Mrs. Renard's Second Grade Wonders
February 12th, 2024
Monthly Reminders
February 14th: Valentine's Day Party!
February 27th: Parent Teacher Conferences & Scholastic Book Fair
February 29th: Parent Teacher Conferences & Scholastic Book Fair
March 1st: No School
March 4th-8th: Mrs. Avery will be teaching the class this week
March 7th: Spring Concerts at Bay Port PAC (2nd Grade @ 5pm
March 22nd: End or 3rd Quarter
March 25th-29th: No School - Spring Recess
NEW Name for Guided Reading...BOOK CLUBS!
A few weeks ago, our class kicked off our Book Club routines. I absolutely LOVE the conversations we are having about the books we are reading as a group! Here are expectations for Books Clubs and reading at home:
- All (or most) of the reading for the group is to be done at school.
- All (or most) of the post-it shares is to be done at school.
- If reading and post-it shares are done at home, it is recommended that parents work with their second grader.
- Students are responsible for coming to Book Club with their reading and shares completed.
- If a student is consistently NOT doing the reading or their post-it shares, then I will be contacting parents.
- Every student has to share 😊
- I still recommend 15-20 minutes of reading a night 🤓
Classroom Learning Targets
Word Study:
These next few weeks, students are learning sound patterns /oo/ and /aw/. There are 0 ways to spell the sound /oo/: oo, u, o, u_e, ou, ew, ue, oe, & ui...whew!!
Reading:
Kiddos are learning how to read fluently, keep track of story events, and understand playful language. The class is having a lot of fun with this! We are reading idioms throughout the week to understand their true meanings. This practice allows students to stop and think about playful language they encounter in their own books.
Take a peek at a few playful language phrases at the end of this newsletter.
Writing:
We kicked off our opinion unit today! Students will be writing persuasive letters and essays to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about their favorite things. Later on in the month, we will be leveling up our opinion writing by writing about topics that we care about.
Math:
Students are still practicing their subtraction methods within 200.
Check out my Second Grade Math Page to learn how to subtract using multiple methods. I suggest watching these with your second grader and then practice a few times a week. We have not covered all of the subtraction strategies yet....so please ask your second grader which method was taught in class before practicing at home.
Social Studies:
Our next content unit is Famous Americans. Students are learning how to read a biography and record facts about famous Americans. They are also creating an ebook all about people we cover in class.
Communication with Mrs. Renard
Dismissal Communication:
If you know that your child has a change in dismissal or an early pickup, it is best to notify the office. There are times when I am either out of the building or there will be a substitute teacher in the room. Therefore, it is always best to communicate an alternate dismissal with the office.
What Should Be At School Every Day...
1. Charged iPad - Students will be working from their iPad every day, so the device needs to be charged at home when necessary. I have only one available charger if the device isn't charged. If the device is left at home, your child will not be able to use a different device for the time being. Students will be utilizing their iPad multiple times a day so please have it ready to go 😉
2. Water bottle - Preferably a filled water bottle when the day begins. Water breaks will be encouraged throughout the day.
3. Purple Take-Home Folder - This folder will be traveling to and from school each day. It will be the folder that will pass on school-wide news, along with classroom reminders, notes, student work, etc.
4. Rain and winter gear - Students will be going outside even if it is raining. Obviously, if it is down pouring students will not be going outside, but we would like them to get out as often as they can. Once winter arrives please send your child to school with the appropriate gear, preferably in a large reusable bag to separate school items from wet snow pants 😊
5. Gym shoes - A pair of tennis shoes can be kept at school or your child can wear them on days we have phy ed. Check the Specials Schedule to see what days your child is going to phy ed!
6. Comfortable headphones - Students will be using headphones quite often while using their iPads. Headphones will be kept at school.