Black Pine Circle School

September Home Connection

2nd Grade

 

Field Trips:

Wednesday, October 10       Muir Woods National Monument - 9:00 am departure - 2:00 pm return

  1.                          Our study of trees will culminate with this trip. 

Special Events:

  1. ★Tuesday, September 4       School Opens - Minimum day - noon dismissal

  2. ★Friday, September 7           All school assembly 9:00 FAD “Welcome Back”

  3. ★Friday, September 14         Lower School “Talk Like a Pirate Day

  4. ★Wed, September 19         Second grade meets Third grade buddies.

  5. They will make a Friendship Book together.

  6. ★Thursday, September 20    Back-To-School night (K-8) 7:00 - 8:30

  7. ★Wed, September 26           Upper School photo day (individual) day

  8. ★Thursday, September 27    Lower School photo (individual) day

  9.                                        Parent Workshop - BPC Music Program - 7:00 Library

  10. ★Friday, September 28         Lower & Upper School group photos

  11. ★Sunday, September 30       Founder’s Day Picnic 12:00 - 3:00  Tilden Park (map & details TBA)

Monthly Themes:

Learning about trees:  Some questions we will explore are:  what is a tree, what are the parts, how does the tree get food, why are trees important, how do people help trees, how do trees help people, how can you identify trees by their leaves, seeds, and fruits or nuts, and how did the Ohlone use native trees ? Many related art and science project will help us answer these questions.  
We have already seen how pinecones might help predict weather, and modeled the function of sapwood using celery, white roses, and food coloring in water.  Foot by foot we will construct a redwood in chalk on the playground!


  2. ★Visit Kids for Trees site for additional tree fun!

  3. ★Visit A Year in the Life of a Tree for an interactive display!

 

Long Term Project:

Friday, October 26, 2007.  The second grade will perform their first play at Assembly. Music Room 9:00 AM  (details to follow)..

Suggested Reading:

  1. ★Trees, Leaves, and Bark, (Take Along Guide) by Diane L.Burns

  2. ★Creative Publishing International, Eyewitness Tree published by Alfred A. Knopf

  3. ★Squirrel and John Muir by Emily Arnold McCully

  4. ★Leaf and Tree Guide (Backyard Explorer) by Rona Beame


Family Excursions:

A family trip to Tilden Park to look at trees and leaves would be great fun.  Simply walking in your neighborhood on a tree hunt could be enriching!  We have a table in the classroom to display treasures found on such a hunt.

Web Sites for Second Grade Enrichment:

  1. ★The best website for math this year is www.eduplace.com/maf. This is the family resource for our new series in second grade, the Houghton Mifflin Math website. 

  2. ★Children can explore www.eduplace.com/map as well.