Volume 5

January
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January Curriculum
Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity.
We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and
melting like a snowflake.
- Marie Beyon Ray

I
Monsignor Morrison Catholic Elementary School

January

MR. W. MEGLIC

GRADE TWO

n January, in class we
will be highlighting the
following:
MathWe have completed our strand on linear
measurement and have
now begun Place Value.
For the next while, our
focus in math will be on
exploring numbers to 100.
Students will use blocks
to build 2-digit numbers
out of teens and ones, and
will learn about adding
and subtracting with a 2digit number and a 1-digit
number. They will also
use dimes and pennies to
show amounts of money
that are less than $1. An
activity to try with your
child is to set up a store
with some small items
priced between 30 cents
and 99 cents. Give your
child some dimes and
pennies. Ask your child to
choose an item and show
how to pay for it. Following this strand we will
move into 2D geometry.
Language In Language
we will begin with writing
our New Years Resolutions. We will then continue to work with letter
writing. The students will
be writing a thank you
letter or card for a gift that
was received during
Christmas. Next, we will
look at procedural writing,
by creating a procedure
with diagrams and description. The use of verbs
will also be touched upon.
We will be looking at

nonfiction books and

what are the conventions
of a nonfiction book
( photographs, comparisons, labels, types of
print, captions. Maps,
table of contents, cutaways and glossary/
index). In class we will
also begin to look at the
media, more specifically
labels, packages, ads and
coupons. In spelling our
next quiz is on Jan. 11th
and is lesson #12.
Science The students
have begun the strand in
forces and movement.
We will be talking about
the different types of
energy. More specifically we will concentrate
on moving air and moving water.
Social Studies We
will be looking at celebrations around the
world. More specifically
we will be looking at
how different cultures
celebrate Christmas.
Physical Education
The class will begin a
new strand, gymnastics.
Please remind your child
that s/he is to have his or
her gym clothes at
school. During this
strand it is recommended
that all students with
long hair, to please tie it
back, or place it in a
pony tail for safety reasons.
Health In health we

will discuss how to stay

healthy by washing our
hands during a cold season. We will touch upon
the term bacteria and virus.
Religion We will review the procedure of
reconciliation and talk
about our own personal
reflection before going to
confession.
Fully Alive -We will
discuss the importance of
family and that each child
has a position, and understand the value of friendship among brothers and
sisters. We will also explore the pleasures and
challenges of friendship,
and be encouraged to
appreciate that all people
need friends in their lives.
ArtWe will look at and
discuss the work of Mondrian, and create our own
masterpiece following his
style of art.
Pencils: Please make
sure your student comes
prepared to class every
single day.
Catholic Graduate Expectation: A reflective,
creative holistic thinker.
I have thoughts and opinions that matter.
I make good choices.
I have hope for the future.
I solve problems with
knowledge, understanding and prayer.
I know we are all equal and
special.

Cooperative Learning
On the last newsletter I discussed
what a focus lesson is, in this newsletter I will continue
with cooperative
learning.
Cooperative learning
was proposed in response to traditional
curriculum-driven
education. In cooperative learning environments, students
interact in purposely structured heterogeneous groups to support the
learning of one self and others in
the same group.

Cooperative learning focuses on

opportunities to encourage both
individual flexibility
and affinity to a
learning community.
Cooperative learning
seeks to foster some
benefits from the
freedom of individual learning and
other benefits from
collaborative learning. Cooperative
learning explicitly builds cooperation skills by assigning roles to
team members and establishing
norms for conflict resolution via

arbitration. Cooperative learning

also provides the means for group
reflection and individual selfassessment.
Some advantages of cooperative
learning include that it helps foster
mutual responsibility. It is supported by research as an effective
technique. Students also learn to be
patient, less critical and more compassionate.

January Prayer
We thank You for the gift of each
other, for it is through one another
that we experience oneness with
You. Keep us close and never let us
stray from You.

God of New Beginnings,

We come before you
with open hearts and out
stretched arms, seeking
guidance as we reach
beyond ourselves to find
Your love in those we
meet.

As we begin this new year, into the

depths of Your love, we are hopeful
and certain of your powerful and
gentle presence.

We ask that our arms

might embrace Your
Spirit and that our eyes
continue to see you in
others as we celebrate
Your love.
We ask for the strength
and patience to be people
of peace, and instruments
of justice.
By simplifying our lives, may we
come to discover the simplicity of

Page 2

Amen
(Xavier University)

Your message. Through your

strength we open ourselves in a new
way, committing ourselves to walk
Your path and share in Your work.

JANUARY

11 Ways To Raise A Grateful Child

(www.bonbonbreak.com)
Thank you .
Thank you for my pencil / for opening my container .
Thank you for reading to me.
Little Brother, thanks for the balloon. Thanks for getting my favorite color.
When I hear the students say these things, unprompted by me, I feelwellthankful. I am grateful that they are starting
to appreciate what they have and what others do for them and to recognize that expressing their gratitude to others is kind
and important. So, just how do we raise a grateful child? Im not an expert on gratitude, but I am sure that appreciation is
not taught with a single, mind-changing lesson. Rather, the lessons are in the every day. And it isnt just about teaching
appreciation for things. Appreciating experiences and other people are important too. Here are 11 ways to raise a grateful
child.
1.

Tell him thank you. Much like give respect to be respected, children learn to appreciate by being appreciated.
Thank your child for clearing the table, for playing nicely with his little sister, for waiting patiently while you finish
a phone call.

2.

Let him hear you thank others. Our children learn so much by watching us. We can tell our kids to be grateful,
but showing them what that means is so much more powerful.

3.

Dont give her everything she wants. - Is it cliche to say that kids who have everything will appreciate nothing?

4.

Give her the things she needs, and provide her with opportunities to earn the things she wants. Earning can
take many forms, like a reward for accomplishing a certain goal or an allowance for chores. Even if you dont want
to tie an allowance to chores, the simple expectation that kids use their own money buy extras helps them to understand that many experiences and things require someones hard work.

5.

Keep rewards reasonable. It doesnt take much to make kids happy, but when they constantly receive big rewards
we are setting them up to think big is a way of life.

6.

Call her out when she is unappreciative. This doesnt mean lecture the poor kid about how ungrateful she is, of
course, but gently let her know, Hey, youre really taking this for granted and its not okay.

7.

Give back. - There are so many ways to give back to our community and to those in need.

8.

Help your child see the need around her. Need can come in so many forms. No matter your familys situation,
you can likely find examples in your community of people in greater need.

9.

Teach your child about developing countries. Not in a Woe are the poor people in those other countries kind of
way, but in a more specific way. Talk about how some countries do not have clean drinking water or medicines
available. Find examples in the news or books to share with your kids. Sponsor a child through Food for the Hungry and have your child exchange letters with her, and talk about why your sponsorship is important. Help your
child to recognize that there is a world beyond her own.

10.

Incorporate daily gratitudes into your familys routine. Whether it is part of your dinnertime routine, bedt
ime, or some sort of gratitude journal, encourage your child to find things to be thankful for every day. Help him t
o notice the little things that we so often take for granted.

11.

Write thank you notes. Good ol fashioned thank you notes. They can also help children to realize that the fact a
person gave them a gift or came to their party or did something especially nice for them is worth being recogn
gized.