August 30th Newsletter

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, September 1st - No School (Labor Day)
Wednesday, September 3rd - 2 Hour Delay
Tuesday, September 10th - No School (Teacher In-service)

This week in class

Math - Addition concepts: related addition facts; counting on to add; extended facts to 20; making 10 to add; double facts

Reading - short a, i, and u; initial l, r, and s blends; complete sentences identifying subject and predicate while identifying nouns and verbs.

Science - began learning about the parts of the plant and their functions.

Health - Discussed the importance of Health, life skills, being a good character, and ways to be a successful reader

Spelling - words with c, k, and ck

can     could     kind      like

book    sick      second   woke

took    back     pack      kick

*words are on www.spellingcity.com/ellerbrock

Leaders Farm

Leaders Farm is encouraging reading.  If your child reads 15 books and returns the reading log sent home with this newsletter, they will receive a free admission to the MAiZe  along with a free order of CinnaSquares from Marco's Pizza.  Please sign the reading log when your child completes it and return it to me.

Book Adventure

We will begin reading books for book adventure.  Your child is encouraged to read books and then check their comprehension by completing an online tests.  I used this program last year and saw a tremendous increase in the students' ability to read and comprehend what they read.  The students were also so excited to read books.  I hope to see the same results this year.  Your student will be encouraged to read books and keep track of the titles.  I will help them find the test online and complete it.  Once the students become fluent in the process, they are encouraged to continue reading and testing their comprehension at home.  If you do not have access to a computer with internet, your student will be given time during school to use our classroom computers to complete the tests.  

August 23rd Newsletter

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, September 2 - No School (Labor Day)
Wednesday, September 4 - 2 Hour Delay

Spelling City

Spelling City is up and running with our first round of spelling words.  If your child has access to an iPad or iPod there is a spelling city app where they can get everything from the website.  I am not sure if the app is compatible with tablets.  But I do have it on my iPad.  The link is www.spellingcity.com/ellerbrock.  

Spelling City offers the following features:

Spelling Test allows students to take a spelling test online. Each spelling word is read aloud, used in a context-rich sentence, and then read a second time. After finishing a test, students receive immediate feedback and can print a certificate or test report.

Teach Me spells and displays the word in ways that stimulate memory for visual and auditory learners. Each word is read aloud, spelled letter-by-letter, and used in a context-rich sentence.

Play a Game uses your word list in a variety of educational games and activities.

Spelling Tests

On Thursdays I will introduce the words to the students.  We will practice them Friday and Monday.  On Tuesday we will have a practice test.  If the students spell all the words correctly during the practice test, they will not have to take the test on Wednesday.  

Spelling words for lesson 1
      pay      play         sing              fat         bed            cap
      for        fort          spring           flat        bend          camp

Morning Snacks

The students are permitted to bring a light/healthy snack to eat each morning around 9-9:30.

Pop Tabs

We are collecting pop tabs again this year.  The students can bring them in anytime.  

Birthdays

If your child would like to celebrate their birthday they are more than welcome to bring in treats/snacks to share with the class.  If your child has a summer birthday they can celebrate it whenever they would like.  Just let me know so that I can make sure we have some free time to celebrate!

Gym Class

On Monday we have gym class so the students will need to bring gym clothes to change into.  They will need athletic shorts and a tshirt as well as tennis shoes.  If the students forget gym clothes or tennis shoes they will not participate and this will effect their Gym grade.  

August 19th Newsletter

Welcome to 2nd Grade!!!  

Each week I will send home a class newsletter to inform you of what has been going on the classroom that week.  The newsletter will include the concepts learned in each subject and upcoming events.  Additionally, it will list each weeks spelling words.  The newsletter will be this format, which is a Blog.  If you are not familiar with a Blog, it is simply a weblog.  They are easily created and up-dateable web sites that allow an author to publish instantly to the internet from any internet connection.  You can even subscribe to this blog, meaning that you will receive an email notification every time something changes, such as information is added or someone leaves a comment.  In addition to posting the newsletter on this blog, I will also send home a hard copy with your student.  The link to this blog is www.ellerbrockgrade2.blogspot.com

A little background about myself:

I am from Ottawa, OH (actually Glandorf if you ask my husband).  I am in my 7th year of coaching cheerleading at Ottawa-Glandorf High School.  I also teach tumbling in at the local dance center in Glandorf and have been there since it opened which is in its third year.  I have recently given up coaching competitive gymnastics, which I have done for the last 12 years.  I completed my Bachelor degree in 2009 from Bowling Green State University and have just finished my Masters degree this summer in technology integration in the classroom.  I am a firm believer in using technology in the classroom to enhance learning.  Last year the students used the computers daily, and I intend to have the students continue to use them.  After college I taught for 2 years in a charter school on the south end of Lima.  I then subbed for a year, and ended up here last year and enjoyed my experience here. I have recently gotten married (by recently I mean August 3rd) and live just outside of Glandorf.  I love working with kids and have a passion for watching them grow, especially in knowledge.


Behavior Chart

Your child may talk about the behavior chart in the room.  Each day the students begin on “Ready to Learn” and throughout the day they may move their clips up or down based on their behavior.  They may move up for positive behavior (listening to directions, following classroom / school rules, etc) and may move down for negative behavior (not following directions, distracting others, not following classroom / school rules, etc).  If the students finish each day on “outstanding” then on Friday of that week they get to pick a prize from the prize box, which contains school supplies that can be used in the classroom.  My goal is to encourage positive behavior.

Spelling Words

As well as posting the spelling words in the newsletter, I also post them to a website http://spellingcity.com/ellerbrock.  Here the students can play around with spelling words for the week.  Last year the students loved this site.  There is also an app from the company the students can use on their iPods and iPads.  I have used it on my iPad and really like it.

Websites

Throughout the year I find cool websites that contain information about the topics currently be taught in class.  I always share these sites with you so that your student can access them from home.

Book Adventure

Last year I came across reading comprehension tests online.  The students read books (any book that interests them) and then take an online comprehension test over the book.  The students last year loved this site and begged me to let them read.  They earn points based on their quiz score.  The site can be accessed from any internet connection.  Last year I even had a parent compile a list of books on book adventure and where those books are located in the Napoleon Public Library.  Your student will be given a copy of this list.

Specials Schedule

Monday  - Gym class 10:15-11:15
Tuesday and Thursday - Music 12:35-1:05
Wednesday - Library 9:30
                   - Computer 1:40-2:10

Contact Information

Please feel free to reach me anytime.  My email is em.ellerbrock@gmail.com.  My home phone number is                   .  My cell phone number is                .  I am very excited to be teaching and learning with your child this year!!