2nd Grade Newsletter

Religion: The Holy Spirit of God

• This Little Light of Mine song reminds us to let our light shine
• When we show love and care for others, we are shining our light on others

Believe & Read: Digraphs (wh, sh, ch, ck, th), trigraph (-tch), and vowel digraphs (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, oe, ow, oo, oo, oy, oi)

• Recognizing and scooping syllables (syllables need at least one vowel
• cat-nap (scoop c to the t and n to the p)
• tow-el (scoop t to the w and e to the l) *most of the time the consonant will stay w/the first vowel
• run-ning (scoop r to the first n and n to the g) the base word is scooped and the double letter joins the suffix
• Writing with suffixes: -es, -ed, s, and -ing
• Distinguishing the difference between verbs and nouns
• Using the doubling rule with adding a vowel suffix to a CVC verb (run 👉 running)
• The letter x is never doubled
• Understanding sentence structure, reading phrases, and spelling rules
• SPARKLE game

Math: Addition within 1,000

• Learning different strategies for adding fluently
• Counting on: 22 + 5 = begin at 23 and count on 5
• Make a ten: 12 + 9 = 10 + 2 + 9
• Use doubles: 8 + 9 = 8 + 8 + 1
• Adding with place values
• Make a ten to rename and move place values

Reading Comprehension: The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend, by Dan Santat

• We discussed imaginary friends.
• We learned what is special about an island.
• We explored what adding the prefix un- does to a word.
• Groves Comprehension is uniquely designed to accompany the Believe and Read foundational skills. The second graders are continuing to impress me with their listening skills, read alouds, and comprehensive understanding of the texts. They are learning to "read between the lines" for an in-depth perspective.

Social Studies/Science: Solids, Liquids, & Gases

• The three states of matter are solids, liquids, and gases
• Matter is anything that takes up space
• Solids have properties that help describe what and how it looks and feels
• Shapes, textures, colors, and sizes are examples of properties

Specialists:

• Blue Days: Physical Education, Music, & French
• Red Days: STEM, Library, & Chinese
• Yellow Days: Art & Spanish
• Mondays: Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

• Blessing of the Animals

• Friday October 2, 3pm

• Hanky’s Garden (across from the playground, near the tennis courts)

• Music and blessing by Fr. Colombo, Ms. Wengronowitz and Mr. Bell

• All pets and stuffed animals are welcome-Must be on a leash or in a crate

• Must attend with a parent or guardian

If you are unfamiliar with Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY), we are a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides academic enrichment programs to 1st - 11th grade bright and motivated students on weekends and during the summer. Founded in 1967, we now serve over 1,500 young scholars each year. Class size is capped at 16 and students engage in hands-on, inquiry-based learning on topics that are not typically covered in school. Students make new friends with peers who share their interests from across the Twin Cities and beyond, and parents are invited to attend free speakers on topics related to giftedness, twice-exceptionalism, and neurodiversity.

We are currently accepting applications for our fall session which will take place in St. Paul on three consecutive Saturday mornings in November. Students who qualify for free or reduced education benefits only pay a fraction of the tuition so that all talented young people can attend regardless of their family's financial situation.

Finally, if you are interested in learning more about teaching at MITY in the future, please reach out!

Students will:

• learn to count to 20 in german
• learn simple phrases in german
• study the geography and landscape of Germany
• compare and contrast life in USA and Deutschland
• contribute to conversations and others understanding of Germany in lower school convocations

If you have a connection to Germany, please reach out. I would love to collaborate with you!

As a parent, are you stumped with a math term you haven't heard? Did your child forget their homework? Does your child need a little reteaching to help with homework? Here's the answer!

Primary Math Login Information

Students can login to their Primary Math curriculum accounts from home. This will allow access to the Student Practice Books and Additional Practice Books.

Go to https://www.mceduhub.com

1. Enter your student’s login information using his/her Google username formatted by first initial, last name, graduating year (i.e. ABlazer35).

2. Select “Visitation School” - this should auto populate once you start typing

3. Enter the password Vis2026@ and click “Login”

The second graders are the class of 2037.

If I were in second grade my username would be:

FBateson37

Sponsored by Global Girls to support College Monfant, and continue the virtue of hospitality shown by Sister Mary Paula.

Join us after school from 2:40–3:15 PM on these dates:

• Friday, October 30
• Friday, November 20
• Friday, December 18
• Friday, January 29
• Friday, February 26
• Thursday, March 18
• Friday, April 23
• Friday, May 28

Here are my expectations for homework:

• Students attempt to complete the assignment independently as best as they can. Parents should look over for completeness and accuracy. Parents circle the problems done incorrectly and students try again to solve correctly.
• It is the student's responsibility to return the homework the next school day or by the stated due date.
• Math homework should not take longer than 20 minutes. If your child is frustrated then take a break and try again or send back to school with a written note stating the confusion.
• Homework should create solid, positive opportunities for strong connection between parents and child(ren).
• Reading is essential for fluency and comprehension. Read 20 minutes daily. Parents be a role model and read something, too.
• No homework given over the weekends. Family time is essential for mental well-being, too!
• Absence: students are given the number of days they were absent to make up the missing work. Following the Visitation School policy, no school work will be given to students prior to the absence from school.

We all work hard to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our students. That requires partnership from our families, especially as you send healthy snacks to school with your child. We do have multiple children in the Lower School with peanut and tree nut allergies. We are asking for families to show love, grace and respect for those children by sending healthy option snacks that do not contain peanuts or nuts. You might consider popcorn, pita bread with hummus, or cheese.

• Thursday October 1, Early Release Day @ 12:00 Noon

• Friday October 2, Spirit Dress Day

• Friday October 2, Blessing of the Animals

• Wednesday October 14-16 ~ NO SCHOOL ~ MEA BREAK

• Tuesday October 20, Voyageurs in Classroom, Grade 2

• Thursday October 22, Vis Give Day Students may be out of uniform IF they contribute $1.

• Thursday October 22, Out of Uniform (Give Day)

• Friday October 23, PA Coffee and Convo @ 7:45am

• Wednesday October 28, Formal Uniform Day

• Wednesday October 28, All School Mass, 9:05am

• Friday October 30, Salesian Leaders in lunch and recess

• Friday October 30, Halloween Class Party