Week of December 12 - 16

2nd Grade Parent Update

Week of December 12 - 16

Announcements for this Week:

Mother of Sorrows Toy Drive

The Toy Drive gifts for the 2nd graders at Our Mother of Sorrows School are DUE on Wednesday, December 14. We are encouraging every family in the school to participate in this worthy cause. Gifts should be wrapped and labeled with a tag for a boy or for a girl. Thank you to those who have donated gifts already!

Holy Childhood Association Advent Boxes

Students should continue collecting money in their Advent boxes this week. Proceeds from the boxes benefit the Holy Childhood Association whose mission involves empowering children to help children. Boxes will be DUE on Thursday, December 15.

December Awards Assembly

The Awards Assembly for December will take place Thursday, December 15 at 8:00 AM in the front yard. At the assembly, we will celebrate December birthdays and honor the Virtue Award winners for this month. This month’s virtue is: Trustworthiness. Students are encouraged to be honest, dependable, and responsible.

December Dollar Days

The Student Council will be sponsoring a non-uniform Dollar Day on Thursday, December 15. Students may make a donation to dress in Christmas themed apparel. ($1 for tops, bottoms, OR accessories, $2 for tops, bottoms, AND accessories) There will also be a Bake Sale on Thursday, so bring an extra dollar or two for a holiday treat!

Christmas Program

Our Christmas Program will be held the evening of Thursday, December 15 at 7:00 PM in the church. Students should plan to arrive early for the performance at 6:45 PM, wearing their “holiday best”.

Pastor’s Holiday - NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY

Monsignor Priebe has declared Friday, December 16 to be a Pastor’s Holiday! There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday! All holiday festivities are to be moved to the afternoon of Thursday, December 15, including our “Cookies and Cocoa Christmas Party.”

Looking Ahead:

Christmas Vacation

Mark your calendars! Our Christmas break will begin Monday, December 19 and continue through Monday, January 2. School will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2012!

Christmas Mass at St. Jerome Church

You are invited to join with the St. Jerome Parish in celebrating Christmas at Mass on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day. There will be a service especially for children on Saturday, December 24 at 4:00 PM. Please join us if you can! Merry Christmas!

Curriculum Update:

Phonics: The Vowel Patterns “ew”, “oo”, and “ou”, Contractions

Reading: Theme: Getting Along, Skill: Cause and Effect

Math: Regrouping Ones as Tens, Two-Digit Addition with Regrouping

Religion: Advent, Reconciliation

Social Studies: Unit 2 “Places Near and Far” Review, Unit Test on Tuesday

Science: Unit 2 “All About Animals” Review, Unit Test on Wednesday

Homework for this Week:

Monday

ABC Spelling Words

Practice Book p. 199 - 200

Math p. 164

Social Studies Study Guide

Tuesday - Social Studies Test

Spelling Sentences

Practice Book p. 206

Math p. 47

Science Study Guide

Wednesday - Science Test

Spelling Words 3Xs

Practice Book p. 212

Math Worksheet

English p. 25

Thursday - December Dollar Day

Spelling and Phonics Test

Vocabulary and Comprehension Quiz

Reading Logs Due

Friday - NO SCHOOL

Spelling Words

I’ll

I’m

can’t

didn’t

he’s

she’s

across

best

either

sometimes

toward

spoon

through

Week of December 5 - 9

2nd Grade Parent Update

Week of December 5 - 9

Announcements for this Week:

Mother of Sorrows Toy Drive

This holiday season, St. Jerome School is sponsoring a Toy Drive for our sister parish, Mother of Sorrows. Our class will be donating gifts to their 2nd graders. Their class has 19 students, so we should be able to provide a gift for each child if everyone in our class participates. Gifts should be new, wrapped, and labeled with a tag indicating whether it is for a boy or a girl. Please look for a slip in your child’s folder today with his or her gift assignment. Gifts are due by Wednesday, December 14. Thank you for your generosity!

Immaculate Conception Mass

There will be a special Mass this Thursday, December 8 at 8:00 AM in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This special Mass will take the place of our usual Friday Mass for this week. Please join us if you are able!

Christmas Program Practice

All formal rehearsal for the Christmas Program will take place at school, but students should be encouraged to work on memorizing the lyrics for our songs and practicing singing at home as well. There will be a handout with the lyrics sheets in today’s folder. Thanks for your support!

Looking Ahead:

December Assembly

The Awards Assembly for the month of December will take place next Thursday, December 15 at 8:00 AM in the front yard. At the assembly, we will celebrate December birthdays and honor the Virtue Award winners for this month. This month’s virtue is: Trustworthiness. Students are encouraged to be honest, dependable, and responsible.

Christmas Program

Save the date! The St. Jerome Christmas Program will be held on the evening of Thursday, December 15 at 7:00 PM in the church. Students should plan to arrive early for the performance and meet in the classroom, wearing their “holiday best”.

“Cookies and Cocoa” Christmas Party

We will be having a small class party on Friday, December 16 to celebrate Christmas together as a class before we leave for the holiday break. The theme of the celebrate is “Christmas Cookies and Cocoa”, and you will be receiving more information from our Room Parents about donations and parent participation. 

Christmas Vacation

Mark your calendars! Our Christmas break will begin Monday, December 19 and continue through Monday, January 2. School will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2012!

Curriculum Update:

Phonics: The Sound of “ar”, Words with “-ed” and “-ing” Endings

Reading: Theme: People in the Community, Skill: Using Context Clues

Math: Two-Digit Addition, Regrouping Ones as Tens

Religion: Advent, Saints, Introducing Reconciliation

Social Studies: Regions, Natural Resources, Unit Test 12/13

Science: Animals Without Backbones (Invertebrates), Test 12/15

Homework for this Week:

Monday

ABC Spelling Words

Practice Book p. 183 - 184

Math p. 43

Social Studies p. 13

Tuesday

Spelling Clues

Practice Book p. 190

Math p. 44

Social Studies p. 15

Wednesday

Spelling Words 3Xs

Practice Book p. 196

Math p. 45

Science p. 25

Thursday - Mass at 8:00 AM

Spelling Scramble

Math p. 46

Science p. 24 A

English p. 23

Friday

Spelling and Phonics Test

Vocabulary and Comprehension Quiz

Reading Logs Due

Spelling Words

arm

barn

farm

hard

park

start

children

city

high

place

room

moving

riding

Week of November 28 - December 2

2nd Grade Parent Update

Week of November 28 - December 2

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Announcements for this Week:

Report Cards

Report cards for the first trimester will be sent home in the Family Envelopes on Tuesday, November 29. If you have questions or concerns beyond what we discussed at Parent-Teacher Conferences, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Higher-Level Thinking Questions

Over the past few weeks, I have been talking with the students a bit about thinking critically and problem-solving. I also had the opportunity to speak with some parents about this idea at our conferences. You can help support your child’s critical thinking at home by asking higher-level thinking questions when reading or studying together. Attached to this Parent Update, I have included some sample questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy that may help guide you in challenging your child to think about what he or she is learning in a deeper way.

Advent Season

The Church season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 27, and in the coming weeks, we will join together as a parish community to prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. We will be learning about this joyous season in our religion class and keeping track of its progress with our own Advent wreath and paper candles in the classroom.

Holy Childhood Association

On Thursday, December 1, students will be attending an assembly with Fr. Ken Deasy from the Holy Childhood Association. The mission of the HCA is “to bring the love of Jesus to the world’s children”. One of the ways they accomplish this mission is through children helping children - our students will be given small boxes that they can use to collect money for the HCA during Advent. The Advent season is all about preparing for the coming of Jesus by offering prayers and sacrifices, so we encourage children not to ask for money but to donate a part of their allowance or do chores around the house to earn money. This helps them learn the meaning and the value of a “sacrifice”.

Looking Ahead:

Immaculate Conception Mass

There will be a special Mass next Thursday, December 8 at 8:00 AM in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This special Mass will take the place of our usual Friday Mass for next week. As always, you are welcome to join us at our school Mass!

December Assembly

The Awards Assembly for the month of December will take place next Thursday, December 15 at 8:00 AM in the front yard. At the assembly, we will celebrate December birthdays and honor the Virtue Award winners for this month. This month’s virtue is: Trustworthiness. Students are encouraged to be honest, dependable, and responsible.

Christmas Program

Save the date! The St. Jerome Christmas Program will be held on the evening of Thursday, December 15 at 7:00 PM in the church. More information will be forthcoming regarding students’ apparel and preparation for their performance.

Christmas Vacation

Mark your calendars! Our Christmas break will begin Monday, December 19 and continue through Monday, January 2. School will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2012!

Curriculum Update:

Phonics: The Sound of “ou” and “ow”, Words with “-ed” and “-ing” Endings

Reading: Theme: Teamwork, Skill: Summarizing, Main Idea

Math: Problem Solving with Graphs, Chapter 3 Review, Test on Thursday

Religion: Loving God and Others, Commandments, Advent

Social Studies: Intermediate Directions, Weather and Climate, Unit Test 12/13

Science: Animal Adaptations (Birds, Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians), Test 12/15

Homework for this Week:

Monday

ABC Spelling

Teamwork Assignment

Math p. 41

Social Studies p. 11

Tuesday

Spelling Sentences

Practice Book p. 174

Math p. 42

Social Studies p. 12

Wednesday

Rainbow Words

Practice Book p. 180

Math Review Sheet

Science p. 20 - 21 A

Thursday - HCA Assembly, Math Test

Spelling Scramble

Practice Book p. 167 - 168

Science p. 22 - 23 A

English p. 22

Friday - Mass at 8:00 AM

Spelling and Phonics Test

Vocabulary and Comprehension Quiz

Reading Logs Due

Spelling Words

hugged

hugging

nodded

nodding

skipped

skipping

been

friends

show

since

those

crown

shout

Week of November 21 - 25

2nd Grade Parent Update

Week of November 21 - 25

Thank you so much to our Room Parents and all of the drivers, chaperones, and volunteers who helped to make our trip to the California Science Center such a success! 

The students enjoyed an amazing day at the Science Center’s Ecosystems exhibit, and they learned a lot about the miraculous ways living things are adapted to their habitats.

Announcements for this Week:

Food Drive

Our annual Holiday Food Drive continues this week. Please encourage students bring in canned food items to donate to the needy this holiday season. This is a great way to connect the ideas from Religion class to real life! Our class will earn Spirit Points for each donation and present their offerings at Thanksgiving Mass.

Thanksgiving Mass

There will be a special Mass tomorrow, November 22, at 8:00 AM  in which we will gather as a community to celebrate the Eucharist in a spirit of thanksgiving for all that we have received from God. Students will participate in the offertory by presenting the canned goods we collected for the Food Drive for our sister school, Mother of Sorrows. You are welcome to join us for this celebration!

Gateway to Art

Our next Gateway to Art session will be tomorrow, November 22, at 1:30 PM in the Art Room. Please contact our docent, Mrs. Rogers, if you are able to help out!

Thanksgiving Holiday

There will be no school Wednesday, November 23 through Friday, November 25 as we gather with our families and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. School will resume on Monday, November 28.

Looking Ahead:

Advent Season

The season of Advent will begin on Sunday, November 27. With this new Church season comes the much anticipated changes to the language we use during Mass. For more information about these changes, please check the St. Jerome Parish website at: http://stjeromewestchester.org/ and click on the banner link.

Homework for this Week:

Monday

Thanksgiving Worksheet

Math p. 40

Tuesday - 8:00 AM Mass, Arrive at 7:45 AM

Attention Parents!

The November Awards Assembly will be held on Thursday, November 17 at 8:00 AM in the Front Yard. At the assembly, we will celebrate November birthdays and honor the Virtue Award winners for the month. This month's virtue is: Caring. Students are encouraged to be kind, show compassion, express gratitude, forgive others, and help people in need.

Week of November 14 - 18

2nd Grade Parent Update

Week of November 14 - 18

Thank you so much to all of the parents who met with me for conferences this week! 

It was a pleasure getting to know you better and sharing with you about your children's progress so far this year. I feel so blessed to be working with such a dedicated and collaborative group of parents! Your participation in the learning process is essential!

Announcements for this Week:

Food Drive

Our annual Holiday Food Drive begins this week and will continue through Tuesday, November 22. Please encourage students bring in canned food items to donate to the needy this holiday season. This is a great way to connect the ideas from Religion class to real life! Our class will earn Spirit Points for each donation.

Animal Habitat Projects

Animal Habitat Dioramas are DUE on Monday. Students will be submitting their written reports and presenting their dioramas over the next week and a half.

Field Trip to the California Science Center

Our field trip to the Ecosystems exhibit at the California Science Center is Tuesday! Please remember that students should wear their uniforms on the trip and bring a bagged lunch. We will be departing St. Jerome at approximately 9:00 AM and returning to school around 2:00 PM for debriefing and discussion.

All Souls’ Mass

There will be a special school Mass on Friday, November 18 at 11:00 AM in honor of the souls of the faithful departed. The fourth grade will be hosting this Mass, and we will join with them to spend time remembering those from our parish and from our own families who have passed away this year.

Mini Book Fair

There will be a Mini-Book Fair on Friday, November 18 in the Art Room. Invite your child to explore the selections and pick up some new, high-interest titles to help build your child’s home library and love of reading!

End of First Trimester

The first trimester officially ends on Friday, November 18. Report cards will be sent home in the Family Envelopes on Tuesday, November 29.

Looking Ahead:

Thanksgiving Mass

There will be a special Mass on Tuesday, November 22 at 8:00 AM. Students will participate in the offertory by presenting the canned goods we collected for the Food Drive for our sister school, Mother of Sorrows. You are welcome to join us!

Gateway to Art

Our next Gateway to Art session will be Tuesday, November 22 at 1:30 PM in the Art Room. Please contact our docent, Mrs. Rogers, if you are able to volunteer!

Thanksgiving Holiday

There will be no school Wednesday, November 23 through Friday, November 25 as we gather with our friends and families to celebrate Thanksgiving. School will resume on Monday, November 28.

Advent Season

The season of Advent will begin on Sunday, November 27. With this new Church season comes the much anticipated changes to the language we use during Mass.

Curriculum Update:

Phonics: Ending Sounds “-ge”, “-ce”, and “-se”, Singular and Plural Possessives

Reading: Theme: A Close Look at Spiders, Skill: Sequencing

Math: Analyzing and Comparing Data, Circle Graphs

Religion: The Commandments, Loving God and Others

Social Studies: Veterans’ Day, Review of Landforms

Science: Animal Habitat and Adaptations

Homework for this Week:

Monday - Dioramas Due

ABC Spelling

Practice Book pp. 149 - 150

Math Worksheet

English p. 17

Tuesday - Field Trip to California Science Center

Spelling 3Xs

Field Trip Worksheet

Wednesday

Spelling Sentences

Practice Book p. 156

Math p. 37

English Worksheet 

Thursday

Spelling Scramble

Practice Book p. 162

Math p. 38

English Worksheet

Friday - All Souls’ Mass at 11:00 AM

Spelling and Phonics Test

Vocabulary and Comprehension Quiz

Reading Logs Due

Spelling Words

cage

face

huge

page

tease

twice

call

enough

full

heard

until

teachers’

men’s

Week of November 7 - 11

2nd Grade Parent Update

Week of November 7 - 11

Announcements for this Week:

Congratulations to the 2nd Grade for winning the Spirit Banner twice in a row!

Thank you to the 2nd Grade families for your continued participation and support!

Research Material for Animal Project

We are continuing to discuss the writing process as we work on our Animal Habitat Projects this week. Please make sure students have access to research material as we work on the written component at school. Acceptable sources include books (from home or the public library), educational magazines, encyclopedias, and print-outs from reliable Internet websites. Students should have their source material at school this week.  

Parent Conferences

Conferences will take place this week, November 7 - 10, before and after school. Thank you to those families who have made their appointments already; I am looking forward to meeting with you this week. Since our time is limited, please come prepared with any questions you may have about specific assignments or assessments, including ITBS testing. 

During the week of conferences, school will be dismissed at 12:30 PM every day.

Student Council Spirit Day

On Thursday, November 10, Student Council will hold a Patriotic Day fundraiser. Students may make a $2 donation to wear appropriate non-uniform dress, and Spirit Points can be earned by wearing RED, WHITE, and BLUE in honor of Veterans’ Day. Student Council will also be selling candy and caramel apples at recess. Look for more information in this week’s Blue Bulletin!

Veterans’ Day Holiday

There  will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, November 11 in honor of Veterans’ Day.

Looking Ahead:

Animal Habitat Diorama

Animal Habitat Dioramas will be DUE on Monday, November 14. 

Field Trip to the California Science Center

Our field trip to the Ecosystems exhibit at the California Science Center will be Tuesday, November 15. Thank you to our room parents, parent drivers, and chaperones for volunteering to assist with the organization, transportation, and supervision of the children on this exciting trip. Please remember that children should wear their school uniforms on the day of the field trip and bring a bagged lunch. Don’t forget to cancel any Choice Lunch orders for that day!

All Souls’ Mass

There will be a special school Mass on Friday, November 18 at 11:00 AM as we remember and honor the souls of the faithful departed. You are welcome to join us.

Mini Book Fair

There will be a Mini Book Fair on Friday, November 18 in the Art Room. I hope you take advantage of this great opportunity to expand your child’s home library!

End of First Trimester

The first trimester officially ends on Friday, November 18. Report cards  will be distributed in the Family Envelopes on Tuesday, November 29.

Curriculum Update:

Phonics: Ending Sounds “-ge”, “-ce”, and “-se”, Singular and Plural Possessives

Reading: Animal Habitat Projects, Unit 2 Test

Math: Tables, Graphs, and Surveys, Analyzing Data

Religion: The Commandments, Loving God and Others

Social Studies: No Social Studies This Week Due to Shortened Days

Science: No Science This Week Due to Shortened Days

Homework for this Week:

Monday - 12:30 Dismissal

Read for 25 minutes

Math p. 34

Tuesday - 12:30 Dismissal

Read for 25 minutes

Math p. 35

Wednesday - 12:30 Dismissal

Read for 25 minutes

Math p. 36

Thursday - Patriotic Day, 12:30 Dismissal

Reading Logs Due

Friday - Veterans’ Day

No School

No Spelling Words This Week Due to Parent-Teacher Conferences!