Welcome back!

Hello!

Despite the rainy weather we have had a terrific first week back at school!

Here's what we have been up to:

*Second graders are beginning their study of the rainforest. They were treated to a slideshow and introductory information about these special places.

*Second graders enjoyed a presentation on EGGS.

*Third graders have begun reading the story of Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson. They are learning about biographies and reading some independently as well. Third graders have started using Reader's Notebooks to record thoughts and writing about their reading lives. Students and I are using this format to write letters back and forth about their reading.

*Third graders are now writing all work in CURSIVE! Their hands have been tired, but they are doing a great job!

*Both second and third graders are working hard to understand and memorize math facts. Second graders are working on addition and subtraction facts while the third graders are working on multiplication and division facts (2's, 3's, and 4's so far). PLEASE help reinforce this learning at home.

*In writing we are learning about how to structure and write good paragraphs. This week children wrote about their vacations.

Have a wonderful LONG weekend!

Asian Banquet and Job Fair

What a wonderfully active and celebratory week! Both second and third graders wrapped up long-term Social Studies units with fabulous culminating performances of understanding. On Tuesday parents and students enjoyed singing, dancing, and food at the Asian Banquet. On Thursday, second graders presented their research about their chosen professions. It was a wonderful chance for them to share their knowledge, including their commercials and business cards! Thanks to parents for all your help and support in making these events such a success.

In other exciting news, the second and third grade teachers had a wonderful visit with Myriam Jeanniss, President of the Haitian American Student Association at UMass Dartmouth. Tomorrow she is heading to Haiti and was thrilled to take our hearts of hope and peace with her to distribute! Also, she will return to Friends on April 9th to speak with students about Haiti and how we may be able to help in the aftermath of the earthquake.

We'd like to encourage you to continue to support your child's reading and writing during the next two weeks. Our recommendation is that students continue to do 20 minutes of independent reading daily. Keeping a "vacation journal" would be a fun way to keep writing skills sharp. Finally, if students have access to a computer and the internet during break, they should continue to do work on Lexia and Symphony Math.

We hope you all enjoy a relaxing March vacation!

Students have been busy getting ready for their culminating Social Studies events next week. Second graders have done a fabulous job filming their commercials for the Job Fair. These will be shown during the fair on Thursday as well as at All School Meeting on Wednesday. You will LOVE them! We also enjoyed visits from Mira's Aunt Susu and Kelly Pelissier (Maddy's mom). They shared about their respective professions, dentistry and graphic design.

Third Graders are eagerly getting ready for the Asian Banquet which will take place on Tuesday. They have been making podcasts as a culmination of their research about Japanese holidays. In addition, they have been thinking about descriptive words to use in their Haiku poetry. We finished reading Sadako and The Thousand Paper Cranes and children are making their own kokeshi dolls.

What You Need to Know About Next Week:

Second Grade Families

The Job Fair is on Thursday, March 11th from 8:30-9:30 in the Commons. There will be a parent-run food booth as part of the celebration.

Third Grade Families

The Asian Banquet is on Tuesday, March 9th from 11:30-12:45. We will enjoy an Asian-themed lunch together.

Children do not need to purchase special clothes for this event. If they have a karate-style outfit, or a kimono, they may wear it. Otherwise we have many Asian style clothes here at school that they may wear on that day.

Have a wonderful weekend. We look forward to celebrating with you all next week!

The 100th Day of School

This week in SBS 2/3 . . .

1. We celebrated the 100th day of school! We collaborated with Ms. Lawless's class and participated in some activities to mark the day. We built structures with one hundred craft sticks and masking tape, 100 "Dots" candies and 100 hundred toothpicks, and, using crumpled paper bags and yarn, made versions of ourselves when we are 100 years old!

2. We continued working on our fiction stories!

3. A group of second and third graders announced our "Have a Heart for Haiti" project at All School Meeting and invited the larger school community to participate.

4. Third graders finished reading My Father's Dragon. They have brought home a letter explaining a home-based project that is due on Monday, March 8th.

5. Both second and third graders are deeply involved in their Social Studies projects! The second grade job fair will be on Thursday, March 11th. The third grade Asian Banquet will be on Tuesday, March 9th. More details to come . . .

Have a wonderful weekend!

Connected Learning

About our week:

1. Second graders are working to design business cards to go with their professions using the computer program Kid Pix. They are in the midst of their I-search projects in preparation for our Job Fair.

2. Third graders had an exciting week with their study of Asia. On Thursday we were generously treated by the Patys family to enjoy a hibachi

style lunch at Umi's restaurant in celebration of Chinese New Year. It was delicious, fun, and very educational! Thank you Patys family! On Friday, the third grade skyped with my friend Ari who lives in Japan. Students had prepared questions for Ari, who grew up in the US but moved to Japan 15 years ago, asking him about various aspects of Japanese culture, as well as differences between US and Japanese culture. It was a fabulous exchange!

3. Sally, our writing moose, has had grand adventures! She spent last week at Ethan's home. She bowled, met another moose named Ted, and snuggled with 2 week-old baby Aubrey. This weekend she is getting to know Dallas and his family. We can't wait to hear what she has to say!

4. We are playing around with the new SBS Promethean Board and learning how to use it. Very FUN!

We look forward to chatting with you all at conferences next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Valentine's Day

It has been a full and productive week, despite the gift of a snow day mid-week!

Here's what's happening in our classroom:

1. Children have been working hard on their fiction stories. This week we finished editing and stretching our stories. Using the software Kidspiration, students have typed up their final drafts. Next week we will illustrate them using another neat computer program called Kid Pix.

2. Book clubs continue! Second graders are now reading The Outside Dog by Charlotte Pomerantz, while third graders are finishing up My Father's Dragon Ruth Stiles Gannett. Book clubs are an exciting venue to practice our learned reading comprehension strategies, build fluency, and share the excitement of a book with friends. The children seem to be thoroughly enjoying this experience.

3. In math, both second graders and third graders have been working with the concepts of multiplication and division. As always in our math program, learning begins with concrete experimentation, then moves to pictorial representation, while ultimately focusing on the abstract manipulation of the concept. (Challenge: Can you figure out "What's my rule?" for the pictured Venn diagram?)

4. In social studies, second graders have been enjoying visits from parents working in all different professions! Research on their chosen jobs is ongoing. In the coming weeks, students will be bringing home some work to do relating to their I-Search projects. Stay tuned. Third graders have been learning about Japanese home life. We made a book about ourselves to send to a school in Japan, with questions about their lives to answer. Next week we will skype with a friend of Mrs. MacGregor that lives in Japan! Finally, the third grade will travel on Thursday to an Asian restaurant to learn about Chinese New Year. (See note in blue folders for more information on this). Many thanks to the Patys family for this wonderful opportunity!

5. "Have a Heart for Haiti" update: Students drafted a letter to the FA community explaining our project and delivered a copy of it to each classroom and faculty member. Many folks have written messages of hope on the board! Come in and add your own!

We have a short week next week! Monday is a day off for Presidents' Day. On Tuesday there is no school for children as the faculty has a professional development day. We hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Have a Heart for Haiti

This week second and third graders have been involved in a collaborative service-learning project. As we are learning more and more about the tragic events in Haiti, and the devastating conditions that the Haitian people are living in, our students have had a natural impulse to help. Third graders decided to research reputable organizations that are working in Haiti and offering relief efforts there. They made informational posters to educate our community about these organizations, the kind of work that they do, and how to donate to specific organizations.

Second graders have been making symbolic "hearts for Haiti" and writing messages of hope, love, and peace for the Haitian people. They have also made many blank hearts and are creating an interactive display where others from our community can contribute their own messages of hope, love, and peace.

Together our students have learned about where Haiti is, what the climate is like there, and what the Haitian flag looks like. Students then created a Haitian flag. To learn more and to add your own message of hope, please visit the our display in the Reed entrance.

In other news, Sally the Moose traveled last week to the Michaud household! She had tons of adventures, and is now off to the Harrison residence for the weekend. Everyone is enjoying reading what Sally is writing in her journal, and anxiously awaiting their turn to bring her home! Second graders have been immersed in their job research. Third graders were lucky enough to learn how to make (and eat!) Sushi from FA parent Aaron Derego. Thanks Aaron!

Next week third graders will be traveling to the Boston Children's Museum to visit a traditional Japanese home and to engage in a traditional Japanese art. Thank you to Barbara Corey for chaperoning this trip!