Last week before the break!

First of all, I just want to say that the kids did so well on the SOAR tests last week! I'm so proud!

Our class party is this Thursday at 1:00.  We will be doing a book exchange at the party.  Every kid is supposed to bring a wrapped, gender-neutral book that cost no more than $10 (it can also be a gently used book).  Everyone is welcome to come and help out!

Also, this Friday is "Now Lay Me Down to Read" Day.  The kids can wear their pajamas to school on that day!

We had our second grade Spelling Bee on Monday and Lynn Elise and Kenny did a great job!

The student of the week this week is Lynn Elise.  She has 2 sisters and she LOVES apples!

SOAR tests are this week

Book orders are due tomorrow! According to the website, as long as I send off the order tomorrow, the books should be delievered to the school before the winter break.

We will be having our SOAR tests this Wednesday and Thursday.  We have been working hard on our test-taking skills and strategies.  Please make sure that your child gets plenty of rest, eats a good breakfast, and is on time, especially on these two days. I know the kids will do a great job on this test!

For the spelling words this week--since the SOAR tests are this week, we will have the spelling test for these words next Wednesday, December 19th.  Plus, this way we won't have to worry about having a spelling test before the class winter party or during the "Now Lay Me Down to Read" day.

This Friday afternoon, we will be having our classroom spelling bee.  The top two winners from our class will then compete against the top 2 students from the other 2nd grade classes in a spelling bee on Monday, December 17th. 

Canaan is our star student this week! He is a HUGE Arkansas Razorback fan (also my personal favorite :)) and he enjoys playing football himself, as well!

Book orders went home with the students today.  In order to make sure that the books arrive before the winter break, they are due back next Tuesday, December 11th.  You can either order online or send in the order to me.  If you are wanting any of the books to be presents, just let me know and I can hold onto the books and get them to you so that your child doesn't find out.  Just be sure to let me know before they arrive!

Starting this Friday, December 7th, Pulaski County is having a contest for schools with SUMDOG.  The contest will last until Thursday, December 13th.  If you haven't checked out www.sumdog.com yet, you should! It is a great website that helps build math skills!

As you may know, Roberts is having a spelling bee on Monday, December 17th for 3rd-5th grade.  2nd grade will have our own spelling bee consisiting of two students from each class.  We will be having a mini spelling bee in the class on Friday, Dwecember 14th and the top two winners from our class will compete against students from other 2nd grade classes on Monday, December 17th at 1 in the flex area.

Our star student this week is Natalie.  She brought a lot of pictures to share with the class and also told us that she enjoys reading the comics from the newspaper on Sundays!

Just a reminder--we will have our SOAR tests next Wednesday and Thursday, December 12th and 13th.  Please make sure your child is at school on time those days!

Happy (Late) Thanksgiving!

Hello, everyone! I sure hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break! Sorry it has been so long since the last post--things have been pretty busy these past couple of weeks, especially with getting ready for the 2nd grade program last week, which, by the way, I thought was GREAT! The kids worked so hard and did such a great job.  Also, a special thanks to Mrs. Pollard and Mrs. Burrall for putting the program together.  If you took pictures and would like to share, I would really appreciate if you'd email me a couple--it was hard to get good ones since I was backstage. :)

All yearbook orders and orders for the DVD of the "Roberts Remembers" program are due THIS FRIDAY.  These are $20 each.


Due to the short weeks, our spelling test days got mixed up and the last two weeks the spelling test has been on Tuesdays.  Luckily, this week it all goes back to normal!  Our spelling test this week will be on FRIDAY, as usual.  Speaking of spelling, Roberts is having the annual Spelling Bee!  The Spelling Bee is really for 3rd-5th grade, but 2nd grade will be having a Spelling Bee of our own in our flex area on Monday, December 17th.  We will have a "mini" Spelling Bee in our classroom (I have not set the date for this just yet.  I will let you know as soon as I do!) and the two people who do the best will get to compete with the contestants from the other 2nd grade classes.  I sent a list of words home today for the students who are interested to study.

Just so you can mark it on your calendar, we will be having another SOAR test on Wednesday, December 12th and Thursday, December 13th.  It is important that all students are present and school and are well rested!

Roberts is partnering with Today's THV again this year in its annual toy drive!  We will be collecting toys until this Thursday, November 29th.  The toys need to be NEW and still in the package (if it came in a package).  Please bring all toy donations to the counselors' cove.  The toys will be counted and will be taken to the THV Weather Garden for a wrap-up breakfast celebration this Friday, November 30th, so be sure to watch Today's THV Friday morning! I've attended the breakfast the past two years and it looks like I may be attending it again this year so you might even see me on the news! :)

Moving on to the student of the week.... The week of November 12th, Dimitri was our star student! We really enjoyed seeing pictures of Dimitri's family and learning more about what Dimitri likes! Sorry for just now putting your picture up, Dimitri! :)

 

This week, our star student is Katie! Katie also brought a lot of items to share with the class to help us get to know her better.  For example, I learned that Katie has done some modeling!  It's fun to learn more about my students and what they enjoy doing outside of school. Thanks for sharing, Katie!

Skittle Graphs!

Good morning!

Recently, we have been learning about graphs in math.  As a fun way to review what we have learned, we created graphs using Skittles.  Each student recieved 10 Skittles and they had make a graph showing what color Skittles they got.  Can you guess what the kids' favorite part of the lesson was?  That's right, eating the Skittles! :) Below are some pictures of the kids hard at work!

 

This week, our star student is Anya.  She brought some of her favorite items to share with the class!

Report Cards and the 2nd grade Veteran's Day Program!

Can you believe that we are already almost done with October?? Man, time flies! I want to apologize in advance for how long this post is.... :)

As many of you know, report cards were sent home on Friday.  If you haven't already done so, please tear off the bottom right-hand corner of your child's report card, sign it, and return it in the brown envelope.  If you have returned the signed portion but not the envelope, please send the envelope in as soon as you can.    There are a limited amount of these envelopes in the office so it would be best if we can use the same ones the whole year.  If it was accidentally thrown away, don't sweat it, though!

In other news, our class won the "Golden Paintbrush Award" for Mrs. West's Art class!!! This means that out of all of her 2nd grade classes, we gained the most points for good behavior!! I couldn't be any more proud of them!! Check out Mrs. West's blog to see pictures from our extra recess as a reward for winning the Golden Paintbrush! http://westway.weebly.com/blog.html

The past two years, 2nd grade has been in charge of putting on the annual Holiday Program.  This year, however, we have switched things up a bit.  Instead of doing a Holiday Program, 2nd grade will be performing a Veteran's Day Program!  Personally, I'm really excited about this new program!!  Mrs. Pollard typed a note with details about this program and this note was sent home in folders today.  I also forwarded the note to the email addresses I have.  If you did not receive this email, please let me know because that means that I either don't have a working email address for you, or I don't have an email address for you at all (or somehow you've been left off of the class distribution list).  We will have two performances: our evening performance (for families) will be Monday, November 19th at 6:30 PM and our morning performance (for Roberts students) will be Tuesday, November 20th at 9:00 AM.  Just in case you did not receive a copy of this note, I will add it to the bottom of this post. REMEMBER: If your child would like to audition for a solo, you must return the audition form by this Friday, November 2nd!


Sam is our star student this week! He brought in several of his favorite things to share with the class, such as a souvenir his parents got for him from Alaska and a golf ball signed by Bobby Petrino!

Last, but not least, thanks to everyone who showed up to the Math and Literacy Carnival! It was a great success! Also, a special thank you to all of the parents who worked hard to decorate our flex area!


Here is the note from Mrs. Pollard regarding the Veteran's Day Program:

Dear 2^nd Grade Parents,

It’s time to start getting ready for our annual 2^nd grade Fall Performance!! In lieu of the Holiday Program this year, we will be doing a Veteran’s Day Program to honor our troops who have bravely fought for our freedom as Americans!! All students are required to participate, so mark your calendars for Monday, November 19^th at 6:30pm for our evening performance (for families), and Tuesday, November 20^th at 9:00am for our morning performance (for Roberts students)!

 

Solos:

We have many opportunities for solos during this performance, so we will be holding after-school try-outs for these solos on Monday, November 5th. Trying out for a solo is completely optional! We’ve already started learning the songs that contain these solos during music class.  If your student is interested in trying out, you must return the audition form by Friday, November 2^nd. If you would like the opportunity to practice with them at home, you may send a CD to school and I will burn a copy of the music for you. I will send a copy of lyrics home as well. Please make sure your student’s name and classroom teacher are listed on the CD. Try-outs will be on a first-come, first-serve basis directly after dismissal. If your student is bus-rider or you have a conflict with that audition day, please contact me so we can try to arrange a different try-out day/time. 

 

Dress:

 All students will need to wear jeans and Veteran’s Day Program t-shirt. The t-shirts are being specially made just the performance! T-shirts are $6.00 and all students are required to wear it for the performance. Please return the attached form and money for the t-shirt by Wednesday, November 7^th.  Don’t forget to circle the size t-shirt your child needs!!! Please make checks payable to Don Roberts Elementary. T-shirts will need to be worn for both performances.

 

Slide Show:

We will have a special slide show presentation during our last song of the program to honor our friends and family members that are currently serving or have served in the military. I’m welcoming all 2^nd grade students to bring no more than two pictures of two different friends or family members that have served in the military to be part of our slide show. Providing pictures is optional. Please make sure the student’s name is listed on the back of each photo so I can ensure they are returned the correct person. If you do not want to write on the back, you may put it on a post-it note. You are also very welcome to email me the pictures as well! My email address is listed below! The form attached must be attached with the photos so I will be able to recognize each person accurately. If you choose to email me photos, please make sure the information listed on the form is included in the email.  All photos must be turned in no later than Monday, November 12th.  Photos of the men in women in military uniform are highly encouraged!

 

Military:

I’m looking for 1 member from the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force to appear in uniform during our Tribute to the Military Medley. I think the kids would absolutely love seeing men and women in their uniforms while holding this tribute. If you, or anyone you know would be willing to appear for me, please let me know ASAP!!!  

 

Video:

We have asked Quality Video Services to video the production for us. You will be able to purchase a DVD for $20.00. We will have a table set up outside of the dining room on the night of the performance where you can purchase these.

 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!! I’m very excited about this performance opportunity for our students!! Thanks so much for your cooperation and support!!

 

Sincerely,

 

Laura Pollard          and        Sharon Burrall

                      Music Specialists

              Don Roberts Elementary

(501) 447-8366                       (501) 447-836 

Laura.pollard@lrsd.org       Sharon.burrall@lrsd.org

Math and Literacy Carnival

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! Remember, this Thursday we will have our Math and Literacy Carnival! NOTICE: on the newsletter, it says that the carnival starts at 5:00, but it actually starts at 5:30 and lasts until 7:30. Sorry for that confusion! Bring the family and come enjoy the fun games and activities that will be going on!

This week, Cooper is our star student! He brought some of his favorite books and other items to share with the class. :)

Boosterthon Time!

Just to let you all know, there has been some confusion with the Boosterthon Fun Run times.  2nd grade will be running at 9:30 this morning.  Feel free to come cheer our runners on! :)

Busy, busy week!

Good afternoon! Even though this week may be a short week, it is definitely a BUSY week! Our kids will be taking the SOAR tests this week on both Tuesday and Thursday.  The math portion of the test will be given tomorrow (Tuesday), while the literacy portion of the test will be given on Thursday.  It is extremely important that you make sure your child is on time tomorrow morning because we will begin the test promptly at 8.  Also, make sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats breakfast! Thank you for your cooperation with this--I know the kids will do great!

On Wednesday, we will have our Boosterthon Fun Run!!! 2nd grade's race time will be at 10:15.  Feel free to come and cheer on our class as they run their laps!

This week's star student is Avery!  She loves soccer--one of my favorite sports to play when I was growing up! :)

Lastly, I'm excited to say that we have a new student in our class! His name is Mason and he just moved here from Tennessee.  We are all excited to welcome him to our classroom! :)

Monday and Sumdog.com

Good afternoon! Man, what a Monday we've had!  Our class got to attend the Boosterthon pep rally where all of the kids got to learn about this year's theme and meet all of the Boosterthon team! This year's theme is "Highway USA" and is all about 5 important choices to make: choosing leadership, choosing character, choosing to learn, learning about fitness choices, and choosing to have a good attitude! They are super excited!

While we were in computer lab today, we also got to visit a new site: www.sumdog.com . Each student received a username and password to access this site that is full of fun math games! Depending on who is online, the kids can actually play against their classmates! As of right now, Roberts is competing against other schools in Pulaski County to see who can answer the most math qustions.  This competition, however, ends Thursday.  Luckily, though, the students will still have access to this site, both at home and at school, all year round! The students LOVED this website and I highly recommend having your child work on this website at home! Hopefully there will be more competitions throughout the year.

Our star student for this week is Hayden.  Like many of the other boys in our class, Hayden loves sports! He brought a book about camping to share with the class, as well as a necklace made of shells from when he used to live in Florida!

Star Student and Parent Conferences

Good morning! This week, our star student is Grayson! He loves playing sports, especially baseball and football! He also really likes math--one of my favorite subjects!

Also, parent/teacher conferences will be on Monday, October 22nd.  I am going to begin working on scheduling conference times to meet with each of you for 15 minutes and I will be sending home a sheet this week for you to put your top three choices of meeting times.  I will do my best to accomodate those times.  Please be sure to return this form to me ASAP! Thanks!

It's finally fall!

This week's star student is Brayden! Everyone enjoyed getting know Brayden even more today!

Don't forget that the Watch Dog Dad Kickoff is this Thursday, September 27th at 6:30 PM.  It is a great way for dads to be involved at school!

AR has started!  All of the kids have taken their pre-test and I made each kid an index card with their AR levels on it so they can know which books are appropriate for them to check out at the library.  If you have any questions about this, feel free to email me!

Lastly, Friday, unfortunately, was Anna's last day here at Roberts.  We will definitely miss her!

Everyone have a great week!!!

Star Student!

Our star student this week is Juliet! She brought some items to share with the class, including one of my personal favorite books--The Giving Tree!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Remember that the Book Fair will be in the gym all week! Also, Grandparents Day will be this Thursday for 2nd grade!

We started our "Student of the Week" today!  Our first star student is Anna! She brought some items to share with our class so that we could get to know her even better!

We also worked on building long "o" and long "u" words today using our letter tiles.  The kids did really well!

Math Games

Earlier this week, we played a math game called 1-12 Crossout.  The students really seemed to enjoy the game, while learning how to use their math journals, as well!

 After math, we decided to take a class picture.

After we took a normal one, we decided to take two silly pictures! :)

Welcome!

Hello, families!
Welcome to our class blog! Feel free to check back here to see class updates and pictures! I will do my best to post at least once a week! :)