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St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update – Week of 3/4

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy weekend!

Upcoming Needs – 

  • We’re still looking for 1 more driver and 3 more chaperones for our Alameda Food Bank trip on March 19th (1-3pm). If you have a large vehicle, please consider driving! If we don’t get enough drivers/chaperones, we cannot go.
  • We need 1 more chaperone for our walking field trip to Rhythmix on March 14th (9:30am-12:00pm).

This week, students enjoyed Adoration – our special opportunity to be with Jesus each first Friday of the month. We reflected on our Lenten promises and were reminded that Jesus is always with us. 

Another highlight was our descriptive narrative project! Students partnered up to share their drafts, give each other a compliment, and ask a question that would help their partner enhance their story. Next week, we will learn how to revise a piece of writing, and students will be tasked with making at least three revisions. Revisions will include: spicing up boring words, ensuring the tense is consistent throughout the story, adding sentences to clarify the story, and adding descriptive language and adjectives. These are shaping up to be GREAT stories, and I’m excited to see the final products!

Next week, we get to see the Middle School play on Thursday afternoon! It’s always a wonderful time for our young students to get inspired by older SPN’ers and have fun as a community. 🙂 

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – 
    • In reading groups, students will continue their book clubs. Texts continue to become more challenging to meet students where they are so they can continue to develop strong skills and the ability to analyze characters and plots and make inferences. As always, there is a focus on reading fluency and speaking and listening skills as we work together in a small group.
    • 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 continue practicing /ē/ words with -ey, ie, and -ine (ex., monkey, chief, machine). We will also work with conjunctions (and, or, and but) to connect thoughts within sentences. Students should practice their spelling words at home so they are prepared for the quiz on Friday.
  • Writing – Students will review their narratives using the skills of revising and editing. As we approach the final trimester, it is very important for students to be recognizing the start and end of sentences and using appropriate capitalization and punctuation. When they are finished editing, they will write their final copies and work on an illustration that brings their story to life!
  • Math – The class will delve into geometry with 2-D and 3-D shapes. We will learn key vocabulary and start making connections to real-world items. Students will also review three-digit subtraction and addition with regrouping.
  • Religion – Students will learn about the Mass in our new chapter – why it’s important to gather for Mass and how we worship. We will review the parts of the Mass later in the chapter. In Family Life, we will discuss the importance of rules and choices in helping us stay happy and well.
  • Social Studies –We will extend our ideas about civic responsibility by discussing how good citizens help to solve problems within their community. Key ideas include: identifying the problem, working with others to brainstorm solutions and listen to others’ ideas, deciding or voting on a solution (that might not always be yours), and patiently persevering with each other to create positive changes over time.  We are also celebrating Women’s History Month with read-alouds and discussions.
  • Science – In our new unit, students will explore the needs of plants – why and how plants disperse their seeds, what those seeds need in order to grow, and what the adult plants need in order to survive and thrive. This week, we will explore the “Superbloom”.

Other Updates for this Week:

  • AR Reading – Just a reminder – I am encouraging all students to use their AR book for their homework reading time (15 minutes each afternoon/evening).
  • Dates to Remember:
    • Sunday, Mar. 3 – Family Mass hosted by Grades 1&2, 9:00 a.m.
    • Friday, Mar. 8 – Report Card Day!
    • Friday, Mar. 15 – Noon Dismissal
    • Tuesday, Mar. 19 – Free Dress March B-Days
    • Friday, Mar. 22 – Spirit Day: Disney Day
    • Wednesday, Mar. 27 – Noon Dismissal
    • Thursday, Mar. 28 – No School: Holy Thursday
    • Friday, Mar. 29 – No School: Good Friday
    • Apr. 1-5 – No School: Easter Break

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing our students on Monday!

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

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