Catch Up!

Dear Second Grade Parents,
         I cannot believe we are coming down to the wire.  I know the kids and I are looking forward to the summer break, but we have also come to realize this means we won't be with one another every day.  It is bittersweet.
      I have truly enjoyed my time with the class this year and have been inspired by them every day.  I know I have shared this with some of you, but not all and I wanted everyone to know how much this year has meant to me.  Your children have motivated and encouraged me to create and plan lessons that were out of my element and stretched my creativity by leaps and bounds.  This year has been an experience I will remember for years to come as I have grown as an educator, mentor, Catholic Christian and friend.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child's life.  Please feel free to stop by second grade as often as you like as there is always a place to sit and plenty of good company or, as my mother always says, "Mi casa es su casa".
Take care and God bless.
Ms. Eileen Griffin
(Yes, I am going back to the name my parents so lovingly gave me)

PS Check out the pictures of a few of our kiddos feeding and petting the bat rays at Sea World!  They are brave indeed.  I was a bit shy about that myself;0)

Happy Easter!

Dear Second Grade Parents,
       Welcome back from what I trust was a relaxing and joyous Easter vacation!  I am happy to be back with my class and to finish out the school year strong.
     Just to give you a quick update with regards to classroom happenings, This week the class and I started our Core Knowledge Literature Unit on Charlotte's Web.  This has always been a favorite book of mine and I am happy to be sharing it with the children.  Be on the look out for some sweet swine projects coming home.  And of course, if I can incorporate food into the mix I will... pigs in a blanket anyone?
    In math, we are studying fractions this week.  Today we are going to make lovely cupcake fractions.  It should be a fun activity... if only they were edible...
     On the science front, we are taking a tiny break from nutrition to focus on Earth Day.  Yesterday the class made an earth day craft and they turned out very well.  I will try to upload photos later today or tomorrow.
      Of course, this Friday is the annual SHA Beach Clean-up.  Please feel free to come and join the second grade class as we do our part to take care of our planet!
      Don't forget, this Saturday is the SHA Barnes and Noble Book Fair.  I will be reading at 11:00 and I hope to see you there!
     Have a fantastic week!  Thank you for all you do to support your children and SHA. Take care and God bless.
Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Sepulveda
Your Second Grade Teacher

Where the Wild Things Are!!!

Dear Second Grade Parents,
        The class and I have been hard at work making "Text to Self"connections with the classic picture book, Where the Wild Things Are during guided reading time.  The examples of work are precious.  I hope to have pictures posted soon.  For some reason, blogger is not allowing me to post them.  Aaaahhhh... technology is wonderful.
      In other news, our field trip to the San Diego Botanical Gardens is this Friday.  We are all set for drivers and the students are ready to go.
      I shared with Mr. Saavedra some examples of student writing the other day and we made his day and blessed his heart.  The topic was "If I met Jesus after He rose from the dead, I would feel...".  Of course, I am sure many of you can imagine what was written, but all in all, the students wrote from the heart and the end results were fabulous.  Be sure to keep your eye out for The Heartbeat.  Mr Saavedra is going to publish some of the student responses.
      I hope all of you have a wonderful day.  Thank you for all you do for Sacred Heart Academy.  Take care and God bless!
Sincerely,
Eileen Sepulveda

March Update

Dear Second Grade Parents,
        Well, St. Patrick's Day has come and gone and thankfully that sly little SHA leprechaun read my letter and did not move our desks and chairs.  The class was a bit disappointed, but they too were grateful they did not have a little mess to clean up.  The delicious cupcakes helped to ebb the disappointment too.
        The class and I have been busy wrapping up our unit on Ancient Greece.  Tomorrow is the unit test and next week we will have a literature test on the Greek myths.  Truth be told, the class and I have been enjoying all of the Greek myths and are quite reluctant to move on from them.  I may create a little bonus activity to wrap the literature end of Ancient Greece.  I will let you know by next week.
       In science, our unit on nutrition and healthy eating is well under way.  We have been discussing our individual eating habits and I am quite impressed by the healthy eating habits of our second graders.  Well done, Parents!  You have taught them well!
   In other news, do not forget next Friday is our field trip to the San Diego Botanical Gardens.  I want to thank you for your prompt response with the permission slip and fee.  It is greatly appreciated.  I will notify  parent drivers in this Friday's folder if your assistance is needed.  Unfortunately, the number of parent drivers is limited to 3 so, I will be unable to accomadate all the requests to volunteer. The good news is that I have more field trips in the works so hopefully those will fall on dates you are able to attend.  Thank you for  giving so generously of your time.  The children and I appreciate it!
   Well, that is all for now.  I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week.  Take care and God bless.
Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Sepulveda
Your Second Grade Teacher

March Madness!!

Dear Second Grade Parents,
        There is quite a bit going on during this month of March..., but before I begin, I would like to thank Ann Wieczorek for taking the time to make our Suesstastic treats for Dr. Suess' birthday Suessabration.  The children enjoyed their delicious jello treats... I did too! Yum!!  Thank you to Julie Pennell for her donations of glue sticks.  With all of the crafty activities we have been doing lately, working glue sticks are a hot commodity.  Now each student has their own glue sticks and the mini lessons on sharing have slowed down.  Thank you Ann and Julie for your time and generosity!
       The first order of business is this month's book report.  The class and I are taking an in-depth look at the mystery genre and practicing the skills that will be required of them in order to complete their book report. I will be sending home the guidelines this Friday and it will be due just before Easter vacation.  This report requires a little more effort in terms of length, but I am certain our second graders are up to the challenge.  They did an amazing job on their President Report and I am so very proud of how much they have grown as individuals and as students.  This is why I know they are ready for the Mystery Report.
      Let us not forget our Lenten Journey... The class and I have been discussing the meaning of sacrifice and the greatest gift God could give... His Son, Jesus Christ.  The discussions have been quite meaningful and a bit challenging in terms of the questions they are asking.  Thankfully, our very own Deacon Mark Wieczorek has agreed to assist me with answering some of the tougher questions.  He will be visiting our class later this week to continue our class discussion of rising to new life and what Heaven is like.
    I really wish I was able to record these discussions for you.  They are so simple, yet thought provoking.  I love it!!!!
     Well, those sly little leprechauns are up to their March shenanigans once again.  This week, the class and I have been practicing the reading skills of metacognition (thinking about what you are thinking while you read), and prediction through the study of leprechaun tales.  While the skills we are practicing sound complicated, the second graders have them down.  I could not believe how within just a minute or two, they came up with how the leprechauns would hide their gold.  It was fantastic!  I know they were really impressed with themselves too.  We will continue to study metacognition and prediction next week as we read two more Irish folktales from Tomie De Paola.  In the mean time, the class is making rainbows and pots of gold to tempt the SHA leprechaun from his hiding hole.  I wonder if he will make an appearance this year? Hmmmmm....
     Last, the students and I have just finished our study of Van Gogh.  Their "Starry, Starry Nights" are beautiful and their "Sunflowers" are stunning.  We have quite a bit of talent in our second grade classroom.  I could not draw half as well as our young artists.  I am so impressed!  Our next artists will be Henri Matisse and Cladue Monet (my favorite).  I cannot wait to see what the class creates with the inspiration of these two amazing artists.  I just know it will be fabulous.
     As always, thank you for your constant love and support of our second grade class.  I am truly appreciative.  Have a fantastic rest of the week.  Take care and God bless!

Sincerely,
Ms. Eileen Sepulveda
Your Second Grade Teacher

 

Happy February!!!

Dear Second Grade Parents,
          I just want to thank all of you for the support you give to your children.  I know many of you spent quite a bit of time assisting your "little presidents", or "first ladies" in preparation of their big speech, but let me tell you, it was worth it.  Each student did an AMAZING job and I am so very proud of how much they learned.  I was so proud of them, I had to show off.  Kindergarten came into the classroom to hear the speeches and then the second graders made appearances throughout the school to share their knowledge.  It was a great experience and I have never known a class so eager to do something different.  Thank you, parents for helping to make it happen!
          Now, on to "Read Across America Day"!  This Thursday is "Read Across America Day" and the second grade is marking the day by celebrating the birthday of Dr. Suess.  The class and I will be reading some of his "bigger" books and completing activities throughout the week to enhance reading skills (sequencing, cause and effect, fact vs opinion, etc).  To mark Thursday as a special day, our fabulous room mom, Ann Wieczorek, has graciously (I only had to twist her arm a little), volunteered to make a Suesstastic treat that will be enjoyed at recess- Yum!  Stop by if you would like to see the Suessational fun.
       I believe that is all for now.  I am getting ready to plan a field trip for March.  Stay tuned for details.  In the mean time, have a fantastic week and thank you for all you do to make SHA a wonderful place to learn. Take care and God bless!
Sincerely,
Eileen Sepulveda
YOur Second Grade Teacher

Happy New Year!!!!

Dear Second Grade Parents,
          Yes, it is New Year again, Chinese New Year that is.  Monday marked the beginning of the four day celebration to ring in the Year of the Dragon.  A big thank you must go out to Mrs. Ann Wieczorek and Mrs. Theresa Lamb for visiting the second grade classroom and providing us with delicious treats and explaining the customs related to the new year.  It was the perfect addition to our study of the Core Knowledge Unit on Ancient China.
         Our next Core Knowledge Unit of study in Social Studies is Ancient Greece.  It is a great unit and I am certain the class will enjoy their study of the ancient gods and goddesses.

Happy Friday to all!!
Ms. Eileen Sepulveda
Your Second Grade teacher