Honoring Our Veterans

We invite you and your families to join us at Parkway next Monday morning, November 11^th, at 9:30 a.m. for a very special assembly to honor veterans and active military as we recognize Veterans’ Day. Our class made a “thank you, veterans” display for the hallway, and we are looking forward to having several of our military friends visit the classroom on Monday following the assembly. We’ve had some great class discussions about the many freedoms we have in our country- I hope you can also take this time to have some family discussions about the many blessings we have in the United States, and all of the men and women who have defended those freedoms!

~ Mrs. Howell (proud Army wife)

News and notes...

A new month has begun, which means another opportunity to earn a Book-it certificate for a free personal pan pizza! The new calendar is coming home today.

Thank you so much to all the parents and friends who helped out at the Halloween party! We all had a great time. Special thanks to Mrs. Parsons for coordinating all the festivities!

It’s the time of year when the weather is very tricky for dressing, but please help your child make a wise choice about what to wear to school. We will always have outside recess as long as it is not raining/snowing and the weather is above 32 degrees.

Updates!

Parkway tutoring ended this week. Huffman tutoring will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Parent-teacher conferences are next Tuesday and Wednesday. Please do your best to be on time for your appointment. I look forward to meeting with each of you next week!

Panther Paws…Our class had a great time this week going to Bartlett Park to celebrate earning 100 Panther Paws! Be sure to ask your child how he or she is helping our class earn some “paws” toward our next celebration!

News and Notes...

If you have not yet returned the parent-teacher conference form, please send yours back to school as soon as possible. I will try to accommodate requests as much as possible, and the sooner you request a time, the better.

Book-its!!! You will notice that I will no longer send a nightly reading log as part of the homework. You and your child can keep track of their minutes on the Book-it calendar I sent home earlier this week, and at the end of the month they can return the completed calendar in exchange for a Book-it certificate for a free personal-pan pizza.

The Daily 5

In second grade, we use the Daily 5 during Readers' Workshop as a structure to make sure all students are engaged and actively learning. We are busy in second grade learning strategies for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary as we read, and we are spending time building stamina to be able to read independently for a length of time! Today we practiced rotating through the different components of Daily 5, including Read to Self, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, and Word Work. These are great structures for helping students be productive learners during independent and partner work time, while a small group of students is doing Guided Reading with the teacher. Here are some pictures of our class practicing the Daily 5 during Readers' Workshop!

Read to Self

Word Work

Read to Someone

Read to Someone

Work on Writing

Read to Self

Read to Someone

Read to Someone

Read to Someone

Word Work

Word Work

Read to Self

Read to Self

Read to Self

News and Notes...

 Book report forms went home last Friday! Your child is required to turn

in 8 fiction book reports and 1 non-fiction book report each quarter. Your child brought home a packet containing enough forms to complete this assignment, however, he or she can also pick up forms individually in the classroom anytime.

Look for the homework packet to come home on Tuesday next week, along with the “sound dots” spelling list. I will be at a professional development training on Monday so I will wait to introduce the homework and new spelling words when I return.

Questions about “make a ten” math strategy? Check out the list of explanations of addition and subtraction strategies for kids that went home last Friday.

Also, make sure you keep an eye on the SJSD website or our app to see notifications regarding early dismissals due to the heat! 

Welcome to our classroom! 2013-2014

Book baskets ready for all those fun books!

New name...same teacher :)

View from the front door

Math Corner

Group meeting area

Classroom library

Another view of the classroom library

Books, books, books!

Guided reading area

Creativity station

Book report corner

Cozy couch for our book nook

Math corner and view of the hallway

Teacher's desk & workspace

Guided reading area

Book buddies in the classroom library

School Pledge and Pledge to the American Flag

Welcome Letter to Future Students!!!

Dear Second Grader and Family:

Welcome to 2nd grade at Parkway Elementary School, friends! My name is Ms. Auxier (right now), and I will be your second grade teacher.  I am so excited to learn together with you this year!  I look forward to building a community of learners in our classroom.

  

Here’s a little bit of my background as an educator and a learner.  I graduated from Missouri Western State University (College, at the time!) in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Education.  I graduated in the summer of 2010 from Northwest Missouri State University, where I received my Masters' Degree in Elementary Education Administration.  Before coming to 2^nd grade at Parkway last school year, I taught for seven years at Lake Contrary Elementary, in 3^rd grade, 2^nd grade, and music K-6.  I am thrilled to be teaching 2^nd grade again this year- it is such an exciting time to watch students grow as learners.

I know we will get to know each other this year, but here is an important fun fact you need to know before school starts! Right now you may know me as Ms. Auxier, but by the time we start school, my name will be Mrs. Howell! I have a very exciting summer ahead of me- I am getting married on August 10th, and I will actually be away on my honeymoon when you come for Back-to-School night! I am very excited to meet you all on the first day of school, and just remember, even though my name is changing, I’m still the same teacher who was in Room 8 last year!

If you ever have a question or concern, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  You can reach me by email at emily.auxier@sjsd.k12.mo.us, or call me at school at 671-4310 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Parkway updates and class information will come home each Friday in our weekly classroom newsletter.

I love learning, and look forward to seeing our class continuously grow and learn together this year!  Back to School Night will be on August 14^th, and I look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces on the first day of school, August 19^th!

Enjoy your summer! Welcome to second grade, friends!

Sincerely,

Ms. Auxier (soon-to-be Mrs. Howell!)