December 11, 2025

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed What's Good to Read and Going Places.  What's Good to Read is an opinion article while Going Places is a fantasy.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with long /o/ as in so, boat, grow, toe, and note, using quotation marks correctly in sentences, decoding words with the suffixes "y," "ly," and "ful," putting words in alphabetical order,  using story vocabulary in context, using a glossary and dictionary to determine meanings of words and phrases, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  We subtracted a one or two-digit number from a two-digit number using the standard algorithm, and used models and equations to solve word problems.

BRING SACK LUNCH TO SCHOOL:  Next Friday, December 19, students will need to bring a sack lunch  to school.  (Milk will be provided.)  Students will be eating lunch with their Advent Angels that day.  After lunch, students will sing Christmas carols with their Advent Angels as well.

SPELLING:  We will be having a "Review Week" in spelling next week.  All 16 spelling words will be words students have had in previous weeks.

TAKE HOME FOLDERS/BLOG:  Take home folders will not be sent home next Thursday, December 18 due to the upcoming Christmas vacation, and there will not be a second grade newsletter posted on my blog.  Any important notes from the office will be sent home in your child's backpack.

CHRISTMAS FUN:  St. Malachy students are welcome to join in on some Christmas-themed fun next week if they wish:

• Monday, December 15:  "Dress as a Christmas Character Day!" Dress as a character from a Christmas movie or TV show
• Tuesday, December 16:  "Christmas Plaid Day!" Wear plaid
• Wednesday, December 17:  "Sunday Christmas Best Day!" Dress up for Mass
• Thursday, December 18:  "Shining Festive and Bright Day!"  Dress in festive and bright Christmas clothing and accessories
• Friday, December 19:  "Christmas Vacation Day!"  Wear an ugly Christmas sweater, Christmas pajamas, etc. to spread Christmas cheer

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:  School will not be in session on Friday, January 2 due to teacher professional development.  School will resume on Monday, January 5.

December 4, 2025

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed the fairy tale If the Shoe Fits:  Two Cinderella Stories.  We also discussed a video called Those Clever Crows from the New York Times.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with the long /e/ vowel sound as in meet, seat, key, receive, believe, these, and happy, using story vocabulary in context, identifying action verbs in sentences, recognizing and forming compound sentences, describing plot elements in a story, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  We took the chapter 5 test over subtracting within 100 using strategies and started chapter 6 over fluently subtracting within 100.  So far students have used place value and models to subtract one and two-digit numbers, subtracted two-digit numbers using partial differences, and broke apart two-digit numbers to make it easier to subtract.

RELIGION:  We have been discussing Advent.  Students learned that the word "Advent" means "coming."  Students discussed various ways they can prepare their hearts for the coming of Jesus during this Advent season.

ADVENT ANGELS:  Your child has been paired up with an older student during the Advent season.  This "buddy" is known as their "Advent Angel."  Beginning next week, Advent Angels will get together once each week throughout December for 30 minutes to complete an activity that will help students prepare for the coming of Jesus.  

 Traditionally the Angels will eat a sack lunch together on the last day before the Christmas break (December 19).  Also, the Angels usually exchange a small gift with each other.  I wanted to bring this to your attention so that you might help your child purchase a small gift (usually candy).  Please keep the gift under $5.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

COLLECTING ITEMS FOR CARE FACILITIES:  St. Malachy School is collecting items for male and female residents in local care facilities.  We are looking for shower gel or body wash, store bought cookies, and soft candies for the residents this year.  If you are interested in donating, please send the item(s) to school by Friday, December 12.  

SPIRIT DAY:  Tomorrow, December 5 is a Spirit Day at St. Malachy.  Students can pay $1.00 to wear sweat pants or a hat to school.  The money raised will help those in need in our local community.

November 20, 2025

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed A Crow, a Lion, and a Mouse! Oh My! and Hollywood Chicken.  A Crow, a Lion, and a Mouse! Oh My! is a drama, while Hollywood Chicken is a fantasy.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with long /a/ as in rain, stay, make, and acorn, identifying and forming verbs in the present, past, and future tense, identifying adjectives in sentences, identifying a simile (compares two different things using the word "like" or "as," such as "she's as busy as a bee,") an idiom (a phrase that means something different from its everyday meaning, such as "it's raining cats and dogs,") and a hyperbole (a statement that is so crazy it can't be true, such as "her smile was a mile wide,") using story vocabulary in context, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  We made numbers that are easier to subtract and then used mental math to find the difference, solved one and two-step problems using addition or subtraction, and chose various strategies we've learned so far to subtract two-digit numbers.

SCIENCE  We are wrapping up our unit over matter and will soon begin a new unit over environments for living things.  

SHORT WEEK NEXT WEEK:  Due to Thanksgiving and the short school week next week, we will not be taking a spelling pre and post test.  Also, take home folders will not be sent home and there will not be a second grade newsletter posted on my blog.

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM FUNDRAISER:  St. Malachy middle school students are raising money for an outdoor classroom! This space will be a natural immersive learning experience that will benefit all St. Malachy students for years to come.  All funds raised will be used to purchase sustainable outdoor classroom equipment, garden beds, water and sand tables and more.  To help raise money for this outdoor classroom, St. Malachy School is having a "sweatpants fundraiser."  Students can pay $20.00 to wear sweatpants to school throughout the month of December except on Mass days.  If you are interested in having your child participate in this fundraiser, please send money to school by Tuesday, December 2.

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:  Please note the following:

• Friday, November 21:  Spirit Day
• Wednesday, November 26-Friday, November 28:  Thanksgiving vacation
• Wednesday, December 3:  St. Malachy Christmas Concert, 6:00 P.M. at Creston High School

November 13, 2025

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed Recipe for a Fairy Tale and How to Read a Story.  Both are procedural texts.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with consonants /k/ and /ck,/ adding -s  and -es to present-tense verbs, decoding words with silent letters /kn,/ /mb,/ /gn,/ and /wr,/ as in knot, comb, gnat, and write, decoding words with suffixes "ful" and "less" as in colorful and hopeless, decoding homographs (words with multiple meanings,) discussing chronological order to put steps in the correct order, using story vocabulary in context, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  We took the chapter 4 test over fluently adding within 100 and started a new chapter over subtracting within 100 using strategies.  So far students have used a hundred chart and an open number line to subtract tens and ones.

RELIGION:  We discussed how the Holy Spirit helps us to do better and recognized that God loves us and rejoices when we are truly sorry for our sins.

SCIENCE:  We discussed how matter can change.  Some of those changes are reversible, such as freezing and melting, while others are irreversible, such as cooking or burning.

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:  Please note the following:

• Friday, November 14:  End of the first trimester of school 
• Friday, November 21:  Spirit Day
• Wednesday, November 26-Friday, November 28:  Thanksgiving vacation
• Wednesday, December 3:  St. Malachy Christmas Concert, 6:00 P.M. at Creston High School
• Friday, December 5:  Spirit Day

November 6, 2025

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed Be a Hero! Work it Out! and Pepita and the Bully.  Be a Hero! Work it Out! is an infographic.  Infographics give information quickly and in a visual way using pictures, symbols, and words or phrases that stand out.  Pepita and the Bully is a realistic fiction selection.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with consonant digraphs /ph,/ /ch,/ /tch,/ /th,/ /sh,/ and /wh,/ identifying compound subjects and predicates in sentences, identifying coordinating conjunctions (words such as "and" & "or") to form compound subjects, decoding words with the prefixes "re" and "un" as in reread and unfold, and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  This week students added using place-value strategies and mental math, added three and four two-digit numbers, and used drawings, equations, and models to solve one and two-step problems.

RELIGION:  Since November 1 was All Saints Day, we have been learning about the lives of various saints.  We discussed how saints showed their love for God and others.  They are an example of Christian service, which God calls all people to do.

BOOK FAIR:  A big THANK YOU to all who donated books to our second grade classroom from the book fair.  We will enjoy having these books in our classroom library! Your generosity is very much appreciated!

DRESS CODE:  The dress code states that beginning November 1, shorts should not be worn to school.

SPIRIT DAY:  Tomorrow, November 7 is a Spirit Day at St. Malachy.  Students can pay $1.00 to wear sweat pants or a hat to school.  The money raised will help those in need in our local community.

October 23, 2025

LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week we read and discussed Working With Others and Gingerbread for Liberty.  Working With Others is an informational text while Gingerbread for Liberty is a biography about a baker who lived during the Revolutionary War.  We worked on skills such as decoding words with double final consonants, identifying action verbs in the present and past tense, decoding words with inflected endings "ed" and "ing," and learning ten new high-frequency words.

MATH:  This week students added using place value and partial sums.  They also recorded two-digit addition using the standard algorithm.

DRESS CODE:  The dress code states that beginning November 1, shorts should not be worn to school.

HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES:  Next Wednesday, October 29, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be providing Halloween activities for students in the afternoon.  Students may bring a Halloween costume to change into before the Halloween parade.  The Halloween parade will take place in the school gym at 2:15.  We hope to see you there if you are able to come!

NO SCHOOL:  School will not be in session next Thursday, October 30 (parent/teacher conferences) and Friday, October 31.

SPELLING:  We will not be taking a spelling pre/post test next week due to the short school week.

TAKE HOME FOLDERS/BLOG:  I will not be sending take home folders home next week due to the short school week.  I will also not be posting a blog next Thursday, October 30 since I will be visiting with you at conferences.

CONFERENCES:  Parent/teacher conferences will take place on Monday, October 27, Tuesday, October 28, Wednesday, October 29, and Thursday, October 30.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip