Week of Conferences

This past week found us very busy with different things at OES. We began CogAt testing, which shows us what your child knows and how they learn and teachers use this as an instructional tool. The district also uses these scores to see if your child qualifies for the Gifted & Talented program that begins in 3rd grade. We will take the final 3 days of the test next week. We also visited the Book Fair, which they were really excited about. I'm so glad books excite them! I feel the same way!! On Wednesday, they got to dress as royalty in celebrating our book fair. Everyone looked regal and fabulous!

This was also the week of our student-led conferences.  I thought the students did really well discussing their behavior as well as their strengths and weaknesses with parents. I love how they were honest and took ownership of their learning and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Please contact me anytime you have a question or concern about what is going on in our class.

Awards Day is Tuesday at 9:30 for those that made All As/As & Bs Honor Roll, so we hope you can join us!
Our field trip is this Wednesday! Please read the information coming home today about important details and a release form for items your child may bring on the bus. I will send another reminder home on Tuesday as well.
This week is also Red Ribbon Week. I'm sure I'll have a lot of pictures to share next week with all of the activities going on. Please refer to your child's homework sheet or the red sheet sent home last week as to what is going on each day.
I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Animals, and Animals, and More Animals-Oh my!

This week, we had a special guest from USC Upstate's Watershed program come speak with 2nd graders about habitats and how they provide for the plants and animals within that habitat. They loved the items she brought: ostrich egg to discuss birds, bear claws and fur for mammals, shark teeth and jaws for fish, and even a real amphibian: a tiger salamander! I was impressed with what they already knew and had learned with our unit when they answered her questions about the animal groups, their needs, etc. I'm a proud teacher! :)

Speaking of animals, our new bulletin board is up and we love it! We read the book, What If You Had Animal Teeth? by Sandra Markle which was very interesting! It really makes you wonder about what if we really did have a specific animal's teeth? But at the same time, we learned that we have the teeth we have a for a reason, just as each animal does. The students then chose an animal from the book that they would want the teeth of. They decorated their face, glued the teeth of that animal in the mouth, and wrote why they wanted those teeth. It looks so good and we've had several compliments already!

This week, they will begin researching an animal from the animal expert group they're in. They chose an animal that can be found at the Riverbanks Zoo to research, so I'm excited they'll get to see it up close and personal next week after learning about it! Remember, our trip is next Wednesday, October 29. We'll be sending reminders home this week about permission slips and payment which is due by Thursday. I'm looking forward to seeing you this week (Tuesday or Thursday) for our scheduled student-led conference. Please bring your child with you because they will be discussing their progress, grades, and behavior with you. I will explain MAP scores and answer any questions you may have. See you soon!
There is no school for the students on Friday, so enjoy the long weekend! Have a fabulous week!

Walk to School Week

Mrs. Cabe always organizes the most memorable and healthy activities. This week was Walk to School Week with a Lego movie theme. On Monday, the students were to wear orange, like a construction worker. Even though I am a Gamecock fan, I do own one orange shirt. :) Tuesday, they had to dress in Wizard White or Business Attire. Wednesday, they dressed as their favorite Lego movie character, which was interesting to learn about since I have never seen it. We also walked around the school outside. We had entertainment from the BSHS cheerleaders, Spike the mascot, Wofford cheerleaders, and a coach from Wofford College spoke about the importance of being active and healthy. Thursday was 80s day, and they looked awesome! Last, but not least was Abe Lincoln Day on Friday, so they had to wear a beard, top hat, and/or a bowtie. What a fabulous way to remember to stay healthy and having fun in the process!

 

 

This week was also Fire Safety Week. Please make sure, if you haven't done so already, to create an escape plan as a family and designate a meeting place outside. Also, change your smoke detector batteries and if you need smoke detectors, get in touch with the BSFD and they will give you some for free!

On Friday, the OES Buddy Bench was dedicated. This bench comes from our 4th graders who have been doing a PBL unit called "Choose Kind." The Buddy Bench will be on our playground and when students are feeling lonely or like they need a friend, they sit on the buddy bench and wait on someone to join them! What a great addition to our school and what a great life message to always CHOOSE KIND! I hope our students gain courage, confidence, and friendships from its presence on our playground.

Finally, our Snazzy Snack came from Daamini this week and she brought Halloween cookies. Thank you Daamini!

Please remember to send in our Riverbanks Zoo field trip permission slip and money by Oct. 23.
 I've assigned everyone a time for our Parent-Teacher conference, being held on both Oct. 21 and Oct. 23. I did my very best to accommodate everyone.
Our Fall Festival is the evening of Oct. 23 and there will be no school on Oct. 24. Any items for our Fun in the Sun basket to be auctioned at our Fall Festival are due by this Friday. Thank you so much for any donations you can give!
I'm excited to announce that our class will be on Twitter starting sometime in the 2nd nine weeks. Once I get it setup, I will show the students how it works and how we will be using it. Then, you can follow us to keep up with what we're doing on that form of social media. Eventually, the students will be able to tweet during the day about what we are doing, what they are learning, and even what they are wondering! I'll keep you updated about this!
I hope you all have a fabulous week!

October is here!

We had a great week in Room 102! We started our animal unit, and the students are loving it! We have started by creating "expert groups" to research one of the six specific animal groups. As a class, we're filling out a frayer model, which you can find in their Science section, about each group. Then, we'll be breaking out into our expert groups to research more and go deeper by researching a specific animal from that group. They're excited about leading their learning! I will be giving a test at the end of the week where they will have to classify the animals and place them in their correct group, as well as list their basic needs to survive.
What we're even more excited about, is near the end of the unit, we will be visiting the Riverbanks Zoo! Riverbanks Zoo website  So we will be able to see up close all of the animal groups we've learned about. What a great connection and experience!! Speaking of, thank you to all that have volunteered to chaperone. Don't forget it is $25 for a SLED check and $11 for the actual trip. The students' cost is $27. Permission slip and $$ are both due by Oct. 23 (no school on Oct. 24).
I will be sending papers home by the end of the week. I will also be sending home a sheet soon that will have you choose some good times to meet for our Parent-Teacher Conference Oct. 21 or Oct. 23. I will do my best to accommodate everyone and I look forward to meeting with you!
Last, but not least, Ailani brought the Snazzy Snack on Friday! How cute! :)

And Jonathan brought a delicious cookie cake last Friday! Yum!

Thank you Jonathan and Ailani!

Have a fabulous week!