Ms. Belfi
Grade 2

To enhance the excitement and enjoyment of reading students had the opportunity to visit Delsea High School for Read Across America Day on March 5. They participated in various reading and writing activities, listened to Delsea students read stories they created and illustrated, and were given a sneak preview of the stage play being put on by the Delsea students called, "Annie".

This month students will be busy preparing for the spring music program. They are very excited and can't wait to perform for their family and friends.

We will also be preparing for the Terra-Nova test which will be administered in April. Students will be introduced to test taking skills and various test formats. Practice tests will be completed in class and for homework.

We'll continue our "Book in the Bag" program. Students may use these books in conjunction with the new reading program we've begun. The program is sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies. The "Be a Phanatic about Reading" program encourages children to read for 15 min. every night. Children can use their book in the bag along with other books as part of their nightly reading assignment. You may refer to the pamphlets, sent home during Back to School Night, for specific reading strategies that will help you assist your child in becoming a more successful and independent reader. Please remember to fill in your child's baseball calendar each night he/she reads for 15 min. or more. At the end of each month have your child return the calendar to school for a special prize.

This month we will also continue with our "Spotlight On" program. For those of you who could not attend Back to School Night, this program allows you the opportunity to visit your child's classroom to read a book, complete a craft, or to discuss/explain your career or job. If you signed up to visit the classroom during the month of November, then please look for a notice that will be coming home soon in your child's folder. There will be a location on the notice for you to fill out and to sign. Please return this notice to school with your child as soon as possible. If you did not get a chance to sign up, and would like to, please contact me about a month and a day that you would like to visit your child's classroom.

Please remember to sign your child's assignment book each day and look in our child's folder for any homework, graded papers, or notices. If you notice they are having trouble with a specific skill, then please try to help them at home. I do often try to sit with individual children who have demonstrated difficulty with a specific skill on a test, but, there is limited time in class. The extra time and individual attention that you can give your child at home will most certainly make a huge difference.

In Math, we have taken our test on Chapter 7-Telling Time. The students will be coming home with their marked test papers soon. Now, we are currently focusing on counting money. Please practice this skill at home or while out shopping since it is an important life skill. After counting money, we'll be skipping around in the math book. This will give students the opportunity to touch on other important skills before the Terra-Nova test in April. Also, as a reminder, our main focus this year, along with the skills presented in each chapter, will be getting the children to memorize their basic addition/subtraction facts. In the classroom we will be doing this by teaching specific strategies that the children can use to make it more enjoyable for them. We'll also be playing games, working on fact families, and completing daily math fact sheets. If you have flash cards or computer programs available at home, it would be very beneficial for your child to spend some extra time learning the math facts. They will gain confidence and learn to enjoy math. With the home and school working together, I know we can make this a successful and enjoyable school year for your child.

In Reading we are currently working on Unit 4 which focuses on some of the following skills: compare and contrast, fact and opinion, theme and plot, summarizing, multiple meaning words, prefixes, antonyms/homophones, suffixes, synonyms and homographs. Please continue to work with your children at home. They're doing well and are making progress because of your extra efforts.

In spelling each week the children bring home a new list of words. Please review the vowel pattern for that week's list of words with your child. Help them to study for the test each day. New words are usually given every Monday and tests are given each Friday. Also, you may help your child create sentences on the evening it is assigned for homework. In class we are teaching the children how to form more interesting sentences by including more detail, by starting with various words other than I, and by thinking about word choice. Word choice, for example, would be using the word enormous instead of big, or, scampered instead of run. Writing with strong verbs and adjectives will help the reader to create vivid mental images. Helping your child with writing at home will also make a big difference!

In grammar we'll work on using strong adjectives and descriptive writing.

Congratulations to, Milagros, our Citizen of the Month for February!!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have, and I'll contact you as soon as possible.

SPECIALS (Check the monthly calendar to match the day of your child's special with a day of the week.)

Day 1 - Spanish
Day 2 - Gym
Day 3 - Music
Day 4 - Library
Day 5 - Art

March 5	Grade Two-Read Across America Day Trip
March 12	Interim Progress Report Day
March 14	Daylight Savings Time Begins
March 15	Spring Music Program/7PM APR
march 17	St. Patrick's Day
March 22-24	Otis-Lennon Testing
April 1-5	School Closed/Spring Break

Other Places to go:

Google Search Engine
starfall.com
studyisland.com

Email: Ms. Belfi