HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD
Good nutrition is essential for your child to develop a healthy mind and body. Make sure your child has a good breakfast before coming to school, and that they bring a healthy snack and lunch to school. It is also important that your child gets a good night’s sleep.
If your child has allergies, hearing loss, impaired vision, or and other medical condition please let me know as soon as possible. If your child is absent for any reason, please fill out the absentee form found on the school website (https://stjude.ca/absentee-note/) or email the office at office@stjude.ca.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact me as soon as possible. You can reach me at the school in the morning between 8:15 and 8:45, and after school between 3:00 and 4:00.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
The themes for this year are Friends and All About Me. These themes will be integrated into all areas of the curriculum. The children will be given an opportunity to explore their own thoughts, feelings, talents, and what makes them special. They will also reflect on the qualities necessary to form good relationships and friendships with others.
Guided reading of short stories and poetry, on theme based literature, in small groups and as a class. We will be focusing on reading strategies such as prediction, reading to find out, new vocabulary, discussion of story through questioning, forming opinions based on the story, oral and silent reading, reading in groups and with a partner.
The children will be involved in the home reading program, and will complete book reports for the books they read.
Reinforce, strengthen, and improve upon writing in complete sentences. We will continue working on improving printing skills. The spelling program will introduce the children to spelling of a new group of words each week. We will be following the writing process in creative writing.
The children will be involved in a variety of patterning activities. We will work on addition and subtraction of facts to ten. We will also complete a unit on geometry. Every morning the children will be given a word problem to solve based on the current unit being covered in math.
Students will be learning about matter, the water cycle, forces and animal life cycles.
Students will be learning about rights, responsibilities and their impact on the community.
The Christian Education textbook used in Grade 2 is called Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ. The program will look at what it means to be a Catholic by exploring a friendship with Jesus, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacrament of First Communion and a variety of parables and stories that teach us about God’s mercy and forgiveness (The Good Shepherd, The Prodigal Son, etc.).
Children will explore who they are through art. Such as drawing self-portraits, making collages (banner) representing their personal qualities.
REMINDERS
Gym– is every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Children are required to have a full gym strip (runners, shorts, and t-shirt). If possible they should wear their shorts and t-shirt under their uniforms. Runners are kept in a bag here at school. If your child cannot participate in gym class please send a note with your child excusing him/her.
Library– is every Wednesday. Children are asked to return their books on time.
Music– is every Monday and Wednesday.
S.Q.U.I.R.T.- (Super Quiet Uninterrupted Individual Reading Time) is daily from 11:40-12:00. Children may bring a book from home to read or they may select a book from our classroom library.
Home Reading Program– the children will be required to enter all the books they read in their reading logs. Your child will have a duotang in which they are to record all the books they read. Your child should read between 20-25 books per month. From these books they will choose 10 to write book reports for. Book reports will be written in a notebook, following the monthly outline. For just the month of September, I am only asking that the students complete 5 book reports. This will give students the chance to learn how to properly complete the assignments. It is expected that parents assist/guide their child with this work to ensure that what their writing is clear and that they are working to the best of their ability. These monthly activities are intended to reinforce the reading strategies that we cover in class as they each focus on a different reading strategy.
Spelling Program– every Monday I will introduce a list of words that contain vowel sounds or spelling patterns. The children will bring their spelling notebooks home on Wednesday. The children are encouraged to practice the words that might be causing difficulties. A spelling test will be given on Friday to determine that the words have been learned.
Homework-. Homework will be the home reading program, to study for the weekly spelling test, to finish any work not finished in class, and to practice basic math facts (i.e. addition and subtraction). Homework should be done somewhere quiet, with no distractions, so your child will be able to concentrate.
Special Person– every day one child from the class is the special person. This child helps with the calendar activities and have the opportunity to bring in a special item to share with the class.