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St. Philip Neri Catholic School

Second Grade Update – Week of 3/6

Dear Second Grade Families, 

Happy Friday!
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. Afterwards, many students wanted to share their partners’ insightful questions and were enthusiastic about getting back to their draft. 🙂 During another writing session, we learned how to revise a piece of writing, and students were tasked to make at least three revisions. Students took this seriously and their revisions included: spicing up boring words, ensuring the tense was consistent throughout the story, adding sentences to clarify the story, and adding descriptive language and adjectives. Well done, second graders!

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

Finally, thank you to everyone who volunteered for our upcoming field trip to the Alameda Food Bank on March 30th. I will send out a separate email with specific details to drivers and chaperones soon.

Below is our second grade learning update.

Focus Areas for Our Learning Next Week:

  • Reading – 
    • In reading groups, students will continue SUPER magazine. Students will practice using text features to enhance comprehension. We will also discuss the main idea and details within a paragraph and practice identifying both. 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 practice /ē/ words with -ey, ie, and -ine (ex., monkey, chief, machine). We will also work with adverbs. They should practice their spelling words for homework 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.  
  • 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 being a good citizen with a discussion of civic responsibility and a project where students connect to how they can be good citizens. 
  • 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.

Other Updates for this Week:

  • If you didn’t get a chance to do this last week (only 5 did…), please fill out a very brief survey regarding 2nd grade communication.
  • 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:
    • Wednesday, Mar. 8 – Noon dismissal, Share & Care open
    • Saturday, Mar. 11 – SPN Auction at the Elks Lodge (Please come!)
    • Tuesday, Mar. 14 – Free dress for March B-days
    • Tuesday, Mar. 14 – First Reconciliation, 6:30pm
    • Friday, Mar. 17 – Green free dress for St. Patrick’s Day; Noon Dismissal; Report cards come home
    • Friday, Mar. 31 – Noon Dismissal

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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