School Uniform Information

Last school year a uniform committee was formed and the following changes were voted on for the 2011-2012 school year and beyond. Please take time to familiarize yourself with the new policy.
HAA Uniform 2011-2012 FINAL Policy

As highlighted on page 4 of this document, if you pre-registered your child, you are eligible for a free burgundy logoed polo which is required for grades K-8 to be worn every Friday. In addition, all enrolled K-8 students will also be given 2 free logoed polos (light blue for K-5) through Home & School's Endowment Fund Distribution. Please click HERE to download the order form for these uniform polos. These order forms must be turned in to the school office by Friday, June 24 in order for polos to arrive prior to the first day of school.

You may also email your order to Carlynn.OBrien@hmhpub.com or carlynnobrien@yahoo.com. Please do this ASAP so that your free shirts can be bulk ordered and arrive in time for the first day of school. The next Home & School bulk order will be submitted after August 14's open registration. This order will not arrive until the end of September.

DENNIS uniform is currently having their annual early bird sale (10% OFF from June 10 thru July 10). You can go to their retail store located at: 

1141 North Main Street

Lombard, IL 60148

Phone:  630-932-7171

Or you can shop on-line at www.dennisuniform.com à school code: GHDAL

Click HERE to see uniform options and pricing.

Click HERE to see uniform sizing.

Help Prevent Summer Slide

What are you doing to help keep your child reading this summer? "Experts agree that children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not often slide backward." (Quote from an article at education.com.)

Scholastic Parent gives three tips on what you can do to help prevent Summer Slide.

1. Six books to summer success: Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing.
2. Read something every day: Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read.
3. Keep reading aloud: Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle.

To see the full article, click HERE.

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States, provides monthly calendars of reading activities. This is their June calendar.



You can download RIF's other monthly activities HERE.


Hanging out at Barnes & Noble is one of my family's favorite activities. We always hang out in the childrens' section where we love to read together and discover new titles. Did you know that Barnes & Noble has a summer reading incentive program? This year's theme is "Imagination's Destination" and kids can earn a FREE BOOK when they read any eight books. Families can also enter for a chance to win a Nook Color. Click HERE to print out the Parents' Activity Kit with directions on how your child can earn his or her free book.

Hello and welcome!

I am Mrs. U. I have been a teacher since 1998, and a blogger since 2005. This is my first educational blog, and I'm extremely excited to have this tool of communication for sharing pictures, videos, daily news, and projects of my 2nd grade class. While this blog has been set up primarily for the purpose of sharing information and ideas with my 2nd graders and their families, I will also be sharing resources and tips with my fellow teachers. And I just might sneak in some posts about my life outside of the classroom!

Parents, please make sure you sign up in my sidebar under "Follow by Email" and you will be updated each time I post on this blog. My goal is to post something twice a week, whether it is information about our classroom, our school, or tips on what you can be doing at home to make sure your 2nd grader has a successful school year. Also, feel free to take a look at all the resource links in my sidebar. I will definitely be adding to these lists into the school year.

Special thanks to my scrapbooking friend, Kristina of Two Happy Mamas Blog Design for helping me out with the set-up of this blog. Kristina has her own personal blog at http://www.one-happy-mama.com where she hosts tons of wonderful giveaways. Kristina's sweet daughter was recently diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, and she's raising money to help find a cure. Anyone who would like to donate to "Caylin's Cure" please check for details HERE.