard to demonstrate positive behavior and deserve to be recognized as our school has made our monthly goal! I need a few items donated from this list in order to make our day a success~  Please send in any of the following items...

Large size marshmellows
mini size marshmellows
toothpicks
white pipe cleaners
q-tips
straight pretzels
can of vanilla frosting

Also we are in desperate need of more Clorox wipes due to the Flu season, we used up more wipes than usual, please in the beginning of the year we asked for wipes and I know with all the other supplies that many were not able to give in the beginning of the year, but we still have a half year to go and our class is out! 

Don't forget that Friday is a WHite OUT day wear your white!

Thank you parents,

Sincerely, Mrs. Hedberg

Winter Fun!

Animal Camouflage Dioramas

REMINDER........


We HAVE stared a new reading unit that is all about animals and camouflage!  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 have started a writing and research project this week. Each student  chose an animal to learn about, research, and write about. We are working on the written protion in the classroom. At home Iwould like each student to make their own diorama about their animal and its habitat. Please help your child prepare a simple diorama.
 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....

Jumping January Newsletter

Jumping January News for Mrs. Hedberg’s Class

Reading:

This week we will start 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 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.

Character: This month our virtues are Friendliness and Cooperation. Students will be making a friendship quilt and will have many opportunities to work in cooperative learning groups throughout the rest of the year.

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