Mrs. Ballnik's Second Grade

Classroom News from Mrs. Ballnik’s Class
My email is ballnic@dearbornschools.org
Friday, October 12, 2018
Important Days and Notes to Remember
Math Tests- I send home the tests if parents request and they sign and return them.
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).
Parent Conferences are on November 8, 13 and 15 from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.… Thank-you for signing up for parent conferences at Open House. If you were not able to come to Open House, please send me a note with the date/time and I will tell you if it is taken. If you email me, it will be easy for me to reply.
BOOK BAGS- PLEASE SEND IN A BOOK BAG THAT YOUR CHILD USED IN FIRST GRADE, IF YOU HAVE ONE. Thank-you if you have sent in your book bags, already. I am only loaning out book bags, if you did not send one in. The Book Bags have to be returned to me at the end of the year, if they are not yours. Record the books on the Book Log.
PLANNER -Please bring them every day. Use it as a homework folder, or supply your own, if you choose.
Please read through the Planner with your child. There are many things about what we do at school and useful items, such as the number grid inside the back cover.
FRIDAY SPELLING TESTS – Next week’s spelling words start with consonant blends, /sl/, /st/, /sk/, /sp/.
The spelling words are; slide, skin, skip, step, spell, spin, slip, skid, stone, stand. The 5 Dolch words will be; two, play, he, yes, find. These are the 15 spelling words for October 15-19.
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.
Spelling tests will be corrected and sent home on Monday. I don’t have time to correct and record them on Friday.
MATH –Please continue to review addition sums to 10 and then above to 20 with your child. Thank-you for saving the Parent Helper homework sheets for review at home.
Please help your child use all the language in math concerning measurement.
SCIENCE
We will guess a few mystery bags a day. Keep asking your child to describe things using their 5 senses.
Thank-you for sending in the gloves for the mystery science project. We will be doing it next week.

SOCIAL STUDIES We will get a study guide before the Community social studies test. The test should be next week. Please sign and go over any study guides with your child. Return them to school for a reward.
Look for the Columbus report that came home Thursday for Columbus Day. We will read, discussed and made a ship to race. We talked about all aspects of the exploration, even the controversial parts of Columbus. We learned about maps (our next social studies unit), opinion paper writing (would we decide to go or not go with Columbus), history, and hands on project learning with this report. Please sign and return it to school, after your child brings it home to present to you. Please send back the Columbus minibook , to read to 5 people, also. Your child was rewarded, if they brought back their minibook (signed by 5 people), to school.
READING- Read, Read, Read! The Book It calendar was just sent home to earn free Pizza Hut mini pan pizzas. Please fill in the beginning of the month and start with today to record the reading that your child does EVERY DAY.
Please be sure that your child reads something at least 30+ minutes per day. In addition, reading aloud to your child is important also.
Star of the Week!
We started the Star of the Week by having a name picked out of the can of sticks with everyone’s name on it. Each child will make an “I like (student’s name) because” _______page for the Star of the Week book that each Star will get. The Star also takes home a poster to fill out and bring back the next day to present to the class. Star students will get to be the line leader and have other special jobs.
Congratulations to Sieara Fondaw for being the Star of the Week!
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.
Have a great weekend with your wonderful child!

Cheryl Ballnik