Texarkana did not receive the snow we hoped for, but second grade students did not let that stop them from having an epic snowball fight! We turned our excitement in a different direction and had a classroom snowball fight! Students crumbled papers that were printed with contractions and the 2 words that make a contraction into snowballs. They competed in 30-second snowball fights and each time the fight was over they unfolded their snowballs to break apart or build a contraction with the word(s) on the paper. Multi-sensory activities always ensure students are engaged and learning as well as having fun!

We love to be hands-on in second grade! Students are working hard to learn subtraction strategies with numbers to 200. They use place value charts and manipulatives like place value blocks and place value chips to model math problems. Before the learning begins, students get a few minutes to build and explore with their blocks. This time of “play” allows students become familiar with their math tools, gives them an outlet for creativity and independence, and also improves focus and participation during the math lessons.

Second graders have been learning about plants and animals, how they work together in an environment, and the benefits of symbiotic relationships. Each student chose an animal to research and then created habitat dioramas. They presented their research and displayed their habitats for our Saint James community. Students discovered facts about their animal like diet, lifespan, habitat and predators. They learned that “vore” means eat and also learned carnivores are meat eaters, herbivores are plant eaters and omnivores eat both plants and animals. Nice work second grade!

Second graders helped host a Thanksgiving Chili Feast with all the Lower School families and it was a great event. Students performs short poems, songs, and told the audience what they were thankful for this year. Second graders sang a song of thanks to their parents and did an excellent job remembering the words!

The recent cooler weather brought about some creativity and collaboration on the playground. For the past two weeks students from all grade levels have worked tirelessly to create many types of structures using sticks they collected and a cluster of trees on the Lower School playground. Watching the kids problem solve, work together, adjust their strategies when they needed to, and tap into their outdoor-play creativity has been very rewarding to the teachers and students.

Second grade is erupting with fun! Students have studied ways the surface of the Earth can change quickly and over long periods of time. They learned what makes the Earth shake, glaciers are like rivers of ice, and volcanoes can be destructive and creative. We had a little fun in class and modeled creative volcanic eruptions in class.

Tuesday, November 5th was Election Day and our students practiced their future civic duty of voting. Each Lower School student waited in line at the polls for their turn to use a voting booth cast their vote on paper ballots. Students voted for “The Best Things in Life”. Categories were: Best game in PE, Best Animal, Favorite Snack, Best Movie Character, and Best Thing to Add to the Playground. They even got to turn their ballots into a ballot box and results were announced the next day. Great job Lower School students!

The fall season brings about many fun activities at SJDS. One of the beloved events is Book Character Day. Students pick a character from a book of their choosing and come to school dressed as that character. They also give a brief presentation telling why they chose their book, character, and any favorite parts or interesting details from the book.

Halloween Day was another exciting time for students. Each classroom participated in Minute-to-Win-It games in the commons and had a Mummy Making Competition.

Second grade wants to give a special thank you to Mrs. Denise and the Middle School students for a very fun hay ride and visit to the pumpkin patch and for making the fall season such a fun time at St. James Day School.

Second graders have continued studying force and have recently explored gravity. They learned that gravity is a force that pulls objects with mass toward the Earth. Students used their knowledge of matter, physical properties, and gravity to create a structure that would protect an egg that would be dropped from the playground bridge. STEM Fridays are always full of learning and teamwork. All the eggs broke but the girls’ team was declared most successful because their egg only cracked unlike the boys’ teams eggs that busted open completely.

Second grade students partnered with first grade students to clean up the ground along the St. James driveway. Students at SJDS learn from an early age the importance of helping in the community.

Leadership is very important in the development and growth of a St. James Spartan. Students showed their leadership skills this week when they read to the first grade class. First and second graders were put into groups and second graders read the weekly story to their group and even answered comprehension questions.