Mrs. Howell's Owls

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Quick notes!

Don't forget about all the great resources we have here on our class page to help make communication easier! If you haven't signed up yet to receive text messages or email from me whenever we have class news, click here to sign up now!

Also, if you'd like to order books from Scholastic Reading Clubs and help support our classroom library, click here to go straight to the online shop!

Also, don't forget to send back your Highlights for Kids form! This is a fantastic magazine for growing readers, and even if you choose not to subscribe, just returning the signed form will help our class earn supplies and learning materials!

Enjoy your long weekend with family! :)

Thursday, August 21, 2014

A peek at our first week :)

Click here to see a short video peek into our first few days of school! :)

Friday, August 8, 2014

The classroom is ready, now where are my students? :)

I am getting so excited to start a new year with a new bunch of 2nd grade friends!! Our Open House is Thursday, August 14th from 5:00-6:30, and I am eager to meet all those sweet, smiling faces as get ready for a brand new year of learning! Here is a preview of our classroom for those eager-beavers who can't wait to see what our 2nd grade environment will look like, and I can't wait to fill those seats with kiddos!

What do you think of those tables this year? I was excited to make the switch from desks.

The only thing that will make it better is when there are actually STUDENTS at those tables! :)

Welcome info ready to be handed out at Open House!

Look closely...you might recognize some of those quotes! ;-)

Whole Group Meeting Area

Teacher Area and Writing Station

The much loved "reading couch"

Student mailboxes

Math Corner

Classroom Library

Even the lunch baskets are eagerly waiting for the 1st day!

This table will actually be the computer/iPad station by the time school starts.

Book Baskets for all of our Just-Right Books

More library (chapter books on this shelf!!) and a creation station full of fun materials

Character Ed. Bulletin Board

View from the classroom door

Guided Reading Area

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Sign up for class text or email updates!

This year I will be using Remind as an easy way to communicate quick reminders or information to the class. It's similar to using the "Parent Alert" system the district uses for district-wide info, but will be specifically for our classroom. If you'd like to subscribe to these messages, please click here and follow the directions. You can choose either text message or email.

Safety note: Remind is a one-way text messaging and email system. With Remind, all personal information remains completely confidential. I will never see your phone number, nor will you see mine. Visit remind.com to learn more.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Welcome, new friends!

Dear Second Grader and Family:

Welcome to 2nd grade at Parkway Elementary School, friends! My name is Mrs. Howell, 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 in the fall of 2012, 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 back in 2^nd grade at Parkway 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 are just a few more fun facts about me. My family and I live with three silly cats named Poppy, Posie, and Periwinkle, and last year we added a Chinese Crested powderpuff (dog) named Maxwell to our household. In my spare time, I love to read, have coffee with friends, and do some painting. I also enjoy traveling, and hope to someday visit Italy. My husband and I are also adult sponsors of a local musical organization called The New Generation Singers, and we enjoyed touring with them this past summer!

If you ever have a question or concern, please don’t hesitate to contact me. You can reach me by email at emily.howell@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 periodically in our classroom newsletter.

I love learning, and look forward to seeing our class continuously grow and learn together this year! I look forward to meeting you and seeing all of your smiling faces at Back to School Night, and beginning a great year of learning!

Enjoy your summer! Welcome to second grade, friends!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Howell

Thursday, November 7, 2013

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)

Sunday, November 3, 2013

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.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

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!

Monday, October 7, 2013

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.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

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

Work on Writing

Read to Self

Read to Someone

Word Work

Read to Self

Monday, September 9, 2013

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!