Second Grade Update

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Friday!

What a week! We started out celebrating our faith with Mass and our First Communion brunch. What a treat to see many of you there! Then came the Fun Run, and boy, was it fun! Here is a little video as the students were waiting to start. 🙂 Finally, I truly hope you enjoyed the Spring Concert! Our second graders were so sweet – their smiles were energizing! The night was a beautiful prayer for peace in our world. Students got an opportunity to watch the other grades perform today. 🙂

Next week, students will take their final STAR tests for the year on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Please make sure they have a good night’s rest and hearty breakfast. Thank you!

Upcoming: Second grade will be organizing a money and food drive to support the Alameda Food Bank. Through this type of action, students are reminded that once we leave Mass, we are called by God to serve others. 🙂 Students will participate in this service learning by making posters to hang up in the school, sharing about the drive during morning assembly, and spreading the word with family, friends, and neighbors. Attached is the flyer that will be sent out in the upcoming school newsletters. I will ask second graders to raise money and/or collect food donations to support the drive as well. We will need to be the leaders! 🙂

Below is our second grade update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

• Reading – We will continue our book club. Students will practice identifying problems and solutions within stories and connecting character motivations to their actions. Fluent reading (reading at an appropriate pace with accuracy and expression) is always a focus for all students.
• Grammar/Spelling – In Superkids, students will decode and encode /ōō/ words. We will also practice with the suffix, “able”, which means “can be”.
• Writing – Students will wrap up their book reviews and learn about haikus. We will review how to identify the syllables of words.
• Math – The class will review problem solving skills and practice with story problems with money. Students will pay special attention to the language of the story problem, identifying the ultimate question, and using currency symbols in solutions.
• Religion – Building on our knowledge of the Mass and how we are called to serve and live like Jesus once we leave the church, the class will discuss what it means to honor those in our lives – showing kindness, love, and respect. In Family Life, we will continue our unit, God’s Gift of Love, and students will reflect on what it means to make and keep a promise.
• Science – Students bring science and writing together with mystery animal haikus. They will reflect on what animal they might choose to describe – thinking about their habitat, how they look and move, what they eat, etc. Haikus will be assigned for homework, the week of May 23rd so that students can keep their animals a secret from classmates! We will have a chance to present and guess the following week. 🙂
• Social Studies – We will continue our economics unit and discuss the roles of consumers and producers. Building on this knowledge, students will reflect on choices consumers make and the impact on what producers sell.

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, May 16th – Uniform exchange
  • Monday, May 16th – STAR Test
  • Tuesday, May 17th – STAR Test
  • Tuesday, May 17th – Free dress for May b-days
  • Friday, May 20th – Sports Awards Night, 5:30pm
  • Thursday, May 26th – St. Philip Neri Feast Day
  • Friday, May 27th – Noon dismissal
  • Monday, May 30th – No School – Memorial Day
  • Friday, Jun 3rd – Baccalaureate All School Mass
  • Tuesday, Jun 14th – Last Day of School – Moving Up Ceremony; 10:30 Dismissal!

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

All the best,

Catherine