Sunday, June 3, 2018

Week 39

Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

Important Dates

  • June 3 - Grade 5 Move On Ceremony
  • June 4 - Grade 2 End Of The Year Celebrations
  • June 5 - Last Day of School (Early Release Day)

Report cards and returning books

We would like to finish the year on a positive note and need your help with this. Reports are not issued for students who have not returned all books/library materials. You have this weekend to look under sofas, beds, home bookshelves, in-between seats, anywhere and everywhere! Please make sure they are returned by Sunday. Sometimes books cannot be found. An invoice will be issued and needs to be paid to get the report card. We will be calling families as we want to make sure everyone has a great end of the year and can receive reports. 

No Hot Lunch This Week

Please note our cafeteria will not be serving hot lunch this week.
On Sunday, students will need snack, lunch, and water
On Monday, students will only need a snack and water. Lunch has already been paid for by parents and it includes: (2 slices pizza, juice box and cupcake).
On Tuesday, students will need snack and water.

End of the Year Party - June 4th

On Monday, June 4th, students need to bring their swimming bags to school. From 10:30-12:00 we will be enjoying a water event at the CAC pool.
We hope parents can join us in the ES Hall for lunch from 12:30 to 1:45. Thank you to the parents that are setting up for this event.

Summer Work

Here is an online calendar for some fun everyday math activities students can do.

A Final Note From Teachers

Enjoy the summer. Use it to get to know your child even better. Play games. Visit museums. Learn a musical instrument together. Commune with nature. Encourage your son/daughter to continue reading over the summer. Visit a library together and check out books. Check out a audio books and listen to them as you rock in a hammock. Read to your child. Cook with your child. Double a recipe or cut one in half. Do the math together. Keep a journal. Look back at the end of summer and be amazed at all the things you have done. Visit an art fair. Go to the farmers’ market. Take a hike. Learn to ride a two wheeler and tie your shoes. 

Come back next year more ready than ever. Don’t slide backwards and use the summer as an excuse. Use the summer to get ahead. Never stop learning.

HAVE A GREAT AND REWARDING SUMMER!

Regards,


Your Second Grade Team

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Week 38

Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

Important Dates

  • May 27 - Library: first day of summer checkout
  • May 29 - Big Splash House Event
  • May 29 - May/June/July Birthday Lunch
  • June 3 - Grade 5 Move On Ceremony
  • June 4 - Grade 2 End Of The Year Celebrations
  • June 5 - Last Day of School (Early Release Day)

End of the Year Party


Save the date: Monday, June 4th!
    Don't forget to send your kids ready to swim with their swimming suit for a morning full of fun games in the swimming pool.
    We are sensitive to the fact that it is Ramadan. If your child is fasting, please have them tell their teacher, so we can make arrangements for a space with activities but no food during the lunch times.

    • June 3 - We will have a whole school farewell for the 5th graders from 7:55-8:20. Grades 1 and 3 will have their celebration day at school.
      • Grade 2 will be in our homerooms. Lunch will be picnic style on the front lawn & must come from home since the cafeteria will not be available during lunch time.
    • June 4 - Grade 2 will have our celebration day. Families paid at the beginning of year for the cost of pool fun, maker day, etc so no money is collected for these events. All of you are invited to our End of the Year Lunch. It will be in the ES Hall from 12:30 to 1:15 pm.
    • June 5 - Whole school end-of-year assembly 10:30am (Early Release afterwards at 11:30).

    Student-Led Conferences

    Thank you to all our students for the great work you've shown your parents during Student Led Conferences. Thank you to all the parents for giving your children the opportunity to share all the learning and fun that has been happening during the entire school year.

    From the Library - Summer checkout

    Available to all students and parents who:
    • Have cleared their library accounts for the year.
    • Are returning to CAC in the 2018-2019 school year.
    Limits:
    • 25 books per patron (parents must be present for checkout).
    • 5 DVDs per family checked out to the parent.
    • All books due back the first day of school in August.
    • Damaged or lost books will have to be paid for by the patron who checked them out.

    Fasting Students

    Parents, please inform your classroom teacher if your child is fasting so we can make any necessary arrangements to make sure they are comfortable. It is helpful to know if they fast for the whole or part of the day at school, food or water.


      ES Yearbook 2017-2018 Pre-Sales



      • To our cashier, Mr. Reda in the Welcome Center.
      • May 13th till May 31st for L.E. 580 ($33)
      • After May 31st, price increases to L.E. 650 ($37)
      Please note that for this week only (May 13 - May 17), the cashier will only be available before 10:00 am and after 2:00 pm.



      Guidance News - Flipping Your Lid!  - A Tool for Managing Stress

      The end of the school year is a busy and exciting time! It’s also a time that invites strong emotions and stress. End of year celebrations, final project deadlines and saying goodbye to those moving on are only a few of the events during this time that can lend themselves to stress for students and teachers..  It’s important to be mindful of this and prepared so we can use these times as opportunities to teach our students how to cope effectively during times of stress.

      During Guidance students learned how our brains functions when we are experiencing stress. The students were introduced to the following lesson, “Brain in the Palm of Your Hand - Flipping Your Lid and Finding it Again- ”. The concept of “Flipping Your Lid,” is very visual. Using the “flipped lid” signal will help students  acknowledge their feelings and the need to calm down when they are starting to feel stressed or angry.

      The following video is also very helpful for understanding the concept of a “flipped lid”. Why Do We Lose Control of Our Emotions?

      What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

      Readers’ and Writer's Workshop

      This week students will be using their Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop time to reflect on the year. We will also review the variety of genres we read over the year and talk about the different accuracy and comprehension skills studied this year. Students will read independently and read with a partner thinking about fluency and intonation. Our readers will also think about using sentence starters to help keep their partners accountable and dive deeper into understanding their books.

      In Writer's Workshop students will create poems to perform during the Moving Up Assembly for the 5th graders that will be in Middle School next year.

      Math

      Our last unit of study will be focused on telling time using an analog clock. Students will understand how to tell time to the nearest five minutes and relate a.m. and p.m. to time of day. Students will also be exposed to the application of fractions to tell time. 

      Please refer to the Unit 8 Parent Newsletter for more details about this unit. 

      Mathletics Review Lessons for this unit:
      • Counting Sides and Corners (corners here means angles)
      • Measuring Length
      • Comparing Length
      • Number Lines
      • Making Graphs

        Circles

        Focus: review all the core values and display them especially when working with others, in the classroom, at school, at home, and in the community.

        Sunday, May 20, 2018

        Week 37

        Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

        Important Dates

        • May 21 - Student-Led Conferences
        • May 22 - Last Library day for classes; All books are due
        • May 29 - Big Splash House Event
        • May 29 - May/June/July Birthday Lunch
        • May 29 - Summer check out starts at the Library
        • June 3 - Grade 5 Move On Ceremony
        • June 4 - Grade 2 End Of The Year Celebrations
        • June 5 - Last Day of School (Early Release Day)

        End of the Year Party

        Save the date!!! On June 4th, from 12:15 to 1:15 we will celebrate our End of Year party at the ES Hall. Grade 2 students will have a special lunch and some other activities. All parents are invited to celebrate with us. Thank you to Nina, Linda and Ahmed, our room parents, for their help organizing this.

        Student-Led Conferences

        Students are looking forward to your visit so that they can take the opportunity to share with you how much they have grown this year. May 21st is not a regular school day, as students will come in for their conference only. We hope all parents can attend and we look forward to a positive day celebrating growth.  

        The purpose of student-led conferences is to open the eyes of students to their own learning and to help them take personal responsibility for their progress. In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students are “third parties” to assessment, hearing about their progress through the teachers and parents. Teachers and parents do play a vital role in assessment but students must also take an active role in this area to maximize their potential for success.  

        In preparing for a student-led conference, students see how their strengths, challenges, and behavior can affect them as learners, thus allowing them to take more responsibility for, and control over, their achievement in school. Student-led conferences are an experience that can improve the communication patterns of both students and parents. In a student-led conference, students learn how to reflect on their learning, evaluate their progress and communicate this information to their parents. Parents learn how to listen to their students, how to encourage growth and how to best help their student with specific challenges. 

        TIPS FOR PARENTS
        • Express positive interest and anticipation about the upcoming conference.
        • Be on time. 
        • Listen and respond to the student (not the teacher).
        • Express pride in growth and progress.
        • Ask questions (see below for samples).
        • Be positive, offering to help in areas where improvement is needed.
        • Recognize that students need to develop independence in communicating progress – the teacher will be there to facilitate and answer specific questions but will not take charge of the conference. 
        POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE CONFERENCE
        • Can you explain this to me?
        • How did you come up with this idea?
        • How have you grown in this area?
        • How can you improve in this area?
        • How can we help you at home?
        • What was important to you about this?
        • If you could do this work over again, how would you change it?
        • What future goals do you have as a student?

        Fasting Students

        Parents, please inform your classroom teacher if your child will be fasting so we can make any necessary arrangements to make sure they are comfortable. It is helpful to know if they fast for the whole or part of the day at school, food or water.

        Skyward online payment for food services open

        Elementary Parents,

        We are pleased to announce our Skyward online hot lunch payment system will be open for Kindergarten-Grade 5 students from Sunday, May 13. Parents can pay into your family account for the hot lunch commencing via the CAC cashier’s office in our welcome center. For this week only (May 13 - May 17), the cashier's hours will be before 10:00 am and after 2:00 pm. Minimum payment of 500 LE per student is required.

        This new system will give parents and students a more convenient way for their elementary child’s hot lunch.

        Making payment is straightforward and offers you the freedom to pay CAC’s cashier in our welcome centre whenever you are on campus or send the money via your child and the class/grade aide will pay on your behalf and send the receipt to you. Your Skyward secure online food service tab is part of your Skyward account and the link can be found on your parent dashboard. This system will support if you have more than one child in our division as each child has a personalized bracelet which will register who, when and cost of each hot lunch purchased. Parents can view this on their Skyward account. Please see this link for a quick tutorial.

        If a student orders hot lunch and the family account does not have funds, the meal will be given to the student and the parent will receive an automated email informing them. Also, when the amount drops to 300 LE the email will request the replenishment of the student’s account balance. At the end of the year, if the family account is overdrawn and you have a debit balance, the report card will be held until cleared. If there is a surplus it will be rolled over the following year for returning students, grade five and departing students will be notified by elementary school office and the refund can be collected from the cashier’s office.

        From the student side their class/grade aide will hand out the bracelets to students having hot lunch and collect them after lunch. The food vendor will scan the bracelet and return to the student.

        38 LE meal card & 45 LE Combo meal/ juice cards are acceptable in lieu of cash for your child’s meal until May 31 which is our last day for hot lunches. Please hand them to the cashier and receive a payment receipt.

        Who do I see if I have a problem?
        • If you have feedback, questions regarding the Skyward online payment system please contact our technology office, Mr. Fadi Duweni, email: felduweini@cacegypt.org, Ph: 2755-5495
        • If you have feedback, questions regarding the payment please contact CAC’s cashier Reda Ibrahim, email: ribrahim@cacegypt.org, Ph: 2755-551
        • If you have feedback, questions regarding the use of the bracelet or general please contact Mrs. Jackson-Jin, email: jjackson@cacegypt.org, elementary office: 2755-5222
        Parent questions so far?
        • What if my child uses their bracelet to buy a friend’s lunch? Your child will only be permitted to scan for their own lunch and the bracelet.
        • What if I don’t want my child to buy juice with lunch? We can add it as an alert for the vendor on the system, but please understand that it comes by practice and vendor may miss this sometimes initially.
        I would like to thank our lunch committee chair, Sandrine Kachour and development chair Jackie Goodall Riley, for their support in trialling the system and giving us feedback. As we know with any new systems their may be glitches, so we would appreciate your feedback.
          Best regards,
          Julie Jackson-Jin
          Elementary Principal

          ES Yearbook 2017-2018 Pre-Sales



          • To our cashier, Mr. Reda in the Welcome Center.
          • May 13th till May 31st for L.E. 580 ($33)
          • After May 31st, price increases to L.E. 650 ($37)
          Please note that for this week only (May 13 - May 17), the cashier will only be available before 10:00 am and after 2:00 pm.



          What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

          Readers’ and Writer's Workshop

          This week students will be using their Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop time to reflect on Student Led Conferences. We will also review the variety of genres we read over the year and talk about the different accuracy and comprehension skills studied this year. Students will read independently and read with a partner thinking about fluency and intonation. Our readers will also think about using sentence starters to help keep their partners accountable and dive deeper into understanding their books. 

          Math

          Students will be bringing home Module 8 Topic A assessment this week. Please review it with your child, sign it, and return it to school by the end of week 37. The next topic is focused on telling time using an analog clock. Students will understand how to tell time to the nearest five minutes and relate a.m. and p.m. to time of day. Students will also be exposed to the application of fractions to tell time. 

          Please refer to the Unit 8 Parent Newsletter for more details about this unit. 

          Mathletics Review Lessons for this unit:
          • Counting Sides and Corners (corners here means angles)
          • Measuring Length
          • Comparing Length
          • Number Lines
          • Making Graphs

          Social Studies

          This week we will continue our Social Studies Unit titled: We Live In Urban and Rural Communities. Students were asked to interview an adult about their preferences. Please be sure to turn in the assignment this week. We will also take the written assessment. Students will choose from a variety of ways to tell others their preference of living in an urban or rural area. 

          Essential Questions:
          • What is a community?
          • How do communities meet our needs?
          • Why do people choose to live where they do?

            Circles

            Focus: review all the core values and display them especially when working with others, in the classroom, at school, at home, and in the community.

            Sunday, May 13, 2018

            Week 36

            Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

            Important Dates

            • May 13 - Hardened Shelter Drill (at 11am)
            • May 15 - Grade 4/5 Music Concert (5:30pm at the CAC theater)
            • May 15 - Last day for check out books from the Library
            • May 17 - Last day of After School Activities
            • May 21 - Student-Led Conferences
            • May 22 - Last Library day for classes; All books are due
            • May 29 - Big Splash House Event
            • May 29 - May/June/July Birthday Lunch
            • May 29 - Summer check out starts at the Library
            • June 3 - Grade 5 Move On Ceremony
            • June 4 - Grade 2 End Of The Year Celebrations
            • June 5 - Last Day of School (Early Release Day)

            Field Trip to Man Ahyaha

            Grade 2 went on the first Service Learning field trip this week. We visited Man Ahyaha, a school in the south border of the Giza Governorate. There we had the chance to spend some more time with these beautiful kids and teachers. CAC students learned about Rural and Urban communities. Starting from our bus trip to CAC students interviewing Man Ahyaha students, we learned about the different life styles and routines. Our students also had the opportunity to practice their Arabic skills in real life. They played games that our Arabic/Egypt Culture department prepared. Man Ahyaha kids showed us how they plant in their fields and gave our students the chance to get their hands in the mud. Finally, we had lunch by the river in a beautiful garden.

            Special thanks for the great team of parents volunteering their time and support, Ms. Basma and Mr. Tharwat for support with Arabic games, Ms. Mariam Hassan, our Service Learning specialist, for coordinating the trip, Mr. Sherif and Ms. Ereeny for helping during the whole trip and to ALL our students for their enthusiasm and positive mindset at all times.

            Student-Led Conferences

            Don’t forget to sign up for Student Led Conferences. They will be held on Monday, May 21. Students are looking forward to your visit so that they can take the opportunity to share with you how much they have grown this year. May 21 is not a regular school day, as students will come in for their conference only. We hope all parents can attend and we look forward to a positive day celebrating growth.  

            The purpose of student-led conferences is to open the eyes of students to their own learning and to help them take personal responsibility for their progress. In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students are “third parties” to assessment, hearing about their progress through the teachers and parents. Teachers and parents do play a vital role in assessment but students must also take an active role in this area to maximize their potential for success.  

            In preparing for a student-led conference, students see how their strengths, challenges, and behavior can affect them as learners, thus allowing them to take more responsibility for, and control over, their achievement in school. Student-led conferences are an experience that can improve the communication patterns of both students and parents. In a student-led conference, students learn how to reflect on their learning, evaluate their progress and communicate this information to their parents. Parents learn how to listen to their students, how to encourage growth and how to best help their student with specific challenges. 

            TIPS FOR PARENTS
            • Express positive interest and anticipation about the upcoming conference.
            • Be on time. 
            • Listen and respond to the student (not the teacher).
            • Express pride in growth and progress.
            • Ask questions (see below for samples).
            • Be positive, offering to help in areas where improvement is needed.
            • Recognize that students need to develop independence in communicating progress – the teacher will be there to facilitate and answer specific questions but will not take charge of the conference. 
            POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE CONFERENCE
            • Can you explain this to me?
            • How did you come up with this idea?
            • How have you grown in this area?
            • How can you improve in this area?
            • How can we help you at home?
            • What was important to you about this?
            • If you could do this work over again, how would you change it?
            • What future goals do you have as a student?

            Emergency Drills - Hardened Shelter Drill

            Throughout the year, we do talk to students about what to do in case of fire, or intruder, with the subject matter and terminology adjusted for the grade level. The safety and security of our students is our highest priority, and through preparations in advance, we can ensure that students and staff know what to do in the case of an emergency. This week we will have our first hardened shelter drill Sunday 13, 11am. Parents, if you are in school please follow faculty to the designated areas. The ES moves into the ES Hall.

            Skyward online payment for food services open

            Elementary Parents,

            We are pleased to announce our Skyward online hot lunch payment system will be open for Kindergarten-Grade 5 students from Sunday, May 13. Parents can pay into your family account for the hot lunch commencing via the CAC cashier’s office in our welcome center. For this week only (May 13 - May 17), the cashier's hours will be before 10:00 am and after 2:00 pm. Minimum payment of 500 LE per student is required.

            This new system will give parents and students a more convenient way for their elementary child’s hot lunch.

            Making payment is straightforward and offers you the freedom to pay CAC’s cashier in our welcome centre whenever you are on campus or send the money via your child and the class/grade aide will pay on your behalf and send the receipt to you. Your Skyward secure online food service tab is part of your Skyward account and the link can be found on your parent dashboard. This system will support if you have more than one child in our division as each child has a personalized bracelet which will register who, when and cost of each hot lunch purchased. Parents can view this on their Skyward account. Please see this link for a quick tutorial.

            If a student orders hot lunch and the family account does not have funds, the meal will be given to the student and the parent will receive an automated email informing them. Also, when the amount drops to 300 LE the email will request the replenishment of the student’s account balance. At the end of the year, if the family account is overdrawn and you have a debit balance, the report card will be held until cleared. If there is a surplus it will be rolled over the following year for returning students, grade five and departing students will be notified by elementary school office and the refund can be collected from the cashier’s office.

            From the student side their class/grade aide will hand out the bracelets to students having hot lunch and collect them after lunch. The food vendor will scan the bracelet and return to the student.

            38 LE meal card & 45 LE Combo meal/ juice cards are acceptable in lieu of cash for your child’s meal until May 31 which is our last day for hot lunches. Please hand them to the cashier and receive a payment receipt.

            Who do I see if I have a problem?
            • If you have feedback, questions regarding the Skyward online payment system please contact our technology office, Mr. Fadi Duweni, email: felduweini@cacegypt.org, Ph: 2755-5495
            • If you have feedback, questions regarding the payment please contact CAC’s cashier Reda Ibrahim, email: ribrahim@cacegypt.org, Ph: 2755-551
            • If you have feedback, questions regarding the use of the bracelet or general please contact Mrs. Jackson-Jin, email: jjackson@cacegypt.org, elementary office: 2755-5222
            Parent questions so far?
            • What if my child uses their bracelet to buy a friend’s lunch? Your child will only be permitted to scan for their own lunch and the bracelet.
            • What if I don’t want my child to buy juice with lunch? We can add it as an alert for the vendor on the system, but please understand that it comes by practice and vendor may miss this sometimes initially.
            I would like to thank our lunch committee chair, Sandrine Kachour and development chair Jackie Goodall Riley, for their support in trialling the system and giving us feedback. As we know with any new systems their may be glitches, so we would appreciate your feedback.
            Best regards,
            Julie Jackson-Jin
            Elementary Principal

            ES Yearbook 2017-2018 Pre-Sales



            • To our cashier, Mr. Reda in the Welcome Center.
            • May 13th till May 31st for L.E. 580 ($33)
            • After May 31st, price increases to L.E. 650 ($37)
            Please note that for this week only (May 13 - May 17), the cashier will only be available before 10:00 am and after 2:00 pm.


            What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

            Readers’ and Writer's Workshop

            This week students will be using their Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop time to prepare for Student-Led Conferences. Students will be selecting pieces of work that they would like to share with you to show growth. Students will be rehearsing what they will be saying to their parents to show what they have learned about reading and writing this year. When it is time to practice, students will be using checklists and agendas to help them stay organized. We will also use these tools to give each other feedback on areas of strength and areas for possible improvement.

            Math

            As in all the other subjects, we will be focusing on our Student-Led Conferences this week so your child can articulate what he/she has learned this year. Time permitted we will wrap up what we learned about 2 dimensional shapes: how to describe, build, and identify two-dimensional shapes based on their attributes (number of sides and angles). Students will also learn to draw and identify different quadrilaterals including rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, and trapezoids. Students can use a lot of extra practice drawing square angles using the corner of an index card or other object that already has a square corner. Students should also be able to utilize different strategies for drawing parallel lines.

            Please refer to the Unit 8 Parent Newsletter for more details about this unit. 

            Mathletics Review Lessons for this unit:
            • Counting Sides and Corners (corners here means angles)
            • Measuring Length
            • Comparing Length
            • Number Lines
            • Making Graphs

            Social Studies

            This week we will continue our Social Studies Unit titled: We Live In Urban and Rural Communities. We will be comparing rural and urban lifestyles. To do that we will start by brainstorming what leisure activities people do, what forms of transportation can be found, what chores kids do, and where food can be found/bought. At the end of the week students will be asked to interview an adult about their preferences. Below is the homework assignment.

            Essential Questions:
            • What is a community?
            • How do communities meet our needs?
            • Why do people choose to live where they do?

              Circles

              Focus: review all the core values and display them especially when working with others, in the classroom, at school, at home, and in the community.

              Sunday, May 6, 2018

              Week 35



              Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

              Important Dates

              • May 9 - April/May Birthday Lunch (12:10-12-50)
              • May 21 - Student-Led Conferences

              Student-Led Conferences

              May 21 is not a regular school day, as students will come in for their conference only. We hope all parents can attend and we look forward to a positive day celebrating growth. Don't forget to sign up in skyward.

              The purpose of student-led conferences is to open the eyes of students to their own learning and to help them take personal responsibility for their progress. In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students are “third parties” to assessment, hearing about their progress through the teachers and parents. Teachers and parents do play a vital role in assessment but students must also take an active role in this area to maximize their potential for success.

              In preparing for a student-led conference, students see how their strengths, weaknesses and behavior can affect them as learners, thus allowing them to take more responsibility for, and control over, their achievement in school. Student-led conferences are an experience that can improve the communication patterns of both students and parents. In a student-led conference, students learn how to reflect on their learning, evaluate their progress and communicate this information to their parents.  Parents learn how to listen to their students, how to encourage growth and how to best help their student with specific challenges.

              TIPS FOR PARENTS
              • Be on time. 
              • Express positive interest and anticipation about the upcoming conference.
              • Listen and respond to the student (not the teacher).
              • Express pride in growth and progress.
              • Ask questions (see below for samples).
              • Be positive, offering to help in areas where improvement is needed.
              • Recognise that students need to develop independence in communicating progress – the teacher will be there to facilitate and answer specific questions but will not take charge of the conference. 
              POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE CONFERENCE

              • Can you explain this to me?
              • How did you come up with this idea?
              • How have you grown in this area?
              • How can you improve in this area?
              • How can we help you at home?
              • What was important to you about this?
              • If you could do this work over again, how would you change it?
              • What future goals do you have as a student?

              Swimming

                Remember that this week our students have started swimming during the one hour class. As a reminder each classes swimming days are:
                • Sunday - 2R
                • Wednesday - 2K
                • Thursday - 2S
                Students will need to wear their full PE uniform in all 30 minute classes for the remainder of the year, including shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers.

                From the library - Important dates


                • May 8-10 Used book sale, starting at 2 pm on May 8
                • May 15 Last day for check out
                • May 22 Last day for classes; All books are due
                • May 29 Summer check out starts

                What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

                Readers’ Workshop

                Our readers are enjoying reading poetry. Students will learn that many poems contain images- words that give us pictures in our minds. The more practice reading poems will help our little readers become aware of these internal mind pictures. Students will choose poems that they like and illustrate the image they see, or if they see several images they will divide the poem up and create a picture book. Our readers will work independently and with a partner to create their own picture book.

                Writers’ Workshop

                Students will be writing poetry along with reading a lot of it. We will be concentrating on how students can give their poems music by paying attention to where poets put words and where poets don't put words. Poets try a few different ways of breaking up their lines, reading the poem aloud after each try, until the poem is written in a way that sounds just right. Students will also be thinking about a big idea, a big feeling, and then find the small moment, image, or object that holds that big feeling, that big idea.

                Math

                This week we will continue our Module 8: Time, Shapes, and Fractions as Equal Parts of Shapes. During this unit we will focus on Topic A: Attributes of Geometric Shapes and on Topic D: Applications of Fractions to Tell Time. These next 5 days we will learn how to describe, build, and identify two-dimensional shapes based on their attributes (number of sides and angles). We will also use these attributes to draw different polygons including triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, and hexagons. Students will also learn to draw and identify different quadrilaterals including rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, and trapezoids.

                Students can use a lot of extra practice drawing square angles using the corner of an index card or other object that already has a square corner. Students should also be able to utilize different strategies for drawing parallel lines.

                Please refer to the Unit 8 Parent Newsletter for more details about this unit.

                Mathletics Focus Lessons: Count Sides and Corners (corners here mean angles)

                Social Studies

                This week we will continue our new Social Studies Unit titled: We Live In Urban and Rural Communities. We will be learning about what is a community and how our wants and needs affect the facilities available in a community. Students will explore the difference between goods and services to help them understand the different kinds of facilities are available in a community.

                Essential Questions:

                • What is a community?
                • How do communities meet our needs?
                • Why do people choose to live where they do?

                  Circles

                  Focus: review all the core values and display them especially when working with others, in the classroom, at school, at home, and in the community.

                  Monday, April 30, 2018

                  Week 34


                  Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

                  Important Dates

                  • April 29 - Swimming during 1 hour PE class starts
                  • April 29 - Talent Show Rehearsal (3:15-5:15)
                  • April 30 - Talent Show
                  • May 1 - Labor Day Holiday
                  • May 9 - April/May Birthday Lunch (12:10-12-50)

                  Swimming

                  Remember that this week our students have started swimming during the one hour class. As a reminder each classes swimming days are:
                  • Sunday - 2R
                  • Wednesday - 2K
                  • Thursday - 2S
                  Students will need to wear their full PE uniform in all 30 minute classes for the remainder of the year, including shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers.

                  ES Talent Show This Monday!

                  Tickets are on sale in Ms. Dolly's Room before school and during lunch/recess.

                  Sunday, April 29th is the mandatory rehearsal in the CAC Theatre from 3:15 - 5:15. All students must have a way to go home; the late bus service is not available. Students will be dismissed from the CAC Theatre at 5:15.

                  All Choir students will attend the Choir rehearsal on Sunday, April 29th, then come directly to the CAC Theatre for the remainder of the rehearsal.

                  The Talent Show will be for ALL ACTS beginning at 5:30 - 7:30 on April 30th. The Show will end by 8pm. ALL ACTS must come to the Theatre at 5pm, performance ready.

                  ES Talent Show - April 30th, 2018
                  Tickets - 30LE per seat
                  • Performances: 5:30-6:15
                  • Intermission: 6:15-6:30
                  • Performances: 6:30-7:15
                  • Show ends 7:30pm.
                  Thank you for your continued support. Please contact Ms. Dolly for any further clarifications or questions.

                  ES Talent Show Team

                  From the library - Used Book Sale, May 8 to 10

                  End of year dates for students from the library

                  • May 8-10 Used book sale
                  • May 15 Last day for check out
                  • May 22 Last day for classes; All books are due
                  • May 29 Summer check out starts
                  • May 8 to 10 Used Book Sale

                  We are getting ready for our annual used book sale, this year from May 8 to 10. We welcome donations of used books for all ages in saleable condition. This is a good time for departing families to dispose of books before packing. We will soon have a donation box at the front gate.

                  Core Value Books

                  The core value for April is COURAGE. We will be sending home the core value book about courage: Drum Dream Girl. Please read it with your child, then return it to school for the next student to take home.
                  • What is the definition of courage? The core value definition of courage is “be brave in words and actions.”  What would your students add to this? What does this mean to them?
                  • Discuss with your kids how courage... 
                    • Is used by adults in the workplace, 
                    • Is used by students outside of school, 
                    • Applies to school situations, 
                    • Benefits when mastered, 
                    • Consequences of not possessing it. 

                  What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

                  Readers’ Workshop

                  Our readers are enjoying reading poetry. Students will learn that many poems contain images- words that give us pictures in our minds. The more practice reading poems will help our little readers become aware of these internal mind pictures. Students will choose poems that they like and illustrate the image they see, or if they see several images they will divide the poem up and create a picture book. Our readers will work independently and with a partner to create their own picture book.

                  Writers’ Workshop

                  Students will be writing poetry along with reading a lot of it. We will be concentrating on how students can give their poems music by paying attention to where poets put words and where poets don't put words. Poets try a few different ways of breaking up their lines, reading the poem aloud after each try, until the poem is written in a way that sounds just right. Students will also be thinking about a big idea, a big feeling, and then find the small moment, image, or object that holds that big feeling, that big idea.

                  Math

                  This week the Module 7 assessment will be sent home to review strengths and challenges with your child. Please, don't forget to check your child's folder, sign the assessment and send it back to school by the end of this week.

                  This week we will start Module 8: Time, Shapes, and Fractions as Equal Parts of Shapes. During this unit we will focus on Topic A: Attributes of Geometric Shapes and on Topic D: Applications of Fractions to Tell Time. These next 5 days we will learn how to describe, build, and identify two-dimensional shapes based on their attributes (number of sides and angles). We will also use these attributes to draw different polygons including triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, and hexagons. Students will also learn to draw and identify different quadrilaterals including rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, and trapezoids.

                  Students can use a lot of extra practice drawing square angles using the corner of an index card or other object that already has a square corner. Students should also be able to utilize different strategies for drawing parallel lines.

                  Please refer to the Unit 8 Parent Newsletter for more details about this unit.

                  Mathletics Focus Lessons: Count Sides and Corners (corners here mean angles)

                  Social Studies

                  This week we will be starting a new Social Studies Unit titled: We Live In Urban and Rural Communities. We will be learning about what is a community and how our wants and needs affect the facilities available in a community. Students will explore the difference between goods and services to help them understand the different kinds of facilities are available in a community.

                  Essential Questions:

                  What is a community?
                  How do communities meet our needs?
                  Why do people choose to live where they do?

                  Circles

                  Focus: displaying courage especially when working with others, in the classroom, at school, at home, and in the community.

                  Sunday, April 22, 2018

                  Week 33


                  Welcome to the Grade 2 Newsletter

                  Important Dates

                  • April 22 - Race to Clean Air at 3:30 (regular After School Activities)
                  • April 29 - Swimming during 1 hour PE class starts
                  • April 30 - Talent Show
                  • May 8 to 10 - Used book sale
                  • May 15 - Last day for check out books from library
                  • May 22 - Last day for library classes; All books are due at the library
                  • May 29 - Summer check out starts

                  Egypt Festival

                  A very special thank you to our Egypt Culture department for their work in bringing us a successful and fun 2018 Egypt Festival. Thank you to parent volunteers for making of this such as an exciting day for all our students.


                  ES Dismissal - Important message to ES parents

                  We had two students who left campus without parental permission with a nanny. We have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again and ask for your cooperation in following our handbook guidelines for all Elementary students PreK to Grade 5. Our handbook states, that any change in the usual pattern of dismissal for your child at the end of the school day should be verified by a note or email from the parent or guardian to the classroom teacher. We have added that we need to receive this information before 12 p.m. which will give us the time to make sure all necessary personnel is informed before 2:30 p.m. each day. We appreciate CAC’s security as they have increased vigilance in making sure our students go home safely and with the person/s permitted. Ms. Samah will continue to be at the dismissal gate from 3:00 and Ms. Nadia from 4:00 for our after school activity dismissal time.

                  How to give permission?
                  • Write to the classroom teacher informing the dismissal plan change.
                  • Name the person you are giving permission to and the date/s.
                  • In the case of a change in driver or nanny, full names and photos are needed.
                  What will happen if no permission has been given?If we do not have a written record of a change in dismissal, security will not let the student leave campus. The student will be sent to the office. To avoid disappointment, please make sure to arrange the change in dismissal plans ahead of time.

                  Our student's safety is a school/home priority and we thank you for your understanding, support and welcome your feedback.

                  Swimming

                  On Sunday, April 29th students in KG - Grade 5 will begin swimming in PE in their 1 hour lesson, each week, for the remainder of the school year. Please make sure that your child is fully prepared for swimming with the following PE swimming uniform:
                  • An appropriate swimsuit
                  • OWN pair of properly fitted goggles (not shared with siblings)
                  • Suitably sized towel
                  • Long hair tied back off the face or a swim cap (girls and boys)
                  • No jewelry, including rubber and string bands and watches
                  • Easy to take on and off clothes and shoes (crocs are ideal)
                  As a reminder each classes swimming days are:
                  • Sunday - 2R
                  • Wednesday - 2K
                  • Thursday - 2S
                  Students will need to wear their full PE uniform in all 30 minute classes for the remainder of the year, including shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers.

                  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your support,
                  Mr. Phil Greene
                  Mr. Mark Mayfield

                  ES PE Department

                  Talent Show Update

                  Our ES Talent Show date has been moved to April 30th. We are supporting our wonderful PTO with this change of date. Thank you all for your flexibility.

                  Please find below important dates and information regarding this year’s ES Talent Show:

                  Sunday, April 29th is the mandatory rehearsal in the CAC Theatre from 3:15 - 5:15. All students must have a way to go home; the late bus service is not available. Students will be dismissed from the CAC Theatre at 5:15.

                  All Choir students will attend the Choir rehearsal on Sunday, April 29th, then come directly to the CAC Theatre for the remainder of the rehearsal.

                  The Talent Show will be for ALL ACTS beginning at 5:30 - 7:30 on April 30th. The Show will end by 8pm. ALL ACTS must come to the Theatre at 5pm, performance ready.

                  ES Talent Show - April 30th, 2018
                  Tickets - 30LE per seat
                  • Performances: 5:30-6:15
                  • Intermission: 6:15-6:30
                  • Performances: 6:30-7:15
                  • Show ends 7:30pm.
                  Thank you for your continued support. Please contact Ms. Dolly for any further clarifications or questions.

                  ES Talent Show Team

                  From the library - Used Book Sale, May 8 to 10

                  We are getting ready for our annual used book sale, this year from May 8 to 10. We welcome donations of used books for all ages in saleable condition. This is a good time for departing families to dispose of books before packing. We will soon have a donation box at the front gate.

                  Core Value Books

                  The core value for April is COURAGE. We will be sending home the core value book about courage: Drum Dream Girl. Please read it with your child, then return it to school for the next student to take home.
                  • What is the definition of courage? The core value definition of courage is “be brave in words and actions.”  What would your students add to this? What does this mean to them?
                  • Discuss with your kids how courage... 
                    • Is used by adults in the workplace, 
                    • Is used by students outside of school, 
                    • Applies to school situations, 
                    • Benefits when mastered, 
                    • Consequences of not possessing it. 

                  What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

                  Readers’ Workshop

                  We had a successful Reading Celebration last Thursday. Grade 2 students shared one of the topics they researched during the previous weeks in order to become experts. They shared all their knowledge in a poster with Grade 1. Our students were able to present about their topics, answer questions and reflect on their learning as they use the informational features that we have been studying in our last unit of study. Here you can see some examples:




















                  This week we will start our poetry unit. Students will be reading a variety of different poems and will discuss what they have observed about a specific poem. They will talk about the feelings, words, and phrases that caught their attention. Students will be introduced to smilies, metaphors, and alliteration as they immerse themselves further into our poetry. Students will learn that poetry is another way to express one's feelings.

                  Writers’ Workshop

                  This week students will not only be reading poems but they will also be writing them. They will be learning that poets don't see things with regular eyes, but that they sometimes look at things from different angles or think about what things resemble. This helps poets write about the world in different, unusual ways. Students will also be introduced to how they can give their poems music by paying attention to where they put words and where they don't put words. They will be encouraged to try a few different ways of breaking up their lines by reading their poems aloud after each try, until the poem is written in a way that sounds just right to them.

                  Math

                  This week we will continue learning how to display measurement data into tables and line plots. Students ended the last week collecting data as they measure to the nearest inch or centimeter. Now they will organize that data into tables and finally put it in a line plot. Students will learn how to label their horizontal axis and interpret the information in a line plot. This will help them draw conclusions based on the measurement data presented in graph. At the end of this week students will be assessed in Module 7. Next week they will be bringing home the assessment with a reflection on their progress.
                  Some of the objectives are:
                  • Choose the best unit (e.g., inch, foot, yard) to measure a given object.
                  • Estimate the length of a given item by using a mental benchmark; then measure the item by using inches, feet, or yards.
                  • Measure a line by using both centimeters and inches. Compare the measurements and relate the difference to the sizes of the length units.
                  • Measure and compare two lengths and use addition or subtraction to determine the difference.
                  Key understandings of Module 7:
                  • I can use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.
                  • I can measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
                  • I can relate addition and subtraction to length.
                  • I can represent and interpret data.
                  *Don’t forget to check out Eureka Math.

                  *Tips for parents: Module 7Topic DTopic E and Topic F.

                  Science

                  This week we will be wrapping up our Science project for our unit on Force, Motion and Simple Machines. Students will be trying their machines and creating a video about their end of unit project to show what they have learned about being a scientist and about simple machines. Their goal is to put together a video presentation showing the steps they took to build their compound machine, reflecting about them as scientists. Here you have a sample of their work in their compound machines during last week:









                  Essential Questions:
                  • How do objects move?
                  • How does force and motion help me understand the world around me?
                  Some suggested discussions you can have at home:
                  Discuss how simple machines help us in everyday living using unit vocabulary:
                  • direction, slide, back/forth, pulley, movement, push/pull force, gravity simple machine - any of the basic mechanical devices for applying a force, such as an inclined plane, wedge, or lever, wheel and axle, pulley
                  • Force - energy that moves something
                  • Effort x distance = work
                  • Discuss motion and forces.

                  Circles

                  Focus: displaying courage especially when working with others, in the classroom, at school, at home, and in the community.