We’ve had a great start to the new calendar year and second half of 2nd grade.
We discussed Confirmation and how it fully fills us with the gift of the Holy Spirit during Religion. We will finish up with Confirmation next week and move on to the Church Year before turning our focus onto the Eucharist.
In Phonics, we’ve looked at compound words, soft “c” sound and the soft “g” sound. With our Shurley English program, we continue to look at how to classify sentences and the various parts of speech. We have delved into labeling the complete subject and predicate. Our new story in reading is a short chapter book on the life of Theodore Roosevelt. We’ve learned about his early life, as well as his beginning in politics. We’ve learned how he was always a man of adventure and how teddy bears began. We’ve been practicing summarizing the chapter by highlighting only key details.
Cursive is going well. The slant is tough for most, but it often is. Remind your child to make sure the undercurve really swings out to help with the slant. Please do not have your child write in cursive until the letters are taught, so that it isn’t confusing for him/her. We’ve begun with letters starting with an undercurve. When they are doing their homework, remind them to sit properly; both feet on the ground, chair in, backs against the back of the chair, paper tilted, and free hand keeping the paper in place.
We’ve begun chapter 5 of Math. We’ve been breaking apart to subtract. Next week has us writing the problems vertically and subtracting with and without regrouping.
Social Studies has been fun while learning about different landforms and bodies of water. We’ve discussed how different places have distinct characteristics and how we use that to identify the landform or body of water. Next week, we’ll do a fun little project to help us remember the landforms.
Also, your child received a long-term project to begin this week. It will come home in pieces so as not to be overwhelming, with due dates spread apart a little. The project will focus on our ancestors, which we discussed in this unit of Social Studies. More specifically, it will focus on our ancestor’s country of origin. So far, your child has received the PLANNING SHEET, which is due on Wednesday, January 18. A few have already come back all completed! We’ve also passed out the directions for the second part, an ancestor paper doll. The ANCESTOR DOLL is due Wednesday, January 25. Please be sure to read the directions for the project very carefully at each step of the way. There is no need to make the doll very fancy. Use things around the house. I mentioned to the class that I cut off the top of a bag of oranges to use as a hat tassel. If your child hasn’t started, please have him/her start. I find doing a little each day makes the project much smoother.
- CARDINAL PALOOZA is in gear! On Wednesday, you should have received the first step in an amazing list of opportunities to win prizes! The first step is to create your family’s fundraising page by January 31st. If all the families do it, there is a special event for the whole school! Go on today and create it with your family.
- There is no school this coming Monday, January 16.
- On Thursday, January 19, there is a mandatory Communion meeting for parents only. It will begin at 7 PM in Morrissey Hall and should end by 8 PM. Only one parent needs to attend, but both are welcome.
- Have a great three-day weekend!