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St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update – Week of 1/3

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas break so far! Wishing you a Happy New Year as we start 2023 this weekend!

Next week, we will jump back into normal second grade routines. 🙂 It will be wonderful to see our students and hear about the time they spent with family and friends.

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – 
    • In reading groups, students will start our new SUPER magazine. We will revisit the importance of paying attention to and using informational text structures (table of contents, titles, headers, bold and colors, pictures and captions, etc.) to better understand what we read. 
    • 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 practice associating c with /s/ and g with /j/ (face, cage, fence, giraffe). Students will also review dialogue punctuation and should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
  • Writing – To ring in the new year, students will write about a goal they’d like to work on during 2023. They will focus on expressing their goal clearly and using supporting sentences to describe why the goal is important as well as one strategy for meeting their goal. As always, students need to use their editing skills and neatest handwriting.
  • Math – The class will practice strategies for subtraction of 3-digit numbers when regrouping is required.
  • Religion – We will start our chapter about the Holy Spirit, the third divine person of the Holy Trinity. Students will come to know the Holy Spirit as thier supporter and guide.
  • Social Studies – Students will work on their first group project! They will use their individual continent research to create a poster together. In addition to reinforcing content knowledge, the goals of the project include using collaboration as well as speaking and listening skills.
  • Science – The class will connect to our unit focus about the types of materials we use and why certain materials are used for specific purposes by thinking about why we wear clothes! They will imagine being marooned on a deserted island with limited supplies and create a hat that will best protect them from the harsh sun!

Other Updates for this Week:

  • Oratorical Fest – Information about this was sent home before break in your child’s homework folder. Please make sure your child turns in a printed copy of their 8-12 line selection by Friday, Jan. 6th. (They do not need to have it memorized until the week of Jan. 16th.)
  • Covid Return-to-School Screening – Students need a negative Covid test to return to school. Please send results to Mr. Carter by Monday, Jan. 2nd!
  • Dates to Remember:
    • Dec. 19 – Jan. 2 – Christmas Break
    • Tuesday, Jan. 3 – Students return (Please send your Covid test results to Mr. Carter on Monday, Jan. 2!)
    • Friday, Jan. 13 – No school for students; staff work day
    • Monday, Jan. 16 – No school – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

We look forward to seeing our students on Tuesday, January 3rd!

All the best,
Catherine

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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