Dear Families,

There are a few upcoming events that I wanted to share with you.

• Wednesday, December 16th is our 3rd ZERO WASTE LUNCH DAY. For those who pack a lunch, please try to bring only containers that can be reused.

• Thursday, December 17th is our grade level viewing of Shrek. We will watch this as a grade level and then do some writing about it in the afternoon. The movie, while irreverent, is a great example of the fairy tale elements we've been studying. While many of the students have already seen the movie, hopefully they will look at it with a critical eye for the literature elements! They are greatly exaggerated, which should make them easy to spot. They are getting so good at identifying these characteristics, that one of the students declared the Grimm Brothers to be horrible fairy tale writers. He explained they did not start with "Once upon a time" and they certainly did not end "happily ever after." Alas, he may have a future as a literary critic.

• This Friday morning, December 18th, the entire school will be participating in the BEYE SCHOOL HEALTH FAIR EXPO. We will travel with our reading buddies to 10 events that explore fitness and health.

• Friday afternoon will be a low key celebration of Fairy Tales. We are not having a holiday party. All the materials and supplies have been prepared. The students will have a Mystery Guest at the celebration!

• Our second set of conferences will take place the first week of February. These conferences will focus on grade-level standards and third grade transitions and expectations. I hope you will leave the conferences with a good understanding of your child's academic strengths and goals. You should also leave with some concrete ways you can help your child prepare for third grade. Some parents have expressed concerns about the transition, so we are meeting with the third grade teachers to figure out how we can best facilitate the transition and make the expectations clear.
  

Room 100 Happenings

Whoosh! I think I just saw the first four months of second grade go by!
Report Cards
I hope you have had time to review your child's report card. Do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions regarding the grades or comments.
Shrek
As you know we are celebrating the reading and writing of fairy tales this week. On Thursday morning we will watch Shrek. In the afternoon we will do some writing about the movie and talking about the characters. We appreciate you supporting this as a fun learning opportunity and we hope you trust us to teach your child how to watch movies as critical thinkers!
Fairy Tales
Most of the students are finishing their fairy tales and the rough drafts are heading home. We will keep the published versions at school a little longer. We want to read them to our Book Buddies but won't have time until after the break. They turned out great! We will have a short celebration of fairy tales on Friday afternoon. Students will be given a fairy tale-themed snack, craft and activity book. It will be relaxed. I do not need volunteers that day, but if you would like to help prepare some of the activities, please let me know.
Homework
There is no reading log or spelling homework this week. I hope this gives you a little extra time to devote to those after school family activities. When we return in January students will participate in a reading incentive program. Details will go home the first week after break. Instead of a regular reading log for 3 weeks, students will have the opportunity to earn a trip to a Six Flags amusement park.
Math
We are starting to work on double digit addition. Students will not immediately learn the traditional algorithm that is most familiar to you. Instead, students will be asked to think about addition in terms of mental math strategies. You will find that you probably add in your head the way they are taught to do it on paper. It will seem unfamiliar at first, but soon you and your child will understand the algorithms and the logic behind them. As you help with homework it is OK to teach your child "the old way" as long as you explain WHY you are doing it, not just how.
Winter Break
If I do not see you before the break, please know that I wish you a restful few weeks. I look forward to seeing all of you next year!

Dear Families,

Below is a letter that is in your child's mailbox. Please look for it, and return the permission slip by next Friday.

We, especially me, enjoyed being back in a routine this week. We were able to do our centers and reading groups and play math games. It was very nice to have few interruptions.

Please ask your child about

• Tastings on Tuesday
• Our bad luck in the computer lab on Wednesday
• Planning our Fairy Tale stories
• "Start, Change, End" number stories
  
• Our substitute on Friday
  

Dear Royal 2nd Grade Families,

We have all enjoyed learning about fairy tales this month. We have enjoyed getting lost in the land of make believe and learning critical reading and writing skills at the same time.
We will continue our study of Fairy Tales throughout the month of December. As a culmination and celebration of our learning we would like to watch the movie Shrek as a grade level. This movie incorporates many different Fairy Tale characters in a funny, second grade way. It also contains the basic elements of Fairy Tales that we are studying.
The movie is rated PG, mostly because it contains some potty humor. (We feel this humor is similar to the humor introduced in book series like Captain Underpants, Stink, and Junie B Jones.) We understand some families may have some concerns about this, so we encourage you to discuss it as a family and let us know if you would prefer we offer an alternative movie for your child. Please turn this over to see the permission slip.
We will watch this movie on the morning of Thursday, December 17th. This provides us with ample time to discuss the movie as a class and do some follow up activities. Each class will have a Fairy Tale themed afternoon on Thursday or Friday with different activities that celebrate this genre. These celebrations will take the place of Winter Holiday parties. Please contact your child’s teacher if you wish to help with these activities.
Thank you as always~and may you live happily ever after!
Your royal, humble teachers,
Mrs. Parkinson, Ms. Hallerberg and Mrs. Schweigert
(This permission slip is in your child's folder.)
Shrek Permission Slip



___________My child has permission to watch the movie Shrek on Thursday, December 17th.

___________My child does not have permission to watch this movie. Please provide and alternative movie.


Child’s Name _________________________________________

Please return this slip by Friday, December 11th so we are able to plan accordingly.