Welcome to 2nd Grade!
What to Expect Night (WTEN)
2025-26
Elizabeth Struble
Room D
September 4, 2025
About Me
Please reference my website and the
ALL ABOUT ME sheet sent home Tuesday
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About Me
Please reference my website and the ALL ABOUT ME sheet sent home Monday
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Parent To-Do List
1- parent survey Google Form
2- emergency snack bag
3- accept Konstella invitation
4- calendar dates (musical, field trips, Heritage Food Festival, Chocolate Day, and Wax Museum)
5- headphones (optional)
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Specialists
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Diana Gremett�Music
Tuesdays and Thursdays
click HERE for
Music information
MUSICAL: Tues, Feb. 10 at 5:30
South Tigers Physical Education
Teacher: Coach Mike / Mr. Reynoso
Standards based lessons (CDE PE standards)
On these days, please be sure your child:
(no athletic shoes = no play)
Athletic shoes have laces or velcro, traction on the sole, and are closed (no gaps on sides).
South Tigers Physical Education
Injuries and Illnesses
If your child cannot participate in PE due to an injury or illness, please send an email or a note. Be sure to include the nature of the injury/illness, what activities your child may not do, and a date (if possible) on which they may rejoin. If sending an email, it is best to send before 8:30am, as I do not always get the chance to check email during the school day.
Attendance
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Absences and Independent Study
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From Home At Home
(10:00 am and 1:45 pm)
__________
Curriculum
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Science and Social Studies
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Open Court
Curriculum
Mathematics
Math
- fluently adding and subtracting up to 20 (quick recall of basic facts)
- understanding place value
- deeper understanding of regrouping and ungrouping in numbers up to 1000
- word problem comprehension (CUBES)
At home
- fluency up to 20
- telling time (5 minute increments)
- value of U.S. coins and dollars
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Curriculum
Reading
- decoding (sounding out unknown words)
- encoding (spelling)
- reading comprehension
At home
- read, read, read
- independent reading (decoding)
- reading with an adult (comprehension, deeper understanding)
- discussion is essential (what is going on, who does it involve, where and when is it occuring, why do you think it is happening, what might happen next, what can we learn?)
English Language Arts
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Curriculum
Writing
- writing in complete sentences (subject and predicate) with correct capitalization and punctuation
- writing a structured paragraph (topic sentence, details, closing sentence)
- handwriting & letter formation
At home
- fine motor skills practice as needed
- authentic handwriting (thank you notes, birthday cards, journals, postcards to relatives) with or without the use of lines for neatness
English Language Arts
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2nd Grade Homework
- assigned each Friday (hard copy and online)
- due following Friday
- parent signature on front
- 20 minutes nightly reading required
- 1 night each week may be Lexia (independent - supervision for focus)
- other assignments are not required per the HCSD Board Policy
- 20 minutes or less expected (in addition to reading)
- optional challenge packet online each month
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2nd Grade Projects
Generations
- September/October
- presentations in class
- at home, students interview parent and grandparent (or other family member of that generation)
- at home, students complete note-taking sheets when interviewing
- oral presentation includes visuals in Google Slides
- Google Slides completed at school
Heritage Food Festival
- Monday, October 27 8:45 - 9:45 (note this is the week of Halloween)
- small bites (enough for a taste) for 36 students of a food representing the student’s heritage (ex: Chinese bao, Welsh cookies, Indian sev)
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2nd Grade Projects
Generations
- September/October
- presentations in class
- at home, students interview parent and grandparent (or other family member of that generation)
- at home, students complete note-taking sheets when interviewing
- oral presentation includes visuals in Google Slides
- Google Slides completed at school
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2nd Grade Projects
Heritage Food Festival
- Monday, October 27 8:45 - 9:45 (note this is the week of Halloween)
- small bites (enough for a taste) for 36 students of a food representing the student’s heritage (ex: Chinese bao, Welsh cookies, Indian sev)
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2nd Grade Projects
Meal of Thanks
- November/December
- presentations begin December 8 (in-class presentations, no parents)
- students plan a menu at school and home, then make a meal for their family
- oral presentation includes photographs on a posterboard or in Google Slides or PowerPoint
Chocolate Day
- Thursday, February 12 8:30 - 10:00 (note this is the day before a four-day weekend)
- January/February
- students visit a chocolatier (local or in any location students visit in December/January)
- requested donation of 5 - 7 chocolates
- NO PRESENTATION
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2nd Grade Projects
Meal of Thanks
- November/December
- presentations begin December 8 (in-class presentations; families do not attend)
- students plan a menu at school and home, then make a meal for their family
- oral presentation includes photographs on a posterboard or in Google Slides or PowerPoint
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2nd Grade Projects
Chocolate Day
- Thursday, February 12 8:30 - 10:00 (note this is the day before a four-day weekend)
- January/February
- students visit a chocolatier (local or in any location students visit in December/January)
- requested donation of 5 - 7 chocolates
- NO PRESENTATION
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2nd-3rd Grade Musical
Tuesday, February 10
5:30 - 6:00 pm
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2nd Grade Projects
Wax Museum - May 4
- Monday, May 4, 8:30 - 10:00
- March and April
- biography project (historical figure)
- chunked at school, with multiple steps completed at home:
- reading biography book with parent
- costume
- memorized presentation
We count on parent / at home
support for this project!
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Birthdays
Happy Birthday song
morning circle time dedicated to hearing from birthday child (family traditions, special dinner, etc)
choice (decided by birthday child) of ONE:
1) 10 min extra recess
2) 10 min read aloud (birthday child chooses book)
3) 10 min in-class free time
4) family-provided non-food treats (pencils, magnets, or inexpensive trinkets)
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Summer break birthdays are celebrated on students’ half-birthdays
Classroom Volunteers
Field Trips
- form will be sent prior to the trips
- first field trip = library walk
Classroom Small Group Support
- Wednesday Math Lab (9:00 - 10:00)
- Wednesday ELA Centers (2:00 - 2:45)
- Thursday ELA Centers
Library Helpers
- sign-up through Konstella
Art in Action
- Fridays (8 during the year), 12:45 - 1:45
Class Celebrations
(dependent on parent participation)
- Diwali
- Hanukkah
- Christmas
- Lunar New Year
- Eid al-Fitr
Heritage Months
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Mystery Reader
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Field Trips (tentative- dependent on parent donations)
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MAY
APR
MAR
FEB
JAN
DEC
NOV
OCT
SEP
San Mateo Public Library
Walking
October (date tbd)
Stanford: Hoover Tower,
Cantor Museum
June 8 (tentative)
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
April 20 (tentative)
Shrek
Mountain View
Performing Arts
Friday, Nov. 14
Volunteer for Art-in-Action in your Classroom
What is Art in Action?
Art in Action is a hands-on, step-by-step art program that helps students see like artists, think like designers, and create with confidence. Each lesson spotlights a famous artwork or technique, then guides kids to make their own piece - building creativity, fine-motor skills, focus, and visual vocabulary (think: line, shape, color, texture, contrast, composition).
What volunteers do
Time & support
Get started
Questions or ready to jump in?
Alisa Gaule Parent | Evelyn (5th), Alexander (2nd) | alisagaule@gmail.com | 2nd Grade Art in Action Team Lead
Jennifer Marvitz Parent | Mika (2nd) | jmarvitz@gmail.com | 2nd Grade Art in Action Team Lead�Yasamin Murtadha - Parent | Yara (2nd) | yasamin.murtadha@gmail.com | Art-in-Action Committee Chair
Kids light up when a grown-up shows up for art. Your hour in the classroom turns into weeks of pride!
PAWS
P ractice Respect
A ccept Responsibility
W ork Together
S mile and Be Kind
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Class Schedule, Mornings
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| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
8:30 | Tiger Talk Morning Circle | Morning Circle | Morning Work | Thankful Thursday | Homework Return Morning Circle |
8:45 | Morning Circle | ||||
9:00 | Math | Music | Math Lab | Morning Circle | Math |
9:15 | Reading | ||||
9:30 | PE | ||||
9:45 | Mystery Reader | ||||
10:00 | Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess |
10:15 | Foundational Skills | Foundational Skills | Foundational Skills | Read Aloud | Foundational Skills |
10:30 | Music | ||||
10:45 | |||||
11:00 | Reading | Math | Reading | Library | Reading Assessment |
11:15 | |||||
11:30 | PE | ELA Centers | |||
11:45 | |||||
12:00 | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess |
12:15 | |||||
12:30 |
Class Schedule, Afternoons
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| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
12:00 | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess | Lunch Recess |
12:15 | |||||
12:30 | |||||
12:45 | Read Aloud | Pre-K Buddies | Library | Writing | Art |
1:00 | ILab | ||||
1:15 | Read Aloud | Writing | Dismissal | ||
1:30 | | ||||
1:45 | Recess | Recess | Recess | | Recess |
2:00 | SEL | Science/ Social Studies | ELA Centers | | Homework, Housekeeping |
2:15 | | ||||
2:30 | Jobs | | |||
2:50 | Dismissal | Dismissal | Dismissal | | Dismissal |
I have been waiting all summer for your children!
It is going to be a great year!
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