June 11, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

Can you believe we only have one week left?

Our Whale of a Sale raised over $400!  We are sending this money to Killer Whale Tales, founded by Jeff Hogan.  His program aims to inspire kids to have environmental stewardship for a lifetime.

Mr. Pouley has worked very hard with the second graders to put together a slide show famous Americans.  It has been uploaded to the 2^nd grade website’s main page.  He saved it as a pdf file as most families don’t have Kid Pix, the program the students used to create the slide show.  It does take a while to download the file so please be patient.  Thanks also to Mrs. Michelson and Mr. Bollard for their assistance in uploading the show to the website.

Next week we will continue to bring home much of our second grade work and materials.  Please bring a backpack EVERYDAY.  Also please be sure to let your teacher know if your family will be leaving before the last day of school.

On Monday and Tuesday we will wrap up much of the work we’ve done this year, including making cards and writing letters to the teachers who are leaving the school.  We’ll also finish up our Father’s Day surprises.  On Monday afternoon we will practice for the Mass on Thursday.  Tuesday morning we will have Step-Up Day where the 2^nd graders will spend 15 minutes in each of the 3^rd grade classrooms.

Wednesday is Field Day! The 2^nd grade class color for Field Day is YELLOW. Thank you to the people who volunteered to help with Field Day.  Please be here at 8:45, unless you have made other arrangements with your child’s teacher.  The fun and festivities will last until 12 noon.  Thank you for your help!

Thursday is our last day of school.  It will be a half day.  The second grade is also in charge of the end of the year liturgy.  It will begin at 10:30.  Please join us as the second graders lead the school in the celebration of the Eucharist.  While uniform is not required on Thursday, please make sure your children are dressed appropriately as they lead the school.  If your child is reading as Mass (please ask your children), please practice the reading at home next week.

This has been a wonderful year full of growth, change, successes and learning.  It seems like yesterday that they came to us on Step-Up Day as first graders.  Next week we’ll send them out the door as third graders.

Reminders:

• Free Dress all next week and NO HOMEWORK!
• Monday: Mass practice 1-1:45
• Tuesday: Step-Up day 8:45-9:15
• Wednesday: Field Day 9:00-noon
• Thursday: last day of school (1/2 day); BRING A SNACK; Mass 10:30

Thank you for your generous support,

Mrs. Arthur and Mrs. Caballero

Ms. Wheeldon and Mrs. Pouley

June 4, 10

Dear Second Grade Families,

The children are ready for third grade!  This was very evident from all of the learning your children shared with you during their Learning Luau. With the Learning Luau under our belts we only have two more weeks of second grade left together.  Although we only have two weeks of school left, they will be very busy weeks.

Next week we will be bringing home much of our second grade memorabilia.  Please be sure to let your teacher know if your family will be leaving before the last day of school.

Wednesday we will be walking to View Ridge Park to spend time eating our lunch, playing and eating ice cream sundaes. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to come with us, bring sundae fixings or meet us there.  We will leave for the park around 11:45.  We still need parents to walk with us to the park – Thank you!

Wednesday, June 16^th is Field Day! Thank you to the people who volunteered to help with Field Day.  Please be here at 8:45, unless you have made other arrangements with your child’s teacher.  The fun and festivities will last until about noon.  Thank you for your help!  We still need volunteers to help with Field Day – Thank you!!!!!!

Thursday, June 17th is our last day of school.  It will be a half day.  The second grade is also in charge of the end of the year liturgy.  Stay tuned for more information about the time.  Seating is limited but please feel free to join us in the church to help us celebrate the end of your school year.

This has been a wonderful year full of growth, change, successes and learning.  It wasn’t that long ago that the children walked into the doors of their second grade classrooms wondering what second grade would be like and now they are walking out of those same doors wondering what third grade will be like.  Thank you for a great year!

Reminders:

*Wednesday, walk to View Ridge Park BRING A SACK LUNCH

****WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS TO WALK

WITH US AND/OR GO TO THE PARK*****

*Wednesday, June 16^th Field Day – WE STILL NEED A FEW

MORE VOLUNTEERS

*Thursday, June 17th Second grade in charge of end of year

liturgy

Have a great weekend,

Your Second Grade Team

May 28, 2010

Dear second grade families,

Can you believe this year is almost at a close?  We can’t believe it!  However, when we look at how much your children have grown this year—academically, socially, and in their height—it makes sense!  We look forward to opening the classroom to you for our “Learning Luau” next week.  At the learning celebrations, your child is encouraged to dress in Hawaiian-themed clothes on his/her learning celebration day.  Please make sure your child is still appropriately dressed for school.  If your child wears flip-flops, s/he needs close-toed shoes for recess.  Your child has included an invitation to the Learning Luau in the Friday Folder.  Please note the date and time.

The Learning Luau is student-led and student-centered.  Your child will show you his/her portfolio and you will assist your child in evaluating his/her growth over the academic year.  We will briefly give you some quick assessment materials as well as some specific recommendations.  The other students in the class will be engaged in academic activities.  That being said, the school year’s not over.  We’ll be busy learning until the very end!

We’ll celebrate on Friday, June 4 with a pizza lunch.   If your child doesn’t care for pizza, please send a regular lunch with him/her.  Also don’t forget a snack for Friday.  If you’d like to send in fruit for Hawaiian fruit kabobs, fruit punch (or another juice), or some type of dessert, please email the teacher.

We’re studying fractions and geometry in math; we’ll continue to work on these components of math until the end of the year.  We’ll continue our unit on traditional literature, including the sub-genres of fairy tales, fables, and tall tales, in reading.  This week we’ve also assessed the students’ reading fluency with the DIBELS.  Our last science unit is balance and motion; in this unit we also study simple machines.

In religion, we talked about safety skills and safe touching.  Please take this opportunity to ask your child what s/he is learning in class about safe and unsafe touching.  Our goal is to help you equip the children with skills to refuse inappropriate behavior and to keep themselves safe.

Upcoming:

• Fairy Tale book report due Tuesday, June 1
• Learning Luau, Friday, June 4
• Wednesday, June 9:  Second grade picnic in the park; chaperones needed (we’ll walk to View Ridge Park).  We’ll leave around 11:50 and return around 2pm.
• Second grade still needs 4 more adults for field day on June 16
• Thursday, June 17 is a half-day and the last day of school.
• Second grade leads end of year Mass on June 17

VIPs:

2A    Noah                                      2B Dane

Thanks,

Second grade team

May 21, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

Well, here we are with only four weeks of school left until summer vacation.  Wow, the kids have grown and learned so much this year!!!!!  This is definitely cause for celebration.  So, be sure to note the time of your child’s Learning Luau which we will send home soon.  This is a time for you and your second grader to celebrate a year full of successes.  Your second grader will go over their portfolio and you will receive list of summer suggestions during Learning Luau.

We have completed our telling time unit.  Please continue to have your child practice telling time on an analog clock (face clock).  Summer will be a great time to practice.  Also please continue to help your scholar practice adding and subtracting over the summer.  This is an important skill to maintain for third grade.

In religion we talked about how to pray the rosary and began making “Fruit Loop” rosaries.  This may be one of the highlights of second grade (if they make it home without getting eaten).  We also attended an all school Mass on Wednesday celebrating Pentecost.  This was a special occasion for the second graders because it was the first all school Mass in which they we able receive Holy Communion.

We are wrapping up our whale unit in science and we will have our “Whale of an Ice Cream Sale” next Wednesday, May 26^th.

In reading and social studies we have been learning and reading about Famous Americans.  The children have been researching information which they will include in a power point slide for computers.  Fairy tales have also been a focus in reading.  We will continue to read and learn more about fairy tales in the weeks to come.

In language we practiced using quotation marks.  The children used macaroni noodles for quotes around what was said.  We also practiced using quotation marks by writing quotes to accompany funny animal pictures in the 2^nd grade hallway.

Reminders:

*Please remember to bring in a package of individually wrapped candy for the second grade to use for the 8^th grade gift.

*We will celebrate May and June birthdays at lunch on Thursday, May 27^th.

*We are including Parent Entry forms so that you can choose a piece of your child’s work to include in their portfolio for the Learning Luau.  Please fill out the Parent Entry which is included in your child’s Friday folder and staple your child’s work to the entry.  If you would like more forms please let your child’s teacher know.

*Fairy Tale  book report is due Tuesday, June 1^st.

*Learning Luau is June 2nd and 4^th (in the morning) for 2A and June 4^th (all day) for 2B.

*Field Day is Wednesday, June 16^th (in the morning).  We need VOLUNTEERS to help take the children to their various activities. We need 6 volunteers to help with Field Day – PLEASSSSSSSE!!!!!!  Please let you child’s teacher know that you can do this.  This is a great way to get those last minute volunteer hours in!!!!!  You can even sign up with a friend – YAY!!!! A whole morning of fun!!!

V.I.P.’s

2A  – No V.I.P.                   2B –  Angela

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Sincerely,

Your Second Grade Team

May 14, 2010

Dear second grade families,

We’re so grateful for this week’s beautiful sunshine in second grade.  Today we enjoyed a preview of Oklahoma.  The classrooms were buzzing with excitement as the children shared their favorite parts of the musical.  Congratulations to Mr. Othman and Mrs. Reid for producing many years of musicals at ASB!

The second graders are beginning to create a PowerPoint for a famous American in with Mr. Pouley in computers.  We are integrating social studies with technology for these presentations.  We are completing all the research during social studies by reading age-appropriate biographies about famous Americans.

In math, we are studying time.  Please support your child by practicing telling time on an analog (face) clock at home.  The students need to be able to tell time to the minute.

In reading, we’re continuing to read mysteries in book clubs.  The students are practicing reading aloud with intonation (i.e. emphasis on the correct word or words in a sentence).  The students are also practicing finding information in non-fiction texts as we continue to study whales in science.

In religion, we are learning about safe touches.  In the following weeks, we will continue our unit on “Talking about Touching.”  Please see the detailed newsletters in the red Friday folder for more information about this important unit on personal safety.  We learned more about the Eucharist this week.  We read the story of the loaves and fishes and talked about how Jesus feeds his followers.   Next week, we will learn about the Rosary in religion.  We will make rosaries out of Fruit Loops to provide a kinesthetic experience of what constitutes a decade of the rosary.  We’ll pray the rosary in the coming weeks, too.

• Reminders: We need Fruit Loops and red vines for rosaries.  If you can send any of these in, please contact the teacher.
• Please send 1 bag of individually wrapped candy per student for 8^th grade gift.
• Please check with your children about their snacks and lunches.  Does your child need more or less to eat?  With your supervision, this might be a great opportunity for your child to make his or her own lunch in the evenings.  We’ve noticed how it builds confidence, and some children are more likely to eat when they’ve prepared their snacks and lunches themselves.
• Keep practicing the prayers; this is the time of your where we will be checking to see what prayers the children have mastered this year.

Upcoming:

-Tuesday, May 18: Thanks-a-latte day

-Friday, May 28: Noon Dismissal NO EXTENDED CARE for faculty appreciation luncheon

-Monday, May 31: No school for Memorial Day

VIP:

2A: Cade                 2B:  Fiona

Enjoy the beautiful weekend,

Second Grade Team

May 7, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

We would like to say thank you to all of the second grade families who sent the wonderful gifts and cards for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Can you believe that your second grader will be a third grader in less than six weeks?  It seems like only yesterday we were welcoming them into our classrooms, and now we are about to send them off to their new teachers.  They have grown, learned, and progressed so much this year—it is almost time to celebrate these successes with your child.  We will be having our Learning Luau soon.  If you’re a 2B parent, mark your calendar for Friday, June 4.  If you’re a 2A parent, your child’s Learning Luau will take place Thursday and Friday June 3 and 4.  In both classrooms, you’ll sign up for a 20 time slot during the school day.

Our focus in math continues to be double digit subtraction with regrouping.  We took our math test this week but will continue to review this concept until the end of the year.  We are beginning our chapter on telling time.  This will be our focus for the next few weeks.

Our final social studies units in second grade are a study of Famous Americans and government.  The children will be working with partners to create a slideshow in computers about a Famous American from the past.

Reminders:

*Please return your child’s Progress Report (please be sure to complete the parent comment section) so we can put it in their portfolio.

VIP’s

2A Zoe   2B  Alex

Have a very Happy Mother’s Day,

Second Grade Team

April 23, 2010

Dear 2^nd Grade Families,

We began our ITBS testing.  The children did a great job and were able to complete most of the second grade testing this week.  We were very excited to have the healthy snacks during our testing.  This helped keep our brains and bodies nourished.  Thank you to those who brought snacks this week.

We are beginning our Mystery unit in reading.  Attached you will find the book report rubric and directions for the mystery project.  In most cases your child has chosen or been assigned a mystery to read for this project.  The book will come home today unless your child has made other arrangements with his/her teacher. The project is due Friday, May 7^th.

In celebration of Earth Day this past week, we had a contest at school to see which class produced the least amount of garbage during the week.  As of Friday morning second grade was in first place having produced the least amount of trash this week! Way to go second grade!!

Congratulations to all the Assumption parish second graders who are receiving their First Holy Communion this weekend.  We are so proud of you!

Reminders:

Friday, April 23^rd – Midterm

Friday, April 30^th – Progress Reports go home

Monday, May 3^rd – Noon dismissal (Teacher In-service)

DRIVERS FOR FIELD TRIP – We are limited in the number of drivers we can take on this field trip.  We need to take drivers who have cars that seat the most children. Thank you!

*****Drivers please be here at 9:15 and we will return to school by 1:00.*****

2A 2B

Blume                               Barbano

Dougherty                         Bonipart

Hampson                           DiMartino

Kain                                  Hollomon

Krueger                            Martin

Ludden                              Yerkes

V.I.P.’s

2A –  Clive                         2B –  Riley

Have a great weekend,

Your second grade team 

April 16, 2010

Dear 2B parents,

Happy Easter!  We celebrated the Easter season yesterday in the church with a school-wide prayer service.  We’re reminding the children that the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection lasts well beyond their Easter candy.

Next week we will have ITBS testing.   We take the tests from about 8:45 to 10:10 daily and again from 11:00-11:50.  Please try to avoid making appointments during this time.  We will not have written homework next week so your child can have extra down time during testing.  That said, please continue to have your child read and record nightly. Please use this additional time to get your little scholar to bed early.  We know it’s a challenge as the days are getting longer, but this is one way you potentially can increase your child’s achievement on the ITBS.

We’d like to have some healthy snacks for ITBS testing.  If you are willing to send in snack one day for the whole class, please email your teacher.  Examples of healthy snacks include: crackers, cut-up fruit and vegetables, cheese, etc.  No juice, please.  We’d like the kids to have some extra brain food. Please continue to send in a regular snack for your child as well.

We’ve noticed that several 2^nd graders aren’t filling in their reading logs nightly.  This is required homework—both the reading and the recording.  Developing the discipline to complete the log is an important skill for your child to be a successful student.  Please read the article “Why Can’t I Skip My 20 Minutes of reading?” that follows this newsletter.  Please remember when you sign your children’s homework notebook you’re verifying they’ve completed all their homework.

We had a busy week of learning after Spring break.  In math the children are learning to regroup in subtraction.  They should be able to tell you they regroup 1 ten as 10 ones when they need to subtract more ones that they have in the first number.  In reading, we practiced using guide words to locate a word in the dictionary.  This is a challenging skill for second graders as it requires alphabetizing often to the fourth letter!  We also are beginning our unit on mysteries in reading.  In writing, both 2A and 2B have written body poems—2A before break and 2B this week.  The children are using figurative language, specifically similes, to express their ideas in a way that “shows not tells” to create a mental image for a reader.  In science, we investigate the hardness and softness of different rocks.  It’s important for students to understand the different properties of materials.

VIPs:           2A:   Erin             2B: Justine

Have a great weekend!

Second grade team

“Why Can’t I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?”

Source unknown; found at http://www.mrsmcgowan.com/reading/why_read_20min.htm

Let’s figure it out — mathematically!
Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week.
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night…or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 minutes per week.
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes.

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year =10 whole school days.

Student B reads 720 min. in a school year = 2 whole school days.

Each and every reading opportunity allows the child to apply and practice reading strategies independently.  Read to become a better reader!

March 26, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

We went to mass and our school Lenten service Monday.  The children were very respectful and prayerful.  As we get closer Easter and Holy Week we continue to spend time thinking about Jesus’ journey, all that he has given up for us and the joy of his resurrection.  We are also working on creating our own illustrations of the Stations of the Cross.  Hopefully we will have them up next week for your viewing pleasure.  Next week we will be making a special resurrection project.  Please send any or all empty egg cartons (one dozen) – Thank you!!!!

In math we continued exploring regrouping in addition.  This can be a challenging concept for many children.  Continued practice of math facts at home will help the children to recall their basic math facts quickly and have an easier time with the concept of regrouping.

We have continued to work on expression and phrasing in reading.  This concept requires the readers to look ahead to the punctuation end of the sentences while they read so they can convey the correct meaning to the listeners.  By this time in second grade most of the children have begun to move from learning to read and are beginning to read to learn.  This is quite and exciting time for our young readers.  In language 2B worked on contractions and 2A wrote body poems using personification.

Reminders

*2A needs more BABY WIPES – AGAIN (Thank you to those who sent some in already)

Drivers for the field trip please be at school at 9:55.  We should be back to school around 12:30 for a late lunch.

2A Drivers 2B Drivers

Beer                                                   DiMartino

Cook                                                   Hollomon

Dougherty                                          Martin

Griffith                                              Penkala

Somers                                               Weber

Valdez                                                Welch

Yerkes

• Wednesday, March 31^st – Field trip to the Burke Museum
• Friday, April 2^nd – Good Friday- Noon dismissal
• April 5^th – 9^th –Easter Break –No School

V.I.P.’s

2A – Emilia              2B –No one

God Bless,

Your Second Grade Team

March 18, 2010

Dear 2^nd grade families,

We fit a lot into this short week! We continued to work on the concept and procedure behind regrouping in addition.  When you are working on regrouping with your children (or carrying as you probably called it in school), please make sure your child carries the appropriate number to the tens column.  For example, in the problem 28+35, the students should add the 8 ones and the 5 ones.  Since the student has 13 ones, he or she can regroup 10 of the ones as 1 ten.  The numeral one should then appear in the tens column above the numerals 2 and 3.  On the worksheets, there are often boxes in the tens column to remind the children to regroup.  Some students put 0 in the box if they don’t need to regroup; this 0 is unnecessary.

The second graders also enjoyed using their graphing skills to graph Lucky Charms for St. Patrick’s Day. The students also used a compass rose to navigate a map of Ireland in Social Studies and in Science they  observed rocks and wrote about their observations. They continue to practice reading aloud with expression and good phrasing and writing focused pieces, including stories, letters, and paragraphs, on one topic with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

As we continued to prepare for Jesus’ death and resurrection this Lent, the second graders are learning about the Stations of the Cross.  In preparation for a special Resurrection project, please send in clean and empty egg cartons (dozen size).

In second grade, we’ve practiced forming the letters correctly, making sure our work is easy to read (i.e. legible), and checking the spacing of our letters and words.  Please use the rubric below to help your child evaluate his/her printing from time to time.  This quality of printing is our expectation for formal writing.

Reminders:

v    VIPs:  2A:   2B: Max

v    No school for Teacher Professional Development: Friday, March 19

v    Class pictures: March 24 (full uniform)

Go Zags! Go Huskies!

Second Grade Team

Name: ________________________ Date:____________________ #______

Printing Rubric
	Meets	Approaching	Needs assistance	Fix-up! I fixed my mistakes
Do your…	Yes! J	Sort of K	No L	Hooray!
Straight and tall letters bump the head and foot lines?
Round letters bump the belt and foot lines?
Basement letters go below the foot line in a straight way?
Words have a one finger space between each word?
Is your …	Yes! J	Sort of K	No L	Hooray!
Printing easy to read?
Paper neat?

March 12, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

Well it seems that winter has returned.  These cold and rainy days seem fitting as we talk about Jesus’ death. As we get closer Easter and Holy Week we continue to spend time thinking about all that Jesus has given up for us and the joy of his resurrection.  We will begin taking a closer look at the Stations of the Cross and what Jesus had to endure at each station.  In the coming weeks we will be making a special resurrection project.  Please send any or all empty egg cartons -cardboard (one dozen) to school – Thank you!!!!

We spent a lot of time learning about our classmates’ planet projects and reports.  The children did a wonderful job presenting and teaching about their planets.

In math we continue to work with regrouping in addition.  This can be a challenging concept for many children.  At this point we are still practicing this concept.  As we continue to work with regrouping it is important for your child to be able to recall their basic addition facts quickly.    *We need Lucky Charms Cereal for math next Wednesday* If you are able to send in a box of Lucky Charms cereal please let your child’s teacher know.  Thank you!

In reading the children are continuing to work on reading with expression and correct phrasing.  You can help your child with this at home by taking turns reading “just right books” aloud and pointing out when your second grader is using good expression.

VIP’s

2A – Riley                  2B –  Ryan

Reminders

• Wednesday, March 17^th – Green Free Dress for St. Patrick’s Day
• Please sign your child’s report card envelope and return it to school
• Friday, March 19^th - No School – Archdiocesan Inservice (Extended Care Available)

God Bless,

Your Second Grade Team

March 5, 2010

Dear second grade families,

We had a great time celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday this Tuesday with green eggs and ham.  The kids wrote their own “Dr. Seuss” stories and read some of their favorite Dr. Seuss books.  Even as your kids grow older, enjoy the language in Dr. Seuss’s books; it strengthens student’s phonemic (sounds) and phonetic (letter sounds) awareness.

As we continued to prepare for Jesus’ death and resurrection this Lent, all the second graders went to Assumption Parish on Friday and many received the sacrament of Reconciliation.  We lead the students through an examination of conscience and discussed how we all (including the teachers!) make mistakes for which we need forgiveness.

The children did an excellent job on their solar system projects. Next week the kids will share their project with a small group of classmates.  They will take notes during and compliment their classmates after the presentations.

This past week the students learned about the Sacrament of Reconciliation in religion.  In reading they read about Dr. Seuss’s life and used the features of non-fiction to understand a Scholastic News biography.  The children wrote Dr. Seuss stories.  The children took an assessment about money in math and began to learn about regrouping in addition.

Next week our curriculum will include learning about the Stations of the Cross and the sacraments in Religion.  In reading the children will continue to use strategies to read non-fiction, make connections to improve their comprehension, and read with expression and good phrasing.  In language the students will write narratives in a comic strip format.  In math the students will learn to regroup in addition.  In science the children will present their Solar System planet projects and begin the study of rocks and minerals.

Upcoming:

• Friday, March 12-Report Cards go home
• Sunday, March 14—Daylight Savings Time begins—leap forward!
• Thursday, March 13-2:30 Lenten Prayer in Assumption Church
• Friday, March 19-No School: Professional Development Day

Requests:

• 2A and 2B need Clorox wipes for the tables
• 2A needs baby wipes for the tables

VIPs:

2A: Kate La                               2B: Katie B.

Blessings,

Second Grade Team

February 26, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

Next Tuesday, March is Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  In honor of this special day we will have a read in.  We are asking that the children bring their favorite Dr. Seuss books to read and share with each other, a smallish pillow, a favorite stuffed animal and/or a small blanket.  We are requesting that all of these items fit into your child’s backpack and/or a pillowcase.  We will be doing various activities and centers revolving around the many books written by Dr. Seuss.  We will be making green eggs and ham for the children.  If would like to volunteer to bring in eggs and/or ham please let your child’s teacher know.

We have focused on many different topics this week.  In math we continued with our money unit.  We have been working on using different coins to make various amounts of money any counting groups of coins.  In religion we continue to talk about Reconciliation and Lent in preparation for going to a Reconciliation service next Friday, March 5^th.  We have also been working very hard putting our Solar System facts into paragraph form.  Coming home Friday will be your child’s red report folder and the papers for them to write their final copy of their planet report. REMEMEBER, everything is due MARCH 5^th.

Please note:  2B will have spelling homework on Thursday night.  There will be no additional homework next week.  We want the children to spend time on writing their report in their best handwriting and working on their project.  Please do a little bit each day so they do not feel overwhelmed.  Doing a paragraph a nigh will prevent tired hands.

2A Scholastic Book orders are due Friday, March 5^th.  We have had some problems with the on-line ordering.  Please fill out the paper, order form and return it with your child.

Upcoming:

*Monday, March 1^st:  Free dress for the first Monday of the month

*Tuesday, March 2^nd: Dr. Seuss’ Birthday -

*Friday,March 5^th: Reconciliation Service

*Friday, March 5^th: End of 2^nd trimester

*Friday, March 12^th: Report Cards

*Friday, March 19^th: No school

VIPs:

2A: Eddie

2B:  Andrew

Have a great weekend.

Your Second Grade Team

February 19, 2010

Dear 2^nd grade parents,

The Lenten season has begun.  We discussed the significance of Ash Wednesday and Lent in class and participated in Ash Wednesday Mass.  We’ve all made decisions about sacrifices or changes we’ll make during Lent for Jesus.  We discussed that in Lent we are called to pray, fast, and give alms.

Beginning March 1, only parents who have completed the Safe Environment training can come on field trips.  If you haven’t completed this training, you can take it at any parish in Seattle.  Following are instructions and the link to the Archdiocese Safe Environment training website:

• Go to www.seattle.setanet.org

• Click on “Register for Classes”
• Scroll down until you find a location/time/date that works best.  Make sure it is for one of the 3-hr training class.
• Once a class/time is picked, screen will come up to enter your name, address, phone number, email & up to 5 locations to pick.  Choose all locations where you volunteer.  Be sure they type in “volunteer” under “title”.
• Once registration is completed you will be sent a confirmation notice to the email address you entered.

We are writing rough drafts of the solar system report in language class and centers.  The students are writing a topic and a conclusion sentence for 4 sections: planet’s location, description (What does it look like?), characteristics (How does it rotate?), and other facts.  They are researching to find facts for each of these sections as well. The students will learn how to order the supporting details they found in their research into a paragraph and how many paragraphs make up a report.  We continue to study the features of non-fiction and discuss how those features help us while we are researching our for our planet reports.  In math we are studying money.  The students need to count amounts of change up to $1.00 and write it with both the cent and the dollar sign.  For example, they need to express that 2 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel, and 3 pennies is 68¢ and that equals $0.68.

Today we did two fun things: We celebrated the 100^th day of school and made paper mache planets.  Some of the fun 100^th day activities included making a trail mix with 100 snacks, answering 100 questions, and making a 100^th day book!  Much thanks to Mrs. Simon, Mrs. Welch, and Mrs. Holloman in 2B and Mrs. Leary, Mr. Cook, and Mrs. Harrington in 2A for helping with this project.

There was a lot packed into this short work.  Thanks again for your generous support of your child and our school.

Upcoming:

• Wednesday, February 24: Art Parents
• Friday, March 5: Solar System project and report due; end of 2^nd trimester
• Friday, March 12: Report cards go home
• Wednesday, March 31: Burke Museum field trip

VIP

2A: No VIP                     2B: Owen

Have a great weekend,

Second grade team

February 5, 2010

Dear second grade families,

We had a great Catholic Schools Week!  Thanks for all you do to support us at Assumption-St. Bridget, especially for sharing the gift of your children.  We visited the science fair on Tuesday and celebrated an all school Mass that was presided by Fr. Tim and Fr. Oliver on Thursday.

In the next two weeks we’ll have a couple fun celebrations! On Wednesday, 2B will celebrate Valentine’s Day and on Thursday 2A will celebrate Valentines Day.  If your child plans to bring in Valentines or treats, please make sure s/he has one for each child.  Your child can sign his/her name, but please leave the other children’s names off the Valentines.  On Friday, February 19, we will celebrate the 100^th day of school.  If you could send in one of these items for a special 100^th day snack, please email your teacher.  We’re requesting: Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Chex-type cereal, Kix-type cereal, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, raisins, Craisins, M&Ms, or goldfish crackers.  Both 2A and 2B will need one large box or bag of each of these types of snacks.  We are always vigilant about allergies; please contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns.

We will send home the directions for the Solar System project next week.  Your child will have chosen a planet in class. The project has two parts: 1) a planet project and 2) a written report, both due in early March (date TBA).  We will gather facts in class and use the facts to write a rough draft of the report in class.  At home, your child will print the final copy of the report. For more specific information, please look for the project description next week.

In religion, we looked at impulse control as part our Second Step program.  We also continued to discuss sin and asking for forgiveness.  In reading we read non-fiction and looked at different text features of non-fiction.  We wrote letters to our pen pals. We continued to examine place value through 1,000 in math and we began a constellation project as part of our Solar System unit.

Upcoming:

• Friday, February 12 and Monday and Tuesday, February 15-16: No School for Staff retreat and Presidents’ Day
• Friday, February 19: 100^th Day of School!

Next week’s VIPs:

2A: Flannery                             2B: Wyatt

Have a great weekend,

Second Grade Team

January 29, 2010

Dear second grade parents,

Happy Spirit Week!  We had many exciting opportunities this week.  We had a surprise visit by University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker.  He spoke about the importance of faith in Christ, goal setting, and team work.  Another special event this week was having the Ugandan children’s choir perform for our school Friday afternoon.

Thanks to all our wonderful parents who chaperoned the Pacific Science Center field trip.  We really appreciate the time these parents took out of their busy days to rearrange their schedules and spend a day learning with our students! The kids had a wonderful time.  They enjoyed the exhibits, the butterfly room, an informative planetarium show, and an IMAX movie about dolphins.  Also thanks for sending in your PSC passes.

The progress reports are in the Friday folder this week.  Please sign and return the envelope.  You might want to ask your child to share his/her own progress report with you and what influenced his/her responses.  Your children are quite self-aware!  Please contact the teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

In math this week we continued our focus on place value with three-digit numbers.  In science we learned more about the different planets in our Solar System.  In writing we wrote cinquain poems.  We discussed the different fiction and non-fiction elements.  In religion talked about Reconciliation, sin, asking for forgiveness and continued to discuss empathy in Second Step.

Reminders:

• Please return the envelope but keep the progress reports.
• Monday, Feb. 1—Free Dress!
• No School—Friday, Feb. 12—Faculty retreat
• No School—Monday and Tuesday, February 15 and 16—President’s Day weekend

VIPs

2A: Grace                 2B: Kate

Have a restful weekend!

Second grade team

January 22, 2010

Dear second grade families,

Well done students! We were impressed by the many thoughtful and creative Story Sack projects the children shared.  The rubric will be returned next Friday in the Friday folder.

This week, we have been administering the DIBELS reading assessments for the students.  Meanwhile the children are in the process of writing their own progress reports!  Next week you’ll find your child’s progress report in the Friday folder along with a progress report from his/her teacher.  Please keep your copy of the report but sign and return the envelope.  We have suggestions for some of the issues that second grade typically face:

• Homework: If your child has a hard time getting started, trying using a timer.  Set it for 15 minutes and see if your child can “Beat the Clock!”  We do this in class sometimes and it makes work seem like more of game.  Alternatively, if your child is a fast finisher, you can tell him or her to use the whole 15 minutes from time to time.  Encourage him or her to look at printing, capital letters and end marks, spelling, and general neatness.
• Reading:  If we suggest your child read more often at home, try asking your child to read aloud to you as you prepare or clean up from dinner.  If we suggest practicing comprehension, ask your child to read a few pages and retell what happened in the story.  A retelling includes more details than a summary.  Also, try asking “5 W’s” questions: who, what, when, where, why.
• Math facts:  There are many good commercial sets of flashcards available.  Again, try to make studying them a game.  Set a timer for 2 minutes and see how many facts your child can get in that time.  Math facts recall needs to be immediate within 1-2 seconds.  For an alternative to video games, try playing math facts games at www.funbrain.com.

In religion, Ms. Wheeldon continued our discussion on Reconciliation.   The children discussed making good choices, and how Peter made an unloving choice and Jesus forgave him.  The children also wrote thank you notes for the Fulcrum Foundation’s Celebration of Light.  We discussed how Fulcrum helps many students attend Catholic school and keeps a number of schools open in the Archdiocese.

In science, Mrs. Arthur continued our study of planets.  The children researched facts about the planets. Next week on our field trip to the Pacific Science Center, the students will get a deeper introduction into the solar system.  In social studies, Mrs. Pouley and Mrs. Caballero continued our Second Step unit on feelings.  The children have role played situations to practice empathizing.

In math, the children are continuing to study place value to a thousand.  Encourage your child to read numbers aloud.  For example, 724 should be read seven hundred twenty-four.  Please avoid using the work “and” as kids often place an extra zero when they hear that.  You can also ask the children the value of the different digits.  In 724, the 2 has a value of 2 tens or twenty.

Reminders:

• Spirit Week
  • Monday: Matching Day
  • Tuesday: Sports Day
  • Wednesday: Comfy Day (We’ll be a field trip so students need to wear a uniform top but may have free dress on the bottom)
  • Thursday: Mythical Creature/Character Day
  • Friday: Crazy Day
• Catholic Schools’ Week: February 1-5
• January Birthdays: Party on Friday, Jan. 29 during lunch

Field Trip:  Pacific Science Center

• Wednesday, January 27 from 9:30-2:30
• DON’T FORGET BOOSTER SEATS!
• Chaperones: please be here at 9:15
• Wear a uniform sweatshirt or t-shirt and free dress pants, shorts, or skirt.

2A	2B
AguirreBlumeDunnLuddenSheltonSomersGriffith	BlaikieBonipartEnquistHeffernanLynchMartinNegri

VIPs for next week:

2A: Emily L.                2B:  Matthew

Sincerely,

Second Grade Team

January 15, 2010

Dear Second Grade Families,

Wow, the rain is upon us!  We spent many recesses indoors staying dry and warm.  It is definitely January.  January is also the month in which we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.  We had an all school Martin Luther King Jr. celebration today in the gym.  The children also heard the story The Crayon Box that Talked which centers around diversity, color and individuality.

We took our math test on place value to 100.  We will continue working on place value in the coming weeks focusing on place value to 1,000.  You can help your student practice understanding place value by writing three two and three digit numbers and asking them to identify the value of the number in the ones place, the tens place and/or the hundreds place (ie. 132 – How many tens are in the tens place?  What number does the 3 stand for in the number 132?

In reading the children practiced making connections to the text they were reading.  Helping the children make connections between what they read and their lives helps them better understand and comprehend their reading. You can help your student at home by asking them if they have connections to stories they have read by themselves or ones you have read together.  The children also practiced reading aloud with attention to punctuation.

This week in religion the children learned more about Reconciliation.  We read about the Good Samaritan and identified that a neighbor is anyone who is in need of our love and kindness.  We discussed ways in which we can be a good neighbor to our classmates, siblings, and even parents!

In the next few weeks we will also begin our science unit about the Solar System.  Please stay tuned for further information about projects and assignments.  If you come across or know of any interesting information, activities or websites about our Solar System or planets please let us know.  During our study of the Solar System we will be taking a field trip to the planetarium at Pacific Science Center.  The field trip will be on Wednesday, January 27^th.  If you have not had a chance to return your child’s permission slip for this field trip please do so as soon as possible. ***IF YOUR FAMILY HAS PASSES TO THE PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER, WOULD YOU PLEASE SEND YOUR CHILD’S PASS?**

Reminders

*Monday, January 18^th – MLK Holiday: NO SCHOOL

*Wednesday, January 27^th – Pacific Science Center field trip

V.I.P.’s next week

2A – Aden                      2B – Mia

Have a great weekend,

Your Second Grade Team

January 8, 2010

Dear Second Grade families,

Happy New Year! We’re off to a great start with a lot of new learning taking place this week.  We have taken some time to make new goals, like New Years’ resolutions. Can you believe that we are almost half way through the school year?  We have so many more wonderful things to do together.

Reminders:

• Please remember to send your child to school with a coat and a snack daily.
• Please be sure to continue to practice the prayers with your child.  It is an Archdiocesan mandate that students in 2^nd grade learn the prayers we send home.  We also say the prayers in class.

We are learning:

• Religion: We are reviewing empathy from Second Step and discussing Reconciliation.   We learned about God’s laws, the Ten Commandments and thought about how we can obey them.
• Reading: We are learning about and practicing good reader strategies like reading with fluency and making connections to our lives.
• Language: We wrote stories with a beginning, middle, and end about a snowman.
• Math:  We are continuing to develop an understanding of place value to one hundred.
• Social Studies:  We will examine the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Science: We’ve begin our unit on the Solar System.

Important Dates:

1/11—Noon dismissal for faculty in-service

1/15—MLK prayer service at 2:15 in the gym

1/18—No School: Martin Luther King holiday

1/19—Story Sack book report due

1/27-Science Center field trip (details coming soon!)

1/29—Progress reports go home

1/31-2/6—Catholic Schools Week

VIPs:

2A-Simon

2B-Addy

Happy New Year!

Second Grade Team

December 11, 2009

Dear Second Grade Families,

Tis’ the season to be busy!!!  As the last week of school before Christmas vacation approaches we are constantly reminded to stop and see the magic of the season through the eyes of the children.  Their excitement and innocence bring us so much joy this time of year.  We would like to spread that joy to the second grade families.  As our gift to you for being wonderful and supportive parents there will be no homework next week!

This week we celebrated Advent by sharing the Legend of the Candy Cane with the school.  This is a truly wonderful story which reminds us of the reasons we celebrate Christmas and the sacrifices Jesus made for us.  On Tuesday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception with grades 3-8 over in Assumption.  Later that day, Fr. Tim Sauer from St. Bridget came and talked with us about the Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rite.  Please give him a big thank you when you see him!

In reading 2A read the story of the Gingerbread Man and identified the main character and other characters, the settings, the problem and solution.  2B read about holidays around the world and discussed the different holidays.

Place value continues to be our focus in math.  We are working on identifying the tens value and the ones value in a given number.  For example:  How many tens are in the number 34?  What number is in the ones place in the number 62?

Next week we will have our Holidays around the World celebration.  The celebration will be Thursday, December 17th, from 8:45 am to 12:15 pm.  At the end of this newsletter you will find the names of the holidays/countries and the times of the presentations.  Please feel free to come and participate in our celebration.  We will try to start each presentation at the scheduled time.  We will not start presentations early for those of you who would like to come and see your child and who need to arrange your schedules accordingly.

Please remember to contact the other families in your child’s Holiday’s around the world group so you can coordinate the food preparation and delivery. Please supply spoons, forks and napkins or plates for the food your group will be providing.

We would also like to know what food each group will be bringing; please have one parent for each group email their child’s teacher letting us know what food you’ll bring. Each group has one student assigned to describe the food from their country or holiday.  We will be practicing our presentations and it is important for the children to know which foods they will be describing.

Reminders:

*Doll project is due Monday, December 14th

*Report cards come home today.  Please look in your child’s Friday folder for their report card.  Please sign and return the report card envelope.

*IT IS COLD OUTSIDE! PLEASE SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL WITH A COAT. We will make sure they wear them outside.

Thank you,

Second grade team

Holidays around the World Presentation Schedule

8:45 – 9:05 – Chinese New Year

9:05 – 9:25 – England

9:25-9:45 – Ireland

9:45 – 10:05 – Hanukkah

10:05 – 10:25 – Norway

10:55-11:15 – Canada

11:15 – 11:35 – Sweden

11:35 – 11:55 – Italy

11:55-12:15 – Germany

December 4, 2009

Dear 2^nd grade families,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We appreciate all you have done in support of the Assumption-St. Bridget auction.

On December 6 the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas.  He shared his vast fortune in honor of Jesus, and after he was orphaned as a child, he had a special concern for children.  St. Nicholas is a model of genuine Christmas spirit; in this culture it’s sometimes hard to convince children it is better to give than to receive.  We are collecting unwrapped toys for Francis House.  Please consider participating in this service opportunity as a family.

Next week you will find your child’s 1^st trimester report card in the Friday Folder. There are sections from the reading and writing continua on the report card; these stages indicate where your child is in their development as readers and writers.  There are also benchmarks in reading and writing, and the other subject areas, which are assess using the following codes:

E-Exceeding benchmark

M-Meeting benchmark

A-Approaching benchmark

N-Working towards benchmarks

Please don’t be surprised or alarmed to see “A” in any category.  At this point in the year, it’s typical for children to be “approaching” benchmarks in certain areas.  Also please remember this is based on classroom assessment.  Many of the benchmarks haven’t been assessed at this time even though we’ve begun units surrounding those outcomes.  We want to have thoroughly instructed and practiced those benchmarks before we do any final assessments.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email Ms. Wheeldon or Mrs. Arthur.

At this point in the year, we expect the students to be completing their homework nightly.  We track the homework, and whether it is completeness, and that will be reflected on the report card.  Similarly please make sure you are filling in the reading log nightly.  Please keep it in a safe place (like in the homework notebook) and return it at the end of the month.  Should your child misplace his/her reading log, please make a new one on a piece of paper.

Next week your child’s only homework will be the doll project for Holidays Around the World.  The Friday folder is so jammed packed with corrected work that we will send home the project description in the homework notebook on Monday.

In reading this week, the 2B children read the Gingerbread Man story and the 2A children read about world holidays.  The students have written stories about Santa’s hat and a new ending to the Gingerbread man story.  They are learning to plan a beginning, middle, and end of a story before they write. In math we began to work on our unit of place value to 100.  When you see a two-digit number, ask your child what the value of each digit in number. Next week, we will review and practice a variety of skills within the theme of Christmas.

In religion, we’ve learned about Advent.  We’re talking about how Advent is a time to be patient and wait.  Next week we’ll continue the study of Advent and discuss the Immaculate Conception.  We’ll also make a special trip to Assumption Parish to meet with Fr. Tim from St. Bridget on Tuesday at 11am.  Fr. Tim will walk through the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Concluding Rite with the children much like Fr. Oliver did with the Introductory Rite and Liturgy of the Word.  The children are sure to impress Fr. Tim with their knowledge of and appreciation for the Mass! In social studies, we began to learn about Holidays around the World.  The children worked in their groups and assigned jobs and began to research their holiday.

Reminders:

* Coats:  It has been super-cold.  Please make sure your child has a sweater/sweatshirt and coat everyday.  They can always take them off if they are cold!

* Napkins: We’d appreciate donations of napkins.

Upcoming:

• Immaculate Conception Mass: Tuesday, December 8 at 9am FULL UNIFORM PLEASE
  

• 2^nd grade leads Advent Prayer on Friday, December 11 at 8:40 in the gym
• ASB Christmas Concert – Tuesday, December 15 at 7pm
• Birthday Lunch—Wednesday, December 16 at 12:15
• Holidays Around the World presentations: Thursday, December 17 (times to be announced later)
• Friday, December 18: Noon Dismissal for Christmas vacation!!!

VIPs for next week:

2A:  Jane                                  2B: Sophia B.

Thanks for your continued support,

Second Grade Team

Dear Parents,

I just wanted to give you a quick update about what the guidance lessons we have been doing in the second grade.

In November, our focus has been on building friendship skills.  This month, I read stories to the children about making new friends and seeing others point of view.  The students shared their advice for the characters, got involved in some role playing and completed both literacy and math activities that accompany the story.  We also explored how kind acts can brighten other people’s days.  The students even took a short “field trip” down the hall to see this idea illustrated on the bulletin board outside my door.  Each student then illustrated their one kind act that they could picture themselves doing to reach out to others.  The students have wonderful ideas and are beginning to see the connections between empathy, kindness, and friendship.  If you can talk about these at home with your children it will help the students to remember how they want to be treated and how they need to treat one another.  If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please let me know.

Lori Landes

Assumption St. Bridget School Counselor

206-524-7452 ext. 92

November 20, 2009

Dear Second grade families,

It’s hard to believe next Thursday is already Thanksgiving.  We have so much in our lives for which we are thankful. We have spent time talking about the differences between Colonial times and now.

We have another member of our community who is very thankful this Thanksgiving.  Tom the turkey is very thankful that no one recognizes him. The children did an amazing job disguising their turkeys!  Please stop by and view these creative, imaginative, individually unique projects displayed in the second grade hall.  You will be happy that you did and so will Tom (a.k.a the turkey).  Thank your for your assistance with these projects!

One of the things we are thankful for is our grandparents.  Monday is Grandparents’/Grandfriends’ Day.  There will be an open house from 9:00 a.m. to noon with at Mass at 11:00 a.m.  Children must wear their uniforms as we are celebrating Mass. All are welcome to join us in the gym for mass.  Please come and observe the children in the classrooms.  We would love the grandparents/friends to participate in our activities, check out the classrooms and see the children’s special projects.

Often times the children will go to lunch with their grandparents and return after lunch or recess. Please be sure to e-mail or send a note to Mrs. Arthur or Ms. Wheeldon if your child will be going to lunch or leaving with a grandparent.  The grandparents will also need to sign-out and sign back in the student from the classroom. This should be an exciting day.

This week in reading we read a book about colonial days and discussed the characters, settings, problems and solutions in stories.  We continue to work on identifying the beginning middle and end of the story as well.

In math we continue to work on problem solving and subtraction strategies.  We have begun to work on solving multi-step story problems.  The children are really beginning to understand how to solve these types of problems and show their thinking.

When we come back from Thanksgiving we will begin our Holidays Around the World unit in social studies.  Attached to this email (and posted online) is a form for you and you child to complete.  Please return it to school by Monday, November 30th.

Upcoming Events, Reminders and Requests

*Monday, November 23^th is Grandparents Day 9:00 – 12:00 (mass 11:00)

*Wednesday, November 25^th – Second grade Thanksgiving prayer service 8:30

*November 25^th (noon) – November 27th -Thanksgiving break

*Complete and return Holidays Around the World sheet by Monday, November 30th

Thank you,

Your second grade team

November 13, 2009

Dear 2^nd grade families,

Today the children enjoyed a preview of It’s Time for Truffles.  You can enjoy the school play tonight, Saturday evening, or Sunday afternoon.  Please check out the school website for details.   In the hall, you’ll notice the students’ Family Ties projects.  We will send home the rubrics in the Friday folders in a few weeks.

This week we continued to learn about the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  We continued to identify beginning, middle, and end in reading.  The students are continuing to use what they know about sentences when they write in all subject areas.  Next week the students will write cinquain poems about their grandparents or grandfriends in preparation for Grandparents Day.

In math, the students continue to use strategies to subtract like using related facts (i.e. I know 5+6=11, so then I also know 11-5=6).  We also are solving story problems with multiple steps like John has 9 toy cars and Michael has 5 fewer.  How many do they have altogether?  The students worked hard on their Great Graphing Projects.  Wow!

In science, the students observed and recorded their observations with their Brassica plants.  Ask your young scientist his/her thoughts about “How does a seed know to send the roots down and the sprout up?” We also noticed that some plants are taller than others and discussed the reasons why this happened.

Reminders:

v     Mass Days: Students need to wear their uniofmrns and NOT free dress on Mass days.  For 2B. this is every Thursday.  For 2A it’s the first Thursday of the month.

v     Coats: Please make sure you send your child with a coat daily.  We try to take the kids out for recess as much as possible.  The weather changes quickly in Seattle!

v     Please send in:  We’ll do many activities around Thanksgiving, including using grocery ads to plan a meal.  Please send in any groceries ads you get next week.  We need cube Kleenex boxes for a project we’ll complete in class.  We’ll make a Thanksgiving project using these boxes.  We also need magazines for a class project.

v     Grandparents’ Day: Grandparents’ Day is on November 23. If you have any special concerns about Grandparents’ Day, please let us know.  Grandparents and grandfriends are welcome in the classrooms from 9-11am.  We’ll go over to the FAFC for mass at 11am.  Please join us.   Grandparents and grandfriends are welcome to take their student to lunch but we need a written note giving the grandparent or grandfriend permission to sign the kids out.

v     VIPs: 2A Christian                                2B Lolly

v     Upcoming Dates:

• Art Parents: Wed., Nov. 18
• Turkey Disguise Project: Due Thurs., Nov. 19
• November Birthday Lunch: Fri., Nov. 20 at lunch
• Grandparents Day: Mon., Nov. 23
• Second grade prayer service:  Wed., Nov. 25 at 8:45
• Thanksgiving Holiday: Thurs., Nov. 26, and Fri., Nov. 27

Have a great weekend!

Second grade team

November 6, 2009

Dear Second Grade Families,

Thank you to everyone for participating in conferences.  The children did a great job leading their first conference.  The experience of leading the conference really stretched many students and we’re proud of them. This was a wonderful opportunity to see and talk about the progress your child has already made this year.

The children worked on identifying the beginning, middle, and end of various different stories in reading.  When you are reading with your children at night, you can check their understanding by asking them about what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of their reading.

We continued to work on addition strategies in math. Next week we will begin subtraction strategies.  We are continuing to work on problem solving.

On Monday we had a special All Saints/All Souls liturgy in the gym in which we celebrated the lives of those who have died.  Then on Thursday we went to daily Mass in the church.

Reminders

*Thursday, November 12^th – Picture retakes

*Friday, November 13^th – Great Graph Project due

*Friday, November 13^th – Sunday, November 15^th – Fall play

V.I.P.’s

2A – Joe           2B –  Sara

Have a great weekend,

Second Grade Team

October 30, 2009

Dear 2^nd grade families,

Today was a lot of fun!  Halloween wouldn’t be complete without many cute and scary costumes and a party.  Thanks also to all the parents who planned, brought in items, or helped with the Halloween parties in 2A and 2B.  The students began their auction art project last week.  Thanks to all the parents who coordinated and assisted with this project or plan to in the future.

We look forward to talking with you at conferences next week.  Please remember that there is noon dismissal on Wednesday, November 4, Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6.  Please remember to send a snack on the noon dismissal days! 2B’s conference schedule is attached to this email.

We will go to daily Mass at 9am on Thursday.  The students need to wear a shirt with a collar.  NO FREE DRESS ON MASS DAYS PLEASE!

The second graders enjoyed switching for afternoon centers this week.  Mrs. Arthur is teaching social studies, Ms. Wheeldon is teaching religion, and Mrs. Caballero and Mrs. Pouley are teaching science.  In social studies, the students differentiated between needs and wants.  The students learned that needs are essential to live and wants are non-essential.  In science, the students continued to investigate plants and recorded their observations in their journals.  In religion, the students reviewed the Introductory Rite and the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass books they are making.  Another highlight of the week was visiting Assumption where Fr. Oliver talked through the first two parts of the Mass with the students.  He was impressed with all they know about the Mass.  We’re equally pleased that Fr. Oliver was able to take the time to speak with the children.  Please thank him if you see him.

In reading the students practice finding the beginning, middle, and end of a story.  In writing, students continue to use their printing and capitalization and punctuation skills as they write VIP letters, journal entries, and spelling sentences.  In math the students are learning strategies to help them add efficiently like using doubles facts (6+6), making 10 to add (7+3), using the larger number to count on (starting with 7 in 4+7), using ten to add (10+6), and making a ten from other numbers (9+4, but thinking 10+3).   We’ve also continued to work on graphing.  On Monday, we’ll assign a graphing project due on November 13.  It will be the only homework during conference week.

Other details:

v     Friday Folders: Please check the work in your child’s Friday Folder.  If there’s anything you or your child think should be included in your child’s portfolio, please send it back in the red Friday Folder. If you don’t have the parent entry forms, just put a post-it note on it with the reason why you want it included.  With 29 kids, occasionally work is misfiled.  If you find another child’s work in the folder, please send it back in the Friday folder.

v     Homework: The students are responsible for listening to directions about their homework.  Any writing assignment should have approximately 7-8 complete sentences (with capitalization and punctuation) and have a colorful completed picture.  The printing should be consistent with what we’re reviewing in class.

v     Turkey boxes: We’ll make a craft project before Thanksgiving.  We need empty cube Kleenex boxes.

v     Monday, November 2: Free dress

v     Monday, November 2 – Friday, November 6: Conferences

v     Thursday, November 5:  Daily Mass at 9am.  NO FREE DRESS, uniform shirt with a collar.

Happy Halloween!

Second grade team

October 23, 2009

Dear Second Grade Families,

Wow, October has brought some interesting and unpredictable weather!  Please keep this in mind as your send your second grader off to school in the morning.  We go outside as much as possible and they can get very uncomfortable and chilly during recess.

October also means that conferences are just around the corner.  In our continued commitment to student-centered learning, your second grader will have the opportunity to take part in student-led conferences (please be sure to schedule the conference when your second grader is available too).  The conference schedules are posted near the school office. If you have not done so already please be sure to come in and sign up, but, if you are unable to come into the school and sign up, please let your child’s teacher know.  We will send a pre-conference form home next week.

• This week in second grade, the children wrote V.I.P. letters using spelling strategies and sentence writing skills they have learned thus far.
• In math we continue to work on addition strategies and problem solving.
• Our social studies focus was on Family Ties presentations, communities, businesses and goods and services.
• Fix up strategies (how to figure out unfamiliar words while reading) and just right books continue to be the main focus in reading.
• In religion we practiced ordering the parts of the Introductory Rite and the Liturgy of the Word.

Reminders/Requests

• Wednesday, October 28^th – (Assumption Church 10:00 – 10:30)  Father Oliver will walk through the Introductory Rite and the Liturgy of the Word with the second grade students.  Please feel free to come and join us.
• Friday, October 30^th – Students may wear the Halloween costumes to school.  They must be appropriate for school (weapons, gore and violent costumes are not appropriate for school).
• Monday, November 2^nd – All Saint’s Day Mass @ 1:15
• Wednesday, November 4^th – Friday November 6^th are ½ days for conferences.
• 2A needs more plastic spoons, wipes and napkins PLEASE!!!!!!!
• 2B needs wipes PLEASE!!!!!!

Thank you for your continued support in signing up for centers and volunteer opportunities.

Next weeks V.I.P.’s     2A – J.P.           2B – Nicky

Thank you,

Your Second Grade Team

October 16, 2009

Dear 2nd grade families,

Starting on Monday, you’ll be invited to sign up for conferences.  Look for a pre-conference form next week.  Please complete and return to the teacher as soon as possible.  We’ll address your questions and concerns when we meet with you at conferences; if it’s not appropriate to address them with your child present, we’ll arrange another time.  Don’t forget that 2nd grade conferences are student-led; please make sure you sign up for a time when your child is available.

• Progress Reports:  Next Friday you’ll find your child’s progress report in the Friday folder.  Please keep the progress report, but sign and return the envelope.
• Portfolios: If you haven’t sent in a piece of your child’s work that you’re proud of for your child’s portfolio, we strongly recommend you send one before conferences.  You’ll have an opportunity to discuss this work at the conference.  We’ve included more parent entry forms in this week’s Friday folder.
• Noon dismissal: Please remember that there is noon dismissal on Wednesday, November 4, Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6.  Please remember to send a snack on the noon dismissal days!
• Snack and lunch:  Some students are not bringing snack when they have hot lunch.  Please remember to send a snack.  Also many kids are going through growth spurts, if your child’s lunch box is consistently empty, you might need to give your child more to eat.  This might be a good opportunity to talk about nutrition and have your child help make his/her lunch.
• Coats: We try to go outside as much as possible.  You know Seattle weather!

This week in reading, we’ve introduced finding the beginning, middle, and end of a story as a method of summarizing.  Summarizing is different from retelling because the students have to identify the most salient details.  You could read a story aloud to your child and practice looking for the beginning, middle, and end.  Next week we will have the students monitor their use of strategies.  During reading, the students will set goals for their reading.  At conferences, your child will share his/her goals.  We ask your help in revisiting these goals and reinforcing them at home.

In language, we’ve worked on fact and opinion.  We have brainstormed and written our pen pal letters.  We have also written in our journals.  In math we finished our unit on measurement and begun to look at strategies for addition.  It’s time to start practicing those math facts at home! Look at your child’s timed math facts tests, called Rocket Math, and see what facts he/she is studying.  You can make flashcards with those facts or practice tests.  In religion, we review the Introductory Rite and learned the parts of the Liturgy of the Word.  Many kids enjoyed sing the Gloria in class; they should be able to tell you the Gloria is a song of praise to God. In social studies, the students defined businesses that provide goods and services.  In science the students planted their brassica seeds and entered their first observation about their seeds in their science journals.

Thanks for your support,

Second grade team

October 8, 2009

Dear second grade families,

As we all know, October will bring us some interesting and unpredictable weather.  Please keep this in mind as your send your second grader off to school in the morning.  We go outside as much as possible and they can get very uncomfortable and chilly during recess.

This week in language centers we focused on the differences between facts and opinions, discussed the subject (the who or what) and predicate (what who did) of a sentence and completed a graphic organizer, which we will use to help write letters to our pen pals in Ohio. In reading we continued to use strategies to help figure out unfamiliar words while reading.

In math we continued to work on problem solving and started our measurement unit.  We will complete the measurement unit next week.  We used standard units of measurement to measure length this week.  We measured in inches, feet, yards, centimeters and meters.

Our social studies focus was on Family Ties presentations.  In religion we discussed the parts of the mass and attended mass on Wednesday and Thursday.

Reminders/Requests

• Monday, October 12^th is a half day for a teacher in-service.
• We also need small, square Kleenex boxes for a project we will be doing in November.

Thank you for your continued support in signing up for centers and volunteer opportunities.  2B’s volunteer calendar is attached to this newsletter.

Next weeks V.I.P.’s     2A – no one               2B –  Bella

Thank you,

Your Second Grade Team

September 11, 2009

Dear 2^nd grade families,

We have all had a wonderful first week of 2^nd grade.  We are off to a great start and we are excited for our year together.  Second grade is a year full of growth and discovery, and we are looking forward to accompanying your children on this journey.

We spent this week getting acquainted with each other, learning classroom procedures and expectations, and creating a safe and positive classroom environment.

2A and 2B will do their reading centers separately. Please join us at Curriculum Night for more information about this and other center sign up and volunteer opportunities.  Both Mrs. Arthur and Ms. Wheeldon will need volunteers in the classroom especially in the morning before recess.

Reminders:

• Students need to remember a snack even if they are ordering hot lunch.  It’s hard for 2^nd graders to make it until lunch without a snack.
• Curriculum Night is Tuesday, September 15th at 7:00pm.  Please join us!
• Please look over your child’s homework notebook daily and initial it in the parent signature space in the yellow section.
• If you haven’t already done so, please return the Parent/Guardian Survey. Your child will benefit from your sharing of this important information.
• Please feel free to send your child to school with a water bottle.  It can get pretty warm in the classrooms and this is an easy way to help keep the children hydrated.  We have found that the water bottles with the push down spout work best to prevent spills.
• All new classroom volunteers (ie. new parents to the school, relatives or family friends) must complete a background check prior to working in the classroom.  Please make sure the school office has a one on file for those who are interested in volunteering.

Next week’s curriculum:

• Reading: We will begin to administer the DIBELS assessment to identify students’ progress in phonics and reading fluency. We will discuss good reader habits, and each student will practice selecting a “Just Right” book, a book on his or her independent reading level.
• Math:  We’ll begin graphing
• Language Arts:  We will assess students’ spelling development and write friendly letters.
• Religion:  We’ll begin talking about parts of the mass.

Thanks for your support.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  We’re off to a great start!

Mrs. Arthur and Mrs. Caballero

Ms. Wheeldon, Mrs. Pouley, and Mrs. Quint