Week Four

Dear 2B Families,

Happy Friday and happy long weekend! I hope you have a relaxing Labor Day. There is NO homework - YAY!

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy (belated) Birthday to Hudson!

Homework Survey: In an effort to provide a fruitful homework experience for our scholars, we rely on the feedback of our families. Parents, please share your feedback by completing this homework survey at your earliest convenience.

Clubs with Spots Available (archwayarete.configio.com)
Monday: 1-5 Math Club, 2-5 Sports Club, 2-5 Band, K-1 Art Club
Tuesday: 2-3 Art Club, 3-5 Dance Fitness Club, 4-5 Choir

Thursday: 3-5 Science Club

A peek into math...our process of using number discs and and mental math strategies...

Next Week in 2B:

Literature: In Charlotte's Web we will read Chapters 13 and 14 and learn about the 2nd miracle at the farm.

Spalding: Due to the short week we will only have twenty spelling words this week. Ten will be given on Tuesday and ten on Wednesday.

Tuesday: these, those, club, seen, see, felt, full, fail, setting, set
Wednesday: stamp, light, coming, come, night, pass, shut, easy, ease, bone

Writing and Grammar: We will review our capitalization and punctuation rules. We will also start learning our Question & Answer Flow, identifying the subject noun and verb in simple sentences.

Poetry: We will be practicing stanza two from Something Told the Wild Geese.

Math: We are making our way through renaming! It will be very important for your child to take their time with this portion of the unit. We encourage making those number charts on the side to help with larger equations, as well as number bonds for the word problems. We are in this together!

History: Your children will learn all about South America this week. We will talk about Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. You can ask them to tell you the 4 countries that are part of the southern cone (Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina).

Science: We will become ornithologists this week! Ask your child to tell you the four stages of a chicken's life cycle.

With Grateful Hearts,

Mrs. Dombrowski & Miss Monk

Heading into our last week of August...

Dear 2B Families,

Happy Friday! I hope you all enjoyed this third week of school and are settling in nicely to all of the new routines. Please see my separate e-mail for a link to our Curriculum Night presentation and a few more important notes 😀.

Our first Sign-Up Genius is ready...Friday Volunteers: Miss Monk and I could use your help with Friday Folders and copying. Thank you in advance for signing up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea8af2e5-2bfriday

Scholar Shout-Outs: This was great teamwork to "Save Fred" (a STEM activity from week 1)!

Here is a glimpse into what is happening next week:

MAP Testing on Monday 8/27: Your child will use a school laptop on Monday for MAP testing. This is so exciting for them because they keep asking when they'll get to use their ear buds! This test is designed to help the children get acquainted with computer based assessments, learn typing skills, and understand how to use a mouse (drag and drop can be tricky). Your child will need their ear buds for Monday. Please make sure they get lots of rest on Sunday evening and a good breakfast Monday morning to help them do their best on their test.

DIBELS Testing: Our DIBELS reading assessment will also take place next week. We are excited to have this one on one time with each of your children. We will be testing nonsense word fluency (looking for phonemic awareness), oral reading fluency (three passages timed for one minute), and comprehension (how many details they can retell from the story, in a sequential order, for 1 minute). We are looking forward to seeing how we can best meet your child's reading needs this school year. We will use this data to inform how we send home our leveled readers.

Poetry: The students will recite Bed in Summer in front of the class this week. As you can tell from this audio clip, they are doing great! I can't wait to hear the recitations again this week. Please make sure to look at their recitation rubric. On Monday, in your child's red folder, you will receive our next poem: Something Told by the Wild Geese by Rachel Field. Please start to work on memorizing stanza 1 with your child.

Literature: We will continue to read Charlotte's Web chapters 10-12. We will talk about what character traits make a good friend, and identify friendships in our lives that have virtuous character traits. We will create a "class web" by throwing a ball of yarn to a classmate while telling them why they are such a great friend!

Spalding: Please continue to practice phonograms and handwriting at home with your child (3-5 minutes of phonogram practice each evening is a great goal). Thank you for your diligent support with handwriting.

Spelling words for next week...

Monday: better, water, round, cost, price, become, class, horse, care, try
Tuesday: move, delay, pound, behind, around, burn, camp, bear, bare, clear
Wednesday: clean, spell, poor, finish, hurt, maybe, across, tonight, tenth, sir

Writing & Grammar: We will work on central ideas of a narrative passage, commands, and questions. We will also learn and review the rules of punctuation and capitalization.

Here are links to the Grammar Jingles we've been learning in class:

Sentence Jingle
Noun Jingle
Verb Jingle

Math: We are heading right into our math facts! Addition, subtraction, and looking at word problems. What are some word problems you and your child can create from everyday activities like grocery shopping, or cooking?

History: We will continue our study of the geography of the Americas this week. Your child will learn about the West Indies, specifically the island of Puerto Rico. We will also study the countries in South America. Ask your child to tell you who Simon Bolivar is and where the Andes Mountains are.

Science: We will finish up our unit on the seasons. The last season we will talk about is summer! Ask your child about how the Earth's tilt affects the seasons.

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski & Miss Monk

Week Two is Through

Dear 2B Families,

Another fabulous week for our 2B-erz! We have been settling in nicely to our new routines and procedures. Our goal this week was to listen to directions the FIRST time they are given 😀. Including directions from mom and dad at home! We are doing so much better with this task.

Curriculum/Math & Phonics Night: Please join us (parents only) on Wednesday evening for Curriculum/Math & Phonics Night! Your child will have a note waiting for you and there will be a place to surprise them with a note back! There will be NO HOMEWORK on Wednesday evening. We hope to see you!

Curriculum Night Schedule:

6:00-6:25 Welcome in Gym (Mr. Gillingham, Mrs. Vaughn, and Specialists)

6:30-7:30 Grade Level Presentations

• 30 minutes: Classroom procedures, routines, homework guidelines
• 40 minutes: Curriculum and Demo Lessons 
• 10-20 minute Spalding lesson (phonograms, motions, markings, phonograms) 
• 15-20 minute Singapore lesson mental math tips, number bonds, bar models, word problems)
• 5 minutes: Q&A 

Second Grade Parents: Please take this survey to help us plan for our field trip this year.

Friday Volunteers: Miss Monk and I would love to have your help with Friday Folders and copying. Thank you in advance for signing up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea8af2e5-2bfriday

Next Week in Second Grade...

Literature: We will continue reading Charlotte's Web this week. In chapters 7-9 we will witness Wilbur and Charlotte's friendship unfold. We will learn the phrase "back to the drawing board" as Wilbur tries and fails to spin a web.

Poetry: We will practice Bed in Summer stanzas 1-3 this week, and the students will be reciting the poem for the class the following week (of August 27th).

Spalding: We will continue with 10 words each day (except for Wednesday), and a 20 word spelling test on Friday. Please continue to closely monitor your child's handwriting and pencil grip at home.

Monday: first, sent, cent, mile, seem, even, without, afternoon, Friday, hour, our
Tuesday: wife, state, July, head, story, open, short, lady, reach
Wednesday: NONE ~ It's Curriculum/Math & Phonics Night which means no homework because we hope to see all of our parents there :-)

Grammar: We will add a new jingle to our list! The verb jingle! We will also learn capitalization and punctuation rules and apply them to our writing. Ask your child to sing the SENTENCE jingle and NOUN jingle that they learned last week!

Math: We are finishing up our place value unit and heading straight into the wonderful world of math facts! If you have flashcards at home, now would be an excellent time to quiz your child on their addition and subtraction facts.

History: This week, we are learning about North America and Central America. Your child will be able to locate Canada and the United States and identify important landforms. Your children will be able to talk about Mexico’s past and how it differs from today. They will also be able to identify countries in Central America such as Honduras, Belize, and Puerto Rico.

Island Project information was sent home today. Please see these links for picture examples of past projects: 2016 projects & 2017 projects

Science: We will continue to learn about the seasons this week. Your children will identify characteristics of Winter and Spring as we talk about the Earth's tilt and orbit.

With Grateful Hearts,

Mrs. Dombrowski & Miss Monk

Week ONE was FUN!

Dear 2B Families,

Thank you for a super awesome first week of 2nd grade! Your children have worked so hard this week learning the procedures and routines for a new year.

As soon as I receive the media release from the front office I can start posting pictures to the blog. Those are usually found under "Scholar Shout-Outs" :-).

Scholar Shout-Outs:

Happy (belated) Birthday to Hudson (8/3)!

Friday Folders: Every Friday your child will bring home a plastic file jacket full of their work for the week. This is meant to be emptied and signed each weekend. The signature sheet stays in the folder all year while all other graded and checked papers stay at home. Please return back on Mondays.
Next Week in Second Grade...

Literature: We will read chapters 4-6 in Charlotte's Web! The students (and teachers) are loving this book! We will have fun learning new vocabulary words and exploring how Wilbur is feeling lonely and what he can do about it. We will have a class discussion about friendship and compare and contrast qualities in both Charlotte and Wilbur. Students will distinguish main points and ideas in each chapter.

Spalding: We will dive into spelling words! Please continue to monitor handwriting and practice phonogram cards at home. We will also be continuing to practice at school.

Monday: became, brother, rain, keep, start, mail, male, female, eye, I
Tuesday: glass, party, upon, two, twin, twice, twelve, twenty, between, they
Wednesday: would, could, should, any, many, city, only, where, week, weak

Writing & Grammar: Students will learn the parts of a sentence and what nouns are. They will also learn two jingles.

Math: We are continuing our review of place value and counting. Wednesday we have our first test! Tuesday night's homework will mirror what is to be expected concept wise, so your children will have a chance to familiarize themselves with what is to be expected. Encourage them to try their best and take their time!

History: We will continue exploring maps and globes this week, comparing them as well as zooming in on land features that create Earth's beautiful landscape. Students will learn about volcanos, mountains, valleys, prairies, coasts, deserts, and oases. Please review these terms at home and see if you can spot any interesting landforms in the neighborhood! Students should be able to tell you the names of their continent, country, state and city. They should also be able to tell you directions on a map and identify the continents, major oceans, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, as well as the poles.

Science: Our scientists will review what they learned in 1st grade about the four seasons of the year. They will understand that the seasons are caused by Earth's tilt and its revolution around the sun. We will be using the globe and a lamp to model and investigate how this works. Students will understand that each season has special characteristics. We will also explore how each season affects plants, animals, and humans.

With Grateful Hearts,

Mrs. Dombrowski & Miss Monk

Our First Blog Post for the 2018-2019 School Year!

Dear 2B Families,

It was a pleasure meeting you all last night. Thank you for your grace and patience when trying to organize supplies and complete a long "to-do" list in a crowded classroom! We appreciate your help with organizing your child's desk. Miss Monk and I are overjoyed to spend this special year with your amazing children! We will post on the blog every Friday afternoon to keep you up to date on your child's learning for the upcoming week. Here is our first one!

First Homework Assignment: Brown Bag Autobiographies are due on Monday :-). We look forward to learning more about your child through this fun activity.

First Day of School: Miss Monk and I will take pictures of the students on the first day of school. I will be sure to send those your way! Don't forget to take lots of your own pictures and give extra hugs and kisses to your 2nd grader! I'm sure there will be some feelings of nerves and excitement. Don't worry - we will help your child feel safe, comfortable, and loved all day long! Monday morning there will be teachers at drop off to assist your children out of their cars, help unload school supplies, and remind them where to go. You don't need to worry about getting out of your vehicle.

Archway strives to create a sacred space for great works of the past. Our time with your children is so precious and important. That being said, our campus is pop-culture free. Please make sure backpacks, lunch boxes, pencil pouches, etc. don't contain any "characters" or "slogans" or "emojis". If you have any questions in regards to this please let me know!

Communication: The best way to communicate with me is via email. If you need to speak with me regarding as sensitive issue the best way is to email me and I will give you a call. We can also set up a time to meet in person too!

Blog Tip: If you are looking at the blog from your smartphone and cannot see the sidebars, scroll all the way down and click on "web version". It should then show the sidebars which have our current poem, literature, homework, and daily schedule. Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to see on the weekly blog! Don't forget to subscribe by e-mail!

Curriculum Next Week...

Most of our focus next week will be on building our classroom and getting to know each other. There will also be many procedures to learn and practice. We're also going to dive right into our beautiful curriculum...

Poetry: Students will begin memorizing their first poem this week! A copy of the poem Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson will be sent home. Students will memorize one stanza each week, and present their recitation to the class the week of August 27. I will attach a copy of the recitation rubric I will be using the back of the poem.

Literature: Please send in a copy of Charlotte's Web with your child this week. We will be reading this book for the next 8 weeks. Please let me know if you need assistance in getting a copy. I have a few extras your student can borrow. We will begin reading Charlotte's Web on Monday. Students will learn key vocabulary words from chapters 1-3, be introduced to some leading characters, identify important character traits for Fern, and write a letter to Wilbur from Fern's perspective. If you have a chance to speak with you child this week about perspective that would be so helpful. Understanding how others feel and think is a skill that we will work on a lot this year!

Spalding: Students will not be assigned spelling words this week, instead we will focus on handwriting and phonogram review. Handwriting homework will be sent home in your students red folder this week, and I encourage you to review phonograms at home for five minutes each evening.

Math: This year will be an exciting one in the world of mathematics! This week we will be taking a pre-test. This will NOT be graded! This is for your child to get a feel of what is to come, and they will feel good once they see some problems familiar to them from last year. Encourage your child to do their best, and let them know their teacher will be walking them through the test with them as well (no need for the testing jitters!)

Science: Our young scientists will learn about the steps of the scientific method (observations, problem, hypothesis, experiment, results, conclusion) through exploration of a STEM activity called "Can you save Fred?" and reading a book called 11 Experiments that Failed.

History: Over the next couple of weeks, we will be exploring maps and globes. This week we will begin with a review of the basic geography concepts of place, region, and relative location. Children will review that maps have symbols, keys to decipher those symbols, and that maps also show cardinal directions. Students will review the continents and identify all four oceans along with Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America on the North American Continent.

As always, feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend! Make sure your 2nd grader gets plenty of rest and eats a nice, healthy breakfast on Monday morning! Don't forget to bring your school supplies (if you haven't already), a water bottle, morning snack, and lunch. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

With Grateful Hearts,

Mrs. Dombrowski & Miss Monk

Welcome to 2B ~ 2018-2019

Mr. Dombrowski and I

Welcome Back Second Grade Families!

My name is Barbara Dombrowski I am overjoyed to be serving another year here at Archway Arete as your child’s second grade teacher. Teaching is my passion and I have taught second grade for ten years. I look forward to partnering with you (the parents) to serve in cultivating the hearts and minds of your children through the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness. It is my goal to ensure your child feels loved, welcomed, safe, and comfortable in our classroom. It is from this feeling of safety that learning can take place and little minds can flourish! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me throughout the school year. I look forward to building our classroom community of learners. I can’t wait to meet all of you!

Mrs. D in 2nd Grade!

Here is a little bit about me…I am an Arizona native and have loved growing up in this dry heat! I attended Arizona State University for both my bachelors and masters degree. I met my husband in 2011. We have been married for four blissful years and we are the proud owners of a chocolate labrador retriever named Paisley! I also love my role as an Auntie, spoiling and playing with my niece and two nephews. I enjoy spending time with family, sweating my way through cycle class, talking Mr. Dombrowski into doing the next HGTV/Pinterest inspired DIY project around the house, shopping, and reading.

Meet our Assistant Teacher: We are so fortunate to have Ms. Victoria Monk as our Assistant Teacher this year. Here is a little bit about her…

Miss Monk in 2nd Grade!

My name is Victoria Monk, and I am thrilled to be your assistant teacher this year! I was born and raised in Gilbert, and I always say that there is nothing quite equal to the excitement of coming home to Phoenix. I am a senior at Grand Canyon University and anticipate graduating in December with a double degree in Elementary Education and English Literature. I have tutored various subjects at the community college and independently, and last fall I taught a middle school class for an independent theater company that culminated in a full-length theater production!

Miss Monk with two of her brothers

In my free time, I love to perform in community theater, read good old books, talk about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien with my English literature friends, and write middle grade fiction. But most of all, I like catching up with my siblings, which takes quite a lot of time because there are 10 of them! I am also the proud aunt of 4 adorable nieces and nephews (2 of each so far!), and love doing the fun auntie things like painting sparkly nails, teaching them to pronounce my name before anyone else’s, telling make-believe stories, and cultivating a love of crackers and cheese with way too much mustard. I am so excited to get to know your children and to embark on the second grade adventure with them!

Important Information for Meet the Teacher: We are looking forward to meeting you all on Thursday! Families with last names beginning A-M are invited to join us from 5:30-6:30. Families with last names beginning with N-Z are invited to join us from 6:30-7:30. Students should bring all school supplies. Please keep in mind that Meet the Teacher is more of a meet and greet opportunity. If you have specific concerns regarding your child, please email me so we can schedule a time to meet or talk on the phone outside of Meet the Teacher. I make myself available for these types of meetings the first couple weeks of school.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski & Miss Monk

Happy Summer! Resources to prevent the "Summer Slide"...

Dear 2B Families!

Happy Summer!

Miss Smith and I would like to thank you for sharing your children with us this academic year. We marveled at their insight, reveled in their learning, smiled at their kindness and laughed at their humor. We were honored to walk with them as they grew in virtue, emotionally, socially and academically.

Their emotional and social growth will continue naturally throughout the summer. To foster appropriate academic growth, keep children engaged during the summer months to ensure that the brain synapses are firing and the dendrites are growing! Research suggests that sustained practice over a longer period of time aids in the retention of information.

You can ask your child to use math and reading everywhere: playing cards, at the grocery store, watching educational programs such as PBS, keeping score, monitoring sporting statistics, reading maps and billboards, traveling, volunteering, really anything that keeps the mind moving. The longer we do not use a skill or access information in our brains, the more difficult it is to remember the information when we need it. Practice does not have to be boring or involve a worksheet. In fact, the opposite is better!

In order to avoid summer learning loss, all 2nd graders bound for 3rd grade, should do the following regularly:

1. Read for a minimum of 20-30 minutes a day at their level *Please see below for information about Lexile scores* Your children promised me they will read every day for 30 minutes and not play too many video games :-)
2. Practice math facts ~ Use XtraMath.org 
3. Write in journals

Any activity that supports these second grade math concepts over the summer will be a benefit to your child’s progress early in their third grade year.

• Two and three-digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping
• Measurement
• Data & Graphing
• Geometry 2D and 3D Shapes
• Two step problem solving (part-part-whole models)

Additionally, the following will help avoid the summer slide:

• Reading should be a combination of literature and informational text such as biographies, articles, information books and manuals, topic specific books, etc.
• Practice keyboarding skills ~ the children worked so hard at TypingMaster this year. Typing will continue in 3rd grade.
• Practice fine motor skills through proper handwriting (Spalding cursive and manuscript)
• Encourage journal writing including personal narratives, observational writing about experiences, and/or mini-research papers on a topic of their choosing.

Here are some great resources you can use:

• XtraMath.org: Help your child master basic math facts *FREE! Parent e-mail required
• Moby Max Online Intervention: Online math intervention program (account required)
• Summer Reading List
• Check with your local library on summer reading programs!
• Singapore Math Lesson Videos from Archway Glendale
• Book suggestions by Lexile scores (Please e-mail Mrs. D for your child's Lexile score)

Please keep in touch and have beautiful summer!

Love,

Mrs. Dombrowski