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Class Newsletters

 
Dear Parents,                                                                          September 3, 2019
 
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.  
 
Some of the programs we use in second grade will be familiar to the children.  We use the Lucy Calkins Reading and Writing Program, which was used last year. We use the Reader’s Workshop format, which is similar to what your child used in first grade as well.  The children are expected to read for 15 minutes each night as part of their homework. We are using Fundations for our phonics/spelling program 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, starting in Unit 3.  Our math program is Go Math! The program includes a homework component given Monday – Thursday that reinforces the concepts we work on during the week.  Homework will be sent home starting Monday, 9/16/19. I will be sending home a letter which will include a Reflex Math login and password for your child to practice their math facts.  
 
The Special Schedule for this year is as follows:

Monday – Library
Tuesday – Physical Education & Computer Bi-Weekly
Wednesday – Art & Chorus 
Thursday – Music 
Friday – Physical Education
 
Lunch – 11:40 - 12:05
Recess – 12:05 - 12:25
Snack - 1:35
*Please remember to send in a snack with your child daily. Snack will be in the afternoon.
 
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. 2029. 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 learned 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

January Newsletter

posted Feb 27, 2020, 10:42 AM by Kathleen Aucella   [ updated Feb 27, 2020, 11:11 AM ]

What We're Learning


Math - We are continuing with Unit 4 which focuses on 2 digit subtraction. The class will take their test early next week.


Reader's Workshop - We will be started a new unit this month. The kids will be reading various books in a series and meeting with book clubs , to discuss what they notice about the characters and storylines.


Writer's Workshop – The kids will be starting a new unit mid January. The children will be learning about Opinion writing. They will be writing letters to persuade their audience to feel the same way they do about their favorite books.


Social Studies - We will begin our unit on mapping skills, continents, oceans, rivers and mountain ranges in a week or so.  


ScienceWe finished our unit on Pebbles, Sand, and Silt. The kids loved the hands on experiments! The next unit will be Matter.


Upcoming Events


1/20/20 - No School - MLK Day



Teacher Recommended Links


Addition and Subtraction practice 


https://www.education.com/games/second-grade/addition/


These are great links for students. It lets them practice addition and subtraction fact. 



December Newsletter

posted Dec 13, 2019, 11:21 AM by Kathleen Aucella

What We're Learning


Math - We began Unit 4 in Go Math this week. This unit teaches the students Addition Strategies using two digit numbers. The children will be learning different strategies to use when solving addition problems. 


Reading – The unit being taught is Non-Fiction. Students are becoming experts on Non-Fiction books. They are reading a variety of texts and learning the components that differentiate Non-Fiction from Fiction.


Writing – The class is writing Non-Fiction books.  They are incorporating all the parts of a Non-Fiction book in their own books. The topics the kids have come up with are great and they are looking forward to the Expo on January 7th at 9:30!


Social Studies - The class continues to learn about Landforms.


ScienceWe continue to study Pebbles, Sand, & Silt. The class has sorted and observed the properties of sand. Coming up, the kids will be exploring clay and studying the uses of rocks.


    Upcoming Events


Thursday 12/19 – School Holiday Sing Along

Friday 12/20 – Class Holiday Party – Party in a Box 

12/23-1/1 – School Vacation



Teacher Recommended Links



Second Grade Math Practice

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade/second


Panda Research 

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/panda/  



Please remind your children to leave playing cards, jewelry, stuffed animals, or other toys at home. They can be a distraction and trading is not allowed in the classroom. 


Thank you to everyone who sent in food donations for the Norfolk Food Pantry and monetary donations for the Holiday Caring and Sharing Project! It was nice to catch up with you all at conferences. I wish you all a happy & healthy holiday season!






November Newsletter

posted Dec 13, 2019, 10:52 AM by Kathleen Aucella   [ updated Dec 13, 2019, 11:53 AM ]

What We're Learning


Math - We will be taking the test for Unit 3 this week and will begin unit 4 in Math next month.  Unit 4 teaches the students Addition Strategies using two digit numbers. Please continue to encourage your child to study their facts using Reflex, games, or flash cards.  


Reading The class is focusing on Non-Fiction this month and next month.  The kids are learning all about the elements that make up a Non-Fiction book and main idea.


WritingThis class finished Narrative writing, they are great storytellers! We will be starting a non fiction writing unit this month. The kids will be learning how to write non fiction books and publishing one for a Learning Expo in January.


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!

 

Social Studies – The class began a unit on landforms and mapping skills.  


Upcoming Events


11/27 - Half Day

11/28 & 11/29 - No School  - Happy Thanksgiving


Teacher Recommended Links

LINKS

*A Plus Math

http://www.aplusmath.com



October Newsletter

posted Oct 29, 2019, 8:01 AM by Kathleen Aucella   [ updated Oct 29, 2019, 8:15 AM ]

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 Decoding Strategies good readers use, in order to become better readers. The children have also learning about author’s intentions for writing a book. We just began our Non-Fiction unit. Children will be reading many different types of NF books and learning the key features in NF books.

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 published one of their pieces this week. Our next unit will be Non-Fiction writing. Students will be writing expert books on a topic of their choice.  Children will share their books at our Learning Expo in January.  More details to follow.

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

11/8 - Half day - PD teacher

11/11 - No school - Veteran's Day

Teacher Recommended Links

FunBrain

http://Funbrain.com

Find math games by topic or by grade at FunBrain.  Students will enjoy playing a variety of math games that reinforce concepts and engage young learners.

Hooda Math

http://HoodaMath.com

Logic and reasoning, math fact practice, and more make up the free educational games at Hooda Math.  There are quite a few games that call for higher order thinking and ask students to problem solve to complete the activities.

**I sent an email to join our Classdojo page, if you have't joined please check your email.  If you need me to invite you again, let me know.

*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.   

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