Pam Farrell
2nd Grade - Gifted
Math, Science, Social Studies
5/20/13
Dear Parents,
Last week was extremely busy! Students were out of the classrooms for two mornings due to The King and I dress rehearsals. Mrs. Olsen and Mrs. Carter were administering DRA and FAIR diagnostic reading assessments, a portion of which was computer-based in the Computer Lab. We also spent a day in Science Lab conducting matter experiments.
This week appears to have many activities scheduled, as well. There will be no school next Monday in honor of Memorial Day. We will have our final Early Dismissal for this school year on Wednesday and Enrichment Labs on Thursday.
Congratulations to all the The King and I cast members! The play earned rave reviews and both casts turned in a stellar performance! They will be attending a Cast party on Tuesday afternoon in the school cafeteria.
In life cycle news, we had a multitude of Painted Lady butterflies hatch! It called to mind the old saying that “a watched pot never boils”. Approximately ten hatched during school hours on Thursday and Friday. Of course, always when we were not looking!! We did have lovely weather on Friday and released all in the beautiful butterfly garden.
All second grade classes are planning individual end-of-year parties as our plan to party at Monkey Jungle did not work out. Olsen and Farrell will celebrate a great year next Friday, May 31st.
In addition to all the activities planned for this week, we plan to cover the following:
Science: Matter – Gases: We come to our final, and most abstract, states of matter. It is one of the most popular with the students. In part, because we read the Walter the Farting Dog series and explore the science behind the Whoopee Cushion!
Math: Addition & Subtraction Strategies: We continue to review alternative strategies for solving given problems, illustrating your work, and providing a written explanation regarding the problem-solving process. We will also take a look at famous mathematicians and their contributions to mathematical concepts.
Social Studies: Ancestry & Immigration: All students are currently researching a country from of their ancestry and preparing to complete a report on the region.
I hope you have a nice week and a most enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!