Last Day Fun!

Thanks for a great year 2nd graders!  I hope you have a wonderful summer!

We finally got to explode those volcanoes today!

We always clean our desks with shaving cream on the last day!

The last day tradition with Mason and Ellie- ice cream from the pink ice cream shop!

Balloon #5: Lunch and Dance Party in the Classroom

Balloon number 5 was lunch and a dance party in the classroom.  I think more dancing than eating goes on during this lunch break!

We also celebrated the end of the year by visiting the slushy stand!

Bike Rodeo, Class Play, Track and Field Day

What a great day Friday was!  One of my favorite days of the year!

We started the day with Bike Rodeo.  Mr. Semmen checks over the students' bikes to make sure they are ready for summer.  Then the students ride their bikes through an obstacle course.

Next up was our class play: "The Weatherman on Trial."  The students worked hard and were excited to share it with their families.

Our afternoon is spent at the football field for Track and Field Day.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures of track and field because I'm so busy taking down scores and team placements.  I'm so thankful that we had a beautiful afternoon to enjoy the activities!

Balloon #2 + Ag Day!

Balloon number 2 was share a story and a treat with kindergarten.  It's so nice for the 2nd graders to have the chance to spend time with those students we see across the hall every day!  We also got to visit Ag Day on Tuesday.  Fortunately, the rain cleared up just in time for us to see the animals.

2nd Grade Field Trip Day!

We started our day at the Winona Historical Museum.  We learn about the Native Americans in our social studies standards, and at the museum we are able to see some actual Native American items and learn more about their history.

 Lunch in the park was a big hit with the students.  It's always fun to explore new play equipment!

I'm so thankful it didn't rain this afternoon so we could enjoy being out on the boats for Paddle for Life.  Thank you to all of our chaperones!

Happy Administrative Professionals' Week

This week we celebrated our wonderful secretaries at Lanesboro.  Today the 2nd graders brought in a card and treats for them.  In our classroom we brainstormed all the ways that the secretaries help us all year long.  These were some of their ideas...

"When we don't feel good, they help us by calling home."
"If we get hurt, they get ice for us."
"If the way that we go home changes, they talk to the bus driver and call us to the office."
"Ms. Drew helps us in library and at lunch and breakfast."
"Sometimes they help make a copy for us."
"They keep the school organized and running."

All of these things are true and so much more!  A big thank you to Diane, Denise, Sally, and Julie!  You really are the best!

Banana Bingo Celebration: Lunch in the Classroom

This last Monday the students were able to bring their lunches to the classroom for our Banana Bingo Celebration.  We also turned on some music so the students could show off their dance moves while enjoying lunch!

February Author's Celebration and Comfy Cozy Read-In

Thanks to all the families that were able to make it to the February Author's Celebration.  The students really enjoy sharing their writing with you!

We also had our comfy cozy read-in on Friday for "I Love to Read Month."  What better way to settle in with a good book than in your comfy pajamas!

Smithsonian Water Ways Exhibit

Over the last few weeks we've been fortunate to learn more about the impact of water on our lives and the community through the Smithsonian Water Ways Exhibit and classroom presentation.  At the end of January, a volunteer came into our classroom to teach us about how the Native Americans interacted with water and how important it was to them.  This tied in perfectly to our Native American studies from earlier in the year.

On Thursday, we visited the exhibits.  We stopped into 3 different locations:  The Lanesboro Museum, the Art Center, and the Commonweal Theatre.  It was very interesting and informative for our class, and we want to thank all the volunteers and people who organized this event, lead us through the stations, and taught us more about water.  It was also a great opportunity for us to learn more about the history of Lanesboro as well!

Holiday Party and Authors' Celebration

Friday was such a fun day in 2nd grade!  We started our morning with our holiday party and gift exchange.  I love to see how excited the kids are to give a gift to a friend and to open their gifts.  We ended our morning with our Authors' Celebration.  Thanks to all the family members who were able to join us.  It means a lot to your children to share their writing with you!

Holiday Spirit in 2nd Grade

December with elementary children is truly a magical time.  A highlight of each day is writing letters while listening to Christmas music at writing time (another post to come on this).  The Christmas concert at the beginning of the month was wonderful! Everyone did a fantastic job! We've enjoyed a few holiday art projects to hang around our room.   We've also been preparing and practicing for our Authors' Celebration planned for Friday, December 23rd.

Piggie and Elephant Day

During the month of November the students practiced reading Piggie and Elephant books by Mo Willems.  This is a series that the students grow to love in their early reading years.  As 2nd graders we dive into getting to know them as characters.  How are their personalities similar and different?  We practice reading with expression, thinking about how these characters are thinking and feeling.  We also wrote our own Piggie and Elephant books trying to capture their personalities while also creating a story that connects with each individual 2nd grader.  We celebrated by inviting the 1st graders into our room to share our stories.

Turkey Bingo

It has become a tradition at Lanesboro to play Turkey Bingo during our last half hour together in school before Thanksgiving break.  All the students K-12 participate.  A few high school students call out the numbers over the loud speaker.  Any student that gets a bingo must race to the office calling out loudly "gobble, gobble, gobble!"  It sure is fun to hear the students from all over the school running down the hallway with their gobble call!  We had 2 winners this year in 2nd grade!  Happy Thanksgiving 2nd grade families!

Election Day!

The 2nd graders were able to cast their votes on this election day!  A big thanks to Mrs. Gjere for organizing this elementary election.  A group of 5th and 6th grade students instructed the students before they voted on how to properly fill out their ballot.  They also shared the message with the students to vote for who they really want to vote for and not to let anyone sway their vote.  Then the students went into their voting booths to cast their votes.   The class was sure excited to take part in this process!

2nd Grade Halloween!

Our Monday Halloween celebration began with the annual costume parade around the catwalk.  The students enjoyed playing board games with their costumes on.  Always so fun to see the students all dressed up!

Spunky Punky

All of our hard work was shared with our families at our performance of "Spunky Punky."  The students were so excited to perform for their families and asked all day long if it was finally time!  Thanks so much for all the families that were able to attend!  I'm so proud of all the 2nd graders for doing such a great job!

  Pumpkins

 Farmer Boys

 Sun Beams

 Jack and Jill

 3 Little Witches

Scarecrow and Blue Jay

Fire Prevention Week

This last week was Fire Prevention Week.  The slogan this year was "Don't wait check the date!  Replace fire alarms every 10 years!"  As a class we talked about the importance of smoke alarms and having a plan with your family in case of a fire.  The students shared their exit plans and where they would meet up with their family.  We learned more about the job of the fire fighters and the fire trucks on Friday. The firemen taught the class about the different tools they use when going into a fire.  They discussed the importance of replacing fire alarms every 10 years and checking the batteries every year.

Homecoming

Friday was an action packed day filled with school spirit!  We started the day with cupcake decorating in the gym along with face painting.  We were "Buzzy for the Burros!" as we walked through the parade that afternoon.  The day concluded with a pep fest in the park.  Go Burros!