Learning About Animals

Our next unit in reading is called “Camouflage”.  We are also learning about animal life cycles in science.  So, we will be combining these topics and creating a special project in class.  Students will work in groups of four to research an assigned habitat and create a life-like diorama on one of our shelves.  The diorama must include landforms, plants, animals that represent the food chain in each region. We will create everything in class, but students will need to do research at home in order to be a productive team member and bring knowledge to complete the project.

The regional habitats that we will study are as follows:  Arctic tundra; tropical rain forest; desert; woodland; African savanna; ocean.

Start exploring!  Find some facts!  Use the internet, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and of course, the library!  We will learn so much more when everyone shares their research, just like real scientists!

The Reptiles are Coming!

We will have some reptile visitors on the morning of Monday, January 13th.  We will discover how these animals are classified and many facts about what makes them special.  The cost is $5.00 per student, BUT I will pay for it out of the funds you have already sent for the Folsom Dam trip that was cancelled.  Everyone will still have a $3.00 credit for the next event, whatever that may be.

Happy New Year!

I hope you had an enjoyable vacation time.  I certainly did!  I was able to visit my daughter in Baltimore.  We went to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in Washington, D.C. We saw how our paper money is made and even met Rosie Rios, the Treasurer of the United States!   I also visited my grandchildren in Seattle. I taught them how to make Christmas ornaments and decorate gingerbread men. I even went to preschool with my granddaughter.  Finally, Mr. Petuya and I enjoyed the warm weather and beaches in Los Angeles.  We even went to see the La Brea Tar Pits and the many fossils found there.

Welcome to 2014!  It’s great to be back at school with my super second graders.

Mrs. Petuya

Fall Open House

What a wonderful evening we had on Wednesday.  Thank you for turning out in such large numbers for our Fall Open House.  I’m glad the rain didn’t keep you away. Check our Shutterfly tab for photos. (Email your photos to me because I would love to post them, too.)  I hope you were impressed with the growth and knowledge of your “tour guide”.  I know the students were excited to invite you to our class.  I bet you didn’t expect to be eating dirt, caterpillars, and butterflies, either. I try my best to bring learning to life!  Hmmm… I wonder what I will think of for our March Open House?

Mrs. Petuya 😀

Dates to Remember

Classroom Open House – Wednesday November 20th, 4:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Stop by and see what we have been up to in Room E-10.  Your student will be your tour guide to show off what we have been learning so far.

Cookie Dough Orders are due Monday, November 18th.  No late orders will be accepted. It’s okay to turn them in early, though!

KidsCan! Food Drive is ending soon.  Thank you for the canned goods sent in already.  It would be great if we could at least fill one box before we go off-track. Please consider making a donation.  The cans we collect go directly to the Elk Grove Food Bank and help our very own neighbors.

Planting Time!

I decided that our class should test our green thumbs and plant some tulip bulbs this month.  We’ll need to add some soil to the planter in front of our classroom door. I have plenty of dirt, but need some help getting it from my car to the planter.  It will only take a few minutes before school one morning this week.  Let me know which day you can help.

We will be documenting the progress of our little garden on Journey North.  Click on the side link to see more info.

Mrs. P. 🙂

Our New iPad is Here!

Wholly Ravioli!

Thanks to donorschoose.org and Chevron Corp. we have a new iPad to use in the classroom.  Wow!  I am excited to set up our next learning station and explore the opportunities.  Please return the photo permission form so I may include your child in the photos as part of the thank-you package that is due soon.

Mrs. P

Pizza, anyone?

Read a lot, earn your own pizza!  We are now tracking our reading minutes in order to earn “Book It!” pizza certificates from Pizza Hut. From October through March, we will be graphing the minutes we spend reading.  At the end of each month, we’ll see if we met our goal.  Each student that reads daily and completes their reading log for the whole month, will earn a certificate for a personal pan pizza. I suspect that I’ll have quite a few students enjoying pizza regularly. 😀