It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over and that this is my final newsletter of the year.  It has been a pleasure to work with your children this year and watch them learn and grow!  I am especially pleased that they seem to enjoy reading so much!

We recently celebrated Biography Book Report Day and I invite you to visit the Edline home page and go to Contents, Student Work, and listen to the Second Grade Biography Book Report Podcast.  Also, please visit the Scholastic Hall of Fame at www.scholastic.com to see that we read 50 books and, therefore, helped to donate 250,000 books to kids on military bases.

Your child will soon bring home a green bean plant which we have grown from seeds.  We first examined a lima bean seed and removed the seed coat to see the tiny plant inside with a magnifying glass.  Each student will observe the growth and record results daily in their journals.  We also performed two experiments with celery.  We found that the celery plant needs water and we saw that blue food coloring added to the water traveled up the stem to the leaves.  One other experiment will be done with grass to determine whether or not  plants need light.

We recently completed our study of fractions in math and we are now working on place value to 1,000.  Before the year ends, we will also try some simple multiplication facts. I have a few suggestions for math activities to do with your child this summer.  Addition and subtraction facts to 18 must be memorized before entering third grade because multiplication facts will be presented then.  Flash cards can be used, or you can dictate problems orally or write problems for your child.  There are also many excellent math websites with games to reinforce addition and subtraction facts.  (Go to our school website and go to educational links.)  If your child is still counting on fingers, drawing lines, or using a ruler, he/she needs additional practice.  I am including a drill sheet that you may use with your child this summer.  These examples should be completed in two minutes. Also, please allow your child to count and/or spend small amounts of money, up to several dollars.  Store circulars and restaurant menus can be used in a fun way to add prices of items.  Ask your child what time it is on the clock and what the temperature is on a thermometer.  You can ask your child to measure an object with an inch ruler, centimeter ruler, or yardstick.  I would also strongly suggest that your child complete any unfinished pages in our math book (with your help, if necessary).  This is good preparation for third grade.  If you have any questions during the summer, please call the school (237-6800) and leave a message for me and I will return your call as soon as possible. 

We have been working very hard on learning the lowercase cursive letters.  Time will not allow us to finish our handwriting books, so I hope each student will take time during the summer to practice each letter in preparation for third grade. 

My final suggestion for the summer is to encourage your child to keep reading, whether it is a book, a magazine, or a newspaper.  The Meriden Public Library has story hours and activities for children and they are free!  If your child does not have a library card, this is a perfect time to ask for one and take out some books for summer reading.  If you are looking for book suggestions for your child, look for a link on the grade 2 website that will bring you to the 2002 Archdiocesan Suggested Book List, or go to www.scholastic.com, Summer Reading Challenge, Summer Reading Lists.  The Scholastic Reading Lists contain more current titles than the Archdiocesan list.

     Some of our favorite websites that we explored this year that include reading, math, and science activities are:
     www.enchantedlearning.com
     www.scholastic.com/sn2
     www.funbrain.com
     www.kidwings.com  (for a look at owl pellet dissection)
     www.mhschool.com  (math or reading)
     www.brainpop.com

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents who have helped in so many ways this school year.  Thanks for sending in juice, snacks, and other treats for birthdays and holiday parties.  Thanks for helping your child study spelling and reading vocabulary words and listening to him/her read books to you each week.  Thanks to the parents who helped to prepare their children for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion. Thanks to the parents who accompanied us to Action Wildlife and the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. Thanks to the parents who ordered books and materials from Lucky Book Club and Click! – I was able to add many free books to our second grade library.  And, finally, thanks to the parents who were able to come in for lunch duty and recess duty. 
 

Have a safe, healthy, and happy summer vacation!!

Mrs. Connie Cyr

Great websites for math:

     www.funbrain.com/math
Suggested games are Math Baseball. Math Car Racing, Soccer Shootout 
(Grammar games are Grammar Gorillas and Plural Girls)

    www.mhschool.com/math
Select a Program:  McGraw-Hill Mathematics
Click on the Grade 2 Textbook and scroll down to Fact Dash

    www.arcademicskillbuilders.com
There are two addition games and two subtraction games to reinforce math facts.

For more math games, go to our school website, www.sjs-meriden.org,
Go to Students and Programs, Links, Educational Links, and then Math.  There are many suggestions for math websites.