April’s Learning Focus Ms. Pickens’ 2nd Grade April News - 2017 Calendar April 7th April Book Orders Due April 6th & 10th Parent/Teacher Conferences April 14th No School April 11th – 15th Kindergarten Registration April 21st Hit the Books baseballs due April 21st Science Fair Permission slips due – Optional Project March MBI Winners Kellen and Lucy were the winners for Always Doing the Right Thing! Great job you two!  Happy Birthday Lucy- 2nd What’s Happening in Second Grade In March, we started our habitat unit. Students did an outstanding job on their dioramas and they make a great hallway display. Make sure to check them out during conferences. They definitely used the knowledge they had acquired in our habitat study to build their habitats. We also spent a week doing fun St. Patrick’s Day science experiments. I think the class favorite was the Rainbow Ring, but they also enjoyed the Rainbow Taste Test as well! I have a smart little group of scientists and they all know how to make an awesome hypothesis. Our Read Across America week was so much fun and I had a great time seeing the creative dress-up day attire. In April, we will finish up our habitat unit and start life cycles of plants and animals. In a couple of weeks we will be raising ladybugs to learn and study their life cycle. Be sure to ask your child for an update on our class ladybugs. At the end of April we will begin our extensive study of the great Explorers, Lewis and Clark. This study will conclude next month with a visit to Travelers Rest. I can’t wait to take your child on this amazing expedition! As a class we will continue to work on being responsible by doing our best work at all times and turning in our completed homework to our reading or math teacher. April’s Learning Focus Phonics- ph, ugh, ff, and au, aw, augh, al Contractions: we are = we’re Adding -ing and -ed Grammar- contractions, suffixes and prefixes, homophones Math- Inches, Centimeters, and 3D Shapes Writing- Informative/Research and Poetry Handwriting – Everyday neatness, line use, formation, and finger spaces. Science and Social Studies- Habitats, Life Cycles, Earth Day, and Lewis and Clark Studying At Home With the weather getting warmer and the days getting longer, remember to keep a schedule to read and study every night. Don’t’ forget to fill out your HIT THE BOOKS forms! Also, March was the last month of the Book-It program, so remember to send in your Book-It reading log for a free pizza! Second graders are beginning to work on measurement and geometry in math, but it is always beneficial for your student to continue to practice basic addition and subtraction facts. Students should have addition and subtraction facts to 20 memorized by the end of second grade. And don’t forget to practice reading an analog clock and counting coins!  Comments, questions and concerns – Contact me! By Phone – School 721-2160 ext. 2080 By E-mail – apickens@hellgate.k12.mt.us In person – Feel free to stop by!