November 28-December 2

I hope you and your children had a fantastic Thanksgiving break, as I did with my husband and girls. We are now rested and ready to finish off 2011 with a bang.

I want to congratulate the students again for a wonderful Second Grade Show. What an amazing job they did. Thanks to all those involved in helping us paint t-shirts and set up and take down the stage. What a great team effort.

We are currently collecting gifts for the Holiday Gift Drive. Please wrap and label each gift with the Family number and Child's name. A post it or peel away label on the gift with gift content is helpful. On Friday, Dec.9th, the students will carry the gifts to the gym to be sorted by family. Thanks for your generosity for this family in need.

Other reminders:
* Holiday Gift Drive - Nov. 28-Dec. 9. Students will carry the gifts to the gym to be sorted by family on Dec. 9th
* Second Grade Field Trip to Fresh Food Hydroponics http://ffhydro.com/ - December 6th at 10:00am If you are interested in coming along, please meet us there
* Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates - Dec. 8 at 1:00 for students in grades 1-4.
* Lower Division Sing Along will take place on Friday, Dec. 16th at 11:00am for grade K-4 in the JRT
* Current Events begins next week (December 5th)

Language Arts
* Phonics - Soft c and g (c/s; g/j), dge
* Spelling - cereal, celebrate, fudge, fireplace, gentle, pledge, gymnast, advice, ginger, price, house, start, grew, way, friend
* Reading - The Big Bushy Mustache by Gary Soto (Realistic Fiction)
* Fluency - Good readers read long sentences by breaking them up into shorter groups of words that go together. Reading groups of words without pausing helps you make sense of what you are reading, and it sounds more like natural speech
* Comprehension - Good readers use strategies to make sense of what they read. One strategy readers can use is to reread parts that do not make sense to them.
* Robust Vocabulary - improvise, distraught, semblance, route, trance
* Grammar - Plural Possessive Nouns
* Writing - Craft of Revision
* Handwriting - t, a, d

Mathematics - Unit 4
Please check your child's Take Home Folder for the new Family Letter for Unit 4. To work with your child on the concepts taught in this unit and on previous units, it suggests trying several interesting and rewarding activities to support your child.
Your child will also be bringing home the last unit assessment. Please review, sign and return to school.
Here are concepts covered in our new unit this week:
* Solving change-to-more number stories
* Solving parts-and-total number stories
* Exploring reading temperatures on a thermometer, practice finding the total value of a group of coins, and developing readiness for classifying geometric shapes

Social Studies
* My holiday tradition(s)
* An introduction to Europe

Science - Changes - A Dissolving Race
* Students will compare and discuss the properties of two forms of the same solid - a sugar cube and granulated sugar
* Students will investigate how granulated sugar and a sugar cube dissolve in water
* Students record and discuss their observations