I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Amber Walkenbach and I am honored to be your child’s second grade teacher. This is my fifth year of teaching but first year in second grade and I am so excited to be here. I previously taught first grade here at Bayless Elementary.

I am looking forward to working with you and your child in reaching his or her full potential. We will have many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn and grow in the days ahead.

I believe that communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can send me a note, email me at awalkenbach@bayless.k12.mo.us or call me at 314-256-8620. I will also do my part by sending out a newsletter each week to update you on what we have been doing in class as well as things that are up coming. For individual concerns, I will contact you by phone, send a note home, or email you (if an email address is provided).

Please feel free to participate in your child’s second grade year as much as you are able. Helping hands are always needed. Whether it is reading a story to the class, helping with field trips or class parties, or any other participation will enrich our classroom experiences.

 I am looking forward to sharing this year with you and your child.  I can’t wait to meet each and everyone one of you.   Meet the Teacher Night has been rescheduled for Monday, August 24th from 6:00-7:00.

Sincerely,

Amber Walkenbach

 Some important information to start off the year:

***These first weeks of school we will be getting to know one another. Creating community is a large part of the beginning of a new school year. Each week we will have a Star Student. I am starting off the year by being the first Star Student. Check out the poster I have created when you get a chance.

***Every day your child will take home his/her Important Folder. Please try to check this each day. It may contain important announcements, homework assignments, or completed work. It is very important that your child brings this back to school each day. This will help to create a routine and continue the communication between home and school. Also, use this as a way to communicate with me. For instance, if your child is doing something different from their normal schedule (going home with a friend, being picked up from by another family member, etc) please send me a note to let me know the change of plans. I will check this folder each morning.

***We love to celebrate birthdays. Please let me know in advance if you plan on bringing in a treat for your child to share with the class. In order to not hurt any child’s feelings in our classroom, please do not distribute party invitation in our classroom unless every child in our classroom is invited to the party. This ensures that children in our class will not be placed in an uncomfortable situation or get their feelings hurt.

***Homework will require some parental involvement at this level. Your cooperation is essential in developing a positive homework habit. First and foremost, you can encourage your child by showing interest and demonstrating helpful attitudes toward homework.
Some additional suggestions for homework:
• Provide a noise-free, well-lit place to work
• Establish a regular “homework time” in the home and have a special place free from excessive noise.
• Help your child organize adequate time to complete activities neatly and carefully.
• Encourage your child to ask for help when he/she doesn’t understand something or is frustrated. Teachers, like parents, can help only if they know there is a need.
• Decide if it becomes too frustrating of a task to stop and take a break. Any work done under duress or frustration is not a positive or healthy learning experience.

***Toys and personal valuables should not be brought to school. If they are, they are at school at the child’s risk. All personal belongings should be clearly labeled with your child’s name.

***Attendance is important in second grade. What we do in class involves active participation, it is very important that your child attends each day. However, I do realize that sickness, family emergencies, and doctor’s appointments do occur.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAT YOU ARE READING WITH YOUR CHILD EACH AND EVERY NIGHT FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES.   READING LOGS ARE DUE AT THE END OF THE MONTH  REMEMBER THIS IS PART OF THEIR HOMEWORK AND MUST BE TURNED IN.

10 Reasons to Read Aloud to Children

By Susan Nixon, MA Ed.

Children will:

1. Hear new words;
2. Develop sentence sense and an ear for rhythm;
3. Enjoy and compare diverse writing styles;
4. Create common connections to ideas (as a class);
5. Use reading as a springboard to discussion and writing;
6. Gain new knowledge and understanding;
7. Hear standard forms of English;
8. Learn about a variety of writing genres;
9. Feel things they've never felt before;
10. Share a wonderful time with you and your favorite read-aloud books!

For more information about Susan Nixon and writing rubrics visit her web site at http://6traits.cyberspaces.net/outline.html.

IF YOU NEED TO TALK TO ME PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT awalkenbach@bayless.k12.mo.us

(OR CALL AND LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH THE OFFICE 314-256-8620)!

SCHEDULE:

MONDAY: PE

TUESDAY: MUSIC

WEDNESDAY: PE

THURSDAY: MUSIC & LIBRARY

FRIDAY: ART

Lunch 11:40a.m-12:20p.m.

                                                                                       THANK YOU!

                                                                                          MRS. WALKENBACH

Character Words of the Month

Please help your child practice these traits while at home.

August- Peace* living, working, and playing in harmony with others 

September- Respect* showing kindness with your hands, feet, body as well as       with your words  

October-Responsibility* -knowing what you need to do and doing your best at it  

November- Appreciation* being thankful  

December- Kindness* showing you care by using manners and helping others  

January- Integrity* being honest and doing what is right, even when it is difficult  

February- Patience* waiting in a calm way

March- Cooperation* working and playing together in a peaceful way 

April- Service* offering to help others 

May- Courage* doing the right thing even when scared   

June- Self-Control * to stop,think, and make good choices  

July- Perseverance* staying with the task and not giving up

100 Activities and Ideas for parents and kids to do!

1. Write numbers from 1 to 100.   2. Find an object in your house that begins with each letter of the alphabet.   3. Write 5 sentences. Use a number word in each sentence.   4. Make something in the kitchen involving the use of measuring cups.  5. Go outside and find something yellow.   6. Write a story about your pet or a pet you would like to have.   7. Write a letter to someone. 8. Write the names of five friends, now make as many words using the letters of their names as you can.   9. Write the long vowels on a sheet of paper. Think of a word for each vowel sound.  10. Make a scrapbook of animal pictures.  You might want to choose a animal you like.  See if you can find some old magazines or calendars to look for the pictures.   11. Read a story to someone.   12. Count the money in your wallet or ask mom or dad to give you some coins to count.   13. Keep a journal of what you do during the Summer.  Write in it at least 2 times each week. 14. Write numbers from 101 to 200.   15. Write the alphabet three times in your best printing or cursive writing.   16. Go outside. Find things for the sense of touch, things that are smooth, rough, prickly, sharp, hard, soft, dry, wet, etc., . 17. Correctly spell as many color words as you can, try some of the harder ones too like turquoise and burgundy.  18. Write numbers by 5’s to 100 and then to 200.   19. Make little signs to name things in your room. Put them up in your room.   20. Draw a picture of something outside. Write 5  or more sentences about it.  21. Write all the number facts that will add to 10. (6 + 4 = 10, etc. )   22. Go on a nature hike. Collect things and put them in a picture.   23. Pretend you are a giant. Write a short story about it.   24. Write numbers from 201 to 300.   25. Cut out words from the newspaper - one for each letter of the alphabet   26. Use the letters in the word MISSISSIPPI to write as many words as you can.    27. Write all the number facts that will add to 7.   28. Find a recipe that uses a colour word in it's title and help your mom or dad make it.    29. Count out loud to 1000  30. Write 5 sentences. Use a color word in each sentence.    31. Write numbers by 2’s to 100  (2, 4, 6...)  32. Have your mom or dad register you in a day camp program with your community league or a church.  33.  Write a fairy tale.  Then read it to someone younger than you.   34. Write the short vowels on a sheet of paper. Think of a five words for each vowel sound.   35. Write a poem about the weather, an animal or a plant.  36. Plant something outside or help take care of a garden.    37. Imagine that you have an alligator as a pet. Write a story about it.   38. Cut apart the squares of a comic strip. Mix them up. Rearrange them in the correct order and then rearrange them into a funny mixed up story.  39. Compare your bike with a friend’s bike. How are the alike? How are they different?  Then do a safety check on both bikes. 40. Make a sandwich. Cut it in half and then in fourths.    41. Make a list of everything you can find that is orange.    42. Cut out words from a magazine. Make sentences out of them.    43. Video tape your neighbourhood and any holidays you go on to share with your friends when you go back to school in the Fall.   44. With your parent's permission, find one person on your block who is elderly and offer to help them with their yard work one afternoon.  45.  Write any ten numbers between 1 to 100.  Cut them out and mix them up. Arrange them again from smallest to largest.  46. Cut out a picture from an old calendar. Cut it into puzzle pieces and then put it back together.   47. Take your dog or your neighbour's dog for a walk, read a book about dogs and try to teach it a new trick.. 48. Choose a flower out of your garden, learn everything you can about that flower.    49. Make price tags for several objects in your room. Make some play money and use it to buy the things in your “play store.”    50. What would you do if you lived during the time of dinosaurs? Write a story about it.   51. Write numbers from 301 to 500.   52. Draw a map of your neighbourhood, put a treasure (a small box with a few treats) somewhere in your neighbourhood and mark it on your map.  Invite your friends to try to find the treasure.  53. Find objects around your home that begin with the sound SH . Draw a picture of each of them or have someone help you write them down. (sheets, shoe, etc.)   54. Look at a B.C. map. Find Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George, Kelowna, Nelson.  55. Write your name. Cut out each letter. Arrange the letters in A,B,C, order.  56.  Pick anywhere in the world and find out more about that place by going to the library or searching on the internet.   57. Read 26 books, starting with a book in which the authors last name begins with A, and then B until you get to Z.   58. Write numbers by 10’s to 500.  59. Look at an Alberta map.  Find Calgary, Edmonton, High Level, Edson, Camrose and Lethbridge.  60. Go to the library and check out some books about space.   61. Go outside and find 3 different kinds of leaves. How are they alike and different?    62. Write numbers from 501 to 800.     63. Go outside. Learn which direction is north, south, east, and west. Walk 10 steps north and then 5 steps west. Where are you? (Stay out of the street!)     64. Draw a map of your backyard and make up a pretend treasure.  Hide the treasure and mark the spot on your map.  See if your friends can find the treasure using your map.    65. Collect bottles from your neighbourhood and donate the money to a local charity. 66. Write all the names of animals you know and have a friend do the same thing.  Who can write the most names in 5 minutes.  Have your mom time you.   . 67. Find pictures of objects that when matched will make a compound word. Suggestions: a horse and a shoe: a nut and a shell; a tree and a house; a cow and a boy. etc..     68.  Look for rocks in your neighbourhood.  See if you can find 10 unusual rocks.      69.  Find out something new about your pet.  See if you can teach it one new trick.    70. Visit 3 tourist spots in your hometown.    71. Make a picture journal of your Summer.  Each week take 3 or 4 pictures of some of the things you are doing and when you develop the film, put your photos into your journal and write a description about each picture.   72.  Find out if any of your local museums have any summer programs just for kids.    73. Memorize a poem and recite it for your family, or have everyone in your family memorize a poem and have a family poetry night.    74. Count out loud from 400 to 500.    75. Have a game night each week with your family, try some indoor and outdoor games.    76. Make a list of everything you can find that is the color red.    77.  Make kites with your friends out of newspaper.     78. Play the “What’s Missing?” game with someone. Find 5-10 objects inside your home. Arrange them on a tray. Have someone look at them for 5 seconds and then cover eyes while you take one of the items away. Can they guess what is missing? Then let your friend remove an item and you try to guess what is missing.     79. Have a paper airplane contest, who can make a paper airplane that flies the furthest.    80. Find a neat recipe for a dessert and have your mom or dad help you make it..   81. Write numbers from 801 to 1000.    82. Plan a picnic with your family, make up the list of items you want to take and games to play while on your picnic.  Then help your mom and dad get things ready for the special day.   83.  Think about a job you might like to do when you grow up.  Write a letter to someone who work in that job and ask them questions about their job.     84. This is the year 2002.  Write down 2002 words you can spell or read.  You might want to work at this over a few days.    85. Cut out food pictures from magazines. Make 4 category cards - Dairy Products, Meat, Fruit and Vegetable, and Bread and Cereal. Arrange the pictures under the correct category.    86. Draw a map of your house and label all the exits you would use in case of a fire.  Plan a meeting place with your family in case there ever was a fire and what talk about what you should do as well.   87.  Measure things in your house.  Make up a chart.  Measure the items by the length of your finger, hand and arm.  Then try measuring using a ruler.  Record the results.    88. Play the “Direction Game.” Have someone tell you three directions and see if you can do them correctly and in the right order. Example: Clap your hands 5 times. Go look out the window. Write your name on a piece of paper.   89. Make up some bubble solution and find some objects around the house to blow bubbles with, try some unique things using straws, string, and other objects.  90. Practice the times table.  Day 1 do the 1 times table, Day 2 do the 2 times table and go as many days as you can.     91. Take your mom or dad to a baseball game.    92.  Go to the library or look on the internet for a neat craft you could make.  Ask your mom or dad to help you find all the materials.     93.   Sign up at your local library for their Summer Reading Program.    94.   Get a book about birds and spend one afternoon seeing how many birds you can identify that live in your backyard.     95. Ask your mom or dad to take you to a Nursing Home or Senior's Home with 2 of your friends so that you can read a story to someone who stays there.  96. With your mom or dad's help, go through your old books and donate them to a hospital for sick kids to be able to read.    97.  With your mom or dad's help find some "good" old toys and clothes and donate them to a shelter in your town.     98.  On a piece of paper write the dates for 20 days during the Summer months.  Beside each date write the name of a fruit or vegetable you ate on that date.  See if you can have 20 different fruits or vegetables on your list.    99.  Choose a sport you like.  Either find a way you can play that sport or write a list of new things you have learned about it.  100. Write a letter to your last teacher.  Tell your teacher the best things about your class last year.  Give your teacher one new idea you think next year's class would like to learn.  Take the letter to school on your first day back to give to your "old" teacher.  If they have moved away, ask the school's secretary if they could send the letter to your "old" teacher for you.