Team Day!

Today was such a fun day at North!  Today we drew for our teams that we would be on this year (and actually as long as you are a North student!).  

This year we are placing a big emphasis on being a kid of character.  We know that academics, sports and and other talents are great, and we encourage that....but we also know that being kind, compassionate, trustworthy, responsible and friendly go a long way too.  As we divide the school into teams with mixed grade levels, we will be focusing on building community within our school and teaching the 6 pillars of character.

So....make sure to ask your kiddo which team they are on.  I MIGHT be a bit partial to the Orange Iguanas!!!

Fun Friday

This year our second grade schedule is looking a bit different.  We wanted the freedom to try some new things, and we are so thankful we have a supportive school that allows it!  This Friday was the first of many STEM activities we were able to try. 

Students in my homeroom were divided into groups of 4 and participated in the Lego Olympics (Teachers, if you are looking for this resource, it is part of a Back to School engagement packet courtesy of the fabulous Amy Lemons which you can find here.).  In these Olympic games, student were given an assortment of Legos and asked to create 10 different things.  These things ranged from building a new car, designing a team mascot, and creating numbers 1-9 all our of Legos!  I want to thank my super generous husband that allowed me to bring his cherished childhood Legos to school.  The kids got a huge kick out of using Mr. Garrett's toys!

Also, on Friday, my math class worked on an interactive notebook project.  I love using these in my classroom because the kids can have fun and learn all at the same time!  We usually play music, stand and sit where we want, and get right to work.

Different Kinds of Numbers

Today in math we had a blast!  Before we started to practiced the difference between toys and tools.  This was so that we could get out some hands on math tools and use them appropriately!  After a great conversation, we worked with our teams to find different ways to build numbers.

Welcome back!

We have made it through our first full week of school!  The students have done an amazing job of transitioning back and getting settled into routine.  

Things do look a bit different this year in second grade land, but not too different from things in years past!  For a very long time, second graders changed classes for reading and math.  This allowed them to work with a group that learned similar to them and get the attention they needed.  This year, we have added social studies/science to the rotations, in addition to another math class.  While it may seem like a lot of movement for our littles, they have done great!  I have noticed that the behavior has been better because we have so much content to squeeze in!  There isn't much downtime while we are in our switches!

I have started using Brag Tags with my homeroom friends.  They really like earning these!  They can earn them for good behavior, following the rule, being caught being good, and even good scores on tests!  Each Brag Tag we collect, we add to a necklace we can wear on Fridays.  Students get to add a bead for each 100 they make on an AR test!