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Welcome to 2nd Grade with Mrs. Macdonald!

 

I am a Florida native and received my BA in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of South Florida. After graduation, I pursued my Masters of Education through the University of Notre Dame’s ACE Service through Teaching Program and have been an educator for the last fourteen years. Additionally, I earned my English as a New Language endorsement through the University of Notre Dame in 2012. I taught at a Catholic school in Kansas City, Kansas for two years, and I then moved to Chicago in 2010 where I spent eight years teaching second grade at a Catholic school in Pilsen. I am excited to be back for my eighth year of teaching in this beautiful school community. I am also looking forward to my third year of coaching the Cross Country teams.

In my free time, I enjoy running, reading, baking, watching Broadway musicals, traveling, and spending quality time with my family and friends. I could not imagine teaching anywhere else but a Catholic school, where I can share my faith with my students and watch them grow in their own relationships with God. I am especially looking forward to preparing my students for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion.

 

Posts

Farewell :'-)

Happy Summer Vacation!
 
Students are bringing home report cards and i-Ready reports today.
  • They are in large white envelopes.
  • If your child was not at school today, please contact Mrs. Lentino to arrange for picking up your envelope. (We had some school-wide printing problems earlier this week, which is why they were not available before today.)
Check out Seesaw for a fun video of the kids moving up to third grade, photos and videos from field day, and a final day blessing from me. I believe these videos and photos will stay available over the summer and beyond, but you may want to download your favorites just in case. :)
 
*As we move into the summer, let's keep in mind our greater parish community. The Food Pantry relies on us during the school year, but they still have needs when we are not in school. If you feel moved to do so, there are bins in the back of church or you can drop off bags of food items to the Food Pantry during their hours of operation.* Thank you for your continued support for those in the most need in our community.

One More Sleep :'-\

Final Day Notes:
  • Students should dress up for Mass (8:30am)
  • Please follow dress down guidelines (including close-toed shoes with backs)
  • Early dismissal (10:00am)
  • No need to bring anything except their lovely selves (and maybe a water bottle) - please remember to eat breakfast!
One more sleep until your beautiful children officially become third graders. I can't thank you enough for this year!

Field Day Reminders

Field Day Notes:
  • Wear the gray spirit run shirt and athletic bottoms. (If your child outgrew his/her shirt or cannot locate it, please wear a gray athletic shirt/t-shirt.
  • Bring a healthy snack.
  • Bring a refillable water bottle. (It gets hot!)
  • Put on sunscreen before coming to school and bring a hat/baseball cap, if desired.
  • Lunch provided
  • We will have Mrs. Truskowski with us to help us stay safe, take bathroom breaks, etc. Thank you, Mrs. Truskowski!

Reminders :)

Please be sure to review the email sent out from administration earlier today with notes for the week. Here are the highlights again. Please take special note of the Field Day Notes.
 
No uniforms Mon, Tues, or Wed:
  • Please follow dress code guidelines.
  • Please wear gym shoes/sneakers on Monday (gym class) and Tuesday (field day).
  • Please dress up nicer on Wednesday for Mass.
  • Please be mindful of the length of shorts.
Field Day Notes:
  • Wear the gray spirit run shirt and athletic bottoms. (If your child outgrew his/her shirt or cannot locate it, please wear a gray athletic shirt/t-shirt.
  • Bring a healthy snack.
  • Bring a refillable water bottle. (It gets hot!)
  • Put on sunscreen before coming to school and bring a hat/baseball cap, if desired.
  • Lunch provided
  • We will have Mrs. Truskowski with us to help us stay safe, take bathroom breaks, etc. Thank you, Mrs. Truskowski!
Last Day Notes:
  • Earlier Mass
  • Early dismissal
  • Bus services provided
  • No need to bring anything except their lovely selves that day (and maybe a water bottle) - please remember to eat breakfast!
Please let me and Mrs. Lentino know if your child is missing any days next week. Please also be on the lookout for final items coming home, yearbooks (if you ordered one), and report cards/i-Ready reports.

Final Week Notes

Reminders for next week:
  • Please take your children to Mass over the weekend to give them the opportunity and gift of continuing to receive the Eucharist. (Sunday = Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and next Sunday = Feast of Corpus Christi) 
  • Please send back any classroom library books as soon as possible.
  • Full day Monday - Gym uniforms for gym class
  • Full day (Field Day) Tuesday - 2nd graders should wear their gray spirit run shirts from September (or another gray athletic shirt/t-shirt)
  • Early dismissal + Mass Wednesday
Please email me and Mrs. Lentino if your child is going to miss any of these final days so we can plan accordingly and adjust attendance in report cards.
 
Please note that cursive books were sent home today. I apologize that this slid down my priority list this year. While we have learned all of the letters, it was not possible for me to collect the books and check them often since there was only one of me. I know they will get a refresher in third grade, and it might be something fun to work on over the summer. :)

Thursday, 5/28/26, Notes

Reminders:
  • Thank you for turning in the Media Center books. Please check at home for any books that your child may have borrowed from the classroom, and please return them by this Friday, 5/29.
  • Looking ahead:
    • Monday = full day with a regular schedule
    • Tuesday = field day
    • Wednesday = all school Mass, early dismissal (and lots of tears from me)
  • If your child is going to miss any days next week, please let me and Mrs. Lentino know so we can reflect absences in report cards and so that I can be sure to send everything home early.

Week of May 26, 2026 Reminders

There is no written homework this week, but students should try to read 20+ minutes each night (with the hopes that they carry this habit with them into the summer).
 
Please note your child is starting to bring home consumable text books, folders, etc. Please help your child empty his/her backpack each night. The only thing that should come back each day is his/her home folder.
 
Important for Wednesday: With two specials and Mass tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, I cannot guarantee that we will have snack time. Please be sure that your child eats a healthy, filling breakfast. :)
 
 
Additional Reminders:
  • Please send back parent surveys when you get a chance. Thank you!
  • Please send back Media Center library books ASAP. (I emailed you last week if your child is missing his/her books.) 
  • Please check your homes for classroom library books and send those back with your child at your earliest convenience.

Note - Friday Folders

Friday folders do not need to be returned. All assessments. etc. have been returned. Any other items will be sent home via home folders next week. :)

Week at a Glance 5/26/26-5/30/26

With the holiday weekend approaching, I wanted to post the Week at a Glance early.
 

Week at a Glance

Week of May 25-29, 2026


Math: We have officially finished the Math textbook units with our recent quiz on telling time, so we will spend some time reviewing concepts from this past year, along with some topics that will be a helpful foundation for third grade. We hope to spend some time working on the skill of rounding to the nearest ten and estimating sums, along with basic multiplication and division practice.


Phonics (FUNdations): We have finished all official FUNdations units for second grade. We also learned about reading and writing contractions this past week. Next week we will turn our attention to reading and writing words with silent letters (specifically silent l, silent w, and silent b).


Reading and Writing (Wit & Wisdom): We wrote our last informational paragraph this past week about MLK Jr.’s dream for our nation. We will wrap up our learning module on Civil Rights Heroes with a couple of additional read alouds and activities related to this topic.


Science/Social Studies: None - More time will be dedicated to other subjects and to the ABC Countdown activities.


Religion: As we near the end of the school year, we will return our focus on our goal of becoming saints and setting our life path toward heaven. We will review our school promise of treating everyone with kindness and respect, and we will recognize ways in which we are saints in the making. 🙂


Tests and Quizzes: None


Additional Reminders:

  • Please send back the parent surveys when you get a chance. Please note these are anonymous, and I look forward to reading them. Thank you for your time.
  • Please take your children to Mass over the weekend.
  • No School Monday = Memorial Day
  • All School Mass and 8th grade awards ceremony = Wednesday (not Tuesday)
  • Please return library books ASAP. They were due Friday, May 22nd.
  • Please also check at home for books from our classroom library.
  • ABC Countdown continues:
    • Tuesday = T = Thank you notes (to be completed at school)
    • Wednesday = U = Under the Desk
    • Thursday = V = Visit Day
    • Friday = W = Wall to Wall Cleanup

***Please note that next week students will be bringing home used consumable textbooks, notebooks, folders, coloring supplies, etc. It is much appreciated if you help your child go through his/her backpack each day in order to return with an empty backpack the following day.

Thursday, 5/21/26, Notes

Important
 
*LIBRARY BOOKS = DUE FRIDAY --> Please send all books back. No new books will be checked out.
 
*Spirit Week and ABC Countdown = Spirit Day (S) --> Students should wear a SJCS top and school handbook-appropriate bottoms :)
 
Homework:
1. Read 20 minutes or more
 
2. Phonics = None
 
3. Math - Chapter 10 Review pages --> Assessment = Friday

Wednesday, 5/20/26

Let the countdown continue... It is hard to believe how close to the end of the school year we are!
 
Important
 
*LIBRARY BOOKS = DUE FRIDAY --> Please send all books back. No new books will be checked out.
 
*Spirit Week Thursday = Career Day
*ABC Countdown = R = Rotations
 
Homework:
1. Read 20 minutes or more
 
2. Phonics = None - We will work on contractions the rest of the week.
 
3. Math - AM vs PM (10.6 HW page)
  • We used a timeline to help show AM = from midnight to noon and PM = from noon to midnight
  • Assessment = Friday

Tuesday, 5/19/26, Notes

Reminders:
 
*LIBRARY BOOKS = DUE FRIDAY --> Please send all books back. No new books will be checked out.
 
*Spirit Week Wednesday = Wacky Wednesday
*ABC Countdown = Q = Quiet
 
Homework:
1. Read 20 minutes or more
 
2. None - We will work on contractions the rest of the week.
 
3. Math - Time to the Nearest Five Minutes (10.5 HW page)
  • In years past, the most confusing part of this lesson has been the terminology "quarter past" and "quarter to". To help with this we have the visual of the clock divided into fourths (quarters) to remember that 1/4 of an hour is 15 minutes.
  • Assessment = Friday

Monday, 5/18/26, Notes

Reminders for Tuesday
  • Spirit Week =Jersey Day --> Please keep in mind we will be attending Mass, so please dress respectfully. :)
  • ABC Countdown = P = Pet Day --> Students may bring a small stuffed "pet" to school. This item must be able to fit on your child's desk while still allowing room for him/her to complete work. If the item is too big, it will spend the day in his/her backpack. Thanks for your help!
 
Homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes or more
 
2. Phonics Assessment = Tuesday
 
3. Math - Time to the Nearest Quarter Hour (10.4 HW page)
  • In years past, the most confusing part of this lesson has been the terminology "quarter past" and "quarter to". To help with this we have the visual of the clock divided into fourths (quarters) to remember that 1/4 of an hour is 15 minutes.
  • Assessment = Friday
 
Additional Reminders:
  • Mass = Tuesday
  • Library Books = Due Friday

Week at a Glance 5/18/26-5/22/26

Week at a Glance

Week of May 18-22, 2026

Math: We will wrap up our final Math chapter with lessons on telling time to the nearest quarter hour (quarter past, half past, quarter to) and the nearest five minutes. We will also differentiate between A.M. (hours between midnight and noon) and P.M. (hours between noon and midnight). We will spend some time reviewing, and the assessment will be on Friday so that it doesn’t hang over their heads on the holiday weekend. Please see the review sheet in your child’s Friday folder.

Phonics (FUNdations): We will wrap up our final unit on Monday with consonant -le syllables (ankle, simple, purple, etc.) and trick words couple, double, young, and we will take our final assessment on Tuesday. Then we will turn our attention to some skills to help prepare for third grade as we explore the concept of contractions (words like do + not = don’t and would + not = wouldn’t, etc.).

Reading and Writing (Wit & Wisdom): We have gotten delayed (big time) with our unit on Civil Rights Heroes. We should finally get around to our paragraph on MLK Jr.’s dream for the world. That means we will review how to write a good informative paragraph, complete with an introduction, topic sentence, evidence, and conclusion. Hopefully all of this work on informative writing will help the students feel prepared for third grade.

Science/Social Studies: We will be dedicating extra time to Reading and Writing, finishing the Math i-Ready diagnostic, and ABC countdown activities, so we will not do a Science unit this week.

Religion: We will learn the story of the Good Samaritan and discuss what it means to be a “good neighbor” to others. We will also continue learning about the saints, along with how to find true happiness using Jesus’ beatitudes as a guide.

Tests and Quizzes: 

  • i-Ready Math Diagnostic - Some students will need to finish this up next week. They are working really hard!
  • Phonics Unit 17 Assessment (last Phonics Assessment) = Tuesday, 5/19
  • Math Quiz on Telling Time Chapter (last Math Assessment) = Friday, 5/22

Additional Reminders:

  • Please take your children to Mass over the weekend so they can continue to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. 🙂 This upcoming Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, when Jesus ascended to heaven.
  • Please review your child’s Friday folder for cursive handwriting practice and returned art activities, along with his/her All About Me poster and a math test review sheet.
  • Please check at home for library books and classroom books and send those back at your earliest convenience. Thank you!
  • Tuesday = All School Mass
  • ABC Countdown continues:
    • Monday → outdoor reading (please bring a beach towel to sit on outside and cross your fingers for good weather)
    • Tuesday → pet day:
      • Students may bring a small stuffed animal.
      • It should fit comfortably in the corner of their desks, still allowing room to complete their work and to not be too distracting.
      • If the item becomes too distracting or is too large, it will find a home in your child's locker. ;)
    • Wednesday → quiet time
    • Thursday → rotations (we will rotate between 1J, 2A, and 2M to do different activities)
    • Friday → spirit (Spirit Wear dress down)
  • Spirit Week (put on by Student council) → Please see the Knight Notes for the week with more details:
    • Monday → PJ/Comfy Clothes Day
    • Tuesday → Sport Teams or Favorite Jersey Day
    • Wednesday → Wacky Wednesday
    • Thursday → Career Day
    • Friday → Spirit Wear Dress Down and Pep Rally

Thursday, 5/14/26, Notes

Please be sure to send back Library Books on Friday.
 
Homework:
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. No Math HW --> Assessment = next Friday
 
3. Phonics
Practice words with consonant -le (sprinkle, angle, tickle, etc.)
Practice trick words: young, couple, trouble