Welcome to Second Grade
Welcome to the start of our second-grade adventure—I’m so excited to begin this journey together! This blog will be a space where I share classroom highlights, learning goals, and ways you can support your child at home. My hope is that it becomes a bridge between what happens in our classroom and the wonderful learning that continues at home with you.
Building Our Classroom Community
In second grade, we focus not only on growing academic skills but also on strengthening independence, curiosity, and kindness. You’ll see your child taking on new challenges, collaborating with classmates, and finding joy in learning each day. The first few weeks are all about creating a strong, supportive classroom community and establishing routines that help every child feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.
Our Partnership With Families
Caregivers play an essential role in this process, and I truly value the partnership we build with families. Throughout the year, I’ll share updates, tips, and questions that can spark meaningful conversations at home. Your encouragement and involvement help students see that school and home are connected, and that their learning matters to the people who matter most to them.
Looking Ahead
As we get started, we’ll be diving into exciting topics across reading, writing, math, science, and social-emotional learning. You can expect your child to explore new ideas, practice important skills, and grow as both a learner and a friend. Together, we’ll celebrate progress, overcome challenges, and enjoy the milestones that make second grade such a special year.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you for trusting me with your wonderful children—it’s a privilege I do not take lightly. I look forward to learning, growing, and celebrating successes with your child this year. Here’s to a year full of curiosity, creativity, and community in second grade!
Reminders:
If there is a change to your child’s schedule or dismissal plan, please reach out to Cindy LaWare (claware@cvsdvt.org) and your child’s classroom teacher. It is so important we are all kept in the loop and are aware of your child’s plans!
There is a PTO meeting on Wednesday, September 17th in the CCS Library from 5:30pm until 6:30pm.
On Tuesday, September 30th we will have an Open House from 5:00pm until 6:00 pm. There will be a CCS PTO Potluck outside on the playground from 6:00pm until 7:00pm.
If you would like to volunteer to lead a Pease Mountain hike, please check out the Pease Mountain sign up.
Word Study: In Word Study, we began the year by reviewing first-grade Heart Words—high-frequency words where students can sound out many parts of the word, but some parts are “tricky” and need to be remembered by heart. We also launched a handwriting mini-unit, where students are practicing correct letter formations, posture, and pencil grip. So far, we’ve completed all of our uppercase letters and are partway through our lowercase set. This focused practice not only builds accuracy but also helps students develop the stamina they need to write for longer periods with confidence and ease.
Writers Workshop: In Writer’s Workshop, we began with a mini-unit on oral storytelling, where students practiced sharing personal experiences out loud before putting their ideas on paper. This practice helps children develop sentence fluency and strengthen their ability to organize ideas—skills that make the writing process smoother when it’s time to pick up a pencil. We then completed our first on-demand writing assignment, where students wrote a personal narrative all on their own. This important piece of writing gave us a snapshot of each child’s starting point and helped launch our next unit, Small Moment Stories, where writers will zoom in on one meaningful moment and stretch it into a full, detailed narrative.
Readers Workshop: In Reader’s Workshop, we started the year by reviewing what personal reading time looks like, sounds like, and feels like so that students know how to make the most of their independent reading. We also practiced sustained silent reading to begin building stamina and focus. Now we’ve launched our first unit, Reading Growth Spurts, which encourages students to read with purpose, fluency, and expression. This unit helps children see themselves as growing readers who can stretch their skills and enjoy books in new ways.
Math: In Math, we kicked off the year by focusing on developing a growth mindset through Jo Boaler’s YouCubed lessons. These activities encourage students to see mistakes as opportunities for learning, to try multiple strategies when solving problems, and to recognize that everyone can grow as a mathematician with effort and perseverance. By starting with this foundation, we are helping students build confidence, resilience, and a positive attitude toward math that will support them throughout the year.
Science: In Science, we began with a lesson from Mystery Science called “How do scientists know so much?” This sparked curiosity as students explored how scientists ask questions, make observations, and gather evidence to learn about the world around them. Starting with this big question helped students see that science is not just about facts—it’s about wondering, investigating, and discovering answers. This foundation will guide our upcoming science work as we practice thinking and exploring like real scientists.
Community Time: In Community Time, we’ve gathered often as a Second Grade Squad to strengthen our sense of belonging and teamwork. Some highlights so far include whole-team read-alouds, a lively sing-along, extra recess on the playground, and a special game of “freeze tag” where students unfroze classmates by finding one way they were the same and one way they were different. This activity tied beautifully to our second-grade mantra: we are all the same, we are all different, we are all unique. These shared experiences are helping students see the value of both individuality and connection as we build a caring classroom community together. Click here to watch your children singing together!
Field Trip: Our first field trip of the year took us to Shelburne Farms, where students had the exciting opportunity to make their own quesadillas! To prepare, we read the book Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson, which helped students understand where food comes from and the many hands involved in getting it to our plates. In the classroom, we also created our own “quesadillas” out of construction paper, which gave students a chance to practice their fine motor skills with cutting and gluing. The combination of reading, creating, and cooking made this a meaningful and memorable learning experience for everyone. Click here to check out pictures of our trip!
Check out some photos from our time together!
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