Field Trip FUN!

Dear 2B Families,

We survived our Field Trip! WOO HOO! Thank you to all of our parents who chaperoned today! It was a BLAST! We couldn't have done it without you! Here are a few pictures...I'll share more soon!

Next Week in 2B...

Writing and Grammar: We will start a new unit on dictionary skills! We will be Dictionary Daredevils! We will become alphabetical order experts, and learn to use guide words. We will also read a few tall tales!

Literature: Please send in a copy of our newest novel: Little House in the Big Woods. We will discuss the setting and how it relates to us in Arizona. We will outline the 5 main characters in the story. After reading we will discuss how Laura’s house and our homes differ. We will learn the steps of food preservation. Ask your literature master what the vocabulary word ‘headcheese’ means!

Spalding Words Next Week:
Monday: Mrs. = Mis tress, Mr. = Mis ter, Miss, husband, amount, human, view, clerk, though, o'clock = o(f the) clock
Tuesday: support, does, goes, Tuesday, regard, escape, since, which, witch
Wednesday: length, long, strength, strong, destroy, newspaper, daughter, naughty, caught, taught, answer

Math: This week are officially beginning our new unit on capacity. We will begin discussing various units of measurement beginning with liters and then moving toward cups, quarts, gallons, etc.!

Science: We will be assessed on our understanding of magnets. We will fill out a study guide on Tuesday. Please help your child review. We will take a short quiz on Thursday.

History: We had the best field trip to the Pioneer Museum! We will wrap up with a test over Westward Expansion on Wednesday. Look for a study guide coming home on Monday. Our next unit will be about the Civil War. The first lesson will be on slavery, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Harriet Tubman.

With a Grateful Heart,

Mrs. Dombrowski

Q4 is HERE!

Dear 2B Families,

Quarter 4 is HERE! Can you believe it? Miss Smith and I are hoping to start and finish this quarter on a strong note. Thank you for reinforcing this idea at home ~ hard work and dedication will get us to the finish line! We are not spending time worrying about the future (or talking about 3rd grade) but focused on the present and how we can be our best self right NOW in this moment together. Have patience...we're not finished yet :-). It will be a great end to our year together!

Field Trip: Our field trip to the Pioneer Living History Museum is on Thursday, March 29! We will be leaving at 8:15 am and returning around 2:00. Please be sure your child brings the following: 

• Sack lunch (everything should be able to be thrown out after eating) 
• Disposable water bottle 
• Wear tennis shoes and sunblock 
• Hat & sunglasses (optional)

Next Week in 2B...

Literature: Sarah, Plain and Tall, has come to an end! We will review important events we read about. Please send your child to school with a copy of our last novel: Little House in the Big Woods. Don't forget that book reports are due April 9th!

Writing and Grammar: We will continue to practice all parts of speech by classifying sentences and apply these skills to our writing. Our story for next week is from Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jeansson. We will focus on the use of commas in direct quotes and how adverbs modify verbs.

Spalding Words:
Monday: importance, important, carried, carry, loss, fortune, empire, mayor, wait, degree
Tuesday: prison, engine, visit, guest, guessed, guess, department, obtain, family, favor
Wednesday: REVIEW *No School Friday, Test Thursday

Math: We are officially completing our unit over time and will take our unit assessment on Wednesday. Be sure to keep an out for a study guide coming home on Tuesday to review with your child before the test. Thank you!

History: Your child will learn about early jobs in the wild west this week: ranchers, cowboys, and miners. We will also talk about the negative impact westward expansion had on the Native American tribes living in those territories. As we wrap up this unit, we will travel to the Pioneer Living History Museum!

Science: Our exploration of magnets will continue as we investigate magnetic fields through using iron filings. We will also explore how magnets attract and repel.

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski

Happy Spring Break 2B!

Dear 2B Families,

Happy Spring Break! I hope you all enjoy this time with family and friends!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

We will miss you Lyza! Thank you for being a friend to everyone in 2B!

Happy Birthday to Kaelyn (3/14)! Thank you for the cupcakes today!

We designed leprechaun traps in Science using all of the simple machines we've learned about! Their group designs were impressive!

Field Trip Time!

Our field trip to the Pioneer Living History Museum is on Thursday, March 29! We will be leaving at 8:15 am and returning around 2:00. Be on the lookout for a permission slip coming home in your child's homework folder. If you would like to chaperone this fun field trip, please email me by Monday, March 19. Please be sure your child brings the following:

• Sack lunch (everything should be able to be thrown out after eating)
• Disposable water bottle
• Wear tennis shoes and sunblock
• Hat & sunglasses (optional)

Literature: After Spring Break we will read Chapters 7-9 of Sarah, Plain and Tall. We will talk about what it means to be homesick and learn what the word "ayuh" means. We'll also find out why Sarah wants to learn to drive the wagon.

Writing and Grammar: We will jump back into paragraph writing when we return from Spring Break!

Spalding Words Next Week (20 words only due to No School on 3/19):
Tuesday: enjoy, awful, awesome, awe, usual, usually, complaint, complained, complain, auto
Wednesday: vacation, beautiful, beauty, flight, travel, rapid, repair, troubling, trouble, entrance

Math: We are going to spend a little more time this week reviewing our current unit on telling time before we begin a new unit on capacity.

Science: We will start a new unit about MAGNETS! See if your child can notice the many ways magnets are used at home.

History: Upon our return from Spring Break, we will learn about why and how pioneers traveled west. Your child will discuss the Oregon Trail, California gold rush, and the Transcontinental Railroad. Ask your child how the Pony Express worked. Our Pioneers are gearing up for their field trip to the Pioneer Living History Museum on March 29!

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski

P.S. Last weekend my mom, grandma, and I enjoyed the Phoenix Symphony!

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