We hope you and your favorite second grader had a restful weekend and had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather!  It was lovely to see so many performances for Share Day in Music.  We have so many talented second graders.  Bravo!
​     The pace in the classroom is really picking up as we work to complete year-end projects.  In between, we are making time for lots of special events and learning!  Please let us know if your child will miss any days or arrive late so we can plan accordingly.  Also be sure to check our home page for the Upcoming Dates. 

SUMMER BIRTHDAY MILKSHAKES TOMORROW!
     In honor of our 7 summer birthdays, we will be going to the C-Shop on campus for $1 milkshakes tomorrow. We will also bring our lunches. Lunch boxes are ok but please DO NOT SEND HEAT UPS and INCLUDE A BEVERAGE.  We will be taking the shuttle (departing at 12:00 and returning at 1:00) so the rain shouldn’t bother us.  

Happy Summer Birthday to Dallan, Ellie, Delaney, Deniz, Catherine, Hannah, and Simon!

SAVING SEESAW WORK
     I hope you enjoyed using Seesaw this year. At the end of the school year, I will be archiving our class journals.  You will receive a notification when this happens with instructions to download a zip archive of your child’s journal to save to your computer from the SeeSaw website.  After the class has been archived, you will have 60 days to download the files.  Here is a link with all the directions. I am not sure if this will work now of if the class needs to be archived first.  Please let me know if you try it!

PIONEER UNIT
     Our wagon train is on its way and we have traveled as far as Chimney Rock.  The children can't seem to get enough of these journals. We will write several more entries this week and next to make sure we get to Oregon before the end of the year!  We will also make time to dress in our pioneer costumes this week and join in some old fashioned sack races and three-legged races!  We hope the weather will cooperate.  

ALL LIBRARY BOOKS DUE FRIDAY, JUNE 3rd!

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS 
    Below is the schedule for the After School Programs for the last week of school.  Please let us know of changes in dismissal plans.

Mon 6/6    Last day of Extended Day Spring Quarter Special Classes
Wed 6/8    Last day of Extended Day Bridge &Late Day
Thu 6/9     Last Day of Early Day

DISMISSAL ON THE LAST DAY, 6/9
     Since there are no after school classes on Thursday, 6/9, please let us know who will be picking your child up from school.  Last year the ESH dismissal time was at 11:30 and I will confirm this time as soon as I hear back from Susan Devetski.  The UCLS website says noon dismissal for all.  You are welcome to come to the classroom at 11:15 a.m.  Otherwise, we’ll follow our regular dismissal routine.

BACKPACKS & GYM SHOES
   Many projects will be sent home this week and next. Please remind your child to bring a backpack everyday. Our last day of P.E. is Thursday, 6/9.   Don’t forget those gym shoes!

Have a great week!
Lisa
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MILE RUN
    Thanks to parents who joined the children for the mile run, either to watch or to cheer on the kids.   This wasn't a race. Instead the children worked to beat their personal record from the fall.  Bravo! They all did a wonderful job.

VISIT TO THIRD GRADE
    Tomorrow we will walk over the the Historic Campus to enjoy lunch with Ms. Wortinger's third grade class.  Please do not send heat ups as we will be eating lunch outside on the playground.  After lunch, the third graders will lead us on a tour of the third grade hallway and children will have an opportunity to get their questions answered.  Prior to our visit, we will watch the video that was shown at the Transitions Meeting for parents. The children are beginning to wonder about third grade and it is natural for them to experience some worry.  You may notice some changes in behavior and your child may not be able to fully articulate his/her feelings.  We definitely notice changes in the classroom - there is a different level of energy in the room, there seems to be more social disagreements and it can be harder for some children to stay attentive to the rules and expectations of the classroom.  The end of the year can be difficult as we prepare to say goodbye.  We hope our visit to third will alleviate some worries and help the children begin to feel excited about the upcoming year.  

POTLUCK ON TUESDAY
     We look forward to seeing many of you at our end-of-year potluck on Tuesday.  The potluck will be held on Tuesday evening from 5:30-7:00 on the rooftop playground (or Learning Lab in case of bad weather). Please click here to RSVP and let us know how many adults and children will be coming. Families will be conveniently billed through FACTS. 

$12 per adult
$10 per child

Includes: hot dogs, grilled chicken breast, veggie burgers/veggie dogs, garden salad, corn on the cob, bbq baked beans, and cookies.

Although the main dishes of the potluck will be catered by CafeLab, families are welcome to bring a favorite dessert, chips, or beverage to share.
     High heels are not allowed on the rooftop because of the ground surface so please plan accordingly.  There are some benches to sit on or you are welcome to bring a picnic blanket. It's been awhile since we had a potluck and we haven't had one outside. Please carefully supervise younger siblings as the equipment (especially the climbing wall) was designed for first and second grader bodies in mind.  Also, children and families should remain on the roof for the duration of the potluck.  The other playgrounds in the building will be closed. Children should also be reminded to not run around in the hallways.  We have the same expectations for them at the Potluck as we do during the school day. We want to safely celebrate the end of the year together.  Thanks for your cooperation in making this a special event for all of us!
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INSECTS
    For our final science unit this spring, we are learning all about insects and metamorphosis.   In our classroom, we are observing harvester ants, painted lady caterpillars, ladybugs and moths.  As entomologists, the children will observe and research these insects and learn the about what makes insects unique. As a part of the study, we will also learn about the differences between moths and butterflies. 
   All of our painted lady caterpillars have transformed into the pupal stage and are hanging as chrysalids.  Our ladybug larvae are also in the pupal stage and should emerge as adults soon. The harvester ants have been busy digging tunnels in their bright blue gel habitat. This gel was created by NASA so they could observe ant behavior in space without the dirt tunnels collapsing due to the lack of gravity.  The gel contains all the food and water the ants need to survive.  One moth has emerged from its leaf wrapped cocoon but has already died.  These moths have a short life span and do not even have mouths.  Once they emerge as adults, the look for a mate and die shortly after.  Be sure to ask your second grader what amazing insect facts he/she has learned!

MATH
​This week, Mrs. Olander introduced multiplication using arrays.  An array is an arrangement of objects into rows and columns as in the photo above.  The cars above are arranged into an array - in 6 rows with 4 cars in each (or in 4 columns).  From this we can say that 6 x 4 = 24 cars altogether.  We introduce multiplication in second grade and much of it is conceptual, using manipulatives and numbers stories.  For example, we may show the children an egg carton with 2 rows of 6 eggs each (2 x 6 = 12 eggs).  In third grade, children will learn and practice multiplication facts to build automaticity just as they have been working on addition and subtraction facts in the first and second grades. 

OREGON TRAIL
     We have been learning a lot about the pioneers and decided on the supplies each family will bring and pack in their wagons.  Each wagon can only carry 2.400 pounds so the children had to choose carefully for the 5 month trip!  We are working on several entries in their pioneer journals (made by the children with the help of Zoey's grandma!).  The children have created an imaginary pioneer family, chosen which family heirlooms to bring and are writing about meeting up with the wagon train in Independence, Missouri - a "jumping-off place."  We hope to have our journals on display at the potluck for you to see.  

PICNIC MONDAYS (JOIN US!)
     Starting next Monday, May 23rd and June 6th,  we will have Picnic Day during our lunch time 12:00-1:00 across the street in Jackson Park (weather permitting).  On these days, please do not send heat ups.  Children can still bring lunch boxes and will be able to pick up their milk.  If your child does not receive milk from school, please send a beverage.  Children are welcome to bring beach towels to sit on. They can store them in their cubbies until the end of the year.  We invite you to join us as well! 

If your child hasn't returned his/her Family Message Journal, please do so tomorrow. Thanks!

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     Happy May!  We are so happy to see the sun!  We had a wonderful, busy week with a visit to Lab Arts, Ceci's birthday, and learning about the Oregon Trail. 
     Today, Ms. Hamilton arrived in the classroom to find a lovely birthday banner created and signed by all the kids waiting for her.  Thanks to Niall and Oliver's moms for making cookies for this special birthday celebration! It's hard to know who is more excited about the birthday - Ms. Hamilton or the children!

LAB ARTS
     We hope you and your family had the chance to visit Lab Art this weekend.  It was a wonderful display of the rich and meaningful arts experiences that Lab kids get from their earliest days through their final days.   Thanks to Ms. Mazurek and Ms. Romero for their dedication and hard work putting the 1st and 2nd grade displays together.  
    We enjoyed our walk to the Historic Campus with our Kindergarten Buddies.  We browsed the artwork and saw a few funny "fractured fairy tales" skits performed by three high schoolers.  Be sure to ask your child about them!

MATH
     Last week, we learned about 3D shapes and did an interactive projects with the iPads.  We learned about cones, spheres, cylinders, rectangular prisms, cubes, and pyramids.The children went on a scavenger hunt around the building to take photographs of 3-dimensional shapes in the real environment.  The photos of these shapes were then put into an app called PicCollage and labeled. You should see them posted in SeeSaw soon.

PIONEER COSTUMES
    We hope that you have had time to think about a pioneer costume for you child.  If you did not get a chance to put one together for today, please send one in this week.  Children should just bring them to school in a bag that can be kept in their cubby for the remainder of our study.  As mentioned in previous newsletters, we have bonnets for girls to borrow and will have some straw hats and suspenders for the boys.  These items are shared with the entire grade level and will not remain in our room for long.  Again, most pioneer items can be found at home.  Be creative!  Thank you for your cooperation.  

Girls:  Simple, long sleeved dresses/skirts, straw sun hats or bonnets, aprons 
Boys:  Long shorts (khaki or a dark, solid color - not athletic pants!), dark black or blue pants or jeans, button-up long sleeve shirts in solid or plaid, bandanas 

OREGON TRAIL STUDY
    To build some background knowledge of the Oregon Trail time period (roughly 1830s-1860s), we have been reading many books, both historical fiction and nonfiction.  Our latest chapter books is called Westward to Home: Joshua's Diary, The Oregon Trail 1848 about a nine year old pioneer boy and his family's adventures and challenges along the trail. We also watched a video/slideshow that taught us all about covered wagons.  See if your second grader knows what a Pairie Schooner was and how it got its name.  Soon, each second grader will choose a fictional pioneer name and begin recording their journey in a journal as we pretend to travel along the Oregon Trail, stopping at landmarks along the way. Stay tuned!

LEARN ABOUT THIRD GRADE THIS WEEK!
     We hope you can attend the 2nd-3rd Grade Transitions Meeting, this Thursday, May 5th, 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Gordan Parks Assembly Hall (Historic Campus). There you will have the chance to meet Principal Anglin, third grade teachers and the Learning and Counseling team. It's a wonderful opportunity for you to get your questions answered.  This is a parents-only event.

SAVE THE DATE FOR End OF YEAR POTLUCK
     Our End-of-Year Potluck will be held on Tuesday, May 24th, 5:30-7:00.  More details to come!

Have a great week!
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