Thanks and Best Wishes

Thanks for working in partnership with me this year in educating your children. It has been a wonderful year and I wish you and your children the very best in the new school year. A big thank you to Molly C. and Julie P. for being our Parent Representatives and all those parents who volunteered in the library, to read to the students, and help with classroom projects. Thanks for supporting your child at home with their homework and home reading. You made the time to work with your children and this did make a difference.

I will be doing lots of traveling over the summer and studying too (Reading Workshop at Columbia University in New York). Please send me an email or join me on Facebook to keep in touch. Your children have become part of my Shorecrest family and I want to know how they are doing. If you need anything in the new school year, please don't hesitate to contact me.

You have received a Summer Packet for ways to support your child's learning over the long summer vacation. Most importantly, encourage your child to read each day and continue writing in their journal or on postcards to friends.

I leave your children with this poem:

"You're a very special person,
And I wanted you to know,
How much I enjoyed being your teacher,
How fast the year did go!

Please come back to visit me
as through the grades you grow
Try hard to learn all that you can
There is so much to know!

The one thing I tried to teach you
To last your whole life through
Is to know that you are SPECIAL
There's no one else like you!"

Ms. O'Mullane

May 21-25

Welcome to our last full week of school before a day and a half next week left until summer vacation. I thank you all for your partnership in educating your children - and what a fantastic class this has been to teach. They have grown in so many ways - academically, socially, emotionally, as well as physically. I am so proud of them.

This week we are finishing off the last social studies and math units, as well as publishing some stories, reviewing math, writing reflections, and sharing facts about what we learned about penguins. We are also doing some fun Readers' Theater and writing letters to the new second graders coming up.

May 30 is the last day of school and a noon dismissal. On this day, we will play some games, and after PE, will have a special ice-cream treat (thanks to our room parents).

I want to thank Molly C. and Julie P.. for the great job they have done being our Room Parents this year. You made my job easier and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Next Tuesday, I will be sending home a Summer Packet, full of some ideas for review over the summer. Please practice the math facts (for all operations), the partial-sums addition and trade-first subtraction methods in math, and give your children plenty opportunities to read and write.

There is no more homework or spelling words for the school year, but please continue to encourage your children to read.

This is our last week of Current Events with Emma and Caden sharing on Tuesday, Zara and Cian on Wednesday, Luke and Lizzie on Thursday and Genesis and Maverick on Friday.

Parent Reader for Friday is D. Crupi. Thanks to all the parents who came in to read this year. We appreciate the time you made for us. You being there made a huge impact of the students.

Warm wishes and a happy week to you all -

Ms. O'Mullane

Important Changes for Friday

The PE staff is so excited for this Friday May 18, 2012. Our regularly scheduled "Splash Day,” will have to be modified in order to comply with recent water restrictions. The PE staff has arranged for a large inflatable maze to be delivered in place of the water slide. We will also provide multiple play areas and other (dry) activities that are sure to put a smile on your child's face. Spirit wear will take the place of swim wear for our "Friday Fun Day.” We are certain our students will enjoy what we have in store for them and we appreciate everyone's flexibility in this matter. We can't wait!

Thank you,

Your LD PE Staff

FLOPS AND TOPS FOR BURKINA

Flops and Tops for Burkina
Lower Division Service Project
Benefiting Hope for Burkina, May 8th – May 17th

Help make a child in Burkina Faso smile.
Donate a baseball cap, a pair of flip-flops, Crocs, or sneakers and wear a spirit shirt and/or hat (with uniform bottoms) to school!

• Donations may be used or new.
• Donate as many shoes/hats as you can spare. Wear your spirit shirt every day you donate!
• Collection bins will be located in each LD hallway.

Burkina Faso

• A West African country located south of the Sahara Desert and north of Ghana.  
• A land-locked country about the size of Colorado (105,900 sq. mi)
• Climate is tropical.
• Burkina has 16.3 million people that make up 60 ethnic groups and 4 primary religions.
• The Burkinabe people speak 6 languages.
• Burkina is one of the poorest countries in the world.

The People of Burkina Faso        

• Over half live on less than $1/day.
• Only 41% of school age children are in school and most don’t finish.
• 3 out of 10 children die before they turn 10 years old.
• Malnutrition and water borne illnesses are the nation’s biggest threats. Less than 50% of Burkinabes have access to clean drinkable water.

source: http://hopeforburkina.org

May 14-18

Welcome to our second last full week of second grade. I can't believe there are only eleven a a half more school days left in the school year! and the learning and review continues.

Last week was a very busy week for us, but a wonderful experience for us all. Thanks for coming along to our African Animal Museum and Electronic Portfolio sharing session last Tuesday and a big thank you to Lizzie, Zara, Luke and Gabby's moms for helping out on our MOSI field trip last Thursday, which was full of fun and learning.

Just to remind you that all library books were due back on May 10th and if your child still has any at home, please send these to school. Splash Day will take place this Friday, May 18th during your child's regular PE lesson. Students are to wear appropriate swimwear under their school uniform. Please keep in mind each child must wear their regular school uniform at all times except during their PE period. Don't forget sunscreen and/or hat, and of course a plastic bag (for wet swimmers) and towel.


Our ice-cream sundae party will take place on the last day of school after PE. You are welcome to join us at the picnic tables at about 11:15. Thanks to our class representatives for organizing this celebration.

Current Event continues this week with Gabby and John sharing on Tuesday, Lucy and Connor on Wednesday, Quentin and Skyler on Thursday and Lucile and Ethan on Friday.

Friday's Parent Reader is Jamie McElroy.

We are continuing review high frequency words this week in spelling: follow, pretty, couldn't, happen, themselves, direction, nothing, life, someone, without, instead, either, lunch, important, less, own, think, round, scared, person, short, add, wanted, young, question, yourself, answer, money, simple, more

In reading workshop, we are doing a mini-unit on Summer Reading and in the writing workshop, the students are working on publishing one last personal narrative.

In math, we are continuing our measurement unit, including providing experiences with finding perimeters by measuring to the nearest centimeter, exploring area, capacity and weight.

In social students, the students are learning about Antarctica and doing some research on different penguin species.

We have finished our Butterfly unit in science, and so we will end the year doing some fun experiments, including Static Stuff (How can a balloon move water without touching it?).

Warmest wishes for a great week ahead -

Ms. O'Mullane

We Have Butterflies

Our butterflies are here and are fluttering about. The students have discovered that in the process of metamorphosis, the mouth parts of the Painted Lady changed from the chewing mandibles of the caterpillar stage to the sucking proboscis of the butterfly. The butterflies are using the proboscis to suck up nectar (sugared water and juice of the orange). We will continue observing the butterfly this week, including parts of its body and butterfly behavior.

Tomorrow is an exciting time for your children when they get to share their electronic portfolios. The teachers and I have worked really hard in preparing the portfolios (with the help of your children) and hope you can come along. Your child will share at 8:15am. Please met us at the computer lab and celebrate and sample some of the wonderful work your child has done this year. After the share, please join your child back in the classroom for our African Animal Museum.

This Thursday is our field trip to MOSI. If you did not order your child a lunch through SAGE, please pack his/her lunch in disposable packaging. We will be leaving school after 8:30 and returning at the end of the day. If you wish to join us on the trip, please met us at the museum. We will be touring the museum before having an hour long lesson in the science lab, followed by lunch and more touring of the museum. We are looking forward to this day out.

Current Events sharing continues again this week with Emma and Caden sharing on Tuesday, Zara and Cian on Wednesday, Luke and Lizzie on Thursday and Genesis and Maverick on Friday.

Our Parent Reader this Friday is K.Peters.

Thanks to all who have been regulars in the library this year - Kris Peters, Stacy Broome, Debra Crupi, Molly Camp, Kristin Leary, and Jill Breton for all your hard work. Your time and dedication is most appreciated. If anyone would like to help Mrs. Smay out in the library as the year comes to a close, I know she would appreciate the help. Please email her.

We will continue our review in language arts and this week we will review some high frequency word in spelling: being, also slowly, bring, hear, often, page, store, while, however, kids, check, listen few stuff, problem, such, cleans, teacher, dream, sister, plan, they're, possible, thought, really, understand, near, rest, soon

In math we will work on the concept of measurement and practice the partial sums addition and trade first subtraction methods (ready for third grade).

The students will present information about their African animals and get ready to visit the continent of Antarctica.

Please contact me is you have any questions/concerns.

Have a wonderful week - Ms. O'Mullane