Author: Melissa Morrier-Turk

Good Morning, 2B Families,

We have officially entered our last week of school!  I am continually amazed by the students’ engagement and hard work, especially their wonderful writing for the “Diary of…” writing activity on Friday.  I am confident that they are ready for third grade.  There are still a lot of unknowns as we enter summer.  I know that each student has made progress and growth during this trimester of distance learning.  Tuition contracts have been sent out to all of our families.  Please prayerfully consider signing to have your child attend St. Mary Magdalen for the 2020-2021 school year.  It is my hope to see each student at SMM next year.  We are blessed to have you as a part of our community!

Important Tidbits:

Assignments for this Week:

• The assignments for this will be lighter toward the end of the week.  I would still like to see a picture or writing about what the students are doing on these days.  Thursday will be “Pamper your Parents Day” and Friday will be “Game Day” with ideas of fun games to play as a family, including a Bird Scavenger Hunt (fingers crossed the rain holds off!).
• Goodbye Mr. Ramseyer assignment on today’s Daily Checklist.  Let us show our appreciation to Mr. Ramseyer as we near the end of our school year.  We want to wish him luck in his new adventures in life and thank him for everything he has done for our school in two short years.  Please take time to write a thank you note, make a short video or design a card.  Other possible suggestions: take a picture with a sign that says thank you/we will miss you or draw a picture for Mr. Ramseyer.  Use your imagination and creativity to show that his time at our school was memorable!  Please submit your positive notes in the assignment titled “Goodbye Mr. Ramseyer” in Mrs. Framel’s Google Classroom.  Her class code is jb6nfmh, if you aren’t already a member.  Please submit your notes no later than Wednesday, June 10th.   Let’s give him a proper IRISH sendoff!

End of Year Zoom Meeting:

We will have a final Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 10^th at 11:30 AM.

End of Year Drop-Offs/Pick-Ups:

Please refer the list I sent out on Friday for library books and laptops that need to be returned on these days.  I will also have end-of-year memorabilia to be picked up.  Even if you do not have anything to return, I hope to see you at some point this week! 😊
Check-in times are:
Wednesday, 6/10 – 9:00-11:00 AM
Thursday, 6/11 – 1:00-3:00 PM
Friday, 6/12 – 12noon-2:00 PM
**2nd grade check-in/drop off will be in the SMM upper parking lot.

Summer Resources and Bitmoji!:

Mrs. Martin and I are working to put together a list of resources to keep your child learning during the summer.  We will have access to Epic! for at least part of the summer.  I will share the list of resources with you as soon as it is completed.  Additionally, I am hoping to leave our Google Classroom open.  Your student will be receiving a “Flat Stanley Ms. Borseth Bitmoji” to take on reading adventures, math adventures, and family adventures during the summer.  I will be leaving a document open for the students to share their adventures and keep in touch with each other.  It is my hope, that with this, the students will be able to continue their relationships with each other and continue to learn from one another, too!

We will always be the 2B 2020 class.  A family that worked together through a tough time.  Your hard work and support at home is recognized and valued!

I hope you have a great start to your week, and I look forward to seeing you at school during the drop-offs/pick-ups.

All my best,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Dear 2^nd Grade Families,

Can you believe we are entering the first week of June? I certainly cannot!  I am sure missing our end-of-year festivities and celebrating memories of our 2^nd grade school year.  I plan to find special and unique way to commemorate our year, even though it may be a little different than years past.  We have a very special class picture that I am looking forward to sharing with the students.  Stay tuned for more details on how I will get this picture to your student!  It might be a last-day-of-school pick-up on June 12^th or via mail, I will let you know! 😊

Important Tidbits:

Zoom Meetings for the week of 6/1:

Monday, June 1, 2020 @ 10 AM

Diary of a Worm Read Aloud Zoom

Wednesday, June 3, 2020 @ 10 AM

Guided Bird Drawing Zoom

Report Cards for this Trimester:

I wanted to send some information about what you can expect from report cards this trimester.  We realize that this has been a unique method of learning for the students, so have chosen the best route of grading that will “do no harm.”  Therefore, you will notice that rather than a number grade, your student will either be “Meeting Standards” or “Working to Standards” in our essential understandings for 2^nd grade.  I have been beyond impressed by the engagement of the students in distance learning, I will make sure that is reflected on the report cards as appropriate.

I am continuing to keep your family in my thoughts and prayers.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Blessings,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Hello 2B Families,

I hope you had a restful and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!   As we are nearing the end of the school year, the students often fall into a bit of an end-of-year slump.  I will keep providing engaging activities and hosting our weekly Zoom meetings to keep everyone connected!  There are many celebrations to look forward to as well!  Today marks the start of our annual SMM School Auction, however this, like many events this year is a bit different than other years.  We are looking forward to a successful first “Stay Home Auction!”  Please see below for more information regarding our beautifully creative 2B Classroom Projects!

Important Tidbits:

End of the Year Reading Assessments:

On Wednesday’s checklist, there will be directions for each student to complete an assessment in RAZ-Kids as their end of year reading assessment.  This is to help gauge reading progress and will not adversely impact any student’s grade for 3^rd Trimester report cards.  Please help your child find a quiet place to work independently.  The assessment should take approximately 20 minutes and will help next year’s teachers plan and prepare the best course of instruction for each student for the beginning of 3^rd grade.  If you have any questions, please let me know!

2B Zoom Meeting Friday, 5/29 at 10 AM:

*More details to come later about the topic of Friday’s Zoom Meeting!

Topic: 2B Zoom

Time: May 29, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Mrs. Mallahan’s Retirement:

Mrs. Mallahan is retiring after 32 years of teaching at St. Mary Magdalen!  To help with her sendoff, we are putting together a video full of thanks for passing her joy and love of reading onto the SMM Community.  Please take a picture of your student or student(s) with their favorite book and send to Melissa Morrier-Turk at MMorrierTurk@stmarym.org by this Friday, May 29^th. If your student would like to write a note to Mrs. Mallahan or hold up a poster with an affirmation (thanks, you rock, etc.) that would be great as well!  Thank you for helping make this retirement for Mrs. Mallahan a special one!

SMM Online Auction:

Keep an eye out for our 2B projects during our first Stay Home Auction!  Mrs. Thuyns did an amazing job with our auction projects this year!  The 2B class project is reusable shopping bags decorated with our own uniformed students and artwork!  These are a staple for future shopping trips, handy, and adorable!  We also have a basket filled with New York Times Best Sellers and favorite picture books!  Thank you to all of you who donated to both projects!  Visit the auction site here and Happy bidding and thank you for supporting St. Mary Magdalen!  😊

Good Morning, 2B Families,

Happy Spirt Week!  I hope you had a nice weekend and were able to enjoy some sunshine.  This week we will be celebrating our SMM pride with a Spirit Week.  I have attached the flyer  which includes dates and themes for the week.  We are kicking the week off with Pajama Day today.  Reminder: Friday, May 22 is a non-student day!  Your child will not have work to complete in Google Classroom this day!  Due to this, we will be taking our spelling test on Thursday this week.

Important Tidbits:

Epic! Reading: I just wanted to give a shoutout to the class!  They have read over 500 books in the past few weeks – I am blown away!  I have assigned a collection titled “FriendSHAPES” for this week.  This is absolutely optional, however fits with our math objective for the week.  The collection includes books relating shapes to art, space, animals, Hawaii (who doesn’t love some tropical paradise?!) and much more!  I made sure to pick a book/video out for each unique interest in our 2B classroom. 😊

Please send photos for Mrs. Mallahan!  She is retiring after 32 years of teaching at St. Mary Magdalen!  To help with her sendoff, we are putting together a video full of thanks for passing her joy and love of reading onto the SMM Community.  Please take a picture of your student or student(s) with their favorite book and send to Melissa Morrier-Turk at MMorrierTurk@stmarym.org by Friday, May 29^th. If your student would like to write a note to Mrs. Mallahan or hold up a poster with an affirmation (thanks, you rock, etc.) that would be great as well!  Thank you for helping make this retirement for Mrs. Mallahan a special one!

2B Zoom Meeting 5/20 at 10 AM

Topic: Faces, Edges, and Vertices

Time: May 20, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

2B Zoom Meeting 5/21 at 11 AM

Topic: Shapes Scavenger Hunt

Time: May 21, 2020 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

**It might be helpful to have your student have some ideas of objects prior to the meeting! 😊

Thank you for your continued support and diligence!  Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!

Warm regards,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Good Afternoon, 2B Families,

Happy May!  I hope you are looking forward to a sunny week ahead.  It was so much fun doing a guided art project with the students on Zoom for May Day last Friday, the flowers turned out beautifully!  I am missing the students dearly and know they are missing each other!  Thank you for supporting your student in attending our class meetings! 😊

A few tidbits:

Assessments: We will have three assessments this week (Math, Science, and Religion).  Please make sure that your child completes this work independently so I can gauge progress.  You may read the instructions, sentences, and story problems as a support.  If your student is needing a great deal of extra support, please let me know.  I typically read through the assessments in class, so the students are used to this.

Reading Groups: This week I am going to give reading groups a try with my classroom reading groups.  The stories for our reading groups will be assigned through Epic!  I plan to share the Zoom link within our Google Classroom.  Mrs. Latta’s group will continue to follow Mrs. Latta’s instructions for reading and what is assigned in Epic!  Stay tuned for more information about reading groups! 😊

Class Picture: We are collecting pictures of each student for our class picture, since we were unable to get ours this spring.  Mrs. Buenvenida (Marianna’s mom) will be collecting and putting the pictures together in a Brady Bunch/Zoom-like fashion.  If you would please send her a picture of your child, from the shoulders up (if possible), that would be great!  Pictures can be sent to the email address annaRmarcB@gmail.com.  Thank you for helping make this possible!

2B Zoom Meeting Friday, 5/8:

Topic: The Important Thing (*Please have your child come prepared with a white piece of paper, coloring utensils, and a pencil!)

Time: May 8, 2020 10:00 AM, please see your email for the link and password.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.  I am here to support your child in this time of unique learning!

Warm regards,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Good Afternoon, 2B Families,

I hope you had a blessed Easter and wonderful spring break in the sunshine!  I wanted to send along a couple updates as we get started on a new week of distance learning.  Next week, we will be utilizing a new reading resource website called Epic!  I hope to use this to help with assigning “good-fit” books, planning reading groups, and daily assignments.  I would like students to have a chance to explore the website this week and get comfortable using it as a resource.  More information about Epic!, a 2B personalized video about Epic!, and how to help your student get logged in can be found below.  I will also post this in our Google Classroom. 😊

Important Tidbits:

Class Picture: We are collecting pictures of each student for our class picture, since we were unable to get ours this spring.  Mrs. Buenvenida (Marianna’s mom) will be collecting and putting the pictures together in a Brady Bunch/Zoom-like fashion.  If you would please send her a picture of your child, from the shoulders up (if possible), that would be great!  Pictures can be sent to the email address annaRmarcB@gmail.com.  Thank you for helping make this possible!

2B Zoom Meeting Schedule (Wednesday 4/22 and Friday 4/24)!

Topic: 2B Earth Day Meeting

Time: Apr 22, 2020 10:00 AM

Join Zoom Meeting – information was emailed to you and listed in google classrooms

Topic: 2B Friday Check-In

Time: Apr 24, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting – information was emailed to you and listed in google classrooms

Epic!

We are going to start using this useful learning tool called Epic! – the largest and safest digital library for kids.  It allows students to freely explore their interests for endless learning fun.  I will be assigning books and monitoring student progress through this program.  Please see below for instructions on how to help your student log-in.  I have also created a short introductory video to show students what can be found on Epic!  I am very excited to embark on this reading journey and I think the students will be thrilled too! 😊

Using a laptop or Chromebook?

Open up your web browser and

1. Go to www.getepic.com/students
2. Log in with your class code 
3. Select their name and they’re in!

OR

Using a phone or mobile device?

After launching the Epic app

1. Select “Have an account? Log In” then click “Students & Educators”
2. Log in with your class code
3. Select their name and they’re in!

Enjoy the sunshine!

Sincerely,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Dear 2B Families,

I am continually impressed by your support and your student’s work each day.  The highlight of my week was getting to see most of the class during our Zoom Meet-up on Friday.  I will continue to plan at least one per week moving forward.  I have also thoroughly enjoyed any pictures with assignments and even videos of students reading their writing or work, please keep those coming whenever possible! 😊  We had 100% attendance each day last week, which is amazing, and are getting so close to having everything turned in daily!  You rock!

Looking ahead into next week:

• Morning Message Videos:  After receiving wonderful feedback from our parent support meeting last week.  I will be adding a “Morning Message” video in each Daily Checklist for students to watch when they sign-in to Google Classroom.  In these brief videos, I will outline the assignments for each day and provide additional clarification or directions as needed.  It is my hope these can be a tool to help each student know what the expectation of the day is and as a reminder that I’m still here, just on the other side of the screen!
• Math—for the upcoming week 3/30-4/3: EEK! In mailing out the new packet, I missed sending out the math worksheets for necessary for this upcoming week.  I hugely apologize for this and have some options as a back-up!  I have scanned each daily worksheet and will link them to each checklist.  Here are the options:

1. Print off the worksheet (black & white is great!), complete the assignment, and submit a scanned copy or picture to turn in.

OR

2. Write/draw out the problems on a piece of blank paper and list the correct answer.  Submit a scanned copy or picture to turn in.

Thank you for your assistance and flexibility with this!

• Science: On Tuesday, follow the Parent/Student Guide for Lesson 56-Describing the loudness of sound.  On Thursday, follow the Parent/Student Guide for Lesson 57-How the environment affects the sounds we hear.
• Spelling Test:  Thank you for giving your student the spelling test on Friday!  The lined paper included at the back of the packet that arrived last week, may be used when administering the test.  The students know how to number their paper for the test too, and we usually “kiss our brain” before the test.  Typically, we do a challenge word as #13 related to the letter combination for the week (this is optional, but could be fun!).  Remember to submit a picture of the test when you are turning in the test. 😊
• Grading Procedure: At this time, I will be giving students grades in Google Classroom based on completion.  If they turn in the checklist and proof of completion of the correct assignments, they will receive 100 points.  If something is missing or incorrect, points will be deducted.  Over the past couple weeks, I have been waiting to receive assignments in order to give a complete grade.  If your student still has an assignment that has not been returned from over a week ago, it may because I am missing an attachment.  Please check my “comments” in the Google Classroom, as I have been letting students know when they are missing an item.  In the comments, I am also noting if anything needs to be corrected or completed.  The student can then resubmit the assignment.  I am keeping track of individual assignments in the gradebook, like I normally would if we were in school.  I am mostly looking for 100% effort, this and participation allow me to measure progress.

Thank you for participating in your child’s learning in this unique way.  We are in this together, so please reach out if you need anything!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 😊

Warmly,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Dear 2B Families,

Congratulations on completing the first week of learning-at-home!  Thank you for all of your support and grace this week as we got up and going learning the ins and outs of Google Classroom.  I hope you have had a restful weekend, free of anything Google Classroom related!

A couple of things…

Turning-In Assignments:

I am very proud of each of the students (and all of you) for working so hard this week!  Watch this video, if you haven’t already for a little tutorial on how to submit assignments each day and for our daily routine https://aborseth.hippovideo.io/video/play/6_AeO-qa8-d6mVGrWDbpF-fsegdntIP35BElqrxVByQ.  Thank you for taking the time to submit assignments through Google Classroom.  This is the easiest way for me to see assignments and return them with a grade and comments back to the students.

Attendance:

It is very important that students log-in every day, complete the attendance question, and click “Turn In.”

April Packets:

As the Governor continues to update us with protocols, Mrs. Martin and I felt it necessary to mail home a second packet to each of the students.  We put together worksheets and assignments that will be used through March 30^th-April 24^th, with an exception to the science unit included.  The science unit, “Exploring Sound and Light” will be used this week, beginning Tuesday, March 24^th.  The packet should arrive to your home by tomorrow, Monday 3/23.  If you do not receive the packet, please use the attachments provided in Google Classroom to complete assignments.  You may need to print these out or scribe them (write them out) on a piece of paper.  Similar to the March Work Packet, we are asking that students do not work ahead.  Directions will be provided on each Daily Checklist.

Khan Academy

This week, we will be using Khan Academy for our math assessment on Wednesday and for other math enrichment activities.  Please see below for information on how-to join!

How to join your teacher’s Khan Academy class

1. Go to https://www.khanacademy.org/join/P2NNSS7Y
2. If you don’t already have an account, press “Create a new account”
3. Enter your date of birth, then sign up using Google or with your SMM email (firstnamelastname@stmarym.org)
4. Enter your grade and course. Now you’re ready to start learning!
5. Add your username and password into the 2B Passwords page in the Resources Topic in our Google Classroom!

I miss you terribly!  I hope you are staying healthy and well!

Warmly,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher

Dear 2^nd Grade Parents,

Welcome to 2B home-based learning!  Please see below for a step-by-step video of our Google Classroom Daily Routine and how-to submit attachments to the Daily Checklist.  There has already been a wonderful presence online so far today.  Based on the comments, it seems like the students are excited and enjoying what has been planned so far!  Hooray!

Monday-Friday Office Hours: Morning (8:30-9:00 a.m.) and Afternoon (2:00-2:30 p.m.).  During these times, I will be available to answer questions via email or on the phone via text through the Remind App.  I will be using the SMM landline or Remind App to contact families via the phone.  Remind App Information: I have invited at least one parent for each student to join the 2B Remind Classroom App.  If you have not received an invite and would like to join, send a text to 81010 and write in the message @aborseth

Google Chats/ZOOM: I am planning to set-up a Google Chat or Zoom room for the class to meet.  Stay tuned for a time, link, and directions to do this.

Daily Routine Reminders:

• Read the Daily Checklist document (located in the upper right-hand corner once you’ve clicked into the Daily Checklist for the day) this outlines the directions for the day and what is expected to be attached and “turned-in.”
• Please make sure your child submits attachments of the daily work as requested.  Today’s attachments should be a front and back picture of the Subtract Two-Digit Numbers, p.335-336 math worksheet.  These can be attached to the Daily Checklist form.  Then your student should click “Turn-in” at the top right of the page.
• The students will also do this when answering questions, riddles, or commenting in the Daily Attendance topic.
• Daily Attendance and Daily Checklists will be due by 8:00 p.m. each day, my expectation is that students will sign-in for attendance between the hours of 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. though.
• Students are not to work ahead in their packets, please follow the checklist for each day.

Tips and Tricks:

• Create a set of clear expectations for each day.  We call it a “Classroom Promise” in class.  Maybe make your own “School-at-home Promise” together.
• Set and keep normal routines.  Mealtime, playtime, family time, and bedtime are important.  Try to keep regular schedules for going to bed and waking up.
• Attempt schoolwork in the morning, students are at their best before lunch.
• Create breaks within the work period.
• Ms. B is also posting P.E. activities in our Google Classroom twice a week.
• Limit screen time and set timers.
• If you are sick, rest as you would on a regular school day.
• Ask questions!  I am here to help and if I don’t know, I will discover someone who does know and get back to you. 😊
• This is a great time for exploration, creating art projects, singing, dancing, doing puzzles, and enjoying time as a family.

Daily Routine/How-to Add Attachments Video

Dear 2B Families,

I hope this message finds you well!  I just wanted to send along a little update regarding homework, spelling, and the biography project with our recently updated school schedule.  Please see below for updated dates!

Important Tidbits:

Homework: In spelling, we will be focusing on the “oi” and “oy” phonogram sets through next week.  We have decided to extend the homework packet and spelling due dates.  The homework packet that was due on Thursday (March 12^th) this week, will be due next Friday, March 20^th. We will also be taking the “oi” and “oy” spelling test on March 20^th!

 Biography Report: I will be sending home the final draft poster with your child tomorrow, March 11^th. This will be due Monday, March 23^rd.

• Presentations will be during the week of March 23^rd-27^th.
• We have practiced research on ProQuest over the past couple weeks.
• If you are able to help your child supplement the materials provided by checking books out a local library that would be helpful too!
• Please let me know if you are struggling to find information and I might be able to help!

Thank you!

Warm regards,

Addison Borseth

Second Grade Teacher