Second Grade Update – Week of 9/19

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Friday!

A highlight from this week was our Family Pride activity. You prepared your students well because they came with amazing adjectives to describe the special qualities of your families! Your children were excited to share as we wrote them on the board together. These second graders are certainly blessed. 🙂 Their projects turned out beautifully – thank you again for your support at home!

Conferences:
This week, you received a link for parent/teacher/student conferences via the school newsletter. Conferences are the afternoons of October 4th-7th. Here is the link again – please make sure to sign up for a conference with me by Tuesday, September 20th. Thank you, and I look forward to meeting with you and your child!

Homework Heads Up:
Next week for homework, students will fill out a family tree (only three generations) and answer a few questions about their family to help them connect with their own history! I am assigning this for homework because it is not something your child will be able to accomplish in the classroom without your background knowledge and help. To balance this out, I will NOT assign any math or spelling next week. If you want to get a head start, attached are the worksheets that will be included in the green homework folder on Monday. 🙂 Below are the instructions that will be on Monday’s homework sheet:

Social Studies:  To learn about their family histories, each student will create a family tree and answer a few questions about their family. They should write in complete sentences, starting sentences with capital letters and ending with end marks. For the family tree, students should write clearly and then lightly color the background with crayons or colored pencils (their words should still show through). Again, students will need help from their family.

Below is our second grade update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – 
    • In reading groups, students will continue SUPER magazine with a focus on understanding how text features and pictures support comprehension. Students will also work on understanding vocabulary and making connections.
    • 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 review pronouns (he, she, it, our, my, etc.) and possessive nouns (adding ‘s or s’ to the end of nouns to show possession). Students should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
  • Writing – The class will complete their opinion paragraphs and review the skills of editing and revising. After completing their final copy, students will illustrate and then share with a group.
  • Math – Building on the story problems we have been working together on during Number Corner, students will start one of our second grade routines – completing independent story problems (generally one or two per week). Students will read the problem carefully, identify important and relevant information in the problem, show their work, and label their answer. The class will also be reinforcing our understanding of odd/even numbers, counting by twos, and working with time.
  • Religion – We will continue learning about the Bible, specifically the four Gospels by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
  • Science – This week, students will develop a model of the earth’s surface and use it to discover an important principle about how rivers work. In the activity, Paper Mountains, students take turns using a spray bottle to make rain fall on paper models of mountains to observe patterns of how water and rivers flow.
  • Social Studies – Students will share their completed family pride projects. Presenters will focus on sharing information clearly, with a speaker voice. The audience will focus on using active listening skills. 

Other Updates for this Week:

  • Field Trip! – 
    • When: Monday, October 17th
    • Where: Walking field trip to the Alameda Free Library. Ms. Andie will give students a tour, do a read-aloud, and answer any questions children have about the library and all its programs!
    • Library Card Opportunity: If any student does not have a library card (or has lost theirs), this is a great opportunity to fill out the application (attached). Students will receive their cards while we are at the library! 🙂  If you want to apply for your child’s card, please return the completed application to me no later than Monday, October 3rd.
    • Chaperones: We need three chaperones to walk with us and ensure safety while crossing busy streets. Chaperones MUST have completed the VIRTUS training and provide proof of vaccination. Mr. Carter can help with any questions about these requirements. If you would like to chaperone and have confirmed all your requirements are complete, please reach out to me! I will take responses in the order I receive them.
  • Covid Daily Screening – Please continue to do the daily screening. Your diligence is important and appreciated.
  • Dates to Remember:
    • Tuesday, Sep 20 – Free Dress September B-Days
    • Friday, Sep 23 – No School – Elementary Staff Day
    • Wednesday, Sep 28 – Noon Dismissal
    • Tuesday, Oct. 4 – Blessing of the Animals Prayer Service
    • Oct. 4-7 – Noon dismissals for Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
    • Monday, Oct. 10 – No School
    • Monday, Oct. 17 – 2nd grade trip to the Alameda Free Library
    • Tuesday, Oct. 18 – Free dress October B-days
    • Monday, Oct. 31 – Noon Dismissal – Halloween

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday! 

All the best,
Catherine

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