2nd Grade Newsletter

I loved getting to know each student more this week. We have an awesome class, and I can tell this will be a great year.

This next week, we will jump into our curriculum. We use Bridges for Math, a combination of IMSE and Wonders for ELA, and Mystery Science for Science.

On Thursday, September 3rd, we will be walking to the train depot to look at their America's 250th display and do a scavenger hunt that has been prepared for us. We will be leaving the school at 8:15 and should be back by 9:45 for morning recess.

Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and in comfortable walking shoes!

MAP Testing: September 8-10

In second grade, students take three MAP tests—Reading, Language, and Math. A big change this year is that the test is not read aloud to them, which can be an adjustment. These are long assessments, so it’s completely normal if students come home feeling extra tired after testing. Please help by making sure they get plenty of rest and healthy meals during the week.

This week, your child is learning about beginning blends containing three consonants. Blends can be found at the beginning of words like “shrimp” and “scratch.” Each sound is heard in a blend.

Your support at home makes a huge difference in your child’s progress. If your child needs more practice, please repeat activities and reach out for additional support. For those ready to take on more challenges, consider extending their learning by having them practice writing the words and sentences on this page or practicing the words and sentences from previous family connection letters in their best handwriting.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education.

On our spelling test, we have 10 words that follow the pattern that we are focusing on. These are our ten words for next week:

1. screenplay

2. scrub

3. shrub

4. sprung

5. thrash

6. streamline

7. street

8. stretch

9. strict

10. thrill

Then, we have 5 "red" words. These are words that cannot be sounded out because they do not follow our learned spelling rules. Because they do not follow rules, they can be a bit trickier and take a lot more memorization, so they usually repeat for a couple of weeks before we get new ones. These are our 5 red words for next week:

1. away

2. after

3. been

4. our

5. other

Finally, they will dictate two sentences that I say out loud. I do not send these home for memorization because I want to see their skills in action!

If you have any questions about how something is being taught or why, just ask! My goal is to provide students with a toolbox full of tools to solve problems for the future.

For the start of our math unit, we will be sorting and graphing different things!

We will start our number corner in September. For that first month, we will be looking at how to get to 20 from different numbers, practicing counting on and counting back, counting by tens up to and past 100 (we talk about centuries), odd and even numbers, and the very first introduction of the analog clock and how it works!

Next week our lesson for science is called, “How many kinds of animals are there?" We will learn how scientists sort animals into groups by looking at the characteristics they share. In our activity, we will practice sorting mammals, reptiles, birds, and invertebrates.

Here’s something fun you can do together with your child to help support their learning: take a walk in your neighborhood and pay attention to the animals around you. As you encounter different animals (like squirrels, bugs, etc.), ask yourselves: “What kind of animal is it? What other animals is it most similar to?”

Our class pet, Shawna, also made his way into the classroom on Thursday. He is a leopard gecko that is super chill and loves being in the classroom. If students choose, they can trade in 50 ClassDojo points to hold him in class. If this is something that you don't want your student to do, please have that conversation with them.

Tuesday, September 1st - Individual Picture Day

Thursday, September 3rd - Depot Walking Field Trip

Monday, September 7th - No School/Labor Day

Thursday, October 22nd - Quarter 1 Ends

Monday, October 26th - Individual Picture Retakes and Class Picture

Thursday, October 19th - Student Led Conferences

Some families have asked if I keep a classroom wishlist, so I wanted to share it here. Please know there is absolutely no expectation to purchase anything—it’s simply a list of a few things that would be fun or useful for our classroom. If you’d like to take a look, here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2BQVRT0N1QQLR?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for those that signed up for snacks for the classroom! I will send an email out to you the week before to remind you of the month. I still have December, January, February, April, and May open if anyone else is able to sign up.

Scholastic code: WT3HQ