Mrs. Ballnik's Second Grade

Classroom News from Mrs. Ballnik’s Class
My email is ballnic@dearbornschools.org
Friday, January 18, 2019
Important Days and Notes to Remember
Friday, January 18 -1/2 day
Monday, January 21 –no school- Martin Luther King Day
Tuesday, January 22- ½ day
I am still accepting completed math workbooks from the break, as they are finished.
We had the computer NWEA test on January 16 and 17th. We had apple juice, small bagels and cream cheese for the students before the test. All of the students went up in their scores and that is the right direction. You will be sent home notices of their scores when they are given to me to send home. Thank-you for working with your student and helping them go to bed on time and eat a good breakfast.
School calendars are located under the District news at the Dearborn Website.
Gym on Monday- Please remember to wear tennis shoes and bendable clothes (not jeans).
PLANNER -Please bring them every day. Use it as a homework folder, or supply your own, if you choose.
FRIDAY SPELLING TESTS – Next week’s spelling words are vowel pairs of oo,ue, ew, oe and ui. The spelling words are; root, chew, clue, canoe, fruit, boot, flew, glue, shoe, suit. The Dolch words are: gave, those, use, fast, pull. These are the 15 spelling words for January 21 – February 1.
Every Friday, there will be a spelling test. Please study the words and the spelling pattern. They will also get 5 words from the Dolch words (very common words in reading list) to practice. These will be written by your child in their planner on Mondays. Please practice every day with your child so that they will do well on the Friday Spelling test. I have added an extra credit word from the words I introduce in reading for the whole class. This word will be above grade level and randomly chosen from these 5 or 6 words. It is to challenge the student that gets a star on their spelling every week. I do not expect all students to study these very hard words. We will have a worksheet each week to expand vocabulary. These words are good to know and above the second grade spelling level. Your child will not be marked down if they miss the 16th word on the spelling test. See if your child knows what the extra credit 5-6 words are.
Spelling tests will be corrected and sent home on Monday. I don’t have time to correct and record them on Friday.
MATH- I sent home a lot of corrected homework that your child was to staple together. Please go over and correct this, if possible. Please help your child add tens, add ones and add hundreds. Please read the homework helper and check the homework to help your child fix the wrong ones.
This new Eureka math program is challenging, so please be sure to go over the homework that is sent home each day for corrections with your child. There is an explanation sheet that comes with it. There are parent tips on my blog to access. We have a new computer site that goes along with the math called “Zearn”. Zearn login and passwords were glued into your child’s planner. Please use Zearn, if you have a computer available.
SCIENCE- We will guess a few mystery bags a day. Keep asking your child to describe things with properties using their 5 senses. Our unit is about Earth Science. This includes the landforms and bodies of water on the earth. We are working on the water cycle.
SOCIAL STUDIES –We are working on our social studies unit about government (citizens live together in a community). We are learning how to solve problems taking into individual rights and the common good.
READING- Read, Read, Read! The Book It calendar can be returned to school (signed by a parent) to earn a coupon for a free Pizza Hut mini pan pizza. A new December calendar should have come home.
Please be sure that your child reads something at least 30+ minutes per day. In addition, reading aloud to your child is important also. Please go to the beautiful Dearborn libraries to get additional books. I give new book bag books after I bring them back from the library located at the other end of the school. I sometimes just ask students that want to switch book bag books to come up (because it takes valuable reading time). I usually have reading groups switch books, to be sure that I get to everyone.
Please be sure that the Book It calendar for January reading is colored, as they read each day. Ask your child to show you and check that they color each day they read 30 minutes.
Remember, the easiest way to communicate with me is by email, ballnic@dearbornschools.org and look at my BLOG on the Dearborn schools website. Links to RAZKIDS and FRECKLE are there, also. I will send cards for the Zearn math practice in your child’s planner (or homework folder, if planner is missing).
MANY STUDENTS STILL NEED PENCILS AND A SHARPENER! MY ELECTRIC SHARPENER IS NOT WORKING WELL. STUDENTS STOP CLASS WHEN THEY ARE NOT PREPARED. I have given out many, many pencils. Thank-you to everyone that keeps their child with pencils. Thank-you to the parents that have sent in pencils and send in pencils next week.

Have a great long weekend with your wonderful child!

Cheryl Ballnik