The Bill Passed!

Thanks to all of the "city council members" who attended our meeting last Thursday.  We presented the Public Pier Bill as well as our model of what we thought Pier 15 should have under this proposed law.  After some serious discussion, presentations from both the high rise developer and our committee, and a Q&A session with the creators of the bill, it was voted on.  It passed - 15 to 4!  I'll post more photos with captions this week, but didn't want to leave our readers hanging about the fate of our vote.

In other news, the year is winding down in second grade.  We're spending a lot of time reflecting on our favorite parts of this year, talking about our hopes for next year, and realizing how much we've grown this year.  Tomorrow we will be visiting the third grade classes to ask the teachers and students questions about third grade and tour their rooms.  I can't believe we're almost third graders!

Spring Break

Enjoy a safe, relaxing, and sunny Spring Break with your family!

See you all at 8:30 on Wednesday, April 23rd!  (And remember:  If you're running late on Wednesday, we're in the dance studio until 9:15.)

Reading Olympics

Yesterday packets for the Reading Olympics went home.  Please read through the information with your child and keep both the form and the envelope in a safe place over the next few weeks.  Students in second grade have the option of either reading 10 different books in the month of March or reading for 10 hours (more appropriate, perhaps, for longer chapter books).  Ask family and friends to pledge to your Reading Olympics sheet.  The suggested amount is at least $1 per book/hour.  Envelopes with the completed forms (regardless of the money) will be collected on Friday, April 4th.  Over the last few years, we have raised a lot of money for our drama, art, and music programs at EVCS.  Happy reading!

Updates and Announcements

Just a few announcements:

As we all know, it's been quite cold recently!  When we have indoor arrival and/or dismissal (cold weather or precipitation) please do not enter/exit through the lobby.  Please enter the building at the ramp (halfway between the front lobby doors and the school yard gate) and go through the cafeteria.  If it is before 8:30, your child can remain in the cafeteria until school starts.  Breakfast is also served until 8:30.  Dismissal should be the same - please enter the building through the cafeteria.  From the cafeteria, there are three different stairwells to use to get upstairs.

Secondly, a huge "thank you" to everyone who has helped chaperone the locker rooms during our weekly swimming lessons.  If you didn't sign up and still want to come, please meet us in the lobby at 11:20am on any upcoming Monday.

In case you didn't see it in James' emails, please note that next Wednesday we will be having a small music share based on the work the students have been doing with Nina from S'cool Sounds.  They'll be playing the recorder, drums, and shakers.  The share will be in the auditorium from 9:00am-9:30am and will be only for the first and second graders as well as their families.  They will definitely be seats for you!

Speaking of seats, on Monday morning we will be holding a special Town Meeting to honor Pete Seeger.  Please join us in the auditorium - and sit with us! - to sing some great songs together.  Hope to see you sitting and signing with us next week.

Finally, I'm sure you're being bombarded with emails from the PA about this event, but just another reminder about the EVCS Winter Jubilee next Friday.  Click the link to learn more about this great event that supports the wonderful drama, art, and project-based work our school values so much.

Thanks!

Updates

Sorry for the silence on the blog!  We are back in the swing of things at second grade!  I wanted to make sure that everyone knew what is coming up:

- Half day next Friday!  Pick-up is at 11:30 on January 17th.
- Our schedule of prep classes has changed.  We now have:

• Art on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
• Dance on Mondays and Wednesday

- Swimming lessons start on Monday!  We will be leaving at 11:10 this week and 11:20 the following Mondays to swim.  We will return around 1:45 to eat lunch in the classroom.  Please pack accordingly.

- We will be switching back to library on Fridays for the next 10 weeks to accomodate swimming on Mondays.

- We will begin chess class on Fridays as well!  Bradley will be teaching chess to us each week to learn this strategic game.

- In February we will be having our music share based on our recorder and percussion work with S'cool Sounds.  Stay tuned for the date and time!

- This Monday we have our next Town Meeting.  Join us in the auditorium from 8:30 until 9:10 on Monday morning.  

I think that's all for now.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

- Liz

Publishing Share and the Festival of Lights

Next Wednesday (December 18th) is a very exciting day in our class!

From 8:30-9:15 we will be having a publishing share of our published research books and our dioramas!  Please come check out the great work our students have been doing over the past few weeks.

Then, follow us downstairs to the auditorium for the 9:30 start time of the Festival of Lights!  The whole school will be performing, singing, and gathering together for a wonderful EVCS tradition.

Hope to see you then!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful four-day weekend with family and friends!  Today's Harvest Festival was a great success, with our class bringing in 59 cans to help those in need!  See you all on Monday at 8:30!

We did shared-writing this morning to
write a Thanksgiving Poem with Jessica

- Liz

Inside Schools

From InsideSchools.Org

Just wanted to let everyone know that the new write-up about EVCS by Inside Schools is now on their website.  There are a few photos from their visit to our classroom as well.  Enjoy!

http://insideschools.org/elementary/browse/school/17

Town Meeting and Question of the Day

The schedule for the 2013/2014 Town Meetings is out, and we will begin next week!  Town Meetings are a time for the school community to gather together and sing. We will be using our brand-new auditorium, so all parents are welcome to join us this year.

All Town Meetings are on Monday mornings, immediately following drop-off.  Hope to see you there!

Town Meeting Dates

October 28
November 25
December 9
January 13
February 3
March 3
March 17
March 31
April 28
May 12
June 2
June 16

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A routine that we practice every day is our Question of the Day. Each morning, the students find their colored card (it matches the table they sit at) and complete our class's bar graph about a question. After we've all unpacked and begun our Morning Meeting, we discuss the data. We've learned how many siblings we each have, their favorite animals, how many pockets they wore on that day, and lots more! Bar graphs are great ways to express information to see trends and information quickly.

Today, Jessica asked us how we got to school. The 18 students who came to school today answered our question before the Morning Meeting. It looked like this:

"How did you get to school today?"
-car- -walking- -scooter- -bike- -bus/train-

We then made mathematical statements about the data. Today, students said,

"Walking was the most popular way to get to school."

"The same number of students rode bikes, scooters, or a bus/train."

"Driving was the least popular way to get here."

"Five more kids walked than went in a car."

"Half of the red table walked and half of the red table rode scooters."

"Ten kids walked or biked to school."

We are learning a lot about each other using our class bar graph - I wonder what our next Question of the Day will be!

- Liz

Reminders

Families,

It was wonderful seeing so many of you on Thursday at Curriculum Night!  I wanted to remind you of a few papers that need to be returned.

- Walking-Trip Permission Slip
     It's the bright orange paper. Without this paper, we can't take leave the building on any trips - including our first trip for Social Studies this week!

- Library Contract
     It's a pale-yellow paper. Without this paper, you child will not be able to check books out from the library.

- Swim-For-Life Form
     It's a 3-page white packet about the swim-for-life program. Without these forms signed, your child will not be able to attend swimming lessons in the winter with us.

Let me know if you need new copies of these forms.  Hope you're enjoying the weekend!

- Liz

First Day

Wow!  The first day always goes by so quickly, and today was no exception!
At EVCS, we follow the Responsive Classroom First Six Weeks of School.  It's a great way of thinking about how students best thrive in a learning environment and how to set clear expectations for all of the many procedures and routines that will soon become second-nature to our second graders.

Today we did a lot.  We had a Morning Meeting first, where we greeted one another and read our daily schedule.  Next, we went to the new dance studio with Ana.  After our first dance class, we took a tour of the school.  We saw the office, the bathrooms, the water fountains, the art studio, and the other EVCS classrooms.  After our tour, it was time to explore our crayons, markers, and colored pencils.  We experienced how we share them in our classroom and how we take care of them too.  Every marker had its cap back on its top before our next transition!  We then headed down to recess and lunch.  This year, as second graders, we get to play before we eat.

We then had Quiet Time.  Quiet Time is a 10-15 minute period of time right after lunch that allows students to work independently or rest in silence.  After that, we read a story together and had our first chance to talk to one another about a book.  We read First Day Jitters, a book about a nervous morning before the first day of school - with a twist ending!  After that, we got into math.  In our first math unit, we will be using pattern blocks to explore equivalence, geometry, and area.  Today we got a chance to simply explore these math tools - we charted lots of noticings at the end of our exploration time.  Some were thick, some thin.  Some were hard, others made of foam.  We notice right away that when we ran out of a yellow hexagon shape, we could make the same shape using rhombuses, triangles, or trapezoids.  We also made some beautiful works of art!  We practiced our sharing strategies some more during this time, learned our clean-up procedures for math tools, and had some fun too.  After math, we played a new game together, sang a new song, and packed up for home!

 The time flew by!  I can't wait for tomorrow!

- Liz

Getting ready

The teachers at EVCS have been busy for the past two weeks getting the classrooms ready for Monday.  Many students came by to see the classroom after the New Student Breakfast this week, and it was great to meet so many eager second graders! I wanted to share some pictures of the classroom with families before the start of the school year so that students will know what to expect before coming in on the first day.

 

This week I also met the student teacher who will be spending the fall semester with us.  Her name is Jessica and she is studying to become an elementary school teacher at Columbia's Teachers College.  Previously, she taught oversees and is now excited to teach in New York City. We are both looking forward to a great year in Room 402!

Enjoy your weekend!  See you Monday!

- Liz

Welcome!

Hello, second graders!  I am so excited for this school year to begin!  Check back here often for updates and information about the happenings in room 402!  Families, below is some important information about second grade before we meet in September.  I can't wait!          - Liz

Contact Information

Please feel free to contact me at any time. The best way to get a hold of me is via email. My email address is ewanttaja@schools.nyc.gov .  During the school year, you can also call the school and leave a message with the secretary.  Please note that I generally check emails and phone messages between the hours of 8:00am and 7:00pm.  Messages sent after 7:00pm may not be received until the following morning.  There may be times during the year when we need to meet outside of the conference schedule.  I will make every effort to meet with you before or immediately after school if a confirmed appointment has been made.  While quick conversations at drop off or dismissal can seem convenient, it may not give you the individual attention and thoughtfulness that a conversation about your child requires and deserves.

Second Grade Attendance

In Room 402, the school day is filled with essential teaching, project work, and activities, While I understand that life events may occur at times that don’t always coincide with the school calendar, please make all efforts to have your child in attendance during the school year.  Please also keep in mind that the official school hours are 8:30am until 2:50pm.  Please try to have your child here promptly each morning and present through the end of the day.  We are only together for 180 days – and there’s a lot to learn!

Good Links to Bookmark

Our class blog                      (our blog for Liz's second grade)

EVCS website                     (an often-updated website about EVCS and the PA)

Scholastic Book Wizard       (a great website for finding just-right books for your child)

Cafeteria Menus                  (The Department of Education's cafeteria menus)

NYC DOE 2013-2014 Calendar

NYC DOE website 

What We Learn 

As second graders, we will be exploring the community of New York City, both past and present.  We will study the government in our city during this exciting election year, discover the role of citizens in the democratic process, and expand our thinking about the needs of a community.  We will also continue the work from first grade in math, continuing to explore addition and subtraction as well as measurement and data collection.  In science we will learn about plants, the materials that make the Earth, balance, and motion.  Together, we’ll read lots of great books, write a ton, get our hands messy, and explore many topics though field trips, projects, drama, teamwork.  It will definitely be an incredible year together!

Your Role As A Parent

Parents, as your child grows your role continues to be critical in your child’s learning.  I look forward to getting to know all of you as we work together to make this year a success.  At EVCS, we ask one or two parents from each class to take on the role of Class Parent.  A Class Parent helps communicate important messages and announcements, helps with projects and field trips, coordinates our snack schedule, and assists in the fundraising for trips and materials.  Please let me know if you are interested in being a class parent.  Much of our exciting work depends on having extra hands and resources in the classroom.  Additionally, I will be emailing out our supply list very soon.  Of course, please don't forget about our Support-A-Classroom Fund as well.  It is a great way to help support our project-based learning in second grade.  

- Liz