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St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update – Week of 12/9

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday!    

Thank you to families who have donated to Adopt-a-Family! These donations make the Christmas season brighter and more hopeful for those in need. It is so wonderful that our children understand the importance of demonstrating generosity and thoughtfulness. If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, there is still time!

This week, we started weekly Advent prayer services both in our classroom (on Monday) and at morning assembly (on Wednesday) to celebrate the four weeks of Advent. We reflected about the spirit of Advent and brainstormed different ways to prepare our hearts for our Lord. Students put together a class Advent wreath and wrote individual commitments. Attached is a picture of our new bulletin board. 🙂

Students also finished planning their informational continent paragraphs. After finishing their individual research, they gathered in groups of students who had the same continent to share their information. Then they started drafting! Next week, we will revise and edit to ensure all of those facts were turned into well-written paragraphs with clear topic sentences, lots of details in the body, and solid closing sentences.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – 
    • In reading groups, students will continue our new book clubs! Students will identify the key events of the plot and make predictions about the story’s resolution. As always, students will practice following along and participating in discussions! 🙂
    • 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) and using punctuation in dialogue. Students should practice their spelling words for homework so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
  • Writing – Students will finish drafting their informational piece about a continent. They will revise and edit and then have a conference with me before rewriting in their neatest handwriting.
  • 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 celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception with an all-school Mass. We will also continue our Advent prayer services and prepare for Jesus, our model of kindness, compassion, and service to others.
  • Social Studies – Students will complete our unit, Exploring our World, with an assessment.
  • Science – The class will connect to our unit focus about material properties 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:

  • Christmas Concert Optional Request: Your children are singing “Angels We Have Heard on High” for this year’s Christmas concert. Ms. Lydia was hoping that students could resemble angels. 🙂 An idea could be to simply wear light color clothes on top (whites/creams, etc.), or even add a halo or wings. Halos could even just be a round of tinsel, to make it easy.  We understand we are getting close to the concert, so if your child already has an outfit planned, that is totally fine.
  • Spirit of Giving
    • Adopt-A-Family – Please reinforce the spirit of giving with your child. Here are the Adopt-a-Family Amazon links – items will be shipped directly. – items will be shipped directly.
  • Daily Screening – Please continue to do the daily screening. Your diligence is important and appreciated.
  • Dates to Remember:
    • Dec. 2-6 – Book Fair
    • Monday, Dec. 9 – All School Mass – Feast of the Immaculate Conception
    • Tuesday, Dec. 10 – Free Dress Dec. B-Days
    • Thursday, Dec. 19 – Christmas Concert, 7:00pm, Student Attendance Required
    • Friday, Dec. 20 – Noon Dismissal / No Share and Care after Dismissal
    • Dec. 21-Jan. 3 – 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."
— Tibby Horvath, SPN Class of 2022
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— SPN Parent
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— SPN Parent since 2016

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