Welcome to 2nd Grade

Hello and welcome to second grade! My name is Suzette Gibson. This is my 9^thyear teaching at St. Peter’s School and each year gets better and better. I look forward to working together to make this a very exciting year for your child filled with new experiences, friends, and a greater appreciation of the gifts that God has given us. I look forward to getting to know you and your child.

We are also very fortunate to have Mrs. Hancher as our second grade aid. She has been helping our school community in various ways for the past few years. I am so happy to have her in second grade with us!

Please feel free to contact me at anytime with any questions or concerns at School2@stpeterswaldorf.org

February 2013

We have so much to be proud of in second grade. Almost every student has earned their special math medal for earning 75 objectives. We are now working on achieving goals in the classroom. I have promised a special snack brought in by me for reaching 175 objectives and lunch with me when they reach 200 objectives. Students are also excited about perhaps getting the opportunity to sleep in the parking lot with Mr. West if the school reaches its overall goal for math objectives.

We are now focusing on getting the dog tags for reading. I have set a goal of reading and testing at least one book each week. Of course, students can be reading many more books than that. Second grade just took their third quarter STAR reading tests. I have given the class their new reading levels. You can check your child’s progress through the Home Connect website. Encourage your child to find a book that interests them within their reading zone. Now is a great time to introduce chapter books if they have not already done so.

We will be discussing Lent and Stations of the Cross this week. Speak with your child as a family to discuss what a good Lenten promise would be. Students do not need to give something up for Lent; they could also try to do something extra as their sacrifice. We will be attending Stations of the Cross beginning this Friday and every Friday in Lent. Our Religion lessons will revolve around understanding each station.

I am so proud of the progress of each student! I have begun to stress in class that we are now “trying to get ready for third grade”. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

January 2013

Happy New Year!

Second grade has received their Sacrament of Reconciliation over the Christmas holiday. We are now working on preparing for the next Sacrament of Holy Communion in May. There will be workshops to attend. Please consult the calendar of events for First Sacraments.

Almost all second grade students have reached the 75 objective goal in the Accelerated Math program. The final students will be receiving their special medal this month. We are continuing on the program working for special rewards in class. We are proud to be a school leader in medals.

Some of the recent lessons that we have had taught us how to read a recipe and measure ingredients in Math to create an afternoon snack of Apple Jack Cookies – Yum! We are learning about animal groups and habitats in Science creating flap books. Social Studies has us looking forward to the upcoming Presidential Inauguration. We are beginning to practice cursive handwriting and will be writing a fictional story this month in Language Arts.

Finally, we are looking forward to the upcoming events at the end of the month for Catholic Schools Week. Many of our classmates will be participating in the Talent Show!

November 2012

Second grade has a new student….a tadpole! We have been watching it grow and change each week. We are documenting the changes in our Science journal. So far it has back legs and small front legs. We are waiting to see what happens with the tail.

We participated in a presidential election and voted for our choice for the next President of the United States. Now we get to see who the adults have chosen to run our country. We wonder if they have the same outcome as us.

This month in second grade we are moving forward with Accelerated Math and asking for more and more math problems! We will be planning, drafting, and publishing our autobiography before we go eat turkey for Thanksgiving. We are also looking forward to see our grandparents in school on Tuesday, November 20.

October 2012

Second grade has been working hard for the past month and we have a lot of things to look forward to this month. The whole class has been working hard on the Accelerated Reading and Accelerated Math programs. We have already earned many dog tags and the whole class has earned their first math medal and many have also received their second medal also!

We recently had a great field trip to Jefferson Patterson Park to learn about Native American and European Settler lives in Southern Maryland. The class enjoyed learning how to use colonial tools to make shingles, create fire, clay pots, and play a colonial game with hoops and sticks.

Students have been great with the weekly spelling words and reading stories. We completed the first chapter in Social Studies about different types of communities. Check out our Community posters in our hall! We are moving on to Science for the remainder of the first quarter. Students will be learning about plants and animals. We have been observing seeds and look forward to a special guest to show us all about different seeds.

Here is a list of our daily specials:

Monday ~ Father Zygmunt visits second grade

Tuesday ~ PE

Wednesday ~ Mass (wear your dress uniform), Art, and Music

Thursday ~ PE, Library

Friday ~ Computer, Spanish