Second Grade News and Homework

May 19, 2008

Dear Parents,

Students did a fantastic job at the Spring Concert last week! I am so proud of the second graders and I am sure you are too. They worked hard to learn “De Colores” in Spanish and also to learn the dance and they really enjoyed doing it. Hope that you enjoyed our lovely weather this weekend!

In class this week for reading we will begin a new unit on courage. We’ll read a story called “Hole in the Dike” Students will bring home two decodable readers about dogs to read on Monday night: “What Will We Do About Jack?” and “Phil and Fletch.” These stories reinforce vocabulary and phonics rules we have learned.

In Math we will study our eights subtraction facts. I have included review sheets in the homework packets for the final addition and subtraction assessments. This week we’ll review concepts and also learn about fractions.

Last week we watched a movie called: “The Day the Sun Danced.” It is a story about the three children and the miracles at Fatima. In Religion this week we will learn about the rosary. In past centuries when people were not as literate as they are today, people memorized the Psalms and Gospel stories and used the rosary as a way to help them recite verses of the Bible which they did not know how to read themselves. Meditating on the Bible helps us to become closer to God, and the rosary today helps us to meditate on the most important events of Jesus’ life. Each Friday this month at St. Brendan’s small chapel, where morning Masses are said, a children’s rosary is led by students, some of them from our class! It starts at 7:00 in the evening and it is wonderful to attend! Come this Friday and/or next Friday and enjoy a calm and relaxing time of saying the rosary with the children of our parish.

Our Field trip to the Burke Museum is this Thursday. Students will need to bring a fully disposable sack lunch. Please do not send lunch boxes, thermoses, Tupperware, or fine silverware. We do not want them lost. Hopefully it will be warm and sunny so we can eat outside on the picnic tables. Students need to be dressed in uniform. They always do an excellent job of representing our school and we always receive complements. In fact, the docent who will work with us on Thursday enjoyed working with the 2^nd grade last year and we are lucky to have her again! She is a real paleontologist! I have sent out driver/chaperone information to those who are chaperoning. Drivers/chaperones please check your email to confirm.

Friday is our school carnival. On Friday be sure to check the weather and have your child dress accordingly. If it is sunny and your child burns easily you might want to apply sunscreen. Students need to wear sports shoes because there are running games and events to do. There is no regular hot lunch. Students will be able to get milk. Students may either bring a sack lunch or purchase food at the carnival.

Monday: Complete spelling pages 141-142. Turn in tomorrow morning. We will correct and discuss it together in class. Read the decodable readers to one of your parents and then read on your own. Review math facts for about 10 minutes. Be sure to fill out your reading log each day this week.

Tuesday: Complete the math worksheets on borrowing, carrying and story problems. Be sure to look at the + or – signs and remember the decimal point and dollar sign. The story problems always need a “word sentence” as well as the “number sentence.” Read to one of your parents for at least five minutes and then on your own. Review math facts for about 5 minutes.

Wednesday: Complete the math worksheets 315, 316. Turn in tomorrow morning. We will correct and discuss it together in class. Read to one of your parents for at least 5 minutes and then on your own and review math facts for about 5 minutes. Be ready for an AR test tomorrow afternoon. Also be sure you have packed a sack lunch and get to bed early so that you are “perky” for the field trip.

Thursday: Have a parent give you a "practice spelling test" and speed drill in preparation for our weekly tests. Read to one of your parents for at least 5 minutes and then on your own. Review math facts for about 10 minutes.