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St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update

Good afternoon and happy Friday! 

What INSPIRING individuals your children chose to share for their hero project! The class will get to enjoy them in our Hero Quilt display. Learning about changemakers in all different areas of life can be eye-opening and a great lesson that each of us has the potential to make a difference in our world. Thank you so much for your assistance at home!

Our after-lunch read-alouds continue to be a favorite time of the day in second grade. Many students really enjoyed and had a lot to share about two of the books we read this week – “Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down” by Andrea Pinkney (beautiful illustrations and an important story) and “A Little Spot of Love” by Diane Albar. A fun series continues to be “Mr. Putter & Tabby” by Cynthia Rylant. 🙂

Thank you also to Mrs. Escobar, Mrs. Lane, and Mrs. Howard for donations of time and treats to make our 100th Day of School and Valentine’s Day celebrations special! 🙂

Below is our second grade update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – Students will finish SUPER magazine – Lights Out! We will use context clues to understand new vocabulary and use text features like photographs and diagrams to better understand the text. Fluent reading (reading at an appropriate pace with accuracy and expression) is always a focus for all students.
  • Grammar/Spelling – In Superkids, students will words with /ā/ words with ay, eigh, and ange (examples: spray, neighbor, strange). Students will also practice with contractions with pronouns (examples: they’ll, we’re).
  • Writing – Students will share their narratives with the class. As presenters, a focus will be sharing clearly and confidently with a speaker’s voice. As listeners, we will practice demonstrating respect for the speaker – eyes on the speaker, ears listening, mouth quiet, brain thinking about what the speaker is sharing. Later in the week, we will practice identifying the topic sentence and main idea of a paragraph.
  • Math – Students will review concepts and skills of measurement and complete the unit assessment. The class is also practicing with money, so if you have any real-world opportunities to engage your child in counting currency, making change, etc., that is very useful! 🙂
  • Religion – The class will wrap up our Family Life unit about God’s gift of self, reviewing how God loves us just as we are, how we all have unique gifts, and how we can rely on God’s help as we grow and change. Students received a copy of the Act of Contrition in their green homework folder on Monday. They should be practicing at home throughout the month of February. 
  • Science – On Tuesday, students get to enjoy a puppet show presented by the Clean Water Program of Alameda County! Mr. Froggy’s Cleanup Club imparts the importance of clean water, the impact of litter on local environments, and how we can help. This ties into our current and upcoming science units about plants, animals, and their habitats and underscores the importance of taking action as change makers in our communities!
  • Social Studies – Students will get a chance to share their heroes. We will also continue learning about the three branches of government with an art project where students will incorporate their notes from last week. We will continue celebrating Black History Month, and a highlight will be a read-aloud of “A Computer Called Katherine”. 

Other Updates for this Week:

  • COVID Safety– Please continue to be vigilant with the daily health screening. We appreciate your continued diligence – it keeps us all safe!
  • Dates to remember:
    • Monday, Feb. 21st – No School, President’s Day
    • Saturday, Feb. 26th – Auction (Crab Feed)
    • Wednesday, Mar. 2nd – Ash Wednesday
    • Friday, Mar. 4th – Noon dismissal, Sports Picture Day
    • Thursday, Mar. 10th – Noon dismissal, NO SHARE & CARE
    • Friday, Mar. 11th – No School – Professional Development
    • Tuesday, Mar. 15th – Free Dress March Birthdays
    • Thursday, Mar. 17th – St. Patrick’s Day, green and white free dress
    • Friday, Mar. 18th – Report Card Day

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

All the best,

Catherine

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What Our Families are Saying

"The supportive teachers at SPN played a big role in preparing me for high school and helping me understand what to expect. They encouraged me to ask questions and seek help when needed, which made me more confident in my learning. Thanks to them, I entered freshman year already familiar with many concepts and effective study habits that have helped me stay on top of my work. SPN also taught me valuable life skills that I still use today, helping me succeed academically, build strong friendships, and maintain my overall well-being."
— Tibby Horvath, SPN Class of 2022
"We are very satisfied with the SPN community, something that is important to our family. My children feel safe and comfortable with SPN. Our family feels connected with the SPN community from parents and families to the staff and faculty. My children and we as parents have made healthy and positive relationships with other families from school. We share time outside of school with other families which brings a level of connectedness I don't know if we would have elsewhere"
— SPN Parent
"My children are experiencing community in other ways than just friends and playdates. Faith Families is an example of community, interacting with students from all grade levels, and learning and creating for others outside of SPN. Field trips to Kids Against Hunger or the Alameda Food Bank where they work and see firsthand how their efforts help others less fortunate, for those who are in need of support. Community is not just our SPN ‘bubble,’ and that is what SPN demonstrates and provides– opportunity to explore a bigger community."
— SPN Parent since 2016

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