After a full month of school, we earned ten tally marks and a delicious hot fudge or butterscotch ice cream party today!

I scream, you scream, we ALL scream for ICE CREAM! YUM!

Celebrating Stefan's Birthday!

Mishal brave enough to show us her oblique line form

Ivan as a vertical line

Nathan demonstrating a human form of a horizontal line

Oliver enjoying music class

Madeline and Rohan on the Alto Blockenspiel and Bass Xylophone

'To forget one's ancestor is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.' ~ Chinese Proverb

I hope that you are enjoying working with your child on their immigration report. I always love to hear when 'new' stories resurface about a great great grandfather or grandmother.

This has been one busy week. We celebrated one month of second grade yesterday! One ninth of the school year is already over. We continue to distinguish the difference between common and proper nouns. In math, several students demonstrated with their bodies just what a horizontal, vertical and oblique (diagonal) line look like. In science, our caterpillars are in their chrysalis form and finally in core, we have started rehearsing our immigration play. Lots of excitement going on in second grade!

Renee - I really liked celebrating Stefan's birthday yesterday, watching my caterpillar in chrysalis from and the new story of Jessie, the immigrant.

Liam - I liked music with Miss Hamill and the bass xylophone, being the doctor in the immigration play and science!

Oliver - I really liked doing my dailies, practicing the play and watching the changes with my caterpillar!

Ivan - I liked being Papa Nabakov in the immigration play, getting to show what a vertical line looks like by using my body. Mrs. Barulich's cousin is funny when he calls her house early in the morning and asks her husband if she is vertical yet, instead of asking if she is up yet. I also liked the myth of Pandora's Box.

Kenna - I really liked music, getting to be the Statue of Liberty for the immigration play. I know all of my lines! And the story of Jessie, the immigrant is very good too!

Rohan - I really liked making our Statue of Liberty books. Mrs. Barulich says I used a lot of detail. I also liked to see the growth of my caterpillar in science and the story of Jessie, the immigrant.

Aidan - I liked art with Mrs. Switkes, practicing our immigration play and watching the many changes with my caterpillar in science.

Vicki - I liked working on my Statue of Liberty book, it was interesting. France gave us the Statue of Liberty! I also like Mrs. Barulich and our ice cream party today, it was yummy!

Stefan - I liked celebrating my birthday in my class with my friends, Mrs. Barulich and making my Statue of Liberty book.

Nathan - I liked seeing the new changes with my caterpillar, art with Mrs. Switkes and Mrs. Barulich.

Madeline - I liked dailies on the new Writing Without Tears paper, making my Statue of Liberty book and our ice cream party!

Weekly Highlights 9/30- Ms. Der Yuen

We had a week full of firsts: first VIP, first time practicing our play, first Compliment Party, and first edition of the Traveling Book. The Traveling Book is a collection of “published” student work that each child is taking home for one night to share. Keep your eyes peeled in case you haven’t yet seen the poetry anthology traveling through our class.

Brennan: I liked practicing the immigration play, singing “America” for the play, and playing Protect the Pin in PE.

Riley: I liked getting to be Statue of Liberty in the play, practicing the “America” song, and having my birthday celebrated in school!

Spencer: I liked doing the “America” song in the immigration play, playing Protect the Pin in PE, and Alexander C. sharing stuff as VIP.

Lindsay: I liked singing the immigration song, finishing Yehuda for read aloud, and practicing the play and getting to be Mama.

Alexander C.: I liked playing chess, singing the immigration song, being VIP, and playing Protect the Pin in PE.

Nina: I liked practicing the immigration song- it was so funky! I loved being a patient in the play and finishing reading about Yehuda and how they changed his name to Julius.

Maya: I liked Book Club! I also liked Protect the Pin and doing some challenge math.

Matthew: I liked working with Alex C. on spelling, singing the immigration song, playing Protect the Pin in PE, and playing chess.

Mishal: I liked finishing the story about Yehuda- I was happy that he made it past Ellis Island. I also liked the “America” song.

Mihir: I liked getting to be the doctor in the play like my brother was, the immigration song and finishing Yehuda. I liked how the brother Abe threw the samovar off the boat and the mom didn’t even get mad.

Kayla: I liked doing the immigration play, fraction Bingo, and finishing Yehuda.

Alexander L.: I liked seeing the caterpillars in their cocoons, playing Protect the Pin Dodgeball in PE, playing Uno after spelling, the spelling test, and earning the Compliment Party.

Brynn: I liked practicing our play, playing Protect the Pin Dodgeball, and bringing home the Traveling Book.

The students wanted to include that they all enjoyed the first Compliment Party! Congrats on the well-earned celebration!  Below are scenes from our party-

Coming to America- Immigration play and song

We have started practicing our immigration play, "Golden Door or Island of Tears?".  The children have read their lines with great expression and will be keeping a copy of the script in their binders to be able to practice at home and at school.  In case it gets misplaced, I've posted a copy on the "Documents" section of our Sycamore class page.

Mark your calendars!  The performances will be in the morning after assembly, all parents are invited. We hope you can attend.

2A- Wednesday, October 19
2B- Thursday, October 20

Below is a link to a video of Neil Diamond's "America" for practice.  It includes a photo montage from Ellis Island.  Since it is posted on youtube, please monitor your child's viewing to avoid following ads or other links.

America- Neil Diamond (youtube)

Spelling Words 9/26

We are working on "short o" this week.

1.  dog
2.  doll
3.  stop
4.  cot
5.  log
6.  fog
7.  spot
8.  pond
9.  nod
10.  lot

Bonus
11.  computer
12.  goddesses
13.  honesty
14.  October
15.  olive

Be as you wish to seem - Socrates Illustrated by Kenna Smith

Kenna and Stefan watching an amazing process!

Liam watching his caterpillar spin

Renee observing the changes a week later

Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspires good actions in others. - Plato

What a week! We've discussed three of Ancient Greece's main philosophers: Socrates, Aristotle and Plato and just how much their contribution to society still carries forth today. In discussing how the Greeks were the first to design columns as support to buildings, questions arose as to where we see them today. Answers were: Rene D'Arcangeles - The Parthenon, Liam Gair-Mansions and Stefan Minkowski-Monticello! Most of their philosophers books went home today. Take time to enjoy them and ask your children what they know about Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.

In science, our caterpillars are starting to spin their silk and the excitement continues to grow. There are a few good links on Youtube to view this actual process. It actually looks as if the caterpillar has spun his own sleeping bag and has gone in for cover.

Finally today, we not only celebrated the first day of fall, which truly felt like the first true day of summer, Ms. Der Yuen and I were able to share our immigration stories with the class. It always amazes me how quiet second graders get when I mention the few times that I am able to place a call out to a relative in Cuba, asking them if there is anything that they need. Their response is something as simple as a few bars of soap, a tube of toothpaste or shampoo. These students realize that the Cuban people are asking only for basic necessities. Oh how fortunate we are to live in such an abundant country.

Enjoy your weekend and this beautiful weather.

Renee - I liked viewing the spinning of my caterpillar, designing the parts of my butterfly in computers and rehearsing my role of Mama Nabakov for the immigration play!

Liam - I liked making my books about the Greek philosophers, viewing my caterpillar and the new story about Jessie the immigrant.

Aidan - I liked P.E.! Playing Doctor and the Spy was a lot of fun with Coach Schneider, I also liked science and showing my daily to Mrs. Swan!

Oliver - I liked rehearsing the immigration play, P.E. and watching the changes with my caterpillar in science.

Stefan - I liked P.E.! I also liked drawing our guitars in Mrs. Switkes' art class and Mrs. Barulich!

Nathan - I liked the Greek myth of King Midas, he was greedy! I also liked P.E. and practicing being Boris, the annoying little brother in the immigration play.

Ivan - I liked learning about the first four Greeks gods in Core: Zeus, Hera, Ares and Hades, I also liked learning how to count in french on the Smartboard and P.E!

Madeline-I liked knowing that I get to be the daughter, Anya in the immigration play! I also really like working on my dailies and watching my caterpillar spin in science.

Vicki - I liked working on our philosopher books, getting to be Tatiana in the immigration play and math. I like making attribute trains with the class.

Rohan - I liked the immigration play and getting to be the beginning narrator, I like having extra math to work on and watching my caterpillar in science!

Kenna - I liked my Weekend News, music with Ms. Hamill and getting to play the bass xylophone and the alto glockenspiel and Mrs. Barulich!

Weekly Highlights 9/23- Ms. Der Yuen

Mrs. Barulich sharing stories about Cuba

We delved deeper into our immigration study this week.  In preparation for the immigration interview assignment that went home today, Mrs. Barulich and I both shared our personal family stories with the students.  Mrs. Barulich emigrated from Cuba when she was five years old, and shared incredible stories of determination and sacrifice.  The kids (and I) were shocked to hear her recall a time when she went to get chicken with her mother and they waited in line for four hours only to be turned away.  They were also fascinated by desperation that drove people to build rafts to try to escape to the U.S.  She highlighted a great sense of appreciation for the quality of life in the United States.  No wonder she is such a positive person!  I shared stories about my mother's parents fleeing Estonia during WWII and staying in a German DP camp, where she was born.  She and her family came through Ellis Island with less than 75 cents and a trunkful of possessions, which astounded the children.  My father was born in Hong Kong and moved to the United States as a young child for his father's work as aeronautical engineer.  We fielded many, many questions!  The children also made connections among all the stories, realizing that everyone came to the United States for better opportunities.  We are eager to hear everyone's unique immigration stories.

Matthew: I liked the Lego Trojan War, Mrs. Barulich’s story about coming from Cuba, and learning more about the gods, especially Zeus.

Mishal:  I liked watching the silly Lego Trojan War movie, showing my butterfly pictures at science, and being in the new math class.

Mihir: I liked doing harder math, doing Math Challenges with a buddy, and playing Protect the Pin in PE.

Kayla: I liked playing Protect the Pin in PE, hearing about Yehuda even though it’s sad, and illustrating my “I Am” poem.

Alexander L.:  I liked Protect the Pin in PE, sharing my bugs in science, and starting “American Tale” about the mouse immigrant.

Brynn: I liked watching “American Tale” during lunch, quiet independent reading, and guarding in Protect the Pin in PE.

Brennan: I liked shooting down pins in Protect the Pin in PE, playing chess with Alexander C., and Ms. Der Yuen’s immigration story about her parents.

Riley:  I liked everything!  I liked being Calendar Aid, writing my name in ancient Greek, and starting math groups best.

Spencer: I liked doing Attribute Trains in math, Protect the Pin in PE, and being Announcer.

Lindsay: I liked illustrating my “I Am” poem, seeing the caterpillars’ silk, and PE.

Alexander C.: I liked playing Protect the Pin in PE, reading Ook and Gluck, and I loved playing chess.

Nina: I liked knocking over the pin on my first try in Protect the Pin, hearing the stories from the teachers about their family immigration, and hearing about Yehuda in read aloud.

Maya: I liked hugging Ms. Der Yuen, realizing that my name in ancient Greek looks that same as in English because there isn’t a “Y” and alpha and mu look like “a” and “m”, and Protect the Pin was pretty fun.

Observing caterpillars

Quiet independent reading

Illustrating "I Am" poems

Fall in love with autumn!

We celebrated the first official day of autumn with crunchy, brown leaves!  How many adjectives can you use to describe autumn?  (Click to enlarge photo)

Amazing Adjectives List

Today the students received their Amazing Adjectives List.  The list is a helpful resource, particularly in writing sentences for spelling homework which now require at least one adjective per sentence.  Hopefully it will be a tool to help spice up their writing! 

It went home with them to keep on hand for homework, but you can click to enlarge and save this image.

PE and Gym Attire

The topic of PE and Gym attire came up at Open House last night, so I conferred with the Handbook and a couple other teachers.  The Handbook reads:  "Regulation PE shorts must be worn for gymnastics and PE classes."  Children can wear the navy elastic-waist shorts under jumpers or pants.  During colder weather, boys can wear the shorts under their pants for easy transitions.  If they need to, they are welcome to change into shorts in the bathroom prior to PE.   Hair needs to be pulled back for gym.

2B- PE on W/F, Gym on Th
2A- PE on M/F, Gym on Th

Spelling Words

We are working on words with a "short i" this week.

1. hit
2. fill
3.  will
4.  wind
5.  miss
6.  milk
7.  win
8.  hill
9.  bill
10.  fit

Bonus
11.  immigrant
12.  liberty
13.  until
14.  listen
15.  anything

The highlight of the week!

Oliver getting a closer view

Ivan viewing the feeding of his caterpillar

Mrs. Barulich's Weekly Highlights

Yia Sou!

That's the official Greek greeting that we are starting off with each morning. We've had a very busy week. We've reviewed our nouns, verbs, and adjectives as well as our subject and predicate in a sentence. In math, we started illustrating addition problems, telling time to the half hour and working with adding doubles and doubles plus one. In social studies, we just ended our non-fiction story about Yehuda Weinstein's journey to America from Russia. The highlight for the class this week was Mrs. Wendlent bringing in the mallow (caterpillar food) for the caterpillars in Science. Each child was given a magnifying glass to view the feeding up closer. Quite exciting!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend. We hope to meet with both 2A and 2B's room parents next week to map out the school year.

Madeline: My highlight was getting to draw Persephone, I love to eat pasta and cereal and she is the Goddess of the Grain. I also enjoyed feeding the caterpillars in science and drawing guitars in Mrs. Switkes' art class.

Rohan: I loved math, especially when we discussed how three normal twelve inch rulers equal a yard stick and then we all lined up by height in class. Next week, we get to measure each other. I also liked getting to draw Poseidon because I would love to rule the seas and science was a lot of fun.

Oliver: I loved science, the mallow and the caterpillars! I really liked the story of Yehuda, he is very funny. He speaks Yiddish and it's hard for him to say english words. I also love Mrs. Barulich!

Kenna: I finally finished my drawing of Aphrodite. I chose her because love blooms all around her. I love the immigrant story of Yehuda, it's happy and sad and second grade!

Stefan: I love P.E.! Playing Capture the Flag with my friends, drawing the guitars in art and library.

Nathan: I love drawing Zeus. My brother was a very good Zeus when he was in second grade. I also liked when the class lined up by height and the story of Yehuda.

Renee: I loved science and being able to feed the caterpillars. I also liked our stories in Jumping Up and drawing our goddesses.

Ivan: I love kickball in P.E. It is so much fun. I also like greek mythology and our immigrant

studies, especially Yehuda's story.

Aidan: I liked making my "Me" book, working on my paper person and Yehuda's story.

Gabriella: I liked greek mythology, immigration and Mrs. Barulich.

Vicki: I loved working on my "Me" book and my paper person, Weekend News and Mrs. Barulich!

Liam: I loved the story of Yehuda and how he thought the word, "match" was pronounced "metch". I love greek mythology and math!

2B Open House

Just a reminder that I will be hosting an Open House in Room 8 on Tuesday, September 20th from 6:00-7:00 PM.  I will share important information about class activities, expectations, and schedules.  We will also have time to ask questions and talk.  It will be a great opportunity to become familiar with the classroom, culture, and routines.  If needed, children may come and read or quietly play a board game during the presentation.  Looking forward to seeing you then!

Weekly Highlights 9/16- Ms. Der Yuen

It’s been wonderful being back this week- thank you for the tremendous welcome!  We’ve hit the ground running and are in the midst of reading Greek myths, sharing immigration stories, comparing geometric attributes, writing poetry, eagerly observing caterpillars in science, and more.


As part of our Friday routine, the students and I will reflect on our week together.  I like to share the highlights from each child with you as an opportunity to get a glimpse of all that’s going on at school.  Some children come home as news reporters, sharing all sorts of details of the day, while others give monosyllabic answers when pressed for answers.  Hopefully this can serve as a prompt for discussions with your child about the week.

Lindsay: I liked playing Attribute Trains, getting caterpillars, and reading Greek myths.

Alexander C.:  I liked playing soccer in PE, having cupcakes for the wedding party, and playing chess with Mihir when we finished our Dailies.

Nina:  I liked getting caterpillars in science, when Ms. Der Yuen came back because I missed her, and when Mishal shared about her trip to Paris.

Maya: I liked reading Greek myths, getting our own caterpillars, and when Ms. Der Yuen came back because I missed her!

Matt:  I liked learning more about the Greek gods, soccer in PE, and learning about the Statue of Liberty.

Mihir:  I liked playing chess with Alexander and other friends, reading my library book, playing soccer in PE, seeing Ms. Der Yuen who I haven’t seen since summer, learning about Greek gods- my favorite story was about Arachne spinning the webs.

Mishal: I liked playing checkers with Kayla, independent reading, blowing bubbles and wedding cupcakes for Ms. Der Yuen, and watching the caterpillars in science.

Alexander L.:  I liked seeing Ms. Der Yuen again, playing soccer in PE, playing checkers with Riley after finishing our Dailies, and seeing the caterpillars in science.

Brynn: I liked seeing the caterpillars in science, seeing Ms. Der Yuen come back, playing soccer in PE, and everything else!

Brennan:  I liked being goalie in soccer in PE, playing chess with Spencer when we finished our Dailies, and playing Steal the Bacon in PE.

Riley: I liked playing soccer in PE, playing Steal the Bacon in PE with 2A, seeing silk in my caterpillar’s cup, and writing about summer in computers.

Spencer:  I liked playing chess with Brennan, playing soccer in PE, and playing Steal the Bacon in PE.

Kayla:  I liked playing checkers with Mishal, when Mishal shared about her trip to Paris, and when we blew bubbles when Ms. Der Yuen came back.