How to Make a Snow Volcano

 Looking for something to do with the kids this holiday? Try making a Snow Volcano !

Last day of School 2020 - Happy Holidays!

 On the last day of school of 2020 the grade 2 students will be watching The Polar Express and enjoying some treats!
We will be playing games and having fun!
Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday! 
See you in the New Year! 

Talking Fingers NEW GAME!

 Try out this cool new game! Talking Fingers!

Talking Fingers

Breathing

Square Breathing 

Box Breathing 

We have been learning strategies to
calm our minds and bodies.
Try these 2 breathing strategies! 

 

States of Matter

Check out these cool videos about the 3 states of matter.
You will find some cool experiments to do at home too! 

 

Counting Caterpillars

 Counting Caterpillars

https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/countingCaterpillar/index.html

Shark Numbers

 Shark Numbers

https://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers/mobile/index.html

Poop Deck Pirates

 Poop Deck Pirates Game

https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/poopDeck/index.html

Phonics POP!

 Phonics Pop 

https://www.ictgames.com/phonicsPop/

Summer

Hi again,

I want to take a moment to say thank you to all the kiddos and families who have been doing their very best through this very difficult time. You are superstars! 

I wish you all a very happy summer!

Ms. Carter

Supporting Learning From Home

We are getting ready for summer vacation but that doesn't mean you can't still do cool activities at home! Here are a list of some activities to keep you learning at home this summer. 

Story Time from Space: Enjoy story time from space. Listen to stories read by astronauts all the way from the International Space Station.

KitLit TV: Enjoy this collection of web series, podcasts, tutorials, book trailers, and more from popular children’s authors and illustrators. Get inspired to read, write, and draw.

Zoe and Molly Online: Enjoy comics, games and online safety tips to become internet safety masters.

Figure this! Math Challenges for Families: Try different math challenges to engage the whole family with this National Council of Teachers of Mathematics resource.

Bedtime Math: Keep math skills sharp with this site designed by parents to engage in math every day. It also includes math learning activities that don’t involve any screen time.

Greg Tang Math: Spend time learning and having fun with math games, books, and resources.

Math for Love: Enjoy a variety of math resources.

Math before Bed: Use these talking points to inspire math discussions that you and your family can have before bed, at dinner, or anytime.

How to draw animals

Before school was paused in March, we had started sharing learning a little about poetry and I introduced you to a very funny poet named Shel Silverstein.
This is one of his poems about a bat.

By now, you would have picked up your school package with your animal unit. Do you know what type of animal a bat is?
Its a tricky one! See if you can figure it out.

Are you interested in drawing animals?
Check out Art for Kids Hub animal page here
https://www.artforkidshub.com/how-to-draw/animals/

It's a beautiful Friday, I hope you get a chance to go outside. Maybe you are going for a walk, or bike ride or even trying your luck on a scooter or a skateboard!

Missing you guys! I hope to see you again soon! 

Bubble Gum Brain

Hi everyone!

It is such a beautiful day today, I hope you are all getting outside to enjoy it.

I'm at school getting your packages ready for next week. In your package, there are some cool activities. One of those activities is a reminder about having a Bubble Gum Brain. (You will like the special treat I have included!)

"Great people make great mistakes!" is one of my favourite quotes from Julia Cook, the author of this book. 

New Science Unit

Hi all,

Another great morning to connect with 2B Top Dogs. Your next package will be all about animals. You will be learning about mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects. I will be adding some animal books to your packages as well.

Your challenge is to take pictures of the different types of animals we are studying and send them to me. If you can't take pictures, then you can draw them.

This is one of my favourite science units to teach in grade 2. I love to learn about animals, I hope you will too.

Send your digital pictures to me using Remind or email me at kcarter@svsd.ca

Have a great day!
Missing you 

Feels Like Summer

It is starting to feel like summer! What did you do over the long weekend? 

Did you jump in the sprinkler? Take a walk? Go camping?
Did you plant a garden? I hope you had a great weekend! 

School Refusal: What It Means When Kids Won't Do Schoolwork 

Understood https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/homework-study-skills/school-refusal?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter-en&utm_campaign=covid-may20-fm

When kids get stressed or are struggling, it’s common for them to say they’re not going to do their schoolwork. They may even say they’re not going to school. But saying things like that is different from shutting down and actually not doing work or going to school.

Distance learning because of the coronavirus pandemic has been stressful for many kids. So if you’re seeing this kind of behaviour in your child, you’re not alone. You may be wondering what it means and if it will pass when the crisis does.

How do you find an answer? Start by taking a closer look at what you’re noticing. Is your child just complaining? Is it more about avoiding the work? Or is your child so stressed and overwhelmed that refusing school is the only option?

Complaining, Avoiding, and Refusing: What’s the Difference?

Complaining, avoiding, and refusing aren’t the same thing. Your child is telling you different things depending on which it is. Here’s an example of each.

Scenario 1: Complaining

Your child has math work to do. When it’s time to sit down and do it, your child whines and says, “I don’t want to. It’s boring and the website we use is so slow.” But when you hold your ground, your child reluctantly sits down and starts the work.

That’s complaining. Kids don’t feel like doing the work because they don’t like it. Or they’d rather be doing something else. But they’ll do it when they realize they’re not going to get to do anything else until the work is done.

Scenario 2: Avoiding

When it’s time to work, your child says, “I don’t want to do my math. It’s too hard. I can’t do it,” and cries and runs into the other room. But when you go after your child, you negotiate that work time will start in half an hour. You set a timer and when it goes off, your child sits down to do the math—with your help.

That’s avoiding. Some kids try to get out of doing the work because it’s hard for them. But with some planning and a little help, they’ll sit down and make the effort.

Scenario 3: Refusing

It’s time to do the math, and your child is nowhere to be found. When you finally find your child hiding, there’s a full-on meltdown to manage.

Even after everyone calms down a little, you can’t get your child to budge to do any schoolwork at all. And when you try to leave the room, your child clings to your leg, complains of a stomachache or headache, and starts to fall apart all over again.

That’s school refusal. It’s an extreme reaction, and it’s often caused by anxiety and fear. 

As many as 1 in 4 kids show signs of school refusal at some point. They won’t go to school, whether it’s outside of your house or at home. Unlike with kids who are complaining or avoiding schoolwork, you can’t talk them into doing it. They may literally make themselves sick over it.

These kids are often anxious about something related to school. So it’s important to find out if that anxiety is due to a temporary situation or something else.

How Can You Tell If School Refusal Is Temporary?

If this type of outright refusal is new for your child, you may wonder if it’s temporary. Right now, schoolwork is hard for a lot of kids. They’re not in their regular classrooms with their friends and teachers. With distance learning, “school” looks very different than it did before, and kids are learning new ways of working.

Many kids are having trouble focusing during distance learning. And lots of kids are worried, lonely, and anxious, which can make it harder to learn. Refusing to do the work may be their way of telling you that they’re not ready to learn right now.

When that goes away depends on the child. Some kids may stop refusing school once routines get back to normal. Others may gradually get more comfortable once they’re back at school and are confident that everyone is safe and healthy.

But for some kids, school refusal isn’t just temporary. Here are a few things to keep an eye on to know if it’s a bigger issue:

Does your child worry about school during down time or on weekends?

Is your child having tantrums or meltdowns about going to school or doing schoolwork?

Does your child say they can’t do it because of physical complaints like stomachaches, headaches, dizziness, or just “not feeling good”?

Does your child refuse to get dressed or do other parts of the morning routine, knowing it will make it hard to get out the door?

If you’re seeing this type of behaviour consistently, there are things you can do to help.

What to Do If Your Child Is Refusing School

Distance learning can be hard for kids who learn and think differently. That’s especially true for kids who struggle with focus. If your child is still learning from home, try to set things up to make it as easy as possible. This can reduce some of the stress.

Look for patterns, too. Some kids may refuse to go to school on certain days or to do certain kinds of work. Maybe your child refuses school on days when the class is taking turns reading out loud. Or shuts down when there’s a writing assignment.

Share what you’re seeing with your child’s teacher. Ask if the teacher has noticed similar reactions or has ideas on why your child is refusing to do schoolwork.

Talk with your child, too. Here are three ways to start that conversation:

“Let’s talk about what’s happening when it’s time for you to go to school….”

“I need your help in understanding why you’re so upset about schoolwork.”

“Let’s talk about what’s going to make you feel better about going to school.”

For some kids, school refusal is related to anxiety. They may be anxious about their routine changing. They may worry that something is going to happen to a parent or family members. With COVID-19, loved ones may be sick. And kids may be overly concerned about getting sick themselves.

Kids can be anxious or fearful of other things, too, even when there’s no big disruption or upsetting event. So it’s important to know what’s typical anxiety and what’s not, and to keep track of what you’re seeing.

One of the most important things you can do is to create a safe space for your child to talk. Learn more about how to get your child to open up about school.

Key Takeaways

School refusal is more extreme than complaining about or avoiding school.

Observing your child can give you clues about what’s going on.

Keep an eye out for signs of anxiety, and find out what the teacher has noticed.

May 11-15

Happy Monday everyone,

I hope you were able to get outside in the sunshine this past weekend.
Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms!  I hope you had a very happy day!

Today and Thursday are pick up and drop off days from 9-12 at school. There are new packages available to you with Math, Spelling and Phonics review pages to complete. The next package will be ready in 2 weeks.

Are you been doing some special projects at home? Zachary and I have started a window garden (it's too cold to plant anything outside yet) and have been taking Cooper for regular walks. We have been exploring different trails around the Valley and have started Geocaching.

Lots of cool things are happening these days... Jacob got a new kitten! Welcome Lynk!



Do you have any pictures to share? Send them to me and I will post them here.
I hope you have a great day and week!

Missing you,
Ms. C

May 4-8

Hi,

It is feeling a little more like spring. Have you looked for any new signs of spring?

How are you doing with the work that has been sent home? I know it can be difficult getting things done when you aren't used to doing it at home, that's normal. A lot of you are helping out at home, some are at daycare or stay with family or friends when family members go to work. Everyone is a little different and we are just doing the best we can. Hang in there.

This week is catch-up week. In the last few weeks we have been working on Language Arts (Spelling, Phonics, Writing and Reading) and Mathematics (Time, Measurement and Geometry).

This week I would like you to take some time to look back through your work and get things ready to hand in on Monday, May 11th or Thursday, May 14th.

What were you able to work on?

Phonics - Units 5 & 6 - did you finish your book? Get it ready to hand in!

Spelling - Did you continue with the lessons? One lesson/week (You can hand in the pages you completed - this might be tricky to cut out the pages, get an adult to help you - its such a nice book)

Writing - Did you complete some journal prompts from your Journal workbook or complete some story questions from your Comprehension booklet? Take those out and send them back - don't forget to write your name on your work!

Math - Jump Math units on Measurement and Geometry. Did you finish some of the work? Some questions would have been pretty tough to do because we needed scales and blocks and materials from school. It's ok if you skipped some of those questions or found something different to measure with at home. You are all very good problem solvers! Get that ready to hand in as well.

On Tuesday, May 5th at 10:00 AM we will have another Zoom class meeting. It was so good to see some of you last week! Please have your parents message me if they did not get the email link to attend the meeting.

kcarter@svsd.ca

I hope that you are all well and enjoying getting outside for some fresh air. I thought of another sign of spring that I have seen around Swan River - MOTORCYCLES! 

I can't wait to see you all again,

Ms. C 

Time Capsule Family Activity

Here is a cool family activity to do at home during this time.
Are you going to try this at home?
What are you going to put in your time capsule? 

2B Top Dogs Class Meeting

WOW! What a great way to start the day today by seeing all your happy faces!
I can't believe how much better I feel after seeing all of you this morning, my only wish is that I could see you all in person and give you hugs and high fives!

Signs of spring...there have been a more and more these days. Shae said that the river by his house doesn't have any ice on it any more and that they have seen bears by their house!


Megan said she has seen some butterflies. I love butterflies, dragonflies and ladybugs, but I do not like wood ticks.


Bryden said he has heard and seen Canada Geese by his house and I know that he is busy working and helping on the farm with the baby calves. All signs of spring! 

Mason and Grace said they have been out bike riding and Tripp said there isn't any snow left in his backyard.


Thanks for joining me this morning on Zoom. I will send out an email to families to arrange another meeting next week. I hope you all have a great rest of your day!

Missing you every day,
Ms. C

Looking for NEW Ideas?

Here is another site to check out if you are looking to add a few NEW things to your daily schedule.

Wide Open School

Pictures from home

Keeping busy! Keep sending in your pictures kids! I love seeing what you are doing   :)

Package # 3 April 27- May 1

Hi everyone,

I have posted a one week package for you all to try at home this week.
A new spelling lesson #27, continue working in your phonics books on units 5 & 6 (remember to go at your own pace and ask for help if you don't understand) and one comprehension story a week.
Continue reading of course!

What are you doing at home? Are you missing school? I am really missing school a lot, I miss hearing all your stories and seeing your happy faces. I am working really hard at learning how to use Zoom to connect you to an online classroom so we can see each other. I hope to get that working this week to send out to families.

Are you having trouble focusing at home? I sometimes find it difficult to get all my work done I want to. What is most important right now is that we are healthy and we do what we can to help our families get through this difficult time. I know you are all doing your best!

I hope to see all your happy faces soon!

Take care,
Ms. C

Package #3 April 27 - May 1 Math Focus: Geometry

                   

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Jump Math	Geometry Unit	Geometry Unit	Geometry Unit	Geometry Unit	Geometry Unit
	How did you enjoy measurement? Did you try and measure things at home? What did you use?    Geometry - begin with a simple review of 2D shapes and introduce 3D shapes. What is symmetry? What examples can we find of symmetry? (butterfly wings, a face, etc.)

Online Math

Reflex - get your green light (then STOP) Mathletics - more content practice Prodigy

Package #3 Days 1-5 April 27-May 1 Language Arts Focus

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Reading	·         Read 20 minutes ·         Phonics ·        Comprehension	·         Read 20 minutes ·         Phonics	·         Read 20 minutes ·        Phonics ·        Comprehension	·         Read 20 minutes ·         Phonics	·         Read 20 minutes ·        Phonics ·      Comprehension
	Phonics - continue working on Units 5 & 6 at your own pace. Comprehension - I story per week (they are broken up into days, or if you want to complete them all in one or two days, that is fine)
Writing	·        Lesson 27 Spelling Say and Listen, Think and Sort, Spelling and Meaning (first 2 pages of lesson) ·        Daily Journal	·        Lesson 27 Spelling Story Activity (next 2 pages - cloze activity) ·        Daily Journal	·        Lesson 27  Spelling Proofreading, Language Connection (next 2 pages) ·        Daily Journal	·        Lesson 27  Spelling  Write to the Point, Challenge Yourself (written in their spelling notebooks) ·        Daily Journal	·        Lesson  27 Spelling  Review words and Spelling Quiz ·        Daily Journal
Other Content	·        Printing Booklet	·        Printing Booklet	Printing Booklet	Printing Booklet	Printing Booklet