Weekly Update 12/12/16 - 12/16/16

The holiday spirit is alive and well within our classroom and hope the same is true within your homes! Noticing Books are full of stories about elves, Christmas trees, and visits with family, and we know there are more celebrations ahead. As we heard in Chapel last Friday, it is a season for joy and we hope you are each finding that amidst the hustle and bustle. 

This week will be no less busy, so take a look below at what we've got going on before break. 

Reader's -- Our "Nonfiction Nook" is in high demand! Now that we are off and running with nonfiction texts, the class has started to spend a portion of workshop reading non fiction as they search for "gems" to hold onto. The class has taken to this quite easily and is using Reader's Workshop as a time to learn and record new learnings in their Reader's Notebooks. We've discussed the different types of nonfiction books --- some that you pop in and pop out of, and others that are meant to be read in their entirety. This unit is equipping us for some research we will do when we return to school in January.

Writer's/Storypath -- Having published letters to you to share over Thanksgiving, we are using our skills as persuasive writers to advocate for the rainforest. Students are writing letters to various positions within local and national government, as well as to the government of Brazil. We've discussed the many gifts of the rainforest and why it's necessary to advocate that we stop mass destruction of this valuable land. We look forward to mailing these letters before the holidays! Please cross your fingers alongside of us that we get a response! 

Math -- You may have noticed our shift from geometry to numbers through recent homework assignments. The first investigation of Unit 3 has been focused on place value and learning to understand the two digits of a two digit number. We will continue to work on place value and will be using "strips and singles" to better understand the tens place and the ones place. We've learned several new games to help cement this understanding and are very pleased with everyone's work thus far. 

Word Study -- Because we are in the final stretch of school before break, we will be doing an all-class sort this week and into next week. We will be focusing on the "Bossy R" rule, which focuses on r-controlled vowel sounds (-ar, -or, -er). 

To keep things exciting, entertaining, and busy, we have a few additional things on the schedule this week and next. Mark your calendars!

• Thursday, December 15th -- Best Christmas Pageant at the Children's Theater 
• Friday, December 16th -- Holiday Celebration with InReach
• Monday, December 19th -- A visit from Mary Ottley, a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. 
• Tuesday, December 20th -- Lessons and Carols at 2:00 in the gymnasium. We hope to see you there! 

And finally, please see the following message regarding All Trinity Builds, which will take place January 18th, 19th, and 20th. 

If you have any of the following materials, please send them in with your child or drop them in the ATB collection boxes located near the front desk: toilet paper tubes, paper towel rolls, PVC pipe, cans, milk cartons, old keys, oatmeal canisters, tennis racquet string, plastic cording, shoe boxes, gift wrap tubes, plastic clam shells, old silverware, coffee cans, milk jugs, pie pans, bells, old pots and pans, bamboo, dental floss, straws, or a vibraphone.

Thank you all for your constant support and let us know if you have any questions!

Enrichment Updates

Please see below for updates from our enrichment teachers!

Art
At the end of each trimester students earn skill ratings on their report cards. We take time now to explain what each skill rating looks like in the art room.

Understands Studio Procedures: Students knowing how to enter the room, listen to instructions, use studio materials to create work and clean up and store their work.

Approaches Art with a Collaborative Spirit: Students sharing ideas and materials and working well with each other.

Takes Risks and Embraces Mistakes: Students willingly trying new materials and experimenting with unfamiliar techniques while learning from their explorations.

Exhibits Scholarly Habits and Follows the Honor Code: Students behaving with kindness and respect while making choices that benefit the learning of every student.

Second graders had a busy and creative first trimester. The new sculpture studio is a hit!

Music

Second Grade Music is all about continuing to learn our music basics and have fun with Music! The Second Grade Music Classes have been learning a large spectrum of challenging songs and enjoyable circle games. They have been reviewing eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes and whole notes. The students have been learning about the staff and where pitches land on the staff. We have composed songs using DO, MI and SOL.

During the next month, the second grade class will begin learn more about jazz music. So far, we have learned how to scat and about Ella Fitzgerald. We will be learning about Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and North Carolina’s own Duke Ellington. We are on our way with our unit on musical theatre. Our 2nd Grade musical “The Jungle Book” will be performed on Wednesday, January 25.

Healthful Living
Second grade has been working on the basic basketball skills of dribbling, passing, and shooting. We spent two weeks working in skill stations and small group work. We are currently playing a basketball game called blitzball. It’s been a big hit! A couple of our classes have been dedicated to “mat” (yoga, pilates, core) work and we will start working with basic cone drills in the coming weeks to work on speed and agility.

Spanish

Second graders have been practicing vocabulary words about festivals in Mexico, such as el festival, la piñata, la comunidad, las flores, la música and la comida.

We continue working on expressions and words about some family members, and reviewing greetings and good byes, using full sentences through short conversations, games and reading and writing exercises. Students are also comparing punctuation in both languages, and they are using question and exclamation marks in written sentences.

We already ended unit 1, Nos Conocemos, so now it would be a great time for you and your children to visit their online accounts (trinityepiscopal.schoology.com) and practice/review some of the skills we have been working on in class. The week 3 and 4 online activities under Unit 1's "Descubre Online" section would be great practice vocabulary words of family members, greetings, some subject pronouns and the verb ser.

Also, you might want to check out the videos embedded in the "U1 eBook" on pages 18, 26, 34, and 42.  They are only 3-5 minutes long and each one reviews one "week/semana" of the program. (Remember that Spanish only meets twice a week, so one week in Santillana is more like 3 weeks for Trinity!)

Faith Studies

We started the month of November learning about Dia de Los Muertos and All Saints Day, and  sharing many of the stories of the saints. We continued our studies in the Old Testament by hearing the stories of Joshua this month. These stories were shared using storytelling, animated video clips, and reading from Children’s Bibles.  Mrs. Williams also led a lesson on the hymn, “Once in Royal David’s City.”  As we enter the season of Advent, students are hearing stories of those who lead the way to Bethlehem.  So far we have met the prophet Isaiah and Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem.  Second grade students will also make ornaments for the Jesse Tree which will be in the lobby through the month of December.  I really enjoy working with your second graders during faith studies.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Lindsey Peery (lpeery@tescharlotte.org)

Wellness

For Wellness this month the 2nd graders engaged in a discussion about what it means to practice kindness and consideration. We examined what that section of the Trinity Honor Code means and then brainstormed ways that we can be kind to each other, kind in the classroom, and kind in the world. We then discussed the definition of the word empathy and engaged in conversation around what it means to “stand in someone else’s shoes”. To conclude we read the book, “Stand in My Shoes” by Bob Sornson which is about a young girl who learns what the word empathy means and as a result makes a conscious effort to notice how other people are feeling. The 2nd graders enjoyed the book and discussed ways that they could be more intentional about noticing other people’s feelings moving forward! I am enjoying teaching Wellness to your 2nd graders and wanted to introduce myself as the new counselor at Trinity. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any comments or questions!  -Kimberly Enicks; kenicks@tescharlotte.org