Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Hello Second Grade Families,

This up coming Thursday, February 11th, the second graders will be enjoying an entire day dedicated to Valentine's Day!  It will be a fun filled day of Valentine's themed activities which will include learning all about the life of St. Valentine.  Also know that this week will be only four days long.  All of the students at ACS will have both February 12th and February 15th off from school.  Being that this will not only be a short week, but it is also the week that the kids will be celebrating Valentine's Day as a class, they will not have any homework for this week and there will also not be a Spelling test.

Enjoy some extra family time and the four day weekend up ahead!

Please continue reading to discover all that will be taking place both inside our second grade classroom and right here at ACS.

ELA

This week, the children will be focusing on their writing skills.

All of the second graders will be completing a formal writing piece.  The topic of every child's writing sample will be:  "Write about a time when you helped someone."

This writing activity will be a formal narrative that each second grader will compose.

Math

The students are moving into learning how to subtract with three digits.  

Subtracting with three digits includes learning when to borrow and when they do not need to borrow from another number.

Social Studies

The students learned all about the three branches of the American Government.  

The second grade students have been taught the names of the three branches and who works in each of those branches, and how each branch works.

This week, the students will be learning all about American symbols.

Religion

The students will have another sacramental preparation lesson this week.

The students will focus on the unit "Let Us Pray" utilizing the Jesus Our Life religion series (we didn't have time to cover this lesson last week). 

The students will be learning all about the life of St. Valentine.

The students will pray throughout their school day and this includes at daily Pledge/Prayer, before lunch, and prior to dismissal.

The second graders will continue praying for the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel per Father Chad's request.  All of the ACS students will be saying the prayer each time we attend Mass on Wednesday mornings.   However, the students are now focusing on memorizing and learning the "Act of Contrition" in order to best prepare them for the holy sacrament of Reconciliation. 

Here are the Second Grade Specials:

Monday ~ Art at 12:10

Tuesday ~ P.E. at 2:25

                  Spanish at 12:00

Wednesday ~ Mass Day at 8:15 a.m. 

                        Spanish 9:40 and Music at 1:00

Thursday ~    P.E. at 2:25

Friday ~ No special area classes

Don't forget that your child has access to several academic computer sites to enhance their learning at home.

Here is a quick list to assist your child in their academic growth at home.

• RAZ kids ( Your child may utilize this site to complete their nightly reading homework.)
• IXL (Section J focuses on double digit addition with and without regrouping)
• Class Dojo!  This site can be accessed each day to allow your child to gain insights on their behavioral decisions from the day.  The students will earn points that then allow them to upgrade their site's avatar and the site will allow the students to view social/emotional developmental videos that were viewed in class from that specific day.  It's such an engaging behavioral tool and it motivates and empowers the students to give their very best efforts each day.
• So far in Class Dojo, your children have focused on the social/emotional skills of having a "Growth Mindset", how to be "Perseverant", "Respectfulness", "Empathy", and" Mindfulness"."  This week, the students will be focusing on the skill of "Gratitude."  

Upcoming Events

• February 12 and 15, Fri/Mon:  No school for President’s Day.  Enjoy the long weekend.
• February 14, St. Valentine’s Day Family Virtual Trivia Night  Time to put on those thinking caps and enjoy an evening of fun trivia! Compete for fun prizes against other ACS families!  Volunteer opportunities coming.  Order form is attached.  
• February 15, Monday:  Dine Out Fundraiser at MOD Pizza 5355 E Carefree Highway Cave Creek, AZ  85331  Walk in take out: use flyer below.  Order online: use promo code GR170736A.
• February 17, Ash Wednesday:  There will be 2 Masses with ash distribution for students/staff and school parents at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. only.
• February 19, Friday:  Stations of the Cross Friday (Feb 26 and Mar 5, 19, 26) during Lent at 2:15 p.m.  8th grade will lead on Feb. 19, then 7, 6, ,5, and 4. All grades can attend.  (No Stations on March 12 due to Inservice Day/half day). 

Homework

The students will not have any homework assignments for this week.