Our Mission Statement:

Christ inspired academic excellence.  

2nd Grade

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Phone: 509.754.4901

Welcome to our classroom web page! I'm Julia Cantwell and I've been teaching at St. Rose going on my 5th year here as a teacher.  I hope you will visit our web page often to see what's going on in our exciting, fun filled and faith driven classroom.  I will do my best to have weekly assignments posted.  This year we are in a new classroom and closer to the bathrooms and water fountains!  Yahoo!  

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Don't forget we have our School Auction "Come Sail Away" on Saturday November 5th.  Doors open at 5pm.  Help keep our school as alive as Christ is within our halls, hearts and classrooms! 

** This Tuesday November 1, 2011 - Mass will be held in the School Gym at 9am.  **   

Daily Assignments:

Everyday we do Reading, Writing, and Math.  Every other day we are exploring Science.  On the days we are not following our natural curiosity in Science we are building knowledge in the awesome world of Social Studies (Our World And Its Communities and Cultures).  Everyday we recognize and acknowledge the presence of Jesus in our lives and delve deep into our Christian and Catholic Faith during Religion classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at Mass (Presented by our most adored Priest Father Miguel).

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we have Religion and this is a very important year for our First Communicants.  

Friday:  Mass at 9am and Goal Line every 3rd Friday.  Student of the Month will be presented the last Mass of the month in the school gym immediately following Mass.  Goal line falls in line with our Positive Behavior Plan based on William Glasser.  The Goal Line is school wide and can range from a sock hop, bingo, chat and chew (Gum), board games, etc.    Students earn this by showing St. Rose respect and pride.                                                                      

Accelerated Reader: This is used in our classroom as a guide to the student's individual reading level and for comprehension.  We begin the year with our Classroom Read Aloud being "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane", by Kate DiCamilo.  This eloquent story is about a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit (made of china), who loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.  {AR 4.2}

Math Facts: Math Strategies is a must.  Here are just a few to use in school and especially at home: Make a picture or diagram, work backwards, act out the problem or use objects, brainstorm, use or look for patterns, use or make a table, guess and check, make an organized list, and make it simpler.  We will begin the year out with a quick refresher assessment of patterns, addition, subtraction, graphing, word problems, place value to Ten Thousand.  {ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands}.  Hint: this is a great time to refresh at home!!!  

Fast Facts: Mastering math facts 1-12 is imperative. {ex:4+5=9, 7+7=14, 12+4=16...etc}.  This can be done daily at home in less than 5 minutes.  Math facts develops fluency and automaticity (quick accurate and fluent).  Come in and I will show you how this can be done.  Everyday we start out on Xtramath.com. and I get weekly reports of any students who do this at home as well.  I am watching you....So, please do at home too!   You will be amazed with the results and can sign your child up online and it is a VERY safe site.   

Homework:

Mondays: Spelling Words, Read (20 minutes EVERY night) and Math (only if needed for extra help)

Tuesdays: Spelling Words, Read and Math

Wednesdays: Spelling Words, Read, and Math

Thursdays: Spelling Words, Read and Math

	2nd Grade
Reading	Thank you for all who helped our school obtain our funded item Journeys at the 2010 St. Rose Auction. Watch our progress in this fantastic, new, and outstanding reading curriculum.  This curriculum also provides the means for a student to never miss out on homework when sick or on vacation.  Journeys is accessible via the Internet.  During Back to School Night, parents will receive their child's ID/Pin to access during absent days from class.      Lesson 8{10/31 - 11/4}: Target Skill: Consonant Digraphs (th, sh, wh, ch tch, ph; Base words ending in -s, -ed, -ing  Target Strategy: Visualize Grammar: Verbs with review on Proper Nouns Vocabulary Strategy:  Compound Words (Rain Bow=Rainbow)  Big Idea:Nature can teach us many things!  Essential Question: What helps you make decisions about characters?
Language/Writing	We are writing Expository papers using transition words like "first, next, last....".   Expository  papers "explain and/or inform".  We will use Expository writing for the rest of our lives.  Students are using 6-trait and Step up to writing formats.   Students are moving forward quick and with amazing accuracy.   We have written Thank you letters and are moving into a possible publishing of Biographys on Parishners...if we can get at least 8 St. Rose Parishners to give us 1 day a week for 8 weeks along with parents to assist in the computer lab with typing up our interviews.    This is a big project and unless we have volunteers this won't happen.
Spelling	We have weekly spelling words and tests are on Fridays before Mass.  dish, than, chest, such, catch, thin, push, shine, chase, white, while, these, flash, which, then, thumb Monday: write each spelling word two times.  Now give each spelling word a point value by adding two points for each vowel and three points for each consonant then find the sum.  Tuesday: Write words 8-16.  Look up each word in a dictionary and write any other word forms you find a the end of the definition.   Wednesday:  Pretend you are a clown.  Write a letter to the circus asking for a job using at least 8 of your spelling words  Thursday:  Write your words in balloons.
Math	Houghton Mifflin: Unit 2 Chapter 5.  Our Learning Target is to represent numbers in different forms up to a thousand.  Using Base Blocks to 1000.  Using Place Values to solve word problems.  Compare two-digit numbers using symbols and problem solving with reasonable answers.
Religion:	We are delving deep into the meaning of Mortal and Venial sins, the Ten Commandments, and the Seven Sacraments {Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, Matrimony and Holy Orders.  October is Rosary month.  Pray the Rosary. These were special prayers given to us from our Blessed Mother Mary.   Reminder: CCD every Wedenesday Night here at St. Rose taught by Mrs. Eisen and Myself!
Science:  LOVE IT!	Disgusting Science {Discovering Bacteria-14 Day observable lesson} and Delta Science Kit The 5 Senses: {Delta Science - 3rd Edition). The Delta Kits are designed to provide structured hands on cooperative learning and encourages every student to contribute to group success. It also provides differentiated instruction strategies that focuses on multiple intelligences. The kits have 12 activities.  ** (1) Your Eyes Are for Seeing (2) Two Eyes See More Than One (3) Seeing in Color (4) Is Seeing Believing? (5) Your Eyes Are for Hearing (6) High and Low, Loud and Soft (7) Can You Believe Your Ears? (8) Your Skin Is for Feeling (9) Feeling Hot and Cold (10) Your Nose for (11) Your Tongue Is for Smelling (12) Taste and Smell Work Together  ** We just finished up "Sight" and wow...I have to say that Optical Illusions were the class favorite.  Next week we will be heading into Hearing **
Social Studies	Houghton Mifflin: Communities.   We are working on how to read a map and we have lots of fun activities and of course we use our Smartboard.....
Handwriting	We are currently working on perfecting our printing, using margins, writing on Wide-Ruled Paper and using proper punctuation marks.   This week and maybe for the next few weeks we will be learing "Proofreading Marks".   Congratulations on 11 students who are already working hard on cursive!
Art:	Mrs. McDonnell teaches our Art Classes and we will have Art this Friday from 1-2
Other	Music: Mrs. Couture, Library: Mrs. Segaline, PE: Mr. Johnson and Technology: Me