May 16, 2025

DATES TO REMEMBER

April 18 - Student and Staff Holiday

April 23 - Math STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*

April 24 - Kona Ice After School

April 25- PTA Breakfast Buddies

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Math

Partitioning Shapes

Identifying and partitioning fractions ( whole, ½, ⅓, ¼, ⅛)

Area and perimeter

Language Arts

Publishing our living museum biographies

Lessons within a story

Overcoming obstacles

Using text evidence

Pronouns

Suffix -ed

Science and Social Studies

Food chains

Manmade and natural resources

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Bringing History to Life and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.

April 11, 2025

We have had a very busy and exciting week writing our final copies and preparing for our living museum next week!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

READING BINGO

April reading bingo is well underway! Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. April reading bingo will be due Wednesday, April 30th.

LIVING MUSEUM:

We’re so excited! The big day is right around the corner. Our Living Museum comes to life next Thursday, April 17th at 8:00 am!

Speech and Doll 4/14-4/16: In class, students will be replicating our person into a paper doll. This will be displayed in the hall next to their final copies the morning of the living museum for parents and families to enjoy after the museum is complete. We will also be working on our museum speeches. These are short informational presentations that your child will come to life and say to each visitor that pushes their button. Memorization of these speeches is highly recommended. Your child will receive a template for them to fill in the blank for and easily practice.

Living Museum 4/17: The BIG Day! Our museum finally comes to life. It is such an exciting day. They have worked so hard and it finally pays off! The living museum will come to life at 8:00am. Please make sure your child arrives at school on time and is already in costume, hair done, make up, etc. Please send a change of clothes for them to wear after the museum, so they do not have to stay in their costume for the entire day and be uncomfortable. You will be allowed to walk back to the second grade hallway to look over the final projects and dolls as your child changes. However, we ask that you do not linger as we must be changed and ready to arrive promptly to Essentials at 8:50.

LIVING MUSEUM VISITORS: Parents and adult visitors are welcome at the museum; please make other arrangements for younger siblings. Please RSVP using this Google Form, so that the office can pre-print your visitor badges. Our program will begin promptly at 8:00am. Please allow ample time for parking and signing in at the office. I appreciate your support throughout this project, and thank you for arranging childcare for younger siblings.

STAAR TESTING:

STAAR testing is here! The State Assessment of Academic Readiness, better known as the STAAR test. 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade reading was completed this past. We still have 2 more that will be administered again on April 16th, and April 23rd to students in grades 3, 4, and 5. The testing schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, April 16 Science - Grade 5

Wednesday, April 23 Math - Grades 3, 4, 5

Please remember:

Testing will begin first thing in the morning.
We are testing in every area of the building, so visitors will not be allowed beyond the front office.

Thank you for your support and cooperation!

SPELLING WORDS: There will not be a spelling test next week due to our 4 day week. Our next test will be on Friday, April 25th. Words will come home in your child's planner next Thursday before the long weekend.

STAR OF THE WEEK: There will not be a Star of the Week next week due to our 4 day week. Our next Star of the Week will be Tomas on Monday, April 21st. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

DATES TO REMEMBER!

April 16 - 5th Grade Science STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*

April 17-Living Museum 8am

April 18 - Student and Staff Holiday

April 23 - Math STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*

April 24 - Kona Ice After School

April 25- PTA Breakfast Buddies

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Math:

Partitioning Shapes

Identifying and partitioning fractions ( whole, ½, ⅓, ¼, ⅛)

Language Arts:

Publishing our living museum biographies

Beginning, Middle, and End of a text

Overcoming obstacles

Using text evidence

Suffixes

Literal and Nonliteral Figurative Language

Similes and Metaphors

Reading and writing words with final stable syllable

Science and Social Studies:

Animal Adaptations

Food Chains

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Catching the Moon and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.

April 4, 2025

We have had a very busy and exciting week writing our rough drafts. I know it was an intense week. Thank you for supporting their research and encouraging their stamina at home! Next week we begin writing our final copies. With the living museum just 2 weeks away, start planning for your child’s costume and be mindful of the time it takes for anything you may be ordering. This is such an exciting project! I cannot wait to see everyone's presentations and costumes!

LIVING MUSEUM:

The Living Museum project is one of the most special parts of second grade here at Canyon Creek! Your child will be studying the life of a famous historical figure, writing a research paper to share their learning, and “bringing to life” their chosen person at our Living Museum on Thursday, April 17th at 8:00 am.

Final Copies: 4/7-4/11: We will be writing final copies this week. We will work to keep students on pace and do our best to not need to have them bring it home. However, any unfinished final copies will go home on Friday, April 11th and must be returned completed Monday, April 14th.

Speech and Doll 4/14-4/16: In class, students will be replicating their person into a paper doll. This will be displayed in the hall next to their final copies the morning of the living museum for parents and families to enjoy after the museum is complete. We will also be working on our museum speeches. These are short informational presentations that your child will come to life and say to each visitor that pushes their button. Memorization of these speeches is highly recommended. Your child will receive a template for them to fill in the blank for and easily practice. I have attached a copy of a final copy and doll for you to see.

Living Museum 4/17: The BIG Day! Our museum finally comes to life. It is such an exciting day. They have worked so hard and it finally pays off! The living museum will come to life at 8:00am. Please make sure your child arrives at school already in costume, hair done, make up, etc. Please send a change of clothes for them to wear after the museum, so they do not have to stay in their costume for the entire day and be uncomfortable. You will be allowed to walk back to the second grade hallway to look over the final projects and dolls as your child changes. However, we ask that you do not linger as we must be changed and ready to arrive promptly to Essentials at 8:50.

Spelling Words:

along
little
people
think
drawing
should
together
through
heavier
bubble

STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week’s Star of the Week is Jasper. We are excited to learn more about our classmate and friend.

DATES TO REMEMBER!

March 31: Student Holiday

April 9 - RLA STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*

April 16 - 5th Grade Science STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*

April 17-Living Museum 8am

April 18 - Student and Staff Holiday

April 23 - Math STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*

April 24 - Kona Ice After School

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Math:

Attributes of 2D shapes and 3D solids

Language Arts:

Lesson of a story

Using text evidence

Suffixes

Reading and writing words with final stable syllable

Writing process for biography writing

Science and Social Studies:

Animal Adaptations

Animal Characteristics

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Salt in His Shoes and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.

March 28, 2025

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Spring Break! It was so wonderful to see everyone again and hear about everyone's adventures and vacations. We have had a very busy and exciting week learning all about our living museum people! The class has been fascinated by all the interesting facts they are learning about the person they've chosen. Thank you for supporting their research at home! Next week we begin transferring our notes into rough drafts. This is such an exciting project! I cannot wait to see everyone's presentations and costumes!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

READING BINGO: Remember to read over spring break or your reading bingo won’t be completed by April 1st! Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid.

LIVING MUSEUM:

Notes Taking 3/25-4/1: As a reminder, all of the notes taking packet will be completed at home. The notes packet is due next Tuesday, April 1st. We will turn around and also begin rough drafts next Tuesday, April 1st when students return. Your child needs to read the entire book from cover to cover before returning their packet and book to school next Tuesday. This is not a scan the book for answers project. Your child will be bringing this person to life. They need to know important facts and details, experiences that shaped their lives, and understand the impact they made on us and not just the basic answers. If only the basic facts are in the notes, your child is going to greatly struggle when composing their rough draft next week, which is why reading the book in its entirety is so important. My best recommendation is to chunk this over the next 7 days. Read a few chapters and answer the questions revealed during that time. Please have your child. Please send your child's orange folder back to school tomorrow, but leave the book and notes page at home for work each evening. Please do not use Google or Wikipedia. Only physical books and books found on Epic or the Library Resources page should be used. Students can access their Class Link account from home to access all of these resources** Please note, the free student version of Epic does not work in the evening; however students will be accessing it throughout the week for additional sources of information. You may also check out books from your local library or purchase them on Amazon, but this is not required. Every question may not be completely filled out in the notes, but I asked the students to look into at least 2 sources before concluding this. For historical figures with less information, if a higher level book is required, parents are allowed to read and help as needed. We want this to be as student-led as possible, so please make sure even if you are reading information to your child or helping with hard words, they are figuring out what the key facts are or what should be included in the notes.

Rough Drafts 4/1-4/4: This notes packet will turn into a rough draft that will eventually turn into a five paragraph, 3 to 4 page final paper. The rough draft template is broken into sections, Introduction, Early Life, Contributions, Later Life, and Conclusion. We will work on 1-2 sections per day. Any writing for the day that is not finished will be sent home and expected to be completed and brought back to school the next day in order to begin the next section the following day. Each student will also be bringing home their completed section for your help revising and editing for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. The revised version needs to come back to school the following day to begin the next section. Only the assigned section should be completed at home. Students should not move ahead to the next section. On Friday, the report will be sent home. All writing, editing and revising needs to be complete and returned to school, Monday, April 7th.

Living Museum 4/17: The BIG Day! Our museum finally comes to life. It is such an exciting day. They have worked so hard and it finally pays off! The living museum will come to life at 8:00am. More information and details will come as we get closer about arrival times, visitor badges, etc. What you need to know now is that the expectation is that your child emanate their person. Please be brainstorming and planning ahead for their costume that day. Be on the lookout for costumes, wigs, accessories, anything to captivate the museum visitors, and bring their chosen person to life. I have attached some photos of previous students for inspiration. Please know that the museum is a no siblings environment, so please plan to make arrangements in advance.

Spelling Words: Spelling words will be given to your child on Friday, March 28 for our test on Friday, April 4.

STAR OF THE WEEK: We will not have a Star of the Week next week due to our 4 day week.

DATES TO REMEMBER!

March 31: Student Holiday

April 17-Living Museum 8am

April 18 - Student and Staff Holiday

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Math:

Attributes of 2D shapes and 3D solids

Language Arts:

Importance of illustrations

Comparative adjectives

Reading and writing words with final stable syllable

Biography vs. autobiography

The life and work of Jane Goodall

Science and Social Studies:

Animal Adaptations

Animal Characteristics

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Jane loves Jubilee and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.

March 14, 2025

We made it! Everyone has worked so hard over the last 6 weeks and I know we are all ready for a little break! I hope you all have a wonderful time together and I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s adventures when we return! Happy Spring Break!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

READING BINGO

Remember to read over spring break or your reading bingo won’t be completed by April 1st! Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid.

LIVING MUSEUM:

Spelling Words: Spelling words will be given to your child on Friday, March 28 for our test on Friday, April 4.

STAR OF THE WEEK

Star of the Week will resume the week of March 24th with Connor. We’re excited to learn more about our classmate and friend

DATES TO REMEMBER!

March 17-21: Spring Break!

March 25: Report cards go home

March 27 - Kona Ice after school

March 31: Student Holiday

April 17-Living Museum 8am

April 18 - Student and Staff Holiday

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Math:

Measuring inches, feet, centimeters, and yards

Estimating measurement

Measurement word problems

End of unit assessment

Language Arts:

Revising, editing, and publishing our animal research projects

Story Elements: plot, setting, characters and their traits

Reading and writing words with welded sounds (-ng and -nk)

Collective Nouns

Science and Social Studies:

Parts of a plant

Parts of a Seed

Life cycle of a plant

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Watch out for Ari, Col, and Boo on Monday and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.

March 9, 2025

We had a jam-packed week full of animal research, comparing texts previewing next week’s book fair, and enjoying the warm weather and crazy wind during recess. After previewing the book fair today, your child’s wish list should have come home in their orange take home folder.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Crowe’s Nest Farm next Friday, March 14th. If you haven't already let me know that you will be joining us, you have until Wednesday, March 12th to let me know. Please arrive at the farm at 10:30AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. Adult tickets are $9 and can be purchased at the entrance. Here are some reminders for our trip:

Pack a sack lunch and drink with all disposable items labeled with your child’s name
Pack two snacks (one for before the trip, one for after)
Wear comfortable walking shoes
Wear the blue CCE PTA shirt or any blue shirt

Lastly, we are still in need of two coolers to help transport our class lunches. If you are able to provide a cooler, please let us know if you can drop it off and if you are able to help transport it to Crowe’s Nest Farm and back to the school upon our return.

BOOK FAIR: The Spring Book Fair is finally here! The book fair will be open daily from 7:20-3:30, with late hours on Thursday, March 13 from 7:20 AM - 7:00 PM.

LIVING MUSEUM: The Living Museum project is one of the most special parts of second grade here at Canyon Creek! Your child will be studying the life of a famous historical figure, writing a research paper to share their learning, and “bringing to life” their chosen person at our Living Museum. On Thursday, April 17th at 8:00 am. Please be on the lookout for more information when we introduce our project on Monday, March 24th.

DRESS CODE: With the weather getting warmer, we have seen a few outfits this week aren’t appropriate for school including short shirts and crop tops that show your stomach and midriff, and also some very short shorts and skirts. We want to reiterate Round Rock ISD’s Dress Code policy located in the student handbook. Please take a moment in the morning to make sure your child’s outfit adheres to the requirements.

MARCH BINGO: March BINGO was sent home today in your child’s planner. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. March BINGO will be due on Monday, March 31st.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week's Star of the Week is Hudson. We are so excited to learn about our special friend and classmate!

EDUCATION GO GET IT WEEK

Next week is Education Go Get It Week at CCE, a week for students to learn about post-secondary education options and future careers. We will have several dress up days to make the week fun! We hope you’ll join us in the fun. It’s never too early to think about the future!

Monday: Canyon Creek T-Shirt

Tuesday: College/Military/Training Program T-Shirt Day

Wednesday: Dress up in your Extracurricular Clothes

Thursday: My Future Career Day

Friday: Retirement Day

Last week a half sheet of paper career assignment "Character Traits in My Future" was sent home. This is an optional activity for students to complete. If your child would like to participate, please send it back next week.

SPELLING WORDS: There are no spelling words next week due to our field trip on Friday. Spelling words will be given to your child on Monday, March 24th for our spelling test the following week.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

March 10-14: Spring Book Fair

March 14: Field trip to Crowe’s Nest Farm

March 25: Report cards go home

March 17-21: Spring Break

March 27 - Kona Ice after school

March 31: Student Holiday

April 18 - Student and Staff Holiday

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts

Character attributes

Comparing texts

Summarizing

Animal Research

Compound Words

Reading and writing words with welded sounds (-ng and -nk)

Math

Measuring inches, feet, centimeters, and yards

Estimating measurement

Measurement word problems

Science & Social Studies:

Parts of a plant

Parts of a Seed

Life cycle of a plant

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Sheila Rae the Brave and your child will receive a ticket

February 28, 2025

How can it already be March? I'm not sure where February went but we've had so much fun here exploring Black History Month, and a variety of Presidents and their impacts.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK:

FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Crowe’s Nest Farm on Friday, March 14th. Permission slips were due today. If you have not yet sent in your child’s permission slip and money, please do sure to do so on Monday. As a reminder, chaperones are not needed. However, if you would like to join your child’s class, please arrive at CCE to pick up your badge and then meet us at the farm at 10:30AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. Adult tickets are $9 and must be purchased at the entrance. Please note* Students will need to bring a sack lunch for the field trip.

If you plan to join us, please make sure you have registered as a RRISD Volunteer. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 3 days to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

Lastly, we will need two coolers to help transport our class lunches. If you are able to provide a cooler, please let us know if you can drop it off and if you are able to help transport it to Crowe’s Nest Farm.

MARCH BINGO: March BINGO was sent home today in your child’s planner. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. March BINGO will be due on Monday, March 31st.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week's Star of the Week is Audrey. We are so excited to learn about our special friend and classmate!

From the School Counselor: Education Go Get It Week at CCE!

March 10-14, 2025 is Education Go Get It (EGGI) Week at CCE, a week for students to learn about post-secondary education options and future careers. At the elementary level, it's all about planting seeds and career exploration - our little ones have YEARS to decide (and change their minds again!) about what they want to do in their future. We just want to make sure our kids have the opportunity to start exploring what options are out there. During EGGI Week, we will be having spirit dress up days, Mrs. Hougham will be teaching guidance lessons to classes about education and career options, students can complete an optional Career Activity which will be sent home in Tuesday folders, and students may even get to glimpse what jobs their teacher had before they started teaching!

Monday: Canyon Creek T-Shirt

Tuesday: College/Military/Training Program T-Shirt Day

Wednesday: Dress up in your Extracurricular Clothes

Thursday: My Future Career Day

Friday: Retirement Day

Library Volunteers: The signup for spring library parents is now available! Please arrive 10 minutes early and help Mrs. Bamford wrap up after the class visit. The program is expanded to include 2 parents during each time to allow more families to participate.

Please sign up using this link:https://evite.me/eHFvycwQX8

MULTICULTURAL FAIR: We have a wonderful line-up of country booths and cultural performances for you on next Friday, March 7th. We're excited to see you there [5PM-6PM for country booths and 6PM-7PM for performances] to celebrate CCE's rich cultural diversity!

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL: March is right around the corner which means Spring Break is on the horizon. If your holiday schedule will involve travel before Spring Break begins, please send your child’s teacher an email. This will allow us to work around your travel schedule and This allows me to move lessons and assessments around, if needed. I appreciate your communication!

SPELLING WORDS:

1. throne

2. chime

3. please

4. goes

5. thank

6. birdhouse

7. color

8. between

9. nightlight

10. than

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

March 7: Multicultural Fair 5pm-7pm

March 14: Field trip to Crowe’s Nest Farm

March 17-21: Spring Break

March 31: Student Holiday

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts

Identifying the mood of a text

Reading comprehension

Coordinating Conjunctions

Publishing our opinion writing Sweet or Salty

Reading and writing words with Long U (u, ui, ue, ew, oo, u_e)

Reading and writing words with welded sounds (-ng and -nk)

Math

Measurement Tools

Measuring with non-standard units

Measuring inches, feet, centimeters, and yards

Science & Social Studies:

Black History Month

Parts of a plant

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Henry’s Freedom Box and your child will receive a ticket

February 21, 2025

Talk about a quick week! We hope you enjoyed your extra day off on Monday. Thankfully, we still managed to squeeze in lots of learning!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK:

FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Crowe’s Nest Farm on Friday, March 14th. A permission slip was sent home in your child’s Tuesday folder last week. These will need to be signed and returned no later than Friday, February 28th. Chaperones are not needed. However, if you would like to join your child’s class, please arrive at CCE to pick up your badge and then meet us at the farm at 10:30AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. Adult tickets are $9 and must be purchased at the entrance. Please note* Students will need to bring a sack lunch for the field trip.

FEBRUARY BINGO: Just a reminder that February BINGO is due next Friday, February 28th. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. March BINGO will begin the evening of 2/28.

Star of the Week: Next week's Star of the Week is Luke. We are so excited to learn about our special friend and classmate!

AUTHOR VISIT RESCHEDULED: Our author Visit with Nell Cross Beckerman will now be on Thursday, February 27! Although there is no official "sale" through CCE, Nell is happy to sign books for your child. Check out this flyer for more information and which grade levels are receiving which book presentation. Any books to be signed can be brought to the library any time before Feb 27 for safe keeping :)

Education Go Get It week: During the week of March 10-14, RRISD students will celebrate Education: Go Get It Week. This is a week to have our students start thinking about education and career opportunities for their futures. If you like to plan ahead, we will have several dress up days:

Monday: Canyon Creek T-Shirt

Tuesday: College/Military/Training Program T-Shirt Day

Wednesday: Dress up in your Extracurricular Clothes

Thursday: My Future Career Day

Friday: (Field Trip) Retirement Day

Please sign up using this link:https://evite.me/eHFvycwQX8

Multicultural Fair: We have a wonderful line-up of country booths and cultural performances for you on March 7th. There's still time to sign up until Feb 28th! Please message CCEMCF2025@gmail.com if you have any questions. We're excited to see you there [5PM-6PM for country booths and 6PM-7PM for performances] to celebrate CCE's rich cultural diversity!

Spelling words:

1. because

2. snowman

3. slowly

4. heading

5. caught

6. people

7. friend

8. night

9. suddenly

10. tiptoe

https://evite.me/eHFvycwQX8

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

February 28: Reading BINGO due

February 28: Crowe’s Nest Farm permission slip and $8 due

March 7: Multicultural Fair 5pm-7pm

March 14: Field trip to Crowe’s Nest Farm

March 17-21: Spring Break

March 31: Student Holiday

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Identifying the main purpose of a text

Reading comprehension

Capitalization

Brainstorming, drafting, editing and revising our opinion writing Sweet or Salty

Reading and writing words with Long U (u, ui, ue, ew, oo, u_e)

Math:

Time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes, 1 minute, and elapsed time word problems

Science & Social Studies:

President's Day

Black History Month

Parts of a plant

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Looking at Lincoln, and your child will receive a ticket.

February 14, 2025

What a week filled with love and kindness as we celebrated friendship, Valentine's Day. Thank you to our room parents and all Second grade parents for making all of the Valentine fun possible! We’ve also had a great week highlighting acts of kindness in the classroom, at recess, and all around the school.

Don’t forget Monday is a student holiday to observe Presidents Day!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

News from the library:

Please sign up using this link:

Also, mark your calendars for Book Fair on March 10-14! We need plenty of parent volunteers to make this amazing program possible. Click here to receive updates about library volunteer opportunities.

SCHLITTERBAHN WAVES OF PAGES IS HERE: Students who read at least 10 hours (600 minutes) between now and February 21st, will receive prizes from the library AND a free ticket to Schlitterbahn in April (read the fine print on the log for valid days)! Reading to your child & audiobooks count! Reading logs went home this past week. Digital copies and more information can be found on the CCE Library Website. Happy Reading!!

CENTRAL TEXAS KIDS & TEENS COMIC CON ON1 February 22, 2025!

Join us at Round Rock High School for a fun-filled day of comics, superheroes, and geeky fun! Meet artists and authors, experience workshops like how to draw your own comics, and connect with fellow fans. Don’t miss this epic event—grab your cape and join the excitement! Entrance is free!

Check out their website for more information and to get your free tickets!

RECESS: We know that Texas weather can be ever changing and unpredictable! We go outside unless it’s raining or the temperatures are below freezing. Please check the weather with your child each day to make sure they have what they need to stay warm (or cool) at recess! Our recess is at 10:20am. Also, be sure to check that your child’s name is in their jackets or vests so they can be easily identified and returned if misplaced.

READING BINGO: A new round of Reading Bingo has begun for the month of February. Remember only one box can be completed per day. Each box must be signed and dated by a parent to receive credit. Bingo sheets are due Friday January 28. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!

STAR OF THE WEEK: We will not have a Star of the Week next week, due to the short week. Our Star of the Week will resume the week of February 24th with our friend Luke.

SPELLING WORDS: There will be no spelling words next due to our 4 day week. Spelling words will be given out next Friday, February 21st for our next test that will be on Friday, February 28th.

https://roundrockisd.org/health-services/health-guidelines-for-school-attendance/#:~:text=A%20sick%20child%20who%20is,spread%20from%20person%20to%20person.

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts

Revising, editing, and publishing our opinion writing of Hey Little Ant
Character’s feelings in the text the text
Point of View
Abbreviations
Vocabulary Words: brilliant, thawed, rippled, tattered, belonged, announce, settled, ragged, laced, and secondhand
Long O (O, OE, O_E, OUGH, OA, OW)
Cursive writing

Math

Parts of a clock
Time to the hour and half-hour
Continued practice of two and three digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping

Science:

Weather and objects in the sky unit assessment

Social Studies

Roles of government officials (mayor, governor, and president)
Branches of government

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb. 17: Presidents Day, student holiday

Friday, March 7 - PTA Multicultural Fair 5pm-7pm

March 17-21: Spring Break

If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch, and your child will receive a ticket.

February 7, 2025

What a pawsome week in second grade! We had so many adorable Dalmatians show up for class today! Thank you for your part in making this a fun activity for your child!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY: We look forward to spreading some love & kindness on Friday at our Valentine’s Day Party! A big thank you to our 2nd grade room moms for organizing our upcoming party. A class list was sent home this week to help your second grader add classmates' names to the cards, if they would like. Your child is also welcome to just write his or her own name on the cards and leave the “to” spot empty for easy distribution. We are asking that completed valentines not be sent to school before Wednesday February 12th. We will be decorating Valentine bags here at school so it is not necessary to purchase or create a box at home. If you plan on joining the fun on Valentine’s Day, please fill out the Fast Pass form by February 12. If you plan on volunteering, please make sure to fill out the RRISD Volunteer application.

*Reminder no child care will be provided for this party. Siblings (older and younger) are not allowed in the classroom so you will need to make alternate arrangements.

*More information will be coming soon from our Homeroom parents in regards to our Valentine’s Day party.

FROM THE LIBRARY: SCHLITTERBAHN WAVES OF PAGES IS HERE

Students who read at least 10 hours (600 minutes) between now and February 21st, will receive prizes from the library AND a free ticket to Schlitterbahn in April (read the fine print on the log for valid days)! Reading to your child & audiobooks count! Reading logs went home this past week. Digital copies and more information can be found on the CCE Library Website. Happy Reading!!

ABSENCES & ILLNESS: As "cold and flu" numbers rise in Austin and surrounding areas please take a moment to review RRISD's Health Guidelines on when to keep your student home. A sick child who is unable to participate at school in a meaningful way should be kept home to rest and recover until symptoms resolve.

A healthy school community requires parents and schools to partner with each other. To prevent/minimize local outbreaks of contagious disease, parents must keep children who have an illness that can be spread from person to person at home, and Round Rock ISD nurses will exclude students with symptoms of a communicable illness from school attendance.

COVID-19: Refer to the Round Rock ISD COVID-19 Resources for students who are experiencing symptoms, have tested positive, or have been in close contact with an individual who tested positive.
Fever: A child must remain home with fever equal to or > 100.0° F and may only return to school after they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin.
Diarrhea: A child with diarrheal illness must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without the use of diarrheal-suppressing medication for 24 hours.

If you take your child to a healthcare provider for an evaluation of illness or injury, please be sure to request a written letter stating when your child may return to school and any accommodations required upon his/her return.

Please see the attached link for further information

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Evelyn. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

SPELLING WORDS

house
about
buying
green
ate
found
right
boys
away
would

https://roundrockisd.org/health-services/health-guidelines-for-school-attendance/#:~:text=A%20sick%20child%20who%20is,spread%20from%20person%20to%20person.

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts

Brainstorm and drafting our opinion writing of Hey Little Ant using the writing process
Analyzing the text
Character responses to major events and challenges
Subject-Verb agreement
Vocabulary Words: brilliant, thawed, rippled, tattered, belonged, announce, settled, ragged, laced, and secondhand
Long O (O, OE, O_E, OUGH, OA, OW)
Cursive writing

Math

Parts of a clock
Time to the hour and half-hour
Continued practice of two and three digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping

Science:

Weather and objects in the sky unit assessment

Social Studies

Roles of government officials (mayor, governor, and president)

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb 4: 101st Day of School

Feb 10-14 - Kindness Week- more info to come next week

Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day party 2:00-2:55

Feb. 17: Presidents Day, student holiday

March 17-21: Spring Break

If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with If I had 101 Dalmatians I Would and your child will earn a ticket!

January 31, 2025

January sure did fly by and we are ready for all the fun, love, and learning that February will hold! Black History month, Groundhog’s Day, 101st day, President’s Day and Valentine’s Day! We love learning about and celebrating all of these fun days!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

101st DAY OF SCHOOL: It is hard to believe that NEXT Tuesday, February 4th is our one hundred and first day of school! We have so many fun activities planned. The children will have many exciting stories to tell you at the end of the day! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we are asking students to wear a Dalmatian spotted shirt. This can be done by purchasing a black and white polka dotted shirt, painting black spots on a white shirt, using iron vinyl or any other materials. As always, this is an optional activity. It is just a fun and silly way for us to celebrate all the hard work these kids have done so far. Headwear is not necessary. We will be making ears in class! I have posted some pictures above for you to see the many ways to make spots!

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY: We will be having a Valentine's Day party this year. It will be on Valentine's Day, Wednesday, February 14. A class list will be sent home in the January 28th Tuesday folder. This will help your second grader add classmates' names to the cards, if they would like. Your child is also welcome to just write his or her own name on the cards and leave the “to” spot empty for easy distribution. We are asking that completed valentines not be sent to school before Wednesday February 12th. We will be decorating Valentine bags here at school so it is not necessary to purchase or create a box at home.

MIDDLE OF THE YEAR TESTING: In next week’s Tuesday folder, you will find the parent reports for our recent literacy and math Universal Screening and/or Diagnostic assessments for the middle of the year. The district emphasizes early intervention to promote academic success for all of our Canyon Creek learners. These assessments help us track progress across the year and intervene where needed.

As you look at the results, please keep in mind that this information serves as one data point. If you have not heard from me to discuss academic concerns prior to these reports, please do not worry if you see fluctuations in progress. We have so much still ahead of us this academic year with many skills still to cover. I will be in touch if a collection of data shows a need for further intervention.

APPLE WATCHES: Since returning from winter break, we have seen many of our classmates wearing, talking with, texting, and playing games on their Apple Watches and other electronic devices. As a reminder, per Round Rock ISD Handbook policy (see below), students are not allowed to use their Apple Watch, iPhone, etc at school for anything other than telling the time. There is no game playing at any time (even when work is done), no texting or talk-to-text through the watch at ANY time. If a student is wearing an Apple Watch it MUST be shut off with only the time visible during the school day. Thank you for your help with this.

Round Rock ISD 2024-2025 Handbook

Electronic Devices and Technology Resources (All Grade Levels)

Possession and Use of Personal Telecommunications Devices, Including Cell Phones, and Other Electronic Devices

The district permits students to possess personal cell phones for safety purposes; however, these devices must remain turned off during the instructional day, including during all testing,

unless they are being used for approved instructional purposes. [See Textbooks, Electronic Textbooks, Technological Equipment, and Other Instructional Materials on page 89 for graphing calculator applications on computing devices.] see page 122

A student must have approval to possess other personal telecommunications devices on campus such as laptops, tablets, or other portable computers. Without such permission, teachers will collect the items and turn them in to the principal’s office. The principal will determine whether to return items to students at the end of the day or to contact parents to pick up the items.

The use of cell phones or any device capable of capturing images is strictly prohibited in locker rooms or restroom areas while at school or at a school-related or school-sponsored event.

If a student uses a telecommunications device without authorization during the school day, the device will be confiscated.

The principal will determine whether to return the item to the student at the end of the day or to contact the parents/guardian to pick up the confiscated telecommunications device from the principal’s office for a fee of $15.

Confiscated telecommunications devices that are not retrieved by the student or the student’s parent will be disposed of after the notice required by law. [See policy FNCE for more information.] In limited circumstances and in accordance with law, a student’s personal

telecommunications devices may be searched by authorized personnel. [See Searches on page 86 and policy FNF for more information.] Any disciplinary action will be in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. The district is not responsible for damaged, lost, or stolen telecommunications devices.

YEARBOOK: Today is the LAST day to order a copy of the 2024-2025 CCE yearbook! Click here to order today!

FROM THE LIBRARY: SCHLITTERBAHN WAVES OF PAGES IS HERE

ABSENCES & ILLNESS

As "cold and flu" numbers rise in Austin and surrounding areas please take a moment to review RRISD's Health Guidelines on when to keep your student home. A sick child who is unable to participate at school in a meaningful way should be kept home to rest and recover until symptoms resolve.

COVID-19: Refer to the Round Rock ISD COVID-19 Resources for students who are experiencing symptoms, have tested positive, or have been in close contact with an individual who tested positive.
Fever: A child must remain home with fever equal to or > 100.0° F and may only return to school after they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin.
Diarrhea: A child with diarrheal illness must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without the use of diarrheal-suppressing medication for 24 hours.

Please see the attached link for further information

WEATHER: It’s cold outside, and it finally feels like Winter! Please send your child to school with the appropriate items for outdoor play, with mindfulness to the day’s temperature. Unless it is raining or below freezing temperatures, we plan to take the children to recess at 1:55. If the “feels like” temperature is below 60 degrees, we require students to keep jackets on during recess. If the temperature is between 20-30 degrees, our time outside will be shortened, but it may still happen for a quick lap around the track or for a few minutes of fresh air. All items should be labeled with your child’s name so that they can be returned if lost.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Yaara. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

SPELLING WORDS

around
brown
fire
drawing
morning
laugh
didn’t
round
cleaner
walk

https://roundrockisd.org/health-services/health-guidelines-for-school-attendance/#:~:text=A%20sick%20child%20who%20is,spread%20from%20person%20to%20person.

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts

Revising, editing and publishing our informational paragraph using the writing process
Celebrating the significance of Lunar New Year
Determining Fact and Opinion
Possessive Nouns
Facts about Alaska, Siberian Huskies, and the Iditarod sled dog race
Vocabulary Words: alert, jammed, gutted, cautious, volunteer, musher, vowed, pilot, hollered, blizzard, whiteout, maze, and harness
Long I (I, IGH, IE, Y)
Cursive writing

Math

Addition and Subtraction with and without regrouping
Addition and subtraction word problems
End of unit assessment

Science:

Types of Weather
Charting the weather
Charting the Moon

Social Studies

Celebrating the significance of Lunar New Year

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb 4: 101st Day of School

Feb 10-14 - Kindness Week- more info to come next week

Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day party

Feb. 17: Presidents Day, student holiday

If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Akiak won the Iditarod! and your child will earn a ticket!

January 24, 2025

hope that you and your family enjoyed a wonderful four-day weekend! We spent our shortened week learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in both reading and social studies. I was so impressed with how engaged the students were; how so many of them were angered about the civil rights issues of the past and voiced how they would never make someone feel the way Dr. King and so many others were made to feel. This class is full of so many generous and kind hearted kids who work daily to be good classmates, friends and members of the community.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

101st DAY OF SCHOOL: It is hard to believe that Tuesday, February 4th is our one hundred and first day of school! We have so many fun activities planned. The children will have many exciting stories to tell you at the end of the day! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we are asking students to wear a dalmatian spotted shirt. This can be done by purchasing a black and white polka dotted shirt, painting black spots on a white shirt, using iron vinyl or any other materials. A letter will be coming home in next week's Tuesday folder to help you plan for this special day. As always, this is an optional activity. It is just a fun and silly way for us to celebrate all the hard work these kids have done so far. Headwear is not necessary. We will be making ears in class!

FROM THE LIBRARY: SCHLITTERBAHN WAVES OF PAGES IS HERE

POSTPONED AUTHOR VISIT: RRISD has decided to reschedule our author Nell Cross Beckerman author visit due to possible bad weather. We will let you know the new date as soon as we have it. The good news is, you have more time to purchase a book to be signed if you want :). Information about her books can be found here

ABSENCES & ILLNESS

COVID-19: Refer to the Round Rock ISD COVID-19 Resources for students who are experiencing symptoms, have tested positive, or have been in close contact with an individual who tested positive.
Fever: A child must remain home with fever equal to or > 100.0° F and may only return to school after they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin.
Diarrhea: A child with diarrheal illness must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without the use of diarrheal-suppressing medication for 24 hours.

Please see the attached link for further information

READING BINGO: A new round of Reading Bingo has begun for the month of January. Remember only one box can be completed per day. Each box must be signed and dated by a parent to receive credit. Bingo sheets are due next Friday January 31. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Due to our shortened week next we will not have a Star of the Week. Star of the Week will resume again the week of February 3rd with Yaara.

SPELLING WORDS: Due to our shortened week next we will not have a spelling test. Spelling words will be in your child’s planner next Friday, January 31st for the next test that will be on Friday, February 7th.

https://www.balfour.com/texas/austin/canyon-creek-elementary-school/yearbook-packages

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts

Drafting, revising, and editing an informational paragraph using the writing process
The impact and legacy of Martin Lunther King, Jr.
Commas in a sentence, writing dates, opening and closing of a letter, between city and state and city and country.
Identifying key facts vs. irrelevant details in a text
Long I (I, IGH, IE, Y)
Cursive writing

Math

Addition and Subtraction with and without regrouping
Addition and subtraction word problems

Science:

Types of Weather
Charting the weather

Social Studies

The impact and legacy of Martin Lunther King, Jr.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan. 28: Lunar New Year Parade

Jan. 29: Staff Development/No School

Feb 4: 101st Day of School

Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day party

Feb. 17: Presidents Day, student holiday

If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with I Have a Dream and your child will earn a ticket!

January 17,2025

Time fries when you're having fun! We've had a great start to the new year! We got back into our regular routines and have been working hard to earn those tickets and class rewards.

Important information for this week:

101st DAY OF SCHOOL:

It is hard to believe that Monday, February 3rd is our one hundred and first day of school! We have so many fun activities planned. The children will have many exciting stories to tell you at the end of the day! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we are asking students to wear a dalmatian spotted shirt. This can be done by purchasing a black and white polka dotted shirt, painting black spots on a white shirt, using iron vinyl or any other materials. A letter will be coming home in next week's Tuesday folder to help you plan for this special day. As always, this is an optional activity. It is just a fun and silly way for us to celebrate all the hard work these kids have done so far. Headwear is not necessary. We will be making ears in class!

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY: We will be having a Valentine's Day party this year. It will be on Valentine's Day, Friday February 14. We will be decorating Valentine bags here at school so it is not necessary to purchase or create a box at home. More information will be coming soon from our room parents.

FROM THE LIBRARY: SCHLITTERBAHN WAVES OF PAGES IS HERE

Postponed Author Visit:

RRISD has decided to reschedule our author Nell Cross Beckerman author visit due to possible bad weather. We will let you know the new date as soon as we have it. The good news is, you have more time to purchase a book to be signed if you want :). Information about her books can be found here

READING BINGO: A new round of Reading Bingo has begun for the month of January. Remember only one box can be completed per day. Each box must be signed and dated by a parent to receive credit. Bingo sheets are due on January 31. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Due to our shortened week next we will not have a Star of the Week. Star of the Week will resume again the week of February with Yaara.

WEATHER: It’s cold outside, and it finally feels like Winter! Please send your child to school with the appropriate items for outdoor play, with mindfulness to the day’s temperature. Unless it is raining or below freezing temperatures, we plan to take the children to recess at 1:55. If the temperature is between 20-30 degrees, our time outside will be shortened, but it may still happen for a quick lap around the track or for a few minutes of fresh air. All items should be labeled with your child’s name so that they can be returned if lost.

YEARBOOKS: The last day to order your 2024-2025 CCE yearbook is January 26th! Click the link below to get yours today!

SPELLING WORDS: Due to our shortened week next we will not have a spelling test. Spelling words will be in your child’s planner next Friday for the next test that will be on Friday, January 31st.

This Week's Curriculum:

Language Arts

Brainstorming and drafting an informational paragraph using the writing process
Text-to-text connections between Snow Day and Brave Irene
Summarizing a story
Finding the lesson in a story
Variant Vowels phonics and spelling patterns (AU/AW/AUGH/OUGH/AL)
Cursive writing

Math

Addition and Subtraction with and without regrouping

Science:

Charting the phases of the moon
What is a forecast? What do meteorologists do?
Types of Weather
Charting the weather

Social Studies

What makes a good friend

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan.20: MLK Holiday, No School

Jan 23: Spring Picture Day

January 26: Yearbook sales close

January 28: Lunar New Year Celebration

Jan. 29: Staff Development/No School

If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with I AM WISHING FOR A SNOW DAY and your child will earn a ticket!

January 10, 2025

Happy New Year! Welcome back to school! We hope you had a relaxing and restful break! We are off to a great first week back to school. We eased our way back into the classroom by reviewing our routines and expectations for second grade. It was so exciting to see who's taller, who was sporting new haircuts, shoes and clothes, and to hear about all of the wonderful experiences we had and gifts we received over the holidays. We are looking forward to new learning adventures and the start of a wonderful semester.

Important information for this week:

FROM THE LIBRARY: SCHLITTERBAHN WAVES OF PAGES IS HERE

AUTHOR VISIT: The CCE Library is excited to host Bluebonnet author, Nell Cross Beckerman for all students on Tuesday, Jan 21st! Nell combines true science with poetry in her children's books about the natural world. The book presentations for each grade level will be:

K & 1st grade - Down Under the Pier;

2nd & 4th grade - Caves (2024-25 Bluebonnet list);

3rd & 5th grade - Volcanoes (2025-26 Bluebonnet list)

Although there is no official "sale" through CCE, Nell is happy to sign books for your child. Information about her books can be found here. Feel free to use the link for Amazon in the flyer or purchase from the store of your choice.

REPORT CARDS: This past Tuesday, the report cards for the 2nd Grading period (mid-Oct. through mid-December) went home in your child's Tuesday folder. The paper copy of the report card is for you to keep. Please sign and return the outer envelope. I will store it here to use for the next report card that is scheduled to come out after Spring Break. Thanks for your help with this!

READING BINGO: A new round of Reading Bingo has begun for the month of January. Remember only one box can be completed per day. Each box must be signed and dated by a parent to receive credit. Bingo sheets are due on January 31. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week will resume next week. Our first Star of the Week for the new year will be Julia. We can’t wait to learn about our classmate and friend.

WEATHER: It’s cold outside, and it finally feels like Winter! Please send your child to school with the appropriate items for outdoor play, with mindfulness to the day’s temperature. Unless it is raining or below freezing temperatures, we plan to take the children to recess at 1:55. If the temperature is between 20-30 degrees, our time outside will be shortened, but it may still happen for a quick lap around the track or for a few minutes of fresh air. All items should be labeled with your child’s name so that they can be returned if lost.

YEARBOOKS: It’s time to order yearbooks! Find information about ordering yours at this link - https://www.balfour.com/texas/austin/canyon-creek-elementary-school/yearbook-packages

SPELLING WORDS: Spelling tests will begin again next week.

Spelling words for 1/13-1/17

winter
pause
dont
another
gave
only
carry
thing
here
going

STUDENT SUPPLIES: As the second semester begins, some families have sent in new supplies to refresh crayons, gluesticks, and other items that might be running low. If you haven’t already, please chat with your child about what supplies they may need replaced and send in as needed. Thank you for your help!

This Week's Curriculum:

Language Arts

Discuss New Year’s resolutions and set classroom and personal goals
Story elements (characters, setting, BME)
Problem and Solution
Story sequencing
Text-to-self connections
Cursive writing

Math

First semester math review
- Place value
- 2 digit addition and subtraction without regrouping
- Graphs and data
- Ordering numbers
- Word problems
- Even and Odd
- Comparing numbers

Science:

Phases of the moon
Charting the phases of the moon

Social Studies

Review classroom expectations and procedures

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan. 7: Report cards go home

January 16 - CCE PTA Spirit Night at Torchy’s and Handel’s 4-8PM

Jan 20: MLK Holiday, No School

Jan 23- Spring Picture Day

January 26- Yearbook sales close

January 28 - Lunar New Year Celebration

Jan. 29: Staff Development/No School

If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Squirrel’s New Year's Resolution and your child will earn a ticket!

December 20, 2024

We had a great last week of school and a FUN-tastic party! A big thank you to our room parents and all the volunteers who helped put together our end of semester celebration!

Also, thank you to PTA for the fabulous cookies! It was so wonderful being able to take home a package of delicious cookies!

WINTER BREAK READING:

Over the Winter Break, the second grade teachers are asking that the students read over break. Reading over the break will help ensure that your child is ready to pick up where we left off. Just like after a break from exercise, it is much harder to pick it back up if they completely stop reading. Please continue and complete their December reading BINGO over the break. BINGO sheets are due the day we return to school, Tuesday, January 7th.

Star of the Week: We will resume our Star of the Week in January when we have a full five day week to celebrate our classmates! Our first Star of the Week will be Julia on Monday, January 13th.

JANUARY SUPPLIES: As the year goes on, some students find that their supplies are running out or have gone missing. Please talk with your student and if they are in need, please send your child to school with a new set of crayons, wide, bold color, washable markers, a new 12 pack of colored pencils, and a pack of glue sticks. These are in sad condition and running low. We would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

SPELLING WORDS: There will not be a spelling word assessment when students return in January due to the shortened week. Spelling words will be given to students on Friday, January 10th to study and prepare for our first assessment of the new year which will resume on Friday, January 17th.

From the Library: Schlitterbahn Waves of Pages Challenge is HERE!

Winter Holiday Party Visitor Sign Up

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Holiday first semester phonics review
Holiday writing- If Santa Lost His Job and How to Make the Grinch Grin
Holiday traditions
Asking questions as we read
Comparing characters in a text
Using text evidence to answer comprehension questions

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit addition and subtraction problems with regrouping
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Holidays Around the World

Science:

Holiday STEM fun

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

December 20-January 6: Winter Break

January 6 - Staff PD Day/Student Holiday

January 16 - CCE PTA Spirit Night at Torchy’s and Handel’s

January 20 - MLK Jr Day/No School

January 23 - Spring Picture Day

January 29 - Staff PD Day/Student Holiday

If your family is traveling over the winter break, be safe and enjoy your destination! I wish you all the best this holiday season ... may your break be full of of fun, family, friends and much needed relaxation.

Happy Holidays and I'll see you in the New Year ….. 2025!!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Happy Holidays and your child will earn a ticket.

December 13, 2024

Wow! Second grade is flying by faster than Santa's sleigh! We have spent this week traveling around the world and learning how kids celebrate the winter holidays! Hopefully your child has shared some of the information that they've learned along the way!

As we head into the holiday season, please let me know of any travel dates that coincide with school days. Be sure to pass the information on to the office, as well.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

HOLLY JOLLY DAYS

Next week we have some fun dress up days planned for the kids.

Monday: Have a Yee Haw Holiday- Dress in Western wear

Tuesday: Holiday Glow Up- Dress it up with sparkles and shine

Wednesday: Polar Express Day- All aboard the PJ train

Thursday: Get TACKY- Wear your best ugly or tacky sweater or shirt

STAR OF THE WEEK: We will resume our Star of the Week in January when we have a full five day week to celebrate our classmates! Our first Star of the Week of the new year will be Julia the week of January 13th. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY: Our class holiday party is on Thursday, December 19 from 2:00 - 2:50. All parents are invited to attend. If you plan to attend, please click this link and complete the Google form, so that the office can pre-print your badge. If you have not had your driver's license scanned into our system before, you must bring your driver's license or some sort of picture identification in order to enter the building. Please make arrangements for your little ones. As per our school policy, siblings are not allowed to attend the party.

WINTER BREAK READING: Over the Winter Break, the second grade teachers are asking that the students continue to read and continue to complete their December reading BINGO over the break. December reading bingo is due our first day back, Tuesday, January 7th.

SPELLING WORDS: There will not be a spelling word assessment next week due to the shortened week. Spelling words will be given to students on Friday, January 10th to study and prepare for our first assessment of the new year which will resume on Friday, January 17th.

JANUARY SUPPLIES: If you are willing and able, please send your child to school with a new set of crayons, markers, colored pencils, pencils, and a pack of glue sticks when we return in January. These are in sad condition and running low. We would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS: Our classroom is looking for help during our weekly library time on Fridays at 10:00-10:30am. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early. Sign up for one slot initially to give all families an opportunity. Please sign up using this link: https://evite.me/CBjdjFuANN

Winter Holiday Party Visitor Sign Up

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Holiday first semester phonics review
Contractions
Holiday writing- How to Catch Santa with transition words
Holiday traditions
Asking questions as we read
Using text evidence to answer comprehension questions

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit addition and subtraction problems with regrouping
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Holidays Around the World

Science:

Holiday STEM fun

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

December 19 - Brown Santa Toy Drive ends

December 19- Winter Party

December 19-All unclaimed clothing from Lost and Found will be collected and donated to the RRISD Clothing Closet

December 19 - Brown Santa Toy Drive Donation Day

December 20-January 6: Winter Break

January 6 - Staff PD Day/Student Holiday

January 16 - CCE PTA Spirit Night at Torchy’s and Handel’s

January 20 - MLK Jr Day/No School

January 23 - Spring Picture Day

January 29 - Staff PD Day/Student Holiday

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with How to Catch Santa and your child will earn a ticket.

December 6, 2024

It's hard to believe that we are about halfway through our second grade year together! The children have been working so hard! We have had so much fun dressing up for our Holly Jolly days this week. We can't wait to continue the fun next week. We have more fun activities planned for next week as we eagerly make our way to the upcoming break.

As we head into the holiday season, please let me know of any travel dates that coincide with school days. Be sure to pass the information on to the office, as well.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

HOLLY JOLLY DAYS-Next week we have some fun dress up days planned for the kids.

Monday: Comfort and Joy- Wear comfy clothes

Tuesday: 100% that Grinch- Wear Green

Wednesday: Two turtle doves-Dress like twins with a friend

Thursday: Calling all Santa’s helpers- Dress like an elf, reindeer, etc.

Friday: Holiday Hair, Don’t Care- Wear a holiday hair accessory

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD:

Next week our adventure begins! We are set to visit the following countries. China, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Africa, Israel, Russia, Jordan, and Mexico. If you or your family have photos celebrating traditions from these countries, please email them to me by Tuesday, December 10th. We’d love to include them in our slides!If you have a snack or food item, please email so we can make specific arrangements about the exact day and time for that country. We love to celebrate everyone and everything that makes our classroom special.

WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY:

Our class holiday party is on Thursday, December 19 from 2:00 - 2:50. All parents are invited to attend. If you plan to attend, please click this link and complete the Google form, so that the office can pre-print your badge. If you have not had your driver's license scanned into our system before, you must bring your driver's license or some sort of picture identification in order to enter the building. Please make arrangements for your little ones. As per our school policy, siblings are not allowed to attend the party.

WINTER BREAK READING:

Over the Winter Break, the second grade teachers are asking that the students continue to read and continue to complete their December reading BINGO over the break. December reading bingo is due our first day back, Tuesday, January 7th.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Evan. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

TAG TESTING WINDOW: The window to refer your student for the TAG program is now open. Referrals must be made by parents. The link to refer your child can be found on the RRISD TAG website until 4:30 pm on Friday, December 13th. This is a hard deadline for families to submit the online form – late entries will not be accepted. Students are eligible to take the test every year.

Questions can be directed to Melissa Hamilton (melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org) or Jamie Guack (jamie_guack@roundrockisd.org).

ROUND ROCK CLOTHES CLOSET: The CCE Girl Scouts are partnering with RRISD’s Clothing Closet and holding a Winter Coat Drive from December 2 - 13! If you have any new or gently used coats (size 3T - adult XL) available, please consider donating! Collection bins are located right inside the main CCE doors, with an additional collection at the Fun Run/Holiday Fair on December 6.

Support for our CCE No Place for Hate Coalition:

Our 5th grade No Place for Hate Coalition wants to make sure our amazing school's diversity is celebrated! We are planning a schoolwide No Place for Hate activity in which students will be listening to the book The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio while learning about the delicious foods of different cultures. We'll also be talking about ways to show respect and kindness about foods that may be different from ones we've tried before (we won't be eating any food during this activity, just talking about it!).

To add to this activity, we'd like to give CCE families the opportunity to submit one of their family's favorite recipes so we can compile them in a CCE Recipe Book to share with other CCE families. If you would like your family's favorite recipe added and shared out with other CCE families, please complete this form so all of our families have the chance to try some delicious, diverse new meals!

Last, we’d like to ask families to bring an empty box/container of a food your family loves or from your family’s culture or family traditions. Our hope is that we receive enough boxes to create a domino effect display, showing that kindness and acceptance (not just tolerance) is like a domino effect - what starts with one can spread to many! We’ll end by creating a display of the different food containers to show what a beautiful and diverse menu we have within our families! If your family would like to bring an empty food container, please bring it to Mrs. Hougham’s office in the next few weeks.

We appreciate your time and participation!

LOST AND FOUND….GOING, GOING, GONE

Please come take a look at the lost and found items before they are gone!!! Anything not claimed by December 14th will be donated to the RRISD Clothes Closet.

Spelling words:

also
never
school
doesn’t
should
leave
I’m
made
green
mother

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Contractions
Reading, writing and spelling digraphs with long e (ee, ea, ie, ey, y)
Holiday writing- If I was Trapped in a Snow globe
Holiday traditions

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit addition and subtraction problems
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems with unknown addends
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Holidays Around the World

Science:

Forms of Energy

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

December 6 - Fun Run & Holiday Fair

December 19 - Brown Santa Toy Drive ends

December 19- Winter Party

December 20-January 6: Winter Break

January 6 - Staff PD Day/Student Holiday

January 20 - MLK Jr Day/No School

January 23 - Spring Picture Day

January 29 - Staff PD Day/Student Holiday

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Trapped in a snow globe! and your child will earn a ticket.

November 22, 2024

TURK about a FUN week! The children had so much fun today doing the Turkey Trot and the Turkey Tango! Thanks to our Essentials teachers, they had a little friendly competition trotting around the field and had the opportunity to flap their wings and strut their stuff as turkeys!

It is so hard to believe that we are approaching Thanksgiving and have completed 15 weeks of school! I am so grateful for you and your child and the time we've shared together. I wish you and your family a fantastic Thanksgiving break filled with all of your favorite things!!

A HUGE thank you to all the families that contributed to the and pies for the staff today! It was delicious and despite it being a busy time of year, we truly appreciate the generosity of so many and am looking forward to sharing the yummy dessert with my family!

As we head into the holiday season, please let me know of any travel dates that coincide with school days. Be sure to pass the information on to the office, as well.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

HOMEWORK FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK

Please have your child read and continue to fill out their Reading BINGO. Remember that EACH DAY must be initialed AND dated to be counted. November reading bingo will continue through Thanksgiving break and be due Monday, December 2nd. No late bingos will be accepted.

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD PREP: If you signed up to help me with cutting and preparation for our upcoming Holidays Around the World unit, Thank you so very much for volunteering. As a reminder, all materials need to be returned to me no later Wednesday, December 4th.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week when we return the week of December 2nd is Gael. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

TAG TESTING WINDOW: The window to refer your student for the TAG program is now open. Referrals must be made by parents. The link to refer your child can be found on the RRISD TAG website until 4:30 pm on Friday, December 13th. This is a hard deadline for families to submit the online form – late entries will not be accepted. Students are eligible to take the test every year.

Questions can be directed to Melissa Hamilton (melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org) or Jamie Guack (jamie_guack@roundrockisd.org).

JINGLE BELL RUN & HOLIDAY FAIR

This year, our Fun Run and Holiday Fair will be a combined event. Please visit this link to purchase:

runner packets - race bib, jingle bells, and bottle of water included ($5 early bird; increase to $7 on 11/22)
holiday vendor booths* ($50 early bird; increase to $60 on 11/22)
holiday student booths ($25; increase to $30 on 11/22)
whole pizzas - cheese, pepperoni, mushroom ($16; sales close 12/3)

*PTA has a limited number of tables; if you have your own table that you can bring for your booth, we would appreciate it!

This is a beloved event, and we know different groups (Scouts, local bakers, artists, and crafty groups of friends) bring so many interesting goods to sell. We can’t wait to see what you have to offer!

VOLUNTEER: We will need an army of support to pull off this event. Please sign up HERE for a slot or two to lend a hand so that the entire night will be a success.

Support for our CCE No Place for Hate Coalition:

We appreciate your time and participation!

Holidays Around the World Preparation Sign Up

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Adjectives and Adverbs
Reading, writing and spelling digraphs ai and ay
Parts of a friendly letter
Writing a friendly letter
Writing facts about turkeys

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit subtraction problems
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems with unknown addends
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

The history of Thanksgiving

Science:

Forms of Energy

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break/School Holiday

December 4- Holidays Around the World prep materials due

December 6 - Fun Run & Holiday Fair

December 19 - Brown Santa Toy Drive ends

December 14- Winter Party

December 20-January 6: Winter Break

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Turk and Runt and your child will earn a ticket.

November 15, 2024

The CCE Library and I thank you for your purchases at our Fall Book Fair. The proceeds always go back to our students in materials and guest author visits. Thank you for your generous support and all the books that you donated to our classroom library!

As we head into the holiday season, please let me know of any travel dates that coincide with school days. Be sure to pass the information on to the office, as well.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK:

Holidays Around the World

Thank you to those who have already signed up to help with our Holidays Around the World prep. I am still in need of 5 parents to help with the cutting, folding, and gluing of some of the pieces as it is a more involved preparation! The link to sign up is below and I will send you materials and one completed example. Materials were sent home today for those who have already signed up. Completed materials will need to be returned no later than Wednesday, December 4th.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Shreenidhi. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

TAG TESTING WINDOW

The window to refer your student for the TAG program is now open. Referrals must be made by parents. The link to refer your child can be found on the RRISD TAG website until 4:30 pm on Friday, December 13th. This is a hard deadline for families to submit the online form – late entries will not be accepted. Students are eligible to take the test every year.

Questions can be directed to Melissa Hamilton (melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org) or Jamie Guack (jamie_guack@roundrockisd.org).

JINGLE BELL RUN & HOLIDAY FAIR

This year, our Fun Run and Holiday Fair will be a combined event. Please visit this link to purchase:

runner packets - race bib, jingle bells, and bottle of water included ($5 early bird; increase to $7 on 11/22)
holiday vendor booths* ($50 early bird; increase to $60 on 11/22)
holiday student booths ($25; increase to $30 on 11/22)
whole pizzas - cheese, pepperoni, mushroom ($16; sales close 12/3)

*PTA has a limited number of tables; if you have your own table that you can bring for your booth, we would appreciate it!

VOLUNTEER

We will need an army of support to pull off this event. Please sign up HERE for a slot or two to lend a hand so that the entire night will be a success.

ROUND ROCK CLOTHES CLOSET

The CCE Girl Scouts are partnering with RRISD’s Clothing Closet and holding a Winter Coat Drive from December 2 - 13! If you have any new or gently used coats (size 3T - adult XL) available, please consider donating! Collection bins are located right inside the main CCE doors, with an additional collection at the Fun Run/Holiday Fair on December 6.

NOVEMBER READING BINGO: November Reading BINGO is underway, Remember that EACH DAY must be initialed AND dated to be counted. No late bingos will be accepted. November reading bingo will continue through Thanksgiving break and be due Monday, December 2nd.

Support for our CCE No Place for Hate Coalition:

We appreciate your time and participation!

NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS

find
today
first
make
them
from
rainy
play
under
went

Holidays Around the World Preparation Sign Up

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Describing and comparing characters
Comparing texts
Reading, writing and spelling digraphs ai and ay
Parts of a friendly letter
Writing a friendly letter

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit subtraction problems
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems with unknown addends
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Recognizing the significance and celebrating Veterans Day

Science:

Forms of Energy

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

November 22: Turkey Trot during essentials

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break/School Holiday

December 4- Holidays Around the World prep materials due

December 6 - Fun Run & Holiday Fair

December 19 - Brown Santa Toy Drive ends

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with The Rough Faced Girl and your child will earn a ticket.

November 8, 2024

Happy First Week of November! This time of year, as I am sure you do, I tend to reflect more on all that I am grateful for. Your children are something that I am grateful for every day!

As we head into the holiday season, please let me know of any travel dates that coincide with school days. Be sure to pass the information on to the office, as well.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

Holidays Around the World: As we are approaching the holiday season, Second Graders will be "traveling" around the world to learn about different customs and celebrations. I am looking for some parents to help with the cutting, folding, and gluing of some of the pieces as it is a more involved preparation! The link to sign up is below and I will send you materials and one completed example. Materials will be sent home beginning Friday, November 15th. Completed materials will need to be returned no later than Wednesday, December 4th.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Melody. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

The Book Fair is here! : The book fair will be open next week, November 11-15. Funds raised through the book fair support all CCE students by funding library programs like author visits, campus educational resources such as Discovery Ed & Tumblebooks, Kindergarten & 5th grade gift books, and more! Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become bolder, prouder, and stronger readers. AND- as always - every book they buy earns rewards for our school. Click here for more information. Remember: BOOKS TAKE YOU TO INFINITY AND BEYOND! Check your child's backpack today for their wish list and the Book Fair flier.

Monday, 11/11 - Friday, 11/15, 7:20 AM - 3:30 PM

Late night shopping: Monday 11/11 until 5:30 PM, then again 6:30 PM - 7: 30 PM

Set up your eWallet Here!

TAG Testing Window: The window to refer your student for the TAG program will open Monday, November 11th. Referrals must be made by parents. The link to refer your child can be found on the RRISD TAG website until 4:30 pm on Friday, December 13th. This is a hard deadline for families to submit the online form – late entries will not be accepted. Students are eligible to take the test every year.

Questions can be directed to Melissa Hamilton (melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org) or Jamie Guack (jamie_guack@roundrockisd.org).

THANKSGIVING LUNCH: We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 13th for our Annual Thanksgiving Lunch during their regular lunch time (11:15-11:45). The meal price is $5.00 for all guests (exact dollar amount is greatly appreciated). Also, don’t forget to bring your photo ID to assist in signing in at the office. If you have visited campus prior to this day and RSVP’d on the campus sign up form, we will have your badge pre-printed. If you did not RSVP for the Feast but want to attend, you are welcome to bring a sack lunch and join us for lunch!

GRIZZGIVING CAN DRIVE: This is a community event held at Grisham Middle School. Different schools or groups within schools (houses) have been asked to bring various items to contribute to a meal for the whole community to enjoy on Nov. 19th. Canyon Creek has been invited to donate: Canned Evaporated Milk &/or Canned Cranberry Sauce. Students can bring donations to the school until Nov 8th. For more information and to volunteer, click this link - GRIZZGIVING 2024

Support for our CCE No Place for Hate Coalition:

We appreciate your time and participation!

LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS: Our classroom is looking for help during our weekly library time on Fridays at 9:50-10:20am. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early. Sign up for one slot initially to give all families an opportunity.

Please sign up using this link: https://evite.me/CBjdjFuANN

Also, visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:

https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0

Your help is much appreciated!

NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS

name
three
each
after
could
giving
both
said
these
sister

https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Retelling story elements such as characters, setting, problem, solution
Describe character traits using actions, words, and thoughts from the text
Learn true facts about turkeys
Reading, writing and spelling using affixes
Writing a persuasive text to help disguise a turkey for Thanksgiving

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit addition problems
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems with unknown addends
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Identifying landforms
Recognizing the significance and celebrating Diwali
Understanding elections and holding our own class election for Duck vs. Farmer Brown

Science:

Types of Energy

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

November 11-15 - Book Fair

November 13: Thanksgiving Lunch

November 14 - Kona Ice After School

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break/School Holiday

December 4- Holidays Around the World prep materials due

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with A Plump and Perky Turkey and your child will earn a ticket.

November 1, 2024

It's been a fa-BOO-lous week of learning! We also enjoyed the fun themes for each day of Red Ribbon Week! I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Elis. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

NOVEMBER READING BINGO

November Reading BINGO is underway, Remember that EACH DAY must be initialed AND dated to be counted. No late bingos will be accepted. November reading bingo will be due December 2nd.

THANKSGIVING LUNCH

We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 13th for our Annual Thanksgiving Lunch. The meal price is $5.00 for all guests (exact dollar amount is greatly appreciated). If you RSVP’d to eat, please be sure to bring cash to pay for your meal. If we have already scanned your ID this year, you can avoid waiting in line and have your badge pre-printed. Click on this form and we will have your badge ready! If you did not RSVP for the lunch but want to attend, you are welcome to bring a sack lunch and join us!

GRIZZGIVING CAN DRIVE

This is a community event held at Grisham Middle School. Different schools or groups within schools (houses) have been asked to bring various items to contribute to a meal for the whole community to enjoy on Nov. 19th. Canyon Creek has been invited to donate: Canned Evaporated Milk &/or Canned Cranberry Sauce. Students can bring donations to the school until Nov 8th. For more information and to volunteer, click this link - GRIZZGIVING 2024

Please sign up using this link: https://evite.me/CBjdjFuANN

Also, visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:

Your help is much appreciated!

NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS

better
fine
cold
home
funny
most
happy
close
other
start

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Brainstorming and drafting our 2nd procedural text How to ….. with our own topic
Sequencing the events in a story
Common and Proper Nouns
Reading, writing and spelling using the vowel and consonant suffixes and the Doubling Rule (running, madder, bigger, sunny,etc)

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit addition problems
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems with unknown addends
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Identifying landforms

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

November 2: Daylight Savings time ends (fall back 1 hour)

November 5- Fall Picture Makeup Day

November 11-15 - Book Fair

November 13: Thanksgiving Lunch

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break/School Holiday

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with I Need My Monster and your child will earn a ticket.

October 27, 2024

We had such a fun week getting into the Halloween spirit. The week kicked off with our pumpkin parade and throughout the week we have had so much fun with our mentor text Crankenstein. Many of our stories over the last few weeks have had a directed drawing to match their reading responses. The students have loved creating bats, spiders and this week, their very own Crankenstein! Next week is going to be just as much fun. We have many more tricks and treats in store!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

SECOND GRADE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

The parents and families performance of "Fall Folk Songs" is coming up on Tuesday, October 29th at 5:15 p.m. Attire for the program is as follows: fall colors (i.e. red, orange, yellow, purple, brown) and tennis shoes. This attire is only required for the evening program, but your child may wear it to school that day if they would like.

Please drop your student off at the music room by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the program so it can start right at 5:15 p.m. The lyric slides and recordings for all of the program songs can be found here on the CCE Music Website. Please encourage your students to take a look at these slides and practice the songs, from memory if possible!

FIELD TRIP

Thursday will be our first field trip to Inner Space Caverns. Please send your child in the green I Love CCE shirt or any green shirt and not any kind of Halloween attire. Also, please send your child a sack lunch, disposable water bottle and closed toed shoes. We ask that you pack your child 2 snacks, so that one can be the usual morning snack, and one for the afternoon after returning from the trip.

FIELD TRIP VOLUNTEERS

Any parents that will be joining us will need to pay the adult entry fee of $17.00 and you will need to pick up a badge at the office before meeting us there. We will be leaving campus around 9:30. The first tour will start at 11:15. Each second grade class will be going in at different times. Thank you to the parents who responded with interest in attending our field trip with us. I will be reaching out soon with more details!

RED RIBBON WEEK

Next week October 28-31 is CCE’s Red Ribbon week, a week dedicated to happy healthy living . The dress up days for next week are

Monday-Let’s kick off RED RIBBON Week by wearing as much RED as you can!

Tuesday-Living healthy helps us SHINE BRIGHT! Dress in sparkles, fluorescents, and sunglasses!

Wednesday-It’s CRAZY to live unhealthy! Dress in mismatched clothes, socks, shoes, and CRAZY hair!

Thursday-It takes great CHARACTER to live a healthy life! Dress up as your favorite BOOK CHARACTER.

** Please make sure your child chooses a non-scary book character, no mask, and no accessories or weapons.** Remember we will be on a field trip, so simplicity is best. Make sure if your child participates, they will be comfortable, on a bus, outside, and in the caverns.

Friday- Enjoy your DAY OFF and rest up from a super fun week!

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins from our pumpkin project will be sent home on WEDNESDAY. Please send a bag or make sure your child is able to safely carry their pumpkin home after school.

STAR OF THE WEEK

Due to the shortened week and field trip, we will not have Star of the Week next week. We will resume again on Monday, November 4th with Elis.

TAG INFORMATIONAL MEETING

The virtual TAG informational meeting is next Tuesday 10/29 at 5:30 PM! During this time, you will be able to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton

Before attending the meeting, remember to watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness,the referral process, and TAG services in RRISD.

https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0

If you have any questions please reach to our TAG specialists jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org and

melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org

OCTOBER READING BINGO

October Reading BINGO is due next Thursday, October 31st. Remember that EACH DAY must be initialed AND dated to be counted. No late bingos will be accepted. Our November reading bingo will be sent home that same day to start.

THANKSGIVING LUNCH

This form will close on October 28 at 3pm.

REPORT CARDS

Thank you for keeping the contents of your child's report card and for signing/returning the envelope in a timely manner. Many families have already done this and it's greatly appreciated, so I have those on hand to use at the end of the next nine week grading period.

GRIZZGIVING CAN DRIVE

Message from the library: Our classroom is looking for help during our weekly library time on Fridays at 9:50-10:20am. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early. Sign up for one slot initially to give all families an opportunity.

Please sign up using this link: https://evite.me/CBjdjFuANN

Also, visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:

Your help is much appreciated!

NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS

Due to next week’s shortened week, there will not be spelling words. We will resume spelling words the week of November 4th.

https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Revising, editing, and publishing our procedural text How to Make Pudding in a Cup
Using quotation marks in our writing
Sequencing the events in a story
Shades of Meaning/Synonyms
Alphabetizing a series of words
Reading, writing and spelling using Bossy R spelling patterns (ar, er, ir, ur, or)

Math:

Recalling addition and subtraction facts within 20 with automaticity
Using various strategies to solve 2-digit addition problems
Representing and solving addition and subtraction problems with unknown addends
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Interpret and use information on maps and globes using map tools such as cardinal directions, title and legend
Locating places on maps and globes including states, countries, bordering states and countries, and capitals
Identifying Earth’s 5 oceans and 7 continents
Identifying landforms

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

October 25- Trunk or Treat

October 28-November 1 - Red Ribbon Week

October 29-2nd grade musical performance 5:00PM

October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns

October 31- Kona Ice

October 31: Reflections Entries Due

November 1-No School

November 2: Daylight Savings time ends (fall back 1 hour)

November 5- Fall Picture Makeup Day

November 11-15 - Book Fair

November 13: Thanksgiving Lunch

November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break/School Holiday

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Crankenstein and your child will earn a ticket.

October 18, 2024

Happy Friday! What a wonderful week it was in second grade! Fall is here and we can FINALLY feel it in the cool air and on the playground!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK: Don’t forget because of the shortened week, that Digital Citizenship will stretch into next week and conclude on Monday with Sports Day- Rep your favorite sport or team to represent getting outside and moving.

Please sign up using this link: https://evite.me/CBjdjFuANN

Also, visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:

Your help is much appreciated!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week will be Ethan. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

HOMEWORK

Thank you to everyone who has completed the math homework. The kids have been really enjoying it. A new page will go home on Monday.

FIELD TRIP VOLUNTEERS

We are still in need of one cooler to help transport our class lunches. If you are able to provide a cooler, please let me know if you can drop it off and if you are able to help transport it to Inner Space Caverns.

TRUNK OR TREAT: It’s time to clean out the trunk of your car, dust off your candy bucket and pick out your Halloween costume! That’s right…CCE Trunk or Treat is coming up on Friday, October 25.

Students can wear (non-scary) costumes for the Trunk or Treat and some fun photo ops. Trunks will be set up in the parking lot facing Boulder for students to visit.

UIL: We are excited to get things going for this year's UIL competition and we'd love to have 2nd grade students sign up to compete in either Creative Writing or Storytelling. If your child is interested please be on the lookout for more information coming next week

REPORT CARDS: On Tuesday, the report cards for the first quarter will go home. Please remember that this is a 37-week journey through second grade and we've only finished week 10. In your child's report card envelope you will find a letter included to give you guidance on understanding the RRISD primary report card. Thank you for reading over this as you review your child’s report card. There is a place for your signature on the outside of the envelope. Please sign and return the envelope by Friday October 29th. The contents are yours to keep at home.

As you look over your child’s report card, please remember that a “Level LP” can have two meanings. It can mean that your child has had adequate exposure to the skill and is struggling to independently show mastery. Or, a “Level LP” can mean that the skill is multi-faceted and grows across the school year. These skills are much broader and will need time to build the depth and complexity needed for a strong, balanced foundation. In this case, the LP means that your child is progressing as expected on a long journey to gain the necessary depth, complexity, and independence. If I did not mention concerns at our conference and have not contacted you through email, written note, or a phone call, please do not worry about the “Level LPs” that you see on the report card after the first grading period. It is exactly where the children are at this point in the school year for MANY of the areas.

SECOND GRADE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

OCTOBER READING BINGO October Reading BINGO is underway. Please remember to sign and date each square when your child has completed the task. The October Reading BINGO will be due on October 31st.

TAG INFORMATIONAL MEETING

Are you interested in referring your student for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at CCE?

Please attend the virtual TAG informational meeting on Tuesday 10/29 at 5:30 PM!

1. Before attending the meeting, watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness,the referral process, and TAG services in RRISD.

2. Make plans to attend the virtual meeting to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 5:30 PM

Questions?

jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org

melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org

NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS

white
use
friend
same
last
while
turn
small
girl
third

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Nonfiction text about spiders
Recording and writing facts about spiders
3 types of sentences
Beginning our new How To writing unit with How to Make Pudding in a Cup.
Bossy R spelling patterns (ar, er, ir, ur, or)

Math:

Wrapping up our place value unit
Comparing numbers
Ordering numbers least to greatest and greatest to least
Using UPS Check to solve word problems

Social Studies:

Map Tools
Identifying Earth’s oceans and continents

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

October 21 - Last day of Digital Citizenship Dress Up Days

October 21: Pumpkin Character Report due and Pumpkin Parade

October 25- Trunk or Treat

October 28-November 1 - Red Ribbon Week

October 29-2nd grade musical performance 5:00PM (more info to come soon)

October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns

October 31- Kona Ice

October 31: Reflections Entries Due

November 1-No School

November 5- Fall Picture Makeup Day

November 11-15 - Book Fair

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Spiders are not insects and your child will earn a ticket.

October 11, 2024

Happy Friday! What a wonderful week it was in second grade! We want to say a HUGE thank you to all of the parents who donated items and helped create our incredible bat cave! All the students loved walking into it each morning and it made them so excited to soar into our bat unit! They are so excited to add their bat-tastic facts and their directed drawing to the cave. We truly appreciate your hard work and the time you took to help make our learning fun!

Important information for this week:

FALL CONFERENCES

Thank you to the parents that I've already conferenced with regarding your child's strengths and yearly goals. I look forward to wrapping up the last of the conferences next Monday, October 14th. Remember Monday is a student holiday.

Reminder: Please check the schedule to make sure that you remember our meeting time. Many of my meetings are back-to-back or are touching instructional time. For this reason, I will need to stick tight to our timeframe. Thanks for your understanding. I look forward to visiting with you soon!

COGAT TESTING

Next week Tuesday, October 15th through Thursday, October 17th 2nd grade students will be taking the coGAT test. Please do your best to ensure your child arrives at school on time and well rested.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK

October 15-21 is Digital Citizenship. Join in the fun by participating in the following dress up dates with us

Tuesday 10/15: Cyber Hero Day- Dress up as superhero, keeping yourself and others safe online

Wednesday 10/16: Unity Day- Wear orange to stand up to cyberbullying

Thursday 10/17: Wacky Sock Day-Wear wacky socks to think about your digital footprint

Friday 10/18: Hat Day-Wear a “Thinking hat” to remember to ask questions about what we see online

Monday 10/21- Sports Day- Rep your favorite sport to represent getting outside and moving

STAR OF THE WEEK

There will be no star of the Week next week due to our shortened week. We will resume Star of the Week again on Monday, October 21st.

PUMPKIN PROJECT

Thank you to everyone for turning in your planning sheets. I have seen so many wonderful books and characters. I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s hard work! As a reminder, this is a 100% AT HOME PROJECT. When your child brings in their completed project, they will need to bring in 1) the pumpkin, 2) the book the character is from NO MOVIES and 3) the pumpkin project packet FILLED OUT BY THEM. We have given your child 3 weeks to complete this project so please do not feel overwhelmed or rushed. Please do not send in projects before 10/21. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.

Pumpkin Character book report and completed plastic pumpkin character due Monday, October 21
Pumpkin Parade Monday, 10/21

PUMPKIN PARADE

As a way to share our boo-tiful work, we will be holding an outdoor pumpkin parade on Monday October 21st immediately following morning announcements and lunch count (approx time 7:55). Parents will need to stay on the outer perimeter of the car dismissal sidewalk. Only students who use a plastic pumpkin will be able to participate.

HOMEWORK: There have been parents requesting math homework for their child. So, starting next week, we will be sending home a math worksheet. This is 100% optional.

FIELD TRIP VOLUNTEERS: Any parents that will be joining us will need to pay the adult entry fee of $17.00 and you will need to pick up a badge at the office before meeting us there. We will be leaving campus around 9:30. The first tour will start at 11:15. Each second grade class will be going in at different times. Thank you to the parents who responded with interest in attending our field trip with us. I will share updates and any additional details as we get closer to the date.

We are still in need of two coolers to help transport our class lunches. If you are able to provide a cooler, please let me know if you can drop it off and if you are able to help transport it to Inner Space Caverns.

OCTOBER READING BINGO: October Reading BINGO is underway. Please remember to sign and date each square when your child has completed the task. The October Reading BINGO will be due on October 31st.

TAG INFORMATIONAL MEETING: Are you interested in referring your student for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at CCE? Please attend the virtual TAG informational meeting on Tuesday 10/29 at 5:30 PM!

1. Before attending the meeting, watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness,the referral process,

and TAG services in RRISD.

2. Make plans to attend the virtual meeting to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

5:30 PM

Questions?

jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org

melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org

NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS

There will be no spelling words next week due to the shortened week. Spelling words will go home in next Friday’s planner with the words to study for the week of October 21st.

https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

Nonfiction text about
Recording and writing facts about bats
Strong vs. weak verbs
Revising and publishing our personal narrative- Boo! A Time When I was Scared
Frozen e (vce pattern)

Math:

Use objects and pictorial models to determine place value to 1,200
Ways to show a number (standard, word, expande, place value blocks)
Comparing numbers
Ordering numbers from least to greatest

Social Studies:

Map Tools

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

October 14- No School/ Parent Teacher Conferences

October 14-18- Digital Citizenship Dress Up Days

October 15-17: 2nd Grade coGAT testing

October 16 - Westwood Homecoming Parade

October 21: Pumpkin Character Report due and Pumpkin Parade

October 25- Trunk or Treat

October 29-2nd grade musical performance 5:00PM (more info to come soon)

October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns

October 31- Kona Ice

November 1-No School

November 5- Fall Picture Make Up Day

We hope you have a wonderful week!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Stellaluna and your child will earn a ticket.

October 3, 2024

We’re going BATTY with all of the fun activities we have planned for October!

Important information for this week:

FALL CONFERENCES: Thank you to the parents that I've already conferenced with regarding your child's strengths and yearly goals. It feels great to connect and partner with you as we journey through this school year together! Monday, October 14th is a student holiday and I will be conferring with more parents on and before that day. I appreciate this time set aside to visit with each of you!

Star of the Week: Next week’s Star of the Week is Jacqueline. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

Please sign up using this link: https://evite.me/CBjdjFuANN

Also, visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:

Your help is much appreciated!

Pumpkin Parade: As a way to share our boo-tiful work, we will be holding an outdoor pumpkin parade on Monday October 21st immediately following morning announcements and lunch count (approx time 7:55). Parents will need to stay on the outer perimeter of the car dismissal sidewalk. Only students who use a plastic pumpkin will be able to participate.

PUMPKIN PROJECT: We hope you are off to a great start on the pumpkin project! As a reminder, this is a 100% AT HOME PROJECT. Please make sure to read the introduction letter, planning page and report in its entirety. When deciding which book to use, make sure to use the project questions as a guide. If you can answer the questions about the main character, then your selection is appropriate. When your child brings in their completed project, they will need to bring in 1) the pumpkin, 2) the book the character is from NO MOVIES and 3) the pumpkin project packet FILLED OUT BY THEM. We have given your child 3 weeks to complete this project so please do not feel overwhelmed or rushed. Please do not send in projects before 10/21. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.

Pumpkin Planning Page due Monday, 10/7
Pumpkin Character book report and completed plastic pumpkin character due Monday, October 21
Pumpkin Parade Monday, 10/21

Field trip Permission Slips and Parent Volunteers

Permission slips are due, with $5.00 for cost, no later than Friday, October 11th.

Any parents that will be joining us will need to pay the adult entry fee of $17.00 and you will need to pick up a badge at the office before meeting us there. We will be leaving campus around 9:30. The first tour will start at 11:15. Each second grade class will be going in at different times. Please note, there is only room for 30 people allowed per tour(no siblings are allowed to attend). Our class has room for only 5 parents, please let me know if you plan on attending. The first 5 parents to let me know attending will be allowed to join our tour.

***October Reading BINGO***

October Reading BINGO is underway. Please remember to sign and date each square when your child has completed the task. The October Reading BINGO will be due on October 31st.

TAG Informational Meeting Are you interested in referring your student for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at CCE?

Please attend the virtual TAG informational meeting on Tuesday 10/29 at 5:30 PM!

1. Before attending the meeting, watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness, the referral process, and TAG services in RRISD.

2. Make plans to attend the virtual meeting to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton Tuesday, October 29, 2024

5:30 PM

Questions?

jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org

melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org

Next week's spelling words:

came
have
once
like
five
trunk
which
Tuesday
face
where

This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:

Problem and Solution
Sequencing a Story
Noun, Verb and Adjective Review
Drafting a beginning, middle and end of our second personal narrative- Boo! A Time When I was Scared
Using transition words in our writing
Frozen e

Math:

Use objects and pictorial models to determine place value to 1,200
Comparing numbers
Ordering numbers from least to greatest

Science:

Forces and Motion

Important dates to remember:

October 16 - Westwood Homecoming Parade

October 14- No School/ Parent Teacher Conferences

October 21: Pumpkin Character Report due and Pumpkin Parade

October 25- Trunk or Treat

October 29-2nd grade musical performance (more info to come soon)

October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns

November 1-No School

We hope you have a wonderful week!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with On the Road with Transitions and your child will earn a ticket.

September 27, 2024

Fall is in the air! We are excited to enjoy the cool and breezy weather at recess that is hopefully right around the corner.

Important information for this week:

FALL CONFERENCES:

Thank you for taking time to sign up for a fall conference. At this meeting, we will discuss your child’s strengths and create goals for the school year. This particular conference is a parent and teacher conversation; your child’s attendance is not necessary.

Please check the schedule to make sure that you remember our meeting time. Many of my meetings are back-to-back or are touching instructional time. For this reason, I will need to stick tight to our timeframe. Thanks for your understanding. I look forward to visiting with you soon!

Star of the Week

There will be no Star of the Week next week due to our shortened week. We will continue Star of the Week again on October 7th with Jacqueline.

Tuesday Folders: Please continue to check your child’s backpack on Tuesdays for work from the previous week or important notes from the office. This is an excellent way to spend quality time with your child, and gain an insight into what and how he/she is doing at school.

Pumpkin Planning Page due Monday, 10/7
Pumpkin Character book report and completed plastic pumpkin character due Monday, October 21
Pumpkin Parade Monday, 10/21

Field Trip We are so excited about our upcoming field trip to Inner Space Caverns, Permission slips will be going home in next week’s Tuesday folder with more information.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: If you plan to be a volunteer on campus, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, it is required that you first complete this volunteer application AND receive approval. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 3 days to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

Next week's spelling words: There will be no spelling words next week due to our shortened week. Spelling words will begin again the week of October 7th.

This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:

Describing characters
Making inferences and drawing conclusions
Noun and Verb review
Adjectives
Brainstorming and drafting our second personal narrative
Consonant Digraphs using H brothers (ch, sh, th, wh)
Printing and Cursive letters (l,t,i,j)

Math:

Place Value to 1,200
Comparing numbers
Ordering numbers from least to greatest

Science:

Forces and Motion

Important dates to remember:

October 2 - Walk and Ride To School Day

October 2 - Watch DOG Info Night

October 3 - Student Holiday/No School

October 4 - Staff/Student Holiday/ No School

October 16 - Westwood Homecoming Parade

October 14- No School/ Parent Teacher Conferences

October 21: Pumpkin Character Report due and Pumpkin Parade

October 25- Trunk or Treat

October 29-2nd grade musical performance (more info to come soon)

October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns

November 1-No School

We hope you have a wonderful week!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with A Visitor for Bear and your child will earn a ticket.

September 20, 2024

We are hoping it will soon begin to feel more like fall outside of our classroom window! Inside our room, procedures and routines are humming along. We feel connected as a classroom family and friendships are blooming.

Important information for this week:

Conferences: Thank you for taking time to sign up for a fall conference. At this meeting, we will discuss your child’s strengths and create goals for the school year. This particular conference is a parent and teacher conversation; your child’s attendance is not necessary. Please complete and return the Parent Conference form at your earliest convenience so that I may prepare for our meeting! Under the “P” section (parent) of “Areas of Strength”, place a check mark by 3 areas that best describe your child. Under the “P” section of “Areas of Improvement”, place a check mark by 3 areas that need strengthening. Thank you for providing your input .

PUMPKIN PROJECT: We are excited to kick off our Pumpkin Project! Pumpkin Project planning sheets will go home in next week’s Tuesday folder. Please make sure to read the introduction letter, planning page and report in its entirety. When deciding which book to use, make sure to use the project questions as a guide. If you can answer the questions about the main character, then your selection is appropriate. When your child brings in their completed project, they will need to bring in 1) the pumpkin, 2) the book the character is from NO MOVIES and 3) the pumpkin project packet FILLED OUT BY THEM. As a reminder, this is a 100% AT HOME PROJECT which is why we have given your child 3.5 weeks to complete this project so please do not feel overwhelmed or rushed. Please do not send in projects before 10/21. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.

Pumpkin Parent Signature form due Friday, 9/27
Pumpkin Planning Page due Monday, 10/7
Pumpkin Character book report and completed plastic pumpkin character due Monday, October 21
Pumpkin Parade Monday, 10/21

Star of the Week: Next week’s Star of the Week is Isla. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!

Grading: Weekly assessments are now underway. While number and letter grades do not appear on the second grade report card, it is helpful to see where your child is in regards to skill retention and mastery. Thank you for continuing to review the work with your child that has a check minus or grade below a 70, and signing and returning those assignments in the Tuesday folder on Wednesday morning.

Homework

Nightly reading BINGO has begun. We hope your child finds the nightly activities a great motivator to read each day. Remember that only one square can be dated and initialed each night. September reading BINGO will be due Monday, September 30.

Spelling Tests

Students were given next week’s spelling words in their planner today to prepare for next week’s test. Please make sure you are practicing spelling words at home to prepare for Friday’s test. Students are also given a sentence to write. This skill shows comprehension of previously spelled words rather than memorization of words for just that weekly test. As the school year progresses, the sentences will become longer and students will need to identify parts of speech. For now, students are graded on capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling. The 10 spelling words and the sentence are added together for a total score. Students are also given a challenge to spell each week but are not penalized for misspelled challenge words.

Spelling Words;

best
dress
brother
fly
fast
mom
him
much
fall
such

This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:

Identify the importance of setting
Learn about the Appalachian Mountains
Blends
Brainstorming and writing personal narrative
Nouns

Math:

Place Value
Composing and decomposing numbers

Social Studies:

Citizenship

Science:

Properties of Matter

Important dates to remember:

September 26 - Kona Ice Day

September 27: Orange Pumpkin Planning sheet due

October 2 - Walk and Ride To School Day

October 2 - Watch DOG Info Night

October 3 - Student Holiday/No School

October 4 - Staff/Student Holiday/ No School

October 16 - Westwood Homecoming Parade

October 14- No School/ Parent Teacher Conferences

October 21: Pumpkin Character Report due and Pumpkin Parade

October 25- Trunk or Treat

October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns

November 1-No School

We hope you have a wonderful week!

The Second Grade Team

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with When I Was Young in the Mountains and your child will earn a ticket.

September 15, 2024

All these crickets have had us hopping into a full week of learning!

Important information for this week:

Conferences: Parent Conference Day is October 14th. Thank you to everyone who has already signed up. I am looking forward to sharing all of the amazing things your child is learning. If you have not signed up for a date yet, please do so on the conference sign up at your earliest convenience. We have several dates and times outside of October 14th to make sure we have a time that works for you! A parent conference form went home in your child's Tuesday folder this week. Please complete and return at your earliest convenience so that I may prepare for our meeting! Under the “P” section (parent) of “Areas of Strength”, place a check mark by 3 areas that best describe your child. Under the “P” section of “Areas of Improvement”, place a check mark by 3 areas that need strengthening. Thank you for providing your input.

Volunteer Application: If you plan to be a volunteer on campus, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, it is required that you first complete this volunteer application AND receive approval. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 3 days to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

Grading: Weekly assessments are now underway. While number and letter grades do not appear on the second grade report card, it is helpful to see where your child is in regards to skill retention and mastery. Remember that all work that has a check minus or grade below a 70, needs to be signed, corrected and returned in the Tuesday folder on Wednesday morning.

Homework: Nightly reading BINGO has begun. We hope your child finds the nightly activities a great motivator to read each day. Remember that only one square can be dated and initialed each night. September reading BINGO will be due Monday, September 30.

Spelling Tests: Our first spelling test went great! Students were given next week’s spelling words in their planner today to prepare for next week’s test. Please make sure you are practicing spelling words at home to prepare for Friday’s test. Students are also given a sentence to write. This skill shows comprehension of previously spelled words rather than memorization of words for just that weekly test. As the school year progresses, the sentences will become longer and students will need to identify parts of speech. For now, students are graded on capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling. The 10 spelling words and the sentence are added together for a total score. Students are also given a challenge to spell each week but are not penalized for misspelled challenge words.

Spelling Words;

call
tell
she
black
took
off
full
will
pick
pull

Star of the Week:

Star of the Week will begin the week of next week! Each week, we will have a new classmate that we get to focus on and get to know more about. Each day, the students will bring/share with the class something that tells us more about who they are. To find more about each daily activity click on the Star of the Week tab on our class website. Our first Star of the Week will be Petra. We can't wait to learn about our classmate and friend!

Here is a reminder of what each day will be:

Monday—6 favorite pictures

Tuesday - Sharing Sack (4 favorite items that must be able to fit in backpack)

Wednesday—Letter from Parent (special things about your child, favorite memories, or words of encouragement)

Thursday—Lunch with parent

Friday- The class presents the student with a friendship poster

If one of the days does not work for you, please let me know and we can arrange a schedule that works for both of us.

This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:

Identifying and using our schema
Making inferences in a text
Verbs
Floss rule (1 syllable short vowel words that end in ff, ll, ss, zz ex. dress, off, buzz)
Using the writing process for a personal narrative
Punctuation and capitalization

Math:

Tally Marks
Comparing Numbers
Missing and Ordering Numbers
Even/Odd
Skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s
Graphing

Social Studies:

Citizenship

Science:

Properties of Matter

Important dates to remember:

September 26 - Kona Ice Day

October 2 - Walk and Ride To School Day

October 2 - Watch DOG Info Night

October 3 - Student Holiday/No School

October 4 - Staff/Student Holiday/ No School

If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Wilfred Gordon….. and your child will earn a ticket.

September 6, 2024

This week was one to write about! We wrote our last boot camp piece of writing. Next week we will begin a personal narrative about ourselves using the entire writing process! We saw great improvement in our routines and procedures this week! Thank you for supporting our expectations at home. With cooler weather approaching, please make sure your child has a light sweater or jacket for recess and in the classroom.

Important information for this week:

Picture Day: Picture Day is next Tuesday, September 10th. Picture forms were sent home in Tuesday folders. Please return forms to me or purchase online prior to picture day.

Grading: Weekly assessments are now underway. While number and letter grades do not appear on the second grade report card, it is helpful to see where your child is in regards to skill retention and mastery. Remember that all work that has a check minus or grade below a 70, needs to be signed, corrected and returned in the Tuesday folder on Wednesday morning.

Homework: Nightly reading BINGO has begun. We hope your child finds the nightly activities a great motivator to read each day. Remember that only one square can be signed and initialed each night. September reading BINGO will be due Monday, September 30.

Spelling Tests: Students were given next week’s spelling words in their planner today. Our first spelling test will be next Friday. Please make sure you are practicing spelling words at home to prepare for Friday’s test. Students are also given a sentence to write. This skill shows comprehension of previously spelled words rather than memorization of words for just that weekly test. As the school year progresses, the sentences will become longer and students will need to identify parts of speech. For now, students are graded on capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling. The 10 spelling words and the sentence are added together for a total score. Students are also given a challenge to spell each week but are not penalized for misspelled challenge words.

Spelling Words:

am
car
back
hat
get
look
big
the
six
yes

Star of the Week: Star of the Week will begin the week of September 16th! Each week, we will have a new classmate that we get to focus on and get to know more about. Each day, the students will bring/share with the class something that tells us more about who they are. To find more about each daily activity click on the Star of the Week tab on our class website. Our first Star of the Week is Petra! We can't wait to learn about our classmate and friend!

Here is a reminder of what each day will be:

Monday—6 favorite pictures

Tuesday - Sharing Sack (4 favorite items that must be able to fit in backpack)

Wednesday—Letter from Parent (special things about your child, favorite memories, or words of encouragement)

Thursday—Lunch with parent

Friday- The class presents the student with a friendship poster

If one of the days does not work for you, please let me know and we can arrange a schedule that works for both of us.