Week of April 19,2010

News from Ms. Lambshead’s Second Grade Class
Week of April 19

I know of 2 students from our classroom who found head lice last week. Please check your child’s scalp today, especially above the ears & in the back at the neckline. Do not send your child to school until fully treated, because spreading lice to someone else means you may get it again yourself! Attached is a letter from Nurse Pam, with excellent instructions for each family affected.

The students are learning so well in so many areas!
~~ Learning architectural features from our Art Start artist, Ms. Greve! Has your child told you or showed you some of the architectural features s/he learned?
~~ Excellent work on last week’s math test (attached)– most mistakes were careless.
~~ Our research is moving along well, as we use our note cards to organize & write paragraphs describing the dinosaur, then describing its habitat.
~~ Spelling unfamiliar words well in our classroom Spell-off, to see who would represent us at the 2nd grade Spelling Bee on Fri, 5/14. Our winners are: Sydney, Kai, Nina & Eleanor!

This 4-day week is packed full!
~It’s Earth Week at Longfellow (see schedule below in italics); we’ll celebrate Earth Day on Thursday with a daytime assembly and then Family Reading Night! Think of our environment and walk or carpool to school; bring in gently used books to exchange at the Family Reading Night!
~With ArtStart we build with Froebel Blocks, as Frank Lloyd Wright did (Tuesday); then on Thursday we’ll tour his famous home and studio, see other home he designed, and compare them with Victorian homes.

Language Arts We will review our Courage stories, and then take the series of Unit tests. Therefore, we will not have our regular spelling or reading tests. As time allows, we’ll begin our next unit on “Our Country and Its People” by reading a few non-fiction selections, one on Native Americans (“The First Americans”, an appropriate selection for Earth Week, since the Native Americans showed so much respect for nature & the environment.) and one about an African-American Pioneer family (Wagon Wheels).

Today’s math lesson will include measurement of your child’s dinosaur. See if s/he can describe its size to you, as well as tell you how many feet long it is! We are also extending our learning of “complements of 10” and doubles, and measuring.

In Social Studies we’re reading about Laws & Leaders, and solving conflicts.




Homework:
What book are you thinking of using for your final book report?
Have you begun collecting boxes for your ArtStart building (on 5/12)?
Daily: read for 20 minutes; practice cursive, math facts, home link
Optional: Think about the architectural features Ms Greve taught us; think about the geometric shapes you know, and draw the front “elevation” of your house or apartment.
Today: Last day to turn in Spring picture orders!
For tomorrow: wear blue to show the power of recycling; preferred deadline for bringing in books to swap.
Due Wednesday: Pack a lunch with reusable containers
For Thursday: Courage Vocabulary test. Wear walking shoes & dress for the weather for our FLW field trip; Come to Family Reading Night, 6:30 -7:30, with your book exchange coupon to get “new” books to enjoy!
Friday: NO SCHOOL! Enjoy learning outside of school!!
Due next Monday: story map

Coming:
~~next Thursday, 4/29: all-day field trip to see pioneer life at Naper Settlement
~~Friday, April 30: Pioneer Day in Room 203 (optional: dress like a pioneer, bring a pioneer lunch, in pioneer containers/wrapping.)
~~Saturday, May 1: The Ethnic Fest—take a trip around the world at Whittier School (Harvey & Augusta! Join Longfellow friends walking in the Parade at 10; throughout the day enjoy great music, dance and food from many cultures. Hang out with friends in the sunshine!
~~Saturday, May 8: Fun Run for kids at all the schools, at Lindberg Park (on Marion at LeMoyne Parkway). Check out the Longfellow website for a sign up form, for this free, fun event!

Donate to:
CROP: to help 3rd grader walkers raise funds for hungry folk near & far.
The Feinstein Challenge: The Student Council is also collecting money & non-perishable food for the OPRF Food Pantry because Mr. Alan Shaw Feinstein will match all donations.
The PTO to support updating Longfellow’s computer technology (or buy at the candy sale.
Trade: bring in gently used books so you can get “reused” books on 4/22
Bring: in a water bottle with your name on it (April’s theme of hydration. Nourish to Flourish also emphasizes handwashing & wearing a bike helmet.)

Keep up-to-date on all of this and more by using the school & district digital backpack! (See Longfellow’s homepage.)

Can you help supervise our ArtStart building? If so, please let me know!
~~Lego houses on 5/5 at 12:30
~~Cardboard houses & public buildings on 5/12 at 12:30