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Second Grade

Margaret Stanton

Margaret Stanton

Second Grade

Margaret Stanton

Margaret Stanton

Second Grade

Margaret Stanton has been an educator for 37 years and is St. James School’s Second Grade teacher. Mrs. Stanton received her Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from Sacramento State University in 1986 and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Specialist Instructional Credential in Special Education from Sacramento State in 1988. Mrs. Stanton has always enjoyed working with children and has worked at the Sacramento Diocese summer camp for 22 years where she helped develop programs, led trainings, and worked in fundraising for the camp.

Mrs. Stanton received the Dandy Award from the National Catholic Board of Full Inclusion in 2016 and has taught children with Down’s Syndrome and the hearing impaired.

Mrs. Stanton attended Catholic schools and she loves working in Catholic education where she can share her faith with her students.

Shelly Dirksen

Shelly Dirksen

Educational Academic Specialist

Shelly Dirksen

Shelly Dirksen

Educational Academic Specialist

Shelly Dirksen received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a Minor in Reading Instruction from Dordt University, Sioux Center, Iowa in 2001. She has been in education for 23 years serving as a Special Education paraeducator, teacher, reading and writing tutor, substitute teacher, and Children’s Ministry Director grades TK-12 for Christ Church in Davis. Mrs. Dirksen is our Education Achievement Specialist (EAS), a position she has held for 3 and a half years. She is currently working toward her California Clear Teaching Credential.

Mrs. Dirksen has always known her skill set was geared toward teaching and working with children. She loves to help students reach their goals and realize how capable they truly are. She feels it is a true privilege to participate in the moment a child learns something new.

St. James is Mrs. Dirksen’s first experience teaching at a Catholic school. She loves Catholic education and finds it a joy to combine her two loves: faith and teaching.

Kari Fisher

Kari Fisher

School Counselor

Kari Fisher

Kari Fisher

School Counselor

Kari Fisher received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from UC Davis in 1995 and her Masters in Counseling from UC Davis in 2002. She has over 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist working in private practice, community, and school settings. She has additional training in emotionally focused therapy, trauma therapy, and therapies with children and families.

Mrs. Fisher is in her first year as our School Counselor. She chose Catholic education because her son attended St. James and she fell in love with the community as a parent. She has always loved working with children as a psychotherapist and feels blessed to be able to combine her work with a community she holds great fondness for.

Kate Woodard

Kate Woodard

Second Grade Instructional Aide

Kate Woodard

Kate Woodard

Second Grade Instructional Aide
Lexy Mann

Lexy Mann

Second Grade Instructional Aide

Lexy Mann

Lexy Mann

Second Grade Instructional Aide

Our curriculum is driven by the Diocesan Standards which align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Religion

Our curriculum focuses on the Parts of the Mass, and the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion. Within each lesson, there are Bible stories that relate to the topic. In October, we learn about our Guardian Angel. As part of this lesson, we learn to draw an angel. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated with a Penance Service. The Bread Making Retreat is a special time we share with extended family before First Communion which is held during the Easter Season.

English - Language Arts

We work on these reading skills decoding and word recognition, reading fluency, comprehension skills, and literary elements; character, setting, plot and theme. The reading program includes the basal reader, shared reading books, independent selections, story time in class and during library time. We also attend at least one play a year to bring all these skills together as well as a compare and contrast with the written story versus the play.

Our writing skills include grammar (sentence structure, parts of speech, and the mechanics of the sentence). St. James School uses the writing program Step Up to Writing. This program has a structured framework that teaches students a step-by-step approach to writing with graphic organizers, modeled writing, and a common language. In Second Grade, the focus is on developing a paragraph with a good topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. The writing genres include; narrative, expository, descriptive and letter writing. We also learn how to write cursive the second half of the year.

Mathematics

We adhere to the California Common Core Content Standards for Mathematics. At the beginning of the year we focus on mastering the basic addition and subtraction math facts. By the end of the year, we are adding and subtracting 2 and 3-digit numbers.

Science

We follow the Next Generation Science Standards and go the school’s 1600 square foot Science lab once a month for a lesson with, the science teacher. Some of our topics are: plant adaptations, animal biodiversity, erosion and Earth surface, and material properties. We also study about the food groups and how to stay healthy, including a lesson from the Dairy Council.

Social Studies

Our focus in social studies is about how people work and live together throughout the world. We study this from an historical view, as well as, an introduction to economics and government. In November, we focus on Veterans Day and write letters to local Veterans at Mather’s VA Hospital.

St. James School educates the whole child. Therefore, Second Graders also attend classes in Music, PE, Art, and Library.