Books, shaving cream, and a visitor

We have had a really great past few days leading up to our last day of school (Friday). I am really proud of how the students are following directions and doing their best work up to the end. We are also cleaning up quite a bit. We are excited for summer, but we're going to miss second grade!

Here are some photos from the past week: end-of-the-year gifts (books), shaving cream spelling, writing assignments, the fire fighter's visit, and the book swap:

Stretch those brains over the summer by reading!

So much fun they wanted to do this during recess too...

Writing pieces going in their portfolios for third grade

Most of them memorized their addresses and phone numbers so the fire fighter came back for another visit!

Showing off their book swap books - such eager readers!

Reminders:
*Friday = Field Day, last day of school, and report card pickup
*Please log on to scholastic.com/summer with the username and password provided
*Math login information (for xtramath.com) will go home in this week's Thursday folders

Fire Fighter Visitor

Our class loves visitors, and we were excited to have a fire fighter (parent of a pre-K student) come to talk with us about fire safety on Monday. He told us three main tips in case of a fire:

1. Get up!

2. Get low!

3. Get out!

He reminded the students about the importance of having a safety plan for getting out, as well as making sure their homes have smoke detectors. He let me try on his fire fighter outfit, and he promised the students that if they all memorize their addresses and phone numbers (another safety issue) and check with their parents about smoke detectors and safety plans, he would come back and let them try on the outfit. How cool! (I will send home a letter about this in Thursday folders this week!)

In other news, we are learning about perpendicular lines in Math. These lines come together to form right angles- see the photos below. Usually they are a horizontal and a vertical line intersecting (or meeting), but they can also be two oblique lines intersecting to form a right angle.

We also made our favorite book titles into cookies as we compared the joy of reading to the joy of following a good recipe. We put all of our key ingredients together for reading success!

Mmm! Cookies and reading!

Art Project and Special Visitors

We had a fabulous Friday. The second graders were on their best behavior at Mass. They knew all of the answers to the questions Fr. Felipe asked them about First Reconciliation (Saturday at 6:30pm). They sculpted animals out of clay during Art class. Also, they were on their best behavior for our school's guests from the University of Notre Dame.

You can watch a short informational video about the bus tour visits at the link below. Additionally, please enjoy some photos from the art projects:

Have a great weekend. Looking forward to seeing many families on Saturday night!

Phonics Syllables and a Special Visitor

We are back from spring break, and we're working hard in these last few months of school.

In Phonics, we have been reviewing all of our syllable types for single syllable and multi-syllable words:

closed (c) - ex. cat
open (o) - ex. she
magic e (v-e) - ex. make
r-controlled (r) - ex. cart
double vowel (d) - ex. coin

On Wednesday, the students used cereal boxes that were marked up according to their syllables to help generate their own lists of each type. I was proud of how well they worked together and of all the words they listed on their charts!

We are still hoping for spring, but we are enjoying indoor recess as best we can while the rain and the snow keep coming...

Also, please ask your child about our special visitor from today (Thursday)- my twin sister came and enjoyed learning with us! A second Miss Foyle for second grade!

*Please remember*

First Reconciliation - 6:30pm - Saturday, April 5th - at St. Ann church

Catholic Schools Week

Happy Catholic Schools Week! It has been a full week with lots of activities to help us celebrate how special it is to attend a Catholic school. We made Valentines for Veterans, had breakfast for the parents (and made thank you cards), listened to a visitor who is an architect (he read us a story and did an activity with us), and watched a movie to celebrate the students. We even celebrated the long-awaited 100th day today!

Check out some pictures from the week:

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Happy 100th Day (Thursday)!

2nd Grade in their 100th Day glasses 8)

The Elf on the Shelf

We had a visitor today in 2nd grade... an elf! When we came back from Spanish and got ready to learn about maps in Social Studies, we found the elf... with a book... and a note:

PLEASE READ ME!

So we spent the last part of our day reading about the elf who reports to Santa about everyone's behavior. He flies to the North Pole every night to give his report, so we left the window open this afternoon, and we hope that he will return to us on Monday! The students named him Jingles.

*Reminders*

1. Please make sure to bring your child to Mass every Sunday (or Saturday night). It is very important as they prepare for their First Reconciliation and First Communion.

2. The church season of Advent starts on Sunday. I asked the students to pay special attention to the color Fr. Felipe wears at Mass on Sunday and to also notice what is different in the church for this season.

3. Scholastic book orders are due next Friday (December 7th). Thank you! You can also order online!

Thankful

(We have reached over 1,000 page views! Thank you for your support and wanting to stay updated on what is going on in the classroom!)

In light of the week of Thanksgiving approaching (don't forget- there is no school next Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday), I wanted to thank you- students, parents, blog followers, and friends- for everything. I am so thankful to work at Saint Ann with amazing teachers and families like you.

Have a blessed holiday with your family and friends, and remember to give thanks for all that you have too!


Here are some photos from visitors we had this week that taught us about safety in crossing streets and alleyways. Enjoy! We had a lot of fun!