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Dear Grown-ups,
As I sit down to write this final weekly post to you, I am overwhelmed by the support, understanding, patience, care, and love you have showered over me, our class, and school. The thought of packing up the room and the children’s work has only made me sad about saying goodbye to them next week. I will continue sending supplies home next week, so please help your child clean out their backpacks nightly to make room.
As we prepare to say a bittersweet farewell to our wonderful principal, let’s make the hallways pop! We’re honoring Mrs. Murray's signature style with a school-wide Pattern Day on Tuesday, May 19th. Polka dots, stripes, florals, or plaid—if it’s bold, wear it!
If bold prints aren't your style, please consider writing a special note to her too! Click here to access our google slideshow and share a favorite memory, experience or what you loved most about having her as our school principal. Thank you!
We will have our 2nd-Grade End of the Year Party on Tuesday, May 19 from 1:10-2:10! A huge thank you to our incredible homeroom parents, Chrissy Josephson and Rachel Salkin, for coordinating this! If you are volunteering at the party and would like to wear bold prints for Mrs. Murray I know she would love to see that! 😀
Roll-Up Day:
On the morning of Tuesday, May 19 we will do our Roll-Up Day that we started doing last year! Students will get to meet their 3rd-grade teacher and will come home with a certificate letting you know who their teacher will be next year! 🎉Class lists are finalized; the office asked for parent input in the Scoop in April.
Health Office Notice:
Medications must be picked up by a parent/guardian in the health office by Wednesday, May 20th at 3:00 PM. Medications cannot go home with students. Any medications left in the health office will be discarded. Thank you!
Lost & Found:
Make sure your kids check the lost and found before summer break! Everything that has been collected over the past couple of months will be donated on May 20.
The “summer slump” is very real, so I am sharing all the resources I know of to combat it and keep those skills fresh so they can hit the ground running in 3rd grade. I am attaching a summer work packet for your use if you are interested in continuing to practice math and ELA concepts from this year! It contains 10 weeks of math & ELA lessons, 10-weekend activities, a reading log, a completion certificate, and an answer key. This is completely optional and does not need to be turned in. Unfortunately, it had to be scanned in three parts and there is an answer key at the end. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Here are the remaining June and July handwriting practice pages. Please also feel free to continue to refer to any of the resources on my Conference Recommendations and Resources page on our classroom website! Lexia and Khan Mappers are great online resources (for reading and math, respectively) which can be accessed throughout the summer through your child’s Clever home page.
2nd Grade Math Summer Learning Opportunities- Ms. Henrikson, our math interventionist has created folders full of math resources for each grade level. I linked 2nd grade because this will show you the skills that should be solid for 2nd graders moving up to 3rd grade. However, I am going to share the other grade levels as well so that you can strengthen skills that need some more attention, or push ahead into more advanced content.
Maricopa County, the Phoenix Public Library, and most bookstores have summer reading programs for kids. We all hope that reading will eventually become its own reward for our children, but until then, incentivizing reading can help to establish some good reading habits until they finally find that favorite author or series that hooks them for life. They’re also more likely to read if they see you reading! ;) You can also reach out to the front office for a list of Simis teachers who offer tutoring over the summer.
I am including all of the summer reading lists to account for a variety of reading levels and siblings in different grades:
Kindergarten to 1st Grade Summer Reading List
1st Grade to 2nd Grade Summer Reading List
2nd Grade to 3rd Grade Summer Reading List
3rd Grade to 4th Grade Summer Reading List
4th Grade to 5th Grade Summer Reading List
The Madison Simis Elementary 2026-2027 school supply sale is online now! Go to https://www.educationalproducts.com/ShopPacks/. Enter the school ID, MAD034 (3 letters/3 numbers), and follow the directions to complete your order. Keep your online confirmation as a receipt. Packs will be labeled with your child’s name and placed in their classroom prior to the first day of school. For questions, please email supplies@simispats.org.
*For summer planning purposes, here is the link to the 2026-2027 School Year Calendar.
Thank you for trusting me to do the best work possible with your child. Have a productive, fun-filled, and healthy summer! I look forward to seeing these 3rd graders back at Simis when we all return on August 11!
Looking Ahead:
Tuesday, May 19- 3rd Grade Teacher Roll-Up & 2nd Grade End of the Year Party!
Wednesday, May 20- Last Day of School! 11:00am dismissal
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any comments, questions, or concerns. Have a happy and safe weekend!
Best,
Ashley Guggisberg
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
aguggisberg@madisoned.org (preferred)/ 602.664.7309
**You should expect a response within 24 hours Monday-Friday**
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