March Reminders

Hello, Giraffe Families!

Can you believe it is already March?! Here are a few important dates and reminders for the

weeks ahead:

Friday, March 8: Stratham School Board Annual School District Meeting - 7:00pm at SMS. The STA will be babysitting and hosting a movie night that evening in the Library for kids so parents can be in attendance! Drop-off for movie night begins at 6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 12: CMS Expansion and Renewal Project Vote

Friday, March 15: Scholastic Reading Club orders will be submitted for our classroom. Click here to shop for books, our class code is NB42C

Tuesday, March 12: Staff Workshop Day (Inservice) - no school for students

Wednesday, March 13: School Board Meeting 6:30pm

Thursday, March 21: 5th grade vs. SMS Staff basketball game 6:30pm. All families are invited to attend!

Thursday and Friday, April 4 & 5: SMS Variety Show 

Thursdays, April 4 & 11: Early release days - Spring Conferences, (click here to sign up!)

Wednesday, April 10: School Board Meeting 6:30pm

Friday, April 12: SMS PTO Party with a Purpose 

Lastly, each of the giraffes will be coming home with a book bag every Tuesday. It is their "homework" to make sure they read this book at least two times to someone they love before returning their book and bag to school on Thursday. These are books that the giraffes have practiced reading independently in class, they are excited to share their reading skills with you! 

Happy (Almost) Spring!

One More Reminder for End of Year Events

Happy Memorial Day, Giraffe Families! We are in the final push for the end of the school year. Here is one more reminder of important dates we have coming up during our last few weeks together:

May 30th and 31st- Can't Stop The Seedling: Students will put on the dress rehearsal of our play during the school day on May 30th and will perform our play for families on May 31st starting at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria. The giraffes will be playing the part of The Pollinators, so they are wearing red, yellow, or orange shirts with blue jeans or black pants. Play gear should be worn to school on the 30th for our dress rehearsal but students are allowed to bring a change of clothes if they would like to change after our morning performance. Antennae will be provided :) (Note: the seeds from each classroom should wear black) 

June 2nd- Volunteer Appreciation Day and 1-2-3 Fun Run: All parent volunteers are welcome to join us for a "Thank You" breakfast at 8 am in the library and Celebration in the Gym at 8:45 am so we can thank you for all that you do for our classroom and school! That afternoon, teachers, parents, and students are welcome to run or walk 1,2, or 3 miles around SMS and Stratham Hill Park at 5:30 pm. Following the run, there will be a BBQ, Dunk Tank, Snow Cones, and a Dance Party! 

June 5th- Grand Luncheon: Grandparents and friends of SMS students are invited to join us for our annual Grand Luncheon. Second Grade Lunch will be from 12:15-12:50 and recess will be from 12:50-1:10. 

June 9th- Field Day: bring your sneakers, because June 9th will be field day! Please bring a change of clothes with you, as we will have some water games and we will also be outside, rain or shine. This year's Field Day Theme is "Where's Waldo?"

June 12th- Field Trip to Great Bay Discovery Center: we will be going on our annual field trip to Great Bay Discovery Center. We will arrive at Great Bay at 9:00 am to spend the morning there. We as we ask chaperons to meet us at the Discovery Center on Depot Rd. (NOTE: 2R will be going with 2H  and 2S that day-- 2D and 2A will go on June 5th)

June 14th- National Parks Day: The giraffes will be transforming our classroom into Acadia National Park and we will be traveling from classroom to classroom to explore four more National Parks around the U.S! More information will be coming home about volunteering in the classroom to help us make our various projects and displays for this day. **Note: if you are able, please send in a brown paper grocery bag so we can make our Park Ranger Vests! 

June 19th- End of Year Picnic at Stratham Hill Park: All second grade classrooms will be hiking through the trails from SMS to Stratham Hill Park for an end-of-the-year picnic. Families and Friends are welcome to join us! We will arrive at the park around 10:00 am and we will leave at 1:30 pm. Families are welcome to join us for any of that time!

June 20th- Last Day of School: While it is bittersweet to see these amazing children off to third grade, I am so proud of the growth they've made, and I'm also hoping they might come back for a visit from time to time in the years to come :) In the meantime, we will enjoy all the fun we have in store for these last few weeks of second grade!

A Busy but Exciting End of The Year!

Hello, Families!

We have lots of upcoming dates for the end of our school year, so please mark your calendars for these special upcoming events. If there are any further dates that need to be shared or any changes to these dates, I will be sure to let you know as soon as possible! 

May 5th- PTO Spring Social:  A great night out for parents at the Portsmouth Harbor Events and Conference Center from 7-11 pm with music, dinner, and a live and silent auction! Purchase tickets online here for $30 or purchase for $35 at the door.

May 10th- Wellness Walk: We will have an all-school wellness walk up Gifford Farm Road at 1:30 pm. 

May 12th- Bike to School Day: Students can walk, bike, scooter, skateboard, or roller blade to school! Want to avoid riding on a busy road? Families are welcome to park at Stratham Hill Park and ride the trails from there! 

May 17th- Early Release Day: students will be dismissed at 12:50 pm. 

May 18th- MakerFest and Art Show: Everyone is welcome to join us for our second annual MakerFest and our first EVER Art Show in the Cafeteria from 3:30-6:30 pm. Projects can be brought in that morning by students or can be dropped off by parents after 1:30 pm. The MakerFest and Art Show will run through Friday morning.

May 24th- Sidewalk Shel-ebration! Families are welcome to join us at 9 am as we head outside (weather permitting) to publish our poems on the sidewalk. We will also be reciting a few of our poems from our class poetry book as well as a poem by Shel Silverstein.

May 30th and 31st- Can't Stop The Seedling: Students will put on the dress rehearsal of our play during the school day on May 30th and will perform our play for families on May 31st starting at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria. The giraffes will be playing the part of The Pollinators, so they are welcome to dress up as their favorite bees, birds, and butterflies! More information will be coming home about the play over the next few days.

June 2nd- Volunteer Appreciation Day and 1-2-3 Fun Run: All parent volunteers are welcome to join us for a "Thank You" breakfast at 8 am  in the library and Celebration in the Gym at 8:45 am so we can thank you for all that you do for our classroom and school! That afternoon, teachers, parents, and students are welcome to run or walk 1,2, or 3 miles around SMS and Stratham Hill Park at 5:30 pm. Following the run, there will be a BBQ, Dunk Tank, Snow Cones, and a Dance Party! 

June 5th- Grand Luncheon: Grandparents and friends of SMS students are invited to join us for our annual Grand Luncheon. Second Grade Lunch will be from 12:15-12:50 and recess will be from 12:50-1:10. 

June 9th- Field Day: bring your sneakers, because June 9th will be field day! Please bring a change of clothes with you, as we will have some water games and we will also be outside, rain or shine. This year's Field Day Theme is "Where's Waldo?"

June 12th- Field Trip to Great Bay Discovery Center: we will be going on our annual field trip to Great Bay Discovery Center. We will arrive at Great Bay at 9:00 am to spend the morning there. We as we ask chaperons to meet us at the Discovery Center on Depot Rd. (NOTE: 2R will be going with 2H  and 2S that day-- 2D and 2A will go on June 5th)

June 19th- End of Year Picnic at Stratham Hill Park: All second grade classrooms will be hiking through the trails from SMS to Stratham Hill Park for an end-of-the-year picnic. Families and Friends are welcome to join us! We will arrive at the park around 10:00 am and we will leave at 1:30 pm. Families are welcome to join us for any of that time!

June 20th- Last Day of School: While it is bittersweet to see these amazing children off to third grade, I am so proud of the growth they've made, and I'm also hoping they might come back for a visit from time to time in the years to come :) In the meantime, we will enjoy all the fun we have in store for these last few weeks of second grade!

Important Dates for The End of The Year

Hello, Families!

We have lots of upcoming dates for the end of our school year, so please mark your calendars for these special upcoming events:

May 11th- Wellness Walk:The walk will begin at 1:30 pm. Both students and community members will walk from the school, to the intersection of Gifford Farm Road and Long Hill Road, and back to the school (the road will be closed off to traffic during the walk for safety). If you wish to join us, we will meet in the bus loop at 1:25 pm prior to our walk

May 13th- PTO Spring Fundraiser:  A great night out for parents at the Portsmouth Harbor Events and Conference Center from 7-11 pm with music, dinner, and a live and silent auction! Purchase tickets online through the Family Directory for $30 or purchase for $35 at the door

May 14th- SMS Student Garden Build Day and Celebration: Sign up to help build the garden Saturday morning from 8:30 am -12:30 pm. We will celebrate the garden and reveal the name that afternoon from 3-5 pm

May 18th- Early Release Day: students will be dismissed at 12:50 pm. We will also visit our national parks this day!

May 19th- MakerFest and Art Show: Everyone is welcome to join us for our second annual MakerFest and our first EVER Art Show in the Cafeteria from 3:30-6:30 pm. Projects can be brought in that morning by students or can be dropped off by parents after 1:30 pm. The MakerFest and Art Show will run through Friday morning.

May 24th- Sidewalk Shel-ebration! Families are welcome to join us at 12:45 pm as we head outside (weather permitting) to publish our poems on the sidewalk. We will also be reciting a few of our poems from our class poetry book as well as a poem by Shel Silverstein.

June 1st and 2nd- Pirate Play: Students will put on the dress rehearsal of our play during the school day on June 1st and will perform our play for families on June 2nd starting at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria. Boys will be wearing black t-shirts, girls will wear white, and all students will wear jean shorts, pants, or skirts. All the giraffes will be decked out in blue bandanas!

June 3rd-  Volunteer Appreciation Day: Join us at 8 am for breakfast in the library and at 8:45 in the gym for a whole school meeting so we can show you how much we appreciate all that you do for our school! The 123 Fun Run will also be that afternoon starting at 5:30 pm!

June 6th- Grand Luncheon: Grandparents and friends of SMS students are invited to join us for our annual Grand Luncheon. Second Grade Lunch will be from 11:40-12:15 and recess will be from 12:15-12:45. Grandparents are welcome to join us prior to lunch in our classroom at 11:25 for a special poem and to read with their grandchildren. 

June 7th- Field Trip to Great Bay Discovery Center: we will be going on our annual field trip to Great Bay Discovery Center. We will arrive at Great Bay at 9:00 am to spend the morning there. We as we ask chaperons to meet us at the Discovery Center on Depot Rd. (NOTE: 2R will be going with 2H that day-- 2D, 2S and 2A will go on Friday, June 10th)

June 9th- Field Day: bring your sneakers, because June 9th will be field day! Please bring a change of clothes with you, as we will have some water games and we will also be outside, rain or shine. This year's theme is Color Wars, and second grade's color is RED! So, wear as much red clothing as possible!

June 15th- End of Year Picnic at Stratham Hill Park: All second grade classrooms will be hiking through the trails from SMS to Stratham Hill Park for an end-of-the-year picnic. Families and Friends are welcome to join us! We will arrive at the park around 10:00 am and we will leave at 1:30 pm. Families are welcome to join us for any of that time!

June 17th- Last Day of School: It has been discovered that the cause of ocean levels rising is not due to global warming, but rather to the fact that the school year must come to an end for Ms. Riley. While it is bittersweet to see these amazing children off to third grade, I am so proud of the growth they've made, and I'm also hoping they might come back for a visit from time to time in the years to come :) In the meantime, we will enjoy all the fun we have in store for these last few weeks of second grade!

A Very Busy End of the Year!

Hello, Families!

I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of your spring vacation. I wanted to make you aware of the many events we have going on when we return from vacation so you can mark them in your calendars. More information for each event has already been sent home or will be sent home, but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail!

Week of May 8th- We will be planning out our life-size paintings and costumes for the Wax Museum. A paper will be coming home in everyone's homework packet where you can draw your costume onto a person to give us an idea of what you'd like to wear. We will then trace our bodies and draw on our costumes before painting them the following week.We will also be collecting money to order our How to be A Pirate bandannas so they can be delivered in time for our play at the beginning of June. Bike to School will also be taking place on June 8th!

May 13th, 9:00-10:30 am: We will be painting our life-size character portraits for the wax museum along with Mrs. Caporello's class. I will need 5 volunteers to help us during this process, so if you are available, please send me an e-mail! We would love to have you! We also have an Early Release Day this day, so we will be dismissed at 12:50.

May 14th, after school: We will be holding our first-ever SMS Makerfest! Many students in our class will be making a project to bring in, and it is sure to be fun for the whole family. If you are not able to make it after school, we will be able to check it out in the cafeteria during the following school day.,

May 19th, 9:00-9:45 am- We will be holding our first-ever Fairy Tale Wax Museum! Please join us for this very special event and feel free to bring any friends and family.

May 22nd, 8:10-9:00 am- We will have our annual Volunteer Appreciation breakfast and assembly! Anyone who has volunteered their time, talents, money, or supplies is welcome to join us, we truly appreciate all that you do for our classroom and our school!

June 1st 12:15-1:10 pm- We will have our annual Grandparents Luncheon. Please invite the special people in your life to join us for lunch that day! It is important for all families to know that this is an open invitation for any special family member or friend who plays an important role in your child's life!

June 3rd, 9:00-11:45 am- We will be going on our annual field trip to the Sandy Point Science Center! If anyone would like to chaperon this trip, please send me an email. 

June 5th- We will be holding our annual 1-2-3 Fun Run!

June 9th, 6:30 pm- We will be putting on the second grade play How to be A Pirate for friends and family. Each classroom will be ordering bandannas to wear during the play, so we will be collecting $2 for each child when we return from vacation.

June 11th, 9:00-11:00 am- We will be participating in Field Day. The theme this year will be Un-Bored Games!

June 18th, 12:20-1:20 pm- We will hold our end of the year picnic out on the lawn beside the modular building. Anyone who would like to join us is more than welcome to!

The last day of school is June 19th 

Phew, that was a lot! I will be sure to let you know about further events as they are presented, but hopefully this will help you with planning out the next two months. I cannot believe we are already in the final push for this school year. It has been so wonderful to teach your children, thank you for sharing their light with me :) Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Best,
Ms. Riley