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    Welcome to Mrs. Parks' Family Connection!
      Our 2nd Grade News for Bright Beginnings in Room 207  

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       new year 2

     

    Dear Friends and Families,

      I can't wait to begin 2023 with your children!  We have finished the first half of our year together and I plan on finishing strong with the last half. We will be moving along in each subject area with many  interesting topics, concepts, and standards and gaining so many new understandings.  

    In science we will be learning about weather and erosion and investigate how wind and water change the shape of the land, resulting in different landforms.  We will also be analyzing patterns in weather and solutions to protect humans and the environment from severe conditions.

    Our social studies topics will include what caused people to start moving west. We will be comparing the perspectives of people in the past to those of today through stories and biographies.

    Addition and subtraction within 100 and word problems to 100 along with the foundations of multiplication and division will be our areas of study in 2nd grade accelerated math. 

    Reading is individualized and we will be moving forward and accelerating each student according to their level. We will be learning from book studies done in groups, and reading about famous Americans and completing book reports and projects about these important figures in our history.

    I also incorporate STEM activities every 1-2 weeks, and make time for coding activities that your children LOVE!

     

    Kelly Palma&Blog

     

    Your child will have individualized spelling words at their level. Please keep their words handy until they have taken their test as you will only get 1 list per session. Your child will be given new words approximately every 2 weeks and tested on the 2nd Thursday. Spelling is a visual process that needs repetition and practice in order to be successful.  By practicing just a few minutes nightly, your child will be more successful rather than trying to memorize them the night before - only for a test.

    As always, if you have any questions or concerns please email or Dojo message me anytime!

    Respectfully,

    Mrs. Parks

     

    IMPORTANT DATES - January 2023

    Jan. 13, 20, & 27 - Early release 1:15

    Jan. 16 - No School Martin Luther King Day

    Jan. 19th - Spelling Test

    Our Quarter 3 special area schedule is from 9:00-9:45 a.m.:

    Monday – STEM

    Tuesday – PE

    Wed. – Music

    Thursday – Art

    Friday - STEM

     

               

    Lunch

    Your child has lunch from 11:20-11:45. You are welcome to join them for lunch at any time.

     

    Snacks

    Your child can bring a healthy snack daily if they would like.

     

    Birthday Treats

    They are allowed if they are store bought or ordered from the cafeteria.

                                         

    DISCIPLINE

    I believe in building a community of respectful learners. My plan is designed to help children gain more personal control (self discipline) in a positive, nurturing environment where intrinsic rewards (I feel good about myself!) is the ultimate goal, and responsibility for their own behavior is the expectation.  I focus on students showing respect, being trustworthy and accountable, and being responsible and safe.  Please discuss these expectations with your child to reinforce the positive behaviors desired. If you ever have any questions regarding behavior please contact me and thank you, in advance, for your support.

     

    Please check out the book, Have You Filled a Bucket today? on YouTube. We will practice being a ‘bucket filler’ everyday! This will help you understand what your child means when they say things like, “I filled a bucket today.” It is our goal!

     

      

    EQ Kids

     

    All Things EQ – Because Your life depends on you!

      (our social and emotional intelligence) 

    Check out our weekly motto on the Las Brisas Website and discuss with your child.        

    STARS expectations:

    Show Respect

    Trustworthiness

    Accountability

    Responsibility

    Safety                                      

    10 ways to get your child reading without picking up a book for some fun summer activities!

    1. Play board games like Scrabble & Boggle.
    2. Collect Trading Cards – read the facts.
    3. Read to learn – like how to do magic tricks.
    4. Get cooking, read recipes and menus.
    5. Make cards for birthdays, parties, & thank you notes.            
    6. Create signs and labels for items in their room.
    7. Cereal boxes and nutrition labels.
    8. Letters, postcards, or magazines.
    9. Write messages for your child.
    10. Have a scavenger hunt with written clues.

    Reading is the key to your child’s success!               

     
     My Top 10 Reasons Why Reading Is Important (for kids AND adults) 

    1. Kids who read often with various materials get better at it. Practice makes perfect in almost everything we humans do and reading is no different.

    2. Reading  exercises our brains. Reading is a much more complex task for the human brain than, say, watching TV is. Reading strengthens brain connections and actually builds new connections.

    3. Reading improves concentration. Children have to sit still and quietly so they can focus on the story when they’re reading. If they read regularly as they grow up, they develop the ability to do this for longer and longer periods.

    4. Reading teaches children about the world around them. Through reading, they learn about people, places and events outside their own experience. They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them. This learning is important for its own sake. However, it also builds a store of background knowledge which helps younger children learn to read confidently and well.

    5. Reading improves a child’s vocabulary, leads to more highly-developed language skills and improves the child's ability to write well. This is because children learn new words as they read but also because they unconsciously absorb information as they read about things like how to structure sentences and how to use words and language effectively.

    6. Reading develops a child’s imagination. This is because when we read our brains translate the descriptions we read of people, places and things into pictures. When we’re engaged in a story, we’re also imagining how the characters are feeling. We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation.

    7.  Reading helps kids develop empathy.  It helps children identify with the character in the story to understand how they are feeling.

    8. Because reading helps children do better at school in all subjects not just in reading, and they do better all the way through school.

    9. Reading is a great form of entertainment!

    10. Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. This is an important point because these days we seem to have forgotten how to relax and especially how to be silent.  The constant movement, flashing lights and noise which bombard our senses when we’re watching TV, looking at a computer or playing an electronic game are actually quite stressful for our brains. When we read, we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains.

     Check out the ideas below that will help you to be successful in setting your nightly reading schedule. The single most important thing you can do right now for your child's academic success is to make sure that they are reading 20 minutes each day with books at their level.  

    According to familyeducation.com the top 5 ways to improve your child’s reading are as follows:

    1. Set aside a regular time to listen to or read to your children every day.
    2. Surround your children with reading materials, you can get plenty online.
    3. Have a family reading time.
    4. Encourage a wide variety of reading activities.

    5. Show enthusiasm for your child's reading!