Welcome to Second Grade!
"and in Christ you, too, are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.
Ephesians 2:22
Dear Parents,
I am looking forward to working with you and your second grader this year at St. Paul. As your child’s teacher, I will provide a safe and nurturing learning environment where your child will be encouraged to become a life long learner and discover all God wants them to be. Our community is blessed to have this wonderful Lutheran school where we can learn about the world God has made and increase the faith He has given us.
Newsletter - Every Monday, I will be sending home the Second Grade Newsletter. This note will include your second grader’s spelling words, memory work, upcoming events, projects, or schedule changes you need to know. The newsletter will also be posted on our class web site: www.stpaulannarbor.org
Student of the Day - Each day a student from our class will be the “Student of the Day.” This person gets to be the line leader, the warm-up leader during physical education class, the Math Message teacher, as well as my special helper.
Book orders – Our class participates in the Scholastic Book Club program. Book order forms will be sent home about once a month. Purchased books are sorted by a parent and distributed to the students at school. Students must take their order home before books can be brought back to school. That way you can check your order. The school earns free books for our classroom and for the leveled library by participating in this book club.
Growing our faith – Every day but Wednesday, we start the school day with Bible study. We learn about the seasons of the church year by singing special songs and saying prayers together. We study the Old and New Testaments focusing of the life of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and Paul.
On Wednesdays please join us as we attend the school chapel service at 8:25 am. Services take place in the Crusader Gym.
Memory – Second graders learn two memory verses a week. We practice common prayers and the Apostle’s Creed in class. I listen to memory work on Wednesday. Sometimes I listen to groups of students and sometimes I listen to individuals.
Spelling – Each second grader has a unique, weekly spelling list. Each week I present a spelling rule and students pick words using the rule for part of their spelling list. The rest of their list is made of words they are misspelling in their daily writing or vocabulary words from reading, science, social studies, or math. Spell checks are given on Friday.
Literacy – I was trained to teach reading, writing, and speaking using a balanced literacy approach. I have attended many workshops and in-services to further my training in balanced literacy. Every day, students have time to work with words, read, and write. Some work with will be done with teachers, some with other students and, finally, some done independently. Your student gets many opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills. I am also certified to use the Michigan Literacy Progress Profile, developed by the Michigan Department of Education, which helps me determine and document my students’ growth in literacy development.
Book check-out – Every second grader participates in the Book Check-out Program. Every school day your student will bring home a plastic ‘envelope’ containing a book or poem and a Home Reading Record Sheet. Your child is expected to read to an adult, record their progress, AND RETURN THE BAG (WITH THE BOOK AND SHEET INSIDE) TO SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY. Your child will be taught to pick reading material that is “just right” for them. Thank you for reading with your son or daughter!
Oral language – Instead of having one Show-n-Tell day, second graders are given a variety of opportunities to speak to a group of their peers. The students will have opportunities to teach, share stories, read or recite poems, report on news worthy topics, share information, and recite jokes and riddles. Your student will bring home a card or the ‘microphone’ before they share.
Projects – Second graders have the opportunity to complete projects that reinforce concepts we are learning in social studies and science. These projects require preparation at home. More information will be given when projects are assigned.
Math – Second graders use the Saxon Math program. There is a page of fact problems and a page of practice problems that must be completed and returned the next school day. There are regular written and oral assessments. The students have lots of fact practice and many chances to develop math skills all year long.
Science – During the year, second graders study how plants and animals adapt to various habitants and the effect of living things on the environment, light and color, properties of solids, liquids, and gases, germs, weather, and fossils. We use Concordia Edition, Discovery Works materials.
Social studies – In social studies students learn about our community, our government, different cultures, history, and economics. They learn to create, read, and use maps, globes, graphs and charts.
Physical education – Second graders have physical education on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday. Students need gym shoes at school.
Mid-morning snack and lunch – We eat lunch at 11:30. This is the latest lunch time, so students have a milk break around 9:45 a.m. every day. They may buy chocolate or white milk to drink at this time or drink something they bring from home. Milk is purchased by the week. Second graders should bring a nutritious snack (crackers, piece of fruit, dry cereal, etc.) to eat during our afternoon snack time. Our snack time lasts about 10 minutes, so snacks need to be small.
Specials – Second graders have the following special, once–a-week classes:
Monday – art, library/technology
Tuesday - music
Wednesday – physical education, library/technology
Thursday – physical education
Friday – physical education, choir with first grade
Homework – Every night, second grade students are expected to read (Book Check-Out), practice spelling words, complete math homework, and practice memory.
Classroom procedures – Students are expected to follow our classroom procedures. We practice until everyone understands the expectations. When students listen to each other, help each other, and respect each other’s feelings and their right to learn, we can accomplish a lot.
Students who follow these rules will receive verbal and/or written praise. I supply each student with a small “praiser” sheet I fill with tiny stickers or stamps when I notice a student following our classroom rules. When a sheet is filled, the student gets a new sheet and I send the old one home with a note for you. This is a time to celebrate your child’s ability to be respectful, responsible and cooperative.
Birthdays – Please feel free to send in a treat on your child’s birthday. If your child has a summer birthday, we can celebrate their half birthday during the school year. We usually celebrate during morning snack time. There is a refrigerator/freezer available for keeping treats cold. There are 25 students in our class.
Field Trips - The second graders usually go on three or four field trips during the school year. Permission slips will be sent home which give more details about the trips. We usually go to a Wild Swan Children’s Theater production at WCCC, visit Ella Sharpe Park for Pioneer Days, and tour the Matthei Botanical Gardens, and shop at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. The students always enjoy the end-of-the-year bowling party at Colonial Lanes.
Questions, comments, concerns . . . Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you have throughout the year. The best way to contact me is through my e-mail account: bwisnieski@stpaulannarbor.org. I can’t return voice mail messages until after school, but feel free to call and leave a message. My school phone is (734) 665-0604, ex. 111. I will also respond to your notes via your student’s folder.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child’s education this year.
Serving Him,
Becky Wisnieski