Dear Parents and Guardians, It feels like February went by so quickly! March is here with some warmer days. We have entered the Lenten season, which is a time to reflect and be grateful. We have each made a special Lenten promise to be more like Jesus. Our Lenten project this year is to raise money for the Downie Wenjack Fund. Students are encouraged to donate $2 in exchange for doing good deeds or chores at home. Here is an overview of what March will look like: Math: We are focusing on adding and subtracting small numbers. We are learning helpful strategies, such as doubles (e.g. 4+4), making ten (e.g. 7+6, try 7+3 to make 10, add 3 more), rearranging (e.g. 7+9, try 8+8 by moving the 1), and subtracting using addition (e.g. 9+3 =12, so 12-3=9). Please practice these strategies at home with your child. We will also explore collecting and organizing data. We will sort different objects based on sorting rules. We will also gather data by creating surveys with various questions to ask our classmates. Here is an interactive game for your child to play at home that helps strengthen their sorting skills: https://mathupcaprod.blob.core.windows.net/media/Games/Grade2/StickerBook/index.html Language: The Grade 2s will learn a new reading comprehension strategy called Questioning. This strategy prompts them to ask questions before, during and after they read. Asking questions helps readers think about what they are reading and strengthens their understanding. Please encourage your child to ask questions as they read with you at home. The students will be creating pieces of descriptive writing and have opportunities to share their work with others. They will also continue to recount their weekends in their journals following the same format (On the weekend…, First, Then, Next, After). Please encourage your child to write stories at home to help them grow as writers. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their Word Wall Words (WWW) each week. They will continue to be written in your child’s agenda each Monday. They can practice spelling the words and using them in a sentence. Health: We will work on identifying our strengths. The students will have opportunities to discuss what makes them special. We will also talk about being a good friend and what characteristics good friends have. Gym: Thank you to everyone who donated money to the Dance-A-Thon. It was a fun time for all! During March, we will play games that explore body space and awareness. These types of games help us be aware of our surroundings and strengthen our muscles. Arts: The students will have opportunities to explore music with their handmade music shakers. We will continue to explore different notes and types of music. We will also have many chances to strengthen our dance skills. Science: Thank you to everyone who sent their child in with a toy for the toy investigation. We have been learning a lot about how simple machines are all around us and how they make our lives easier. We will be wrapping up this unit and start learning about the growth and change in animals. Religion: We will be discussing Lent and the coming of Easter. It is a meaningful time, so we will have many opportunities to share our thoughts and wonders. We will also continue to prepare for Reconciliation. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in March: March 4th: Rescheduled Parent/Teacher Interviews March 13th: $2 Twin Day March 16th - March 20th: March Break (no school) March 30th: Scholastic Orders due (will come home on the 23rd) March 31st: Homework Bingo due Thank you for your continued support. C. Potvin
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Dear Parents/Guardians, The New Year has been off to a great start! The students have been working hard each day and enjoying all the snow. February is a short but busy month. Here is an overview of what we will be focusing on: Math: Our length unit has been going very well. The students are becoming more comfortable measuring items both around the classroom and the school using a variety of length units. Encourage your child to estimate the length of objects throughout your home to strengthen this skill. We have also been exploring 2D shapes. The students are learning to describe and sort different shapes based on their attributes (e.g. the number of sides, size, corners). You can challenge them at home by asking them to describe the shapes they find around the house. The online game Zorbits also has great activities that cover this topic. Your child’s login information is on the front page of their agenda. Language: The Grade 2s will continue to work on the reading comprehension strategy called Visualization. Please continue to ask your child what they visualize as you read with them at home. We have been analyzing many different Descriptive texts. The students are beginning to understand the important elements of the text, such as adjectives that create rich descriptions. We will have more opportunities to work in partners and by ourselves to create our own descriptive writing texts. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their Word Wall Words (WWW) each week. They will continue to be written in your child’s agenda each Monday. They can practice spelling the words and using them in a sentence. Health: We will continue to learn about personal safety throughout the month of February. We will be focusing on using our words to stand up for ourselves and the power of saying “no” when someone is making you feel upset. Gym: We had so much fun at our Luv2Groove workshop! The students had a great opportunity to keep their hearts healthy and get their muscles moving. We will be working on our balance and flexibility this month both in the gym and in our classroom. Our class loves practicing these skills using Cosmic Kids Yoga. You can access this at home by searching it on Youtube. Arts: The Grade 2s will continue to explore different kinds of music. We will have chances to use our own bodies as percussion instruments and learn different notes (e.g. half note, quarter note, whole note). Science: We will continue to learn more about the different types of simple machines. We will also have a chance to do a hands-on toy investigation. More information will be sent home later this month. Religion: We have been learning a lot about the importance of the First Reconciliation. As a class, we have been discussing who helps us learn about Jesus and helps us prepare for the special sacrament. We will have opportunities to read parables and explore them together. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in February: February 6th: National Sweater Day February 10th: PJ Day February 11th: Sports Jersey Day February 11th: Winter Activity Day February 12th: Crazy Hat Day February 13th: Red, White and Pink Day February 13th: School Dance-A-Thon February 14th: PD Day (no school) February 17th: Family Day (no school) February 20th: Report Cards go home February 21st: Scholastic Orders due (will come home on the 12th) February 25th: Shrove Tuesday February 28th: Homework Bingo due Thank you for your continued support. C. Potvin Dear Parents/Guardians, Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a very relaxing yet fun-filled winter break so far. Here is an overview of what January will look like: Math: The students will continue to explore addition and subtraction through hands-on activities and whole group discussions. They will learn about the different meanings and have opportunities to create their math problems using open-ended sentence starters (ex. there were 10 dogs in the park). You can practice this concept with your child by asking them to create their own word problems at home or having them finish some you create with them. Here is a fun game for them to play at home that will help strengthen their addition and subtraction skills: https://mathupcaprod.blob.core.windows.net/media/Games/Grade2/MathMachines/index.html We will also start a unit on length at the end of the month. Students will have opportunities to measure items using both non-standard (string, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, etc.) and standard units (centimetres, metres). Language: The Grade 2s will be learning a new reading comprehension strategy called Visualization. Visualization helps us create a picture in our heads by using our senses to see, hear, smell, taste and feel the author’s words. Ask your child what they visualize as you read with them at home. The students will be starting a unit on Descriptive Writing. They will be using many adjectives along with their senses to help create paragraphs that make a picture in the reader’s mind. They will also continue to practice their writing in their journals each week. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their Word Wall Words (WWW) each week. They will continue to be written in your child’s agenda each Monday. They can practice spelling the words and using them in a sentence. Health: The students will have many opportunities to discuss different ways to stay safe. We will learn about stranger safety. We will also learn about food allergies and why it’s important to make a safe environment for all students. Gym: We will play cooperative games while using different gym equipment. We will also have an opportunity to show off our dance moves with a Luv2groove workshop. Arts: The Grade 2s will continue to explore music. They will have an opportunity to create their own instruments and use these instruments to explore pitch and rhythm. Science: We will begin a new unit on Movement. They will learn about simple machines and how they make our everyday lives easier. Religion: We will continue to focus on how religion affects our daily lives and how we can show God's work through our actions. The students will start their focus on the concepts related to the Holy Communion. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in January: January 6th: First day back after the break January 17th: Scholastic Orders due (will come home on the 10th) January 21st: Skating Day January 24th: PD Day (no school) January 27th: Luv2Groove dance workshop January 28th: Skating Day January 31st: Homework Bingo due Thank you for your continued support. C. Potvin Dear Parents/Guardians, December is a busy but exciting month! The excitement of Christmas is in the air. The students will continue to work hard to learn new concepts while still enjoying all the fun activities that the season brings. We will be celebrating the season of Advent and Christmas with many activities, including our Christmas Kindness Countdown. Each day the students engage in a different act of kindness. This countdown is aimed to help the children understand the true meaning of the holiday. Here is an overview of what we will be focusing on during December: Math: I’m happy to see the growth in each child’s ability to identify and represent two-digit numbers. They have been learning how to show a number in many ways (ex. with tallies, using tens and ones). We will continue to tie this learning with early addition and subtraction skills. This month’s Homework Bingo provides some opportunities for students to practice these concepts. Language: The students have been making many connections during whole class read alouds. They are learning that these connections can either be to their own lives (text-to-self), to another story (text-to-text) or other people or events in their lives (text-to-world). We will continue to practice this reading strategy throughout the month. Ask your child which connections they make as you read stories together at home. We are wrapping up our Procedural Writing Unit. The students showed growth in their ability to decide on a goal for their writing, record necessary materials and create steps for reaching their goal. One of my favourite topics was their step-by-step instructions on how to build a snowman! Ask your child to help you with recipes or instructions at home to help strengthen this skill. We will have opportunities to practice our writing with Christmas-related topics, including letters to Santa! Please continue to encourage your child to practice their Word Wall Words (WWW) each week. They will continue to be written in your child’s agenda each Monday. They can practice spelling the words and using them in a sentence. Health: The students have learned a lot about the main food groups. We will continue to learn about healthy eating throughout the year. We will also begin to discuss different ways to stay safe in our everyday lives. Gym: We have been participating in many different running games that help keep our hearts healthy. We also will get many opportunities to practice our dancing skills in class with some GoNoodle activities. Arts: The Grade 2s are participating in a Christmas Craft Day this month. They will get to put their artistic abilities to use by creating many crafts to surprise their families with. They will also be exploring the art of music through Christmas carols from various cultures. Science: As we wrap up our unit on air and water cycles, we will link what we know to the seasonal changes we see as the colder weather comes. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in December and early January: December 6th: $2 Pyjama Day December 10th: Scholastic Orders due (will come home on the 3rd) December 11th: Grade 2 Christmas Craft Day December 13th: $2 Pyjama Day December 16th: Christmas Socks Day December 17th: Red & Green day December 18th: Christmas Sweater Day December 18th: Advent Mass @ 10:45 am December 19th: Dress Like an Elf Day December 19th: Homework Bingo due December 20th: $2 Pyjama Day December 20th: Last day before Christmas break December 21st-January 5th: Christmas break January 6th: First day back after the break Thank you for your continued support. C. Potvin Dear Parents/Guardians, The time is going by so fast! Thanksgiving and Halloween celebrations provided lots of excitement in our classroom, and before we know it, Christmas will be here. The students have been working very hard, and we are having a rewarding time together. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of helping your children have a great start to their Grade two years! Here is an overview of what we will be focusing on during November: Math: We will be wrapping up our unit on patterning. You can continue to practice these skills at home with your child by having them create and extend various patterns using household items (ex. spoon, fork, knife; spoon, fork, knife). Our focus will shift to representing numbers to 100. Students will learn to show numbers in different ways with hands-on materials, such as ten frames and counting cubes. This topic will lead to addition and subtraction talks. Please continue to have your child practice basic math facts at home. Language: We will continue to explore the “Chunky Monkey” reading strategies. We will also learn about how to make connections. This strategy asks students to connect the ideas in a book to something familiar in either their own lives, other stories or to the world around them. The students have been practicing their writing skills in their journals each week. They will also focus on procedural writing. This type of composition involves explaining a way of doing something by listing the materials needed and steps to follow. You can practice at home with your child by having them write the steps to their favourite game or recipe. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their Word Wall Words (WWW) each week. They will continue to be written in your child’s agenda each Monday. They can practice spelling the words and using them in a sentence. Health: We will continue to do activities centred around the Canadian Food Guide. Students have been distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy food choices. They will also have opportunities to create their own healthy meal plans. Gym: We will continue to participate in cooperative games. We will also work on our catching and throwing skills to help strengthen our gross motor abilities. Arts: I’ve been impressed with each student’s artwork. We have some real artists in our class! The students have been drawing pictures in their journals weekly to help explain their writing using an image. We will also be exploring artwork from various cultures, paying close attention to the features used (e.g. colour, line, texture). Science: We will be wrapping up our unit on air and water cycles by the end of the month. Students will continue to explore how air and water affect their environment. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in November: November 1st: Progress Reports go home November 3rd: St. Martin de Porres’ Feast Day at Holy Redeemer @11am. November 11th: Remembrance Day November 14th: Photo Re-Take Day November 14th: Scholastic Orders due (will come home on the 8th) November 14th: Parent/Teacher Interview Night November 15th: PD Day (no school) November 28th: Homework Bingo due Your partner in Catholic education. C. Potvin Dear Parents/Guardians, It is hard to believe that we are already in October. September just zipped by and was extremely busy and productive. There are lots of exciting learning experiences ahead in October. A special thanks to all families who donated to our Terry Fox Fundraiser. Here is an overview of what we will be focusing on during October: Math: We will continue looking for patterns all around us and exploring number patterns. The students have been spotting patterns all over our classroom, especially on their clothes! We have also been working on our counting skills by doing many activities that require us to count up to 200 by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s. Ask your child to locate patterns around the house and to count different objects (e.g. toys, cutlery, shoes). Language: We are using big books to help learn reading strategies that help us to become better readers. Having your child practice these strategies at home will help them become stronger readers. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their Word Wall Words (WWW) each week. The words will continue to be written in your child’s agenda each Monday. They can practice spelling the words and using them in a sentence. Health: I’m impressed with the growth in each student’s self-awareness. Each child is learning to identify which "zone" they are in and can identify strategies that will help them return to the green zone. We will continue to revisit this topic throughout the year to strengthen our skills. We will also continue to explore healthy eating habits. The students will have a chance to examine and discuss the Canadian Food Guide. Gym: As the weather gets colder, we will be spending more of our gym time indoors. The students will be participating in a variety of cooperative games. These kinds of activities help them to develop both social and turn-taking skills. We will also be learning when it's best to take a break from a game to get the most out of our gym time. Arts: The students will be exploring using lines in their artwork while also adding a mix of warm and cool colours. With both Thanksgiving and Halloween around the corner, we will have many craft opportunities also. Science: The Grade 2s have been brainstorming which objects need air to move. They will conduct a variety of experiments, including a paper airplane race. Their investigations will move into learning more about the water cycle. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in October and early November: October 7th: Picture Day October 10th: Thanksgiving Mass @ 10:30 am October 11th: PD Day (no school) October 14th: Thanksgiving (no school) October 18th: Scholastic Orders due (will come home on the 10th) October 31st: Halloween/Orange and Black Day November 1st: Progress Reports go home Thank you for your continued support. C. Potvin Dear Parents and Guardians,
Due to changes in enrollment, our class is now a straight Grade 2. The students are sad to say goodbye to their Grade 1 friends but wish them the best in their new classes. The boys and girls are also excited to welcome four new Grade 2 students into the classroom. We look forward to getting to know our new friends. Happy Monday! C. Potvin Welcome to our class blog! The blog will be updated at the beginning of each month providing an overview of what your child will learn, a list of housekeeping items, and a schedule of upcoming dates. The Grade 1/2s have been off to a great start! It’s been a pleasure to get to know each child, and I’m excited to watch them grow throughout the year. Here is an overview of what we will be focusing on for the rest of September: Math: We will be exploring patterns that are all around us. The students will recognize and describe patterns they find on hundreds charts and represent patterns by using various manipulatives (e.g. cubes, animal counters). We will also practice our sorting skills by grouping objects based on one or more attributes (e.g. colour, size, shape). Ask your child to look for patterns around your house or in your neighbourhood to help strengthen their skills. Language: The boys and girls have been working hard on choosing “just right” books, which is a way to develop early reading skills. They will also be exploring different reading strategies. For example, one reading strategy is called Chunky Monkey, which involves looking for chunks or small words inside bigger words to help them sound out the unknown word (e.g. flat). Having your child practice these strategies at home will help them become stronger readers. The students will also be starting to explore sight words/“word wall” words. These words will be written in their agenda each Monday so that they can practice them at home. Health: We have been learning the importance of our mental well-being through the Safe Place and the Zones of Regulation. The students have been practicing breathing techniques and self-regulation skills. Ask your child to tell you what zone they are in and how they can help themselves get into the “green zone”. We also will be talking about the importance of healthy habits, such as starting our day with a healthy snack and balancing our time between quiet and active activities. Gym: We have been enjoying spending our gym time outdoors while we can! We are learning about the importance of staying safe (e.g. freeze when you hear the whistle, watch where you are running) during gym activities and identifying possible safety risks. Arts: The students have been showing off their creativity through visual arts. They are learning the effect of using various colours to enhance their drawings and are excited to show off some of their work during Program Night. Science: Both grades will be exploring daily cycles and how they impact the environment. The Grade 1s will focus more on seasonal changes while the Grade 2s will focus more on air and water cycles. Housekeeping Items:
Important Dates in September: September 11th: Meet the Teacher/Program Night from 6 pm to 7 pm. September 15th: Holy Redeemer Parish Feast @ 12 pm. September 20th: Scholastic orders due (they will go home the 13th) September 26th: Opening Liturgy @ 11 am. September 27th: Terry Fox Walk September 30th: Orange Shirt Day - please have your child wear orange to honour residential school survivors. Your partner in Catholic Education. C. Potvin |