Opps...more Rex pictures!

On Monday, Rex came to school with Magic Dust- so the students could hold him for up to 30 minutes for everyone to get a picture taken.  He apparently stole my camera from my work bag I had left for the night...sneaky!

On Tuesday, in response to some negative behavior on Monday, Rex decided to go on strike!  



Wednesday was a better day for some students...

However, he apparently decided to still keep an eye on the class by spending the day on a swing he made for himself.  There was also a lovely selection of toilet paper tossed around the room. 



 

Here's to hoping Thursday isn't so bad!

 

 

 

Have a great rest of the week and as always...thank you for all you do!

 

Elizabeth Townsend

PDS

Second Grade

Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us

 

The Toucan Squawk, Dec. 9 - 13

Hello families...I hope everyone is enjoying their week!  We have been spending time working through the elf journal Rex the classroom elf left for the kiddos to complete.  Tomorrow the class will create a "comic strip" describing how to make a snowman.  This goes with a sort and glue activity they did today.  Both activities will be finished tomorrow. 

The class has also been continuing to work through identifying key information and questions in word problems.  We will continue to work through this unit in small groups and centers throughout the school year, and it will also appear in the students' homework.   

Please continue to send in the items for the holiday party.  We will be celebrating the holiday season on Thursday the 19th with decorating cupcakes, making a snowman craft, and completing activities.  We will also watch a movie and eat the cupcakes in the afternoon.  It's sure to be a fun day for everyone participating!

On Friday the 20th, we will have our holiday program in the morning, and then afterwards...it's hot coco time!  The students are invited to wear their pjs to school, but please send them with their jackets as well.  We won't have the time for anyone to change prior to leaving for the holiday program, so students are invited to wear their pjs directly to school.  Please also remind them to wear sneakers- since all of the teachers perform for each grade level, they will go out for recess while we are performing for the other grade levels.  Yes, we perform for the kiddos...oh dear!  This is a 1/2 day, so we won't have time for much afterwards besides hot coco and a movie.


News
Dec. 20                          Teacher in-service, 1/2 day early release at 11:30. 
Dec. 23 - Jan. 3             Holiday break, no school.
Jan. 6                             School resumes.

Birthdays
Dec. 28                         Natascha


Thank you for all you do!



Elizabeth Townsend
PDS
Second Grade
Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us

Holiday party

The kiddos might have gone home today saying we aren't having the holiday party next week.  We are having it, and it will still be on Thursday as previously planned.  However, several students are having a more-than-usual tough time following directions and turning in completed work.  This can affect their complete participation in the day's activities.  I will continue to make phone calls regarding those specific students this week, and hopefully this can get everyone back on the right track.

So, yes, please continue to send in those items for the holiday party.  As always, I appreciate your donations.  Thank you very much in advance!


Thank you for all you do,

Elizabeth Townsend
PDS
Second Grade
Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us

The elves strike again!

Apparently Rex and his buddies decided to go on field trips amongst the other second grade classes today!  Rex ended up in Mrs. Sullins' class.

 

 

Rex shared a story with the reading buddies.

He also left quite a mess in the classroom library...

 and at the students' tables.  These are just two of the tables, but the results are the same for all four.  Tsk tsk tsk. 

 

 

 

But of course we weren't left out of their field trip!  Mrs. Sullins' classroom elf Snowball graced our classroom with his presence by reading a story with Pink Punctuation...and with a messed up picture.  These elves!

 

 

Oh and the chairs...the chairs!  They were completely wrecked this morning!

 

 

And let's not forget the crates.  Lots of Christmas books left about. 



  

Snowball must have had some trouble getting down the holiday books, because the library was wrecked as well.  Yikes!

 

 

Here's to a wonderful coming weekend...without these elves!

 

 

Thank you for all you do!

 

Elizabeth Townsend

PDS
Second Grade

Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us

 

The Toucan Squawk, Dec. 2 - Dec. 6

Hello families...I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week!  We have been busy working on a small moment writing for the students' portfolio this week.  The writing is almost done- I'll be checking them over tomorrow and then the kiddos will work their finals tomorrow and on into Friday.  These portfolio writing samples are not graded- they are just a mile marker to show the students' writing growth.

For math, we have continued the word problem unit.  Tomorrow, the students will be making "keys to word problems" clue word keys...these will prove helpful at home as the students work on word problems in their math homework through the rest of the school year.

With the holiday season coming up we have been elfed!  Actually, all of second grade has.  On Tuesday, the kiddos met our classroom elf.  He introduced himself by writing rather messily on the board. 

He also showed off a cute basket.  For some reason this picture can't be edited to rotate...I have a feeling he may be up to this... :-)

On Wednesday, he showed his appreciation for our vote on his new name.  You guessed it, Rex.

 

He obviously needed more practice, and to show his love of glitter, so he made a mess on the Blue Center table.  I don't know why he has a sticker of a toucan on his shirt...I'm thinking it's to show his love of toucans, but we'll see.

 

He wrote more nametags and left them all over the room.  And snowflakes.  Oh, and gift bows...apparently Rex loves to decorate.

 



It's going to be a long week with our new friend- so hopefully he and his little friends won't decide to stay longer than this week!  The students are working their way through a journal Rex brought.


News
Dec. 20                           Teacher in-service, 1/2 day early release at 11:30  
Dec. 23 - Jan. 3              Winter break
Jan. 6                              School resumes

Birthdays

Dec. 28                          Natascha



Thank you for all you do!


Elizabeth Townsend
PDS
Second Grade
Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us




         

The Toucan Squawk, Nov. 18 - 22

Hello families...I hope everyone has had a great week!  We have finished our turkey writing...the craft came out really cute!  I need to take a picture, and then I'll post it tomorrow.  We have also started and finished a small moment writing, and started on our new writing craft- if Santa was sick!  The students were super excited to start on this writing piece, and to also use our newly learned sentence feature- dialogue!  I've graded the sloppy copies and I have to say I'm really impressed with everyone's writing progress.  I'll be sure to post a picture of their crafts once they are posted on the wall.

In math, the students have finished their unit in polygons and started on comparing expressions- for example, 13 + 4 > 12 + 1.  The students have been comparing both addition and subtraction problems, double and single digit.


News

Nov. 22                  Progress reports go home
Nov. 27 - 29          Thanksgiving Holiday, no school


Thank you for all you do!

Elizabeth Townsend
PDS
Second Grade
Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us

The Toucan Squawk, Nov. 11 - Nov. 15

Hello families...I hope you have had a great week! 

We have started and finished the turkey book writing.  This writing was pushed back from the week before last, as we had taken a bit too long on the spider research report.  With the Veteran's Day letters deadline to get those out and delivered, I felt it necessary to put a pause on the turkey book.  Now we've finished with the writing, so all that's left is the craft.  The students will be making a turkey- it's very cute!  They'll be going up on the wall soon enough.  We also started and are about halfway through a small moment writing for everyone's writing portfolio.  This will be the writing for the beginning of the 2nd quarter.  We have been working on abbreviations in writing lessons.  We'll finish this on Friday, and then begin sentence structure next week.

In math, the students have been working on polygons.  They all did pretty great on the unit.  We'll finish the week with centers, and then start on comparing expressions (greater than, less than, equal to) next week.  The week after, we'll start on word problems, a unit which will be continued after Thanksgiving break.

I am still missing some brown envelopes sent home last week.  Please take a look at the items inside and return them as soon as possible.  I'd like to have them set up on the students' desks on the 26th, so everyone can take them home for Thanksgiving.  Thank you very much in advance!

I'm also going to be sending home a letter soon enough asking for items for our Holiday Party.  It's unbelievable next month is December and coming our way quite fast!  We'll be doing holiday rotations that last week before we leave for Holiday Break- and we'll need a few items to help celebrate.  They'll be making a few crafts, having hot coco, and watching a movie.  It'll definitely be a fun yet fast paced week- as usual!

News
Nov. 20                     Teacher in-service, early release at 11:25.
Nov. 22                     Progress reports go home.
Nov. 27 - 29             Thanksgiving break, no school


Thank you for all you do!

Elizabeth Townsend
PDS
Second grade
Elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us