Week 4

Important Reminders:

• Picture day is coming up in September
• 2R - Tuesday 12
• 2S & 2K - Wednesday 13

• No assembly Tuesday, September 5th.

• September 6th is a Sunday schedule to accommodate the loss of classroom time for specialists during holidays that land on Sundays.
• 2R Will swim on Wednesday as it is a Sunday schedule.
• Birthday Celebrations with the Principals
• Thursday, Sept. 7 at lunchtime (12:10-12:50) principals will be celebrating August and September birthdays during their scheduled eating lunch time. Students will receive a small gift (sticker, pencil, bookmark) and a popcorn treat while eating lunch with the principals either on the playground or in Cafe Greco.

• Sept 12 ALL Faculty, Staff, student ES school photo, ES Lawn after assembly.

Elementary Banners- Due Tuesday, September 5. Thanks for helping your kids to create their own portraits to decorate our school.

Student Leadership Opportunity

Students who are in grades 2 through 5 have an opportunity to apply for ES Student Leadership.  This is a great way for them to show their leadership skills and support the community.  If you feel that your child would be interested in applying please read this Letter and have them fill out the Application and return it to their teacher by Thursday, September 7th.

After School Activities (ASA) Click here for the link:

SIGN UP for after school activities is closed now. Schedules of confirmed activities will be sent by e-mail to parents on Tuesday, Sep. 5th after school.

All activities will begin on the week of Sunday, Sep. 10

Production will begin on Wed. Sep. 6

What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

Readers’ Workshop

Readers will learn to decode unfamiliar words. We will talk about when we come across a word in our book we do not know we stop and think quickly, ‘What could I do to figure out this word?” Once again, as second-grade readers, we have decisions to make.
We ask ourselves: “We could think about what is happening, then reread to get a running start, all the time thinking about what would make sense here.” Or  “We also can start right in with the letters, chunking them and trying to figure out what the word might be saying, and then after a bit of that, we reread and put the first bit of the word in there, and think, “What might the rest of this word be?”

Essential Question:

• How can I become a strong, independent reader?

Some suggested discussions to do at home:

• Ask your child how to find a just right book.
• Discuss some favorite genres and what they like about it.
• Read and talk about books

Writers’ Workshop

Our writers are working hard setting goals and making plans for writing time. Students learn that just as dancers and athletes work hard, practice, and get stronger, writers can do that, too. Sometimes this takes five minutes, sometimes a day and sometimes even a whole month! Writers work hard to get better. Writers set goals and plan to work toward these goals.

Writers will reread to make sure that their writing says what they want it to say and that it makes sense. They also look for end punctuation. To build this writing habit, it can help to stop after each page, reread, and ask," Did I use punctuation on this page so that it makes sense?"

Essential Question:

• How can I use the craft moves from a mentor authors' writing?

Some suggested activities you can do at home:

• Brainstorm topics to write about
• Talk about small moments vs. a whole event

Math

Module 2: Addition and Subtraction of Lengths

This week we will begin module 2. Students will be able to:

• understand concepts about the ruler.

• measure and estimate length using different measurement tools.
• measure and estimate length using different measurement tools.
• relate addition and subtraction to length.

This week we will cover concepts about the ruler and measure and estimating lengths.

Essential Questions

• How can tools be used to determine measurement?
• How can lengths be compared and contrasted?

*Don’t forget to check out Eureka Math at https://greatminds.org/

* Module 2 Parent Tips Letter

Essential Questions:

• Are cultures the same?

Some suggested discussions you can have at home:

How can you...

• show respect for the ideas of others.
• work collaboratively.

Circles

Focus: Respectful behavior when working with others, how do disagree respectfully

Students will look at core values in more detail especially respect. What do they look like in our classrooms and in our interactions with others? What does respect look and sound like when working with others?

Week 3

Important Reminders:

Wednesday, September 6th is a Sunday schedule. 2R don't forget about swimming that day.

ES photo week is September 10 - 14. 

Parent day August 27 - Thank you for taking the time to come to school to talk about your kids with us.

No school August 31 - September 4 for the EID holiday.

Student Leadership Opportunity

Students who are in grades 2 through 5 have an opportunity to apply for ES Student Leadership.  This is a great way for them to show their leadership skills and support the community.  If you feel that your child would be interested in applying please read this Letter and have them fill out the Application and return it to their teacher by Thursday, September 7th.

Elementary Banners
Read about the banners all the students and staff are making to decorate our school.

After School Activities:

The Sign up will be closed tomorrow morning, but here is the link to the ASA Website :

https://sites.google.com/cacegypt.org/cacesactivities/home

What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

Readers’ Workshop

Readers think about the story throughout the entire book. As we read, we pay attention to how each part of a story fits together. It’s like putting a puzzle together. When doing a puzzle we pay close attention to the pieces and how they fit together, looking at the shapes, the colors, and back at the cover of the box to see what it should look like when the pieces are all put into place. We do the same thing with books. After finishing books, we will often reread them over and over again so we can read more smoothly, quickly, and with more understanding. Just as with a game or a puzzle, each time we play or put it together it gets smoother and quicker, and we have a better understanding of how the pieces all fit! As readers we want to do the same thing.

Essential Question:

• How can I become a strong, independent reader?

Some suggested discussions to do at home:

• Ask your child how to find a just right book.
• Discuss some favorite genres and what they like about it.
• Read and talk about books

Writers’ Workshop

Our writers will discover small moments to help generating ideas for writing. They will learn to read and tell meaningful stories. We will talk about how paying attention to the kinds of stories we read can inspire us when we are trying to come up with our own meaningful stories. Students will brainstorm possible small moments and think about is it a whole topic or a small moment. For example is the story about a time at the beach or a small moment at the beach like building a sandcastle.

Essential Question:

• How can I use the craft moves from a mentor authors' writing?

Some suggested activities you can do at home:

• Brainstorm topics to write about
• Talk about small moments vs. a whole event

Math

Module 1: Sums and Differences to 20

This week we will review module 1. Students will be able to
• Add and subtract within 100 based on their understanding of place value (10’s and 1’s).
• Decompose numbers within 100 into 10’s and 1’s

Our first assessment is Wednesday. Please keep a lookout for the assessment and student reflection next week. Please review it, sign it, and send it back to school.

Essential Questions

• How can strategies be used to quickly add and subtract?
• Would drawings or concrete materials be helpful in this situation?
• Which is the best strategy to use to solve addition or subtraction problems?

*Don’t forget to check out Eureka Math at https://greatminds.org/

* Module 1 Parent Tips

Social Studies

Students will look at core values in more detail especially respect, courage, responsibility, and integrity. What do they look like in our classrooms and in our interactions with others? What does respect look and sound like when working with others? Students will work in small groups to brainstorm responses to the question, What does "respect" mean to me?

Essential Questions:

• Are cultures the same?

Some suggested discussions you can have at home:

How can you...

• show respect for the ideas of others.
• work collaboratively.

Circles

Focus: Routines, getting to know each other, and respectful behavior especially when working with others

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Dear CAC Parents,

Welcome to the new school year!  This year I am fortunate in that I will be meeting with your child’s class once a week.  The first few weeks will be dedicated to “getting to know you” activities.  In a couple of weeks we will begin Second Step guidance lessons.  This is the guidance curriculum that we use in the elementary school K-5th grade. This program is designed to help students think about, develop and practice positive social skills.  Research shows that children who learn and use these skills are more likely to get along with others and do better in school.  Throughout the course of the year, students will learn about skills for learning, empathy and understanding feelings, how to use problem-solving skills, and how to manage strong emotions such as anger or fear.

Throughout the year I will be updating you on general areas of social and emotional learning but also on specific skills that you can help support at home.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dana Purpura

CAC School Counselor

dpurpura@cacegypt.org

Week 2

Important Reminders:

Please subscribe to the Grade 2 Blog by writing your email address on the top left corner of this page. Then go to your email and confirm your address by clicking in the link you will receive. You will receive an email every time there is a new post on our blog.

Each class is looking for a Room Parent! Please contact your child's teacher.

Click here for BTSN information and Click Slides to see what will be covered in Second Grade. There are also videos to see that we will not be viewing during the session.

Take Home Folders:

Go home every school day and are returned the next school day.

You will find homework or books. Please put any notes in here that you wish to send to school.

More information about homework will be addressed on Back to School Night (BTSN)

Thursday Folders:

There will be an extra folder in the “take-home folder” with student work that stays at home and the folder comes back on Sunday completely empty. If you have any questions please contact the homeroom teacher.

What’s Going on This Week in Grade 2

Readers’ Workshop

Taking Charge of My Reading: This unit helps our readers to make decisions based on habits, volume, and stamina. We will discover the array of books in our libraries and talk about reading to in partnerships. Readers will review how to find just right books by trying on books like one might try on a shirt, checking to see if this book fits, if it is just right. We use the five-finger rule, but we also know that a book should be a smooth read, that when reading aloud we should read like we are talking smoothly.

Essential Question:

• How can I become a strong, independent reader?

Some suggested discussions to do at home:

• Ask your child how to find a just right book.
• Discuss some favorite genres and what they like about it.
• Read and talk about books

Writers’ Workshop

In our first unit, students will write about one small moment (not the whole birthday but one specific moment). They will learn to choose an action, talk or setting to make a good beginning. Our writers will tell stories in order orally and in writing. They will also choose an action, talk, or feeling to make a good ending. Students will be pushed this unit to write a lot of lines on a page and across lots of pages.

This week we will be getting to know our students through discussions as students will take 3 On-Demands (narrative, opinion, and informational) this week. We will also work on spelling and review simple punctuation.  

Essential Question:

• How can I use the craft moves from a mentor authors' writing?

Some suggested activities you can do at home:

• Brainstorm topics to write about
• Talk about small moments vs. a whole event

Math

YEAR AT A GLANCE

Second Grade mathematics is about (1) extending students’ understanding of base-ten notation; (2) building fluency with addition and subtraction; (3) using standard units of measure; and (4) describing and analyzing shapes.

• Module 1: Sums and Differences to 20

• Module 2: Addition and Subtraction of Length Units

• Module 3: Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1000
• Module 4: Addition and Subtraction Within 200 with Word Problems to 100
• Module 5: Addition and Subtraction Within 1000 with Word Problems to 100
• Module 7: Problem Solving with Length, Money, and Data Module 8: Time, Shapes, and Fractions as Equal Parts of Shapes
• Module 8: Time and Shapes

Module 1 sets the foundation for students to master sums (addition) and differences (subtraction) to 20. Students then apply these skills to fluently add one-digit to two- digit numbers at least through 100 using place value understanding, properties of addition and subtraction, and the relationship between these operations.

Essential Questions

• How can strategies be used to quickly add and subtract?
• Would drawings or concrete materials be helpful in this situation?
• Which is the best strategy to use to solve addition or subtraction problems?

*Don’t forget to check out Eureka Math at https://greatminds.org/

* Module 1 Parent Tips

Social Studies

Students will learn about how all people are different and talk about how we can accept these differences. We will discuss how to relate to others and that we all have our own opinions, habits, and ways of life. e proud of your own culture, but also smile and admire other ways of life as examples of the diversity of the nations and regions of interest to you.

Essential Questions:

• Are cultures the same?

Some suggested discussions you can have at home:

How can you...

• show respect for the ideas of others.
• work collaboratively.

Circles

Focus: Routines, getting to know each other, and respectful behavior especially when working with others