Spring is Near

Wow! What a Winter Break! We could not have planned that any better. I know St. James second graders had lots of fun playing in the snow. We all shared all about sledding, snow angels (and a snow penguin), and some funny stories about snowball fights. The Monday we returned to school, presented itself with small amounts of snow remaining on the ground and the students were very excited to make a few snowballs and then on Tuesday we played outside in short sleeves and even started to sweat. What a weather turnaround.

This week we began Spring Musical practice with the other grade levels. This musical show will be one to remember. I am very proud of the hard work the second grade has demonstrated to learn their song parts and all their dance combinations.

Lately, in class, we have been learning how to choose the most efficient math strategy to solve addition and subtraction problems within 1,000. The kids get very excited when they have a sum or difference close to the number 1,000. We have also been studying objects in the sky, such as the moon, and we have learned much about the phases of the moon. We even made exploding moon rocks and moon dough.


This week students brainstormed what it means to be a good citizen to launch our unit study on Citizenship. Below is a list of some things the students said.

Reagan - “Helping a friend when they’ve had a bad day.”

Westin - “Picking up trash you see on the ground.”

EmmaLynn - “Helping someone when you see they need help.”

AnnaScott - “Being kind and helping others even if you are in a rush.”

Sander - “Giving a band aid to someone who is hurt.”

Colin “Building houses for homeless people.”

The information we learned about the immigration process this week included taking an oath, signing documents, and singing the National Anthem. Over the next 5 weeks will learn more about democracy and why our country’s founders chose this system of government. Ask your child what it means to them to live in the United States and also what makes a good citizen.


Jaclyn Thane