August 11, 2014

Dear families,

What a great year we're going to have!

I'm looking forward to seeing you at back-to-school night.
We meet in my classroom at 6:00.  If you aren't familiar with the school, my classroom is on the lower floor at the end of the first and second grade hallway ... closest to the lower playground. I hope that description helps.

We'll have an overview of what to expect this year as well as a question and answer period where you can ask me anything you might have questions about. At 6:25 we'll travel up to the gym for the general PTA meeting and introduction of all the teachers at South.

See you Tuesday night!
Carolyn Olenslager

Dear families,

Here is more info for the end of school:

 •All leveled library books are now due.

• Homework will still be coming home as usual this week. Friday will be the final day to turn in homework. After that I will not be able to count it on the progress reports.

• The second grade teachers have made an end of level test for math and language. We will be giving those at the end of this week. It will be a good indicator of what your child has learned this year. Please be sure your child is here on Thursday and Friday for these tests.

FINAL WEEK:

Monday= Crazy Hair day

         We will be working on the scenery for our puppet plays.

         We will be having our supply and demand lesson-auctioning off class books

         using homework coupons as currency. The more currency the kids have   earned, the better chance they have of “buying” the book they want.

Tuesday= Crazy Socks day

         We will be finishing up any loose ends and projects.

         We will let the kids plan our last day --- scary!

Wednesday= Cleaning day

         Have the kids wear grubby clothes. We will be hauling desks and chairs outside to scrub down and squirt off. (The kids just might end up a tad wet.)

         Then we’ll start on the inside tables, game shelves, etc.

Thursday= Field day

         Have the kids dress for the weather. We’ll be outside most of the day. 

         Water bottles, sunscreen, and hats are advisable.

         I will be sending home the kids’ portfolios this day. Watch for them. They      have worked hard all year on them.

         Mr. Oldroyd usually has us send the progress card this day, also.

Friday= Meet the teacher day

         In the morning the children will go to their next year’s teacher’s classroom    to meet him/her.

         Following that, we’ll spend the day as the children have planned.

         School ends one hour early at 2:30.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!  THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE A PART OF YOUR CHILD’S LIFE FOR A FEW MONTHS.

Carolyn

--
Carolyn Olenslager

carolyn.olenslager@ironmail.org
smilelifeisgreat.blogspot.com

Dear families,

Here is heads up on dates for May:

• May 1st - field trip to St. George...Children's Museum in the morning, lunch at the park, Gubler Farm in the afternoon.  The museum would like a $1 donation for each child. If you can, send it in before Thursday. Then I'll know what I need to cover. Also, if you need to pay for a school lunch because your child doesn't usually take one, pay for that in the office.

 May 2nd - All library books are due. No more chech outs. If you have lost books, Mrs. Stucki will be sending notes to let you know how much to pay for replacement costs.

• May 5th - Reading Celebration...Be sure to have yor home reding minutes for April in before then.

• May 8th - 2nd grade program in the gym at 2:00. Mrs. Leavitt has been working really hard with the children. They an go home with you afterwards if you like. Just check them out at the office.

• May 9th - Move-It Day. The kids will be moving for an hour.

• May 22nd - field day

I'll email you the schedule for the last week as that time gets closer. As always, this will be on the blog to refer to.  Carolyn Olenslager

April 8

Remember that this Friday is the day our class gets to go to the play at the college. We don't need a permission slip. That was one of the papers you signed at the first of the year. Seven kids have brought in their dollars for the play. THANK YOU! Remember to send in a dollar with your child if you can. Otherwise I will pay it.

Next week is only a two day week, so we will not be having regular reading centers. There will be no spelling coming home.

Tuesday the kids will present their animal projects. FUN, FUN, FUN!

-- 

Wow! March has flown by. Here are some highlights of what to look forward to in April:

• April 2nd: Kindergarten registration from 12:30 to 3:00 at South.

• April 11th: Play "Pirates of Penzance" through the Utah Shakespearean Theater. If at all possible,

     please send in $1 for your child's ticket.

• April 16th through 18th: Spring Break

• April 25th: Bard's Birthday Bash in the morning at the college and the Fire Safety House in the

     afternoon.

• May 1st: Our spring field to the St. George Children's Museum and the Gubler farm in St. George.

CURRICULUM:

reading - Keep those reading times coming in. Reading at home is so important!!!!!

language: This week we will be delving into plurals.

spelling: I retested all the first and second grade words to make sure the kids remembered all

     they had passes off. If some words look familiar and you could swear your child has had them

     before, they must have forgotten them. So we'll review those words so there is a firm base for

     third grade.

science: So far in our animal unit we have covered five of the six vertebrate animal families. We will

     begin fish on Thursday. From there we will learn about habitats, migration, hibernation, and

     adaptation.

math: We are beginning our unit of study on money and time. It would be great if you could get a

     pocket full of coins for the kids to practice counting. Also, have them tell you the time from and

     analog clock instead of a digital one.

writing: We will be writing a narrative story about a fish adventure. They always turn out adorable.

Have a marvelous beginning of spring!

-- 

February 4

Dear families,

Here are a few dates you should know about:

• January 17th is Presidents Day. There will be no school.

• February 28th will be the school spelling bee. Next week the teachers will be giving the preliminary spelling bee qualification test in each individual classroom. The two highest spellers in each class will move on to be in the school spelling bee.

• March 3-6th is parent teacher conference. About a week prior to that, I will send around a blank sign-up sheet. Please consider when your other children's appointments are, what your work schedule is, and when would be most convenient to visit with me. You can have your child come or not. That is your choice. We will discuss anything you have questions or concerns about, work habits, academic levels, etc. Please do not ask me to name a teacher that would be best for next year. You simply can't go wrong with any of them. They work so closely together that  the curriculum is all taught at the same time in all the classes. It would be much better for you to consider who your child works best with or has the most trouble with. (Best friends are not usually the best choice to have together.)

• March 17th is Arts Night. The PTA has a great plan for extending kids knowledge in the different art fields with fun activities interspersed with mini talent show. A note will be sent home soon.

• March 21st is the science fair. Again a letter of explanation will be coming home with the kids soon. Then you will be able to plan for the event. I know the kids who have entered before are so excited to be a part of it again. I hope other kids will feel the spirit and join also!

CURRICULUM:

I hope you are enjoying the weather homework-in-a-baggie activities with your children. When kids experience their learning, they fly higher. More will be coming!

Keep reading with your child. 20 minutes per night is what the state requires. These second graders are capable of that and more. It is exciting to see the extra progress home reading brings.

Thank you for letting me work with your children.
Carolyn Olenslager

January 25

Dear Families,

Attached to the weekly progress update this week is the second term progress report. It is on a blue paper. Please go through it with your child. If you have concerns , please, please, please get in touch with me through email so we can set up a meeting time to discuss concerns and put our heads together to make a plan so your child can be successful! These meetings are so helpful to both home and school.

Yesterday we discussed three essential things in our lives:
     Do your best
     Follow directions
     Think
We talked about scenarios in the home, school, and even when visiting grandma.
I'll keep bringing out our chart as needed to help ingrain these in the children's schema.

That's all for now. Have a great week.