Second Grade Update – Week of 2/13

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday!

This week, students reflected on our first 100 days of school – things they have enjoyed, accomplished, learned, and appreciated! We still have great experiences ahead of us and a lot of learning to do together! Please encourage your child to keep their foot on the gas! 🙂

Next week we celebrate Valentine’s Day! If they would like to, students may bring valentines for their classmates. They should have one for each classmate (24 students in the class). We would appreciate if Valentines are NOT addressed to specific students because it takes too long to pass them out. We will also be having a little party – thank you to anyone who is donating items and to Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Underwood for organizing! 🙂

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

• Reading – 
  • In reading groups, students will continue their book clubs. As always, there is a focus on reading fluency and speaking and listening skills as we work together in a small group. Regarding speaking, a skill we are working on is sharing thoughts in complete sentences. Please reinforce this at home as well. Thank you! 🙂
  • 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 practice with words with double consonants after a short vowel ff, ll, ss, and dd (ex. paddle, cliff, bluff). They should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
• Writing – Students will create plans that map out the details of the beginning, middle, an end of their stories. This is part of the planning stage of the writing process. This stage sets students up to write creative, clear, and detailed stories that make sense. 🙂
• Math – The class will focus on fluency using money. Students will practice adding coins, dollars, and using money in word problems. In Number Corner, we have also started talking about basic fractions. 
• Religion – We will start our chapter about the seven sacraments, signs of God’s love for us. Celebrating the sacraments is one way we can worship God. In Family Life, we will focus on God’s gift of family, discussing why families have rules and how we can make good choices.
• Social Studies – Students will learn about pioneers. We will again discuss the complicated fabric of our nation, including how the land that many pioneers moved to was already the home of Native Americans. 
• Science – We will take a detour from material properties this week. Students will explore the science behind (and the art of) communicating using emojis to supplement words.

Other Updates for this Week:

• Homework – Students should be reviewing their homework assignments on Monday to ensure they plan enough time to complete them during the week. I realize every family is busy; however, quality work matters and all assignments should be completed correctly and turned in on time. Please help your child learn these skills of organizing themselves, planning time, and doing their best work. Second grade is not too early for this.
• 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:
  • Tuesday, Feb. 14 – St. Valentine’s Day – red/white/pink free dress; students may bring valentines for classmates (see above)
  • Friday, Feb. 17 – Noon dismissal, Share and Care open
  • Monday, Feb. 20 – No School, President’s Day

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

All the best,
Catherine