Second Grade Update – Week of 2/3

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday!

This week we celebrated Catholic Schools! What a treat to see many of you at Mass and Open House on Sunday! Throughout the week, it was lovely to visit other classrooms, appreciate the dedication and love of our parents, focus on excellence and hard work with the Oratorical Fest, and celebrate our amazing students, faculty and staff! A BIG thank you to Ms. Richards and Mrs. Chisholm for taking care of our second graders while all the teachers and staff enjoyed a lovely brunch from the PTG on Friday! Finally, Mrs. Serles, Mrs. Sturlini and I thank you all for helping your children put together the videos of student thoughts about their teachers! They are precious! 🙂

Next week, we celebrate our 100th day of school as well as the start of Black History month. Throughout the month, the class will highlight changemakers who have worked toward greater equality, justice, and respect in our society as well as individuals who have made positive impacts in all aspects of life – science, music, art, literature, etc. We will tie these lessons into our focus virtues – self-control (January) and perseverance (February). Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

• Reading –
  • In reading groups, students will start their new book clubs. They will identify the main characters and setting. We will also discuss genres. As always, there is a focus on reading fluency and speaking and listening skills as we work together in a small group.
  • At night, I am encouraging all students to bring home their AR books. Students should read aloud to practice fluent reading skills. Please encourage your child to observe punctuation, read at a good pace, and read the words as they appear in the text (no deletions or substitutions).
• Grammar/Spelling – In Superkids, students practice with words with double consonants after a short vowel ff, ll, ss, and dd (ex. paddle, cliff, bluff). They will also learn to use the suffixes -ful and -less to create adjectives. Everyone should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
• Writing – Students will start a descriptive narrative project where they will get to invent characters and write a problem/solution story. This week, we will review character traits and students will start developing their main character with as many details as possible (likes, dislikes, what they look like, where they live, etc.).
• Math – The class will work together to create graphs. 🙂 We have been discussing questions that someone might ask to gather information as well as how to display that information in the form of a graph (labels, increments, etc.) to ensure the information presented is clear.
• Religion – We will finish our chapter introducing the sacraments, with a focus on Reconciliation and the Eucharist. As many students are preparing to receive their First Reconciliation, we are memorizing the Act of Contrition prayer. This should be practiced at home and students will be tested at the end of the month. 
• Science – Students learn about the solid and liquid states of matter and then discover why plastic was invented. In the activity, Candy Melt, students will conduct an investigation to determine which types of candy melt in hot water. Using their observations, they will decide which candy is the best choice to bring to a hot summer camp! 🙂
• Social Studies – Students will continue our unit on discovering our past. This week, we will discuss the Civil War and connect to important change makers of that time. As mentioned, conversations will be age appropriate, but we will also address that injustice is also part of our nation’s history and that changemakers were needed then AND now to ensure we always uphold justice, equality, and liberty.

Other Updates for this Week:

• St. Valentine’s Day – If they would like to, students may bring in valentines to exchange, but please do not put specific names on individual cards (it takes too long to pass them out). They should bring in their valentines on Friday, February 14th.
• AR Reading – Just a reminder – I am encouraging all students to use their AR book for their homework reading time (15 minutes each afternoon/evening).
• Dates to Remember:
  • Saturday, Feb. 1 – SPN Crab Feed (Athletic Fundraiser)
  • Friday, Feb. 14 – St. Valentine’s Day, Noon Dismissal
  • Monday, Feb. 17 – No School, Presidents’ Day
  • Tuesday, Feb. 18 – Free Dress February B-Days
  • Friday, Feb. 28 – End of Trimester 2

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

All the best,
Catherine