Second Grade

​St. Joseph Regional School teachers welcome and encourage communication with families regarding all aspects of a student's development.




Contact information:
585-344-8451
msacheli@sjsbatavia.org

Subject Area/Grade and Related Education:
A.S. Genesee Community College
B.S. Elementary Education with minor in Psychology

About the teacher and Why Catholic Education Matters:
I am thrilled to be teaching 2nd grade this year! I have always loved being an educator. I have a deep connection and admiration for SJRS as I was a student here myself. I advanced on to graduate from Notre Dame High School in 2004.  There is something undeniably special about the connections, family atmosphere, top-notch education and faith-based academics that take place at SJRS. Catholic education provides the ability to lay a foundation in faith, to knit together the connection of Jesus and add on academic growth together. I believe this connects the students and faculty in a way that grows with us in life. Seeing as we are all part of that foundation, we become part of each other through God, growing and learning together on each of our journeys.
I am excited and grateful to be part of that foundational growth in 2nd grade this year helping each student academically, social-emotionally and spiritually. I am looking forward to the educational fun that will unfold- mixing in movement, sensory play and creative activities!

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Second Grade News

Social-Emotional: At this point in the year, we are one big family in 2 nd grade. We have grown so much together and created an atmosphere of trust, kindness and respect. We continue to
grow together and learn from our mistakes. We encourage open communication and continue to learn appropriate expression of emotions. We collaborate together to identify reasons for
behaviors and work to find healthy avenues for expression. We emphasize kindness and inclusion. We incorporate social-emotional literature in our weekly curriculum to help build
skills to last a lifetime.
 
Reading: Student’s just completed a fairytale project where each student was an author of their own fairytale. They used fairytale characters we all commonly know, but changed their stories
and even combined common fairytale storylines. They began with brainstorming, then making their drafts, making corrections, rewriting and finalizing their stories. They used proper
grammar, penmanship and illustrations in their final story. Moving forward, we will continue to build our reading skills in comprehension, fluency and expanding our vocabulary. We are
growing readers, learning to read with expression, natural phrasing, and at appropriate rates. We will incorporate technology through I-ready and educational apps, that allow us to differentiate reading with various topics that appeal to each individual student.
 
Writing: We continue to learn proper penmanship and handwriting. We are working on our new skill daily… cursive handwriting! We are working on cursive joining, proper formation of letters, spacing, slant, shape, size and legibility. We will continue to improve our skills with daily practice.
 
Math: in 2 nd grade we are hardworking mathematicians! We continue to expand knowledge on how to add and subtract 3-digit minuends using multiple strategies and will be moving into 4-digit minuends. Different strategies we are using are the arrow way, place value disks, vertical addition, tape diagrams, adding by tens/hundreds and number bonds. We will continue to use
manipulatives and drawings to help us solve the problem while adding in written sentences that explain our strategies. We will soon be expanding our knowledge on coins and bills. To close
out 2 nd grade we will be working on skills of geometric shapes and moving into fractions. The basic fraction skills will begin with formation of equal groups then learning halves, thirds and
fourths of circles and rectangles.
 
Science: Our final science unit is called “Saving the Bees.” We will be learning about bees and their important role in our world. Our entire unit will be based on the theme of Dr. Seuss’ book
“The Lorax.” We will learn about the impact that the lowering bee population has on our environment. Students will increase their knowledge on the needs of animals and plants and how they depend on each other for survival. We will study different habitats and the unique lives that take place in each. We will finish up the unit with an engineering project that involves
designing their own hang pollinators, to help propose a solution to the decreased bee population.
 
Religion: We will continue to review prayers we know, have daily exposure to scripture, weekly mass and building of our faith. We are working on learning our new school prayer “The Prayer
of Saint Joseph”. The students have mastered their knowledge in First Reconciliation and will complete their Sacrament at the end of March! The end of 2 nd grade Religion focuses on the
church celebrating God’s care. We expand on how we are one in the church, as well as how Mary, Mother of the Church cares for us and how the church celebrates God’s love.
 
Social Studies: Our next social studies unit focuses on geography of communities. We are learning about the 7 continents and 5 oceans through fun and memorable songs. We are also
learning about the 50 states! We will learn how geographical location impacts how humans live. We will begin to look at maps and how to use them. To close out the unit, we will compare and
contrast different communities and how their location impacts their lifestyle.