Mrs. Suchla's Class

Welcome New Second Graders!

2010-08-09T08:02:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-04T06:36:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-21T10:19:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

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.

April 26-30, 2010

2010-04-21T14:04:00.001-07:00

Quote for the Week:

I hope to have communion with the people, that is the most important thing.

-Pope John Paul II

Sneak Peek for the Week:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTVmZnI3YmZoaw&hl=en

Important Events:

Good Shepherd First Communion on Saturday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m.

I look forward to celebrating First Holy Communion with you this Saturday. This is always a special day for all of us. I know I remember my First Communion and how excited I was to finally take part in the entire Mass. I will be praying for all of your families as the second graders celebrate this beautiful sacrament.

We will be starting a new theme in social studies called Family Time. We will create a family book starting with a very simple family tree. Watch for an assignment that needs to be completed at home for this project.

The students did a great job with standardized testing. I think we will all be glad to be back to our normal routine, though. I am confident that our scores will reflect what we have learned this year.

April 19-23

2010-04-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Week:

Christ held himself in His hands when He gave His body to His Disciples saying, "This is my body. No one partakes of this flesh before he has adored it."

-St. Augustine

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTFtM3R6ODZjbg&hl=en

Special Reminders for this Week:

Please remember to complete and turn in First Communion books on or before Wednesday, April 21.

Standardized testing on April 19-23.

Mass on Wednesday, April 21 at 10:00 a.m.

First Communion Pictures and Practice on Wednesday, April 21 for parishioners of Good Shepherd.

This will be a very busy week in second grade! We will take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Cognitive Abilities Tests all week. We like to do a majority of the testing in the morning because the kids are fresh, rested, and eager to do well. I would encourage the kids to get lots of rest and to eat well. We generally do very well on these tests and they are a great measure of our curriculum. I would also ask that you try to avoid appointments and being late to school this week. We will start right at 8:20. I read the entire test to the class, so if they miss something, they may have incomplete test results. Usually in second grade the kids are excited about testing, but I always have a few who are nervous. I always tell them that these are important, but we just want them to do their best.

This is also a big week for us because we will meet with Fr. Campbell to practice receiving unblessed bread and wine. Fr. Campbell does a great job of explaining how to receive and some of the history behind the sacrament. When it comes to receiving the blood, or wine, I tell the kids to make sure that they discuss this with you. This is a personal/ family decision. They will have a chance to try it at school if they wish, but you are ultimately in charge of whether they will receive it at Mass. We will also answer any questions that the kids have this week and everyone will feel more comfortable after the practice on Wednesday night. We really try to make this special for the families, as this is a big event in the lives of Catholics. This being said, it is also essential that you send in the First Communion books on or before April 21.

April 12-16

2010-04-12T05:44:00.001-07:00

Quote for the Week:

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.

-Hal Borland

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTBmcHoyN3ZkZw&hl=en

Important Notes:

Happy Birthday, Otto! April 12.

Field trip to Mill City Museum on Wednesday, April 14. Uniforms are required.

Report cards come home on Wednesday, April 14.
Happy Birthday, Maia! April 16.

I am sorry that my blog wasn't updated earlier. We were having some internet connection issues at home. I hope to write more this week about my experience at the NCEA Convention.

Nicole

NCEA Convention

2010-04-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

As many of you know, I attended the NCEA Convention last week. It was truly a wonderful experience. I had a chance to hear excellent speakers and gather with over 8,000 Catholic school teachers and administrators.

I would like to share some information that I learned from two gifted presenters. I got to see David Walsh from the Search Institute and author of many books on education and parenting. He is sort of a rock star for teachers. :) I bought his book, No! several years ago and it has been on my reading list. Click here to read more about this book. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/NO/David-Walsh/e/9780743289177 Now that I had the chance to hear him speak, I am especially motivated to read it as a teacher and a parent. Here is the website about Dr. Walsh and some products from the Search Institute. https://www.searchinstitutestore.org/ The basic message in his talk was on the importance of saying, "no" to our kids at appropriate times. The ability to delay gratification is an important indicator of success. I am hoping to learn more as I read his book.

I also had the chance to see Jodee Blanco, who is a New York Times best selling author on bullying. Her presentation was unbelievable and so helpful. I also purchased her book, "Please Stop Laughing at Me." It saddens me that bullying has become such a major issue in almost every classroom, but she has some great ideas and she has dedicated her life to advocating against bullying. If you would like to know more about her, feel free to visit her website. http://www.jodeeblanco.com/

March 26-April 16

2010-03-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Week:

Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.

-S.D. Gordon

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTBmcHoyN3ZkZw&hl=en

Important News:

Happy Birthday, Ciboney! March 27

No school March 29-April 9. Spring Break and NCEA Convention

Happy Easter
Field Trip to Mill City Museum on Weds, April 14. Uniforms are required.

March 22-26, 2010

2010-03-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Week:

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created spring.

-Bern Williams.

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDlkM25rZ2RneA&hl=en

Important Notes for the Week:

Mass on Wednesday, March 24 at 10:00 a.m.

Third quarter ends on March 26.
Second and Fourth grade Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 26 at 1:45 p.m. Feel free to join us.

It is hard to believe that this is the last week of the third quarter. We are actually starting a new theme this week called, Family Time. It is a wonderful theme that really celebrates all types of families and why they're special. The students will have a chance to do some family projects at home and then compile a book all about their own family. I will send these projects home in the next few weeks.

I hope that you have a great weekend.

Nicole

March 15-19

2010-03-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Quote for the Week:

May your pockets be heavy and your hearts be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

-Irish Blessing.

Sneak Peek for the Week:
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B4V5gxagzvMYYzdjNDMxZTYtYjZlNS00NDJmLWE1MzctNDkyMDA3Mzk2NzM2&hl=en

Important Events:

Happy Birthday, Grace! March 16.

Wear green on Wed, March 17 to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Food Drive is going on all week.

Stations of the Cross presented by the teachers on March 19 at 1:45 p.m.

I am a little late on my updates this week. I apologize for that! My son's tonsillectomy/ adenoidectomy recovery has been rough. I'm hoping that things get back to normal soon, and I am glad to be back at school with my students.

This week we are reading a story called, Tyrone the Horrible by Hans Wilhelm. It is a fun book, but the central theme is bullying. This becomes an issue in each of my classes at some point in the year. Today we read a story called, Stop Picking on Me, which is a book about bullying and how to cope with it. We had a very productive discussion about bullying this morning. I am adding some links about bullying to my delicious site.

We will also be drawing pictures for Stations of the Cross this week with our fourth grade buddies. We will be presenting Stations of the Cross on March 26 with the 4th grade.

I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day week!

Nicole

What a Week!

2010-03-10T12:43:00.001-08:00

My son Tyler had his tonsils and adenoids removed on Monday of this week. I had planned to take Monday off to be with him for the surgery and then back at school on Tuesday and Wednesday. The plan was for my husband to stay with him on those days. Well, as often happens, my plans went right down the drain when he couldn't keep anything down following surgery. We wound up having to spend the night at Children's Hospital, which was totally unexpected, but honestly worked out for the best. I needed to wear my "mom" hat on Tuesday, so we asked Ms. Proulx to step in again. I am back today (Wednesday) and I will be out again on Thursday and Friday to be home with Tyler.

That being said, I apologize to my Tuesday volunteer for not having book club groups prepared. I also want to thank you for your understanding this week. Tyler is on the mend and hopefully we'll be back to "normal" life next week.

Nicole

March 8-12

2010-03-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.

-Angela Schwindt

Sneak Peek of the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDhnMng5aHFmbg&hl=en

Important Reminders:

Mrs. Suchla will be gone March 8, 11, 12. Ms. Proux will be here those days.

Running Club starts on Tuesday, March 9.

Mass on Wednesday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m.

Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 12 at 1:45 p.m.

Happy Birthday, Tommy: March 12!

This week is the beginning of running club, which always signals the beginning of spring. I know that the kids have enjoyed the beautiful weather lately, especially at recess. I have noticed some "spring fever" behaviors in the class lately, too. We are working on doing our best work and self-control. While the social part of second grade is important, it is important to know when to be social and when to work hard. I keep telling them that we still have a lot of hard work to do this year.

This week we will be drafting our reports. I was impressed with the enthusiastic research last week. The kids were so excited to learn all they could about their animal. When we are finished drafting the reports, we will start the publishing process. More on that in later posts.

We are practicing subtraction facts each day in the classroom, but I always recommend practicing them at home, too. The best skill for multiple digit subtraction is knowing your facts and being able to recall them quickly. If the kids are spending a lot of time trying to figure out the answer to a fact, it starts to break down the process of ungrouping and being able to get a correct final answer. I added a couple of math fact sites to my delicious page.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Nicole

March 1-5

2010-02-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:
No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.
-Author Unknown

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDd2d2hobnFjZA&hl=en

Important Events:

Friday, March 5 is Spirit Day. Wear spirit wear or black and gold to show your Good Shepherd spirit!

Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 5 at 1:45 p.m.

The students are having a lot of fun researching their animals. I started the process by having them read books about their animals to gain some background information. The next step will be taking notes for our reports. I guide this process quite heavily, as the students need help deciding which areas to focus on. For this report, we will mostly work on body features, diet, and habitat. Teaching the kids how to do research and take notes is a big part of their learning. I always love this theme.

Looking ahead, I will be out of the classroom on March 8, 11, and 12 to take care of my son, who is having his tonsils and adenoids removed. My husband and I are taking turns staying home with him that week while he recovers. We are hoping that this procedure will help with a multitude of issues. Krysta Proux will be here all three days. She is very familiar with the school and the kids know her, so that will be helpful. I know she'll do a great job while I'm gone.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend,
Nicole

February 22-26 2010

2010-02-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.

-Gail Sheehy

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDZjOGdiOXAyYw&hl=en

Important Events for the Week:

All School Penance Service for grades 2-6 on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Edline will be updated on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Stations of the Cross on Feb. 26 at 1:45 presented by 3rd grade.

Happy Birthday, Gus! February 26.

As I sit down to write this week's post, I am grateful for my wonderful class this year. Any time I have someone else working with my class they comment on how cooperative and nice the kids are. That is something I will truly miss when I pass them on to third grade.

This week we started working on our animal reports. This is our big research project for second grade. I will take them through the entire research process and they will even get to type their own report at the very end of the unit. They all got to pick an animal this week. We started reading non-fiction books about the animals. Next week we will do some note-taking. Everyone will have a chance to do some research on the internet in computer class, too. Check out my delicious page at the end of the post for some websites that you can visit to learn more about animals. http://delicious.com/nsuchla

In math, we will be starting a new unit on subtracting two digit numbers. This can be a challenging skill that we will work on for several weeks. I always tell the kids that if it doesn't make sense right away to keep practicing and not to get frustrated. Knowing their subtraction facts is essential for this skill. Dust off those flash cards from first grade or make a new set from mathfacts cafe if your child is struggling.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the sunshine.

Nicole

2010-02-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Families,

I just wanted to thank all of you for the wonderful Valentines and especially for the treats and materials that you sent to school for our Valentine's Day party. The kids had a lot of fun passing out their Valentines and reading all of the notes from their classmates.
I will be out of the classroom on Wednesday afternoon to see an ENT specialist for my son. He is looking at the possibility of having his tonsils removed. The kids have heard me talking about his repeated episodes with Strep and even they think he has had it too many times this year! I just wanted you all to have the heads-up that I will be out of the classroom, but back on Thursday.
Have a super week!
Nicole

February 15-19

2010-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

and now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

-1 Corinthians 13:13

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDVmdGtkM2tuNw&hl=en

Important Notes for the Week:

No School on Monday, Feb. 15-President's Day!

Ash Wednesday Mass on Feb. 17 at 12:15 p.m.

Stations of the Cross on Friday, Feb. 19 at 1:45 p.m.

The kids are all buzzing about Valentine's Day. We are pretty excited to have another party. Hopefully you will all have a chance to enjoy the long weekend. The kids were telling me about some of the fun activities that they are looking forward to.

We are starting a new theme in language arts next week: Animals! The students will get to read some great fiction stories about animals and they will also get to write a research report on a favorite animal.

Next week we will also be starting a new unit in math on quadrilaterals. The students will learn about diagonals and how to connect midpoints.

Have a great weekend!

Nicole

February 8-12, 2010

2010-02-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Week:

We can do no great things; only small things with great love.

-Mother Teresa

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDFnNXNudHhmNQ&hl=en

Here is the class list for making Valentines: https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B4V5gxagzvMYNDZmM2Y0OTMtOGYyOC00NzZmLTkyNjAtNzg2MzcyOWUzN2Rm&hl=en

Important Events for the Week:

Valentine Party on Friday, February 12. We do not need parent volunteers for this party, as most of the kids just want to pass out/ open their Valentines.

If you offered to send something for the party, I will send your confirmation e-mail on Feb 5.

If students want to distribute Valentines to their classmates, they should bring them on Feb. 12. Make sure you make one for each person in the class.

Happy Birthday, Reilly. February 12!

This week we started a new theme in science: matter! This is new for many of the second graders, but they have really gotten excited about it. We have talked about properties of matter. Today we even started talking about solids. I was impressed with their questions and observations. I added a couple of websites to my delicious site about matter.

http://delicious.com/nsuchla

I hope to see many of you at the Good Shepherd Gala on Friday, Feb. 5. It should be a fun event and a great time to show our support for Good Shepherd Parish/ School. Here is the link for the Parish website, where you can view the auction booklet.

http://www.goodshepherdgv.org/

February 1-5, 2010

2010-01-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Week:

Away in a meadow, all covered with snow

the little old groundhog looks for his shadow

The clouds in the sky determine our fate.

If winter will leave us all early or late.

-Don Halley

Sneak Peek of the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMzdkeGdtdGJkbg&hl=en

Important Events for The Week:

Celebrate Catholic Schools on Sunday, January 31. The Masses will be led by the students of Good Shepherd School. If your child has a part, you have been notified.
First Communion meeting for parents on Wednesday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is for any parent that is a member of Good Shepherd or having their child make their First Communion at Good Shepherd.

This week your child will be bringing home a slip of paper with their Accelerated Reader grades from January. I have created a document to help you understand these scores and how they affect the reading grades. http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNDBjbW05YnpjZA&hl=en

I hope the kids all had a great Catholic Schools Week. I always find myself exhausted from the fun, but so glad to have a chance to share what I love about Catholic schools. I will see many of you tonight at Family Fun Night.

January 25-29

2010-01-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.

-Chuck Grassley

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMzFmMng0N2tjOQ&hl=en

Important Events for the Week:

Monday: Sports Day! Wear clothes and hats for your favorite sport. (no equipment). Bring a stuffed animal that can fit in your backpack to school.

Tuesday: Blast from the Past Day! Wear clothing to represent a past era in time (60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, pioneer times)

Wednesday: Faith Day and School Spirit Day! Wear Good Shepherd School colors and spirit wear today. There will be an all-school prayer service at 10:00 a.m.. We will also have a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament and All School Hide and Seek. Report cards will also come home today!

Thursday: Beach Day! Wear shorts and t-shirts today-sorry no swimsuits. :) Bring your beach towel to school. Be sure to wear warm clothes over your shorts to school.

Friday: Clash/ Wacky Hair Day! Wear clothes that do not go together. Create a wacky hair style.

This is a very exciting week for the second graders. They are already telling me that they have planned all of their outfits for each day. It is a fun time, but also a time to remember why we appreciate and choose Catholic school. I hope that everyone enjoys the fun activities.

Report cards are also coming out on Wednesday (January 27). In the report card, I will enclose a conference form that lets you know if I feel a conference is necessary or not. Just today I was working on report cards and I was so excited to see the level of improvement across the board. The students have worked so hard. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Finally, thank you to all of the families for donating pencils and Clorox wipes to our classroom.

Have a great weekend,

Nicole Suchla

January 18-22

2010-01-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

Forgiveness means letting go of the past.

-Gerald Jampolsky

Sneak Peek of the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMjdkZ2ZkemZjMw&hl=en

Important Notes:

No school on Monday, January 18. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Happy Birthday, Veronica on January 21!

We could still use pencils and Clorox wipes if you would like to donate them!

This has been a busy week in second grade and it will be nice to have a long weekend. Next week we will read another selection from our theme on Around Town: Neighborhoods and Community. The kids have done a great job of learning new map skills in social studies and they will apply those skills in a test just before the end of the quarter!

We will start a new math unit this week on reading graphs. They will learn the language of comparison and also how to write a story problem based on a graph.

I hope you all can take some time to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy over the long weekend. I added a couple of sites to my Delicious page about his life.

http://delicious.com/nsuchla

January 11-15

2010-01-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week: One kind word can warm three winter months.

-Japanese Proverb

Sneak Peek for the Week:http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMjVncW00ajVjOA&hl=en

Important Information:

Mass on Wednesday, January 13 at 10:00 a.m.

First Reconciliation for members of Good Shepherd on Wednesday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m.

We could use some pencils to share with the class. Somehow we have gone through all of the ones from this fall. If you would like to donate some, sent them with your child.

With the cold and flu season, we could also use some Clorox (or any brand) wipes. We go through a lot of these!

Don't forget to send a clothes hanger with your student by Wednesday. We will be using them to create a landform mobile.

This is a big week for those second graders who are making their First Reconciliation. We met with Father Campbell to discuss the steps of Reconciliation and the kids had a chance to ask him questions. He did a great job of explaining why this sacrament is so important, and to remind them not to be nervous.

Hopefully the weather will warm up. It is January in Minnesota, so I guess we shouldn't expect it to be warm, but the kids are anxious to play outside again. The teachers are considering options for an indoor playground. :)

I added a few websites to my delicious account. They should be sorted by date. Feel free to check out the information that I added about using maps and telling time. Those are two skills that we will focus on this week. http://delicious.com/nsuchla

WARMEST wishes,

Nicole Suchla

Important Notes for January

2010-01-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

As I arrived into school this morning, I was a little overwhelmed with all of the important dates in January. Here is some important information that I wanted to pass along!

All December Book-it Calendars are due to me by January 7.
No book report due on Friday of this week.
The spelling packet will be sent home today. It is still due on Thursday, January 7.
All Reconciliation books are due to me by January 12. Reconciliation is on January 13 at 7:00 p.m. If you are not participating in the sacrament of Reconciliation, you do not need to worry about this. I will **try** to contact you individually if I don't have your book by the 12th.

January 4-8

2010-01-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

Cheers to the New Year and another chance for us to get it right.

-Oprah Winfrey

Sneak Peek: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMjJmaHJiczlmdA&hl=en

Important Dates for this Week:

December Book-it Calendars are due by January 7.
Happy Birthday, Mason. January 7!

It's hard to believe that it's Sunday night and Christmas vacation is over! I hope that your families had time to relax and enjoy the holidays. I am grateful for quality time with my family and for being able to return to a job that I love.

We will be starting a new reading and social studies theme: Around Town, Neighborhood and Community. I always enjoy this unit because we get to learn about different communities and even some map skills.

I know that our math unit has seemed a little different. I want to thank all of you for your patience and for being so open minded. In the end, we want to teach the students different ways to add so they can choose the one that works best for them. I am going to give the students an opportunity to choose challenge work to do in class or at home. This will not be graded, but is something that they can do to build further math skills. I usually assign this right after conferences, but I wanted to make sure everyone could concentrate on learning the new material before I added challenge work. I always allow anyone to do this, but I tell them that it is something that they need to do on their own or at home, and so it is something that I do not teach directly. Some kids need a challenge and some want to try it for fun. Some students also try it and then realize that it is not something that works for them. Overall, it is a good lesson in choosing appropriate learning materials.

December 14-18

2009-12-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

-Hamilton Wright Mabie

This is the newest addition to the Suchla family: a chocolate lab named Sadie. I'm starting to question my sanity with getting another dog-especially when it is freezing cold, but it's all about making memories, right?

Sneak Peek of the Week:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMjBndmpkeDhmbg&hl=en

Special Events this Week:

Good Shepherd Christmas concert on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m.

Field trip to Stages Theater to see "Twas the Night Before Christmas" on Wednesday, Dec. 16 from 11:45-2:25. Uniforms required.

Field trip to go caroling at North Park Plaza on Thursday, Dec. 17 from 12:20-1:20.

Classroom parties on Friday, Dec. 18 following the 12:45 all-school prayer service.

Happy Birthday, Charlie on Dec. 17!

It is hard to believe that we are closing in on our last school week before Christmas break. If you are anything like me, you are scrambling to shop, bake cookies, send out Christmas cards, and try to stop and enjoy the joy of the season. The kids are doing a great job of preparing themselves for Christmas by doing nice things for others and spreading kindness to everyone they meet.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the Christmas Concert at BSM on Sunday.

Just a friendly reminder for those of you who are members of Good Shepherd and participating in the celebration of First Reconciliation: The Reconciliation books need to be handed in before Reconciliation on Jan. 13. Mrs. Ruehle and I will be looking through them to make sure the activities were carefully completed. I look forward to seeing all the hard work that went into these books!

December 7-11

2009-12-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Week:
Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.
-Larry Wilde

Sneak Peek for the Week:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMThnano2Y2tnbg&hl=en

Important Events for the Week:

St. Nicholas will visit on Dec. 7.

10:00 Mass on Wednesday, Dec. 8 to celebrate the Immaculate Conception.

The Accreditation team will be here on Dec. 8, 9, 10. Mr. Zellmer sent a note about this in the Wednesday packet.

Christmas concert practice at BSM on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 8:30-?

Edline will be updated on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

December 10-Happy Birthday, Kylie!

Just writing the important events for the week overwhelms me, so I can only imagine how all of you feel with the extra family obligations and holiday preparations! We, as a staff, have been very busy preparing for the Accreditation team visit. We are confident that the team will be impressed with all of the wonderful things happening at Good Shepherd.

I know that I told some of you about the website provided by Accelerated Reader to check book levels. It is http://www.arbookfind.com/

I continue to be impressed and inspired by the the students and the kind things that they are doing for each other during Advent. What a wonderful season!

November 30-Dec. 4, 2009

2009-11-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Week:

No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

-Emma Goldman

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMTZ4bnhwendnNA&hl=en

It feels a little premature to be writing about December, but it is just 8 days away. I am enjoying our conferences and getting to know all of the wonderful families that my students come from. Next Sunday is the first day of Advent so, we will begin each week with an Advent prayer service to help us prepare for the birth of Christ. We will meet together as a school to discuss various topics relating to Advent. We will also read a story called, "The Last Straw" which is a wonderful story that teaches the importance of doing nice things for each other. We will draw names each week and do small things for the person that we drew. Some examples are: hanging up their coat, sharpening a pencil, asking them to play or sit with us at lunch. Basically, we just want to spread joy over the next few weeks.

In reading, we will be taking a break from our normal series and reading books by author and illustrator Jan Brett. Many of you are probably familiar with her books, but they are truly wonderful and so interesting for all of the kids in second grade. She has a website that is very student and parent friendly. You can check it out at http://www.janbrett.com This week we will read "The Mitten."

Things to Remember for this Week:

Friday, December 4 is Spirit Day. Wear gold and black to show your Good Shepherd pride!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

2009-11-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand.
-Emily Kimbrough.

This week's post will deal primarily with parent-teacher conferences, as they are coming up next week. As I prepare for our time together, I always have some anxiety about my job, which is to give you an honest and accurate report of your child's progress in second grade. It is a huge responsibility that I take very seriously. It wasn't until I went to my own son's parent-teacher conference that I realized that you have some anxiety of your own. I just want to assure you that we are in this together and when we come together as a team, we can really accomplish a lot!

Here is an article that I found online this morning when I was doing some research. I thought it was interesting.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/parents/teacherlink/articles/parentconferences_1.html

I will update this website with curriculum information next week.

I look forward to our time together.

The Week of November 16-20

2009-11-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

Quote for the Week:

Dreams are necessary to life.

-Anais Nin

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMTRmcThzc2h3Zw&hl=en

Important Dates:

The second graders will be presenting the Mass on Wednesday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. Please feel free to join us!

Friday, Nov. 20 will be our field trip to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate our class raising the most money for the marathon! We will leave at 9:30 a.m. and return around 12:00 p.m. We will have pizza for lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. I suggest sending a snack for the afternoon because we will be eating early.

We will have the Marathon Prize drawing on Friday, Nov. 20 at 1:00 p.m. I wonder if Goldie Gopher will join us??

This is a big week for us, as we are in charge of the Mass. We will be discussing the topic of our Mass, which is Christ the King. We will also practice for Mass on Monday and Tuesday so the people who have readings can get used to using the microphones and being reverent on the altar. Feel free to come and celebrate Mass with us!

Last week we wrapped up a mini unit on triangles and quadrilaterals in math. We learned about parallel lines, different types of triangles, and the properties of a quadrilateral. I kind of felt like I was back in high school, as I was re-teaching myself the proper names of the triangles. I was so impressed with how well the students did with these difficult terms!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

November 6

2009-11-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Week:

The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.

-Robert Maynard Hutchins

Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMTJjcXJxZzNkeA&hl=en

I am going to try to update the website every Friday with the new Sneak Peek, etc. Hopefully this is helpful to all of you as you plan your upcoming week. This week we started a new theme in social studies. We brainstormed different problems that we have in our classroom, chose 5 that we felt were most important, and now we are preparing speeches to present to the class to try to convince others to vote for our "bills." It is a very introductory example of our government and how new laws are put into effect. I think I have some very excited speech writers, as several kids have already started writing on their own!

In math, we will be taking a test on Unit 3, which has been learning different methods to solve problems. I have loved seeing the students share their problem solving techniques with the class. We have talked about the importance of the process of solving the problem and not just getting the right answer. I find myself amazed with their abilities!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Good luck to all the deer hunters. :)

Reminder: Feel free to check out my delicious page for cool websites to visit!
http://delicious.com/nsuchla

Upcoming Events:

Picture Retake Day on Friday, November 13. Please return your original package for retakes.

The book report for this week will be to dress up as a character from a book and present a report to the class. The students are bringing the report guidelines home. We talked at length about what types of costumes the students could wear. Please do not feel that you need to go out and purchase a costume. Be creative and feel free to use what you already have at home. The kids can come to school on November 13 in their costumes. If they are getting picture retakes, feel free to send another outfit that they can change into. I told the students that their costume has to be related to a book and it has to be appropriate (no weapons or scary costumes). Have some fun with this. It is a great way to get kids interested in different books!

2009-11-02T06:27:00.001-08:00

Quote for the week:

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility of our future. -George Bernard Shaw

Sneak Peek for the week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMTBkN3RjZGdjNA&hl=en

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. This week will be exciting, as we are starting our new theme in social studies: We the People. We will have a chance to learn about our government and some American history. Being a social studies person, I love this unit! I hope I can share my enthusiasm with the kids, too!

Special Events this week:

Happy Birthday Dylann! (Nov. 3).

All Book-it Calendars are due by Friday, Nov. 6. Remember the goal is to read at least 500 minutes per month.

We will have a special Mass on Wednesday, November 4 at 10:00 with Bishop Piche. Feel free to join us.

Friday (Nov. 6) is Spirit Day! Show your school spirit by wearing black and gold.

I am always adding new links to my delicious page: http://delicious.com/nsuchla

Halloween

2009-10-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Week!

Click here for the Sneak Peek http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNzZjdDloMmZo&hl=en

The kids are already buzzing with excitement in anticipation of our Halloween Party on Friday.

We are going to start our celebration with a special prayer service on All Saint's Day. Please feel free to join us in the church at 12:45 p.m. Check out this website that I found on All Saint's Day.
http://www.catholicmom.com/halloween.htm

Parties in the classroom will follow. I want to thank all of the parents who volunteered to send treats/ materials and those who will be coming to help with the party. We couldn't do these parties without our wonderful parents! Special thanks to Cherie Vroman for organizing our party.

Check out this website about Halloween Safety. http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/

Have a Great Week!

Math Fun

2009-10-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to all of the parents who commented on what they liked about the website and how I can make it even better! This has been so much fun for me.

One person commented that I should add some math links. That was on my to-do list and I appreciate the reminder. The kids are doing a great job of adjusting to our new math curriculum. I am truly impressed with how flexible they are and how quickly they are learning. I found a link, which directly corresponds with our math curriculum. It even has the background information on how to teach the different concepts. I think it might be useful, especially if your child is struggling or if you want to learn the new vocabulary.
http://www.eduplace.com/parents/mthexp/g2/index.html

I also added some math websites to my Delicious page. My Delicious page is a place where I store all my bookmarked websites.

http://delicious.com/nsuchla

Reading!

2009-10-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!

Lately I have been having parents ask me what they can do to help their child become a better reader. I found a great website that I thought was helpful, as a teacher and a parent.

http://www.rif.org/parents/

This week we are learning about nature and reading a story by Cynthia Rylant, called Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night. The kids just loved reading this book. This is a great series, especially for readers who like to read second grade level books.

We are also going to be learning about stars and the solar system this week. This is a unit that I always wish we had more time for because the kids love learning about space. Check out my delicious page to find out more about the solar system.

http://delicious.com/nsuchla

Here is a copy of the Sneak Peek for this week:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNWQ5Z25jZmNk&hl=en

The Moon

2009-10-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

After 11 years of teaching, I have never seen it snow this much this early in the school year. The kids certainly seem excited about the snow and it does look pretty, but that could lead to a LONG winter. :) Please remember to dress your child appropriately for winter weather.

This week our class will study the moon and its phases. Check out my delicious page for informative websites about the moon.
http://delicious.com/nsuchla

Here is a list of Children's Books about the moon:
http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Children'sBooks

Remember that our book order is due on Wednesday, October 14.

I hope everyone enjoys having Thursday and Friday off this week. Perhaps we will have enough snow to go sledding?

Charlotte's Web

2009-10-06T07:28:00.001-07:00

This week we are finishing our read aloud of Charlotte's Web.

The kids have been loving this story and often ask me to read another chapter!

Here is a cool website of Charlotte's Web activities.

http://www.gamequarium.com/charlottesweb.html

On an unrelated note, I sent out a new book order for October. It is due on October 12. Feel free to order online at http://www,scholastic.com/bookclubs

2009-10-02T09:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Families,

This will be an exciting week in second grade. Please see the Sneak Peek if you have any questions.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMmdoYjRyeGQy&hl=en

The Marathon is on Saturday, October 3 at 9:00 a.m. Please feel free to stay for the 50th Anniversary Festivities afterwards. It is a great time for some family fun and a chance to celebrate 50 years of outstanding Catholic education.

We started a new mini unit on poetry. Take a look at this fun site for kids.
http://www.poetry4kids.com/

This week will also bring our very first math test. The kids have done such a nice job adjusting to our new curriculum. I'm sure they will do a great job on their test.

Hope to see you all at the Marathon.

Book Lists

2009-09-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

I am often asked for lists of books that might be appealing to a second grader. Now that we have Accelerated Reader, I have found that knowing what their reading level is can be helpful in the search for books, too!

Below are two websites that I found to be quite helpful for parents in selecting books.

http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/childrens/booklists/children_booklists.html

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/search/?isParent=Y&N=2078&Nty=1&isBrowse=Y&_N=2078&No=0

I also think it is a great idea to check a book's level if you are not sure if it fits into your child's reading parameters. You can go to http://www.arbookfind.com/ to check the level of a book.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Suchla

Honey bees!

2009-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

This week we will take a trip to Westwood Nature Center to learn about Honey bees. This is a fascinating trip that will teach us about bees, their life cycle, and how they make honey. We will get to see the honey making process from start to finish and even get to taste some honey.

Check out this document:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fMGd3bW5zaGc4&hl=en

September

2009-09-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Families,

We are off to a great start in second grade. So far we have been busy learning a lot about our new math series. The students have been getting a lot of practice with problem solving. We are also learning about math break-aparts, math mountains, and partner houses. If you would like to learn more about our math program, go to http://www.eduplace.com/mx2t/

Feel free to visit my delicious site to get more ideas for websites to visit. http://delicious.com/nsuchla