Dear Parents, August 30, 2017
Welcome to a new school
year! I hope your child is as excited as
I am about the upcoming year. The
children have been busy the first few days being introduced to new classmates,
class routines, and curriculum. Our classroom is peanut/nut free this year, so please send in snacks that are free of those things.
Most of the programs we use
in second grade will be familiar to the children. We use the Lucy Calkins Reading Program,
which was introduced last year! It
follows the Reader’s Workshop format, which is similar to what your child used
in first grade. The children are
expected to read for 15 minutes each night as part of their homework. Reading Bags with books at your child's reading level will be sent home mid September. This year we will be implementing the Lucy Calkins Writing Program. This program follows the same Writer's Workshop format as in the past. We are using Fundations for our
phonics/spelling program again this year. Students will work on their phonics skills in
class and take a test at the end of each unit. Sight words will be sent home at the beginning of each unit for your child to practice. Our math program is Go Math! The
program includes a homework sheet given Monday and Wednesday nights, which reinforces
the concepts we work on during the week. The students should log in to Reflex Tuesday and Thursday nights to practice their math facts. I will be sending home a letter that will include a Reflex Math login and password for your child to practice their math facts. Homework will be sent home starting Tuesday, 9/5/17.
The special schedule for this year is as follows:
Monday – Library
Tuesday – Physical Education
Wednesday – Chorus
& Physical Education
Thursday – Computer & Music
Friday – Art
Lunch – 11:15-11:40
Recess – 11:40-12:00
Each month I will post a newsletter on my website which will outline the
material and topics that we are studying during the month. If you have any questions or concerns, please
send a note, email, or call me @ 508-541-5475 ext. 2033. Please check my class web page to find out
more information about homework, book club orders, birthday celebrations, and
useful links children can use to reinforce skills they're learning in the classroom. The
web address is http://hods.norfolk.k12.ma.us. Look under Grade 2 and click on my name, Kate
Aucella, to get to my web page. I am
looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Aucella
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Grade2 > Aucella, Kate >
Class Newsletters
May Newsletter
We have a
busy month with many fun things happening in
and out of our classroom. Mark Rothstein
from the “World of Jump Roping” will visit our school this month. The
kids will love watching Mark show off his jump roping talents and
attend a jump rope workshop. We will have a visit from author and illustrator David
Biedrzycki as well. What We're Learning Math – We are finishing Unit 9 and will take the unit test soon. Our next unit, Unit 10 focuses on data and reading picture graphs. Reading –We finished Poetry unit and will begin learning about fables and Fairytales at the end of the month. Writing – The children are using "poet's eyes" to see things around them in a different way to write meaningful poems. They will continue to do so this month to get ready for our poetry party. Science – We are completed our unit on Matter. We will begin our last unit on Plants & Insects this month. We will be getting our caterpillars soon so that the class is able to see the life cycle of a butterfly. So exciting! Social Studies – We will be learning about various topics from Scholastic News. Upcoming Events World of Jump Roping - 5/1 Author Visit - 5/19 Get Buggy Presentation - 5/23 Poetry Party - 5/24 PD -Half Day - 5/26 Wizard of Oz - 5/30 - School show Wizard of Oz - 5/31 - Parent show |
April Newsletter
What We're Learning Math – We finished our unit on Time and Money. Overall the kids did a good job. I will continue to review these topics throughout the rest of the year. We started our unit on Measurement and Data. The unit includes lessons on weight, measurement, (inches & feet) estimating, and problem solving. The class is doing great with these concepts. Reading – The children have been learning about reading strategies and character traits. They have also learned how to make connections across books. We will be starting our Poetry unit next. Writing – The Children did an excellent job writing their opinion pieces! This was a difficult unit at times but the class did a great job nominating books to be read and writing opinion pieces. Instead of Paragraphs and Biographies, the class will be writing Poetry. We will end the year with paragraph writing. Science – We are continuing our unit on Matter. The boys and girls are learning about solids, liquids, and gases, and the properties of each. Social Studies – The children are learning about immigration and various topics from Scholastic News. The children have also been busy practicing for The Wizard of OZ! Upcoming Events April is Poetry Month – Kids from all classes will be sharing poems everyday over the loud speaker. 4/11 – Johnny the K Assembly 4/12 – Mind, Body, and Spirit Night – 6:30 at HOD 4/16-4/20 – No School – Spring Break 4/23 – Earth Day Assembly
*Thank you to the TPA for sponsoring Johnny the K this month! Monthly Teacher Tip http://adifferentplace.org/poetry.htm
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_engine.htm# |
March Newsletter
What We're Learning Math - We are finishing unit 7 this week. The focus has been on money and time, and the kids have doing very well. The test will be given this week. Our next unit is on Measurement. Reading – The kids have wrapped up their series book clubs. They learned how to think more deeply about the text they were reading by having group discussions, paying attention to figurative language or what the author was trying to say and character traits. Our next unit focuses on looking more closely ay Non-Fiction books. Writing – The class is finishing their Opinion paragraphs this week. The children have been working very hard and the paragraphs are great! They started the unit writing letters to each other about their favorite books. Our next unit is on Paragraph writing and Biographies. Science – A scientist from Hi Touch Hi Tech came to visit our class on Tuesday, 3/20 to teach the children about Matter. The students will got to be scientists by participating in a few science experiments. We will continue our unit on Matter for a few weeks. Social Studies – We finished our unit on Continents and oceans. The children will continue to study Black History and Immigration. Important Information Friday was the last session of Club GLO. The children have enjoyed this special time! Report Cards went home a week ago, please send the envelopes back if you haven’t yet. 3/27 – 1/2 day - Evening Conferences 3/29 – 1/2 day – Afternoon Conferences 3/30 – No School – Good Friday
Thank you to the TPA for sponsoring Hi Touch High Tech, this is an exciting, hands-on program! Teacher Recommended Links http://www.magickeys.com/books/
Science For Kids http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
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February Newsletter
I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable break! Math - We just finished a unit on subtraction. The children learned many new strategies for subtracting multi digit numbers. We will began our unit on 3-Digit Addition and Subtraction this week. We continue to focus on strategies for subtracting and adding 3 digit numbers. Please have you child continue to practice their math facts on Reflex at home. Reading – We are focusing on character traits while reading Series Books in book clubs. The children are enjoying talking about their books with partners. Writing – The class is learning about persuasive and opinion writing. The kids will be writing persuasive letters at the end of the unit. Social Studies - The class is learning about mapping skills, continents & oceans this month, as well as some famous presidents.
Teacher Recommended Links http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/addition.html http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/subtraction.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/levels/level1.shtml |
January Newsletter
What We're Learning Math - We began Unit 6 this week. This unit focuses on three digit addition and subtraction, and strategies for solving these problems. Reader's Workshop - We will begin a new unit of study called Series Book Clubs next week. The children will be reading many books in a certain series and discussing all aspects of the book in groups. Writer's Workshop – We finished our Informative Unit today! The kids wrote a book about a topic in which they were an “expert.” They all did a great job! Next week we will begin our Opinion Writing Unit. The kids will be writing letters to persuade their audience to feel the same way they do on a topic. Social Studies – This week we started our unit on mapping skills, continents, oceans, rivers and mountain ranges. Science – We finished our unit on Pebbles, Sand, and Silt. The kids loved the hands on experiments! The next unit will be Matter. Upcoming Events 1/26 Bingo Night – HOD
1/29 Kick off of the “Going Places With Reading” Incentive program. 2/8 100th Day - Kids may dress up as if they were 100 years old. 2/14 - Valentine's Day - Valentine's card exchange and "Party in a box" celebration. Teacher Tips 2nd Grade Reading Online - Unlimited Skills Practice | ixl.com2nd Grade Learning Resources - Math, Reading, and More |
December Newsletter
What We're Learning Math - We just started Chapter 5 in Math. This unit teaches the students subtraction strategies using two digit numbers and through problem solving. Reading - The class continues to focus on Non-Fiction for the rest of this month. The kids are learning all about the elements that make up a Non-Fiction book and main idea. Writing – The kids are beginning Non-Fiction writing. They are writing about topics in which they are an “expert.” The end product will be an expert book about their topic. They have also been doing some holiday writing. Social Studies - The next unit will include mapping skills, continents, and oceans.
Science – We continue to learn about Pebbles, Sand, & Silt. The class has been investigating the properties of different rocks and doing experiments with sand & silt. The kids love the hands on experiments! Upcoming Events Wednesday – 12/13 – Early Release - Teacher PD Friday – 12/22 –School Sing-a-Long and Class Holiday Party – Party in a Box - details to come. Teacher Tips Ask your child to tell you how they grow knowledge while reading Non-Fiction books. Thank you for your generous donations made to our Food Drive, Hat & Mitten Tree and the Holiday Giving Project! Our class raised $231! Happy Holidays!
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October Newsletter
What We're Learning Math – The children took the test for Unit 2 last week and began unit 3 in Math this week. Unit 3 focuses on addition and subtraction facts, as well as strategies to learn those facts. Please continue to encourage your child to study their facts using Reflex along with math games and/or flash cards.
Reading - We have been learning how to choose “just right“ books and about the Decoding Strategies good readers use, in order to become better readers. The children have also been learning about an author’s intentions for writing a book. Please remember to have your child read for 10/15 minutes each night and fill in the reading log. Writing - The children have been learning about writing Small Moments (stories from their lives). They have been working hard on sentence structure, editing and revising their stories. Each child will be publishing one of their pieces this week. Our next unit will be Non-Fiction writing. Science - We will begin a unit on Pebbles, Sand, & Silt next week. The class will be investigating the properties of different rocks and doing many experiments with sand & silt. The kids love the hands on experiments! Social Studies – The class finished a unit on Economics which focused on Producers and Consumers. We have started a short unit on Landforms. Upcoming Events 10/31 – Halloween Parade and Party – 1:45 Reminder: conferences are 11/7 & 11/9. If you have not signed up for a conference click on the link below to sign up.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c44a4a928aafa7-fall Teacher Tip *You can check out updates, upcoming events, homework assignments, and our class schedule on my web page. To view my page, go to http://www.norfolk.k12.ma.us/aucella. *Links - Spin and Spell
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