Holidays and More:
In The Know
It’s hard to believe how fast the month of September is flying by. We have been very busy this month, getting to know each other better, learning new routines, and brainstorming rules that will help make our classroom a safe and happy place to learn.
Learning Skills:
It is important that our Grade 2 students have a strong understanding of what work habits are and how these habits will help them grow as a learner. We are completing a booklet on Learning Skills, brainstorming ideas and then writing them down in our booklets.
Language Arts:
Writing-This past month the focus of our journal entries have been the Chagim. The children were asked what they were most excited about Rosh Hashanah and how they were going to make Yom Kippur meanful. We brainstormed ideas and then they were asked to complete an entry independently. If they did not know how to spell a word they underlined it and continued on. Once their journal was completed, I reviewed them with each child and I underlined the words that were in their dictionaries and then they were required to edit their work. Capitals and periods are the writing conventions we are focusing on whenever we complete a sentence.
Reading-Evaluations have started to see where your child is on their own personal learning journey. Resource sessions are well under way with Ms. Honey and we work as a team to ensure academic growth. You will be contacted this week by email if your child benefits from daily practice. For those students who meet or exceed the Grade 2 expectations for this point in the school year, they should be reading often just for the love of reading. Please note during our Language Arts blocks each child’s work has been personalized to ensure we have happy, engaged students.
Library/Social Studies-During our library periods Ms. Brigitte has begun our first novel study, books written by Patricia Polacco. Her books are a wonderful addition to our first Social Studies unit on Changing Family and Community Traditions. We are presently investigating some of the past and present traditions and celebrations within their own family to which they belong. For this week please have a conversation about a holiday tradition or artifact (e.g., Shabbat candle sticks or special holiday table cloth) that was passed down from generation to generation. They will be asked to share and draw a picture of this tradition or artifact next week.
We also used Venn Diagrams to compare various New Year celebrations within our multicultural community. The students then worked in groups on an assigned New Year’s celebration and presented their project to the class.
Science:
This month our focus is on Movement and Simple Machines. The students completed an experiment where they discovered and saw evidence that Newton’s 1st law tells us that an object won’t change its motion unless acted upon by a force and Newton’s 2nd law tells us that heavier objects need a larger force to move them. Sorry no photos we were too busy having fun. We are also completing a rhyming book on how animals move.
Math:
Evaluations have started to see where your child is on their own personal learning journey. Resource sessions are well under way with Mrs. Cleveland and we work as a team to ensure academic growth. You will be contacted by email if your child benefits from the practice of a particular concept. Math homework will be only assigned to those that need the practice, this will start after the Chagim.
Pardon-Sorry-Slicha!
Dear grade 2 parents!
Joyeux Yom Kippur!
Another 2 weeks of fun and educational activities for our kiddos.The focus during these 2 weeks was le son composé OM-ON and school vocabulary.We also talked about Rosh Hashanah and learnt some words associated with this important celebration as well as Yom Kippur.The students made beautiful paintings and they were excited to read small texts and say sorry to each other practicing the word “pardon”.Here are some of the videos of the presentation for Rosh Hashanah.
The first two weeks
First Two weeks!
Back To School Night
Bonjour!bonjour!bonjour!
Hello OJCS parents and welcome to grade 2!
Can you believe another school year is upon us?If you don’t already know me, my name is Madame Efi Mouchou.This is my 2nd year at OJCS and I look forward to forming relationships with the new kids and continuing teaching your kiddos. It has been a pleasure working with your children and I have seen so much growth and learning already in the short amount of time we have had together. Last week we spent time getting to know our new friends,making them feel welcomed and establishing the classroom rules.We revised some of the things we learnt last year like sounds and various vocabulary,we read a lot and of course I insisted on their speaking french as much as possible.I look forward to meeting you all at back-to-school night on the 19th.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me through email or a phone call.
Summer blog
Salut mes amis,
Here is the blog with many fun activities and games for the kids to do over the summer to revise everything they have learnt this year.I hope they enjoy the games.
OK
How Best To Support At Home (Next Steps)
How Best To Support At Home
Here are a few videos, games, apps and anchor charts to help with supporting your child at home over the summer. I have reposted some of the items from last term as they continue to be helpful tools. Remember not all of the items posted is for everyone. We are all on our own learning journey.
Printing:
- Click on this video to review the correct way to hold a pencil.
Handwriting Without Tears letter and number formation.
Letter placement anchor chart.
Writing:
A personal narrative video 1
A personal narrative video 2
A personal narrative video 3
A personal narrative video 4
A personal narrative video 5
Paper to print on.
Math:
Extra support for Math below if needed:
- Click on this video to see various addition strategies introduced in class.
- Click on this video to see how to add double digits with regrouping.
- Click on this video to see various subtraction strategies introduced in class. I have not used Touch Math.
- Click on this video to see how to subtract double digits.
- Click on this video to see what the students have learned about place value.
- Use IXL to practise various skills. Remember to use starred items. Listening to this video will help you use IXL as it was intended.
Science:
Read science books on Epic. Code (cyr9056) Sorry but this option is only available for free during school hours.
If needed review these videos on Liquids Solids and Gas.
Social Studies:
Read books on Epic. Code (cyr9056) Sorry but this option is only available for free during school hours.
Ithaca
A journey to Ithaca never ends………..
My dear parents and students,
Our educational journey is almost coming to a close for this school year, with lots of positive moments and maybe a few challenging ones, at times. Speaking for myself, one of the greatest moments was when I joined the OJCS school, meeting such beautiful people and appreciating the Jews values and heritage that are celebrated. Being a diplomat’s wife, I am certainly used to developing an appreciation for different cultures and traditions and making lifelong friendships, but teaching in a school with a trilingual curriculum is unique. Shifting from “Good morning” to “Bonjour” and “Shalom” daily, opens a door to a whole new world not only for our kiddos but for us, the teachers as well. I don’t want to start listing the advantages of such education because; I am sure you all know them very well, and you can see the results everyday. However, I would like to stress that as we all try to achieve our goals, it is important not to lose sight of the journey. Ithaca, in Homer’s Odyssey, symbolizes this idea of a destination as a long and winding journey, where the supreme aim is to find fulfillment, such as changing careers, getting a new job, passing an exam, coping with a serious health problem, moving to another country, or school, going through the loss of a parent, and so forth. Constantine Cavafy (one of the most renowned Greek poets) wrote the poem “Ithaca” in 1911, inspired by Odysseus’ journey home after the end of the Trojan War. Cavafy describes Odysseus seeing amazing things, without caring for the destination as he is, advised: “Do not hurry your trip in any way.” That’s what we should all pray for dear friends and students, a long trip full of adventures, difficulties that grow us, and numerous learning opportunities so that when we reach our destination, we will be rich in maturity, knowledge, and wisdom. No matter the hardships, never give up!
Now I would like you all to listen to the poem recited by the amazing Sean Connery and set to the music of Vangelis Papathanassiou.
Sean Connery reads ITHAKA | Powerful Life Poem by C.P.Cavafy
