NEWSLETTER - APRIL 30TH

Hi! We've made it to the end of our last week in April!!! What a great week it was! The Young Scientists began the week learning about volcanoes! We discussed how the concept of force (which we recently learned about) is at work when a volcano erupts, and we also discussed the concept of heat (which is part of the Science chapter we're currently studying) and the role it plays with volcanoes. We looked at examples of real-life volcanoes on the smart board, including the one that recently erupted in Iceland, and then the children made their own volcanoes in the Science Lab. How exciting!

We also began our last reading unit of the year, which is full of selections all about Our Country and Its People. We read a story called The First Americans, and we discussed what it must have been like to be a Native American long ago. We practiced summarizing, visualizing, monitoring & clarifying, and making connections as we read. We had a WONDERFUL time watching "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat," too! Here are a few other things we learned:
*Math - We focused a lot on multiplication concepts.
*Writing - We practiced writing a 5 paragraph essay about our moms. We discussed ways to make our writing more interesting, such as using lots of adjectives and similies.
*Science - We began a unit about energy, focusing on what heat is, what heat does, where heat comes from, how sound is made, and what sounds move through. We made our musical instruments and talked about how they make sound. Then, we had a little parade and made lots of noise!!! We learned a song called "The Energy Rap," too. Have your child sing it for you!
*Language Arts - We reviewed compound words, alphabetical order, pronouns, synonyms, capitalization, and punctuation.
*Bible - We talked about how we can serve God with our voices and we discussed what it means to be "the salt of the earth." We also began learning Ephesians 6:10-20 which will be our passage to recite at our last chapel of the year!

Here are some important upcoming reminders:
*Friday 5/7 - 1:45 - Mother's Day Celebration!
*Friday, 5/14 - Last day the children have to wear uniforms!!!
*5/20 - Elementary Concert at Northside Baptist Church - 7:00 PM
*FRIDAY, 5/21 - LAST DAY FOR HOT LUNCHES!!! Please be sure to pack a lunch each day for the last week of school...except Monday when we'll be at Chuck E. Cheese!!!
*Monday, 5/24 - End of the year party at Chuck E. Cheese
*5/26 - FIELD DAY - 9:30-2:30. See Coach Madascz if you'd like to volunteer to help on this fun-filled day! Boys may wear bathing suits and t-shirts, and girls may wear bathing suits under their clothes, because they may get wet!!! Be sure to apply sunscreen to your child before sending him/her to school that day!!!
*5/27 - Last Day of School!!!

This week during my personal devotion time, I've been reading in the Book of Esther. This Book is one of my favorite Books in the Bible because it encourages me to be strong and brave in the face of adversity like Esther was, and because it shows how God works through people. Every time I read the end of Chapter 4 verse 14 it just give me chills. It says, "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" God put Esther in the perfect place at the perfect time so that she could save her people, and He does the same thing with His people still. He puts us right where He wants us so that we can work for Him and be a part of His will being carried out. What an honor and a privilege that He includes us in His work every day!

Have a FABULOUS weekend!

In Christ's Name,
:) Mrs. Corsino and Mrs. Ludwig

PS Mrs. Corsino's Star Student next week will be JACOB. Mrs. Ludwig's will be JASMINE.

SECRET WORD: SALT

Newsletter - April 23rd

Hi, everyone! We made it to the end of SAT Testing week...wooooohoooooooooo! I am so proud of how diligent the children were each and every day! They worked hard every morning, we did a little review each day for the next day's test, and then the kiddos had fun with their special activities! Bubble day was a favorite of mine!!! Bubbles, bubbles everywhere!

It's hard to believe, but the year is winding down. Here are some reminders of upcoming dates:
*This coming Monday, April 26th, Vernon Photography will be here to photograph our students.
· This will be the “Class Group Picture”.
· All students must be in NCS uniform.
*Thursday, 4/29 - Sunday, 5/2 - NCS Musical - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - You may purchase your tickets at our school's website. (http://www.nck12.com/)
*NEXT FRIDAY, 4/30TH, WE WILL BE MAKING INSTUMENTS AT SCHOOL. (We are studying sound.) WE NEED EACH CHILD TO BRING IN SOME KIND OF PLASTIC CONTAINER WITH A LID. (ex. A butter container, a coffee container, a Crystal Light container, etc.) THANKS!!!
*Friday 5/7 - 1:45 - Mother's Day Celebration! I hope that all of you special moms can come! Friends, aunts, grandmas, uncles, grandpas, and dads are welcome if moms are unable to attend!
*5/20 - Elementary Concert at Northside Baptist Church - 7:00 PM
Monday, 5/24 - Tentative date for end of year party at Chuck E. Cheese. If approved, the cost will be $8.00 per child.
5/27 - Last Day of School!!!

At church last Saturday night, Pastor Kroll was talking about Ephesians 6. Verses 10-16 say, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

In this life, we will all have our share of trouble at one time or another. God gave us His Word to help us. When we "put on the full armor of God" then we are ready to take on anything!

Have a great weekend with your sweeties!

In Christ's Name,
Mrs. Corsino and Mrs. Ludwig

PS Mrs. Corsino's Star Student next week will be TAYLOR!!! Mrs. Ludwig's will be MARIA!!!

SECRET WORDS: NO MORE TESTING!!!

NEWSLETTER - APRIL 16TH

Hi! Happy Friday, everyone!!! We sure did have a busy week here in second grade! We continued our unit on "Courage" by reading a fantastic selection called "Brave as a Mountain Lion." While reading, we talked about how authors have purposes for writing, and we practiced summarizing. We spent some time reviewing for next week's SAT testing, too! Be sure that your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day! Also, be sure to have your sweetie to school on time as testing will start first thing in the morning!

Here are just some of the things we focused on this week:
*Reading - We worked on using strategies for comprehension and discussed how authors have purposes for writing.
*Writing - We did lots of journaling and practiced using our language arts skills in our writing.
*Math - We did TONS of review...addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, counting coins, telling time, place value, odd/even, reading temperature on a thermometer, fractions, probability, greater than/less than, etc.
*Science - We continued learning about force, motion, and simple machines.
*Social Studies - We practiced identifying some famous Americans and famous American buildings.

Here are some important reminders:
*SAT testing each day next week. BE SURE TO BE ON TIME EACH DAY! Remember, after testing every day we will do a fun activity:
MONDAY - Bring a toy from home to play with. No electronic games or weapons, please!
TUESDAY - Bring a board game to play with friends.
WEDNESDAY - Bring in some bubbles to blow!
THURSDAY - Bring some sidewalk chalk to draw with!
FRIDAY - MOVIE PARTY! We need drinks and popcorn if you'd like to send some in!
*Friday, 5/7 - Mother's Day Celebration - 1:45. We hope all moms can come and be honored this day! (Friends, aunts, grandmas, or even dads, uncles, or grandpas are welcome if moms can't come!)
*5/20 - Elementary Concert at Northside Baptist Church - 7:00 PM
*Monday, 5/24 - This date is tentatively scheduled as our End of the Year Party at Chuck E. Cheese, pending approval. The cost will be $8.00 per child. Please do not send this in yet...we'll let you know when the trip has been approved. Thanks!
*5/27 - Last Day of School!!!

This week during my personal devotion time, I continued reading in the Book of Nehemiah. One part that really got my attention was Chapter 8 Verse 18, which says, "Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God." Just before this statement, the Israelites were weeping as the Book of the Law of God (the Old Testament) was read to them because they realized how far away from the Lord they had been. Nehemiah (the governor) tells them not to weep over the past, but to rejoice that they can renew and strengthen their relationship with the Lord. Then, every day for a week, Ezra the priest reads God's Word to them. Sometimes we may feel like we have drifted away from the Lord...but He will always welcome us back with open arms! Spending time in the Bible each day can help us to grow closer and closer to Him!

Enjoy your weekend!

In Christ's Name,
Mrs. Corsino and Mrs. Ludwig

PS Next week, Mrs. Corsino's Star Student will be MACAULEY. Mrs. Ludwig's will be CORI.

PPS Mrs. Corsino is still in need of clear page protectors, paper towels, tissues, colored scrapbook paper, different colored Sharpies, and gift cards to Wal-Mart for picture developing. THANKS!
:-)

PPPS NO HOMEWORK OR SPELLING TEST NEXT WEEK DUE TO SAT TESTING!!!

SECRET WORD: SAT's!!!

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NEWSLETTER - APRIL 9TH

Hi, everyone! Happy Friday! We've come to the end of a wonderful week here in second grade! We started the week by sharing the fun that we had over Spring Break. I loved hearing about all of the adventures your families had! Then, after sharing, the children wrote essays in their Author's Notebooks about their amazing experiences. I enjoyed reading these soooo much!

Here are some other things we learned:
* Writing - We focused on "elaboration" and "adding details" in our writing. Mrs. Corsino's class wrote spring poems using lots of adjectives and the 5 senses (which are hanging on our bulletin board if you'd like to come by and see), and Mrs. Ludwig's class wrote bunny fairy tales!
* Math - We continued to work on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. We did some SAT review, too!
* Science - We really delved into our Science unit on motion and energy. We talked about what makes things move and how to make things go faster and farther. We focused on the concepts of force, friction, and gravity.
*Reading - We talked about the difference between easy books, just-right books, and challenge books, and we discussed how readers of all ages need to read all 3 kinds! We also talked about what people consider when choosing books to read, and the children did lots of independent reading. We did some SAT reading practice, too!
*Language Arts - We reviewed capitalization and punctuation rules.
*Bible - We discussed the story of the prodigal son and talked about the importance of forgiveness.
* We are moving right along in our cursive handwriting, too!

Here are some announcements/reminders:
***NEXT TUESDAY, APRIL 13TH IS OUR MIKE HUCKABEE EVENT!!! IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR TICKETS!!! IT SHOULD BE A FANTASTIC EVENING!!!
4/19-22 - Elementary SAT Testing
5/20 - Elementary Concert at Northside Baptist Church - 7:00 PM
5/27 - Last Day of School!!!

This week during my personal devotion time at home, I've been reading from the book of Nehemiah. This book describes the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. There was much opposition to the rebuilding efforts from others, but despite all of the difficulties, Nehemiah and the Israelites didn't give up. In chapter 4, people are plotting to come against Jerusalem and stir up trouble for the Israelites. Verses 8 and 9 say, "They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat." When opposition happened, the Israelintes did 2 things. First, and most important, they prayed. They turned to God for help. Then, they took action by posting guards. This was a great reminder to me. When experiencing times of trouble, FIRST, pray...THEN, take action.

Have a great weekend!

In Christ's Name,
Mrs. Corsino and Mrs. Ludwig

PS Mrs. Corsino's Star Student next week will be KAYLEE. Mrs. Ludwig's will be SYDNEY.

PPS SOME SECOND GRADE NEEDS INCLUDE: SHARPIE MARKERS IN ALL DIFFERENT COLORS, PAPER TOWELS, CLOROX WIPES, TISSUES, WET GLUE, GLUE STICKS, ITEMS FOR CLASSROOM STORE/TREASURE BOX. THANKS A BUNCH!!!

MRS. CORSINO ALSO NEEDS WAL-MART GIFT CARDS SO THAT SHE CAN DEVELOP SOME PICTURES AT WAL-MART.COM PHOTO CENTER. SHE'S ALREADY DEVELOPED SOME ON HER OWN, BUT WOULD LIKE TO ADD MORE TO THE MEMORY BOOKS IF POSSIBLE. THANKS!!!