2nd Grade Weekly Newsletter

Please remind your child to charge their Chromebooks on Tuesday/Thursday's (Tech-days) when they return home from school. Your child's Chromebook HAS TO BE COMPLETELY CHARGED (100%) . We do not have extra Chromebook chargers in our classrooms. Thank you for your help!

Second grade students will participate in CogAT and Iowa testing from October 6th-9th, 2026. The schedule for testing is below. Please be sure students are present and arrive on time on test days. For more information about the assessments, please click the links below. These tests are a determining factor for who will qualify for the gifted and talented (Challenge) program. Please make sure that your child is at school every day of testing.

Parent Overview LINK

Supporting Learners at Home LINK

Tuesday, October 6th- CogAT (5 Subtests)

Wednesday, October 7th- CogAT (4 Subtests)

Thursday, October 8th- IOWA Reading

Friday, October, 9th- IOWA Math

Your child has the wonderful opportunity to visit the Roper Mountain Science Center on Wednesday, October 21st, 2026. This will be an all-day field trip. We will leave at 9:00 AM and return at 1:30 PM. This trip really makes our science/social studies standards come to life!

The cost is $3.00. Payments can be made by logging into SchoolCash. --If you have questions or need assistance during registration, please contact the SchoolCash Parent Help Desk at 1-866-961-1803.

All payments and permission forms are due no later than October 9th, 2026. Contact your child's teacher if you have any questions. Thank you so much for supporting these opportunities for your children!

The marathon club is designed to encourage students to establish lifelong fitness habits by becoming involved in a participatory/goal setting activity. The goal is to log enough miles to complete a full marathon. The Prisma Health Run4Life race will serve as this group’s main event. The race is only $10 for the One Mile and $15 (after discount code) for the 5K. Run4Life is also an event the whole Woodland Family can enjoy (Parents, Grandparents, Sibling, Friends) with your choice of either the 5K or 1 Mile courses, all while supporting cancer patients in our community. Run4Life raises money to fight cancer. If you would like to give toward this great cause, go to: www.run4lifesc.org and click on the donate tab. Please select Woodland Elementary under the TEAMS tab so your donation will count for our team.

NOTE- District Assessments are not allowed to be sent home. ALL MAJOR tests are District Assessments. We encourage you to log onto Parent Backpack to keep up with your child's current grades in class. Directions are linked below if you need to activate your account. You may request a time to come in and review your child's assessment if you would like.

Monday: None!

Tuesday: CogAT Day 1

Wednesday: CogAT Day 2, Reversible/Irreversible Changes (Science Minor Grade)

Thursday: IOWA Day 1 (Reading), Addition/Subtraction Fluency (Math Minor Grade)

Friday: IOWA Day 2 (Math)

Please see LINKED Study Guides in each subject area to help prepare for our weekly assessments!

We will explain what we know about addition and subtraction. We will learn to represent and solve Add-To problems (Addition). We will learn to represent and solve Take-From problems (Subtraction). We will learn to solve and represent Put-together problems (Addition and Subtraction).

NO Weekly Math Practice due to CogAT/IOWA Testing

Unit 4 Family Letter

Unidad 4 Carta a la Familia

We will focus on identifying and explaining the theme of a story. Students will learn that the theme is the important lesson or message the author wants readers to understand. We will practice identifying clues in the story, including the characters’ actions, problems, and experiences, to help us determine the theme.

Check out these additional resources!

October Reading Bingo

Reading Strategies

Comprehension Questions

NO SPELLING TEST THIS WEEK!

Spelling Pattern: Soft C, Soft G--When c or g are followed by e, i, or y they make their “soft” sounds.The /c/ and /j/ sound respectively. We will practice spelling/reading words with soft c, soft g, and the trigraphs-tch and -dge.

2nd grade teachers will be sending home examples of words to practice, not a list to memorize. Interested in why we are making this shift? Click HERE to find out!

LANGUAGE- We will review quotation marks, proper nouns, and -ed/-ing endings

Students will have the opportunity to share their informative writing by reading it aloud to others. Students will practice reading clearly and confidently while sharing the information they have learned through their animal research. We will focus on speaking in a clear voice, using appropriate expression, and making eye contact with our audience. Students will also listen respectfully and celebrate the hard work of their classmates as they share their writing!

-Sharing My Culture At-Home Project-

Part 1: Research & Complete Fact Sheet (Classwork/Homework)

Country/Region: Students will choose a country/US region/state of importance to them or their family culture. They will research their choice, including facts about its culture and what makes it unique. Students will need to identify the native language, special holidays/traditions, foods, dress, etc. Parents can help students identify these special characteristics if needed. (Example: Louisiana (New Orleans-Carnival; Mexico-Day of the Dead, etc.) Students will have some time in class to complete the planning page, but may need to finish at home.

Part 2: Make a Visual Display (Homework) Visual Display/Completed Planning Page Due: November 6th, 2026: Students will create a visual display to share the information they learned about their country. The display must be colorful, creative, well-organized, and contain both words and images to share their research! A trifold presentation board will be provided to each student.

Part 3: Presentation (At School) Presentation Date: November 10th, 2026: Now, you get to show what you know! On the day of the presentation, you will discuss all the research you found about your chosen country/US region. You may also dress in native clothing or bring in artifacts used in your country’s culture. If you speak your country’s language, you can even share some common phrases! You will have the opportunity to practice in class beforehand.

This week, we will explore how heating and cooling can cause changes in matter. Students will use evidence to explain which changes can be reversed (reversible changes) and which cannot (irreversible changes).

We will also review our Unit 1: Matter lessons to prepare for our upcoming assessment.

Unit 1: Materials from the Land Study Guide (TEST Mon. October 12th, 2026)

Please help your child study a little every day!

Spelling

• Please note: This year, 2nd grade teachers will be sending home examples of words to practice, not a list to memorize. Interested in why we are making this shift?
• Click HERE to find out!

Math

• Your child will have a math homework sheet this week. Please help your student by reviewing the concepts that we are learning in school. Any extra practice that you can provide at home will help so much to reinforce what we have been learning in school.

Reading

• Reading every night is imperative to your child's success in 2nd grade. Your child should be reading for at least 20 minutes every night.

Tech Tuesdays/Thursdays

• As a grade level, we have decided to send Chromebooks and chargers home with students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On these days, students may use school-approved apps and programs to practice skills they are learning in the classroom, such as IXL, Web Math Minute, Amira, Google Classroom assignments, and more.

If your child brings their Chromebook home, please help us by making sure:

• The Chromebook is charged after your child finishes their work.
• The Chromebook and charger are both returned to school the following day.
• The Chromebook is used only for school-approved activities.

Thank you for helping us ensure that our students have access to these valuable learning tools while also taking good care of their devices!

Hello, Volunteers!

We are looking for parents who are willing to help make copies for our 2nd Grade team!

If you are available to help, please select a Tuesday or Thursday time slot. We will have the copies and paper ready for you when you arrive.

Once you sign up, please let your child’s teacher know which day you will be coming. Your child’s teacher can assist you before your scheduled day and show you how to use the copy machines.

When signing up, please include your child’s first name and teacher in the comment box.

Example: Jan – Mrs. Rader

Thank you so much for helping our 2nd Grade team! We truly appreciate your time and support!

Sign-Up Genius Copy Volunteer LINK

HELP!!! WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF REAMS OF COPY PAPER!

If you are able to help, we would greatly appreciate donations of reams of copy paper for our classrooms. Your generous donations help us provide students with learning activities, games, and resources they will use throughout the school year. Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and our students!

In honor of America's 250th Birthday, students in grades Pre-K through 12 are invited to participate in this district wide celebration through competition! Students can submit a poem, speech, song, dance, artwork, photography or essay! Judges will determine school level winners that will move on and compete on the district level! Woodland is inviting all students to participate in celebrating America!

Follow the link below for further instructions/submissions!

America 250 Student Celebration

The deadline for students to enter is October 30th, 2026.

October 6th - October 9th: CogAT/Iowa Testing

Friday, October 9th: Roper Mountain Science Center Permission Form/Payment DUE

Thursday, October 15th: End of Quarter 1

Friday, October 16th: NO SCHOOL-Teacher Workday

Wednesday, October 21st: Field Trip to Roper Mountain Science Center

Friday, November 6th: Family Culture Project DUE!

Tuesday, November 10th: Family Culture Project Presentation Day

• Students will only be allowed 10 total absences. Greenville County states that students must be present 170 of 180 days. This can be combination of parent notes, or unexcused absences. A student will be considered TRUANT with 3 consecutive unexcused absences, or 5 total unexcused absences. Chronic absences and tardiness can affect the entire classroom, disrupting the flow of learning. Attending school REGULARLY and ON TIME creates a positive environment for everyone! If a student misses more than 10 days, all additional absences must be medical or principal approved to be classified as an excused absence. We are no longer able to accept text messages or class app messages. Attendance must be communicated through email to your child's teacher, email to Mrs. Rogers, or a physical note in your child's red folder.

• SC Attendance Guidelines LINK
  

A backpack for parents account provides parents, guardians, or contacts with a central place to sign in to do the following:

• View their student's information including demographics, attendance, classes, grades, lunch balances, and test scores
• Apply or register their student to Special Focus schools and programs (Fine Arts Center, Career Centers, etc.)
• Receive alerts and notifications regarding their students
• View their student's school and contact information
• Manage parent and contact information for their students

We would love for you to help us bring the 8 Habits home. Please click HERE for our family 8 Habits Choice Board. You will see just how easy it is to use the 8 Habit language at home and how it can transform your family’s habits and behaviors at home in a positive way. Once you complete the choice board as a family by completing 2 tasks from each section, send it back to any of your children’s teachers, and you will earn a Woodland 8 Habits magnet for your car. We would also love it if you could take a family picture of you all completing one of the Habits and send it to your classroom teacher so that we can celebrate your family on social media and maybe even our school website!

Visitors at LUNCH

Parents/Visitors are welcome to eat with students during lunch. Students are not allowed to have 'friends' eat with them and their parent/adult visitor. ONLY adult/child are allowed to eat together during this visitation lunch time. Please contact your child's teacher if you are planning to visit for lunch.

Lunch Menus

Please see below for the lunch menus for the month.