Field Day!

This week was busy with Field Day and Terra Nova preparations!  We took a few practice tests and talked about what to expect on the test days.  The students are excited and a little nervous to start testing next week!

In Writing this week we learned about suffixes.  We studied four different suffixes and how they are used in writing and speaking.  We also each picked a color and wrote Color Poems.  Each student made a list of things that made them think of the color they picked and then added adjectives to each line.  For Math we learned about perimeter, area, and capacity.  We made some Area Robots and also used an experiment to learn about capacity.

In Bible we continued our study of Parables.  We learned about the Parable of the Workers in the Field and the Parable of the Tenants.  We also learned the importance of not complaining or arguing, but instead doing things with a good attitude.

Today we had a wonderful Field Day outside.  The students were able to participate in 10 different athletic events.  They did a great job today and I was so proud to hear them encouraging their classmates in each event! We then enjoyed a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon at the park. Here are some pictures from today's activities:

Important Information for next week:

1. Terra Nova Testing will take place next week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The Terra Nova is a standardised test that will provide data on how your student is progressing in comparison to other students in American and International school worldwide. In preparation for these tests please be sure your student:
     - gets 8-10 hours of sleep each night
     - eats a nutritional breakfast before school each morning
     - refrains from extra activities in the evening during testing days
     - brings a light, healthy snack each day such as, one banana, a small baggie of popcorn, dried fruit,
       etc.
     - is on time for school each day

2. Kid City will take place next Wednesday, April 29th from 11:30-3:00pm.  We are in need of some parents to come and help us run the different stations.  If you are able to come, please return the reply slip that was sent home yesterday to me next week.  Each student needs to bring a small bag/wallet/purse on Wednesday to hold their money and other belongings at Kid City.

3. We are also in need of donations for our Kid City Restaurant.  If you would like to donate, please send them in with your student.

4. There will be no new Spelling words or Bible Memory Verse next week due to Terra Nova.

5. There will be NO SCHOOL on TUESDAY, MAY 5.

6. Parent Observation Day will be Wednesday, May 6th from 2:00-3:00pm.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend! :)

It was wonderful to see everyone after Spring Break! I enjoyed hearing about all of the fun adventures that the students had over the break! On Monday and Tuesday we had a substitute teacher, Mrs. Collins, in our room.  She did a wonderful job with all the students, but I was glad to be back with them on Wednesday!

In Reading this week we focused on retelling a story.  We learned that there are five important things to include when retelling a story.  These are Characters, Setting, Beginning, Middle, and End.  For Writing, we wrote about our Spring Breaks and we also learned about some common prefixes.  We made a list of some words that had these prefixes and then played a matching game in groups.  The students had to match the prefix to the base word and then find the definition.

 

For Math we began our unit on measurement.  We practiced measuring things at school and things at home using feet, inches, centimeters, and decimeters.  In Bible we learned about three more parables. We talked about how God wants us to forgive those who have done things against us because He has forgiven us for all of our sins.  This week we also learned about the Post Office for Kid City and practiced writing a postcard.

Important Information:

1. A flyer was sent home today about Kid City.  We are in need of parent help this next Tuesday (21st) from 3pm-4pm in Miss Turner's room.  We will be doing some prep-work for Kid City.  We are also in need of some food donations for our restaurant.  Please see the flyer for exact details.  You can send those in with your students to me. 

2. Elementary Field Day is next Friday (24th).  The students will be participating in different athletic activities in the morning and, if the weather is nice, we will be going to the park after lunch.  Parents are invited to come and spend the day with their student and enjoy the time of being outside together!

3. Terra Nova testing will be April 27-29th. Students are allowed to bring one healthy snack that day to have during the testing time.  Please do not bring chips or sugary snacks. We will be testing the students in Math, Reading, Spelling, Bible, Science, Social Studies, and Vocabulary.

4. Kid City will be April 29th in the afternoon.  A form will be sent home next week requesting parent help on that day.

5. Spelling Words for next week: chore, farmer, corn, orange, harvest, morning, Lord, arms, horses, hard, before, star, store, north, March, important, June, Wednesday

6. Bible Memory Verse for next week: "Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be pure and and without blame." Philippians 4:14-15a

I hope to see many of you tonight at the Family Reading Night in the Cafeteria at 6:30pm.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Happy Spring Break!

We had a great week this week as we got ready for Easter and Spring Break! In Math, we finished up Unit 8 on fractions with our test on Wednesday.  For Writing we wrote Diamante poems which are poems in the shape of diamonds.  They include adjectives and verbs to describe the main topic of the poem.  For Bible this week we talked about Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, how He rose again three days later, and how He is now alive forever.

Important Information:

1. There is no school tomorrow for Good Friday.

2. Spring Break is next week. School will resume on Monday, April 13th.

3. Family Reading Night will be April 17th at 6:30 p.m.

4. Elementary Field Day is April 24th.

5. Terra Nova testing will be April 27th-29th.

6. Kid's City is coming up on April 29th. A flyer was sent home last week with some information and more information will be coming soon on how you can be a part of this fun day.

I pray you all have a wonderful and restful break!

In Reading this week we focused on Comparing and Contrasting Characters from our books.  We looked at several different books and what was the same and different about the main characters.  We also had Mrs. Bezner come in to our classroom and read a book to us!  For Writing this week we continued our study of poems by writing Concrete Poems.  Concrete Poems are poems written in a shape.  The students had fun picking their shapes and writing about those objects.

In Math, we finished our Unit on Fractions by learning about equal fractions and fraction number stories.  We will have our Unit 8 Math test next Wednesday.  In Bible we continued our study of the events leading up to Jesus' death.  We looked at Jesus' betrayal, arrest, and trial.

Important Information:

1. There will be NO SCHOOL next Friday, April 3rd for Good Friday.

2. APRIL 4TH-13TH is SPRING BREAK!

3. Please be sure to check your students folder every Friday for important information and work from the past week.  Please send it back to school empty on Monday.

4. Spelling words: class, dishes, families, bench, box, cherries, classes, benches, dish, teachers, peaches, boxes, family, teacher, peach, cherry, tear, working

5. Bible Memory Verse: "Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here! He has risen! Luke 24:5b-6a

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Missions Week!

Wow! We had a busy and full week in 2.1!  This week was Missions Week for OCSI and we had the chance to go to Kid's Club on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning.  This club was led by some of the High School students and included songs, games, crafts, and Bible stories.  We are thankful for all the hard work the High School students put in to make this a fun week for us!

In Reading this week, we finished learning about Author's Purpose and practiced identifying different books.  In Writing, we wrote rhyming poems about animals.  The students really surprised me with their creativity and ability to write some amazing poems! In Math we continued learning about fractions.  We studied how to find fractions of a group of items and also about equivalent fractions.  For Bible we started studying about the week leading up to Jesus' death.  We learned about Palm Sunday when all the people were praising Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Then we learned about Jesus teaching in the temple.  We also learned about how Judas planned to betray Jesus and about the Lord's Supper.

Important Announcements:

1.  There is NO SCHOOL on Monday! Enjoy the long weekend! :)

2.  The last day for Book Orders will be next Friday, March 27.

3. Report Cards will be sent out next week.

4. Spelling for next week: We will be reviewing the last few lessons.  A review sheet will be sent home next week.

5. Bible Memory Verse: "Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us."  2 Corinthians 5:21

In Math this week we took our Unit 7 Test and also started our new unit on fractions.  We practiced making slices on a "cake" and also making fractions with different shapes.

For Writing this week we started our unit on poetry with a focus on acrostic poems.  We wrote a poem together as a class about being in Second Grade and then the students wrote their own acrostics as well.

In Reading this week we finished talking about the Author's Purpose of Entertainment.  We read many different Dr. Seuss books to see how some books are written simply for us to enjoy.  This week in Bible, we started talking about the Parables of Jesus.  These are stories that Jesus told in order to teach the people something about the Kingdom on God.  We learned about the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Weeds, and the Parable of the Mustard Seed and Yeast.

Today we also had the chance to attend the Culture Fair in the 3rd-5th grade classrooms.  We enjoyed getting to hear about different countries in South America, Africa, and Asia.  Because of Culture Fair, we also got to enjoy a picnic lunch outside on this beautiful day!

Important Information:

1. Next week will be Missions Week.  On Tuesday-Thursday we will be joining the K-1st grades at a Kid's Club run by the High Schoolers.  We will then have regular class time in the afternoon.

2. There will be NO SCHOOL on MONDAY, MARCH 23RD.

3. A flyer was sent home today about the Family Reading Campaign starting up later this month. If you have any questions please let me know.

4. Scholastic Book Orders are due March 27th.

5. Spelling Words for next week: raft, calf, built, golden, gulf, left, held, shelf, folktale, milk, building, drift, halfway, felt, once, Thursday

6. Bible Memory Verse: "But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

March Scholastic Book Order

If you would like to order books from Scholastic you may send it in to me or pay online at this website:  http://world-schools.scholastic.co.uk/okinawa-christian-school-intl

Please pay any amount in US Dollars.  The final day for book orders will be March 27th.