Mrs.
Fitzsimmons
kfitzsimmons@dcsdk12.org
Welcome to 2nd Grade!
Hello! My name is Kyra Fitzsimmons and I am a 2nd grade teacher at MVE. This will be my second year teaching at this wonderful school. I am so grateful to be a part of your child's life. I am excited to embark on our learning adventure together this year!
I am originally from a large ranch in Wyoming. My husband Justin and I have been married for 13 years, and we have two insanely cool kiddos. George is in 4th grade and Isla is in 2nd grade. They are silly, sweet, and wonderful. During the fall and winter you will find us curled up watching football- go Broncos! During the summer we are out exploring our wonderful state or going back to Wyoming to visit family. A few passions/loves of mine include working out, cooking, really good whole bean coffee I can grind at home, paddle boarding, a good book, traveling, gardening, and time with family.
Important dates & reminders
Special: Music
Parent Teacher Conferences and book fair: week of Jan. 30.
Book Fair Shopping Day for class: Feb. 2
Spelling Quest Words: too, soon, fruit, new, grew, blue, true, truth, July, shoe
*Please remember to send kiddos with warm clothes for recess. If it is 20 or above, we go outside!
If you weren't able to make it to our back to school night, you can view the slideshow here
Schedule
8:50-9:05: Soft Start
9:05-9:30: Arrival/Morning Meeting
9:30-10:40: Literacy
10:40-11:00: Snack/Recess
11-11:50: Literacy (cont.)
11:50-1:05: Math Workshop
1:05-1:55: Recess/Lunch
1:55-2:50: Writing/Social Studies
2:50-3:35: Specials
3:45: Dismissal
Behavior/Expectations
I use ClassDojo in our classroom. I love giving out points for awesome behavior and work! The link to sign up to view our classroom and your child's account is here. Students will earn passes with their points such as "no homework for a night pass, decorate your desk, bring a stuffed animal to school" etc. I also love to reward kiddos with a sweet treat every now and again. I believe kids are capable of incredible things and positive reinforcement brings out the best in all of us!
Homework
We will have homework M-Th. Students will be expected to read for 20 minutes. Students can read to an adult or older sibling.
Your student may occasionally bring home their math work from the day if they were unable to complete it in class. This could happen for a variety of reasons. If this is the case, please complete it at home and return the next day.
Yellow folders will go home on Thursdays with work we've completed that week. They will need to be returned Friday.
We will not have weekly spelling tests. However, I will post 10-15 words each week that we are talking about in class. If you would like to work on them at home that is great. This is optional.
Reading Log:
Please make sure your kiddo is filling out their reading log. They are due back on Fridays in the yellow folder.
Dismissal
We will dismiss each day at 3:45. Students can be picked up at our classroom door at the back of the school (look for my name in the window), carpool, BASE or ride the bus. If the way your child is getting home changes, please notify both the office and myself. The office number is
(303) 387-8675.
The person picking up your child must have either their ID or the yellow card with your child's name on it. It is ok to have a picture of it as well.
What we're up to...
Spelling Quest words:
too, soon, fruit, new, grew, blue, true, truth, July, shoe
Reading goals:
-learn to read with fluent expression
-retell and paraphrase key concepts
-locate information on a map
-explain how graphics clarify a text
-use context clues
-continue studying idioms, hyperboles, similes, personification, and metaphors.
-authors purpose
-point of view
-Summarize and Synthesize informational and fictional text
-Explain how text structure contributes to authors purpose and meaning
-Build vocabulary using roots and affixes (-ly, -ion)
-Identify elements of opinion text
-Identify author's evidence and reason
Writing:
We are learning all about poetry!
-Writers write poems from different points of view. We will choose a speaker and point of view for our poem.
-Writers come up with ideas for poems. We will try out ideas for poems from the world around us.
-Writers use details to bring their poems to life. We will use a variety of details and poetic techniques.
-Writers seek feedback from partners.
-Writers edit their work for accuracy.
Math: Topic 9
classroom needs
We are all set for now! :)