November Board Report
Second Grade 2016-2017
We have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time! October was
full of exciting events and loads of learning. We had a wonderful visit from the
Antioch Fire Department for fire safety month. They discussed fire safety at
school and at home, and asked the students to be
sure to talk fire safety with their own families. The students talked with the fire
fighters about a fire escape plan with at least 2 exits out of their home and a
common meeting place for all members of the household to go to in an emergency.
We got to see the tools on the fire truck and watched the fireman get his entire
fire suit on in just over 1 minute!
Second graders have continued to enjoy many things during October. We all
get really excited about meeting the pets of our classmates. During their “Star
Student” weeks, Frank brought his green lizard, Hanna brought her adorable fluffy
hamster, and Heath brought his dog. Heath’s dog was well trained and showed us
his hunting skills.
Our Halloween Party was a blast! The kids were well dressed and had great
make-up. We played games and enjoyed many delicious foods. The costume parade
was entertaining and the kids were really excited to be ready to go out Trick-orTreating after a hilarious story about two witches before they went home. Thank
you to all the parents who volunteered and sent in treats.
Second grade also looks forward to
taking a Wellness Walk each day for 10-15
minutes before our lunch. We have
observed the changing of the seasons
from summer to autumn. The colors are
beautiful as we circle the soccer field
with all the yellows, oranges, browns, and
reds of the turning leaves. The students
have spotted large beetles, small gardener
snakes, and have discussed the seeds of
many plants that like to cling to their
clothing as a means of travel (burrs). In
honor of the falling leaves, we are having a
school reading contest. As the students read books at home they are to write their
name and the title of the book on a red leaf and return the cut out leaf to school.
We have many leaves on the classroom door already! WE made a fun palm tree to
help keep us “warm” when the colder weather arrives. Second graders are reading
on their own or with a parent at home every day, and can bring a leaf for every
book they finish! The more they practice, the better reader they will become!
We are starting Module 4 in mathematics and are learning to relate addition
and subtraction in order to better understand the process of finding the
difference. We completed our measurement unit, and had fun tracing our partners
and measuring our height. We compared the heights of different students and
made a chart for growth tracking. Our smallest student is about 50 inches tall and
our tallest student is nearly 55 inches tall! We will measure our heights again in the
late spring and see how much we have grown!
We are continuing to study animal needs and habitats in both reading and
science. The students have an adopted “pet” they are researching from web sites
and from various books. We will be putting together some fun projects with
technology and their research findings as the unit comes to an end. I am looking
forward to seeing everyone at Parent Teacher Conferences in November.