Beach Day

We had a great day reading and eating on the BEACH!

We spent part of the morning having a writing celebration with Mrs. Farrell's first graders.  We were able to share our opinion writing with them and they read us their small moments.

We even had time to enjoy our beach day snack while reading in the dark!!!

Leadership

This week students selected a new area of leadership!  Our leadership goals are to be respectful, kind, safe, and responsible.  You will see your child's leadership choice below.  Please continue to encourage these habits at home too!

Students that are consistently exhibiting all four traits will become TEAM CAPTAINS.  Team captains earn a few extra privileges in the classroom.  I am excited to see all students become a team captain soon.  They can do it!!!  

Newsletter: March 24

Happy Spring!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 30 -  Beach Day (please see note in your child’s Friday folder and information below)

                 Students should be at 75% of their SRC goal

March 31 - Spring Break Begins

May 5 - Students should be at 100% of their SRC goal

READING:

Next week we will have a BEACH DAY on Thursday, March 30.  Your child can bring extra books to read, a flashlight, a beach towel, and a small stuffed animal that belongs on the beach.  Also, students may come to school in appropriate beach attire.

Also, all March Book-It (non-academic) calendars are due next week.  This is the last month to earn a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  

WRITING:

Next week we will write our final opinion piece.  Students will draft their opinion about one fun activity to do on beach day.  Students will write their opinion with supporting details to convince the reader (me) about a fun beach day activity.  Some ideas may include wearing sunglasses, decorating the room like a beach, having a short dance party to beach music, or reading books about the beach.  I am excited to read all of their ideas.

MATH:

Next week I will send home your child’s unit 5 test.  Overall, students did a great job on this assessment.   The two step word problems were still very tricky for many students (#10 and 11 on the test).  We will continue to practice this type of word problem in class.  You may see an extra piece of paper connected to your child’s math test.  We spent an extra day after the test trying to understand how to solve these tricky problems.  Students were then given a second chance to try those problems on the test again.  Many students are showing improvement all ready!

SCIENCE:

Today you will find a review sheet in your child’s Friday folder.  This review sheet will help prepare your child for our first science test next week Wednesday.  I was hoping to complete the test this past week, but due to typing we were not able to fit it all in.  Please look over the review with your child at home before our test.  Thank you!

OTHER NEWS: 

We have completed all of the lessons for typing.  Your child can continue to practice their typing skills at home using the site on our blog.  Have fun!

March 17: Newsletter

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 20: Book Fair Preview Day

March 23: Book Fair Shopping Day

March 30 -  Beach Day 

                 Students should be at 75% of their SRC goal

March 31: Spring Break Begins

May 5 - Students should be at 100% of their SRC goal

Thank you for meeting with me at parent teacher conferences.  I really appreciate the time we had to share your child’s academic growth and goals for the rest of the year.  I am so proud of each and everyone of them!  

READING:

Last call for crazy reading pictures from home!  I am hoping to get a picture from every 2nd grader by next Friday.  Also, continue to complete some of the March non-academic homework with your child.  It has been fun hearing about all of the activities students are doing at home.

You will NOT see a new word sort coming home this week.  Due to our time in the computer lab learning how to type, we have less time in the classroom to practice our sorts.  We will take two weeks in class to become familiar with the spelling patterns before the sort is sent home.  

MATH:

Next week we will wrap up our studying on time and graphs.  Our unit assessment will be on Wednesday.  Please look for a review of the test coming home the beginning of next week.   

SCIENCE:

We will have our first science test next week.  The assessment will cover properties of matter.  Please look for a review coming home on Wednesday next week.  If your child knows the ideas on the review, they will be ready for the test on Friday, March 24. 

OTHER NEWS: 

I wish you could all come in and watch the second graders type!  They are amazing!  I am so impressed with their typing ability.   Many of the second graders can type while looking at the computer screen rather than at their fingers.  They are getting very fast in their typing ability.  You may have your child practice the same lessons at home as well.  The typing program, All The Right Type, is under the student link on our blog.  It is labeled “2nd Grade Typing”.  Please make sure as your child practices at home that they do NOT get ahead of the lessons were are learning in class.  They should use their time at home to practice the keys we have already learned.  

Also, we are again in need of more boxes of Kleenex.  I think this is a sign that we need Spring and these colds to go away!  If you are willing to donate another box of tissues to the classroom, we would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks!  

Thank you to many of the parents that signed up for donating a snack item to our Beach Day on Thursday, March 30.  I have attached the sign up sheet as a reminder of the donations.  If you would still like to sign up for something, please let me know.

Bandaid Drive

Bauer Elementary is having a BANDAID DRIVE!

It will run from March 20-24.

Bring in FUN, kid-friendly, LATEX FREE bandaids.

All bandaids will be donated to Helen Devos Children's Hospital. 

Bauer Book Drive

March 10: Newsletter

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 15 & 16 - Parent/Teacher Conference 

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - Wear Green  

March 30 -  Beach Day  & Students should be at 75% of their SRC goal

May 5 - Students should be at 100% of their SRC goal

READING:

I have challenged the second graders to find a fun, crazy place to read this month.  I am hoping to get a picture of all of the second graders reading in a crazy place or in a crazy way (with a hula hoop or while eating breakfast) to post on our door.  Many students wanted their spot to be somewhere at home.  If you are interested in participating in this project with your child, please send me a picture of them reading in a crazy spot or in a crazy way.  I will then print the pictures at school to post for all to see.  If you aren’t able to complete this activity at home, we will take a fun picture at school.  This week students turned in pictures of them reading with their toes, upside-down, and in a tree!  Keep the pictures coming.  This has been a fun way to encourage reading!

WRITING:

I am excited to share your child’s last completed opinion writing piece with you are our conference next week.  You will also find your child’s published poem posted on his/her locker.  Please feel free to come a few minutes early to your child’s conference to check out all of the poems!

MATH:

Second graders are now telling time by the five minute intervals.  It is amazing how practical this skill is to their daily lives.  It has been fun watching students tell time throughout the day.  Next week we will wrap up unit 5.  It is a rather short unit.  We will then take a couple of days to review before the assessment the following week.     

OTHER NEWS: 

Students are picking up the typing lessons very quickly!  They love the 45 minutes that we have each day to learn new keys and to practice their typing skills.  They are getting rather speedy.  You may have your child practice the same lessons at home as well.  The typing program, All The Right Type, is under the student link on our blog.  It is labeled “2nd Grade Typing”.  Please make sure as your child practices at home that they do NOT get ahead of the lessons were are learning in class.  They should use their time at home to practice the keys we have already learned.  Thanks and have fun!!!

Parent Teacher Conferences

I am looking forward to meeting with you this week for our parent teacher conference.  Here is the schedule for the week...

Wednesday, March 15:

4:30: Braedon Roose

4:45: Thomas Gunnink

5:15: Mason Herrema

5:30: Ava Patterson

5:45: Ainsley DeBoer

6:00: Charlie Quist

6:15: Jesenia Brouillette

6:30: Zaya Nederveld

6:45: Chester Karasinski

7:00: Ava Geissler

7:15: Mikayla Haight

Thursday, March 16:

4:30: Luke DeBoer

4:45: Ashley Wayne

5:00: Nora VanEerden

5:15: Abbi Ninan

5:30: Amalia Rivera

5:45: Ellis Neuman

6:00: Elijah TenBrink

6:15: Aiden Conner

6:30: Kaleb Roof

6:45: William Phan

7:00: Autumn Huizinga

7:15: David Amante

7:30: Angela Ragar

7:45: Kylee Troost

8:00 Jamison Sjoerdsma

Dear families,

Bauer Elementary is participating in the Whitecaps Reading Program for the month of March.  All Bauer students received a March calendar where they can record the number of minutes read or have been read to each day (15 minutes or more).  After your child has read each day and recorded this on their calendar,they will receive a voucher for TWO free tickets to any Whitecaps home game, based on availability from April 6th to June 12th (2017).  Additional tickets are also available for friends and family at the discounted Reading Club price of $11.50 for reserved seats and $8.00 for lawn seats (kids 2 and under are free).  In addition, Applebee's offers a free kids' meal (with purchase of an adult meal) on the calendar (original coupon must be used, cannot be photocopied). 

March 3: Newsletter

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 10 - Early Release - Dismissal at 12:15

March 15 & 16 - Parent/Teacher Conference 

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - Wear Green  

March 30: Beach Day (students bring in beach towels to cozy up and read)

                 Students should be at 75% of their SRC goal

May 5: Students should be at 100% of their SRC goal

READING:

March is reading month!  Our theme this year is “Oh, the places you’ll go”.  Mrs. VanBergen read to the second graders this week to help build excitement for reading.  One of our goals this month is to notice the places our reading can take us.  At this point, students have noticed that they traveled to Connecticut, Africa, New York,  Antartica, and even under the sea!  In class, we will track all the places we travel to in our reading on a map.  I think our map is going to fill up quickly!!

Also, I have challenged the second graders to find a fun, crazy place to read this month.  I am hoping to get a picture of all of the second graders reading in a crazy place or in a crazy way (with a hula hoop or while eating breakfast) to post on our classroom door.  Many students wanted their spot to be somewhere at home.  If you are interested in participating in this project with your child, please send me a picture of them reading in a crazy spot or in a crazy way.  I will then print the pictures at school to post for all to see.  If you aren’t able to complete this activity at home, we will take a fun picture at school.  We already have pictures of students reading under desks, in lockers, in the teacher’s lounge, and even in Mrs. VanBergen’s office!  You will be able to check out all of the pictures when you visit for Parent Teacher Conferences.  

WRITING:

We have officially completed our first opinion writing piece.  I am excited to share their writing with you at our upcoming conference.  Each day I am amazed at their progress as writers.  Their writing is becoming very convincing as they add in details, examples, evidence, and their fun personalities!  Next week we will write another opinion piece based on a favorite book/movie.  Students will choose between Horton Hears a Who, Charlotte’s Web, and the Boxcar Children.  Students will write to convince the reader that their chosen book/movie is the best.  I will read their writing to decide our next read aloud book.  The most convincing writing piece will make our decision!  We will even be able to celebrate all of our hard work by watching that same movie!

MATH:

Students couldn’t have worked harder on the Unit 4 math assessment.  I am proud of their determination as they worked through these difficult concepts.  I will keep your child’s assessment to go over with you at conferences.  Next week we will continue to work through Unit 5: Time, Graphs, and Word Problems.  Students already know how to tell time to the hour and can identify the difference between A.M. and P.M.  Next week we will begin to tell time by five minute intervals.    

OTHER NEWS: 

Next week we will begin a three week unit on typing.  Each day we will spend 30-40 minutes in the computer lab learning the basic skills of typing.  Each morning we will head to the computer lab at 10:00.  We will begin by focusing on proper hand placement on the keyboard and will learn the home row keys (a, s, d, f and j, k, l, ;)

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