Welcome New Second Graders!

It is hard to believe that we are about to start another school year! I am enjoying my last two weeks of vacation before I head back for workshops. I am thinking that this website will be replaced with a new one, so that is something I am really looking forward to.

 

Here is the link for the supply list in case you need a new one. http://www.gsgvschool.org/supplylist.html

 

I look forward to getting to know all of my new families this year. I am also excited to have some familiar families returning. We are going to have a great year!

 

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer.

Nicole Suchla

June 7-9, 2010

Quote for the Week:

Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns.  ~Author Unknown

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNjZxZjdyaGRn&hl=en

Special Reminders for the Week:

• Monday is our Pen Pal Picnic/ End of the Year party. We will walk to Brookview Park with our pen pals from St. Hubert School. Special thanks to Cherie Vroman and Paula Rahill for all their help with this! Please make sure that you help your child apply sunscreen before they come to school. We will be outside for most of the day. Wear clothing appropriate for the weather.
  
• Tuesday is 6^th grade graduation. We will attend, so please encourage your child to dress appropriately for this. That being said, we will be cleaning the room in the afternoon, so you may want to pack other clothes to change into. We also need each student to bring a sturdy bag with handles. We will be bringing home all contents from our desks, etc. We will also have the pizza party in the afternoon for Book-it! This will not take the place of lunch. It will be an extra celebration at the end of the day.
  
• Wednesday is the last day of school! We will dismiss at 11:00 a.m.
  
• No book report or spelling packet for this week!
  

As I think about this school year, I want to give special praise to all of you as volunteers. Whether you help in the classroom, go on field trips, teach Art Adventure, help in the library, serve lunch, tear out workbook pages, serve on committees, plan parties, send treats to school, etc, you are valuable to our school. I want all of you to know how much I appreciate you and your time.

Volunteer Poem

Valuable is the work you do

Outstanding in how you always come through

Loyal, sincere, and full of good cheer

Untiring in your efforts throughout the year

Notable are the contributions you make

Trustworthy in every project you take

Eager to reach your every goal

Effective in the way you fulfill your role

Ready with a smile like a shining star

Special and wonderful -- that's what you are!

June 1-4, 2010

Quote of the Week:

"How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?"

Dr. Seuss quotes

 

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNjNtNjJtcTJjOA&hl=en

Important Notes:

• No school on Monday, May 31. Memorial Day!
  
• Remember to bring materials for the Talent show on Wednesday, June 2.
  
• The Scholastic book fair will be here on Thursday and Friday. We will visit the book fair as a class on Thursday only. This is a buy-one-get-one- free event, so it is a great time to stock up on books for summer! Parents can visit the book fair on Friday, but we will not attend as a class, as it is Athletic Day.
  
• Athletic Day on Friday, June 4. Please make sure that your child applies sunscreen before they come to school. They will be outside for most of the day. Also, a note is coming home with their team name, colors, and cheer. Please have them dress according to their team colors and the weather.
  

It is hard to believe that we are wrapping up our school year. I am looking forward to a fun and event-filled last two weeks.

Nicole

May 24-28 2010

Quote for the Week:

Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies.  ~Author Unknown

 

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNjJmcnZneDJkMw&hl=en

 

Important Notes and Reminders:

• Feel free to join us for the Spring Concert (Grades 4-6) and picnic on Sunday, May 23.
  
• Grandparents' Day is Monday, May 24.
  
• Field Trip to Westwood Nature Center on Tuesday, May 25. Please dress according to the weather.
  
• Bunny Fox (a Good Shepherd parishioner) will teach us about the Rosary on Wednesday, May 26.
  
• Mrs. Suchla will be gone on Thursday, May 27. Mrs. Krueger will be here. She has been student teaching with Mrs. Ruehle.
  

I am looking forward to meeting lots of grandparents on Monday! I always enjoy having them in the classroom and I love seeing how excited the kids are to have them at school. We will be sharing special memories with them and showing them our classroom. We have also been hard at work learning our special song for our grandparents.

 

We will head to Westwood for our spring field trip on Tuesday. We will study aquatic invertebrates (animals without backbones that live in water). We will also learn about food chains. Please dress according to the weather. We will be outside for most of the morning (rain or shine).

 

We will honor Mary this week by learning how to pray the Rosary. Bunny Fox, who many of you probably know, has been sharing her love of prayer and Mary with us for many years. The kids will get a Rosary to keep and a pamphlet on how to pray it. I always find her inspiring and the kids love listening to her stories.

 

I will be gone on Thursday. My son is graduating from kindergarten (whew!) and they are having a special ceremony. Mrs. Krueger, who is Mrs. Ruehle's student teacher, will be subbing for me. We are lucky to have someone who knows so much about second grade!

Hope to see many of you at the Spring Concert and picnic on Sunday. It sounds like the weather will be warm!

Nicole

May 17-21

Quote for the Week:
Earth laughs in flowers.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sneak Peek of the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNjFjdmR3cW1jOA&hl=en

Important Notes for the Week:

• Edline will be updated on May 19.

Finally! After a week of dreary, rainy weather, we see the sun. It makes such a big difference. The kids really need their activity time outside.

We will begin a new theme in language arts this week called Talent Show. The second graders will learn about different kinds of talent and what makes people special. We will learn about one of my personal favorite authors, Tomie dePaola. His book, "The Art Lesson" will be our story for this week. He has written lots of books. Check them out at your local library!

Have a great week!

Nicole

May 10-14

Quote for the Week:

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever."

-Author Unknown


Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTloZm1zbjhnag&hl=en



Important Notes for the Week:

• We will present the Mary Mass on Wednesday, May 12. Feel free to join us!


• Happy Mother's Day!

I finished reading Jodee Blanco's book, "Please Stop Laughing at Me." It is focused on a true story about being bullied in school. It was incredible and I highly recommend it to all parents, and especially teachers. Last week I started reading, "Please Stop Laughing at Us." which is her sequel. It is about school bullying and gives concrete examples of how you can help students who are bullied and those who bully. One tip that I thought was especially helpful was telling the student who is being picked on to look the other child in the eye and say, "Stop saying that to me." or "Don't do that to me." It is important to take the control back and to encourage kids to let the bully know that they won't be treated like that. I think this is so important. I also think it is essential for kids to tell a teacher or a parent what is going on. So many episodes of bullying happen when adults aren't looking. I hope to add more tips as I make my way through this book.

I wish all of the moms out there a wonderful Mother's Day!

Nicole

May 3-7

Quote for the Week:
Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun.
-Kahlil Gibran



Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTd2ejZxZm1neg&hl=en



Important Notes:

• Happy Birthday, Jacob! May 7.


• Spirit Day on Friday, May 7. Wear your black and gold and any spirit wear to school.

We are hard at work on our Family Projects. We have been working on our family trees and now we will start designing a family crest. We will also discuss family heirlooms and why they're special. This is such a fun unit because the students can really connect it to their real lives.

In math, we are hard at work with subtraction. This week we will explore all sorts of variations. I am impressed with the "math talk" that has been going on in here lately. This is a real strength of our math curriculum. The kids can explain what they're doing and why they're doing it. That is such an important skill.