September 5, 2025


This week was one to write about!  We've wrapping up 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(hopefully), please make sure your child has a light sweater or jacket for recess and in the classroom. 


Important information for this week:

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. Even though the top of Reading BINGO may say 15, we would like students to read 20 minutes each night. Remember that only one square can be dated and initialed each night. September reading BINGO will be due Tuesday, 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:



Star of the Week: Star of the Week begins 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 Mary. 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) Examples include medals or trophies from sports, shells or collectible items, legos or other craft completed, a special object or stuffed animal. These will be shared and sent home the same day.

Wednesday—Letter from Parent (special things about your child, favorite memories, or words of encouragement) You may also send a short video to share with the class.

Thursday—Join your child for lunch at 11:15

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. 



Message from the library: Our classroom is looking for help during our weekly library time on Tuesdays at 9:30-10:00 am. This volunteer opportunity is such a sweet way to help out while seeing your student in their school environment.


Usual activities include helping students return/checkout books and helping students select new books. Not to worry-Mrs. Bamford will show you what to do! Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before the student library time so she can give you a quick intro. 


Please sign up for a library date using this link: https://evite.me/ZBPU4516hd


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 lunch menu



This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:


Math:


Social Studies:

Science:



Important dates to remember:

September 13 - Breakfast Buddies 7:15 

September 12 - Coffee Chat 7:45 in the library

September 16 - Kona Ice Day 

September 17- WHS Homecoming Parade

September 22/23- Student Holiday





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

August 29, 2025

It was another great week in second grade!!  Thank you for your continued partnership! We are still continuing to establish our routines and procedures in second grade! It is very helpful to have continued reminders and conversations at home about classroom expectations specifically about talking at the appropriate time, listening and following directions the first time  and not talking during transitions. We are losing precious class time with the amount of talking that is taking place. We hope to establish good habits that will set us up for a successful year. Your help at home is appreciated.  Our “classroom family” friendships are strengthening each day!  It is fun to see a classroom community come together and see new friendships being made. 


Important information for this week

Parent Information Night

Our Parent Information Night is coming up next Thursday, September 4th at 6:30 immediately following the PTA meeting in the cafeteria. We look forward to seeing you and getting you more acquainted with the ins and outs of second grade and answering any questions that you may have.



Reading BINGO: On Monday, students will be putting their September reading BINGO in the back of their planner. We will discuss at great length on Monday the ins and outs of it, but wanted to make sure you knew as well. Reading BINGO is a fun way to incorporate the 20 minutes of nightly reading we expect in second grade. In order for students to earn credit for a completed bingo sheet, each completed box must be dated and initialed by an adult. Students may only complete 1 box per evening.


On the last day of the month, students earn 2 tickets for every row completed, initialed and signed with a maximum of 24 tickets earned! Late BINGOs are not accepted unless a student is sick. The next month's bingo is given out that same day to begin. I hope this makes your nightly reading more enjoyable!


Bingo sheets are due on Tuesday, September 30th. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!



Tuesday Folders: Remember that Tuesday folders are sent home each week. Graded work will begin being sent home next week. 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. Please review the contents with your child. Take out any papers that are sent home then please sign the front of the Tuesday folder on the dated line and return Wednesday morning. 



PARENT ACTION ITEM: Orange homework/take home folders began coming home this week. This is different from Tuesday Folders. If this folder comes home, it has work that needs to be completed and returned as soon as possible or important information that needs to be addressed outside of the Tuesday folder timeframe. 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 she/he is doing at school.

 


Message from the library:

Our classroom is looking for help during our weekly library time on Tuesdays at 9:30-10:00 am. This volunteer opportunity is such a sweet way to help out while seeing your student in their school environment.


Usual activities include helping students return/checkout books and helping students select new books. Not to worry-Mrs. Bamford will show you what to do! Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before the student library time so she can give you a quick intro. 


Please sign up for a library date using this link:

https://evite.me/ZBPU4516hd


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!



Library Books: We visit the library every Tuesday. Students are allowed to check out 3 books. Students may keep one book at school in their bookbox for independent reading, and the other 2 may be brought home to enjoy. Students are only allowed 1 graphic novel per week. Please make sure library books are brought back to school for the library every Thursday morning.




Next week’s lunch menu


This week's curriculum:

Language Arts


Math


Social Studies

Science



Important dates to remember

September 1: Holiday; No School

September 4: Back to School Night 6:30-7:00pm in the cafeteria

September 4: PTA Meeting 6:00-6:30pm in the cafeteria

September 17: Westwood homecoming parade

September 19: Westwood homecoming

September 22: No School








If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Boot Camp Writing here we go….. and your child will earn a ticket. 




August 22, 2025


We have made it through our first full week of second grade! We have loved seeing everyone’s personalities bloom and new friendships being formed. It was an exciting week diving into our second grade curriculum while also reinforcing procedures and expectations. Thank you for taking the time to read the weekly update. There is always important information about what we have learned, upcoming events, and anything essential you or your child may need for the upcoming week! We also want to send a huge THANK YOU to PTA for the delicious lunch from Jason’s Deli and drinks from Sonic we were treated to as we begin the new school year. 


Important information for this week:


Tuesday Folders: This week began Tuesday folders. Tuesday folders are sent home each week. Please review the contents with your child. Any work that has a check minus or grade below a 70, needs to be signed, corrected and returned. Then, please sign the front of the Tuesday folder on the dated line and return Wednesday morning. If you need more time to review and correct work with your child please keep the contents, but still sign and return the folder the next day. Then, email your teacher to discuss the time frame needed.



Orange Take Home Folders: We do A LOT in one day! Now that we have started our regular curriculum, there may be days when your child will need to bring home their orange take home folder and complete the unfinished work inside in order to stay caught up and be prepared to move forward with the lessons for the next day. If this happens, please know this is work they were unable to complete during the given time period and also during the additional time given during Comet Club. This work will need to be completed that evening and returned the next day in the same orange take home folder. If you have any questions regarding assignments specifically or concerns regarding your child, please reach out. We are here to help.



BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TESTING: Next week we will begin our beginning of the year reading and math assessments. This will span over the next 2 weeks. Please do your best to make sure your child arrives at school on time, and if possible, schedule all appointments for after school. If your child has not brought in their headphones, please make sure they are here on Monday. 



Library Books: This week was our first visit to the library. We visit the library every Tuesday. Second graders are allowed to check out 3 books. We only allow one book to be a graphic novel and at least one book needs to stay at school in their bookbox for independent reading. The other 3 may be brought home to enjoy. Please make sure library books are brought back to school every Thursday morning for a new checkout. 



Planners: As a reminder, planners should go home, be reviewed and initialed and returned each day. Please do not initial in advance for the entire week and please do not allow siblings to sign. Important information will be communicated through the planner and we want to make sure parents and guardians are seeing this. We want to ensure daily consistent communication between school and home and ensure that tasks, unfinished work, and/or homework is being completed each evening.



CCES PARENT/GUARDIAN NICKNAME PERMISSIONS

New this year, RRISD is requiring parents to fill out a form giving RRISD employees permission to refer to your CANYON CREEK ES student by a nickname. If your student goes by anything other than their legal first name, completion of this form is required. You must fill out a separate form for each child. Please ensure you are logged into the parent/guardian email address on file with the school.


Canyon Creek NIckname Permission form



YEARBOOKS

Don't miss ordering your CCE Yearbook this year! They will be passed out to the students on the last day of school and it is tradition to have the students sign each other's yearbooks. 



BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

We offer breakfast and lunch here at school. Both meals do cost money. Please let me know if you do not want your child going to breakfast. In addition, students have the option to order double entrees. This is a popular choice on chicken nuggets and pizza day. Again, there is an additional fee for this. If you do not want your child getting doubles or only choosing doubles on specific days, please let me know. 


Next week’s lunch menu



THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts


Math


Social Studies

Science



Important dates to remember:

September 1 - No School (Labor Day)

September 4- First PTA meeting & Back to School Night 6:00PM meeting/6:30 2nd grade info session

September 12 - Breakfast Buddies

September 15 - First Chess Club Meeting

September 16 - First Mandarin Club Meeting

September 17 - Westwood Homecoming Parade

September 22-23 - Student Holidays / Staff Work Days




If you’ve made it to the end, please respond to this email with Llama Tell You About My New Friend and your child will earn a ticket. 



August 15, 2025

Welcome to Second Grade!


We had an amazing first week of second grade! It has been so much fun getting to learn about all of our new classmates and friends. We have been busy learning second grade expectations and procedures. Everyone is adjusting to being back to school well and already learning so quickly. We are looking forward to an outstanding year!


Communication is very important to us.  We are committed to keeping you informed about what the students are doing in the classroom.  If you need to be in touch with us, you may send a note to school with your child, call, or write an email.  That being said, if you need to change your child’s after school transportation plans for that school day, please contact the main office (428-2800) before 2:00.  Teachers may not always have the chance to check email and voicemail before dismissal.


Anna Thurin                       428-2837                anna_thurin@roundrockisd.org


Jessica Hildebrandt       428-2835                jessica_hildebrandt@roundrockisd.org


Kristen Jenkins                 428-2836                kristen_jenkins@roundrockisd.org




Important information for this week:

Student Information Form: If you have not completed the Student Information form that was linked to the Second Grade Information form that was in your Meet the Teacher packet, please do so as soon as possible. We would like to know all about your child, in addition to we will be putting together a class directory for your convenience to arrange playdates, birthday parties, etc. 

Student Information Form


Headphones and Chromebooks: We will begin our beginning of the year testing on August 25th, please send in a pair of headphones (not earbuds) in a gallon ziploc baggie with your child’s name on it no later than next Wednesday 8/20 . We also use chromebooks and headphones daily as part of our math rotations that will be starting soon. These headphones will stay at school for the entire year for learning. They will not go home daily.


Birthdays: Second grade celebrates birthdays at the end of the day. We pass out birthday treats as students are being dismissed. All birthday treats need to be sent in with your child or dropped off at the front office by 12pm. 


Lunch Menus: This year paper lunch menus will not be sent home. You can access weekly menus here and the link will be included in our weekly update. The prices of meals are:

Breakfast: $1.50

Lunch: $3.00

**Please note that double entrees cost extra.


Water bottles: August temperatures are soaring high!  Thank you for sending your child to school with a reusable water bottle. Please do your best to ensure that they have a small spout opening. This helps to prevent water loss in the event of a spill and keeps materials, electronics and work areas much drier. An open mouthed water bottle creates a very large mess and we have already had a few spills and wet papers this week. Please also remember to label it with your child’s name for easy identification.


Tuesday folders: Starting next week, your child will come home with a green Tuesday folder. This will have important notes and graded work. Please sign the cover next to the appropriate date and return promptly the next day. As time goes on, graded student work that has a check minus, or number grade below a 70, will need to be corrected, signed and returned in the Tuesday folder.


Teacher Wish List: Thank you to those who have inquired about our wish lists or our needs and to those who have already purchased and sent in items. We truly appreciate your generosity. This wish list gets items added quite often throughout the year based on what we need, so please check back often if you’d like to donate. Please use the link below to donate items to our classroom should you choose to do so. 

Ms.Thurin's Wishlist



This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:


Math:


Social Studies:


Science: 


Important dates to remember:

Monday, August 18 - Vision and Hearing Screening

Thursday, August 21- PTA Spirit Night Torchy’s and Handles @ 4pm

Friday, August 22- Summer Reading Challenge due

Friday, August 22- Kindergarten Story Book parade

Monday, September 1 - HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL

Thursday, September 4- Open House @ 6:30pm



We appreciate your patience as we begin our new school year. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to a fantastic year!


The Second Grade Team