Second Grade

The Second Grade Family

  

                 Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one

                                            has learned in school.  ~Albert Einstein

 

 
  

 

 

 

 

February FUN!!

February is an exciting month at The Park and especially in Second Grade!

We are well into the 3rd 9 weeks and have a lot of material to cover.  Please remember to check your child's folders daily and look for important notices and study guides.   Please ask your child where they are on their AR goals!  We are already in the 4th week of this 9 week period and some students are far behind in their AR goals.  Continue to monitor your child's reading and remember sign their reading log nightly.  Here are some important dates to mark on your calendar!

2/2 - PTA Meeting with 2nd Grade performing!
        Groundhog Day!
2/14 - Valentine's Day - Check for a note from your child's teacher for a list of students and any Valentine activities your child's class may be having!
2/16 - Spring Pictures 
2/17 - School Wide Field Trip - Students MUST be in uniform!
2/20 - NO SCHOOL - President's Day Holiday
2/24 - Talent Show at East Cobb Middle School
2/29 - Six Flags Reading Logs Due

February Standards
Language Arts 
We will continue reading and writing non-fiction texts.  Please use this time to encourage your children to ask questions and research topics that they are interested in.  We will be writing non-fiction reports and reading non-fiction texts focusing on text features such as the table of contents, index, glossary, captions, real photographs, etc.

Math
We are finishing up our unit on fractions and moving into our measurement unit.  Please take this opportunity to explore real world fraction and measurement situations to reinforce these skills.   Please continue to check your children's homework and pay close attention to areas they seem to be the weakest.  If you need ideas or extra practice, please contact your child's teacher.

Social Studies
We will continue to study the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Jackie Robinson this 9 week period.  We will also be exploring other African Americans and their contributions in celebration of Black History Month.  

Science
The 3rd 9 weeks science topics include the sun, moon and stars and their relationship to Earth.  We will look at how their position causes day, night, seasons, and the months of the year as well as the length of shadows.  This is a very fun unit for our students!  Please take time to look at the night sky with your child and pay special attention to the phases of the moon.

 

Happy New Year!

                                            

We hope everyone had a nice relaxing break and that the students are excited to be back and ready to work hard.  We are excited about a new year of teaching and learning with your children the second half of this school year!  We have a lot of skills to cover in the 3rd 9 weeks so please talk to your child about what they are learning to help them retain new information.

Language Arts 
We will be reading and writing non-fiction texts.  Please use this time to encourage your children to ask questions and research topics that they are interested in.  We will be writing non-fiction reports and reading a lot of non-fiction texts focusing on text features such as the table of contents, index, glossary, captions, real photographs, etc.

Math
We will be covering a lot!  We are beginning the 9 weeks with 3 digit addition and subtraction with regrouping.  It is imperative that students know their math facts to make this process easier.  Please continue to practice these facts daily.  We will also be studying fractions, 3 dimensional solid shapes in geometry, counting back larger amounts of change, standard and metric measurement and more data analysis!  There is a lot of material to cover.  Please check your children's homework and pay close attention to areas they seem to be the weakest.  If you need ideas or extra practice, please contact your child's teacher.

Social Studies
We will begin our Social Studies unit discussing the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  We will also be learning about Jackie Robinson this 9 week period.   

Science
The 3rd 9 weeks science topics include the sun, moon and stars and their relationship to Earth.  We will look at how their position causes day, night, seasons, and the months of the year as well as the length of shadows.  This is a very fun unit for our students!

News and Announcements

No School on Monday, January 16th in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

 

 The Georgia School of Ballet has chosen our school and grade level for a free movement session.  Students began learning basic ballet postions this week and will continue for the next three weeks.  Ask your children to show you first, second and fifth positons and other moves they have learned. The boys don't want to admit it, but we think all students are enjoying this experience.

The second grade will be performing during the February PTA meeting on February 2nd.  You may have already heard your children singing some of the songs they will be performing.  Mark your calendars and plan on being there for this night to show off our wonderful second grade!

Reminders
Please, please, please put your child's name in their coats and jackets.  Many coats are lost this time of year and having your child's name in them ensures we can get it back to them!

December News

 

We have some fun things happening in second grade the week before our Winter break!

Important Dates and Reminders!!

Please bring in your new unwrapped toys between 12/5 - 12/16!

Monday 12/5/11: Progress reports sent home.  Please sign and return!

Saturday 12/10/11:  Santa Shop in the Park Cafe!  A red flyer came home with more details.

Monday 12/12/11: Deadline for Play a Role get involved moment story!  Please share your story!

Tuesday 12/20/11:  Park Caroling!  Come sing with us as we tour the neighborhood lights.

Wednesday 12/21/11:  Classroom holiday parties!  Please contact your child's teacher if you wish to volunteer on this fun day! 

Thursday 12/22/11:  Class A.R. Pajama Day Celebrations! 

12/23/11 - 1/9/12 Winter Break!!  No School!

The second grade team would like to wish you all a Happy Holiday! 

 

We only have three weeks left and we have a lot of standards left to cover in this short time!  PLEASE make sure your child is here and on time everyday unless they are truly sick.

Language Arts:
We will continue to refine our comprehension skills as we read and understand how stories work.  In grammar we will continue to work on synonyms, antonyms, pronouns, multiple meaning words, homophones and guide words.

Writing: Students will be writing their final response to literature during the next two weeks. They will choose a story and write a response that includes a summary, connections, questions to the author, and a recommendation.

Math:  We will be finishing the 9 weeks with geometry, time, money and graphing.  Please have your child practice counting combinations of bills and coins in larger amounts.  Also practice telling time on an analog clock.  These can both be tricky skills for some so please help your children to practice these skills often so they maintain these skills!  Please make sure your students continue to practice their addition and subtraction facts.  These should be mastered by the end of December!!!

Social Studies:  We will conclude our unit on the founders of Georgia.  Students enjoyed a visit from the Atlanta History Center where they were able to explore Native American artifacts.  We had a lot of fun on our Native American rotation day.  Students made a variety of crafts while learning about the lives of the Creek and Cherokee. 

 

November News

We have some fun things happening in second grade the week before our Thanksgiving Break!

Tuesday 11/15/11: Please join us Tuesday for Thanksgiving Lunch.  The schedule is available on Sedalia Park's Home Page!  We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday 11/17/11:  We will have visitors from The Atlanta History Center.  They will be conducting a presentation on Georgia's First People.  Please ask your children what they learned about our Native Georgians - The Creek and Cherokee Native Americans.

Friday 11/18/11:  Native American Rotation Day.  Students will spend the day rotating through all second grade classrooms while learning about Georgia's First Native Americans and creating some pretty neat things. 

Below are the topics of study for the 2nd 9 weeks!

Language Arts:
We will continue to refine our comprehension skills as we read and understand how stories work.  In grammar we will continue to work on synonyms, antonyms, contractions, plural nouns, and possesive nouns. We will also begin using learning how to use guide words to help us locate words in a dictionary quickly as we begin to use dictionaries as a resource to help in our writing.  

Writing: Students will be responding to literature.  They will read and listen to various literature pieces and respond to these stories by writing summaries, making connections, asking questions to the authors, and making recommendations. 

Math:  We have completed 2 digit subtraction with regrouping.  It is a tricky skill so please help your children to practice this often so they maintain this skill!  We are currently working on a geometry unit where students are identifying and describing plane shapes.  Next, we will be counting larger sums of money and review telling time to the nearest 5 minute interval.  Please make sure your students are practicing their addition and subtraction facts.  These should be mastered by the end of December. 

Science:  We are learning about forces such as pushes, pulls and friction.  We are also exploring energy sources such as light, heat and sound that we use daily in our lives. Remember to keep your eyes out for study guides that come home and find time to review these new science concepts with your child. 

Social Studies:  We will be learning about three figures that were instrumental in the founding of the colony of Georgia and exploring the character traits that made them such wonderful figures. 

Thanksgiving Holidays - November 21 - 25
Have a wonderful break with your family! 

Second Grade October News

It is hard to believe we are almost through the first 9 weeks of school and that conferences are right around the corner.  Conference letters came home this week.  Please review them carefully to see if the time we have arranged for you will work.  If not, please specify a time that is convienient for you and we will do our best to accomodate your requests. 

Field Trip

Wednesday of next week (October 12) is our field trip to the Marietta Square to see The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.  We are so excited!  Please ask your students about the performance when they come home from school Wednesday.  We will be comparing the play with the book in class.  Ask your child which they liked better and why.   If your child brings a lunch, please send it in a disposable bag for the fieldtrip.  

AR Celebrations!  We are proud of our readers!!

There are only a two weeks left for your child to make their AR goals.  Please ask them how they are coming along and encourage them to read, read, read every night.   We will be having AR celebrations Friday, October 14th and we want everyone to be able to participate in our fun day! 

What are we doing for the last couple of weeks in this grading period?

Math: Data analysis - We will be reading and creating tally charts, bar graphs and pictographs.

Language Arts: We are reading narratives and working on writing our own personal narratives. 

We are working hard to finish up our Science and Social Studies Units.

Social Studies:  We are studying the Creek and Cherokee tribes of Georgia and comparing the way they life with our own modern lives.  We are learning the Cherokee Alphabet created by Sequoia and trying to speak like our Native American neighbors. 

Science:  Classes are finishing up studying the seasons and states of matter! 

Remember to sign your childs agenda every night and go through their folders everyday. 

 

Second Grade September News

 
We have had a great first month and we are now well into the swing of things! 

In this 9 week period, your child will learn:

Language Arts: Students are studying compound words, syllables, silent letters, synonyms, r-controlled vowels, beginning blends and digraphs such as th, sh, wh and ch. 

Writing: Students are learning the writing process and will be developing their own descriptive narratives. 

Reading: Students will be learn different reading strategies such as creating story maps, making predictions, sequencing, making connections and reading fluently.  

Math: We are finishing up place value with tens and ones and are moving to two digit addition with and without regrouping.  We will also be counting money, telling time and learning to read various graphs. 

Please help your students practice their addition and subtraction math facts.  Go to www.firstinmath.com and have your student practice.  Their login information will be in their agendas.   

Science: We are learning about the three states of matter and describing how the change in seasons affect us.

Social Studies:  We are studying Georgia's regions and the Native American Creek and Cherokee tribes of Georgia.

Please keep on the look out for study guides that come home on these topics and help your child prepare for these assessments.  Also check your child's agenda's daily for important information on assessment dates!

Reminders to Parents

Homework - Most students are doing a great job with their homework every week.  Just a reminder that spelling homework will be sent home on Mondays and is due on Fridays.  A fun spelling website to help your child practice their words is www.spellingcity.com.

Reading logs should be completed daily and are also checked every Friday.  Math homework is due daily and should be kept in the red folder.  Homework should not take more than an hour to complete.  

Nightly Reading & Reading Log

Your child should be reading a minimum of 20 minutes a night and filling out their reading logs.  Please make sure your child is writing at least one good sentence about what they have read. 

Forms and Permission Slips: Please return your permission slip for our field trip to The Strand Theatre as soon as possible.  If you have not returned the forms in the Cobb County Folder from the beginning of school, please turn in this important information as soon as possible.

Dismissal

Please remember any change in the “regular way” a student goes home REQUIRES a note. This school policy is in effect from kindergarten to fifth-grade.

Snacks

Please remember to send a healthy snack to school everyday with your child.   There is a list of approved snacks on the back of agendas.

Agendas

Please review, sign, and return student agendas every day!!! Any behavior problems and missing assignments will be noted in the agenda.

Important Dates

FALL PICTURES- Fall Pictures will be Friday September 16th.  Smile pretty! 

PROGRESS REPORTS   

Progress Reports will go home Monday, September 26, 2011. They will help you understand your child's progress so far this 9 weeks. Be sure to sign and return them ASAP. At the bottom you will find your child's AR Goal information.  Remember there are 3 parts to meeting the goal: point goal, average, and book level goal.  Each classroom teacher has a special AR Party at the end of each 9 weeks. We hope to have all students participate.

Did you get our blog????  If you read this, please send a note in your child's agenda to let your child's teacher know you saw this and your child will recieve a HOMEWORK PASS for an assignment of their choice!

Parent Orientation / Open House

Join us for 2nd Grade Open House on Tuesday, August 16th beginning at 6:30 in your child's classroom!

Session 1 (includes Title I information)   6:30 - 7:15
Session 2   7:20 - 7:50

[Sessions 1 & 2 will take place in the classroom]

Principal's Town Hall Meeting 7:15 in the cafeteria

Parents, please drop off your children at childcare which will be provided at school!