Ms. Worthley... signing out.

What can I say? I've loved every minute of being your teacher and contributing toward your learning this year in second grade! Every one of you has become better friends, better learners, better readers and mathematicians, and better THINKERS! Reflect back (on the blog... even...) and see for yourself... all the wonderful memories we've created together! I will never, ever forget you! Happy summer friends!

Playground Dedication.... Thanks Mr. A!!

Friends, family, and community... past and present... joined Sunderland Elementary School in honoring our former teacher and principal Marshall Aronstam. Students sang "All You Need is Love", and speeches were shared. At the end of the day, we have a beautiful plaque to remember and honor all the great work of Mr. A. He seemed especially touched and pleased to be associated with the playground, and made the point that a full rounded healthy child is a mind-body connection. Mr. A. seems passionate about active outdoor play and limited t.v. watching builds successful people! Must say, I couldn't agree more Mr. A.!! Cheers to you!!

Strawberry picking! Farm to Table is Alive and Well!!

The entire SES community, along with our Conway friends, picked delicious, sweet and juicy, albeit small, STRAWBERRIES! What a beautiful morning it was, out in the strawberry fields! We picked (and tasted), and picked (and tasted, and picked until we had 2 wagons full of strawberries for our BBQ on Wednesday! Well done everyone! Looking forward to more Farm to Table initiatives in the fall!

Soooo... Reading Witches by Roald Dahl... and up pops a Mouse???

Another average, ordinary day in second grade during read aloud... only today... we spotted a mouse while reading Witches, by Roald Dahl. Now, I'm not sure if your familiar with this amazing story by one of our most revered authors, but when you get to the part in the story where the grand high witch is turning into a mouse, herself... and, to your SURPRISE, you spot a little teeny weeny field mouse in your classroom... you're thinkin', Roald Dahl couldn't have planned this any better!! Unbelievable!! A little bit of unexpected drama, though NO WORRIES... every single second grader kept a close eye on that (lost, confused,adorable) little bugger until David Grace came in and saved the day. Mouse, caught. Mouse, released. Mouse fine. Reading witches in second grade, today... magic!! Cool!
Tomorrow... walking field trip to pick strawberries...sneakers and sunblock please!
Afternoon (hoping we're not exhausted...), Authors share at 1:30. See you there!

Button Party Day!!

Make your own pizza!! Yeah! Button Party treasure hunt! Oh yeah! Fresh cold watermelon after gaming with friends for an afternoon... BOOYAH! Chess, checkers, Turn over Ten, Uno, Guess Who, and, Pattern Blocks! What a great day! Full of thoughtful reflection, as students paused to take moments throughout our day to share observations/compliments/kind words with each other about how we've grown this year! We are NOT the students we were in September.... older, wiser, and hopefully vital contributing members of our SES Community of learners!
FYI: Walking field trip to pick strawberries Tuesday morning. Authors share Tuesday afternoon, 1:30. Last 1/2 day of school, Thursday.

Summer Reading!!! BOOYAH!!

Great day friends! Can't EVEN believe it's our last week together! Not sure I'm ready to let the 2W Dudes and Dudettes leave the nest...
We have an AWESOME button party to get ready for on Friday! We'll be making our own personal pizza's for snack, enjoy extra recess, play games, and reflect on our wonderful year together (along with a few surprises thrown in by Ms. Worthley...sh!)
Ms. Cranshaw dropped in to invite students to attend our FREE and SUPER COOL Summer Reading Program at the Sunderland Public Library. That lime green note you got today has all the details.... but all the fun, prizes, and supremely great reading materials are TOTALLY FREE! Just sign up and get your name on the list. There's no penalty for signing up late, but if you sign up by the registration deadline, you qualify for all the prizes. Though we all know, the REAL PRIZE is the reading itself! Hope you all take advantage of this free, fun, entertaining way to support your student's reading throughout the summer!! Check it out! Oh, did I mention it was FREE... thought so!!

Seussical the Musical!!

What an amazing performance! Sunderland 6th Graders WOWed us with their colorful costumes, snazzy dance moves, and incredible singing! What a treat! Check it out yourself...Sunderland Elementary School...Saturday night, 7pm, or Sunday afternoon, 2pm! You won't be disappointed! You will be transported to a Seussian World full of wonder and imagination! As we like to say in second grade: Thinking is winning!! Dr. Seuss would, no doubt, agree!

Conway...Feelin' the Love!!

So, yah... We had smoothie-math day yesterday and thought we'd throw a little bit-o-smoothie at our Conway friends. So, they come back at us with this super-sized super cool thank you note. Well done Olivia and Logan... Sure you can't stay, maybe a bit longer?? Like... FOREVER??
Tomorrow we will watch the 6th grade performance of Seussical the Musical! Please try and be to school on time and ready for this spectacular treat! I can't wait!!

Did Gracie Say Mustard Pancakes???

By the way... did we thank Grace and Cathy for the SURPRISINGLY DELICIOUS mustard pancakes she so graciously brought in for snack on Monday?? What a treat Gracie! Thanks to Cathy as well, for... "making 26 more pancakes for the class at 6:30 in the morning...while you're at it". What a sport, and what a treat for our second grade friends, especially after that amazing show by Courtney Campbell on Friday! Special thanks to PTO and Mrs. Wells for bringing this super fun artist to our school... all the way from the west coast! Awesome!

Smoothie Math Day!!! Please Pass the Strawberries!

Thanks to all the families and friends who helped support "Smoothie Math Day" with frozen fruits and juices, yogurts and blenders!! Ms. Weinberger had a blast, and it wouldn't have been a proper smoothie math day without her! We measured, mixed, pontificated flavor options, and when it was time.... we pushed the mighty "blend" button on our machines! What a delicious way to reinforce our measurement unit, and work with the measurement tools themselves! Thanks to Val Voorheis who came in to help with the party! Serving our extra batches of smoothie-deliciousness to Conway was truly a surprise and appreciated by our new friends... that's how we roll!!!

Welcome Conway Friends!!

How wonderful it is...to have our school grow by about 50% with our amazing friends from Conway! Ms. Manna and her second grade class have already joined us for a couple of sing-a-longs, morning meetings, basketball games at recess, fitness challenges, and smoothie-math-day!! Soooo nice to having more friends to join us in all our second grade summer fun! We are indeed the lucky ones!

Sharing...Guitar, Violin, and... You Wore That When????

Catching up on a few wonderful "show and tell" moments from last week! Clay blew our minds with his rendition of Hey Jude! That boy has Beatle's blood in him, for sure! Arayana also stopped traffic with her violin playing! She also talked a bit about her instrument, how to take care of the bow, and some incredible honors from previous performances! Practice sure does make perfect for Clay and Arayana, and we're so grateful they chose to share their talents with us for show and tell. Courtney shared some incredible memories, and photographs (ultrasound style!!!), and actual baby clothes she wore when she was a newborn!! WOW! Was Courtney really that small? Seeing pictures of Courtney when she was still growing inside her mother was also pretty incredible!! These friends know how to throw a GREAT "show and tell party"...that's for sure!