St. Philip Neri Catholic School Logo

St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update

Dear Second Grade Families, 

I hope this message finds you all enjoying the weekend! 🙂

What a beautiful celebration of faith on Saturday morning! Congratulations to all of our second grade First Communion recipients! Mrs. Serles and I felt so honored to be with your families as your children took this step in their faith journeys. I know many of you took pictures, and if you wouldn’t mind sharing, we would love to include some of your pictures in this week’s school newsletter! Please send one or two to me or Ms. Schmitz at jschmitz@csdo.org. Thank you!​

Spirit day was also a blast! Stuffies, pajamas, and video games, oh my! 🙂 Attached are a couple of pics, and here is a video of some spirit day exercise to get us ready for the Fun Run! 🙂

This Tuesday, we will welcome Ms. Anne Bromley, author of “The Lunch Thief”! This book underscores that we do not always know what others are going through, encourages us not to make assumptions, and to always look for ways to help – as Jesus taught us.

Below is our weekly update:

Focus Areas for Our Learning:

  • Reading – We will continue our SUPER magazine this week. Students will practice identifying nonfiction text features, citing text evidence, and reading fluently (accuracy, pace, and expression).
  • Grammar/Spelling – In Superkids, students will practice different spelling patterns with the long E sound. They will also use sentence context to determine the appropriate homophone.
  • Writing – Students will continue practicing letters of the alphabet in cursive. After reading “Ms. Rumphius” as a class, students will write about how they can make the world a more beautiful place. They will also complete an art piece to accompany their writing.
  • Math –Students continue to practice interpreting the language of story problems so that they can develop accurate solutions. Students will continue exploring the area of shapes.
  • Religion – Students review the parts of the Mass and familiarize themselves with mass responses.
  • Science – The class will focus on the process of photosynthesis. We will also continue our read-aloud of “Top Secret”.
  • Social Studies – We continue our unit about government, and specifically the three branches of government.

Other Updates for this Week:

  • Reading Groups – We have switched teachers for reading groups as of last Thursday – see this week’s schedule. Please also ensure your child has returned their book club book and packet. Thank you!
  • Talent Show – This year, the talent show is a bit different. If your child wants to share a talent, please video tape them and send the video to Mrs. Foster (gfoster@csdo.org) by May 7th.
  • Dates to remember:
    • May 5th: All School Mass – May Crowning (live stream)
    • May 11th: Fun Run!
    • May 26th: All School Mass – Feast of St. Philip Neri
    • May 28th: Noon Dismissal (distance learning day)

Key Documents/Links (master file attached – please print):

  • Schedule –
    • Tuesday – All students join Mrs. Suer’s Zoom at 1pm for our special guest, Anne Bromley (author, “The Lunch Thief”). No reading groups.
    • Wednesday – At 8:15, all students join Mrs. Suer’s Zoom for morning meeting. Then at 8:30, we will join All School Mass via the live-stream link.
  • Weekly Assignment Matrix – Below is work that will be done at home and needs to be brought to school:
    • Book Club books and packets, (Monday, 5/3, if not already turned in)
    • Names of Mary wheel (Thursday, 5/6)
    • Become a Writing Superstar (Thursday, 5/6)

We look forward to seeing all of our students on Monday!

All the best,
Catherine

Subscribe to our email notifications for teacher posts

What Our Families are Saying

"The supportive teachers at SPN played a big role in preparing me for high school and helping me understand what to expect. They encouraged me to ask questions and seek help when needed, which made me more confident in my learning. Thanks to them, I entered freshman year already familiar with many concepts and effective study habits that have helped me stay on top of my work. SPN also taught me valuable life skills that I still use today, helping me succeed academically, build strong friendships, and maintain my overall well-being."
— Tibby Horvath, SPN Class of 2022
"We are very satisfied with the SPN community, something that is important to our family. My children feel safe and comfortable with SPN. Our family feels connected with the SPN community from parents and families to the staff and faculty. My children and we as parents have made healthy and positive relationships with other families from school. We share time outside of school with other families which brings a level of connectedness I don't know if we would have elsewhere"
— SPN Parent
"My children are experiencing community in other ways than just friends and playdates. Faith Families is an example of community, interacting with students from all grade levels, and learning and creating for others outside of SPN. Field trips to Kids Against Hunger or the Alameda Food Bank where they work and see firsthand how their efforts help others less fortunate, for those who are in need of support. Community is not just our SPN ‘bubble,’ and that is what SPN demonstrates and provides– opportunity to explore a bigger community."
— SPN Parent since 2016