St. Philip Neri Catholic School Logo

St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Friday! I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful break with family and friends! Ours has been quiet and lovely. 🙂

Thank you so much for your generosity at the book fair! Your donations will spruce up our classroom library, and the kids are sure to be excited for some new options. Thank you!

This week, students will get to enjoy art docent! Thank you as always, Mrs. Frentzel! 🙂

Below is our weekly update:

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – Students will start our new SUPER magazine! We will focus on making predictions, determining how to find answers within text, and sharing clear answers about the details of informational text passages. Fluent reading (reading at an appropriate pace with accuracy and expression) is always a focus for all students.
  • Grammar/Spelling – In Superkids, students will practice decoding and encoding words with ou/ou/, ow/ou/, ow/ō/, and oy/oi/ (ex., ouch, crowd, show, oil).
  • Writing – The class will jump into the art of poetry! We will appreciate the many different types of poetry and the use of descriptive language. Students will get imaginative as they use similes to develop a creature poem. It is always so fun to see what types of creatures they develop! 🙂
  • Math –Students will practice with addition and subtraction strategies to support solutions of 2-digit problems. Students will also focus on understanding the language of story problems – what is the problem asking us to solve for, what key terms help us know that, what is the important information we will use, etc.
  • Religion – Now that we have learned about Jesus as the Son of God, the class will continue to explore his life, including why we call Jesus “the Savior.” Key events include Jesus’ ministry, his Crucifixion, and the  Resurrection.
  • Science – Students learn about the solid and liquid states of matter and then discover why plastic was invented. Through a “candy melt” activity (always a favorite!), students conduct an investigation to determine which types of candy melt in hot water. Using their observations, they decide which candy is the best choice to bring to a hot summer camp!
  • Social Studies – Students will use their research skills to identify important information about an assigned continent and then work together in groups to develop a poster to share with the class.

Other Updates for this Week:

  • Family Life – This week, we will start Family Life, a supplement to our religion curriculum which is focused on God’s gifts of family, self, life, love, and community. A letter about the curriculum will come home in the homework folder this week. 
  • Dates to remember:
    • Tuesday, Dec. 14th: Free Dress for December Birthdays
    • Thursday, Dec. 16th – Christmas Concert, 7pm
    • Friday, Dec. 17th: Noon Dismissal, NO SHARE & CARE
    • Dec. 18th-Jan 2nd: Christmas Break
    • Monday, Jan. 3rd: No School, Staff Work Day

We look forward to seeing 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

Upcoming Events

View School Events View School Calendar

Connect with SPN

Follow Us on Instagram