September 28, 2023

  LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed The Great Fuzz Frenzy and Water Rolls, Water Rises.  The Great Fuzz Frenzy is a fantasy, while Water Rolls, Water Rises is a poem.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with "e" at the end making the vowel long as in "pine," making singular nouns plural by adding "s" or "es" as in cat/cats or bench/benches, decoding words with the suffixes "er" and "est" as in "stronger" and "strongest," using story vocabulary in context, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  We took the chapter 2 test and started a new chapter over adding within 100 using strategies.  So far students added within 100 using place value strategies and a hundred chart, and used an open number line to add tens and ones within 100.

RECONCILIATION:  For those students who are Catholic and making their First Reconciliation in December, please complete chapter one in the reconciliation book and have your child bring the book to school on Monday, October 2.  We will be discussing chapter one in class next week.  I will send the book home next Tuesday so you can begin to work on chapter two.  Just a reminder that all work is to be done at home.  I am just reinforcing the key concepts from each lesson at school.

ROSARY:  October is the month of the Rosary.  The Rosary is a summary of Christian faith in language and prayers inspired by the Bible.  The Rosary calls to mind the most important events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.  These events are called mysteries and are divided into four groups:  The Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries, and the Luminous Mysteries.  St. Malachy students will be praying the Rosary during the month of October in religion class.  Second graders will pray one decade of the Rosary each day.  If your child has a Rosary from home that he/she would like to bring to school for this, he/she may do so.

SCIENCE:  We are wrapping up our unit over engineering design process.  Last week students worked in groups of three to design a tower that would hold a large marshmallow on top.  They were only given spaghetti noodles and tape to complete their tower.  Next, students tested their design to see if it would hold the marshmallow.  If it didn't, students redesigned and tried again.  Last, students communicated their thoughts and ideas with others.  We compared our towers and discussed strengths in the designs.  Everyone did a great job in building their tower.