Class News 2023-2024

• Students enjoyed participating in various activities related to Autism Awareness Week.  Ask your child about our sensory experience in the MPR this week.
• As part of our unit on plants, students all had an opportunity to plant two seeds in our little greenhouse. Ask your child which two seeds were planted!
• What's a passion project? What's genius hour?  Students have come up with a topic of their own choice to research.  They will have genius hour once a week to work on this passion project.  Students are all so excited to work on this exciting project.
• Secret word: What's the topic for your passion project?

• March 25-28

• What a great turnout we had at Open House!  Thank you all for supporting your child and showing such enthusiasm as you saw their hard work! If you weren't able to come, you can let me know if there's a time you want to stop by after Spring Break.
• Secret word: Share how you Sharpened your Saw over Spring Break!

• Students have been synergizing with a partner after they learned how to share files with one another.  As a way to display the information they learned about their important person, they worked with a partner to create a PassItOn billboard.  These will be up for display for Open House.
• After reading about robots, students worked together to create their own robot out of Legos.  They had to create a plan and practice working cooperatively with one another.
• OPEN HOUSE is on Wednesday, March 27th.  The gates will be open at 5 p.m. and there will be a Science Fair starting at 5:30 p.m.  Teacher introductions will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the classroom door will be open at 6:30 p.m.  Based on last year's experience, students and parents spent about 30 minutes looking around the classroom.  If you don't want a very crowded experience, you may want to come to the classroom closer to 7:00 p.m.  Classroom doors will be closed at 7:30 p.m.  I hope to see you all there!!
• After returning from the CUE conference, it makes me quite amazed at how much technology my students have been exposed to!  They all learn so quickly and are always so engaged and eager to learn new skills!
• Secret word:  Take a look at the PassItOn billboards and select a positive word in the red box. Share about a time you demonstrated the word in the red text box.

• Students have been busy completing projects for Open House. Please save the date for Wednesday, March 27th from 6-7:30p.m. You and your family are invited to our class to view all the hard work your child has put forth! 
• In math we are learning about reading data from graphs. Students created their own surveys using Google form and then used Google Sheets to create a bar graph!  They are such quick learners and so excited to learn new things! These will be up for display during Open House.
• I will be attending a conference called CUE (Computer Using Educators) this coming Thursday-Friday.  I tell my students that we are all lifelong learners and I'm excited to learn even more ways to integrate technology in my lessons!  As always, please feel free to message me if you have any concerns.
• As we are reading about famous inventors, students have also come up with their own invention. Ask your child to share it! They'll be recording their pitch using FLIP.
• Secret word: Watch this video and share what habit it demonstrates and why.

• Students participated in Read Across America by listening to a story from all the second grade teachers. 
• In math we have started our unit on telling time.  Ask your child during random times of the day if it's a.m. or p.m.
• Please have your child check See Saw for any missing assignments. Thank you.
• We have been talking about how people can make a difference. Students have been checking out biographies for the past two library visits.  Ask your child to share any facts learned about their person. Did your child share who invented the outside staircases and the windshield wipers? 
• Click here to watch a video with your child.  Secret word: Share which habit this reminds you of and why.
• Reminder: This upcoming Friday, March 8th, is a minimum day. (Dismissal-11:45 a.m.)

• Students at Evergreen have talent!  Students enjoyed watching the talent show today.  
• We have been learning about points of view. After hearing the story, Hey, Little Ant, students wrote an opinion paragraph on whether or not ants should be squished.  
• This week we talked about Habit 4-Think Win Win. 
• Students all checked out a biography on Monday. Ask your child to share some facts. Please remind your child to complete the reading log daily.
• Each student received a printout of a few assessments we did in class.  Report cards are ready to view on March 1st at 4:00 p.m. 
• As we have been learning about point of view, which habit do we respect someone else's point of view?  

• Students enjoyed watching our Poetry Festival today! Our finalists, Aarthi and Zachary, did a great job!
• What is Black History Month? Students know some facts about this very special month.  They typed an informative paragraph as well as selected a famous African-American to research.
• Students have shown good improvement with math fluency as we have been practicing math facts on 99math.com.
• We synergized today as well as sharpened our saw as we made "stone soup" together.  Thank you for your donations.
• Next week I will be attending a Leader in Me conference in San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via ClassDojo.
• Secret word: Did you share your Flipgrid to someone at home?

• What an amazing Valentine's Day party we had! Thank you for all the donations and parent helpers!  The students had a blast!
• Who's Romero Britto?  Your child can share some interesting facts they learned about him. They all created their own hearts influenced by this most licensed artist in history.
• Students enjoyed visiting our book fair.  You can also visit Friday, February 16th, during Donuts with Grown-Ups!
• Our two poetry finalists from our class are Aarthi and Zachary. Your child will have another opportunity in third grade.
• We are discussing different point of views as we are reading folktales and fables. Ask your child to share some fables and folktales.
• Secret Word: Share something you would do if you were president.

• Happy Lunar New Year! Ask your child what we learned about today in class.  
• The book fair begins next week!  Our designated day to visit as a class is on Wednesday, February 14th. You can send money with your child that day to purchase books. If you would like to help add books to our classroom library, you can click here to send our class a gift card. My students and I will synergize to select books for our class. Thank you in advance!
• Our Valentine's Day party will be on Wednesday, February 14th.  If your child chooses to brings cards and/or treats, please be sure to bring enough for 21 students. Thank you.
• Secret word: What does Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood mean?
• Valentine's Day sales start next week!  

• Students started reciting their poems in front of the class today!  Two finalists from our class will recite their poems with other finalists from second grade.  Have your child share the Flipgrid that was recorded today.
• In math students are continuing with ungrouping. We tried a new online program called Math99.com. This online program has been assigned to students in Google Classroom to practice at home.
• In science we are finishing our Google slides on Landforms and are starting our unit on Bodies of Water.  
• Secret word: Problem based learning-What's a problem you would like to see fixed at school?

• Happy Kindness Week!  Students decorated our wall of kindness hats.  Ask your child how kindness is shown and what habit it ties in with.  
• What an amazing field trip we had to the Fairplex Farm! I'm sure your child was excited to share all that we did and ate! Students loved the experience of riding on a school bus, participating in various hands-on activities, and of course, having lunch!  Thanks to the parent volunteers who helped chaperone our trip. 
• Can you believe today is the 100th day of school? Ask your child to share some of the favorite activities!
• Please check the STAR report for the latest results of your child's reading test.  Celebrate the improvements!

• Your child received a modified Homework Tracker this week.  We are working on incorporating Leader in Me Habits at home.  Please discuss with your child one example each week at home as well as finding evidence of Leader in Me for their Reading Log.  Please continue to send in any pictures of your child practicing our Leader in Me Habits at home! We are working towards a Habit Party!
• Our field trip to the Fairplex is this coming Wednesday, January 24th. Thanks to all the donations to Community Club we are able to have this free field trip!
• Next week is Kindness Week. Show school spirit by participating in the daily activities.
  • • • • Monday (1/22)- Workout problems with kindness (Wear Workout Clothes)
        • Tuesday (1/23)-Smile and greet at least 5 people (Wear a Positivi-tee-shirt)
        • Wednesday (1/24)-Hats off the kindness (Wear a hat)
        • Thursday (1/25)-Dream of a kinder future (Wear your PJs)
        • Friday (1/26)-Happy 100th Day of School! (Dress up as a 100 year year old or Wear clothing to show 100 items.)
• Growth Mindset: As a culminating activity to our Growth Mindset lessons, students wrote a letter to kindergarten students.  Some students even visited kindergarten classrooms to share their letters. Click here to hear the Growth Mindset song we've been singing.  
• Your child received his/her poem for the Poetry Festival. Please practice memorizing the poem.  
• Secret word-Why is it important to have a growth mindset?

• Happy New Year to you all!  We started our new year by setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal for school.  Click here to find out more about SMART goals and how you can set them at home too! 
• In math we are starting to learn how to ungroup in subtraction using the Proof Drawing Method.  This method helps students understand the concept of ungrouping.
• Students all received the 8 habits handout. Please keep this in a handy place so your child can practice these habits at home as well. Your child received a Habit Homework Menu (peach colored paper).  Please try to complete as many as you can together as a family. Please turn it in by January 31, 2024.  We will Sharpen our Saw and a have a habits party at the end of the month if most students turn it in. 
• Literacy Night is this coming Thursday, January 18th. Please see the flyer and RSVP.
• Our field trip is coming up! We will be going to the Pomona Fairplex on January 24, 2024 from 8:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m.  If you are interested in volunteering, please message me on Class Dojo.  
• Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?  Your child can answer that question.  Ask your child what habits Dr. King demonstrated.
• Secret Word:  Share a Habit you will be practicing at home. Give an example of what you will be doing.

• Students have been busy this week!  We practiced with finding perimeter by traveling the world using Google Earth!  
• I'm sure you heard about a special elf visiting our class.  Her name is Holly Peanut Butter, and students enjoy looking for her in the mornings.  
• In math we will be starting our unit on money and counting coins.  It would be great to give your child opportunities to practice counting with real coins at home. 
• Would the students make a great elf?  They all think so!  They wrote an opinion paragraph stating the reasons why they would make a great elf for Santa. Ask your child to share the reasons and the examples.
• Just a reminder (optional):
  • • Bring goodies (21) for stockings by Monday, December 18th
    • Bring a pair of holiday socks (wrapped up) by Monday, December 18th
• Our Holiday Party is on Tuesday, December 19th at 1:40-2:40 p.m.
• Wednesday, December 20th, is a Minimum Day-Dismissal is at 11:45 a.m.
• Secret word: Where do you think Holly Peanut Butter will be on Monday?

• Did you know your child was transformed into an Emperor Penguin this week and wrote an amazing journal entry about the experience caring for its egg?  Students then learned how to use Google Docs to type their journal entry.  
• As we continue our discussion about having a growth mindset, students have been working on creating a comic demonstrating it.  We are excited to see how it will turn out!  Ask your child to share with you the power of yet.
• We are finishing our unit on measurement. Your child can check to see if there are any incomplete Think Central assignments.  We will have our Unit 3 test on Tuesday.
• Students learned about poinsettias as well as a brief introduction to Georgia O'Keefe's style of art. They then created their own poinsettias using oil pastels.
• We will be having our holiday party on Tuesday, December 19th at 1:40-2:40 p.m. 
• Secret Word: What does having a growth mindset sound like? What would you say to someone who is having a hard time doing something?

•  We had a fun walking field trip to Diamond Bar High School today.  Ask your child what the performance was about.  We practiced being a good audience.
• Students are practicing with Habit 1-Be Proactive by having a growth mindset.  Ask your child what it means to have a growth mindset?  Secret word: Share something you're not good at yet.
• In math we are starting our unit on measurement.  We have been measuring with our centimeter ruler.
• Students are starting to read more non-fiction books.  They all brought home a non-fiction book yesterday to read for me in See Saw.
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• What fun we had today! Students synergized to work on creating a balloon for Evergreen's First Ever Thanksgiving Day parade.  We had quite the crowd cheering us on!  Ask your child how we worked on Habit 4: Think Win Win and Habit 6: Synergize.
• In math students are learning about shapes. Do you know the answer to: Is a square a rectangle?  They were so excited to ask that question.  Students also listened to a story called The Greedy Triangle. Ask your child to share what the story was about.
• Our class won for Spirit Day today-Culture Day! We had the most participants, so now Sparky is staying with us until the next spirit day.
• Your child received a white envelope that contains several different assessments. I am so proud of all the growth each child has made!  Please share positive comments with your child! Report cards are ready online Friday afternoon at 5 p.m.
• Secret Word: What are you thankful for?
• Please help support Community Club by helping with the Cookie Dough Fundraiser.
• I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

• Students learned about Veterans Day today and even worked in teams to play Kahoot!  Ask your child to share some facts about Veterans Day.  We practiced synergy by working together to put together the American flag.
• After reading the story, Turkey Trouble, students received a turkey to disguise. Please bring the disguised turkey to school on Monday, November 13th.  
• We finished Unit 2 in math. Your child will be receiving the corrected test at the end of the week.
• Our Annual Food Drive begins on Monday, November 13-November 16th. 
• Secret Word: What are going to do this weekend to sharpen your saw?

• Students had a great time at our Halloween costume parade and party.  Children enjoyed treats and played a couple fun games!
• We have been working on our Leader of the Week posters.  Click here to listen to one of the songs we have been singing in class. Students learned they can lead their own learning with motivation.
• In math students are continuing with adding up to 100 and counting coins using pennies, nickels, and dimes.  
• Please remind your child to read daily for at least 20 minutes and to write the titles down on their reading log.
• Your child has access to Prodigy math and language arts at home.  Please have your child check to see if there are any SeeSaw or Think Central activities to complete.
• Book orders will be due November 9th in order to ensure delivery before winter break.
• Just a reminder-There will not be school this coming Friday, November 10th.
• Secret word: Write 3 adjectives to describe a leader. (Think of our sentence patterning chart.)

• It was so great seeing all of you at our dance performance! They were all very excited to perform for you!
• Students enjoyed all the activities related to Red Ribbon Week!  We talked about making healthy choices at home and at school.  We even had a deputy come to our spirit assembly today to talk to all the students about making good decisions!
• Our Halloween costume parade and party will be on Tuesday, October 31st.  Please have your child bring a change of clothes for after the parade.  If your child plans on bringing treats for our class, please make sure it does not contain any nuts and that it is store bought (not homemade baked goods).
• Secret word: Share a healthy choice you can make at home.

• Thank you parents for all the amazing birthday wishes and presents!
• Students have been busy practicing for our upcoming dance performance on Thursday, October 26th at 9.a.m.  The performance will last approximately 30 minutes with a few extra minutes for pictures afterwards.  
• We have started learning different strategies for 2-digit addition.  After students learn all the different strategies, they will select the one that works for them.
• What are small moments?  Students wrote a personal narrative about a small moment in their life.  
• Paradigm of Change:  Change starts with me.  We have been having discussions about how change starts with ourselves as well as how we all have genius. 
• Secret word:  What is your genius? Share your FlipGrid.

• Family Fun Night is tonight, October 13th! I hope to see you all there!
• Students took their Unit 1 math test on Monday and now we are learning about numbers and its various forms.
• We learned about adjectives and adverbs this week.  They loved playing Kahoot It afterwards!
• Students learned how to write dialogue as a way to make their stories come alive. 
• What is a paradigm?  Students in Room 12 know it means it's a way you see something, your point of view.  Our paradigm on leadership is that EVERYONE can be a leader!  
• Just a reminder our dance performance is coming up on October 26th at 9:00 a.m.
• Please look over the papers in the blue returned Snoopy folder and sign the back.
• Secret word:  Do you think paradigms can be changed?

• Thank you for taking the time to meet during parent conferences.  Please feel free to message me anytime you have questions or concerns.  Your child received a list of questions (pink paper) you can ask to help your child with reading comprehension. 
• We have learned about the 7 habits already and even created a class mission statement. We have student leaders leading the class in reciting our mission statement every day.  Your child received a Family Bingo paper on the habits we are learning in class.  It would be great to participate at home as well! Celebrate as a family when you get BINGO!
• For National Smile Day, October 6th, we learned about a very famous portrait of someone smiling, the Mona Lisa! Students created their own self-portrait and shared what makes them smile.  
• Please look over the most recent STAR reading report sent home.  
• Secret word: What is something you and your family can do to Sharpen the Saw?

• Happy Harvest Moon Festival to all who are celebrating it this weekend!  
• Thank you all for the generous donations to help support our school!  Because our school reached its goal of $50,000, all the students will be receiving an ice cream party!  
• We talked in more detail about Habit 6:Synergize, and we participated in an activity where all students have to work together in groups to move one marker with a string.
• Secret word- share an example of synergy. (It can be from the video we saw in class too.)
• Parent conferences are next week.  Please be punctual for your time. I look forward to discussing your child's progress with you next week!  Here's the Zoom link for those who are having a parent conference via Zoom.   
• https://wvusd.zoom.us/j/83980677401?pwd=sfsbaHwfGDqydTgWWtqM4lmlI6TmO7.1
• Book orders for October will be due on October 18th.  Click here to order.
• Many students can practice with Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind with learning how to tie their shoes.  Many students are walking around with loose laces throughout the day.  Here's a video that may help. Click here.

• Our community club drive has been extended for another week.  Please return the envelope with a signature to help our class earn an ice cream party! Thank you for your donations to support our school!
• In math we are learning about how to solve word problems using various strategies: math mountains and comparison bars.  Please check Think Central for any missing assignments.
• Students read about police officers and safety tips. Can your child share a few with you?  
• I hope you enjoyed listening to your child sing "The Dot Song" to you. Singing is another way to help build fluency.  Thank you for your support at home.
• We are continuing our discussions with our 8 habits. This week we talked about Habit 5-Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood (Effective Listening) and Habit 6 Synergize (Working Together).  Students practiced being leaders in class as they worked in small groups helping one another with making a five point star with one snip.  We will continue with various leadership opportunities in class throughout the year. 
• On Tuesday, we will celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday by making applesauce in class.  We will practice Habit 6 by working together as a class to make applesauce. If you would like your child to participate, please bring to school two chopped up apples in a Ziploc baggie. 
• Secret Word:  Share a safety tip.

• Students are becoming more familiar with using SeeSaw at home. This is a great way for me to hear each child practice reading at home.
• In math we are practicing with problem solving by drawing and writing equations.  Your child may practice fluency by going to factmonster.
• We learned about compound sentences this week and adding the comma (comma llama). 
• Students wrote great journals as smoke jumpers!  I hope you enjoyed hearing their accounts of being a smoke jumper.
• Our school is having its annual community club fundraiser.  We appreciate any donations for our school. If you cannot donate at this time, please sign the envelope and still have it returned to school.  Our class will get an ice cream party if we can have all the envelopes returned with a signature. Thank you for your support!
• Today, September 15th, is International Dot Day! Students heard the story, The Dot, and we also learned a song.  Have your child share the dot artwork! Click here to hear the song!
• Habit 4: Think Win Win-How can we find a compromise to conflicts?  We will practice with the "Think Win Win" mindset!
• Please look for the blue corrected papers folder with your child. Share successes and work on a few corrections.  Please sign the blue folder and have your child return it to school. 
• Secret Word:  Write the title of your dot artwork:__________________________

• How is our government at work?  We started reading about smoke jumpers, an informational text from Benchmark Advance. Our stories will also be available from your child's portal under Benchmark Advance.  We practiced annotating while reading non-fiction text.
• In math we are learning more strategies to help improve fluency such as doubles and doubles plus one.  Have your child check Think Central online (from portal) to see if there are any unfinished assignments. 
• Habit 3-Put First Things First- We talked about completing the important things first before playing.  Your child even wrote a to-do list. Please sign it if your child completes the things on the list.
• Secret Word- Name a distraction that may keep you from completing something.
• Book orders are due on September 13th. Click here.

• Students took home the results of their STAR math assessment. 
• This week we continued our talk about Habit 1- Be Proactive by taking the "initiative" as well as Habit 2- Begin with the End in Mind (beginning each task/day/project with a clear picture of how we want it to turn out) where your child wrote down some goals for this year. Ask your child to share the goals for home and school! There are videos posted on Google Classroom too. It would be great to use these words at home.
• In math we learned about odd/even. Ask your child to play the odd/even game with you!
• Secret Word:  Begin with the end in mind. Share a goal you have for home.
• Our VAPA teacher, Mr. Seung, did a lesson with the class on computer/internet etiquette. What are some things your child learned?
• We learned some interesting facts as we read Postcard Clues.  Have your child share some cool facts.
• This week we started working on several different computer programs.  Don't worry if your child is still unfamiliar with it.  We will continue to practice.  Please let me know if your child is having difficulty logging on at home. You may ask your child to share if there's any missing assignments in SeeSaw and Think Central. 
• Some programs students can work on at home: Prodigy (class code-C3C85AC) and Typing.com. 

• On Monday, you should have received the STAR report for reading.  Your child has started reading AR books in class and have taken a couple reading quizzes. You may sign-up for the reports of all the quizzes by following the directions on the paper attached to the STAR report.
• The students have been learning about math mountains and the make a ten strategy for adding.  It would be helpful for your child to practice with addition fluency.  There are many free apps for helping with addition and subtraction fluency.
• After listening to the story, Friend Wanted, students wrote a paragraph explaining what kind of friend they wanted.  Today, they used SeeSaw to practice recording a video of themselves reading their paragraph as well as taking a photo of themselves.  
• This morning we had our first school spirit assembly. We then went to different stations to learn the school wide expectations for different areas: playground, lunch area, restrooms, mpr, and dismissal.  Ask your child to share what he/she learned.
• Secret word: Complete this sentence:  The Power of  ____( 3 letter word).  Have your child explain to you what this sentence means.

• What an eventful week we had!  Students are continuing to get to know one another as they participate in different fun team building activities, such as building a tower today!
• Ask your child about Mojo and what we learned about the brain being like a muscle. The two videos we watched are also on Google Classroom. Your child can access it at home as well.
• Students were introduced to Google Classroom this week.  They also took their first STAR test. Reports will be sent home on Monday as well as information on how to sign-up for AR reports sent to your email.  
• Please sign your child's homework tracker daily and remind your child to bring the homework folder back to school daily as well.
• Scholastic Book Clubs will no longer be sending out order forms for book orders.  Click here to access the digital order form. 
• Click here to fill out the parent conference interest form.
• Secret word: Name one thing you like to do on the weekends.

• See you all on Monday, August 14th!! Don't forget, our start time is 8:15 a.m. and minimum day dismissal is at 11:45 a.m.
• When you find  Room 12, please put your backpack on one of the hooks outside the door.
• Find your name tag and place it on your shirt.
• You may come into the class and find a desk you would like to sit at. Please leave all supplies under your desk.
• You may go outside for walk and talk until the bell rings.