Winter Party!!

We had a great time at our 2nd Grade Winter Party!


We rotated through 3 different stations:


1. Pin the carrot nose on the snowman

2. Cookie decorating

3. Design your own winter mug

 

Thank you parents for all your help! It was great to see all of you!

 

 

Enjoy the Winter Break!

 

I will see you on Monday, January 7, 2013.

Happy New Year!!

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Jan Brett Author Study

One of the authors we study in 2nd grade is Jan Brett. She is famous for her books, The Mitten, and The Hat. We read these first in class.

We then went to the library to learn more about Jan Brett and read some more of her wonderful books.  Mrs. Biamont, our amazing librarian, had stations for us to use technology to learn about our author. We had 5 stations we rotated thru. Each station had a different type of technology to learn from.

At one station, students listened to Armadillo Rodeo on ipods.

At station 2, students predicted what would happen in Hedgie's Surprise and then listened to the story on ipod touches.

At station 3, students listened to The Three Little Dassies on ipod touches, and then used the ipads to watch videos about Jan Brett to learn where her inspiration came from.

At another station, students were on the mac laptops reading a powerpoint with information about Jan Brett. Students then took a quiz on the ipad to access what they learned.

At the last station, Mrs. Biamont was helping students write a letter to Jan Brett.

We had a great time learning about Jan Brett with all the technology. :)

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Science Night

I hope all that had the opportunity to come to Science Night enjoyed learning some new things about Science!!!


I had fun at my station which was Sink or Float?


Students were able to examine different types of rocks with a magnifying glass,

  predict if the physical properties of the rock would allow the rock to sink or float, and then test out their hypothesis.

 
 


 After trying many rocks, they came to one conclusion: the less dense rocks float. Most rocks are very dense which is why most rocks do not float.

We only had one rock that did float!

As the night went on, that one rock above became water-logged and didn't float much. I kept going to the drying in the bathroom to help the rock out. Eventually, none of the rocks floated. :)

If you were not able to make it to Science Night this year, I encourage you to attend next year. All who came, appeared to have a great time.

Paper Plates and Motion?

In our study of motion, we looked at the movements of sliding, spinning, and rolling.

We had fun creating a pinwheel to represent spinning in the wind, a wagon with pasta wheels to represent rolling, and then we used a paper plate to represent sliding across the room as if we were skating.

The question we were testing was: How can you get the paper plate from one side of the room to the other side of the room?

At first, so tried rolling. Other tried spinning. But, sliding was the most effective way to the get the plate around the room.

See some pictures of the fun we had below.

 

 

   

Motion: Toy Cars & Dominoes!

We used toy cars and dominoes to help us learn about motion in science. We made ramps out of dictionary books and a mini-whiteboard to build a ramp. We then let our play cars go down the ramp and measured the total distance traveled.

We learned that:

Color and size did not make our car travel a farther distance. What made our car go farther was the change in position of the car from the top of the ramp to the bottom of the ramp. The height of the ramp allowed the car to gain speed to travel farther. The higher the ramp, the farther the car traveled.

We also looked at the results of the different cars our friends brought in to see which car traveled the farthest and why?

We learned that color, size, or change in position was not the key for the fastest car.

We concluded...It was the weight of the car that made the difference. The lighter the car = the faster the car traveled down the ramp. The faster the car traveled down the ramp = the farther distance the car traveled.

Dominoes!!!

A domino designer (via video) taught us how the energy stored in a domino can actually topple a domino close to twice it’s size.  He used graduated sizes to demonstrate the concept.   We also watched a domino artist (via video) who created designs with a variety of techniques to learn about dominoes and chain reaction.

Then, we had time to experiment with dominoes to build our own designs and learn about chain reactions. Our 5th grade book buddies from Ms. Marron's class joined us in this adventure. See some of our designs and the fun we had below.
 

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We learned:

That creating a domino design is not easy! It can be very frustrating because it takes so long to set up and one little movement will cause the reaction to start.

Once a motion starts, you can't stop it. Then you have to begin again.

If your chain reaction stops in the middle, next time you have to make sure your domoinoes are close enough together so that energy can transfer from the previous domino to the next domino to continue the chain reaction.

Learning is FUN!!!

Fun with Magnets!!!

We went on a classroom magnet scavenger hunt this week to see which items in our classroom were magnetic or non-magnetic. See some of what we learned below.

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Winter Party Info.

Hello  Parents,

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are upon us and it’s time to start planning our WINTER PARTY!  Our party is scheduled for Friday, December 21st from 1:50p.m. to 2:50p.m. 

We are asking for each child to please contribute $5.00 cash to go towards the purchase of party supplies and crafts.  Please send your contribution to your  child’s teacher  in an envelope marked “Winter Party” by  Friday, December 7th.  Make sure your child’s name is also on the envelope. 

Our theme for this year’s party is Snowmen!  We have some fun and exciting activities planned for the kids and we are looking forward to a great time! 

If you have any questions or you would like to help out during the party, please contact Cristina Crawford via email at Crawford_Cristina@yahoo.com

Thank you in advance for your support in making our Winter Party a big success for our children.  We really appreciate your help and cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Cristina Crawford

Room Parents for Ms. Matt's Class

Slime U Celebration of Learning!!

Fun Times At Slime University!!!

See Mr. I and Mrs. Davis get slimed and k, 1, and 2 perform in activities.

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Mis-Matched Day and Pajama Day

The kids had a fun time dressing up these days and did a great job with their wardrobes!!!
Very Creative!!!!
   

2nd Grade's Small World Holiday Angels

2nd Grade is collecting items for two children in need this holiday season.

Below is the information you need to know if you would like to contribute.

Angel # 910 - 2047

Age:11         Gender: Male

Pants: boys (7-16) - 18 H
Shirt:  boys (7 - 16) - 16
Coat:   boys (7-16) - 16
Underwear: boys large
Shoes: Men size 10

Needs: Clothes and shoes

Wishes: fighting game for PS2 or car racing game for PS2.


Angel # 930 - 2105

Age: 4       Gender: Female

Pants: toddler 3T
Shirt: toddler 4T
Shoes: kid 8
Coat: girls (1-6) size 5
Underwear: toddler 4T

Needs: coats, tennis shoes, pants/jeans

Wishes: 12 inch bike with training wheels, barbies, baby dolls

Please send the unwrapped gifts in a bag with the angel number on the bag.

Thank you for helping to make a difference in the life of a child during this holiday season!

Summer Trip to Egypt

One of our writing prompt's this last month was to write about a trip that you went on with your family. I chose to write about my trip to Egypt. This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Egypt to teach tennis to teens at a sports camp for 7 days outside of Cairo.  In addition to teaching tennis, I taught kids how to get across the high ropes, climb up a climbing wall, and go down a zipline. We also worked at different team building stations. You will see some of these in the pictures. At one station, my only prop was a huge spiderweb. The whole team had to get threw a hole one at a time without touching the rope. All holes were different sizes. They had to work together as a team to get this done to get everyone to the other side. At another, 7 team members had to kick a soccer ball and have it land on a small circular rug. This was actually pretty difficult to kick it with just the right touch and soccer is the main sport in Egypt. We also had the opportunity to get some sightseeing in as well. We traveled into Cairo and shopped for souvenirs at the bazaar. After touring the Pyramids at Giza, we rode a camel. Riding a camel, for those wondering, it's like riding a horse. Lastly ,we took a trip to the Red Sea. At the Red Sea, we relaxed on the beach, which looks very much like one of our beaches in the USA. We played some volleyball and I collected some red rocks from the Red Sea. Not all rocks were red. But, I was amazed at how many were. I had an amazing time and enjoyed many activities for the first time ever. This was definitley a trip of a lifetime for me. I will not ever forget this trip because I saw so many cool things. The slide show below is just a quick look of what I did while I was there. The kids have really enjoyed hearing about my trip. So, if they have been telling you about it, now you get to check it out for yourself.  :)

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Boosterthon Fun Run Nov. 2012

We all had a great time these last two weeks getting pledges and running in our Fun Run.

Our class did a great job with getting pledges. I am so proud of all my students. We collected over $60 per lap, just for our class. WOW!!! Some incentives your students won were shoes off day, free seating at lunch, pajama day, stuffed animal day, and extra computer time. Be looking in planners for the days we will do pajama day and stuffed animal day.

The Boosterthon team encouraged us to make good choices while they were here.

We learned that...

We can choose our character.
We can choose fitness.
We can choose leadership.
We can be repectful.
We can choose a great attitude.

Thank you parents and those who pledged money for all your help and support. We are so excited!!!

Now, it's time to collect on those pledges. Friday, I sent home a letter and an envelope letting you know the amounts you need to collect from each pledger. Send all money collected in by Nov. 15th. Thank you in advance.

Enjoy a glimpse of the fun that we had below.

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Types of Communities

In Social Studies the last few weeks, we have been learning about the 3 main types of communities: Rural, Suburban, and Urban. 

Enjoy the slideshow below with wisdom from the mouths of your babes. These kids just make me smile. :)

We are putting a CAP on drugs in our community!!

 



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We are TEAM-ing up against drugs in our community!!

Bridge Designers

The last couple of weeks in Science we have been studying the parts of bridges.

Your students were given materials to work with to design a bridge of their own. The goal was to design a bridge that could hold the most amount of weight.

I want to add that this is VERY challenging!

The students were given notecards, string, duck tape, clear tape, straws, playdoh, paper clips, and masking tape to build with. They did not have to use all the materials. They could use any of the above listed materials. So, they had to be creative!

This is a lot harder than it looks. But, all had a great time and I love seeing how the groups were working together.

Heads up! Your students might ask you for some supplies to build their own bridge at home. :)

Below is what the bridge designers came up with.

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Red Ribbon Week

***Parents,

The cafe staff asks that you put money into your student’s account for their own lunches before you come to have lunch with your child. The cash payment - especially on Fridays, tends to slow the line down. 

Thanks! 

 

This week is Red Ribbon Week Oct 15 - 19th!!!

 

Mon. - Wear Red!!

 

 

Tues. - Put a cap on drugs! Wear a Hat!  

LIBRARY DAY...bring your books

 

Wed. -   Team up against drugs!  Wear your favorite sports team jersey or shirt.

 

Thurs. - Don’t let unhealthy choices “sneak” up on you!   Wear sneakers!!!

 

Fri. - Stay drug Free!  Wear your school shirt to show your spirit.             

 



Book Fair and Boosterthon are coming soon!!!

No Library the week of Oct 8th due to our All Star Book Fair coming next week Oct 8 - 12.

On Thursday, we went and previewed the books available for purchase at our book fair. Students worked with their buddy reading class and wrote down titles of books they are interested in and the prices so you have an estimate of what they would like to have.

Our class will visit the book fair on Thursday, Oct. 11th from 2:00 - 2:30. You are more than welcome to come up before then with your student and purchase. This is just the time I have set aside for us to do this.

Dates for the All-Star Book Fair:

Shopping – October 8^th – 12^th

Hours to buy:

M, T,TH 7:30am - 5 pm    W 7:30 - 9pm
F          7:30 am - 9 am

  TESTING 101 

Attention  Robertson, Boals, Purefoy and Phillips Parents

 Please join us for an informational meeting regarding                          current Frisco ISD Elementary Testing.

 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Meeting Location:

Robertson Elementary Cafeteria

2501 Woodlake Parkway
Little Elm, TX 75068

 

Presented by:

Debbie Pool, Frisco ISD

District Testing Coordinator

And

Karen Kidd

District 504 Coordinator

Assistant Testing Coordinator

 

An overview of the following tests will be discussed:

STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness):  3^rd-5^th Grades

CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test): 1^st & 5^th Grades

ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills): 2^nd Grade

 

SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

BOOSTERTHON 2012

Check out the website to find out more about what Boosterthon is and how you can help your children and our school. We need your help!

Boosterthon Video.....Get EXCITED!!!!

Calling all Dads!!!

Have you been wanting to help out at your child's school, but you don't know where to start?

I have a solution for you! At Robertson Elementary we love our dads to come help out at our school. This program is called Watch Dog Dads!

Dads help us out in the hallways, at lunch, at recess, during specials, at computer classes, etc.  

Check out the website below for more information about how you can get involved.

Robertson Elementary's Watch Dog Dads Website

 

We look forward to seeing you!

College and Career Week

Michael's dad visited and talked to us about his road to becoming a professor and a scientist. He went to 3 different schools and is now an expert in his field. He emphasized that even pro sports players also need a college degree. The training you receive in school today and in the years to come is what will help you be productive and do well in college. When your training is complete, you will be equipped to be what you want to be when you grow up. We had a great discussion with Dr. McFarlin.

Thank you Dr. McFarlin for coming to talk to us and encouraging us to do well in school and to go to college. We now realize that our FUTURE is so bright and full of possiblities!!!

Parents,

If any of you would like to come share about your career, you are welcome anytime. Just email me and let me know. We look forward to hearing about your career throughout the year.  

Miss Matt

You Can Classify Matter

This last two weeks in Science, we having been learning about what Matter is and that we can classify and describe matter by using physical properties. We classified the contents of our desk, brought in items from home & around the classroom and sorted them by shape, color, texture, size, metal or not, solids, liquids, things that hold something inside or not, etc.

We also made the connection that matter is a noun.

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Time Capsule

The first week of school we took some time to get to know our classmates, get our desk and supplies set up for the year, and we created a ............TIME CAPSULE!! 

For the time capsule, we listed our current favorites and measured the length of our arm, leg, waist, height, and head. This of course was a blast for everyone!

The time capsules are hidden in the classroom. We will revisit them at the end of the year to see how much each student has grown through out the year.

These will be sent home at the end of the year as well.  

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