Ms. Anderson's Class Connection

Hello Parents,

Happy New Year!

As we celebrate the new year we also welcome the changes and challenges that newness brings. As the second quarter ends and the third quarter begins you'll notice these changes:

First, we're beginning our study of cursive!

Secondly, our spelling focus will change from a phonetic based list to a vocabulary builder list.

In Math, we'll be beginning double digit computation.

In Science and Social Studies, we've started two new units: The Human Body + People and Places Where We Live.

Also, since we have been diligently working on building our basic skills, I'll now be introducing some assignments and projects that are a little more sophisticated and challenging than our usual homework. Look for "project alerts" to begin coming home in your child's take-home folder.

Finally, many of the students are running low on their supplies. Could you please check with your child to see what he or she needs? We're running out of pencils + erasers; our colored pencils + crayons are wearing down; and we're missing glue bottles and scissors.

Thankyou,
Miss Anderson

Hello Parents,

To update you on our progress in Religion...

In our classroom we have begun our "formal" study and preparation for First Reconciliation. Mrs. Cheryl Antos also provides materials for your family to help prepare for this event at home. It is the philosophy of the Archdiocese that parents are the first teachers of their children. Therefore, over the past few years the parents have been asked to be more directly involved in the Sacramental preparation of their children.

In the classroom, chapters 6-8 in our Religion workbook are the "meat and potatoes" section for corresponding vocabulary and concepts understanding. In the classroom I practice the actual steps of Reconciliation with the students. If you are able, practicing these steps at home also helps. The more prepared the students are, the less they feel nervous that they may be forgetting something.

Perhaps by now, you may have heard your child mention their Sacramental Buddy. This is a program established to provide the 2nd grade students with an experienced guide to help them better understand their Faith. The 8th grade students act as role models for the younger students. We try to meet about once a month to work on activities.

Although it is always nice to appreciate the friendship that develops between the buddies, please keep in mind not to send your child to school with "a little something extra" for their buddy...hurt feelings can arise so easily in other students.

I hope the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday brings you the opportunity to spend relaxing time with friends and family.

Sincerely,
Miss Anderson

Hello Parents,

In this communication I would like to keep you current with some of the activities we're doing in the classroom:

So you are aware...

During the first half of the year our Spelling words will be phonetically based. This means they will follow a phonetic spelling pattern and will coordinate with the sounds we are concentrating on in Phonics for that week. Thus the reason for our current Spelling lists being labelled the Phonics/Spelling Word List. You may also discover the first Reading story for each week has many words with our weekly phonics sounds.

Early Childhood theory (which 2nd grade is a part of) supports that this practice reinforces the connection between reading, phonics and spelling; building more proficient readers who are able to decode and spell new words on a more independent basis.

Our current spelling lists usually contain 12 words. If you would like for your child to be challenged by more difficult words that follow the weekly pattern we are studying - please let me know by filling out the form I'll be sending home. I will then accommodate the lists to meet his/her needs. If you feel the current lists have been appropriate for your child's level, then let me know that on the form also.

To take note of - the grades for the Spelling tests and Phonics quizzes will be combined under the heading Spelling/Phonics on the report card. However, so you are aware, our spelling focus will change mid-year with the introduction of our Vocabulary Workshop Series. This is a vocabulary based spelling program.

One of the activities we recently worked on in class to reinforce the phonetic/spelling connection between words was to create tongue twisters that begin with the sh, ch, th, wh combinations. The students worked with partners on this project. We will type our tongue twisters in Computer Class with Mrs. Rosellini. The students will then illustrate their pages. We will have them laminated and turn them into a book. It will be coming to a home near you soon! Enjoy reading them with your family.

Until next time...

Miss Anderson

Hello Parents,

Welcome to my blog site. I will update this site monthly with general information regarding our classroom activities.

Well, we're off and running! During our first week of school we will concentrate on activities that help me to gleen some insights into the students' abilities. We will spend time doing some fun
tasks as well as completing assessments in Reading and Math.

Our second week will be full steam ahead! This week will see us working in all of our subjects. Please be sure to look in your child's assignment notebook and take home folder each day. I'll be sending a lot of information home regarding our classroom and how it works. On Mondays I will send home the "What We're Working On" weekly information sheet mentioned in one of my letters that was put in the take home folder.

The students will soon be introduced to simple homework. As they become more comfortable, we will kick things up a notch with assignments that are more challenging and projects that encourage us to further explore our topics of study.

Listed below, you will find websites that are sponsored by the publishers of some of our texts. They have activities that your child can do at home that will support what we are doing in the classroom.

Text Websites:

Reading - Scott Forseman = www.sfreading.com

Math - MacMillan/Mc Graw-Hill = www.mmhmath.com

Religion - Silver Burdett Ginn = www.blestarewe.com

Social Studies - Scott Forseman = www.sfsocialstudues.com

Science - Scott Forseman = www.sfscience.com

I look forward to seeing you on Orientation Night...

Miss Anderson