Welcome to Second Grade!  We are so excited to start a new year.  Please check out the supply list that was given during registration as there are supplies on the district list that you will not need to purchase.

Reminders:

Meet the Teacher Night is a Drop in from 5:30-6:30 on Thusday, August 16.  Come check out our room.  You are also welcome to bring in supplies that night.

First Day of school is on Monday, August 20.  We are looking forward to seeing your smiling faces!

Parent Orientation (adults only please) will be August 21 from 5:30-6:00.  

It is that time of year for all second graders.  Every second grader throughout our district will participate in standardized testing this week and next week.  Students will take two tests, CogAT (Cognitive Aptitude Test) and ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills). We will do three days of testing for CogAT - we will take a couple of sessions each day to complete the test.  Students will be taking this test on Wednesday - Friday, October 25-27.  Next week, students will take parts of the ITBS test on Thursday and Friday, November 2-3.  Testing will begin promptly at 8:00 each day.  Please make sure your child gets a good night's rest, eats a good breakfast, and is at school on time.  

CogAT and ITBS test results will be used by the school district and teachers in the SEAGUL program to determine eligibility of students to be in the gifted and talented program starting in third grade.  Students need to qualify in two of three areas to be selected for the program.  If a student qualifies in one area and is close in another area, he/she will be selected to take another test at the end of the year to see if he/she can qualify.

Test results will be back in January and sent home in your child's Friday Folder.

Come one, Come all...

We will have a special Open House at Wateree on Thursday, September 14.

We will honor our Grandparents during this special evening.  Check out all of the fun activities going at Wateree that night. 

Bring your grandparents (or family members) to check out our room and show them you work from 6:00-7:00 pm.

The book fair is open to families that night from 5:00-7:30.
Grab a spaghetti dinner in the cafeteria from 5:00-7:00.
Take a special picture in our school photo booth from 5:00-7:00.
Have fun and win a special treat basket at the Basket Walk (like a cake walk) which will run every 15 minutes from 5:00-7:00.

See you there!

The teachers in second grade want to welcome you all to our classrooms.
Please plan to attend Second Grade Orientation on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:00 to learn more about the expectations and activities planned for second grade.  

Information about second grade:
Students will have spelling every other week and language quizzes every other week.  In other words, one week we will have a spelling test and the next week we will have a language quiz (grammar, parts of speech, vocabulary, etc.)  Spelling and language are minor test grades.  Cold read tests - we will have three-four tests during each grading period (approximately every other week).  These are major test grades.
Math quizzes/minor grades are usually once a week - grading one student work page a week.  Major tests will be done at the end of chapters.

Science and social studies are more thematic in approach.  We will have various graded projects and tests as units are covered.  Some projects are done in class and some will be completed at home.

Homework:  As per the student/parent handbook, students in second grade should read 15-20 minutes daily.  Students should also practice math facts through homework pages or activities almost daily.  Please keep up with your child's assignments and review all homework with your child each night.  Thank you!

You are invited...

We have had a wonderful year!  The students have made excellent progress and growth. We want to celebrate everyone's hard work with an Ice Cream Social.  So mark your calendar now.  The ice cream social will be Friday, May 19 at 1:00 in your child's classroom.

Last week, students received and packet with directions and a large paper shield.  We have studied various cultures and immigrants this quarter.  Now is the time for students to learn about their family heritage and traditions.  Please help your child interview an adult in your family and answer the questions in the packet.  Then your child can create a family shield by drawing and coloring or gluing on pictures that represent your family and its heritage.  This is a great lesson to promote communication skills and connect with family members in a new way.  Projects are due on Tuesday, March 14.  The project will count as a major grade in social studies.

Each student has selected a name of a Famous American to research.  They are to research and write a paper about their selected American.  Students should then create a visual display (poster, collage, model, etc) representing the person.  Letters and grading rubrics were sent home on January 9.  Please help your child do a little each week and not wait to do all of the work the weekend before it is due.  We have completed three research projects during school.  So students have had some practice and experience with researching, note taking, and writing.

Students in Kershaw County have access to Encyclopedia Britannica - Elementary and a variety of other resources through Discus.  Please make sure all electronic resources are valid sites.  Please note that Wikipedia is not considered a valid source and can not be used as a site for information.

Don't forget to help your child create a bibliography.  In second grade, the bibliography does not need to be detailed.  Parents can help but make sure that your child realizes the importance of not copying another person's work and the importance of listing the place where the research information was found.

Projects are due by (or before) Tuesday, January 31.

Parents - Come and check out the news and expectations that are going on in Second Grade.  We will have Second Grade Parent Orientation in our classrooms on Thursday, August 25 at 5:30.  This is not a drop in type of event.  Please come at 5:30 to see and hear the orientation from the beginning.  See you there!

All second grade classes will be participating in MAP Testing this week.  Attendance is very important.  Please make sure your child is at school on time each morning.  Children should also be well rested (get a good night's sleep) and eat a good breakfast each morning.  Thanks!

We have a fun science and math project that students will need to complete at home.  We are beginning a science unit on Matter.  We will focus mainly on solids and liquids.  As a fun way to explore solid and liquids and their properties is to observe our surroundings.  This coming week, students need to sit down and review what they ate during the day.  Make a tally mark for each solid and each liquid that was eaten that day.  Don't forget to check the lunch menu to count the solids and liquids eaten during lunch.  After marking the solids and liquids all week, create a graph of your data.  You may do this on the website listed on the direction sheet.