Helpful Math Tips

We will be practicing counting/skip counting. Please help us out with this at home. While driving in the car, getting ready in the morning or any other free times ask your child to count out loud. You can practice the following:

*Forward by ones to 500
*Backward by ones from 500
*By 10's Forward to 500 (on decade, 10, 20, 30 ...)
*By 10's Backward from 500 (on decade, 10, 20, 30 ...)
*By 5's to/from 60 and relate it to an analog clock (always on multiples of 5)

*Once they have mastered these, try skip counting in the same fashion, but start with a number that is off the decade.  Off the decade is any number that does not end with a 0.  For example, if you start with 9, it would sound like this: 9, 19, 29, 39, 49, etc...  Another example sounds like this: 225, 215, 205, 195, 185

*By 10's Forward to 500 (off the decade, 9, 19, 29...)
*By 10's Backward from 500 (off the decade, 29,19,9...)
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Mentally add and take away multiples of 10 with missing numbers in all positions.

*23 + 10 = ___
*45 - 10 = ___
*___ + 10 = 62
*___ - 10 = 88
*49 + ___ = 59
*71 - ___ = 61

Once fluent with ten use multiples of ten (20, 30 ,40...)
*23 + 30 = ___
*45 - 20 = ___
*___ + 40 = 62
*___ - 20 = 78
*49 + ___ = 79
*71 - ___ = 51
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Finally, Please practice math fact fluency. Start with the doubles to 20 and the near doubles.

* 6 + 6 = 12
Since this is 12 what is 6 + 7 = 13


Thanks for helping and making your child the best second grader they can be! :)

Birthday Treats

We understand that the children get very excited about birthdays and really love to bring something in to share with their classmates to celebrate.  Our schools have seen a significant increase in food and food related allergies, as well as other reasons for dietary restrictions. Often, in the early grades, children may not even be aware of all of the things they might react to.  We hope to strike a balance between the sharing of treats and each family’s right to monitor what their children eat at school.  It is still our suggestion that you consider sending in a fancy pencil, eraser, or other school supply item, however, if you do choose to send in an edible treat, please package it in such a way that it may be sent home with each child.  This way, all parents can rest assured that their personal preferences are being respected.  *Please be sure to contact your classroom teacher as each teacher has an individual classroom policy.

Dropping off items for student(s)

One of the great things about Miller and Craddock is the concerted effort that everyone makes to protect and preserve learning time for our students. Even a few lost minutes a day can really add up. Consider, for example, a class that has just 2- three minute interruptions a day. That can add up to 30 minutes a week, 270 minutes a quarter, or 1080 minutes a year. That’s 18 hours each year that might have been devoted to learning. Also, recent research indicates that a 60 second interruption can have longer lasting effects, as students may take up to 30 minutes to regain the focus lost during the disruption. (For an interesting article about this topic, click here). At Miller and Craddock, we do our best to ensure that students are provided maximum learning time, punctuated by planned breaks for snacks and movement. We do not use bells, as one group’s recess might end in the middle of another group’s spelling test. We also try to limit any phone calls or messages throughout the day. You can help support this process, too! Please do not worry about bringing in folders, water bottles, or other forgotten items (lunches are a different story!). The school will contact you if there is something that cannot wait until the next day. Also, please send in reasonably-sized, convenient snacks that can be eaten in just a few minutes. Large items, sugary snacks, and things that require utensils are difficult for kids to consume in the classroom and may not give them the healthy energy boost they need before (or after) lunch. As always, please feel free to let us know if you have questions or concerns.

Meet and Greet

We look forward to meeting our students and families at Craddock's Annual Meet and Greet:
Monday, August 14th, from 3:30-5:30PM.