Doughnuts with Dads

Thank you to all of the dads, granddads, and uncles who were able to come eat doughnuts with us on November 12!  Dads are such an important role model in the life of a child and I know that they were excited that you could be here. I loved reading the writing they completed during breakfast about their dad, or grandfather, or uncle being so strong they "can lift a truck," as handsome as "a lion," and if they had a million dollars they would buy them "a new car."  That shows how much they care for and love their family! Enjoy these pictures I took, and if I missed you, I apologize!

Thanksgiving Break begins next Wednesday! We have some fun activities planned for this week and next to celebrate this special time in our culture and how it was influenced by the Native Americans and Pilgrims. We also begin telling time this week, so please practice this skill at home with your child because it can be a difficult one for a lot of them. Have a fabulous week!

Room 102 at Riverbanks Zoo

We had a fantastic trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia this week! What a great way  to concluding our animal unit! When we arrived, we went to the Discovery Center to take a class about animal classification. They knew the answers to all of the instructor's questions, which makes me so proud of how much they've learned! They really enjoyed the hands-on activities in classifying animals. Following class, we ate lunch in the picnic area and then the students were free to explore the zoo until the end of our visit. I could NOT have done it without all of my parent chaperones. Thank you so much to each you that were able to attend!! I am so grateful and I hope you enjoyed your time with us. Enjoy the following pictures!

Red Ribbon Week

This week was Red Ribbon Week at OES. I love this week each year because of the fun activities that share with the students the message of making good choices to succeed in life. On Monday, some BSHS football players (one, a former OES student) spoke to our class about being drug-free and how they can be anything they want to be by making the right choices.

Tuesday, they dressed in their best, which was appropriate since it was our Awards Day. They looked fabulous!

Wednesday was our field trip to Riverbanks Zoo. See the following post :)
Thursday was college, university, and military day. I loved seeing all of the different school colors and imagining where they would all be headed when they graduate in 2025.
Friday was Career Dream Day. It was Career Day at OES, so the students dressed as what they want to be when they grow up. I had several teachers, veterinarians, a doctor, a professional singer, and military guys. Awesome!

The first career we got to hear about was from Mrs. Griffin, a graphic designer.  Each student got to choose a design to go on a jar opener (which I'm sure you'll find both cute and useful) and then watched a picture of me get photo-shopped :) They loved it! What a cool presentation. Thank you Mrs. Griffin!

Next, we visited a dental hygienist. They learned about the proper way to take care of their teeth by practicing on Kanga, the kangaroo.

We then went to Mr. Lunsford who taught them about construction. They had the challenge of constructing a tower as a team and had to beat the record of 40 inches tall. They rose to the challenge, and one group made a 44 inch tall tower! It was a lot of fun watching the teamwork and strategies involved.

Last, we visited Mr. Gaines, a lawyer. They learned what a lawyer does and even got to act out a courtroom and wear judge's robes to feel powerful and yell, "Order in the court!" They seemed to be a little familiar with Judge Judy too :)

It was a wonderful week with meaningful experiences for all of us!

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!