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Mrs. Marisa Macdonald » Home

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SJCS Pledge
 

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, 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 fifth year of teaching in this beautiful school community.

In my free time, I enjoy running, reading, singing, 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

Wednesday, 9/29/21, Homework

1. Read 20+ minutes
 
2. Math Test = Friday (no written homework)
 
3. Review Social Studies topics (see study guide) - test Thursday
 
 
Tests and Reminders:
  • Social Studies Test = Thursday, September 30th
    • Study Guide (note: this is a copy of the completed chart that your child should have in his/her homework folder today - We also filled one out in class together, so the copy that came home can stay at home.)
  • Math Test = Friday, October 1st
  • Food Pantry Collection = Thursday (during student drop off)

Tuesday, 9/28/21, Homework

Tuesday's Homework:
 
1. Read 20+ minutes
 
2. Practice Spelling Words - test tomorrow
 
3. Math 3-7 Additional Practice pages - test Friday
 
4. Review Social Studies topics (see study guide) - test Thursday
 
 
Tests and Reminders:
  • Spelling Test = Wednesday, September 28th
  • Social Studies Test = Thursday, September 29th
    • Study Guide (note: this is a copy of the completed chart that your child should have in his/her homework folder today - We also filled one out in class together, so the copy that came home can stay at home.)
  • Math Test = Friday, October 1st
  • Food Pantry Collection = Thursday (during student drop off)

Monday, 9/27/21, Homework

Homework:
 
1. Read 20+ minutes
 
2. Practice Spelling Words
 
3. Math 3-6 Additional Practice pages
*Item 3 - Students should show their thinking with skip counting by the number in each row.
*Item 4 - Students should choose the answer that skip counts by the number in each column.
 
Tests and Reminders:
  • Spelling Test = Wednesday, September 28th
  • Social Studies Test = Thursday, September 29th
    • Study Guide (note: this is a copy of the completed chart that your child should have in his/her homework folder today - We also filled one out in class together, so the copy that came home can stay at home.)
  • Math Test = Friday, October 1st
  • Food Pantry Collection = Thursday (during student drop off)

Gym = Monday and Tuesday

Just a reminder that Gym class is Monday and Tuesday, so students should come to school in their Gym uniforms on those two days.
 
Also, Library class is Friday, so please help your child remember his/her library books on that day so s/he is able to check out new books.
 
Thank you! I hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely weather this weekend. We are looking forward to a good week ahead.

Week at a Glance 9/28/21-10/1/21

Week at a Glance

Week of September 28, 2021-October 1, 2021

 

Math: We will use arrays to help us identify equal groups. We will also use arrays for repeated addition, and we will see that arrays can form the base of multiplication problems (which students will focus more on in third grade). Finally, we will spend two days reviewing topics from Unit 3 (number chart patterns, skip counting, even and odd numbers, and arrays).


Science: Science to start the week of October 4th

 

Language Arts: During Writing Workshop we will continue to plan our personal narrative, as we draft a beginning, middle, and end to our stories. We will add in details and we will practice using good word choice.

 

Reading: As we continue with unit 2 of our Superkids curriculum, we will work on encoding and decoding high frequency words, along with -ng and -le words. We will review the differences between nouns (people, places, and things) and verbs (action words). We will also work on our fluency each day in our decodable reader and in our small group reading groups.

 

Social Studies: We have finished Chapter 1 from our My World curriculum. We will spend the early part of the week reviewing the topics from the chapter, and we will take the test on Thursday. Students can use their notes packets (and review sheets) from class to assist on this test. We will also send home a copy of the review sheet with answers in the event that you would like to help your child prepare extra at home.

 

Religion: Next week we will return to our Finding God textbooks as we learn about making good decisions and being guided by the Holy Spirit. We will also explain how we can be shining lights for others.


Tests and Quizzes:

  • Spelling Test = Wednesday, September 28th
  • Social Studies Test = Thursday, September 29th
    • Study Guide (note: this is blank - we will fill it out in class and then post a completed one)
  • Math Test = Friday, October 1st

Additional Reminders:

  • Please take your child to Mass over the weekend. This is especially important as we start to prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion this year.
  • All School Mass= Tuesday, September 27th - 8:30 am - We will attend in person.
  • Food Pantry Collection = Thursday, September 30th - Suggested items:
    • Baby food
    • Cookies
    • Fruit cocktail
    • Canned pineapple
    • Pasta sauce
    • Ketchup
    • Mustard
    • Salt
    • Sugar
    • Ramen noodles
    • Vegetable oil
    • Laundry detergent
    • Liquid dishwashing soap
    • Shampoo
    • Conditioner
    • Toothpaste

Thursday, 9/23/21, Homework

1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Practice Spelling words - *change* - Test = Wednesday, 9/29
 
3. Math 3-5 pages - even and odd sums
*Even + Even = even sum*
*Even + Odd = odd sum*
*Odd + Odd = even sum*
Unit 3 Test = Friday, 10/1
 
4. Social Studies Chapter 1 Test = Thursday, 9/30
*We will review next week. Students can use their packet of notes and their review sheet from class on the test.*
 
 
**Additional Reminder --> Tomorrow = Spirit Run + Rosary Prayer Service**

Wednesday, 9/22/21, Homework

Here is Wednesday's homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Math 3-4 Homework pages (even and odd numbers)
*If your child needs extra assistance at home, you could try a hands-on option (or drawing) where s/he groups items into pairs - if there are no items left without a pair, the number is even; if there is an extra item without a pair, then the number is odd.*
 
3. Spelling Test = next Tuesday - see new list below
 
Additional Reminder = Friday = Rosary Prayer Service and Spirit Run
 

Spelling Test = Tuesday, September 28


Words to Practice: (words with -le, -ng, and additional high frequency words)

  1. handle 
  2. middle 
  3. ring 
  4. strong 
  5. want 
  6. some 
  7. look 
  8. very 
  9. come 
  10. new 
  11. any 
  12. good

Tuesday, 9/21/21, Homework

1. Read 20 minutes (or more)
 
2. No Spelling homework - new list will go home on Wednesday
 
3. Math 3-3 homework pages (2 sides) - skip counting by 10s and 100s
 
Additional Reminder:
  • Rosary Prayer Service + Spirit Run = Friday (during the school day)

Monday, 9/20/21, Homework + Reminders

Happy Monday!
 
Here is tonight's homework:
 
1. Read 20 (or more!) minutes
 
2. Practice Spelling words - test Tuesday
 
3. Math - Skip Counting paper (2 sides) - just a heads up this paper looks a little different than the normal homework sheets because it is not from our book
 
Tests and Reminders:
  • Spelling Test = Tuesday
  • Reading Progress Assessment = Tuesday
  • Rosary Launch = Friday - Please send your child in his/her Spirit Run t-shirt (to go home this week), athletic shorts/pants or jeans, and sneakers.
Thank you, and have an excellent week!

Week at a Glance 9/20/21-9/24/21

Week at a Glance

Week of September 20-24, 2021

Math: As we continue working with number patterns, we will practice skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, and 100’s. Additionally we will review if numbers (and sums of number sentences) are even or odd. Finally we will start to incorporate a daily written fact practice to help with our addition fact fluency.

Science: see Social Studies 

Language Arts: Students will finish up their letters to their grandparents. We will mail those from school. (The students are very excited to send them!) Then we will start brainstorming and planning our personal narratives, which will contain a beginning, middle, and end that flow in a logical order.

Reading: Students will work on spelling words that end in -le and words that contain the -ng spelling pattern. Additional words on the spelling test will review some of their high frequency words. We will practice our fluency daily with our Superkids stories in our decodable readers. During Reading groups, we will finish up our first Super Magazine and move into book clubs with various fictional books.

Social Studies: As we wrap up Chapter 1 in our Social Studies books (test = week of September 27th), we will discuss the concept of culture and how it is made up of a group’s music, food, celebrations, clothing, games, stories, and more. We will also compare primary and secondary sources and discuss how we can use these sources to find out about a person’s family history.

Religion: We will utilize Religion time this week to practice the prayers of the rosary. We will discuss how the rosary is a type of prayer where we lift up our prayers to God through Mary’s intercession. We will also make our own decade rosaries that we will use on Friday at the Rosary Launch prayer service.

 

Tests and Quizzes:

  • Spelling Test = Tuesday (list went home this past week)
  • Reading Progress Assessment = Tuesday and/or Wednesday (no studying needed)
 

Additional Reminders:

  • Be sure to check out the St. Joe Facebook page. We have another sign language video up!
  • If you have not yet watched the video for Curriculum Night, please check out that short video here.
  • Here is a link to our Class Wish List. We have books, flexible seating options, and other materials that would help enhance our classroom experience. This is completely *optional* (and we realize you already give so much to our school), but we are also grateful for your generosity.
  • Please try to take your child to Mass over the weekend. St. Joe’s offers many options, including Saturday and Sunday evenings, as well as Sunday mornings.
  • If you have not yet sent back the address form for your child’s letter to a grandparent, please send it back Monday. Thank you for your help.
  • Tuesday = All School Mass - We will attend virtually.
  • Rosary Launch = Friday, 9/24. Please send your child to school in his/her Spirit shirt, along with athletic shorts/pants or jeans sneakers. We look forward to this special celebration. The students will be writing prayer intentions in the coming week.
Please send back your child’s Friday folder on Monday. Thank you!

Thursday, 9/16/21, Homework

1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. Practice Spelling words
 
3. 3-1 Math Practice pages
*If your child is having difficulty with the number patterns, try ignoring the hundreds place at the beginning and then working that back in. That way it connects to last year's 0-100 chart knowledge.*
 
Additional Reminders:
*Friday = Library Day --> Please send back library books
*Friday = $1 dress down --> Proceeds to benefit victims of Hurricane Ida

Wednesday, 9/15/21, Homework

1. Read 20 minutes
 
2. No Math homework (the graded test should go home in your child's Friday folder)
 
3. Grandparent Letter - The students will be writing friendly letters during writing time in the upcoming week. We ask that you provide an address for one of your child's grandparents so we can mail the letter. (If your child does not have a grandparent s/he can write to, please choose another relative.) Please return the form with his/her address by Friday. Thank you!
 
4. Practice new spelling words (list and backpack pages went home today) - Test = Tuesday, 9/21
  1. who
  2. what
  3. why
  4. where
  5. there
  6. here
  7. were
  8. are
  9. be
  10. have
  11. do
  12. how
Additional Reminder:
  • Friday, September 17th = $1 dress down day to raise money for victims of Hurricane Ida

Tuesday, 9/14/21, Homework

Here is Tuesday's homework:
 
1. Read 20 minutes (or more!)
 
2. No spelling homework
--> The new spelling list and "backpack pages" will go home on Wednesday.
 
3. Math test = Wednesday
 

Tests and Quizzes:

 

Additional Reminders:

  • Friday, September 17th = $1 dress down day to raise money for victims of Hurricane Ida

Monday, 9/13/21, Homework

Happy Monday! There is no written homework for tonight, however, please keep in mind we have a couple of tests coming up:
 

1. Read 20 minutes

2. Practice Spelling words - test tomorrow (list linked below)

3. Math test = Wednesday

--> We are reviewing in class today and tomorrow. Today we did the Unit review, and the students brought this home. It does not need to come back to school, however, it can help you see what types of questions will be on the test. The Study Guide we sent home last week (linked below) can also help you see the types of problems that will be on the test.

 

Tests and Quizzes:

 

Additional Reminders:

  • Tuesday, September 14th = All-School Mass at 8:30am
  • Next Friday, September 17th = $1 dress down day to raise money for victims of Hurricane Ida

Week at a Glance 9/13/21-9/17/21

Week at a Glance

September 13-17, 2021

Math: We will wrap up Unit 2 with a review of place value, decomposing numbers, and writing numbers in different ways (standard form, expanded form, word form). Students will take a test on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, we will start the next Unit, which focuses on number sense, specifically finding patterns of numbers within 100.

Science: We are still working on our first Social Studies unit. We will switch to Science in another couple of weeks.

Language Arts: We will continue working on writing friendly letters to a friend or family member. Students are learning parts of a letter, how to brainstorm ideas for a letter, and how to edit and revise his/her ideas.

Reading: This week’s spelling patterns focus on words with digraphs sh, ch, and also letters -tch. The test will be on Tuesday. Then we will turn our focus to words that have the wh and th digraphs. We will read from our Superkids Reader daily to practice fluent reading. Our Super magazine will allow us to explore short nonfiction articles as we learn about a variety of interesting topics. This magazine’s theme is “What’s New?”

Social Studies: We will have two main focuses this week. We will learn about how to read timelines and sequence events in order. Additionally, we will compare events in the past to events in the present as we talk about history.

Religion: We will describe God as our father. We will specifically look at the Our Father prayer. We will also compare prayers of petition and prayers of praise. This week we will also attend Mass in person again!

 

Tests and Quizzes:

 

Additional Reminders:

  • Please try to take your child to Mass over the weekend. 
  • Tuesday, September 14th = All-School Mass at 8:30am - We will attend in person this week.
  • Please send back your child’s Friday folder on Monday. (It should be empty when you return it.) Thank you!
  • Next Friday, September 17th = $1 dress down day to raise money for victims of Hurricane Ida