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St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update – Week of 12/5

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday!

Only two more weeks until Christmas break and we will make the most of them!

This week, we enjoyed the beginning of the Advent season with a prayer service in our classroom. The class is also enjoying learning about how some of our Christmas traditions link to our faith (the tree, lights, ornaments, etc.). We will continue next week with more traditions as well! 🙂 Students are taking turns opening our Advent calendar – what luck 24 students, 24 days! – Mrs. Serles will open the Christmas door. 🙂 Finally, we reflected on how we prepare for our Lord, and students created their own Advent wreaths. Attached is a picture of the bulletin board they created. 🙂

As a note, students were definitely excited about the season. 🙂 While often joyful and well-placed, at times the excitement led way to behaviors that hindered our ability to learn in the classroom together (side conversations, blurting out, playing like it was recess in the classroom, over-the-top silliness, etc.). I still expect our learning environment to work well for all students – and me. The class and I talked about that, and for the most part, students fixed any behaviors that were an issue. I will reach out to you individually, if necessary. Thank you, as always, for your support.

Next week, we have our field trip to the Bay Area Children’s Theater where we will enjoy a performance of “A Year with Frog and Toad”. Children who normally get Choice Lunch can still do this – we should be back in time for normal lunch. If we are a little late, I will have their lunches put aside for them. Chaperones and drivers, I will be sending you a separate logistical email as well.

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – 
    • In reading groups, students will continue book clubs. We will make connections and inferences based on events in the stories and students will practice good listening skills and manners in our small groups. 
    • 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 decoding and encoding practice with oi/oi/ and oy/oi/ words; practice with ou/ou/, ow/ou/, and ow/ō/ words. We will also practice distinguishing between homophones. Students should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
  • Writing – Students will continue their informational piece about a continent. They will use the notes from their planning page to write a well-structured paragraph.
  • Math – The class will combine their knowledge of 2 and 3-digit addition and subtraction with writing skills to create a story problem. They will focus on providing necessary information and a clear question so that others would be able to interpret and solve it.
  • Religion – We will learn about Jesus, the Savior. Not only is Jesus the Son of God, he came to save us and bring eternal life. We also look to him as our model of kindness, compassion, and service to others.
  • Social Studies – Students will complete an assessment about landforms.
  • Science – The class will start our unit about material properties with an anchor phenomenon. We will explore a special type factory called a foundry, a place where people melt solid metal into a liquid that can be poured into new shapes. Since foundries can be dangerous places to work, students will determine how the people that work in foundries stay safe. During the introduction, students generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create an initial conceptual model to explain the phenomenon.

Other Updates for this Week:

  • November Enrichment Newsletter
  • Annual Fund!- Please contribute! Our goal is 100% participation – a donation (any amount, large or small) from each family. THANK YOU!
  • Covid Daily Screening – Please continue to do the daily screening. Your diligence is important and appreciated.
  • Dates to Remember:
    • Tuesday, Dec. 6 – Field Trip to the Bay Area Children’s Theater
    • Thursday, Dec. 8 – All School Mass
    • Tuesday, Dec. 13 – Free Dress for December birthdays
    • Thursday, Dec. 15 – Christmas Concert – 7pm – Student participation is mandatory
    • Friday, Dec. 16 – Noon dismissal, NO Share and Care
    • Dec. 19 – Jan. 2 – Christmas Break

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

All the best,
Catherine

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"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."
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