Second Grade Update – Week of 11/6

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday! 

First, please remember that if your child is preparing for First Reconciliation and First Communion, the Rite of Enrollment is this Sunday at the 9am Mass at SPN. Please arrive at the church a bit early to check in with Mrs. Bustos. Attached is Mrs. Bustos’ letter that she sent in her Oct. 30th email.

Now for our normal weekly update! 

This week, our fantastic volunteers, Mrs. Garcia, Mrs. Holmes, Mrs. Lane, and Mrs. Tuohy treated students to a magical Halloween party complete with a crystal ball craft, bingo, and delicious treats! Thank you all for your creativity!

Another highlight was our second Adoration session in the church! If you are not familiar, Adoration is a time where Jesus is on display in the monstrance on the altar. It is a time for reverence and connecting with our Lord. Our second graders made me very proud – they were quiet and reverent as I led our prayer reflection. Some had their eyes closed, some were looking at the monstrance, ALL were kneeling reverently. Wonderful!

Next week on Monday and Tuesday, we will do our second round of STAR assessments in reading and math. Please make sure your child gets to bed on time and has a good breakfast.

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

• Reading – 
  • In reading groups, students will shift to SUPER magazine – back to informational text! Students will focus on identifying text features that support their comprehension as well as determining the meaning of unknown vocabulary.
  • At night, 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 will practice forming comparative and superlative adjectives with -er and -est. They will also add -er and -est to words ending in “y”. We will also practice decoding words with different spellings for /er/ (ex. her, curl, collar). Students should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Thursday.
• Writing – Students are still working on completing the final copy of their personal narratives and adding an illustration to match the details of their story. In the coming weeks, they will have an opportunity to share their narratives and share constructive feedback / questions / compliments with classmates.
• Math – Students will review measurement, discussing and practicing how to measure with accuracy and with precision.
• Religion – We will continue our chapter about God the Father and focus on how we can live as children of God. Students have a copy of the Glory Be prayer in their homework folder (provided last week). Students should be working to memorize it by the end of the trimester.
• Science – This week, students explore the difficulty of measuring the length of a river. Figuring out which river is the shortest river is difficult to do if you can’t decide where a river starts or ends. After a review of our Work of Water unit, students will learn about two rivers that are each possibly the shortest rivers in the United States. Then, they map those rivers out and attempt to determine which river is the shortest.
• Social Studies – The class will start discussing our Earth as a group of continents and oceans. We will review vocabulary previously introduced and practice using it in conversation.

Other Updates for this Week:

• Covid Daily Screening – Please continue to do the daily screening. Your diligence is important and appreciated.
• Dates to Remember:
  • Sunday, Nov. 5 – Rite of Enrollment (all First Communion candidates must attend)
  • Thursday, Nov. 9 – End of First Trimester
  • Friday, Nov. 10 – No school: Veterans Day Observed
  • Nov. 13-17 – Book Fair
  • Tuesday, Nov. 14 – Free Dress Nov. Birthdays
  • Wednesday, Nov. 15 – Noon Dismissal / Professional Development Day
  • Thursday, Nov. 16 – Catholic School Principal Appreciation Day
  • Friday, Nov. 17 – Field Trip – Lawrence Hall of Science
  • Friday, Nov. 17 – Report Card Day
  • Nov. 20 – Nov. 24 – Thanksgiving Break
  • Thursday, Nov. 30 – Spirit Day: Pajama Day

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday (or Sunday for the Rite of Enrollment)! 🙂

All the best,
Catherine