Second Grade Update

Dear Second Grade Families,

Thank you for a wonderful week with your children! They are doing a very nice job with their assignments, and I appreciate when they take their time and do thoughtful, quality work.

New additions this week:

  • Science – reminding ourselves about the scientific process through a mini-lesson and activity about observation and developing questions
  • ReadWorks – introduction videos on Clever and a short article to read (ReadWorks also allows students to play the audio as they read along)

Important updates:

  • STAR Testing – Students will be taking the STAR assessments this week. Reading is on Thursday and Math is on Friday. Students will login to Zoom and then need to stay on Zoom while they complete the assessment. They should have pencil and scratch paper. At the time of each STAR assessment:
    • Students will login to our Zoom, and I will go over the instructions.
    • Students will then stay on Zoom, but navigate over to Clever and find Renaissance Learning (under Reading)
      • If they are on an iPad, they need to press the home button and then go into Clever. 
      • If they are on a laptop, they will just go to Clever via their normal browser. 
      • Again, they will stay on Zoom.
    • Once they are in Renaissance Learning, they will click on the appropriate square (STAR Reading or STAR Math, depending on the day) and begin the test.
    • It would be beneficial for them to do a test run of going into Renaissance while staying on Zoom so I will practice with them on Monday. If they have difficulty, I may reach out to you so that we can practice ahead of the actual assessment times.
    • Once we complete the STAR, I will use observations and all assessment data gathered so far to create reading groups. Reading groups will likely start the week of 9/21.
  • Chalk Walk – On Tuesday, 9/15, the 2nd grade students have our Chalk Walk time. In groups (on the schedule), they can meet me in the garden. Each child will receive a pack of sidewalk chalk before heading over to their designated square to create their masterpiece representing “Community”, our SPN theme for the year. If your child is unable to attend, please let me know (I understand that schedules can be challenging). Masks are required, and social distancing protocols will be observed.
  • First Communion – Expect to receive information about First Holy Communion in late September from Mrs. Diane Bustos, the leader of the preparation program.
  • Scholastic – At this time, if you would like to order books through Scholastic, you can (orders due by 9/30). All orders will be delivered to the school and need to be picked up. Our class code is TMT3G and you can order with this link: https://orders.scholastic.com/TMT3G.
  • Help During the Day – If students need my assistance, they can:
    • Stay on at the end of our Zooms so that they can get their questions answered.
    • Come to office hours at 1:00pm (every day except Tuesdays).
    • Send me a message in Clever. There is a “Messages” section in the top menu bar. They should be able to message me, and I will try to check here several times throughout the day.

Key Documents/Links (master file also attached for printing):

  • Schedule – We are not yet ramped up to our full schedule, and this will likely take another week. In the meantime, all Zoom times remain consistent.
  • Weekly Assignment Matrix – Please review this with your child. All assignments should be completed by Friday end-of-day. If something comes up, please reach out to let me know. This coming week, I will send you a Heads-Up email on Friday if your child is missing any assignments. This is just part of staying connected and supporting your child. Thank you! 
  • Interactive Notebook worksheets – There are 3 worksheets (2 about adjectives, one about doubles facts).

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, and I look forward to seeing your children at the Chalk Walk! 🙂

All the best,
Catherine


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