St. Gabriel Grade 2/3 News

Sunday, 19 October 2025

October 20 - 24, 2025

Now that Fall has officially arrived and the mornings are cool, please make certain that your child is dressed in layers and has warm clothes like a coat each day. The weather is often unpredictable and some children have not had adequate clothing at recess. Putting an extra pair of socks in your child's backpack is also a great idea for when little feet get cold and wet.

We Scare Hunger Campaign

From October 20th to October 31st, please consider having your child bring non-perishable food items to school to be donated to the Foodbank. Examples of items to bring: dry pasta, cereals, rice, canned soup, crackers.

Curriculum Update

Language:

In Writing, the children are learning about the features of recount writing and the students are using these features to write their own personal recounts (for example, their Thanksgiving recounts). We will review how to write a good opening sentence when writing a recount.

The Grade 2 students are also working on "What is a sentence?", including how to write a complete sentence using capitalization and correct punctuation (e.g., a period, question mark, exclamation mark). In addition to reviewing how to write a complete sentence that makes sense, the Grade 3s are also learning how to write a paragraph.

During our grammar and word work lessons, we will review common nouns and proper nouns and begin our focus on adjectives.

In phonics, uur next lesson is about the digraph -ng, as in the words king, long, ring, rung, rang, sing, sang, song, sung, hang, thing, wing, bring, swing.

New heart words: or, for

Please have your child practise the heart words we have learned so far in class: the, I, a, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, they, their, were, talk, walk, could, should, would, *or, *for.

Math:

We have completed our Grade 2 and Grade 3 units on patterning (repeating patterns with changing attributes, and increasing and decreasing number patterns). Both grades participated in an assessment of their learning last week. Our next Math unit for both grades is about representing numbers. In Grade 2, students will learn how to read, represent, compose and decompose whole numbers up to and including 200, using a variety of tools and strategies, including base ten materials, and describe ways they are used in everyday life. In Grade 3, students will focus on the same skills but with numbers up to and including 1000. Both grades will also explore what makes a number odd or even.

Link to Grade 2 parent summary letter representing tens here

Link to Grade 3 parent summary letter representing hundreds here

Religion:

We have been learning that we belong to a classroom and school community, our family, and God's family. On Tuesday, we will have a visit from Fr. Kevin from St. Isidore Church who will spend some time with the Grade 2/3 and 1/2 classes and answer questions about the Sacraments.

Looking Ahead:

October 20 - 31: Food drive for Food Cupboard

Monday, Oct. 20: Spelling check-in

Tuesday, Oct. 21: Pizza lunch

Friday, Oct. 25: Library books due

Friday, Oct. 25: School Photo Day

Monday, 13 October 2025

October 14 - 17, 2025

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! This is the time to reflect on and thank God for our many blessings. I am so thankful to have your children in my class!

Our Learning

Math:

We have almost completed our Grade 2 and Grade 3 units on patterning (repeating patterns with changing attributes, and increasing and decreasing number patterns). Both grades will complete an assessment of their learning later this week. Our next Math unit for both grades is about representing numbers. In Grade 2, students will learn how to read, represent, compose and decompose whole numbers up to and including 200, using a variety of tools and strategies, including base ten materials, and describe ways they are used in everyday life. In Grade 3, students will focus on the same skills but with numbers up to and including 1000. Both grades will also explore what makes a number odd or even.

Language:

This week in Writing, we will review how to write a personal recount (recounting a personal experience). We use an anchor chart/criteria chart for the features of a recount (title, opening, events, closing/conclusion, past tense verbs, time order and sequence words such as first, next, then, after, finally, the next day ... etc.) to write about something we did on the Thanksgiving weekend. At home, you can help by asking your child to recount an event to you using the order and sequence words first, next, then, after that, finally. In our study of media, we will continue our unit on how to be good digital citizens and how to be safe when using online tools, using the school board's unit: Samaritans on a Digital Road.

Reading/Spelling:

Our next UFLI phonics lesson is about the digraph sound /wh/, at the beginning of a word, as in the words which, whim, whip, when, whiz, and the digraph sound /ph/, as in the words phone, graph, Phil, Steph.

This week's Heart Words: were, walk, talk, could, would, should

Please also review the following "heart words" that your child would have learned last year: the, I, a, and, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, she, we, they, their, *were, *walk, *talk, *could, *would, *should.

**Next Monday, we will have a "spelling check-in" so please help your child review how to spell the heart words learned so far. See the list above.

Homework:
This week, your child will bring home some homework. The Grade 2s will bring home UFLI phonics homework to reinforce the learning from the last two weeks' phonics lessons about digraphs. The Grade 3s will be given a homework sheet about common nouns and proper nouns to reinforce our learning about nouns from last week. *Please see this video about common and proper nouns here.

Your child's homework will be due back at school on Monday, October 20th.

Important Dates:
Tuesday, October 14 - Pizza lunch
Thursday, October 16 - School Thanksgiving liturgy 1:00 p.m.
Friday, October 17 - Grade 2/3 library books due
Monday, October 20th - Grade 2/3 homework due and Spelling check-in

Sunday, 5 October 2025

Week of October 6 - 10, 2025

Our Learning This Week

Math:

We will continue our study of patterning. This week, we will finish exploring repeating patterns and changing attributes. The Grade Twos will practise recognizing and creating repeating patterns. The Grade Threes will describe, continue, and create repeating patterns that change in more than one way.

Link to Grade 2 Repeating Patterns Parent Summary letter here

Link to Grade 3 Repeating Patterns Parent Summary letter here

Language:

During our grammar and word work lessons, we will begin to learn about the parts of speech called nouns. A noun is a person, place, thing, or animal. We will be exploring proper nouns and common nouns.

Reading/Spelling: Our next UFLI Phonics lessons (Reading and Spelling) will focus on reviewing the consonant digraphs learned last year. A consonant digraph is two consonants that come together to make one sound. We began last week by learning the -FLSZ rule. The -flsz Rule (or "Floss Rule") means that in a one syllable word, if a short vowel is followed by an f, l, s, or z, then the consonant is doubled, as in the words off, bell, pass, buzz. (see last week's blog post). This week, we will review the following digraphs:

1- /LL/ sound: Sometimes, when LL comes after the vowels A, O, and U, the LL changes the vowel sound, such as in the following words:

-all: ball, call, fall, hall, mall, small, stall, tall, wall
-oll: poll, roll, toll, troll
-ull: bull, full, pull

2- voiced /th/ (which comes at the beginning of a word), such as in the words then, that, this, them

3- unvoiced /th/ (also called "voiceless"), such as in the words thin, bath, thanks

4- -ck (When we hear the /k/ sound at the end of a word after a short vowel, we spell it with a ck, like at the end of the words duck, rock, black, sick, quack, stick, clock

5- /ch/, (which can come at the beginning or end of a one-syllable word) as in the words chin, chest, check, rich, such, lunch.

6- /wh/, (which comes at the beginning of a word) as in the words which, whim, when, whiz.

7- /ph/, as in the words phone, graph, Phil, Steph.

REMINDER: What Are "Heart" Words?

Many common words present challenges to children because they are irregular in some way. These words contain letters or letter combinations that do not follow the most common letter-sound correspondences, and those must be learned “by heart,” hence the term “heart” words. Some words are permanently irregular (the sounds of the letters are unique to that word or to a very small number of words) and others are temporarily irregular (words in which we have not yet learned the letter-sound correspondences in the word).

This week's Heart Words: go, no, so, goes, says, she, we, he, they, their.

Please also review the following "heart words" that your child would have learned last year: the, I, a, and, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, *go, *no, *so, *goes, *says, *she, *we, *they, *their.

**At the end of next week, we will have a "spelling check-in" so please help your child learn how to spell and write the heart words learned so far. See the list above.

Religion:

This week we will prepare for Thanksgiving. We will discuss what we are thankful for and how we can use prayer to show that we are thankful.

Physical Education:

We have begun our soccer unit. We will continue to practise our dribbling and trapping skills.

In Visual Arts, we will continue our learning about the primary and secondary colours and the colour wheel. We have been exploring creating works of art using these colours. Ask your child about their beautiful Mondrian-style art work.

Important Dates:

Tuesday, October 7 - Wear your hockey jersey or red and white
Wednesday, October 8 - School photo day
Thursday, October 9 - Library books due
Friday, October 10 - P.D. Day: No school
Monday, October 13 - Thanksgiving: No school

Sunday, 28 September 2025

September 29 - October 3, 2025

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Tuesday, September 30:

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (originally known as Orange Shirt Day) is on Tuesday, September 30. On Tuesday, September 30th, staff and students are invited to wear an orange shirt to participate in the day.

Each year on September 30th, people from all over Canada are invited to wear orange in honour of The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and to remind ourselves that Every Child Matters. Wearing an orange shirt on September 30th is an initiative to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. The inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was recognized by Parliament in partial fulfillment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 80.

The origin of Orange Shirt Day is based on Phyllis Webstad’s story of having her new orange shirt, that her grandmother bought her, taken away on her first day at Residential School. It was replaced by the school uniform. (Phyllis’ Story).

For more information about why we wear orange on September 30th, see official website: http://www.orangeshirtday.org/

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation provides an opportunity for each of us to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools. This includes quiet reflection and participation in school and class activities.

Your child will be learning about the Indian Residential School system in Canada and about reconciliation through participating in this week's stories and activities. The Residential School System was an attempt to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society and to educate them in an environment that removed them from their families and their culture. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission defines reconciliation as “an ongoing process of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships.” First Nations educator Pamela Toulouse says, “Truth and reconciliation are even more necessary in a world that is challenged and for our children and youth who have inherited it.”

Friendly Reminder:

Please have your child bring in a pair of headphones (over the head please) to school to use with his/her class Chromebook. This enables each student to take advantage of hearing the sound on interactive activities such as Zorbits and other curriculum-related videos/activities, as well as when using Google Read and Write features.

Student gmail Account and Hapara Workspace Login Information:

Please ask your child to give you their school board gmail account login information. It will be sent home in their agendas this week and, for privacy reasons, should not be kept in the agenda. Please place it somewhere convenient at home. This login information can be used by your child at home to log in to our class Hapara Workspace (English). In the beginning, while we get used to using the Workspace at school, I will not be posting very much on our class Hapara Workspace. Many students are just learning how to login to their class Chromebooks.

Topics of Learning

Language:

In Writing, we continue to learn about how to stretch out our sentences and add details, without writing run-on sentences. We also continue to learn about how to put several sentences together on a topic to write a good paragraph.

In grammar and word work, we will review common nouns and proper nouns. We will also continue our beginning lessons in our phonics program, UFLI. Last week, we reviewed short vowel sounds and the "-flsz rule" during our phonics lessons. The -flsz Rule (or "Floss Rule") reminds us that in a one syllable word, if a short vowel is followed by an f, l, s, or z, then the consonant is doubled. For example, in the following words: off, sniff, staff, doll, bell, dress, grass, pass, buzz, fuzz, fizz. NOTE: There are a few rule breakers or exceptions to this rule: bus, if, as, plus, this, chef, gas, us, pal.

One part of our phonics lessons consists of a few weekly "heart words".

What Are "Heart" Words?

This week's heart words are: your, want

Please also review the following "heart words" that your child would have learned last year: the, I, a, and, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was.

Homework this week:

The Grade 2 students will bring home their first UFLI phonics homework this week. It will consist of a review of some of our Heart Words, short vowels, and the FLSZ Rule (see above). Please have your child keep it at home for the week and practise reading the words and story each day. Have your child return the homework next Monday, October 6th.

The Grade 3 students will also bring home phonics homework to review the FLSZ Rule. This homework will be due by next Monday, October 6th.

Math:

In Math, we continue our study of increasing and decreasing patterns. In Grade 2, the learning for students is to identify, extend, and describe growing number patterns and represent them in different ways. In Grade 3, students are practising finding, describing, representing, and creating growing number patterns using charts, number lines, and pictures.

Link to Grade 2 parent summary letter Representing Increasing Patterns here

Link to Grade 3 parent summary letter Relating a Pattern to a Rule or Picture here

Physical Education:

We are beginning our soccer unit. We will be practising our dribbling and trapping skills.

In Visual Arts, we will continue to learn about the primary and secondary colours and the colour wheel.

Multi-Language Learners: Things to do at home

Please find below some information and helpful strategies for supporting your child at home, shared by our school ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher.

Researchers have found that speaking multiple languages at home offers significant benefits to young children. Speaking in your home language to your children from birth helps build their young minds and prepare them for success in school and beyond.

Source: USA Department of Education

Community Activities: