Second Grade Update – Week of 9/11

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Friday!

Among the many read-alouds we have enjoyed as a class, students were treated to “The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes”! It’s a humorous tale with a lesson about the value of taking risks, trying your best, and continuing on when things go differently than planned. This week, our music reflection piece, “Try Everything” by Shakira, echoed many of these sentiments. If you don’t know this song, give it a whirl – it’s catchy and encouraging! 🙂 

In science, students reflected on the qualities that make a good scientist – curiosity, observing, experimenting, reflecting, AND persisting even when we are wrong the first time. Wonderful! 

Fostering growth mindsets in second grade is something that we aim to weave throughout each day – curiosity, learning from mistakes, and trying again are important components to ultimate success in anything!

As we look to next week, students will do a project using adjectives to describe their unique family! A great preparation for this at home is to brainstorm with your child and come up with some adjectives about YOUR family! Examples: fun-loving, adventurous, funny, kind, good-hearted, faith-filled, responsible, affectionate, loyal, hardworking, dependable, artistic, etc.

Below is our second grade update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

• Reading – 
  • In reading groups, students will start our first SUPER magazine and practice skills for reading and understanding informational texts. In groups, we will also practice listening skills, following along with focus, and participating respectfully.
  • Students have now received their “just-right” reading level range and should be choosing AR books from our library based on that range. We will continue to review our process for AR in the classroom:
    • Choose a book in your AR range
    • Read the book thoughtfully and thoroughly
    • Complete a reading log about the book
    • Complete the comprehension quiz
  • 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 exactly as they appear in the text (no deletions or substitutions).
• Grammar/Spelling – In Superkids, students will practice decoding and encoding sh and ch words as well as words ending in -tch. Students should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday. 
• Writing – As we get started, September will be a month for students to review the different types of writing, including narrative, informative, and opinion pieces. We will also review the structure of a well-written paragraph (topic sentence, supporting details, closing sentence). This week, students will practice writing a narrative paragraph. 🙂 
• Math – Students will demonstrate their fluency with math facts through 20 using the number rack. We will also practice counting by 5s and 10s from various starting points (example: 13, 18, 23, 28, 33, etc.) and compare numbers using <, >, and =.
• Religion – We will continue learning about the Bible, including the Book of Psalms and the Gospels. We remember that listening is a way of learning and showing respect.
• Science – We will start our first unit and explore how water can create changes on the Earth’s surface over time. Our anchor phenomenon for this unit is a pair of rivers that flow together but look very, very different from one another. Students explore what causes rivers to have such different colors. During this introduction, students will generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create an initial conceptual model to explain the phenomenon. During the unit, students will gather clues during and after each lesson in this unit to help them improve their explanations. Even if students don’t know the perfect answer yet, they are going to learn a lot throughout the unit and will have an opportunity to change or add to their first explanation. This is the work of a scientist!
• Social Studies – Students will complete a project that includes describing their unique families using adjectives. They will have an opportunity to share their work with classmates in an upcoming week. 

Other Updates for this Week:

• Walking Field Trip – We will take a walking field trip to the Alameda Free Library on Monday, September 25th (9:15-11:30am). As students become better and better readers, our library is a WONDERFUL resource! We will get a tour of the library and then have the opportunity to preview some books and hear a read-aloud! If any parents would like to chaperone, please let me know (it’s a mile there AND back). I will take the first two who respond. Please make sure to have VIRTUS training up to date. 
• Library Card Application – You will see a library card form included in next week’s homework folder. If your child doesn’t have a library card and would like to get one, please read the directions and submit the form to me by Friday, the 15th.
• Family Picture – If you weren’t able to send in a family photo this week, please email one to me this weekend so that I can print it at school. Children will need this picture for a project on Monday. Thank you!
• Volunteer Opportunities – As mentioned at Back to School Night, there are many volunteer opportunities in second grade. Please be on the lookout for a separate and more specific email about “Historic Heroes” and “Word Problem Wednesdays”, coming soon. 🙂 You may also be hearing about other opportunities through our room parents – thank you to Julianne Garcia and Gina Bustos for taking on this role! 🙂
• Covid Daily Screening – Please continue to do the daily screening. Your diligence is important and appreciated.
• Dates to Remember:
  • Tuesday, Sep 12 – Picture Day (students need to wear white uniform shirt/blouse and their navy blue sweater or sweatshirt)
  • Friday, Sep 15 – No School: Eucharistic Revival
  • Tuesday, Sep 19 – Free dress for Sept. B-Days
  • Monday, Sep 25 – Walking Field Trip to the Alameda Free Library (9:15-11:30am)
  • Wednesday, Sep 27 – Noon Dismissal: Teacher Development; “Jeans Day” with $5 donation to support 8th grade activities
  • Oct 3-6 – Noon Dismissal, Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences
  • Tuesday, Oct 4 – Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, Prayer Service Blessing of the Animals, 8:00 a.m.
  • Monday, Oct 9 – NO SCHOOL: Indigenous Peoples Day

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday! 

All the best,
Catherine