Second Grade Update – Week of 3/18

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday!

Below is a message of thanks from Mrs. Serles who enjoyed a lovely birthday last weekend!

“Dear Second Grade Families,    
 
Thank you very much for the beautiful flowers and Target gift card. It’s one of my favorite places to shop! I loved the picture of our students on the card, too. I appreciate all the love and happiness your children bring to me every day. Thank you again! 
 
Love,    
Mrs, Serles”

This week, we had a few highlights in second grade! On Wednesday, we welcomed two shadow students in second grade (fourteen across the school) from St. Anthony’s, which is a diocesan school that is closing. These students and their families are considering if SPN might be a fit for them. This was an important day to be welcoming, hospitable, and thoughtful. Our second graders did an AMAZING job! We couldn’t have been prouder. We had students make a welcome sign, ask them to play at recess, reach out to be their partner during activities, teach about our classroom and procedures, and help them navigate the day in an unfamiliar environment! We even had a student who asked if he could donate 25 of his own well-earned tickets so that one of the shadow students could get a prize from the prize bucket! These acts of kindness demonstrate that our SPN second graders are wonderful people, thinking beyond themselves. This is exactly what we work to cultivate in partnership with you!

Second graders also had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful walk to Rhythmix and an engaging performance by Ms. Rhonda Benin, in which she and her group shared songs rooted in Black history. If you are interested, attached is the slideshow the class and I previewed to prepare ahead of time. 🙂 Thank you again to Mr. Lane, Mrs. Gudgiersson, and Mrs. Bustos for keeping us safe during our walk!

Next week, we will visit the Alameda Food Bank. This trip will reinforce awareness about the needs of our community and the organizations that step up to help and serve, specifically in the area of food insecurity. The trip is an important step in our service learning in second grade. Later in the year, your children will lead the school in a food and money drive to support the food bank. Thank you again to all the drivers and chaperones who’ve stepped up to make this trip happen!

Please encourage your student to stay engaged in their learning! I’ve set up a Trimester 3 challenge where students can earn a prize if they achieve certain goals. If you’re curious about the details, here is the challenge sheet that all students received to track their own progress. 🙂

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

• Reading – 
  • In reading groups, students will finish their book clubs. We will focus on the skill of summarizing the beginning, middle, and ending of stories. Reading with fluency (accuracy, pace, and expression) and sharing thoughts in complete sentences is always important. 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 will practice encoding long-vowel words with open-syllable vowel patterns (ex., favor, final, broken). We will also work with verb tenses for irregular verbs and adding the -ed and -ing endings to verbs. They should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
• Writing – Students will share their descriptive narratives and peers will have a chance to share written comments with authors in the form of compliments, questions, and kindly worded suggestions for next time.
• Math – The class will continue to focus on geometry with 2-D and 3-D shapes. We will also jump into the concept of area – the measurement of the space inside a flat shape. Students continue to review and practice multi-digit addition and subtraction using concepts of place value.
• Religion – Students continue to learn about the Mass with a focus on hearing the word of God in the Liturgy of the Word (specifically, the first reading, the responsorial psalm, the second reading, and the gospel). In Family Life, we will start our unit about God’s gift of self, focusing on the special gifts and talents God gave each of us to share with others.
• Social Studies –We will discuss why we form governments and highlight that in the United States, we have local and state governments as well as our national government. We also continue celebrating Women’s History Month with read-alouds and discussions.
• Science – Over the next two weeks, we will focus on plant adaptations that help them survive and thrive in certain environments.

Other Updates for this Week:

• Report Card Envelopes –If you haven’t already, please return the envelope on Monday.
• Rice Bowls – Please encourage your child to donate to (or get donation for) their rice bowls. This is part of developing an awareness of the needs of others and serving them like Jesus would. These will be collected during the week of 3/25.
• Dates to Remember:
  • Tuesday, Mar. 19 – Free Dress March B-Days
  • Friday, Mar. 22 – Spirit Day: Disney Day
  • Wednesday, Mar. 27 – Noon Dismissal
  • Thursday, Mar. 28 – No School: Holy Thursday
  • Friday, Mar. 29 – No School: Good Friday
  • Apr. 1-5 – No School: Easter Break

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

All the best,
Catherine