Super Moon/Lunar Eclipse
     Wow! That was something else, wasn't it? It was a bit cloudy, but there were a few minutes when you could see the red moon in its eclipsed phase. Then, later on, it was just a super bright full moon. All just in time for Mr. Quitt's birthday!

Accelerated Reader Progress
     Congratulations to the Cool Kids who have already made their AR goals for the first trimester: Sebastian, Brian, Sidney, Sonia, Benson, Aimee, and Helen!
     Remember, each and every student should be able to make their goals, as the point goal and reading level goal is set individually for each student. Each student has THREE goals: a reading level goal (which means that the books that students quiz on and check out from the library should be within that range), an accuracy goal (which is the same for every student: students must average 85% correct on the quizzes), and a point goal (which is based on the student's reading level as determined by the STAR Reading test).
     Once a Cool Kid has made their goal for the trimester, they may choose to continue taking quizzes on their books or not.  Some students enjoy the challenge of collecting points. They may read books at ANY LEVEL (except black and white levels), on ANY SUBJECT, fiction or non-fiction.  The books do NOT have to be AR books. You can check out books above your level, below your level, or even non-AR books! If you read this far, please send in a paper with your child's name and their birthday for a small treat or sticker.

PTA Family Fun Night
     Please join the PTA at TuttiFrutti from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Fair Oaks Ranch will receive a portion of the profits from sales.  Unfortunately for me, I won't be there this time (Tuesdays and Thursdays are horse riding nights for me).  However, if you turn in your receipt that has the correct date and time period,  your student will receive a free homework pass from me that is good for any one homework assignment (not counting special projects, of course). Be sure to put the student's name on the receipt!!

Morning Work
     Every week, students receive a "morning work" paper. It has math on one side and language on the other. Students complete a small section each day, Monday through Thursday. We correct it together, so when we are finished, each student's paper should have the correct answers (if they were focused and correcting along with the class). I do not grade this paper; it is strictly for the students and families to use for practice. 
     Each Thursday, students will bring the completed and self-corrected morning work paper home. It is a good idea to review this with your student, because we have a quiz on the material each Friday. The quiz items are directly correlated to the morning work practice and to the state standards. The quiz IS graded.

Daily 5
     We use the Daily 5 as a way to structure our daily literacy block. Students practice Read to Self, Word Work, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, and Listen to Reading, while I work with a group of students, check in with students, and/or observe students. Some of the students are familiar with the Daily 5 from first grade.
     In order for this method to work, students must build their reading STAMINA. Our goal is to be able to Read to Self for 20 minutes without getting tired or giving up. We are still working on meeting this goal as a class--as soon as someone talks, is off task, or distracts someone else, our Read to Self time is over for the day.
     During Read to Self, students must pick a good spot in the classroom where they will be able to read the entire time and stick with it, bring "good fit" books with them (generally their AR books), stay focused, and read "in their head."
     I will explain the other parts of the Daily 5 in future blog posts--no need to be overwhelmed with info!
     If you have read this far, please send in a note with your student's name and their favorite color!

Awards
     This month's awards assembly is scheduled for Friday, September 25 at 8:55 a.m. in the MPR. Congratulations to Sebastian, Brian, and Sonia for receiving special recognitions this month.

PTA Family Fun Night
     You are invited to support our PTA this Tuesday evening from 5-9 p.m. at the Fair Oaks Ranch Family Fun Night at Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, 19401 Soledad Canyon Rd. It's in the TJ Maxx parking lot next to Camp Plenty Rd.
     If you turn in your receipt dated 9/29/15 from 5-9 p.m., your student will get a free homework pass from me! Be sure to put your student's name on the receipt.

Hi! Is anyone out there? Are you checking in with the blog? 

If you have read this blog entry, please send in a piece of paper with your child's name and the sentence, "I read the blog!" The students who bring this to me will get a sticker.

Writing
     Our first writing genre is opinion. Students began writing opinions in first grade. In first grade, students must have four sentences in their opinion paragraph, in the following pattern:

     Opinion sentence (topic sentence)
     Reason sentence to support opinion
     Elaboration sentence to explain the reason (or another reason)
     Opinion is restated as the concluding sentence.

     What's that spell? OREO! This acronym makes it easier for students to remember. A typical FIRST GRADE opinion paragraph might look like this:

     Winter is the best season. I like to visit the snow during the winter. It is fun to build snowmen. I love winter!

     In second grade, we expand on this by adding more sentence VARIETY, adding lots of adverbs and adjectives, using transition words, and including a total of three reasons and elaborations. The pattern is like this:

     Opinion sentence (topic sentence)
     Reason sentence to support opinion
     Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
     Reason sentence to support opinion
     Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
     Reason sentence to support opinion
     Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
     Opinion is restated as the concluding sentence.

     It's like a triple stuffed Oreo. O-RE-RE-RE-O! Each reason and elaboration can be two separate sentences, or can be combined into one sentence. A typical SECOND GRADE opinion paragraph that earns a score of 3 might look like this:

     Winter is the best season. Visiting the snow during the winter is exciting because it is fun to build snowmen with the icy, wet snow. Also, I enjoy drinking hot, chocolatey cocoa. It is so delicious and warms me up after playing in the snow. Finally, Christmas happens in the middle of winter. My family always drives through our neighborhood to see the pretty decorations on the houses. I love winter!

     Please practice at home, at least orally. Need some ideas? Ask about favorites. Or, ask about least favorite things.

1. What's your favorite pizza topping?
   
2. What's your favorite fruit?
3. What's your least favorite vegetable?
4. Which do you like best: Minecraft, My Little Pony, Pokémon, or Spiderman?
5. Which do you like best: K'nex, Legos, Tinker Toys, or another building toy?
6. What's the best ride at Disneyland?
7. Who is the most interesting character in your child's favorite movie/book?

Attendance
     September is Attendance Awareness month.
     Did you know that:

• children with good attendance generally achieve higher grades?
• the more days of school a student misses, the lower their grades are?
• dropout patterns in high school are linked to poor attendance beginning in kindergarten?
• lessons are planned sequentially, so when your student is absent, they will miss building blocks and concepts they need to succeed?
• our school budget is affected by your student's absences?

     What you can do to help:

• help your child get to school ON TIME every day
• check homework
• take an active role
• locate potential sources of anxiety
• try to limit the amount of school your child misses due to medical appointments or illnesses
• schedule family events with your child's school schedule in mind
• plan ahead
• promote good health through diet and exercise
• create a restful environment at home

PTA Reflections
     This year's PTA Reflections theme is: Let Your Imagination Fly! That's a GREAT theme for unleashing your creativity.
     Students can enter in many different categories, from photography to dance choreography.
     Please see the green flyer going home on Tuesday for more information. Contact Leilani Austria at [email protected] if you have questions.

Phonics Emergency Alert!
     I have discovered that many students in Mrs. Quitt's Cool Kids are having difficulty with phonics.  That is, when given a list of words to sort into appropriate categories, MANY of them are unable to do so.  
     Students should be able to EASILY identify long and short vowel sounds. They should be able to EASILY determine how many syllables are in any word. These are FIRST GRADE skills.
     Why is phonics important?
     Phonics helps students decode unfamiliar words, so it helps with reading skills. Phonics helps students spell, so it helps with writing skills.
     Please be sure your student can do these skills. Some websites to help you out: Fast Phonics, Scratch Garden, and StarFall are just some of the online resources available.  Google Phonics for Kids to see many more resources.  Some are free, others have a fee.

 Welcome!
     I am so excited to have finally met my 25 new second grade students!  It is a wonderful and diverse group.  We spent our first few days getting to know each other and my expectations for student conduct.  They will tell you, "Mrs. Quitt is very particular!"

Class Expectations
     Together with the students, we came up with a set of class rules for the year. The rules boil down to: BE RESPECTFUL. This one rule covers all the other rules that we included in our list.  Think about it for a moment.  Is "don't push" a good class rule?  I suppose so.  Is it respectful to push?  No!  Is "don't talk while another person is talking" a good rule?  Sure.  Is it respectful to talk while someone else is talking? No!  And so forth.  Any rule you can think up is covered by this one rule:  BE RESPECTFUL!  Respect is the grease that keeps our classroom and our community at large running smoothly and peacefully.
     My expectations for students are high.  I expect each student to be independent and able to make good decisions about their day.  For example, students should not ask me if it is allowable for them to get a drink.  Instead, students should ask themselves, "Is this a good time to get a drink of water?  Hmmm.  If I get up now, will it interrupt Mrs. Quitt or my classmates?  Will I be missing instruction?"  The answer to that question should help students make their own decision.
     I also expect students to be problem solvers. For example, instead of interrupting a lesson to tell me that they can't find their highlighter, they can find another way to solve that problem.  Could they use a yellow crayon as a highlighter? How about a yellow marker?
     Those are are three classroom standards we live by in Mrs. Quitt's Cool Kids:
     • Show respect
     • Make good choices
     • Solve your problem

     It is going to be another wonderful school year, full of learning and accomplishment for all of us!

Homework
     This year's homework should be a snap for your student.  I will be distributing the homework packets/homework logs on FRIDAYS, and they will be due the following Friday.  This way, our busy families can get a head start on homework over the weekend, if they like.
     Nightly homework will be: 10 minutes free choice reading of a "good fit" book, 1 minute read aloud fluency passage, and a two-sided math page.  That's it!  
     There will be additional projects, speeches, and study guides from time to time.

     The pink Homework Log is due each FRIDAY.  You will receive a new one each week.  Be sure to fill it out completely.  Your initials and signature indicate that you have reviewed your child's homework and listened to them read the fluency passage. The homework log will be considered incomplete without your initials, signature, and the student's name AND number.
     Children should put their weekly homework into the white basket that will be outside the classroom BEFORE the start of school.
     Sometimes, students will have additional homework.  If they have incomplete classwork, or work they need additional practice with at home, they will bring with them to complete at home.  These pages are due the next day.

Communication
     Open communication is the key to meeting your children's needs at school. In addition to this blog, my most common ways to communicate with parents is through a ClassDojo message and/or email. Please do not hesitate to email me, send me a message via ClassDojo, click the Contact Me button at the top of this page, or send a note along with your child if you have any concerns or questions.  I am happy to work with you and your child to be sure they have a great second grade experience. After all, this is the best school in the universe!

Transitions
     The transition to second grade and our faster pace is not easy for some students.  We work quickly and cover a lot of ground.  Please be sure that your child has a healthy snack/breakfast and uses the restroom before school.  Those "few minutes" out of the classroom can cause a student to fall behind, as I do not wait for them to return to continue our lessons, or stop the class to help them catch up.
     I am happy to answer any questions you may have. 

     Wow! That's a lot of information.  I have a lot more to share with you, but I'm going to stop for today!