WELCOME, PARENTS, STUDENTS AND FRIENDS OF ASCENSION! | Ascension School


	Welcome, everyone, to the website of Grade 2-1 of Mrs. Ermino. Parents, here you can find updates about happenings in school. Students, You can look up a near future activity of the class. We can also post everyone's birthday so everyone can greet and pray for the celebrant on his/her special day! UPDATE FROM THE CLASSROOM To date, Grade 2-1 had fun learning how to prewrite a personal narrative and to revise a rough draft by putting in an engaging opening and interesting ending! Come and visit our bulletin board to read our project MY TRIP TO .....Find out how well-travelled Grade2-1 students are. Trips described were to Rome, Spain, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico. Equally interesting were trips to Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Miami, Orlando and other states.Most exciting were trips to the beach in Coney Island, the games in Yankee Stadium and the trip to Grandma's. .While getting ready with costumes for Halloween, Grade2-1 will, more importantly, find their PATRON SAINTS by looking up which saint is celebrated on their birthdays. This is the proper way Ascension students are trained to observe November 1 - the feast of All Saints Day. November 2 is All Souls Day and Grade 2-1 will gather names of the family members who have passed away and offer a special mass on All Souls Day. Parents, you can list the names of your child's deceased grandparentsand other family members so we can add them to our SOULS IN PURGATORY OFFERING. Hey! November 9 is RED LETTER DAY for Grades 1 and 2. On that day, we shall go to Shadow Box Theater to watch Tobias Turkey, a Thanksgiving play! There are a couple of students who have not paid their ticket for the show. Check it out, parents! Send your payment this week. I would love to go on writing in this website. But this is OUR WEBSITE. So, parents and students, you are welcome to send in your contribution. submit it to me, and I will post it for you! PARENTS' CORNER Smooth mornings make for a smooth start to the school day. The night before: * Help your child lay out his/her uniform Have him/her pack his/her backpack and put it by the front door (Checklist::homework folder? homework sheets done? needed notebooks in? needed textbooks in? 3 sharpened pencils in?) Make lunches (Check the menu in the cafeteria. If you know your child does note like tuna sandwich, a sandwich from home should save the child's day.) * Set an alarm clock (leaving enough time to get ready at an easy pace).A student who comes to school late more than once needs some looking into. Obviously, the pattern can not continue. In the morning: * Have your child get dressed before breakfast. * Set out breakfast items so he/she can help him/herself.. If there is extra time, encourage your child to go over homework, or read a favorite book. Before you separate for the day, give your child the "3H": a handshake, a high five, and a hug! NOVEMBER UPDATE November 20 was a memorable time for the class. Grade 2-1 was visited by the parents of Marcus, Mark and Carmen Borden, who literally made the molecules move in the computer laboratory where the lesson was given. After the impressive presentation of Mr. & Mrs. Borden about matter, the children enacted the movements of the molecules as they convert into the different forms of matter: solid, liquid, or gas. "It was fun!" quipped most of the students. "Science is my favorite subject!" decided the rest of the Second Graders. We thank Mr. & Mrs. Borden for spending valuable time with us. The class finished its next writing project: WRITING A LETTER. Grade 2-1decided to address a letter to God, thanking Him for their Moms. Mommies, you will be tickled pink to find out that you always smell like perfume or sweet cookies to your seven year old. Many of them remember a particular dress of yours. (My Mom died many years ago, but until now, my memory of her in her flowered pink dress is still very fresh!) One student fervently thanked God for the job that God gave his Mom. Another thanked God for the embrace she gets especially when she gets sick! I would have wanted to invite you to come and read the letters now put up on the bulletin board. But I think it would be more fun to read them at home when they hand their letters to you personally! Confidentially, a couple of teachers thought they could cry when they read your children's letters to you! So wait for your copy of our finished PROJECT: MOM! DECEMBER UPDATE As you might have noticed sometimes mentioned in our Weekly Objectives, Grade 2-1 has been reading book after book written by our Author Study: Eve Bunting. This month, we read her awesome WE WERE THERE where the icky, scary, slimy, animals came out from their dark hideouts to proudly declare that "They were there!" "Where?" you might ask. Well, the snake, the scorpion, the spider, the bat, the toad, and the cockroach were very proud that they travelled far in the dark, cold night to "be there" as a special guest ..... WHEN JESUS CHRIST, THE KING, WAS BORN! The class inferred that Jesus must indeed love everyone that He made even these icky animals come on his day of coming! The book captured our imagination so much that we decided to enact it in a little play. We chose Sherry to be Mary and Marcus to be Joseph. And the rest of the class chose an animal to portray. It was fun and quite frankly inspiring. By the way, Eve Bunting included the donkey, the cow and the lamb, in her guest list of animals. These animals are very meek and mild and are not classified as one of those icky ones but, let's face it, they were the most honored hosts of the King who was born on a manger in their stable! How did the play go? Tell us what you think - after looking at our bulletin board - come Wednesday! If you want a special presentation, let us know, and we will gladly perform for you, dear parents! Our little scientists are busy making a collection of food that come from the different parts of a plant. We will appreciate your cooperation, dear parents, in finding the fruit or vegetable that is assigned to your child. Those that are out of season, though, will have to be represented with pictures! Social Studies brought us to the weekend when Grade 2-1 and their parents sat down to write a jointly written poem entitled I AM FROM. Congratulations, dear parents, not only for the wonderful piece of poetry you wrote but for the positive feedback I got from the children. They all agreed that it was fun thinking about home and family things to write about in their and their Mommy's poem! Again, congratulations! -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Have you ever seen a well-built police officer being mugged by some 19 seven year olds? Well, if you were in the classroom of Grade 2-1 on December 7, 2009, you would see one and know why. Police Officer Guy LaMazza, the dad of proud Brandon, stopped by to talk to the students about the importance of following the rules of the school and community, the laws of the land, and more importantly the command- mentsof God. During the talk, the students were curious about the bullet-proof vest that law enforcers use. They were allowed to punch Mr. LaMazza as hard as they could and saw that Mr. LaMazza hardly budged! Patiently walking around the classroom to be punched by each of the 19 students, Mr. LaMazza really looked like a willing mugging victim! The talk was captivating to the children especially Mr. LaMazza's clincher when he said, "Boys and girls, Jesus' commandment for us to love one another as He loves us is the best way to ensure that there would be peace and order in the community." Mr. LaMazza was amazed at the sophisticated questions that the second graders raised. Niya informed us that we should not hit a cop or we get jailed for 30 months! After the talk, several students announced that they will become cops when they grow up. DATES TO REMEMBER: St. Patrick's Day Bake Sale - March 17th, Wednesday Dress Green Day First Penance Practice (4:00PM) - March 18 First Penance (2:00 PM) - March 20FOURT No School (Faculty Conference Day) - March 22 Book Fair - March 23 Spring Picture Day - March 29 Grade 2-1 Tableau & Prayer (Jesus is Laid in the Tomb (8:30 AM) - March 30 Join our children in this prayer they will offer. Bring your camera. It will take less than 5 minutes! FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES Summer seems to be here after that flitting visit of Spring! And it's the best time to go on several trips! Last April 10th, we went to the Museum of the City of New York where the children saw how different their present childhood is as compared to what the children of New York had many years ago. It was a fine way to help our children appreciate what they have. And then, on May 11th, the Second Graders will visit the American Museum of Natural History where they will learn through interesting visuals the wonders of space. The trip is an exciting culmination of our learning about meteors, comets, and the whole solar system. The class had fun making a replica of the earth showing its 3 layers (our of clay dough). They had such a kick out of imagining how volcanoes erupt and later create new faces of the surface of the earth.! On May 25th, we will go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at the original work of masters that they studied during the year. In our Learning to Look Program, second graders could recognize what are Portraits, Narratives, Seascapes, Cityscapes, or Still Life. They learned about Goya, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas, Rodin, David, Renior, Turner, Constable and a lot more masters. These lucky children learn, early on, how to appreciate art and beauty. Later, it won't be a surprise, if some of them would become masters of art themselves! On June 11th, out we go to the Green Meadows Farm to join the Festival of Cultures. There, the children will enjoy the dances, songs, food, and costumes of the different cultures that make up America! HIGHLIGHTS TO WATCH OUT FOR: The First Communion Day of our Second Graders will be on May 15th at 10:00 AM. I know this is a big day for you and your families, dear parents! Part of the beautiful memory would be the fun you are having while preparing their white dresses and dark suits for the Big Day. But the deep meaning of this Day will be the fact that your Second Grader wil, thereafter, be able to receive the Eucharist when they come with you to the Holy Mass. The same First Communicants will wear their gowns and suits again on May 27th to lead the Culminating Activity of our May Devotion to Mary. Those who will not receive the First Communion will render a special song during the crowning of Mary - the Ave Maria. All parents are invited to join us in the Mass. Ascension Day will be celebrated by the school on May 13th, Thursday, with a school-wide mass and a Carnival all throughout the day. It will be one great day for the children , I am sure! But the Parish will celebrate the feast, one day in advance since the Bishop will visit our church on that day, May 12th, Wednesday. The mass in the afternoon will be followed by the traditional Fiesta that we annually hold in the School Gym. Cuisine from the different cultures in our community will be served - for a very small fee. You are all invited to come taste the different recipes from different countries (and don't forget to pass by the Filipino booth ...you might find it to be soooo good!) ACADEMICALLY, the Second Graders are now finishing up their writing projects for their portfolio. They are busy practicing their Math Word Problem Solving skills. They are also now seriously polishing their cursive penmanship as they compose their poems, their short stories and news reports. IMPORTANT EVENTS ON THE LAST MONTH OF THE YEAR - JUNE After the Memorial Day holiday, we will be back refreshed for the SCHOOL FIELD DAY on June 2nd. It is one event where the school will be together outdoors. On June 4th, our class will present during the School Spring Show. You can pick up your children so they can rest and get an early supper before coming back for the Show. The starts at 6:30 but I would like the class to be ready at 6:00. JUNE 11, 2010 - PORTFOLIO DAY Every year, the Second Graders of Ascension present their portfolio to their parents. This year, we will have our Portfolio Day on June 11th at 9:00. Please mark this date well ahead of time. This is one time when your children will be so proud to read to you their stories, poems and other achievements over the school year. We are doing it in the morning and we hope that this schedule will prove more beneficial for you. You can still go to work after the event which should last only a couple of hours after which we hope to have a little celebration with our pot luck. Report cards will be given on the last day of school, June 23rd. It was a pleasure working with you and for our children. God bless all!