Welcome Back!

Dear Parents, 

Welcome back, and what a fabulous start to our school year! I am excited for this opportunity to work with your children! It is going to be a year full of fun, learning and adventures. You will find lots of information on our classroom blog, so please check it regularly. 

Weekly Highlights
We worked collaboratively to create expectations for our classroom. We began by reading Back-To-School Rules then got to use markers and chart paper to share what we thought was really important to creating a positive classroom community. 

In Literacy, students have begun learning strategies to use when they are unsure of how to spell a word during writing activities. We have been practicing using the GUM-IT strategy (guess - sound it out, underline it, move on), and how to use our personal dictionaries. We also had an opportunity to read with a partner from our personal 'Books I'm Learning' bags. 

In Math, we have been learning about 2D shapes. Students have been experimenting with new vocabulary to describe shapes, including edges and corners (or vertices). We also completed a scavenger hunt for circles, triangle, squares and rectangles. We are becoming experts at finding these shapes and would love the chance to find some to show you at home! 

We began Social Studies by looking at Canada! Using Google Earth, we located and learned how Canada is split into provinces and territories. We were able to use our 'birds eye view' to see Alberta and Calgary, even exploring local places within Calgary, such as Kenneth D. Taylor School, the Calgary Zoo, The Bow building and even some of our parents work places! 

We look forward to sharing even more highlights with you throughout the year on our blog! 

Important Dates for September

• Sept. 21 & 22 Student, Parent Teacher Conferences - Please click HERE to book a time to come in. (No school for students Sept 22)
• Sept. 25 Non-Instructional Day 
• Sept. 29 Orange Shirt Day & Terry Fox Run/Walk

Back to School Notes

• Early dismissal every Friday at noon. Please continue to send a lunch with your child on these days as we will give them an opportunity to eat while they learn!
• We strongly encourage students to bring a water bottle to school with them every day. These can stay at school each day and will be sent home each Friday to be washed.
• As Calgary's weather changes quickly, it is important to dress for varying weather conditions. We recommend dressing in layers so students are able to adapt as needed. For example, a t-shirt, sweater and water resistant jacket for this weeks varying weather. 
• We strongly discourage students from bringing toys and precious belongings, such as stuffies, to school as they may get lost or broken. 

Looking forward to a wonderful year in Grade 2!

Sincerely, 
Mrs. Brar