The 100th Day of School: 100 Days Smarter! : )

Today, we celebrated the 100th day of school!  That one hundred days has gone by quickly.  We had a mini-celebration by making a snack of 100 hundred things to be eaten at home.  We had marshmallows, m+ms, skittles, cheerios, candy hearts, cheez-it, gold fish crackers, fruit loops, and gummy bears! 10 of each item was put into a bag for a fun 100 day snack mix.  I'm sure it will be delicious! : ) A book was made about the hundred days and different things about 100.  For example:

 "If I had a hundred dollars, I would go to Arizona" Bridget

"If I had a hundred dollars, I would buy a Mustang!" Matthew

"If I had a hundred dollars, I would share it will my family!" Ethan

It's funny to see how far they think $100 would actually go! : )

They also had to draw a picture of themselves a 100 years from now, list 100 things they would want to have and 100 hundred things they would not like to have!  We had a great day celebrating!

Tomorrow is the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes.  We have been discussing what happened to St. Bernadette in the town of Lourdes, France. In 1858, in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes in southern France, Our Lady appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl.  The first appearance of Mary was on February 11th!

She revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, asked that a chapel be built on the site of the vision, and told the girl to drink from a fountain in the grotto.

No fountain was to be seen, but when Bernadette dug at a spot designated by the apparition, a spring began to flow. The water from this still flowing spring has shown remarkable healing power, though it contains no curative property that science can identify.

Lourdes has become the most famous modern shrine of Our Lady.

We watched a live video feed of what was happening at the grotto currently.  We noticed a lot of people kneeling to pray and touching the walls of the grotto.  A statue of Mary can be seen where Bernadette saw her during the sightings.  We also talked about the many miracles that happened when people have touched the water.  There was a woman who was carried to the water by stretcher and after she touched the water, she was able to walk back unaided!  So amazing!  God is so good! Here is the website where you can see live video feed from Lourdes:

http://lourdes-radio.com/player_live/player_live_en/player-token_en.php

We have made our own grottos resembling the same one St. Bernadette saw Mary at.  We will be taking these home soon after we show them off in the hallway!  

Reading Month:  I am interested in having mystery readers come into our classroom and read a story.  Please email me or let me know if you are interested so I can schedule you.  We are willing to work around your schedule.  The kids would love to hear you read in their class! : )

Check out pictures from February on our shutterfly website!

Catholic Schools Week

Wow!  What a great week we had!  We started the week with a weekend mass to welcome in Catholic Schools Week.  Thank you to all the second graders who helped out.  You did a nice job greeting, handing out bulletins, being ushers, and bring up the gifts.  I was very pleased with how you behaved and I am sure your parents are also!

Teacher Appreciation Day-  Thank you to all of you who provided the staff with goodies... they were YUMMY!  I definitely gained a few pounds! : )  I feel so blessed to have a job at Queen's and to work with the second graders.

Student Appreciation Day- We had a SNOW DAY! : )  What a great day to spend having fun out in the snow or curled up with a good book.  We moved all the festivities for Student Appreciation day to Thursday.  They got to enjoy a Wendy's lunch with a hamburger and FROSTY!  Students could also be out of uniform. We also got extra snack time!
 Father Tim came to our class to bless our throats because of St. Blaise who is the patron saint of throat illnesses.  Two candles are blessed, held slightly open, and pressed against the throat as the blessing is said. Saint Blaise's protection of those with throat troubles apparently comes from a legend that a boy was brought to him who had a fishbone stuck in his throat. The boy was about to die when Saint Blaise healed him.  So, hopefully St. Blaise will help with any throat issues we may have had!  I have a few pictures that will be posted to our photo website!  


Parent Appreciation- Thank you so much for being such great supporters of Catholic education.  Without you, Queen's would not be the place it is now.  I also want to thank you as I made my transition from a class of 3rd and 4th graders (23) to 27 second graders. I have learned so much already and am still learning how to be a better teacher!  I appreciate your patience and support!  I appreciate YOU!


Finally Friday!  We had a pep rally in support of Lumen Christi and Queens.  There was lots of cheering and the band played some great music.  We had fun following the Drum line into the gym.  They took us through the hallways, gathering more and more classes along the way.  It was so cool and we could "feel the beat" in our hearts (as one student said).  We also had former Lumen cheerleaders who teach at Queen's lead our fight song.  They did a great job as well! : )  


We had a very busy week.  Next week should be calmer.  We are planning on doing the Valentine's Day party on Friday at 2 p.m.  If you choose to give out Valentine's cards, please make sure you have 27!  I will hand out a list of names on Monday.  We will be making a carrier to hang on our desks for all the Valentine's cards.  Your child will be able to pass out to each student in our room!  A note will go home on Monday about this!  


Have a super weekend!  I plan on being at a few Lumen Jr. Titans basketball games this weekend.  So I will see you there!  This is a reminder to send in your schedules of an event you would like me to attend and I will try my best to attend something.  Oh and girl scouts... Mr. and Mrs. Engemann LOVE Girl Scout cookies so don't hesitate to ask. (Well, Mrs. Engemann really loves them!)  I just may buy a box or two!  Have a super weekend, enjoy the snow and enjoy your family!

Poems and Update

Sorry for the long delay! Here is an update as to what we have been up to!

November: We had our first reconciliation! Everything went great and was a lot less nerve racking than any one had thought! Our next one is in late March or April (during school) I believe.

December: We had a lot of fun creating our space video. Check it out on the queen's website: www.jcsqueens.org Each group had to research a different topic about space, then they had to work together to build a script based on what they learned. I am very proud of all the hard work that was put in by each group. Great job everyone!

I was truly blessed this Christmas with many gifts from each one of you! Thank you for the ornaments, the candies, the lotions, and for everything. I had a blast spending my gift card from the class. It was hard to choose what I wanted to get, but ended up putting it towards an e-reader. Which I absolutely LOVE!

: ) So thank you for all of your support and love this year!

January: We started off January with a field trip to the planetarium to finish off our space unit! It was very fun and interesting!

We have written poems for the poetry contest. We wrote diamante poems, which means that our poems are in the shape of a diamond. If someone wins, they get their poem published and a few other perks. Hopefully someone will win! Find our poems at the end of this post!

Coming up in February: We are starting our human body unit and will have visits from a dentist and possibly a doctor! We have our open house on February 3 (Thursday)! Come and see what we have been doing in school! Check out our interactive white board in action as well as the mice in action. We started geometry last week. This involves hands-on methods to learn about shapes (solid/3-D and plane/2-D), angles, symmetry (Check out our name aliens!), turns, flips (Check out our tesselations!), and more. We have had fun so far! : )

We are also mastering the craft of How-to books! Hopefully we will be finished in time to show at open house.

Second grade is going great, keep working hard! Look for the poems underneath here: Enjoy!

Giraffes by Bridget

Giraffes

spots, cool

walk, run, stand

Africa, baby giraffes, zoo, long tongues

lick, eat, smell

tall, small

Giraffes

__________________________

Dragons by Nathan

Dragons

fire, sharp teeth

fly, bite, breathe fire

horns, scales, wings, spikes

look, smell, eat

big eyes, yellow

Dragons

_______________________________

Legos by Ben

Legos

fun, cool

build, play, create

Star Wars, Lego people, Sands of Persia, blocks

battle, destroy, start over

big, small

Legos

__________________________________

Pizza by Ethan

Pizza

pineapple, ham

eat it, make it, cut it

crust, cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms

smell it, slice it, taste it

yummy, sauce

Pizza

______________________________________

Kittens by Alondra

Kittens

Toys, cute, necklace

Play, eat, run

Lay, water, fun, kisses, soft

Cats

___________________________________

Snowmen by Gracie

Snowmen

unique, snowy

cool, funny, fun

scarf, hats, gloves, carrot nose

smile, laugh, melt

tall, small

Snowflakes

_______________________________

Michigan by Jackson

Michigan

big, fun

swim, play, run

glove shaped, Detroit, Jackson, free

throw, jump, roll

cold, thick

St. Ignace

________________________________

Books by Andrew

Books

long, short

go new places, mystery, make you wonder

The Ugly Truth, Freak Out!, Sharks, Mario Lemieux

read, flip pages, ask questions

colorful, words

Books

_________________________________________

Elephants by Sierra

Elephants

big, gray

slowly moving, spraying water, stomping

hairy, fat, big ears, long trunk

walks, does not sit, does not lay down

cool, fun

Elephants

___________________________________

Guinea Pigs by Chloe

Guinea Pigs

soft, fast

run, hide, play

water, food, lettuce, grapes,

scratch, bite, lick

cute, carrots

Playful

_________________________________

Snowman by Tristan

Snowman

cold, white

playing, standing, watches you

carrot, coal, button, sticks

roll it, build it, make it

scarf, hat

Me

____________________________________

Michigan State by Caleb

Michigan State

Green, White

hike, pass, TOUCHDOWN!

Michigan State University

football, basketball, baseball, hockey

dribble, shoot, SCORE!

Sparty, #1

Spartans

________________________________

Just Dance! by Morgan

Dance

fun, pink

ballet, hip-hop, jazz

jump, first position, stretch

shoes, stage, studio, tutu

sauté, plié, tap

blue, leotard

Class

_______________________________________

Michigan State by Griffin

Michigan State

White, Green

Hike, pass, touchdown!

Michigan State University

Basketball, baseball, football,

He shoots, he scores!

Spartans

______________________________________

Kittens by Sydney

Kittens

cute, small

run, lay, roll

fun, walk, play, treat

meow, crawl, scratch

fuzzy, kind

Cat

_______________________________________________

The GREAT State of Michigan by Matthew

Michigan

White Pines, Lansing

Visiting Greenfield Village, Michigan Adventures, Joe Louis Arena

Apple blossom, Robin, Petoskey stone, Brook trout

Swimming, hunting, boating

mitten, peninsula

State

__________________________________________

Hockey by Jacob K.

Hockey

sport, fun

shoot, check, skate

goalie, puck, coach, sticks

score, cheer, high-5’s

crazy, loud

Fan

_________________________________________________

Coconuts are Cool! by Kennedy

Coconuts

brown, medium

drinkable, milk, cool

playful, Hawaii, palm tree, bumpy

hard, fall, CRACK!

round, hairy

Sweet

_______________________________________

Kittens by Hunter

Kittens

cute, cuddly

purring, drink milk, eat

play, yarn, sleep, chased

sit, smell, meow

baby, mice

Cat

_________________________________

Non-stop Quaking! by Ally

Ducks

beaks, ponds

quacking, flying, waddling

colorful, small, feathers, cute

fuzzy, weird

Ducklings

_______________________________________

Christmas by Jack

Christmas

special, important

person, helping, loving

Son, God, Savior, Hero

Prince, peace, Sheperds

Church, house

Winter

__________________________________

Hamster by Alex

Hamster

little, small

eat, drink, run

cage, food, water, hay

jump, sit walk

fuzzy, cute

Fluffy

_______________________________________________

Cats Love by Grace

Cats

black, white

run, scamper, sit

milk, sniff, lick, fluffy

meow, jump, eat

warm, cute

Kittens

_________________________________

Farm Animals by Dalton

Cow

fat, fun

kiss, sit, milk

Brownsmith, bull, Herferd, calf

Cool, drink, hay

Food, grind, fair

Animals, farm

Pig

_________________________________________

Fruits by Claire

Fruits

Yummy, good

Fat, big, watermelons

Star fruit, cute, nice

Plums are purple.

Strawberries are red

Peaches are fuzzy.

Fruits

________________________________________

Michigan by Jacob M.

Michigan

Blue, yellow

Throw, ball, score

Stadium, touchdown, football players, fans

Tackle, kick, run

Team, strong

Wolverines

___________________________________________

Friends by Lilly

Friends

Nice, fun

Playful, all different

Helpful, loveful, funny, BFF

Fights, cute, kind

Talented, smart, laugh

Friends

October Fun!

Well, my computer is back up and running after having a virus! : ) I am feeling much better, except I still don't have much of a voice! Thank goodness the kids have been understanding! Last night was the Family Halloween Party at Queen's and it was wonderful to see everyone in their costumes. What a great night! Pictures will be posted on the photo website soon! We have been working hard learning the water cycle and next week we will be completing a video all about what we have learned so far! Once this is complete, each child will be bringing home a dvd with our movie so you can see what we have learned at home!

Our class Halloween party will be on Friday, October 29 at 2 p.m. The grade 1-2 teachers have decided not to allow dressing up at the party. It was decided at a staff meeting that full costumes would not be allowed at school, but students would be able to wear one accessory item from their costume if grades could agree. We have decided to go simple and not have anything!

However, I would like to do a fun activity to get everyone in our class involved by having a Crazy Vocabulary Hat contest. We will be reading a cool book called: Miss Alaineus, A Vocabulary Disaster where the kids had to create costumes or hats that told the meaning of a vocabulary word. I will hand out directions and the hats on Monday! I will give some time in class to decorate and plan. Basically, students will pick a vocabulary word and show what it means on their hat. Go to this website for some examples: http://www.debrafrasier.com/pages/gallery.html This will be part of the spelling contract grade this week! The spelling contract will be shorter as well! : ) This should be a really fun learning project! I am excited to see all the hats!

When everyone didn't have school on Friday, Mrs. Engemann was at a conference learning how to be a better teacher. It was a GREAT conference and have realized that I already use most of the techniques, but now know how to use them better. I am excited to use the new techniques too! The conference was on differentiation which means making sure that I teach in a way that reaches every student! Every child learns at different speeds and comes to each subject manner knowing different things, I learned ways to find out what your child already knows and how to make sure they are achieving at their own potential! Needless to say, I am so excited to start using my new knowledge! This is why I love being a teacher! Let's have a great week!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip and More!

Well, we completed our first field trip! Everyone got to pick out their very own pumpkin! Some of the pumpkins they picked up were HUGE! I am surprised that they all were strong enough to lift them into the bus and home. We had a great time learning about the farm, having a snack (my apologies to my students who thought we were getting apple cider and doughnuts), and a hayride. Overall, it was a fun-filled afternoon and the weather could not be better. Check our photo page for more photos from the day. Remember our password is explore.

Just a few notes for changes in our classroom!

I implemented a quick snack time in during our morning to break up the long morning before lunch. This has helped them focus on learning and not worrying about what time lunch is. A light, healthy snack can be supplied for your child! I have snacks for those kids who forget a day. If anyone would like to contribute snacks that I can store that would be helpful! Fruit snacks, animal crackers, and pretzels are what I currently have and any help would be wonderful! Thank you in advance!

To help with our math and handwriting, we will be making Snazzy Snacks. These are easy recipes that we will write down in our best handwriting and then we will make the snack by carefully measuring out the ingredients and following the recipe directions! I have a fun recipe for fall that we will do at the end of October!

Spelling Contract Activities~ Thank you to Patty Hart who volunteered to help me upload the spellingcity.com spelling lists! I have included on the spelling contract, a new activity option of using spellingcity.com activities! Just write me a note or print out the activities that your child completes. There are some fun games and learning tools to help prepare for the spelling test! I hope this helps out!

Wii Interactive Whiteboard~ A BIG thank you goes out to my husband, Scott Engemann! He has helped me implement this fun technology into my classroom! Your kids have all had a chance to come to the board! Some have had the chance to write on the board too! I can't wait to use it in full force along with our mice! Your children are learning so much and are having fun while learning. Sometimes they don't even realize that they are indeed learning! Ha! We tricked them! : )

Activity Schedules~ I know we are all very, very busy! I would like some activities schedules from the students so I can attend one activity to show my support. This could be a sports game, a play, or whatever! Just let me know! Thanks!

That is all for now! Hopefully, the website will be uploading properly now! I plan on making a few changes throughout the week. Have a great weekend everyone! Go Green! : ) and Go Blue!

Mrs. Engemann : )

Week 3!

Here we are at week 3, going strong. We are working on following directions, listening, and being respectful. So far this week, we have done a pretty great job! Still room for improvements though. : )

Religion: We are learning about the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We learned that they are a three in one representation of GOD! We practiced the sign of the cross to help remember our belief as Catholics in the Holy Trinity. We have also practiced what to do at mass and how to be active and participate as full as possible.

Math: We are working on addition strategies, we are practicing adding numbers to 20! Keep working on your math facts. Time tests will begin on Monday! Be ready!

Social Studies: We talked about ways to be part of a community and how to help our community out when it is in need. Later, we will be learning about the important places in Jackson (our community) as well as building a community! Any small boxes like crackers or cereal would be appreciated! Thank you!

Science: We just started talking about plants. We will have a field trip for this unit on October 8. We are going to a pumpkin patch and each child will be able to bring home a pumpkin!

Writing: We are making a class book, which will be sent home to each of your homes in an envelope. Just sign the envelope and return to school the next day. We want to make sure every family gets a chance to see the book. It is based on the book, If Dogs Were Dinosaurs where the author made big things in the world really small and small things become enormous. For example, If the earth were as small as a basketball, Martians could slam dunk in the universe! Each student came up with their own version and illustrated their page. Some will make you laugh!

Reading: The logs will be due on Friday. I expect 10-15 minutes each day Or MORE!!! I will not stop you from reading! The strategy we have been working on this week is visualizing, using our senses to help us make a mind movie of what is going on in the story. We are also reading Henry and Mudge and answering comprehension questions.

Great job selling those magazines! Our class earned Popsicles, which we will enjoy tomorrow! : )

Don't forget to send in your party money of $4 by September 30!

Book Orders are due on Friday! You can order books online by visiting: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs our code is GQFFT. This is a one time code and you will create your own username and password. Every book order you can sign in using your own name and password!

We plan on finishing the end of the week strong! I also plan on attending the PTO meeting in regards to some funding for the wireless mice to increase student involvement and engagement. So exciting!

Week 1 Done!

We are at the start of our second week of school! We have already learned so much! In science, we are learning all about the scientific method. So far, we have completed an experiment using diet coke, Mentos, and M&Ms. We predicted what we thought would happen and then we went outside to experiment! It was a lot of fun! The diet coke and Mentos went the highest!

In Social Studies, we are learning all about communities. Including rural, urban, and suburban areas!

In Math, we are working on addition! Please work on flash cards each night!

In Reading Workshop, we have learned new strategies to pick out a book that is just at our level. We want to do the five finger thumbs up test! We pick any book and turn to a random page! We start reading and for each word we don't know, we put a finger up. If we have 1 to 2 fingers up, it is too easy! If we have three up, it's a just right book. If we have 4 to 5 fingers up, the book is too hard! Then we ask ourselves, Do we understand what's going on? If yes, (you could retell someone) put a thumb up! If no, thumb down, the book is not the right fit for you! We will be starting reading logs next week!

In Writer's Workshop, we have been working on gathering ideas! We are using other authors to help guide us as we become authors ourselves! Today we read, It's OK to Be Different! by Todd Parr and had a discussion about how unique we all were! I have sent home a Writer's Notebook (Composition Book)with each child that needs to be decorated. Please bring this to school on Friday! This is where our writing will begin!

In Religion, we are discussing St. John Vianney this week who is the patron saint of Priests. We are also talking about creation, trusting God, and about our church family. I will send home prayers to work on. Please check out the family connections for fun, faith-filled activities to do at home together!

As you can see we have been busy and will continue to be busy throughout second grade. Keep up the great work Explorers! : )