March is HERE!

Dear 2B Families,

Welcome March! What a fun week we've had in 2nd grade! Our cursive is really IMPRESSIVE! Only one more week of school until SPRING BREAK which means the end of Quarter 3! This year has FLYING by!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy Birthday Sydney!

Miss Smith has been doing an incredible job teaching us about Simple Machines in Science! Here are a few fun photos to share of the experiments they've been conducting!

Book Reports are due Monday! We will also assign new chapter books and books next week.

Literature: What has your child been sharing with you about Sarah, Plain and Tall? Next week we will learn more about the characters through reading chapters 4-6. We are working on context clues with new vocabulary words, and we will write an advertisement (WANTED Ad) for someone we would love to have in our own life. This assignment is sure to be quite interesting :-).

Writing and Grammar: We will read an excerpt from The Elephant's Child and practice classifying sentences.

Spelling Words Next Week:
Monday: holiday, holy, knee, lemon, lying, lie, nails, needle, nobody, oar
Tuesday: palace, penny, regular, repeats, sailor, sentence, shining, shine, surface, sweeping, sweeps
Wednesday: thief, waist, waste, waiting, weary (weak), writing, writer, write, spend

Math: We begin a new unit this week on time! We will begin to tell time to each 5 minute interval, the quarter and half hour, and we will also discuss the importance of being able to tell time. "Better late than never!"

History: Your children took home a study guide for the War of 1812 on Friday. Please help them study for Monday's test. We will be starting a new unit on Wednesday! Welcome to the Wild West! We will begin our study of Americans moving west. Ask your pioneer about different ways people traveled during this time.

Science: We are finishing up our simple machines unit with a closer look at some machines that your child might be familiar with around your neighborhood! If they have a bicycle, skateboard, or other ways to get around, have them point out the parts they have learned in class. They are all connected!

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski

P.S. Auntie life is awesome!!!

It's ALMOST March!

Dear 2B Families,

Happy Friday! Mr. Dombrowski and I were just commenting last night that we can't believe February is almost over. This month FLEW by. March is upon us which means Spring Training is almost here and amazing AZ weather is on the way! I hope everyone enjoyed their three day weekend ~ I know I sure did! We attended not one but TWO weddings on Saturday! The first for a childhood friend of mine and the second for a college friend. Such a blessed weekend full of love! It was nice having an extra day off :-).

I snapped this fun photo on the playground this week. It was neat seeing all the children form a huddle to play a game. Sweet second grade moments...

We did great with a "turn and talk" activity during Touchpebbles today. We sat on our desks too!

This past week Miss Smith taught an awesome lesson about simple machines. We LOVED it! Thank you Miss Smith! Has your child been finding ways simple machines are used all over your house?

Next Week in 2B...

We have MAP testing on Monday! Please make sure your child has working ear buds as the test is read aloud to them. Also a great breakfast a good nights rest on Sunday evening will help them do their best on their test! Thank you for your help with this.

Recitations of The Preamble to the Constitution will take place next week. Please ask your child to recite this for you on the car ride home!

Literature: We have concluded our reading of The Cricket in Times Square. Please send in a copy of Sarah, Plain and Tall for your child to read. We will dive into new vocabulary, like what is a hearthstone, and what it means to be feisty. We will also discuss why Sarah feels like a move is necessary, and why Pa places an advertisement in the newspaper! Be sure to ask your literature experts for the answers to these questions.

Spalding Words Next Week:

Monday: None, MAP Testing

Tuesday: don't = do not, Thursday, Saturday, admission, canoe, captain, cautious, caution, cellar
Wednesday: covered, creature, curtain, declared, declare, distance, distant, explain, floated, ghost

Writing and Grammar: We are learning about subject-verb agreement in sentences, solidifying our understanding of possessive pronouns, and reading a story called The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks!

Math: This week we conclude our study of fractions after comparing and naming fractions in part of a group and we will take our Unit 10 Cumulative test next Friday.

Science: We will be delving deeper into our mechanical mysteries this week with some hands on experiments! Have your child identify different wedges, inclined planes, and screws while out and about!

History: Our scholars will continue to learn about the War of 1812 this week. Ask your child why Dolley Madison was an influential person in history.

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski

Happy R & R Weekend!

Dear 2B Families,

Happy R & R Weekend! There is no school on Monday and no homework this weekend. Enjoy the little break!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy Birthday to Olivia (2/10), Jonathan (2/11), and Kaydence (2/17)!

Congratulations to Elle (Humility) and Emmett (Friendship) on their virtue awards!

Thank you Elle for sharing foreign currency with our class!

Great Hearts Day SUCCESS!

Thank to all of our sweet moms for making our Great Hearts Day Celebration a huge success! We enjoyed writing cards to a friend pointing out virtues they show, creating friendship necklaces, having a team building exercise, putting together a class book about kindness, and enjoying jelly donuts while talking about random acts of kindness in a book called A Jelly Donut Difference: Sharing Kindness with the World!

Next Week in 2B...

Poetry: Please start practicing The Preamble to the Constitution at home.

Writing and Grammar: We will read an excerpt from Little Women. Possessive Pronouns will be added to our Question & Answer Flow!

Literature: Our adventure with The Cricket in Times Square will come to an end next week. We have LOVED reading this beautiful novel!

Spalding: There will be NO Spalding words next week. Instead we will introduce CURSIVE (your children are SO excited for this), practice it in class, and send home cursive writing practice for homework. We will also be sending home a parent packet about cursive writing so you can add that to your resources :-).

Math: We are going to begin working with fractions. We will focus on fractions up to 1/12. Feel free to bring your mathematician into the kitchen to help divide various items into equal quarters, thirds, halves, or whatever you need!

History: Scholars will dive into a brief study of, what some refer to as the second war of independence: the War of 1812. Ask your child to identify key points for the Merchant's and War Hawk's views.

Science: We have finished digesting our Human Body Unit and are tinkering onto our Simple Machines Unit! Can your child reel in the robotics around them at home or in their community? We are excited to make mechanical discoveries with this interactive unit!

With a Grateful Heart,

Mrs. Dombrowski

February is in Full Swing!

Dear 2B Parents,

Happy long weekend! There is no school tomorrow, Friday 2/9. The teachers have an inservice day. We'll see you back on Monday!

Highlights for Next Week:

• Monday 2/12: Your children spelled the virtue HUMILITY! They voted on a celebration - popcorn and a movie with their favorite stuffed animal, they may also choose to bring a blanket or pillow. I told them it has to fit in their backpack. We also have a lock down drill schedule for 2pm.
• Tuesday 2/13: Science test over the human body. Here is the answer key for our study guide. The study guide was intended to contain most of the notes from our entire 6 week unit. I promise the test will be much more simple to answer! We were hoping for more retelling of what they learned about for the study guide. Answers may vary on the balanced diet plan.
• Wednesday 2/14: Great Hearts Day! We have reserved this special day to focus on the virtue of friendship and celebrate the traits that make a great-hearted student. We are planning interactive and fun activities centered around these topics, and time will be set aside for students to create hand-made Great Hearts Day cards for their classmates. Archway Arete strives to cultivate a rich, academic environment rooted in the classical tradition. This many times requires popular culture to be left at the door. On that note, students will not be permitted to bring store-bought valentines, candy, or gifts to school. Thank you for partnering with us. 

Wish List Highlights:

• Ticonderoga Pencils ~ preferably pre-sharpened :-)
• Thin expo markers for Rocket Math
• Volunteers for Reading and Math Groups
• Tax Credit Contest: Royalty for a Day

Next week in 2B...

Poetry: Your child will be graded on their recitation of Smart by Shel Silverstein. We will introduce our new recitation: The Preamble to the Constitution!

Literature: We will read Chapters 11-13 of The Cricket in Times Square.

Writing and Grammar: Direct quotations will continue to be our focus next week as we read a story called The Hare that Ran Away. We will be revisiting friendly letters next week when writing a card to a secret classmate for Great Hearts Day! Subject pronouns will also be reviewed in our question and answer flow.

Spalding Words Next Week:
Monday: direction, direct, appear, liberty, enough, fact, board, September, station, attend
Tuesday: public, music, picnic, picnicking, friends, friend, during, endure, police, until
Wednesday: truly, true, whole, hole, address, request, raise, August, struck, getting, get

Math:We are wrapping up our unit on money and will be introduced to our new unit on fractions beginning Thursday. Keep an eye out for a study guide (Units 1-9 Cumulative Test B) coming home on Tuesday to go over with your child to prepare for the upcoming test on Thursday.

Science: We will take our test over the Human Body on Tuesday. Please check your child's folder for a copy of the study guide! It's also linked above.

History: Your child will be bringing home a study guide on Monday for the Constitution test. Due to Great Hearts Day, the test will be on Friday! I'll be sure to send you a master copy too :-)!

Warmly,

Mrs. Dombrowski

Royalty for a Day Contest

Help our classroom win the “Royalty for a Day” contest!

I am sure you’ve heard from your child by now that there is a “Royalty for a Day” contest underway, and your help is needed! We still need $22,000 in tax credits to meet our $75,000 goal and here is how your child’s class wins, and what they will receive:

• The classroom that brings in the most Tax Credit dollars by Great Hearts Day (2/14/18) will be Royalty for a day!
• The teachers will be crowned royalty and receive gift cards.
• The class will wear spirit shirts and receive a treat on the royal day to celebrate.
• Mr. Gillingham has approved a spirit wear day for any class that brings in 5 tax credits!

The top classes will be posted on the white board each Friday at pick-up and the winning classroom will be announced at the end of the day on Feb. 14th . Leave no one out! Ask grandparents, aunts, neighbors, coaches, and friends to give their Tax Credit to Archway Arete! Here is the GIVING LINK: https://archwayarete.configio.com/moneyrequest?id=5

Let’s make this happen for our class!

Happy February!

Dear 2B Families,

Welcome February! It's hard to believe it's already here! Don't forget that Book Reports are due today. We will assign new chapter books and reports this week too.

Field Day FUN! Thank you to our 2B parents who shared these fun photos with me :-)!

Sign-Ups:

• Friday Folders: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea8af2e5-friday
• Reading and Math Groups: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d44a9af2ca1fc1-reading

Next Week in 2B...

Literature: The Cricket in Times Square will continue through reading Chapters 9 & 10. Ask your child about Mario's trip to Chinatown and the fire at the newsstand.

Writing and Grammar: We will write final copies for our paragraph about our two favorite colors! We will also introduce subject pronouns to our question and answer flow when classifying sentences.

Spalding Words Next Week: 20 words due to no school on 2/9
Monday: throw, threw, personal, everything, rate, chief, perfect, second, slide, farther
Tuesday: duty, intend, company, quite, quit, quiet, none, knew, know, remain

Math: We are going to continue our study in money and will begin to practice adding and subtracting and doing our best to make sense of it all!

History: We are continuing our discussion of the Constitution. This week your children will be talking about why many people wanted a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution. They will also learn who James Madison was and why he is called "The Father of the Constitution." Ask your child to tell you the first three words of the Constitution. We will be reviewing at the end of the week. Look for a study guide next week!

Science: We will review the functions of our body systems and learn ways we can help make sure that our body systems continue to run smoothly so we can stay healthy. We will also learn a new word: calories! We will spend time reviewing ALL of the concepts we have learned in our Human Body Unit through playing a fun review game. A study guide will be sent home with your child on Thursday night. We encourage you to read through it and ask your child to retell some of the things they learned. We will have a test over the Human Body the following week (Week of February 12th)!

Kindly,

Mrs. Dombrowski

P.S. Mr. Dombrowski, my mom, and I enjoyed a few days in Washington DC for a wedding! We were fortunate to spend time with cousins and friends! We were also a little touristy too :-)! Thank you to Miss Smith and the parents in our class who did a GREAT job taking over and helping while I was away. Thank you!

Great Hearts Day Information!

Dear 2B Families,

Happy Friday! Thank you for reading our new blog! We are still in need of volunteers to help wth Field Day next Friday. Please use this sign up to help donate items to our class or stay with the kiddos as they rotate through stations. Please read through our last blog post with important announcements about Field Day.

A Day for Friendship - Wednesday, February 14th is Great Hearts Day! We have reserved this special day to focus on the virtue of friendship and celebrate the traits that make a great-hearted student. Teachers are planning interactive and fun activities centered around these topics, and time will be set aside for students to create hand-made Great Hearts Day cards for their classmates. Archway Arete strives to cultivate a rich, academic environment rooted in the classical tradition. This many times requires popular culture to be left at the door. On that note, students will not be permitted to bring store-bought valentines, candy, or gifts to school. Thank you for partnering with us.

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy Birthday to Henry & Ethan! They both turned 8 this week! EIGHT is GREAT :-)!

We celebrated the end of our Ancient Greece unit today! Thank you to Landon's mom for picking up some special Greek treats for us to enjoy :-)!

Uniform Tip of the Week (from Handbook page 51):
Girls: Neat small bows, barrettes, headbands, and "scrunchies" are permissible so long as they coordinate with the uniform. Female students are permitted to wear nail polish of natural color including light pink and clear.
Boys: Hair must be well‐off the top of the shirt collar. Hair should not fall below the eyebrows or past the mid‐point of the ear.

Next Week in 2B...

Literature: We are continuing to follow the adventures of Mario, Chester Cricket, Tucker Mouse, and their friends through reading chapters 6-8 of The Cricket in Times Square. We are going to read about an adult who does something special for Mario! We will discuss adults in our own life who have done

Writing and Grammar: We will be revising and editing paragraphs about our two favorite colors. We will also continue working on writing direct quotations.

Spalding Words Next Week:
Monday: election, elect, aboard, jail, shed, refuse, district, restrain, royal, objection, object
Tuesday: pleasure, please, measure, treasure, navy, forty, fourteen, fourth, four
Wednesday: population, proper, judge, weather, whether, worth, contain, figure, sudden, instead

Math: We're wrapping up our current unit on multiplication and division! We will have a cumulative test over multiplication and division on Thursday then we will begin our new unit over money!

Science: What kind of nutrients help keep our bodies healthy and strong? We will explore those next week. We will also create a well-balanced meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! We have LOVED learning about the Human Body. Please ask your child what they remember about the digestive and excretory systems, using their new scientific vocabulary :-).

History: We are digging into American history starting with the Constitution! Our scholars will learn about how the Constitution relates to the Revolutionary War and why it was written. Ask your child about the "Father of the Constitution," James Madison.

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski