Monthly Happenings
April Happenings 2024
Happy Spring Families!
Can you believe we are less than two months from the end of this year?! My learners, your children, are getting too big for this room, literally. It makes my heart sing when I listen to their readings. They have all come so far. Their problem-solving skills have improved. Their math fact fluency has increased. So many things I could comment on. They really outdid themselves and handled second grade wonderfully.
In reading, we will continue with reading more fluently. We will continue writing in our spring journals. In content, we will be learning about landforms and spring’s wonderful new beginnings. In math, we will continue fine-tuning our math fluency skills with regards to adding and subtracting. We will explore equal groups. We will strengthen our adding and subtracting of difficult numbers. Also, we will be measuring our world more, analyzing that world with graphing and data, and learning about time and money.
Phew, so much to do with so little time! I hope you all had a wonderful break. Thank you so much for attending our learner-led conferences. If you get a chance, try to visit our classroom website. There are oodles of pictures that I posted about Llummy and goings on in our school.
You all take care,
Mrs. Mergenthaler
dawn_mergenthaler@elanco.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/elanco.org/mrsmergenthaler/home
Special Days
April 16th Science Factory visits. Please see the sign-up genius if you are interested in helping. Clearances are a must.
April 25th Spring Concert at 7:00.
Items of need: All the learners have received a wallet and are earning money for an end of the year classroom store. I am looking for like-new small toys, treats, bubbles, etc. for the learners to spend their earnings on. Thank you in advance.
March Happenings 2024
Well, I guess we are skipping winter this year. At least, we got more than last year. I just wanted one, One, ONE GINORMOUS snowfall.
So, we shall move onto spring. The icicles and snowflakes have melted in my room and spring’s new beginnings are about to pop up all over my room. So exciting!
Mrs. M’s ELA and Content
I think we are coming in like a lion, even though our forecast might not agree. I have seen so much growth in their writings, readings, and conversations. We have finished up learning about space and have moved onto the bones and organs. Please continue reading with your child and talking about that reading so that they all can continue making sense of his/her world.
Mrs. M’s Math
We are now learning how to add and subtract HONKEN numbers! Get ready families. Please continue having your child practice his/her math facts and math in general with regrouping. Fluency in these areas is beneficial as the math gets harder.
Requests
· We are always running low on snack foods. If anyone would like to donate, that would be greatly appreciated. We have no known food allergies regarding snack foods. There are 16 learners.
· It is Llummy, the Leprechaun season, and we need items to set up traps in hopes to catch him, TP rolls, paper towel rolls, plastic lids, small containers, string, wire, craft sticks, mesh, etc. He literally just got here and is sleeping away his travels somewhere in our room. He only stays till St. Patrick’s Day, so these items are needed as soon as you are able.
VERY SPECIAL REQUEST
April 13th, the Science Factory is coming to 2nd grade. We need 7 adults, with clearances, to help man the 7 stations. We need help with set up and take down too. The time involved is 9:30-1 ish. More information coming, including a Sign-Up Genius.
Important Dates
· March 4th-8th Read Across America
Monday: We are Wild about Reading (wear animal print)
Tuesday: Hats Off for Reading (wear your favorite hat)
Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday (dress wacky)
Thursday: Team Up for Reading (wear your favorite sports/school jersey)
Friday: Snuggle Up and Read (wear Pjs or comfy clothes)
· Learner-Led Spring Conferences March 27th and 28th
Please sign up for your learner’s conference time:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4CABAF2AA4F85-48265325-learnerled
Spring Concert
· April 25th is our spring concert. More information will be coming.
Tah Tah for now-
Mrs. Mergenthaler
dawn_mergenthaler@elanco.org
(PHEW, THIS IS A LOT, SO SORRY)
February Happenings 2024
Happy February, Families!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well. How can such a short month be so full? I cannot believe we are in the third marking period already. Here are some things that are going on in second grade…
Our 102nd Day of School Approaches…possibly February 6 th!
We are having our 102nd day of school soon, depending on our weather. It will be around February 6th.
February 14th, Valentines
We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14th. If your child is participating in exchanging valentines, I am asking for them to be her by February 13th they can be passed out before February 14th. It is very hard for 18 learners to pass out valentines at the same day.
ELA and Content
We are learning about fabless, legends, and poetry. We are focusing on theme and key details supporting themes. Also, we are still working on writing complete sentences using correct punctuation and grammar. In content, we are learning about space and the human body’s organs and skeletal systems.
Math
We are continuing our journey through adding and subtracting larger numbers with and without regrouping. We are also revisiting odd and even numbers. Also, we are focusing on rounding. Some of our learners have journeyed onto multiplication and division. It is so exciting! Please continue having your child keep practicing those math facts with regards of adding and subtracting. This will help them so much in their mathematical futures in their education.
I know I am asking for a lot right now. Just so many exciting things going on! Second grade is so much fun.
Thank you so very much,
Dawn Mergenthaler
dawn_mergenthaler@elanco.org
Our classroom’s web site page: https://sites.google.com/elanco.org/mrsmergenthaler/home
Valentine’s Day is almost here!
The students will be able to exchange valentines soon. Please bring the valentines here by February 13th. If you would like your child to participate, please have him or her make valentines for everyone in the classroom. This is totally voluntary. The students will bring them home on Wednesday, February 14th. Also, we will be making a friendship mix for our snack that day. If you like, please bring one cup of your child’s favorite cereal in by the morning of February 14th in a baggy. Our party will be at the end of that day. Please let me know if you would like to help from 2:30 till the end of the day. Remember that clearances are needed to volunteer.
Thank you so much for all that you do!
Mrs. M and Miss Gentile
Our class list:
Addie
Alex
Aliyah
Bella
Blaise
Brynn
Cora
Kayon
Kylee
Kyler
LeeAnna
Maci
Melinda
Owen
Penny
Quinn
Ricky
Stella
January 2024
Happy New Year to Everyone! I slept through it, SHOCKING! I cannot believe it is 2024. I have been practice writing it and it is not going so great. Let me apologize ahead of time if important papers come to you with the wrong year on them. I hope you all had a wonderful winter break. Maybe we will experience at least a little bit of Old Man’s Winter weather soon. Sorry, I am from the snowbelt of Ohio.
Homeroom
Our room is somewhat back to normal. Winter is still up. Buddy has left our classroom as well as everything he brought to it. Last year, Llummy, the Leprechaun, came for a short visit. We shall see. Please remember to keep checking your child’s purple shiny folder. I have been consistent with this this year, believe it or not.
ELA
We will continue our journey in becoming more fluent of readers and amazing sentence and paragraph writers as we learn about our world. We will be reading different versions of fairytales and comparing them. Spelling will continue. We will resume spelling the second week of the new year.
Math
Adding and subtracting and subtracting and adding will be our push for January. Did I mention we will be adding and subtracting? We will be working through word problems and touching on time, money, and measurement. Keep practicing those math facts with your little ones. The easier those math facts come the easier the math, I promise you. Did I mention we will be adding and subtracting?
Content
In Social Studies, we will be learning how inventions and inventors have changed the world for all. In Science, we will be looking at the phases of the moon and the planets.
Homework
Please check your child’s shiny purple fold for returned work and papers needing to be returned. Each night, your child should be reading at least 15 minutes and practicing math facts for 2 minutes. Also, you will notice 1, 2, 3, or 4 on returned work in the upper right-hand corners of those papers. One means they are just not there yet with the material being taught, two means they can do it with teacher help, three means they did the paper with very little help, and four means they can apply it in their daily lives in a variety of ways. I am really trying to be more consistent with this so that you know where your learner is with regards to his/her academic work.
Needs
I need completely white tube socks, adult calf size. Hard to find, hymph, one sock per learner, 18 in all, and 4 matching buttons per sock. Thank you in advance.
Final thoughts…
I have updated our classroom website. Check out the new pics.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts and kind words. You all put a lot of thought into them. I thanked the children, but I wanted to extend my personal thank you to all of you, too.
EXCITING NEWS: We will be Google meeting and interviewing the author of Rescuing Reed, Heidi Kristan Mottin, on January 12th .
Sincerely, Mrs. Mergenthaler
2o24 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 (Just practicing)
December Happenings 2023
Greetings Families,
Wowzers- is this year going to go off with a big JINGLE. Apparently, Buddy, our classroom elf, has arrived. Please help us! You will want to check out all the Buddy updates on the classroom website. This is going to be a fast and full month. Our stockings are hung by our cozy fireplace with care. Take a deep breath and here we go….
Homeroom
The students are very excited about the party, which is on December 22nd at 1:40. We have enough volunteers to help make our Winter Festival the bestest ever! We will have games, music, crafts, and just plain old sensational seasonal fun!
ELA
What a busy busy time we are having for the remainder of this year! A special thematic writing center is set up in our Great Polar Ice Cap. We are still learning about text features and nonfiction texts. A lot of surprises are going to occur. We are finishing up learning about habitats around our world. This month we will focus on the North and South Pole. Perfect time of the year for this!
I am looking for a few parents to come and share their workdays with the students throughout the months of December and January; how the jobs came to be, what kind of school and/or training is needed, the ups and downs, and so forth. Please let me know if you are interested in sharing. We can google meet too! Clearances are not needed for this visit.
Math
We are working on adding and subtracting ginormous numbers with and without regrouping and place value. Math fact promise is still extremely important. The students are getting stronger with adding, subtracting, and some, believe it or not, multiplication fluency.
Thank you so much for all the support you give your child and me!
Respectfully,
Mrs. Mergenthaler
dawn_mergenthaler@elanco.org
Sign up genius for the Winter Festival
November Happenings 2023
I can’t express how much I am enjoying spending so much time with my learners. I get them all day and barely have to share them. Our room is getting more and more cozy with their personal touches to the room. Keep practicing math facts at home and reading 15 minutes each night. This helps so much! The more fluent the learner is in these areas the easier the math and reading.
ELA and Content
This month they will continue practicing their reading and writing skills. They will be reading informational texts about their world and writing about that reading. We will be learning about text features and how understanding them helps them as readers. Now that we have finished up wants and needs, just in time for the upcoming holidays, we are continuing our journey learning about animals in their different habitats. The spelling is really getting more challenging. Please try to help your little speller at home with their weekly spelling words.
Math
We have finished measurement for now and are moving onto place value. We will continue to work on mentally adding and subtracting math facts up to 20. We will be trying to strengthen our math facts and learning how to add 2- and 3-digit numbers with and without regrouping. Our 6th grade safeties have been coming into practice math facts through games three days a week. The kiddos love it!
Thank You
I want to sincerely thank you all for all your help this year. It has been overwhelming. You have supplied us snacks, pumpkins, tissues, tissues, and tissues, and so much more. I hope your child has been sharing how appreciative we all have been and continue to be. Your generosity is making our hot apple cider mug runneth over.
Mrs. Mergenthaler
Welcome Autumn!
Hello Families,
So far so GREAT! This year is proving to be a truly KIND year. This year’s learners are so supportive of each other. They are extremely patient as they wait for directions. They are helping each other during independent times so that all can be successful. Also, the contributions during direct discussions and whole group are so welcomed and appreciated. I am getting to know each of them so well.
ELA and Content: Wow! The children are working so hard. They are learning about deciphering the main idea of stories, and noting the beginning, middle, and ends of those stories, how to write complete sentences, and the rules of their communities. We created a Second Grade Constitution, which we all signed. THE BUG MAN will be coming to talk with the learners about the life cycles, adaptations, and habitats of bug during this month. Real life cockroaches, scorpions, and/or trarantulas will be joining him on his trip to BBES!
Math: Learners are learning about all kinds of different ways to represent numbers. They are practicing the writing of those numbers. Also, we are working on our addition and subtraction math facts. We are beginning our new unit a measurement.
Mrs. M’s Second Grade Class Website: Please check out what your learner has been doing in school. Also, look at the wants and needs sections. Finally, if you have a few moments to spare, please complete the learning profile questionnaires. There is one for you and one for your learner. I think I got the settings finally right so that you all can complete them. Thank you!
Homework
Every learner is to be reading 15 minutes each night and practicing math facts for 2 to 5 minutes each night. I am compiling a list of math suggestions as I am typing this and will send them to you in the next couple of weeks. These are only suggestions. Also, sometimes your learner may bring home worksheets to complete in addition to the daily homework routine. This additional homework will be random and individually assigned, according to the needs of each learner and/or group..
Special needs:
little pumpkins, about 5 inches in diameter, one per learner- Please send them in around the 3rd week of October.
3 medium-sized pumpkins, about 12 inches in diameter for some good old-fashioned messy math- We will need them the third week of October.
An assortment of gourds and mini pumpkins would be greatly appreciated- These can be sent at anytime.
individually wrapped snack foods-This need is ongoing throughout the school year.
I hope you are all enjoying your fall. It is a beauty. I just love the colors, the cold, and the endless hands-on learning opportunities available this time of the year!
Mrs. Mergenthaler
You will be noticing scores at the tops of your learner's papers. This is what those scores mean...
1- Not really there yet
2- getting there with teacher support
3- You are on it and can do it on your own
4- you are able to complete it without any errors and use that knowledge in all your work
September Happenings 2023
Hello Families,
Well, we have successfully completed two weeks of school. The children left happy and tired. I have learned so much about your child and vice versa. This is your monthly newsletter. Please try to find a couple minutes in your busy day to read it. I will send it in an email, on paper, and put it on our class website.
ELA
We are trying to get in the swing of ELA, revisiting rotations and working collaboratively. We are starting our first big story. Some of the things we are going to be working on are writing complete sentences, understanding the setting, characters, and plot. Spelling is coming home this week. We test weekly. However, this test will not be till next week.
Math
We are learning about friendly numbers with regards to addition and subtraction. We are learning how to show our work and writing complete sentences to word problems.
Content
For right now, we are learning about school again, the rules, how to be successful, and how we can grow as a family within our classroom and school.
Website
Our class website is up and running including the learner surveys. Please try to complete these surveys by October, if possible. The link to the website is: https://sites.google.com/elanco.org/mrsmergenthaler/home. I see some of you have already completed the surveys, thank you!
SeeSaw
Some of your child’s work will be posted on Seesaw. You can get a glimpse of their school day this week as well as with the classroom website.
Homework
Each night, learners are to read 15 minutes and practice math facts for 2 minutes. I don’t keep a running log of this. This is just what is expected for all our primary learners. There may be additional homework like spelling practice and a math worksheet. That homework is in the ‘return to school’ section of the take-home folders.
Snacks
Please provide your child with a snack. Their young metabolisms are speedy quick. If you would like to donate snacks for those who forget, that would be wonderful!