Monday, August 31, 2009

Homework and News (August 31- September 4)

August 31, 2009

Hello Second Grade Families,

It was a great first three days last week. We are looking forward to our first full week of school. There are some important things for you to know as a second grade family.

Our P.E. days are Mondays and Wednesdays. Mass is on Thursdays (please arrive by 7:45am).

Homework will be posted each Monday on our class blog at http://secondgradesjs.blogspot.com/. Please bookmark this page as soon as possible, as it will be updated each week with news, homework, and spelling words. If you are unable to access a computer, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can send home a paper copy each week.

A note about spelling words: students will be responsible for studying and learning spelling words on their own. Students should copy the words into their Student Agenda each week. The page this week is p. 13. Words will be posted on the blog on Mondays and tests will be on Fridays.

Spelling Words
Regular
bat
that
fit
this
cub
mug

Sight
could
have
need
then
was

Challenge
flag
slip

Homework

Monday
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Practice book pages 3 and 4
3. Math page 1

Tuesday
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Practice book pages 5 and 7
3. Math page 2

Wednesday
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Practice book pages 8 and 11
3. Math page 3

Thursday
1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Time Capsule due tomorrow
3. Spelling Test tomorrow

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Second Grade News - Important Information

Second Grade News
Mrs. Sederstrom and Mrs. Callanen’s Class
August 26, 2009


Welcome to the start of a new school year! We feel privileged to be teaching your child. It promises to be a very exciting and rewarding year. Here is some information you need to know:

Arrival/Dismissal
On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, school starts promptly at 7:55 a.m. and dismissed at 3:00 p.m. Our Class Mass is on Thursdays and we are expected to be at school by 7:45 a.m. to walk over to church on time. Every Friday, school starts at 7:55 a.m. and dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

If you arrive after 8:00 a.m., please go directly to the office before you come to class. Please note that more than three tardies in a trimester equals a detention.

For your child’s safety, if you need to take your child out of class early (even five minutes) you must sign your child out in the office. The office will then call the classroom and your child will meet you in the office.

Snack
To maximize alertness, it is recommended that you send a healthy snack to school for your child to eat at the first recess. Please have the snack packed in a bag! Loose snacks usually end up on the floor and is unsanitary.

Birthdays
On your child’s birthday you are encouraged to take them to the 8:00 a.m. Mass to celebrate God’s gift of life. They are welcome to wear free dress. However, make sure that it is dress up not dress down. They will receive a Happy Birthday certificate, sticker and book mark from us. Birthdays are special days and we look forward to celebrating your child’s.

Please know that due to the nutrition policy and many food allergies, edible treats are not allowed. However, you may “treat” the class with non-food items, such as pencils, erasers, stickers, a book for the classroom, etc. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this policy.

Homework
Homework assignments will be written in the student agenda book and must be signed each night. The agenda signature will be checked each morning and counts toward the homework grade. Assignments will be kept in a folder handed out every afternoon and due every morning unless otherwise noted in the agenda book. Each week homework will be posted for the week on our class blog at http://secondgradesjs.blogspot.com/ Check the site regularly for updates and news.

Your child must also read daily for at least 15 minutes, alone and/or with a family member. We also strongly encourage nightly review of basic math facts to 18. In addition, 5-10 minutes set aside for conversation specifically focused on the daily activities in school is highly recommended.

We recommend that your child have a regular space to do homework. Also, paper (lined and unlined), pencils, scissors, ruler, pencil sharpener, and glue may be needed for homework assignments. Your child should NOT bring these additional supplies to school.

Questionnaire
We would appreciate it if you would fill out the enclosed questionnaire. This information will give us a head start in understanding your child’s needs. Please return the questionnaire by Friday, August 28th.

Friday Folders
Students will bring home a “Friday Folder” every week. It will include all the tests and graded work completed during class. Not all work done in school will be included in this folder (we keep a file of work from students to review with parents at Parent-Teacher conferences). Please review and take all the contents out. Friday folders are due back at school on Mondays.

Scholastic Book Orders
We will send a book order form once a month. The completed form will be due one week from the day it comes home. Please make all checks out to Scholastic. You can now order books online and pay with credit card. More information will be sent out with the first flier. The more books your child is exposed to the more they will develop their reading skills.

Important Dates:
Thursday, August 27th
5 Clues in a Bag homework assignment due

Friday, August 28th
Questionnaire due


Communication
Again, please write a note in your child’s student agenda book if you have any immediate questions or comments. You may also contact us by leaving a message at 310-670-1678 x212 or secondgradesjs@gmail.com. We will respond as soon as possible. Our schedule is as follows: Monday & Tuesday – Mrs. Callanen, Wednesday & Thursday – Mrs. Sederstrom, Fridays – Alternate.

We are truly looking forward to a terrific year with your child. We know that with your support we will have a very successful year together in second grade!

Thank you,
Mrs. Sederstrom
Mrs. Callanen

First Homework Assignment

5 Clues in a Bag
Homework Assignment
Due Thursday, August 27th



Dear Second Graders,

Here is your very first homework assignment this year. We can’t wait to hear all about your summer adventures. Let’s play a game! Can you guess what I did this summer?

Here are the rules:

Collect 5 items that are clues to things you did over the summer that will fit in the zip lock bag provided to you in your homework folder.

For example, a toy airplane could represent a trip you took with your family. Goggles could represent swim lessons that you took. A movie ticket could represent a favorite movie you saw this summer. You may use real items, (ex. coins from a foreign country, key chain from Disneyland, shells from the beach) pictures from the internet, photos that you have taken or take a photo of something that doesn’t fit in your bag.

1. Please do not include clothing or valuable items.
2. Use the bag provided (bigger bags or items will not be accepted).
3. All bags and items will be returned, however do not include items that need to be returned right away.


We will be writing about and displaying our summer bag adventures in our classroom.

You will be sharing your bag with another classmate who will try and guess what you did this summer.

Sound interesting? Great! You may begin!

Be creative and have fun!

Mrs. Callanen and Mrs. Sederstrom

Welcome!

August 26, 2009

Dear Second Grader,

Welcome to our class! We are glad that you are here!

We have high expectations for you this year. We expect you to work hard. We expect you to do your best. We expect you to listen carefully and to ask questions when you do not understand. How will you show respect this year?

In return, you can expect a lot from us. We will work hard and we will do our best. We will explain things as clearly as we can. We will listen to your questions and your comments and we will help you solve problems. We will treat you with kindness and we will remember that you are a special person with your own ideas and feelings.

We want you to learn and to enjoy school. Learning is fun! Do your best each and every day. What an exciting year it will be. We know that you can’t wait for First Communion, writing in cursive and our very own Wax Museum. With all of us working together we will have an excellent year!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Sederstrom
Mrs. Callanen