Message From Mrs. Merritt

Introducing Merritt's Monthly, a newsletter that will be coming home every month with your child.  It will inform you of the things we have accomplished, things that we will be working on and upcoming events for the month.  It will also offer suggestions for things you could be working on at home with your child.
You are your child's best teacher!

 September flew by!  We're off to a great start!  The children have been wonderful.  Second grade will be an exciting and enriching year for your child.

Reading

The Accelerated Reading Program and the Pizza Hut Reading Incentive Program will begin soon.  Your child will need to earn at least 4 Accelerated Reading points each month to receive a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  Any child earning 6 or more points during one month will be invited to the Lunch Bunch.  Children will eat lunch in the room and I will supply a special treat.  It is essential that at least 20 minutes each night be spent reading and discussing books with your child.  Our ScottForesman Reading/Language Arts program will encompass phonics, spelling, oral reading and enrichment activities.  I will send home many activities and games throughout the year that you can do with your child.  You will also find many suggestions at the bottom of your child’s workbook pages to help reinforce skills that have been taught that week.  This program incorporates a variety of themes throughout the year.  Our first theme is about friends and families.  Your child will learn that each person and family is special in its own way.  We will learn that we are all alike in many ways but we are also very different and that’s OK too!  The children will learn to accept people for who they are not how they look. 

Have fun reading!

 Math

We will begin a weekly timed Math Facts test on Fridays.  Your child should strive to complete 50 facts in 5 minutes.  We will begin with easy facts from 10.  Some children are having a difficult time learning their subtraction facts.  Addition seems to be easier for most kids.  Use objects to practice taking things away and counting how many are left.  Try to show your child the relationship between addition and subtraction.  Ex:

4 + 5 = 9        9 - 4 = 5

5 + 4 = 9        9 - 5 = 4

Science

We are learning about living things.  We have been discussing plants and what they need to survive.  Our next unit is an overview of the animal community.  All living things are important to the balance of nature.  Take a walk and identify a variety of trees and other plant life and look for signs of animal inhabitation.  Discuss the changes taking place in plants and animals during autumn.  Make a list of ways you and your child can help clean-up the environment around your home.

Social Studies

We will begin  learning about communities; rural, urban, and suburban.  Let your child explain the differences to you.  We will also be learning some map reading skills.  Review direction words such as north, south, east, west.  Look at a variety of maps with your child and practice locating  places and giving directions on how to get there.  Take a walk around your neighborhood and help your child create a map of your own neighborhood.  Include a map key.

Coming Events

Take this bus to go home