May 15, 2026
We’re in the home stretch now. Just 4 more days of second grade! We have lots of fun activities planned for next week. Please review the list of the daily activities below so that you know what we’ll be doing each day and ensure that your child brings what they need from home each day.
To celebrate the last week of school, we have a different themed activity for each day leading up to our last day of school on Thursday. Below is the schedule of days!
Monday Marathon Reading Challenge and Pajama Day
Wear your pajamas
Bring a chapter book, or a few just right books, to read throughout the day.
A towel or blanket to lay on
Tuesday Game Day
Bring a board game, or card game, to school.
It must be able to fit in your child’s backpack.
No electronics
Wednesday: Beach Day!
Wear your beach attire-NO SWIMSUITS
Bring an outdoor ball or activity, along with a beach towel to sit on
No water guns or water toys
Thursday- Movie Day
Bring a blanket to sit on and a stuffy to cuddle with for the movie
END OF YEAR CLASS PARTY: Join us on Thursday, May 21st at 12:00-1:00 to help celebrate a fun and successful year! If you plan on attending, please RSVP here by Tuesday, May 19th to pre-register for this event and have your badge printed. Due to space constraints, siblings will not be able to attend this event.
End of the Year Party-Fast Pass Form
CLASS PARTY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are so excited to celebrate all of our hard work at our end of the year party next Thursday. Our room parents are looking for volunteers to help with set up and activities. PLease click the link below to help! Room parents will email rules and details to volunteers later.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094AAAAD23A2F9C16-64136274-grade
YEARBOOKS: Yearbooks will be sent home on the last day of school.
READING BINGO: May reading bingo is underway and will be due Wednesday, May 20th. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. Because of the shortened month, we are allowing two boxes to be completed per night.
END OF YEAR CHROMEBOOKS: Leaving Round Rock ISD? You must turn in your Chromebook and charger on THURSDAY, MAY 21ST Headed to another RRISD school? You will take your Chromebook & charger with you.
This form is for CCES parents requesting to check out their student's Chromebook for targeted summer learning, classes, or enrichment. All other Chromebooks will be kept safe at school and ready when you return in the fall. CCE Summer Chromebook Request Form
Please complete this signed agreement to the school administration before taking the Chromebook home for the summer break. It will be provided to the student by the last day of school. Any requests after that time will have to go through the front office and can not be guaranteed. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safe and responsible use of school-issued technology and balanced/monitored screentime!
Those taking home Chromebooks should set up their GoGuardian Access. for full time at home monitoring (except for those on a RRISD campus for Summer School or enrichment where the teacher will have during-school control)
SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE NOW ON SALE FOR NEXT YEAR:Save time and money by ordering your child’s school supplies through EPI! Supply kits will be delivered to your child’s classroom before our Back to School Fling!
School supply kits are $45 each. Make sure to order based on the grade your child will be in NEXT year. You will receive an email confirmation after you order, which ensures your order went through.
Order online at: https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/
Our School ID is CAN043
The deadline to order is May 19! After that date, pricing will go up and packs will be shipped to your home instead of to our school. Check school supplies for next year off your list by ordering today!
2026-27 ANNUAL FORMS REMINDER: Please take a few moments to complete and return your student’s 2026–27 annual forms. Completing these forms helps us plan the best on-campus experience for your student. Plus, it keeps your students’ information up-to-date. If you need help with your forms, please make an appointment with our registrar. Thank you for your support
https://www.roundrockisd.org/o/rrisd/page/enroll
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Cursive writing
Math
Multiplication
Introduction to Division
Vocabulary: skip count, repeated addition, core unit, step, extend, increasing, decreasing, analyze, transform, rule, multiply, multiplication symbol, factor, product, equal groups, array, row, column divide, separate
Science/Social Studies
Butterfly life cycle
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 19: Kona Ice
May 21: Last day of school
May 21: End of the Year Party 12:00-1:00pm
May 27-28: Final Kalahari Friends & Family event
If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with One Week Left and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.
May 8, 2026
What a busy week! Thank you to everyone for the love you showed me this week for Teacher Appreciation, and thank you to our amazing PTA for treating us with something special each day this week. It has been such a joy spending this year with your child. This has truly been an amazing class and I am going to miss them all so much!
**PLEASE NOTE: We have a lot of fun activities happening between now and the end of the school year. Now is a great time to fill out the volunteer application so that it has time to process and be approved.**
SECOND GRADE SHOWCASE: The second grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Tuesday morning, May 12, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our Second Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child, it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite second grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!
END OF YEAR CLASS PARTY: Join us on Thursday, May 21st at 12:00-1:00 to help celebrate a fun and successful year! If you plan on attending, please RSVP here by Tuesday, May 19th to pre-register for this event and have your badge printed. Due to space constraints, siblings will not be able to attend this event.
End of the Year Party-Fast Pass Form
READING BINGO: May reading bingo is underway and will be due Thursday, May 21st. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. Because of the shortened month, we are allowing two boxes to be completed per night.
END OF YEAR CHROMEBOOKS: Leaving Round Rock ISD? You must turn in your Chromebook and charger on THURSDAY, MAY 21ST Headed to another RRISD school? You will take your Chromebook & charger with you.
This form is for CCES parents requesting to check out their student's Chromebook for targeted summer learning, classes, or enrichment. All other Chromebooks will be kept safe at school and ready when you return in the fall.
CCE Summer Chromebook Request Form
Please complete this signed agreement to the school administration before taking the Chromebook home for the summer break. It will be provided to the student by the last day of school. Any requests after that time will have to go through the front office and can not be guaranteed. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safe and responsible use of school-issued technology and balanced/monitored screentime!
Those taking home Chromebooks should set up their GoGuardian Access. for full time at home monitoring (except for those on a RRISD campus for Summer School or enrichment where the teacher will have during-school control)
SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE NOW ON SALE FOR NEXT YEAR: Save time and money by ordering your child’s school supplies through EPI! Supply kits will be delivered to your child’s classroom before our Back to School Fling! School supply kits are $45 each. Make sure to order based on the grade your child will be in NEXT year. You will receive an email confirmation after you order, which ensures your order went through. Order online at: https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/
Our School ID is CAN043
The deadline to order is May 19! After that date, pricing will go up and packs will be shipped to your home instead of to our school. Check school supplies for next year off your list by ordering today!
2026-27 ANNUAL FORMS REMINDER: Please take a few moments to complete and return your student’s 2026–27 annual forms. Completing these forms helps us plan the best on-campus experience for your student. Plus, it keeps your students’ information up-to-date. If you need help with your forms, please make an appointment with our registrar. Thank you for your support
https://www.roundrockisd.org/o/rrisd/page/enroll
Last Week of School: LAST SPLASH IN SECOND GRADE
Monday- Marathon Reading Challenge and Pajama Day
Wear your pajamas
Bring a chapter book, or a few just right books, to read throughout the day.
Make sure you haven’t read the book or you don’t mind re-reading it
More than one book if it is short
A towel or blanket to lay on
Tuesday- GAME Day
Bring a board game, or card game, to school.
It must be able to fit in your child’s backpack.
No electronics
Wednesday- Beach Day!
Wear your beach attire-NO SWIMSUITS
Bring an outdoor ball or activity, along with a beach towel to sit on
No water guns or water toys
Thursday- Movie Day
Bring a blanket to sit on and a stuffy to cuddle with for the movie
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Our favorite memories of second grade
Reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Cursive writing
_ge and _dge words
Math
Counting and Composing a collection of coins
Money word problems
Personal Financial Literacy
Vocabulary: save, spend, earn, income, deposit, withdrawal, borrow, lend, cost, producer, consumer
Science/Social Studies
Butterfly life cycle
Butterfly vocab: Egg, Larva, Pupa, Adult, Chrysalis, Metamorphosis, Camouflage, antennae, compound eye, prolegs, proboscis
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 12: 2nd Grade Showcase 7:20-7:40am- Don't forget to sign in at the front office!
May 15: Field Day
May 19: Kona Ice
May 21: Last day of school
May 21: End of the Year Party 12:00-1:00pm (more info coming soon)
May 27-28: Final Kalahari Friends & Family event
If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with the butterflies are coming next week and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.
May 1, 2026
This week has been filled with poetry and new classmates! We grew our poetry skills and watched them bloom as we published our spring poetry writing. We also welcomed 5 cute and fuzzy caterpillars to our class. We are loving watching them grow and are excited to see them transform into butterflies over the next few weeks!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK
**PLEASE NOTE: We have a lot of fun activities happening between now and the end of the school year. Now is a great time to fill out the volunteer application so that it has time to process and be approved.**
SECOND GRADE SHOWCASE: The second grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Tuesday morning, May 12, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our Second Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child, it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite second grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!
REUSABLE BAGS NEEDED: Parents, we need your help! By Friday, May 15th, we need each student to bring a reusable grocery store bag to school that we can use to store some of the many things that will be going home on the last day of school. The reusable HEB bags would be perfect for our needs, but if you have a large department store bag with handles, that would also work. It will just need to be able to carry the weight of class supplies. Please make sure that your child’s name is on the bag. Thank you!!
READING BINGO: May reading bingo is underway and will be due Thursday, May 21st. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. Because of the shortened month, we are allowing two boxes to be completed per night.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week for next week is Rishaan. We can’t wait to learn about our classmate and friend.
LIBRARY BOOKS: All CCE library books were due Friday, May 8th. Library books must be returned or paid for earlier than usual this year due to an upcoming RRISD library management system conversion. Please check your student’s backpack for overdue book slips, or log into their library account to view current checkouts.
Contact our librarian, Mrs. Bamford, with any questions at julianne_bamford@roundrockisd.org. Thanks!
Author Visit for K-2nd Grade next Friday, May 8: Canyon Creek father-daughter duo, John Walter and Victoria Morales (CCE alumna), are visiting K-2nd graders on Friday, May 8 to share their book, Iggy the Iceberg. Enjoy an informative tale of adventure and travel to 10 different countries around the southern seas! They will also be accompanied by special guest, Miss Susan Walter, who teachers piano to many of our students. Books can be purchased at this link on Amazon and brought on Friday to be signed (book sales are not a fundraiser for Canyon Creek).
END OF YEAR CHROMEBOOKS: Leaving Round Rock ISD? You must turn in your Chromebook and charger on THURSDAY, MAY 21ST Headed to another RRISD school? You will take your Chromebook & charger with you.
This form is for CCES parents requesting to check out their student's Chromebook for targeted summer learning, classes, or enrichment. All other Chromebooks will be kept safe at school and ready when you return in the fall.
CCE Summer Chromebook Request Form
Please complete this signed agreement to the school administration before taking the Chromebook home for the summer break. It will be provided to the student by the last day of school. Any requests after that time will have to go through the front office and can not be guaranteed. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safe and responsible use of school-issued technology and balanced/monitored screentime!
Those taking home Chromebooks should set up their GoGuardian Access. for full time at home monitoring (except for those on a RRISD campus for Summer School or enrichment where the teacher will have during-school control)
SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE NOW ON SALE FOR NEXT YEAR: Save time and money by ordering your child’s school supplies through EPI! Supply kits will be delivered to your child’s classroom before our Back to School Fling!
School supply kits are $45 each. Make sure to order based on the grade your child will be in NEXT year. You will receive an email confirmation after you order, which ensures your order went through.
Order online at: https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/
Our School ID is CAN043
The deadline to order is May 19! After that date, pricing will go up and packs will be shipped to your home instead of to our school. Check school supplies for next year off your list by ordering today!
2026-27 ANNUAL FORMS REMINDER: Please take a few moments to complete and return your student’s 2026–27 annual forms. Completing these forms helps us plan the best on-campus experience for your student. Plus, it keeps your students’ information up-to-date. If you need help with your forms, please make an appointment with our registrar. Thank you for your support
https://www.roundrockisd.org/o/rrisd/page/enroll
Spelling Words
clueless
sketch
bridge
thought
passed
bruise
wrinkle
station
circle
Delightful
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Publishing a variety of poems; acrostic, number poem, cinquain, simile portrait, and an “I am..” poem
Poetic devices; alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes, repetition, and personification
Nonfiction text features
Vocab: predator, rare, gliding, grinding, blend, prey
Ghost letters: wr, kn, mb, gn
_ge and _dge words
Math
Counting and Composing a collection of coins
Money word problems
Personal Financial Literacy
Vocabulary: save, spend, earn, income, deposit, withdrawal, borrow, lend, cost, producer, consumer
Science/Social Studies
Animal adaptations
Habitats
Butterfly life cycle
Butterfly vocab: Egg, Larva, Pupa, Adult, Chrysalis, Metamorphosis, Camouflage, antennae, compound eye, prolegs, proboscis
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 8: All library books due
May 12: 2nd Grade Showcase 7:20-7:40am
May 15: Field Day
May 19: Kona Ice
May 21: Last day of school
May 21: End of the Year Party 12:00-1:00pm (more info coming soon)
May 27-28: Final Kalahari Friends & Family event
If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Nonfiction text features are JAWsome and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.
April 24, 2026
Can you believe it, “It’s Gonna be May” next week! Our learning has bloomed throughout April, and our students are just 19 days away from being incoming 3rd graders!
SECOND GRADE SHOWCASE: The second grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Tuesday morning, May 12, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our Second Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child, it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite second grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!
END OF THE YEAR TESTING: We will be starting our End of the Year testing next week. Please make sure your child has his/her headphones at school. They will need them for testing. It is important that your child is present for these tests, as we are limited on time to make up any testing that is missed.
CCE VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST: Have you volunteered in the library/art room, chaperoned a school field trip, served as homeroom parent, served at a classroom party or special event, participated in Watch DOGS, worked a PTA event for the school, served Friday Feast meals? Then, this invite is for you! The list is endless of ways you have served the staff and students of CCE! So, the staff of Canyon Creek would like to invite any parent or community member volunteers who served our campus this school year to an appreciation breakfast! Please join us on Wednesday, April 29th from 7:20am - 8:00am. as we celebrate an amazing year together and honor all of you who have given your time to make our school and community such a special place to be! Please RSVP here so that you can easily walk in with a preprinted badge!
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week for next week is Elisha. We can’t wait to learn about our classmate and friend.
READING BINGO: April reading bingo will be due this Thursday, April 30th. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid.
END OF YEAR CHROMEBOOKS
Leaving Round Rock ISD? You must turn in your Chromebook and charger on THURSDAY, MAY 21ST
Headed to another RRISD school? You will take your Chromebook & charger with you.
This form is for CCES parents requesting to check out their student's Chromebook for targeted summer learning, classes, or enrichment. All other Chromebooks will be kept safe at school and ready when you return in the fall.
CCE Summer Chromebook Request Form
Please complete this signed agreement to the school administration before taking the Chromebook home for the summer break. It will be provided to the student by the last day of school. Any requests after that time will have to go through the front office and can not be guaranteed. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safe and responsible use of school-issued technology and balanced/monitored screentime!
Those taking home Chromebooks should set up their GoGuardian Access.for full time at home monitoring (except for those on an RRISD campus for Summer School or enrichment where the teacher will have during-school control)
AMAZON WISH LIST: If you are interested in supporting our classroom needs, here is our Amazon wishlist. I truly appreciate your support!
SPELLING WORDS
wrong
knead
crumb
gnome
sign
windiest
uncover
rewatch
bunnies
sound
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Composing a variety of poems; number poem, acrostic, cinquain, simile portrait, and an “I am..” poem
Poetic devices; alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes, repetition, and personification
Cursive writing
Ghost letters: wr, kn, mb, gn
Math
Attributes of coins
Counting a collection of coins
Composing a collection of coins
Money word problems
Vocabulary: money, penny, nickel, dime, cent
Science/Social Studies
Organisms and their environment
Animal adaptations
Habitats
DATES TO REMEMBER
April 29: Volunteer Breakfast
May 1: Kinder Comet Kickoff
May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 8: All library books due
May 12: 2nd Grade Showcase 7:20-7:40am
May 15: Field Day
May 19: Kona Ice
May 21: Last day of school
May 21: End of the Year Party 12:00-1:00pm (more info coming soon)
May 27-28: Final Kalahari Friends & Family event
If you've made it to the end of the newsletter please respond with Old Elm Speaks and your child will receive a ticket on Monday when we return.
April 17, 2026
Thank you for all of your support with the Living Museum. It was a HUGE success! Everyone looked amazing and did so well with their speeches!
Can you believe that April is already half way done? It’s amazing to think back and remember the abilities of everyone when they first arrived in second grade compared to where they are now. We have seen so much growth! I truly appreciate all you have done, and continue to do, to make school and homework a priority. More success lies ahead and we’re so thankful to have your support.
SECOND GRADE SHOWCASE: The second grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Tuesday morning, May 12, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our Second Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child, it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite second grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!
END OF THE YEAR TESTING:We will be starting our End of the Year testing soon. Please make sure your child has his/her headphones at school. They will need them for testing. It is important that your child is present for these tests, as we are limited on time to make up any testing that is missed.
STAAR TESTING: Our last STAAR test is the 3-5th grade Math test next Wednesday, April 22nd. Please remember that we will begin testing first thing in the morning and that 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!
CCE VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST: Have you volunteered in the library/art room, chaperoned a school field trip, served as homeroom parent, served at a classroom party or special event, participated in Watch DOGS, worked a PTA event for the school, served Friday Feast meals? Then, this invite is for you! The list is endless of ways you have served the staff and students of CCE! So, the staff of Canyon Creek would like to invite any parent or community member volunteers who served our campus this school year to an appreciation breakfast! Please join us on Wednesday, April 29th from 7:20am - 8:00am. as we celebrate an amazing year together and honor all of you who have given your time to make our school and community such a special place to be! Please RSVP here so that you can easily walk in with a preprinted badge!
STAR OF THE WEEK:Our Star of the Week for next week is Elisha . We can’t wait to learn about our classmate and friend.
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 Thursday, April 30th.
AMAZON WISH LIST: If you are interested in supporting our classroom needs, here is our Amazon wishlist. I truly appreciate your support!
Library Volunteers: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
SPELLING WORDS
waddle
repaint
pickle
shouldn’t
frazzled
biggest
speechless
banging
cherries
hugged
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Publishing our living museum biographies
Author’s Purpose
Learning and writing about fireflies
Homophones
Vocabulary: polish, dim, aim, grasp, dulling, thrust, nod, tremble, flicker, cellar
Cursive writing
Math
Completing our Measurement unit and beginning our Coins and Personal Financial Literacy unit
Attributes of coins
Vocabulary: money, penny, nickel, dime, cent
Science/Social Studies
Organisms and their environment
Plant dependence
Pollination
Food chains
DATES TO REMEMBER
April 22: Math STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*
April 24: PTA Breakfast Buddies
April 29: Volunteer Breakfast
May 1: Kinder Comet Kickoff
May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week
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 10, 2026
We are excited to share that we have officially finalized our biography writing! Over the past few weeks, students have worked incredibly hard researching, drafting, and refining their work. Now, with our writing complete, we are almost ready to “come to life” at our Living Museum! We can’t wait to showcase all of their learning, creativity, and effort as they step into the shoes of their historical figures. Stay tuned—our museum is opening soon!
Living Museum: The Living Museum project is one of the most special parts of second grade here at Canyon Creek! Your child has been 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 16th at 8:00 am.
Speech and Doll 4/13-4/15: Today we began designing a doll that replicates our person. 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 received a template today to fill in the blanks for and begin practicing over the weekend. Please work with your child to fill in any blanks on the template they did not complete.
Living Museum 4/16: 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.
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, no later than Tuesday, April 14th 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.
Library Volunteers: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
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 Thursday, April 30th.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week’s Star of the Week will be George. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
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. The testing schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, April 15 5th Science
Wednesday, April 22 3rd-5th Math
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: Students will not have spelling words next week due to at home Living Museum prep. Students will be given spelling words next Friday, April 17th to study for next week’s spelling test on Friday, April 24th,
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Importance of illustrations
Comparative adjectives
Reading and writing words with final stable syllable
The life and work of Jane Goodall
All about chimpanzees
Vocabulary Words: cherish, observe, encourage, curious, pursue. discovery
Cursive writing
Math
Measurement tools
Measuring in inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters
Estimating measurement
Vocabulary: measure, nonstandard measuring tools, standard measuring tools, US Customary units of measurement, metric measurement, ruler, scale, yardstick, measuring tape, measuring cup, meter stick, centimeter, meter, inch, foot, yard, length, weight, ounce, pound
Science/Social Studies
Organisms and their environment
Plant dependence
Pollination
Food chains
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER!
April 15: 5th Grade Science STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*
April 16: Living Museum 8am
April 16: CCE PTA School Spirit Night at Torchy's and Handel’s
April 22: Math STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*
April 24: Breakfast Buddies
April 29: Volunteer Breakfast
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.
April 2, 2026
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 will be finishing our rough drafts and 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 16th at 8:00 am.
Rough Drafts 3/31-4/6* updated*: This notes packet will turn into a rough draft that will eventually turn into a five paragraph paper. The rough draft template is broken into sections: Introduction, Early Life, Adulthood, Death & Legacy, 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 Thursday, the report will be sent home.
Final Copies: 4/7-4/10: 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 10th and must be returned completed Monday, April 13th.
Speech and Doll 4/13-4/15: 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.
Living Museum 4/16: 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.
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.
Library Volunteers: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
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 Thursday, April 30th.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week’s Star of the Week will be Jeremy. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
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. The testing schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, April 8 3rd-5th Reading
Wednesday, April 15 5th Science
Wednesday, April 22 3rd-5th Math
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 be no spelling words until the week of April 13th due to the amount of time needed for at-home Living Museum preparation.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Living Museum rough draft paragraphs; intro, birth and childhood, and adulthood
Overcoming obstacles
Using text evidence
Similes
Vocabulary Words: gleamed, eagerly, response, chuckle, pennant, mustered, linger, and gazed
Literal/Nonliteral language
Reading and writing words that end in ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, and unk)
Cursive writing
Math
Measurement tools
Measuring in inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters
Estimating measurement
Vocabulary: measure, nonstandard measuring tools, standard measuring tools, US Customary units of measurement, metric measurement, ruler, scale, yardstick, measuring tape, measuring cup, meter stick, centimeter, meter, inch, foot, yard, length, weight, ounce, pound,
Science & Social Studies
Conservation
Organisms and their Ecosystems
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER!
April 3- No School
April 7: Kona Ice
April 8 - Reading STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*
April 15 - 5th Grade Science STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*
April 16-Living Museum 8am
April 22 - Math STAAR *No Visitors Allowed On Campus*
April 24 - Breakfast Buddies
April 29 - Volunteer Breakfast
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.
March 27, 2026
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. We began our measurement and conservation units, continued learning all about our living museum people, and the difference between autobiographies, and biographies! 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!
FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Austin Zoo on Monday, March 30th. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. The admission rate is $18.95 for adults. No siblings please. Your child will need to bring a sack lunch labeled with their name, disposable water bottle labeled with their name, and wear close-toed shoes. Please pack them an extra snack for when we return to school.
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 16th at 8:00 am. Below is detailed information and dates for each stage of the project.
The notes packet is due Tuesday, March 31st, and we will begin working on rough drafts that same day. By the due date, students should read their book from cover to cover. This project is more than just finding quick answers. Students are working to bring their historical figure to life, so it’s important that they understand key facts, experiences that shaped the person’s life, and the impact they had on others. Having a deeper understanding will help students when they begin writing their rough drafts.
Rough Drafts 3/31-4/2: This notes packet will turn into a rough draft that will eventually turn into a five paragraph paper. The rough draft template is broken into sections: Introduction, Early Life, Adulthood, Death & Legacy, 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 Thursday, the report will be sent home. All writing, editing and revising needs to be complete and returned to school, Monday, April 6th.
Final Copies: 4/6-4/10: 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 10th and must be returned completed Monday, April 13th.
Speech and Doll 4/13-4/15: 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.
Living Museum 4/16: 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 emanates from 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.
READING BINGO
Just a reminder that March BINGO is due next Tuesday, March 31st. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. April BINGO will begin the evening of 4/1.
STAR OF THE WEEK
Star of the Week will resume the week of April 6th with Jeremy. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
SPELLING WORDS
There will be no spelling words until the week of April 13th due to the amount of time needed for at-home Living Museum preparation.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Living Museum note-taking
Identifying character traits
Character impacts from events in a story
Vocabulary Words: mischief, grumbled, demonstrate, delay, pounce, satisfaction, chanted, delighted, desperate, somersault, spades, arched, dashed, trundle, tootled
Irregular past tense verbs (run/ran, sleep/slept, say/said, go/went, fly/flew, etc.)
Reading and writing words that end in ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, and unk)
Cursive writing
Math
Measurement tools
Measuring in inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters
Estimating measurement
Vocabulary: measure, nonstandard measuring tools, standard measuring tools, US Customary units of measurement, metric measurement, ruler, scale, yardstick, measuring tape, measuring cup, meter stick, centimeter, meter, inch, foot, yard, length, weight, ounce, pound,
Science & Social Studies
Conservation
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
March 30: Austin Zoo Field Trip
April 3: Student and Staff Holiday
April 7: Kona Ice
April 8: STAAR 3rd-5th Reading-no visitors on campus
April 15: STAAR 5th Science-no visitors on campus
April 16: Living Museum 8am
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Rosie was a great engineer and your child will earn a ticket!
March 13, 2026
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!
FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Austin Zoo on Monday, March 30th. Chaperones are not needed. However, if you would like to join your child’s class, you will need to stop by CCE to pick up your badge and then meet us at the zoo at 10:15AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. The admission rate is $18.95 for adults. Please note* Students will need to bring a sack lunch for the field trip.
Austin Zoo- Preprint badges form
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 16th at 8:00 am. Below is detailed information and dates for each stage of the project.
The notes packet is due Tuesday, March 31st, and we will begin working on rough drafts that same day. By the due date, students should read their book from cover to cover. This project is more than just finding quick answers. Students are working to bring their historical figure to life, so it’s important that they understand key facts, experiences that shaped the person’s life, and the impact they had on others. Having a deeper understanding will help students when they begin writing their rough drafts.
One helpful strategy is to break the work into small chunks over the next 21 days—reading a few chapters at a time and completing the questions that relate to that section.
For research, please have students use physical books, books on Epic, or resources from the Library Resources page rather than Google or Wikipedia. Please note that the free student version of Epic does not work in the evening, but students will be able to access it during the school day for additional research. Families are also welcome to check out books from a local library or purchase them if they would like, though this is not required.
Some historical figures have less available information, and that’s okay. I’ve asked students to try at least two sources before deciding that information may not be available. If a book is at a higher reading level, parents are welcome to help by reading portions with their child. We want this project to be as student-led as possible, so even when adults are helping with reading or difficult words, please encourage your child to identify the key facts and decide what should go into their notes.
Here is our class timeline for the project to help you and your child stay on top of their progress.
Tuesday-Tuesday 3/10-3/31: Students will work on reading books, researching and completing notes packet. (This should also be done at home, but students can work on this during their Comet Club time)
Tuesday 3/31: Research notes are due. Students will begin writing their rough drafts in class.
Tuesday 3/31-Friday 4/3: Rough drafts (rough drafts not complete will be homework)
Monday 4/6- Thursday 4/9: Writing final copies (editing will be done daily at home with parents)
Friday 4/10: Write speeches (Students should be practicing speech at home and preparing costume for Living Museum on Thursday 4/16)
Monday 4/13: Finalize speeches and prepare dolls
Thursday 4/16: Living Museum 8AM
READING BINGO:Remember to read over spring break or your reading bingo won’t be completed by March 31st! Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid.
STAR OF THE WEEK:Star of the Week will resume the week of March 23rd with Aarna. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
SPELLING WORDS:Spelling words will be given to your child Friday, March 27th for our test on April 3rd.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Introduction to the Living Museum, book selection, and note-taking expectations
Editing, Revising, and Publishing our animal research report
Identifying character traits and the setting of a story
Sequencing a story
Vocabulary Words: mischief, grumbled, demonstrate, delay, pounce, satisfaction, chanted, delighted, desperate, somersault, spades, arched, dashed, trundle, tootled
Collective nouns
Reading and writing words with variant vowel spelling patterns (a, au, aw, al, augh, ough )
Cursive writing
Math
Time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes, and one minute, elapsed time and word problems
Sequencing activities in a day
Determining AM vs PM activities
Vocabulary words: time, sequence, increment, digital, analog, hour, hour hand, minute, minute hand, o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to quarter till, 5 minutes past, five after
End of Telling Time unit assessment
Science & Social Studies
US Symbols
St. Patrick's Day STEM
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
March 16-20: Spring Break
March 30- Field Trip
April 3 - Student and Staff Holiday
April 16: Living Museum 8am
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Watch out for Ari, Col, and Boo on Tuesday, and your child will earn a ticket!
March 6, 2026
We had a jam-packed week full of animal research, learning about the character’s feelings in a story, investigating rocks, previewing next week’s book fair, practicing for our upcoming musical performance, and enjoying the warm weather and crazy wind during recess.
FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Austin Zoo on Monday, March 30th. Chaperones are not needed. However, if you would like to join your child’s class, you will need to stop by CCE to pick up your badge and then meet us at the zoo at 10:15AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. The admission rate is $18.95 for adults. Please note* Students will need to bring a sack lunch for the field trip.
EDUCATION GO GET IT WEEK: A Message from Mrs. Hougham, CCE School Counselor: March 9-13, 2026 is Education Go Get It Week (EGGI Week) at Canyon Creek! EGGI Week is a week to focus on exploring and learning about the wide variety of post-secondary opportunities and career choices available in the future for our students. While of course our students don't need to have their future plans set in stone at this early age, it's never too early to start learning about the many, many options that are out there! Canyon Creek plans to celebrate EGGI Week with the following activities:
Monday: Canyon Creek T-Shirt
Tuesday: College/Military/Training Program T-Shirt Day
Wednesday: Dress up in your fancy interview clothes
Thursday: My Future Career Day
Friday: Retirement Day, or hiking gear to support 5th grades National Park Day
BOOK FAIR: The Spring Book Fair is finally here! Come celebrate Myths Around the World with our Spring 2026 Book Fair, Monday, March 9 - Friday, March 13 - including late night shopping on Thursday, March 12. Find all the information you need about dates, times, payment methods, VOLUNTEERING, and more right here on our Book Fair Webpage!
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 16th at 8:00 am. Please be on the lookout for more information in Tuesday folders when we introduce our project next week.
READING BINGO: Just a reminder that March BINGO is due Tuesday, March 31st. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. April BINGO will begin the evening of 4/1.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next will be Jojo. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
SPELLING WORDS: There are no spelling words next week. Spelling words will be given to your child Friday, March 27th for our test on April 3rd.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Finalizing our animal research and writing our rough drafts for our animal research report
Identifying the character’s feelings in the text
Vocabulary Words: striding, twitched, demanded, stern, overdue, circulation, padded, budge, encyclopedia, and ignored
Reading and writing words with the long U spelling patterns (ui, ue, ew, oo, u_e)
Cursive writing
Math
Time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes, and one minute
Sequencing activities in a day
Determining AM vs PM activities
Vocabulary words: time, sequence, increment, digital, analog, hour, hour hand, minute, minute hand, o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to quarter till, 5 minutes past, five after
Science & Social Studies
Types of rocks
Properties of rocks
Weathering and erosion
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
March 9: Spring Book Fair
March 10: Report cards go home
March 12: Second Grade Fine Arts Night
March 9-13: Education Go Get It Week
March 16-20: Spring Break
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with No Roaring in the Library, and your child will earn a ticket!
February 27, 2026
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.
FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Austin Zoo on Monday, March 30th. The permission slip was sent home in your child’s Tuesday folder this week. These will need to be signed and returned with the $12 trip fee no later than Tuesday, March 3rd. Chaperones are not needed. However, if you would like to join your child’s class, you will need to stop by CCE to pick up your badge and then meet us at the zoo at 10:15AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. The admission rate is $18.95 for adults. Please note* Students will need to bring a sack lunch for the field trip.
A Message from Mrs. Hougham, CCE School Counselor: March 9-13, 2026 is Education Go Get It Week (EGGI Week) at Canyon Creek! EGGI Week is a week to focus on exploring and learning about the wide variety of post-secondary opportunities and career choices available in the future for our students. While of course our students don't need to have their future plans set in stone at this early age, it's never too early to start learning about the many, many options that are out there! Canyon Creek plans to celebrate EGGI Week with the following activities:
Monday: Canyon Creek T-Shirt
Tuesday: College/Military/Training Program T-Shirt Day
Wednesday: Dress up in your fancy interview clothes
Thursday: My Future Career Day
Friday: Retirement Day, or hiking gear to support 5th grades National Park Day
SPRING PICTURE DAY: Spring Picture Day is next Wednesday, March 4, 2026. We will take Class Pictures and Spring Individual Pictures on this date! Order forms were sent home in Tuesday folders this week. Please complete and return those on or before March 4th. You can also order your Spring Pictures using the online links.
Spring Individual: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001353820
Class Group: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001353716
READING BINGO: Just a reminder that February BINGO is due next Monday, March 2nd. Remember all squares must be individually dated and initialized to be valid. March BINGO will begin the evening of 3/2.
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!
ART ROOM NEEDS: Mrs. Weir is in need of 300 empty toilet paper rolls for a sculpture project. If you have any, please send them to school. There will be a donation box outside the art room for collection.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next will be Mingguo. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
SPELLING WORDS
again
early
here
eating
green
every
happy
yellow
slow
making
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Researching animal facts for our animal research report
Identifying the mood of a text
Vocabulary Words: soar, warehouse, bittersweet, becksoned, steamboat, burst, crate, swirled, factory, delivered
Reading and writing words with the long o spelling patterns (o, oa, ow, oe, o_e)
Cursive writing
Math
Parts of a clock
Time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, and five minutes
Vocabulary words: time, sequence, increment, digital, analog, hour, hour hand, minute, minute hand, o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to quarter till, 5 minutes past, five after
Science & Social Studies
The life and work of George Washington Carver, Marian Anderson, Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Bessie Jackson, Mae Jemison,
Sound and Vibration
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
March 3: Kona Ice @ 2:55 pm
March 4: Spring Picture Day
March 6: Multicultural Fair
March 9: Spring Book Fair
March 9-13: Education Go Get It Week
March 12: Second Grade Fine Arts Night
March 16-20: Spring Break
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Henry’s Freedom Box, and your child will earn a ticket!
February 20, 2026
Talk about a quick week! We hope you enjoyed your extra days off on Monday and Tuesday. Thankfully, we still managed to squeeze in lots of learning!
This week was full of learning and curiosity! We explored the life and work of Abraham Lincoln, learning why he is remembered as an important leader in our country’s history. We also celebrated Lunar New Year, discovering traditions, symbols, and ways families around the world welcome a new year. On top of that, our classroom turned into a hub of scientists as we began our animal research reports, asking questions, and getting excited to share what we’ve learned. It was a week full of history, culture, and discovery!
FIELD TRIP: We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Austin Zoo on Monday, March 30th. A permission slip will be sent home in your child’s Tuesday folder next week. These will need to be signed and returned with the $12 trip fee no later than Tuesday, March 3rd. Chaperones are not needed. However, if you would like to join your child’s class, you will need to stop by CCE to pick up your badge and then meet us at the zoo at 10:15AM. We will have lunch until 11:20 and our tour will begin promptly at 11:30. The admission rate is $18.95 for adults. Please note* Students will need to bring a sack lunch for the field trip.
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, February 28th Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!
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!
ART ROOM NEEDS: Mrs. Weir is in need of 300 empty toilet paper rolls for a sculpture project. If you have any, please send them to school. There will be a donation box outside the art room for collection.
Central Texas Teen & Kids Comic Con coming on Feb 28: This free, annual event is a comic and graphic novel convention aimed at offering teens, kids, families, and educators the chance to interact with comic creators, participate in workshops, and showcase their creativity! It is organized by RRISD librarians and is held at Round Rock High School.
Click here to reserve your FREE tickets (makes the process much easier and to get more information.)
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next will be Ellis. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
Library Volunteers: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
AMAZON WISH LIST: If you are interested in supporting our classroom needs, here is our Amazon wishlist. I truly appreciate your support!
SPELLING WORDS
are
light
coat
looked
keeping
head
morning
does
clean
eyes
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Researching animal facts for our animal research report
Identifying the main purpose of a text
The life and work of Abraham Lincoln
Vocabulary Words: battle, memorial, liberty, plight, malice, democracy, inaugurated, elected, founders, wept, abolished, wretched, wounded, suffered, agony
Reading and writing words with the long o spelling patterns (o, oa, ow, oe, o_e)
Cursive writing
Math
Parts of a clock
Time to the hour, half hour, and quarter hour
Vocabulary words: time, sequence, increment, digital, analog, hour, hour hand, minute, minute hand, o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to quarter till
Science & Social Studies
Lunar New Year traditions and celebrations
President’s Day
Sound and Vibration
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
March 3: Kona Ice @ 2:55 pm
March 4: Spring Picture Day
March 6: Multicultural Fair
March 9: Spring Book Fair
March 16-20: Spring Break
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Looking at Lincoln, and your child will earn a ticket!
February 13, 2026
What a week filled with love and kindness. Thank you to our room parents and all of our 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.
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, February 27th Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES: The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home before our break. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, February 20th will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
ART ROOM NEEDS: Mrs. Weir is in need of 300 empty toilet paper rolls for a sculpture project. If you have any, please send them to school. There will be a donation box outside the art room for collection.
STAR OF THE WEEK: There will be no Star of the Week next week due to our shortened week. We will resume again on Monday, February 23rd with Ellis.
SPELLING WORDS: There will be no spelling words next week due to our shortened week. We will add spelling words to our planners on Friday, February 20th for our test the following week on Friday, February 27th.
Message from the library: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Revising, editing, and publishing our opinion writing, Our Night in the White House using the writing process
Character’s feelings in a text
Point of View
Abbreviations
Vocabulary Words: fluttered, mysterious, mend, recall, supervisor, dabbed, wondered, peeking, aftershave, satiny, recovered, handkerchief, occurred
Cursive writing
Math
2D/3D shapes and their attributes
Symmetry
Modeling and describing fractions represented as equal-size parts of a whole as halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths.
Modeling and describing fractions greater than one whole
Science & Social Studies
Weather Instruments
Types of Weather
Charting the Weather
Sound
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
February 16: NO SCHOOL
February 17- NO SCHOOL
March 4: Spring Picture Day
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch, and your child will earn a ticket!
February 6, 2026
What a pawsome week in second grade! We had so many adorable Dalmatians show up for class on Wednesday! Thank you for helping make this such a tail-wagging good time for your child!
VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY: We look forward to spreading some love & kindness next 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 to help your second grader add classmates' names to the cards, if they would like. They are 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 11th. We don’t have the storage to accommodate them any sooner. We will be making Valentine bags in class that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party.
If you plan on attending our Valentine’s Day party, please fill out the form below no later than February 10th. This will make it easier for the office to preprint badges ahead of time. Valentine’s Day FastPass
*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.
If you plan on volunteering for the Valentine’s Day party, please make sure you are a registered RRISD volunteer, if you haven’t already done so.
KINDNESS WEEK: Next week we will celebrate spreading kindness and love with a week of fun dress up days to get in the spirit. We hope your child will join us in the fun!
KINDNESS COUNTS MONDAY: Kick off the week by wearing a shirt with happy, kind, or positive words!
BEST BUDDIES TUESDAY: Twin with a friend or wear matching colors to celebrate friendship
LOVE YOUR SCHOOL WEDNESDAY: Show your love for CCE by wearing school colors or spirit wear.
COZY CUDDLES THURSDAY: Wear a pair of comfy pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal (must fit in your backpack) to snuggle with.
RED, WHITE, AND PINK FRIDAY: Celebrate in red, white, and pink. Add hearts and Valentine flair!
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES: The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home before our break. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, February 20th will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
ART ROOM NEEDS: Mrs. Weir is in need of 300 empty toilet paper rolls for a sculpture project. If you have any, please send them to school. There will be a donation box outside the art room for collection.
Message from the library: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
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 Monday, March 2nd Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Olivia. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!
SPELLING WORDS
between
come
right
ear
please
should
high
love
mother
into
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Brainstorming and drafting our opinion writing, Our Night in the White House using the writing process
Reading and writing using pronouns nouns
Vocabulary Words: ratty, wasteful, vanish, rescue, tuition, negotiate
Reading and writing words with the long i spelling patterns (i, ie, igh, y)
Math
Review 2D and 3D shapes and their attributes
Modeling and describing fractions represented in equal-size parts of a whole as halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths.
Fractions greater than one whole
Science & Social Studies
Charting the Moon
Weather Instruments
Types of Weather
Charting the Weather
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
February 9: CCE Trivia and Spirit Night
February 13: Class Valentine’s Day party 2:00-2:50pm
February 16: NO SCHOOL
February 17- NO SCHOOL
March 4: Spring Picture Day
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 30, 2026
We hope you enjoyed your two extra days off this week and that your family stayed safe and warm. It’s hard to believe January has already come to an end, but we are ready for all the fun, love, and learning that February will bring with Black History month, Groundhog’s Day, the 101st day of school, President’s Day, and Valentine’s Day! We love learning about and celebrating all of these fun days!
101st DAY OF SCHOOL: It is hard to believe that Wednesday, 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 came home in last 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 our class Valentine's Day party on Friday, February 13th. A class list came home in your child’s Tuesday folder this week to help your child 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 11th. We don’t have the storage to accommodate them any sooner. We will be making Valentine bags in class that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party.
If you plan on attending our Valentine’s Day party, please fill out the form below no later than February 10th. This will make it easier for the office to preprint badges ahead of time. Valentine’s Day FastPass
If you plan on volunteering for the Valentine’s Day party, please make sure you are a registered RRISD volunteer, if you haven’t already done so.
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.
READING BINGO: January Reading BINGO is due next Monday, February 2nd. Remember only one box can be completed per day. Each box must be signed and dated by a parent to receive credit. Late Bingos will not be accepted. February Reading Bingo will go home the same day.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week is Alina. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES!: The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home before our break. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, February 20th will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
WEATHER: We had our first taste of cold weather this week and chances are, we are in for a few more before the warm weather decides to stick around! January and February have historically been our coldest and iciest months. We go outside year round unless it is raining, or below freezing. Our recess time is 10:15-10:45. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a jacket for cooler days. Don’t forget to label all coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. This makes getting them back to the right owner much easier if they get left on the playground!
Spelling Words:
dropped
winter
been
carry
each
seven
skipping
funny
dear
color
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Revising, editing and publishing our opinion writing, Our Favorite Pet using the writing process
Determining Fact and Opinion
Reading and writing using possessive nouns
Reading and recording 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
Reading and writing words with the long e spelling patterns (ee, ea, ie, ei, y, ey, e_e)
Math
Attributes of 2D shapes and 3D solids
Composing and decomposing 2D shapes and 3D solids
Classifying and sorting polygons, quadrilaterals, and parallelograms
Comparing and contrasting plane and solid figures
Describing and creating figures with at least one line of symmetry.
Modeling and describing fractions represented in equal-size parts of a whole as halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths.
Science & Social Studies
Charting the Moon
Weather Instruments
Types of Weather
Charting the Weather
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
February 1: Running Club registration opens
February 4: NEW 101st Day of School
February 9: CCE Trivia and Spirit Night
February 13: Class Valentine’s Day party 2:00-2:50pm
February 16: NO SCHOOL
February 17- NO SCHOOL
February 24: Spring Picture Day
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with Akiak won the Iditarod! and your child will earn a ticket!
January 23, 2026
I hope that you and your family enjoyed a wonderful three-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.
101st DAY OF SCHOOL: It is hard to believe that Monday, February 2nd 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 on Friday, February 13th. We will be making a list of classmates to bring home in the January 27th Tuesday folder. This will help your child 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 be sent to school any time between February 9th-13th, but not before. We don’t have the storage to accommodate them any sooner. We will be making Valentine bags in class that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party.
If you plan on attending our Valentine’s Day party, please fill out the form below. This will make it easier for the office to preprint badges ahead of time.
STEAM NIGHT: Full STEAM Ahead! Grab your lab coats and your curiosity—STEAM Night is just around the corner!
Date: Tuesday, Jan 27
Time: 5:00 – 6:15 PM
Location: CCE
We invite all our families to join us and explore interactive stations from every grade level and enjoy special presentations from our Westwood High School guest groups! From engineering challenges to artistic creations, there is something for everyone. We can't wait to see our scientists, techies, engineers, artists, and mathematicians in action! You will be able to explore the various stations at your own pace, but as a reminder all students must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
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 Monday, February 2nd. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES!: The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home before our break. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, February 20th will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
WEATHER: We know the cold weather is coming! January and February have historically been our coldest and iciest months. We go outside year round unless it is raining, or below freezing. Our recess time is 10:15-10:45. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a jacket for cooler days. Don’t forget to label all coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. This makes getting them back to the right owner much easier if they get left on the playground!
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week will resume next week. Our Star of the Week for next week will be Ellis. We can’t wait to learn about our classmate and friend.
Message from the library: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
Spelling Words:
asked
face
away
might
leaves
they
where
three
play
very
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 e (EE, EA, EY/Y, IE, E_E)
Math:
Attributes of 2D shapes
Composing and decomposing shapes
Polygons
Quadrilaterals
Lines of symmetry
Attributes of 3D shapes
Science:
Moon phases
Charting the moon
Types of Weather
Social Studies
The impact and legacy of Martin Lunther King, Jr.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
January 26: First Chess Club meeting
January 27: First Mandarin Club meeting
January 27 : STEAM Night 5-6:15
February 1: Running Club registration opens
February 2: 101st Day of School (More info to come soon!)
February 9: CCE Trivia and Spirit Night
February 13: Class Valentine’s Day party
February 16: NO SCHOOL February 17- NO SCHOOL
February 24: Spring Picture Day
If you have read this newsletter in its entirety, please respond with I Have a Dream and your child will earn a ticket!
January 16, 2026
Ideas really began to snowball this week! We read Snow Day by Lester Laminack, made connections to our reading by comparing it to another story Brave Irene by William Steig (the creator of Shrek), explored the pros and cons of owning different types of animals as pets in preparation for opinion writing, wrapped up our study of landforms, and kicked off our geometry unit.
101st DAY OF SCHOOL: It is hard to believe that Monday, February 2nd 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 on Friday, February 13th. We will be making a list of classmates to bring home in the January 27th Tuesday folder. This will help your child 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 be sent to school any time between February 9th-13th, but not before. We don’t have the storage to accommodate them any sooner. We will be making Valentine bags in class that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party.
STEAM NIGHT: Full STEAM Ahead! Grab your lab coats and your curiosity—STEAM Night is just around the corner!
Date: Tuesday, Jan 27
Time: 5:00 – 6:15 PM
Location: CCE
We invite all our families to join us and explore interactive stations from every grade level and enjoy special presentations from our Westwood High School guest groups! From engineering challenges to artistic creations, there is something for everyone. We can't wait to see our scientists, techies, engineers, artists, and mathematicians in action! You will be able to explore the various stations at your own pace, but as a reminder all students must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
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 Monday, February 2nd. Late Bingos will not be accepted. Happy reading!
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES!: The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home before our break. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, February 20th will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
Message from the library: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
WEATHER: We know the cold weather is coming! January and February have historically been our coldest and iciest months. We go outside year round unless it is raining, or below freezing. Our recess time is 10:15-10:45. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a jacket for cooler days. Don’t forget to label all coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. This makes getting them back to the right owner much easier if they get left on the playground!
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 January 26th with Ellis.
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 30th.
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
Long A phonics and spelling patterns (AI/AY)
Math
Attributes of 2D shapes
Composing and decomposing shapes
Polygons
Quadrilaterals
Social Studies
Reviewing Landforms
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Jan.19: MLK Holiday, No School
January 26: First Chess Club meeting
January 27: First Mandarin Club meeting
January 27 : STEAM Night 5-6:15
February 1: Running Club registration opens
February 2: 101st Day of School (More info to come soon!)
February 9: CCE Trivia and Spirit Night
February 13: Class Valentine’s Day party
February 16: NO SCHOOL February 17- NO SCHOOL
February 24: Spring Picture Day
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 9, 2026
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.
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 February 2nd. 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 James. We can’t wait to learn about our classmate and friend.
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES!
The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home before our break. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, Feb 20 will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
Message from the library: The link for our Spring weekly library parent signup is here! 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/AsgwZ34G1e
Visit the link below if you are interested in more library volunteer opportunities:
https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/canyoncreeklibrary/volunteers?authuser=0
WEATHER: With colder weather headed our way, it will finally feel 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 10:15. 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.
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!
Next Week’s Spelling Words:
1. all
2. giving
3. cane
4. over
5. take
6. cutting
7. another
8. than
9. didn’t
10. upon
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
Math
First semester math review
Place value
2 digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping
Word problems
Even and Odd
Comparing numbers
Science:
Landforms
Social Studies
Review of classroom expectations and procedures
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
January 14: PTA Science Fair
January 19: MLK Jr Day/No School
January 26 - First Chess Club meeting
January 27 - First Mandarin Club meeting
January 27 - STEAM Night 5-6:15
February 1 - Running Club registration opens
February 2: 101st Day of School (More info to come soon!)
February 9 - CCE Trivia and Spirit Night
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 19, 2025
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! We hope you’re ready for some family fun and festive celebrations. We can’t wait to hear all of the fun your child had over break!
WINTER BREAK READING: Over the Winter Break, the second grade teachers are asking that the students continue to read. 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 6th.
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 James 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. We get a lot of great use out of these items, so they are in poor 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 9th to study and prepare for our first assessment of the new year which will resume on Friday, January 16th.
TIME TO EARN A FREE TICKET TO SCHLITTERBAHN FOR WAVES OF PAGES!
The 2026 Waves of Pages reading log went home this week in Tuesday folders. Students reading 10+ hours by Friday, Feb 20 will earn a free ticket and discounted family tickets. Exciting 2026 changes include: tickets are valid any day of the 2026 season at any of the 3 parks with no blackouts! Teachers need 8+ participating students to earn a teacher ticket, too. Ticket vouchers will be sent home in May. Contact the CCE librarian, Julianne_Bamford@roundrockisd.org, with any questions.
MIDDLE OF THE YEAR ASSESSMENTS: As we move into the middle of the school year, students will soon begin mid-year assessments, including TAG testing for eligible students. These assessments help us measure growth and plan instruction for the remainder of the year. To ensure students can participate fully, regular attendance is especially important during this time.
If your family’s winter travel plans extend into January and your child will be missing any school days, please let us know as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly. Thank you for your support and communication!
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
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
December 19-January 6: Winter Break
January 5: Staff PD Day/Student Holiday
January 6: Students first day back to school
January 14: PTA Science Fair
January 19: MLK Jr Day/No School
January 27: STEAM Night 5-6:15PM
February 2: 101st Day of School (More info to come soon!)
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 fun, family, friends, and much needed relaxation.
Happy Holidays and I'll see you in the New Year ….. 2026!!
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, 2025
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.
HOLLY JOLLY DAYS
We’re having so much fun dressing up for our Holly Jolly Dress-Up Days. Our last 4 days of festive fashion fun are listed below!
Mon 12/15: Candy Cane Lane- red and white stripes
Tues 12/16: Santa’s Helpers- elf or reindeer outfit
Wed 12/17: Polar Express- Pajama day
Thurs 12/18: Sweater Weather- Wear your UGLY holiday sweater
WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY: Our class holiday party is on Thursday, December 18th 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. The deadline to sign up to volunteer and visit is December 15th at 3:00PM
Winter Holiday Party Visitor Sign Up
WINTER PARTY HELP: If you would like to help with a brief and easy setup or help monitor some of the pre-planned activities during our winter party next Thursday, December 18th from 2:00-2:50pm, please sign up below. Thank you for your help. We can't wait to see everyone!
WINTER BREAK READING: Over the Winter Break, the second grade teachers are asking that the students continue to read and complete their December Reading BINGO over the break. December Reading BINGO is due our first day back, Tuesday, January 6th.
BROWN SANTA TOY DRIVE: Please bring an unwrapped, brand-new toy for the CCE Brown Santa drive. Toys can be sent to school with your child or dropped off at CCE anytime between now and the Holiday Parties on December 18. A bin will be located near the school's front office until December 18th. All gifts will go to families facing hard times this holiday season, in the hopes of making their spirits bright.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE ATTACH A STICKY NOTE TO YOUR TOY DONATION WITH YOUR TEACHER’S NAME FOR A CCE CLASSROOM COMPETITION. The class with the most toy donations will receive an ice cream party in January!!
Monetary donations to Brown Santa are also appreciated via Venmo (@TCBrownSanta). Please mention CCE in the comments and send a screenshot of your donation to ccebrownsanta@gmail.com. Your class will be counted as having one gift donated for every $10 given. To learn more about where the gifts go and/or to sign up a family in need, visit Williamson County Brown Santa.
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 James the week of January 12th. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!
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 9th to study and prepare for our first assessment of the new year which will resume on Friday, January 16th.
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.
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 19th will be donated to the RRISD Clothes Closet.
COOLER WEATHER: We are loving the chill in the air when we go out for recess, but the wind and the temperatures have caught many of us by surprise these last few weeks. We go outside year round unless it is raining and our recess time is 10:15-10:45. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a jacket for cooler days. Don’t forget to label all coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. This makes getting them back to the right owner much easier if they get left on the playground!
IREADY AND AMPLIFY BOOST: All students are required to complete iReady each week. Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. We have also begun implementing Amplify Boost into our Language Arts curriculum. Second grade students are required to complete 30 minutes each week. Just as with iReady, we try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 minutes at home. Both iReady and Amplify can be accessed through Classlink and students are familiar with logging in and completing their requirements in both programs.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Holiday first semester phonics review
Contractions
Holiday writing-How to Make the Grinch Grin with transition words
Holiday traditions
Asking questions as we read
Using text evidence to answer comprehension questions
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 1,000
Solving addition and subtraction word problems using various strategies
Representing addends with base ten blocks
Using expanded form
Breaking apart addends
Friendly numbers
Counting up and back on a number line
Adding up to four 2-digit numbers
Adding up to 1,000 with regrouping
Social Studies:
Holidays Around the World
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
December 18: Holiday party 2:00-2:50. Make sure to sign up and remember no siblings permitted.
December 19: All unclaimed clothing from Lost and Found will be collected and donated to the RRISD Clothing Closet
December 19: Student Holiday/Staff Work Day
December 22-January 5 - Winter Break
January 5th: Staff PD Day/Student Holiday
January 6 - School Resumes for students
January 19 - MLK Jr Day/No School
January 27- STEAM Night 5:00PM
The Second Grade Team
If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with How to Make the Grinch Grin! and your child will earn a ticket.
December 5, 2025
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 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.
HOLLY JOLLY DAYS
Spread the cheer—Holly Jolly Dress-Up Days are here! Starting Wednesday, December 3rd through December 18th, we will have themed days for the students to participate in. We hope your child will join us in some of the fun as we head into the holiday season!
Mon 12/8: Channel Your Flannel- Wear flannel or plaid prints
Tues 12/9: Holidays in the Wild, Wild West- Giddy on up to school in your western wear
Wed 12/10: Holiday Chaos- OVER-accessorize with holiday gear
Thurs 12/11: Holiday Hustle- Come ready to learn in your comfy clothes
Fri 12/12: Holiday Glow Up- Dress sparkly and bright
Mon 12/15: Candy Cane Lane- red and white stripes
Tues 12/16: Santa’s Helpers- elf or reindeer outfit
Wed 12/17: Polar Express- Pajama day
Thurs 12/18: Sweater Weather- Wear your UGLY holiday sweater
WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY: Our class holiday party is on Thursday, December 18 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 Holiday Party Visitor Sign Up
WINTER BREAK READING: Over the Winter Break, the second grade teachers are asking that the students continue to read and complete their December reading BINGO over the break. December reading bingo is due our first day back, Tuesday, January 6th.
BROWN SANTA TOY DRIVE: Please bring an unwrapped, brand-new toy for the CCE Brown Santa drive. Toys can be sent to school with your child or dropped off at CCE anytime between now and the Holiday Parties on December 18. A bin will be located near the school's front office until December 18th. All gifts will go to families facing hard times this holiday season, in the hopes of making their spirits bright.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE ATTACH A STICKY NOTE TO YOUR TOY DONATION WITH YOUR TEACHER’S NAME FOR A CCE CLASSROOM COMPETITION. The class with the most toy donations will receive an ice cream party in January!!
Monetary donations to Brown Santa are also appreciated via Venmo (@TCBrownSanta). Please mention CCE in the comments and send a screenshot of your donation to ccebrownsanta@gmail.com. Your class will be counted as having one gift donated for every $10 given. To learn more about where the gifts go and/or to sign up a family in need, visit Williamson County Brown Santa.
ROUND ROCK CLOTHES CLOSET: The CCE Girl Scouts are partnering with RRISD’s Clothing Closet and holding a Winter Coat Drive from December 1 - 12! If you have any new or gently used coats (sizes 3T-adult XL) available, please consider donating! Collection bins are located right inside the main CCE doors.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week will be Elora. We’re excited to learn more about our classmate and friend!
TAG REFERRAL AND TESTING: The window to refer your student for the TAG program is now open. Referrals must be made by parents. Please visit the RRISD TAG website to find more information and click the link below to complete the referral form. The referral window closes Friday, December 12th, at 4:30 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted. After submitting your referral, you will receive an email confirmation. Please keep this for your records. TAG Parent Referral Form
Please contact Jamie Gauck or Melissa Hamilton, CCE TAG specialists, with questions.
Thank you!
jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org
melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org
COOLER WEATHER: We are so excited that it is beginning to feel like fall when we go out for recess. Our recess is at 10:15 and we go outside year round unless it is raining. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a jacket for cooler days. Don’t forget to label all coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. This makes getting them back to the right owner much easier if they get left on the playground!
IREADY AND AMPLIFY BOOST: All students are required to complete iReady each week. Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. We have also begun implementing Amplify Boost into our Language Arts curriculum. Second grade students are required to complete 30 minutes each week. Just as with iReady, we try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 minutes at home. Both iReady and Amplify can be accessed through Classlink and students are familiar with logging in and completing their requirements in both programs.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS
also
don’t
last
bring
I’m
part
anything
other
could’ve
with
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Main Idea and supporting details
Contractions
Holiday Writing- Trapped in a snow globe
Phonics review
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 1,000
Solving addition and subtraction word problems using various strategies
Representing addends with base ten blocks
Using expanded form
Breaking apart addends
Friendly numbers
Counting up and back on a number line
Adding up to four 2-digit numbers
Adding up to 1,000 with regrouping
Social Studies:
Map tools
Continents
Oceans
Holidays Around the World
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
December 8: Final Chess Club
December 9: Final Mandarin Club
December 18: Holiday parties & Sing-a-long
December 19: All unclaimed clothing from Lost and Found will be collected and donated to the RRISD Clothing Closet
December 19: Student Holiday/Staff Work Day
December 22-January 5 - Winter Break
January 6 - School Resumes
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 21, 2025
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 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 I 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.
HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD: Thank you to everyone who signed up to help in the preparation of our Holidays Around the World adventure! We’re excited to take flight when we return from break.
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 1st. No late bingos will be accepted.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week will be KK. We’re excited to learn more about our classmate and friend!
TAG REFERRAL AND TESTING:The window to refer your student for the TAG program is now open. Referrals must be made by parents. Please visit the RRISD TAG website to find more information and click the link below to complete the referral form. The referral window closes Friday, December 12th, at 4:30 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted. After submitting your referral, you will receive an email confirmation. Please keep this for your records. TAG Parent Referral Form
Please contact Jamie Gauck or Melissa Hamilton, CCE TAG specialists, with questions.
Thank you!
jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org
melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org
IREADY AND AMPLIFY BOOST:All students are required to complete iReady each week. Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. We have also begun implementing Amplify Boost into our Language Arts curriculum. Second grade students are required to complete 30 minutes each week. Just as with iReady, we try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 minutes at home. Both iReady and Amplify can be accessed through Classlink and students are familiar with logging in and completing their requirements in both programs.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
COOLER WEATHER:We are so excited that it is beginning to feel like fall when we go out for recess. Our recess is at 10:15 and we go outside year round unless it is raining. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and has a jacket for cooler days. Don’t forget to label all coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. This makes getting them back to the right owner much easier if they get left on the playground!
HOLLY JOLLY DAYS
Spread the cheer—Holly Jolly Dress-Up Days are here! Starting Wednesday, December 3rd through December 18th, we will have themed days for the students to participate in. We hope your child will join us in some of the fun as we head into the holiday season!
Wed 12/3: ‘Tis the season to be Grinchy- Dress in green!
Thurs 12/4: You’re a gift- Wear a bow or ribbon!
Fri 12/5: Dashing through the snow- Wear your Fun Run gear!
Mon 12/8: Channel Your Flannel- flannel or plaid
Tues 12/9: Holidays in the Wild, Wild West- western wear
Wed 12/10: Holiday Chaos- Over-accessorize with holiday gear
Thur 12/11: Holiday Hustle- comfy clothes
Fri 12/12: Holiday Glow Up- sparkly and bright
Mon 12/15: Candy Cane Lane- red and white stripes
Tues 12/16: Santa’s Helpers- elf or reindeer outfit
Wed 12/17: Polar Express- pajamas
Thur 12/18: Sweater Weather- ugly holiday sweaters
NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS
because
North
finding
could
never
better
third
reddest
letter
start
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Parts of a friendly letter
Making inferences
Reading and recording facts about wild and domestic turkeys
Identifying and using affixes (-ful, -ed, -ing, -less, etc.)
Identifying when to use and spell words using the Doubling rule (running, hopping, spotted)
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 1,000
Solving addition and subtraction word problems using various strategies
Representing addends with base ten blocks
Using expanded form
Breaking apart addends
Friendly numbers
Counting up and back on a number line
Social Studies:
Map tools
Legend
Compass Rose
Cardinal Directions
Types of Maps
Making maps
The History of Thanksgiving
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
December 5: PTA Fun Run
December 18: Holiday parties & Sing-a-long
December 19: Student Holiday/Staff Work Day
December 22-January 5 - WInter Break
January 6 - School Resumes
Have a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving break and we will see everyone back on December 1st.
The Second Grade Team
If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Gobble, Gobble and your child will earn a ticket.
November 14, 2025
We had a week stuffed with activities honoring our Veterans, learning about and comparing wild and domestic turkeys, and having our first reading buddies meet up with 5th grade this morning!
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.
HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD: Thank you to everyone who signed up to help in the preparation of our Holidays Around the World adventure! As a reminder, completed materials will need to be returned no later than Friday, November 21st. Thank you in advance for your help!
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 when we return from Thanksgiving break on Monday, December 1st.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week will be Aanshi. We’re excited 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. Please visit the RRISD TAG website to find more information and click the link below to complete the referral form. The referral window closes Friday, December 12th, at 4:30 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted. After submitting your referral, you will receive an email confirmation. Please keep this for your records. TAG Parent Referral Form
Please contact Jamie Gauck or Melissa Hamilton, CCE TAG specialists, with questions.
Thank you!
jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org
melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org
THANKSGIVING FEAST: We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 19th for our Thanksgiving Feast! Students will eat during their regular lunch time (11:15). The RSVP for ordering a school lunch is now closed, however you are welcome to bring a sack lunch and join your child! 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, we will have your badge pre-printed.
OPERATION TURKEY: We’re collecting donations to help provide Thanksgiving meals for local families in need. Monetary donations are welcome and will go directly toward purchasing food items. There is a flyer in today's Tuesday folder with more information about how to donate. The class with the largest amount of donations will win an ice cream party -- but more than that, more families will be helped!
IREADY AND AMPLIFY BOOST: All students are required to complete iReady each week. Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. We have also begun implementing Amplify Boost into our Language Arts curriculum. Second grade students are required to complete 30 minutes each week. Just as with iReady, we try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 minutes at home. Both iReady and Amplify can be accessed through Classlink and students are familiar with logging in and completing their requirements in both programs.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
Click here to buy your 2025-2026 yearbook!
NEXT WEEK'S SPELLING WORDS
brother
first
hottest
after
gave
shopping
helpful
said
these
sister
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Publishing our Turkey in Disguise opinion writing
Parts of a friendly letter
Making connections to the characters and text
Character traits
Identifying and using affixes (-ful, -ed, -ing, -less, etc.)
Identifying when to use and spell words using the Doubling rule (running, hopping, spotted)
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 1,000
Representing addends with base ten blocks
Using expanded form
Breaking apart addends
Friendly numbers
Counting up and back on a number line
Social Studies:
Government Officials
Roles of government officials
Veterans Day
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
November 19: Thanksgiving Lunch
November 21: Turkey Trot during Essentials
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
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 Veterans, Thank you for your service and your child will earn a ticket.
November 7, 2025
We hope you’ve enjoyed the first week of November! Our little turkeys have been busy learning, growing, and spreading kindness. As we head into this season of gratitude, we’re counting our blessings - and your wonderful kiddos are at the top of our list!
THANKSGIVING FEAST: We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 19th for our Thanksgiving Feast! Students will eat during their regular lunch time (11:15). The RSVP for ordering a school lunch is now closed, however you are welcome to bring a sack lunch and join your child! 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, we will have your badge pre-printed.
OPERATION TURKEY: We’re collecting donations to help provide Thanksgiving meals for local families in need. Monetary donations are welcome and will go directly toward purchasing food items. There is a flyer in today's Tuesday folder with more information about how to donate. The class with the largest amount of donations will win an ice cream party -- but more than that, more families will be helped!
HELP FILL THE BARREL AT CCE: The holiday season is a time for giving, and our local food pantry needs your help to support local families in need. All donations will go to the Round Rock Area Serving Center Food Pantry, which provides groceries to families right here in our community.
You can send your food donations to school with your child during our holiday food drive, Nov 3-14. Look for the collection barrel in the front office - we'd love to see it filled to the top with your generous donations! Every item helps! Some great things to donate include:
Canned Vegetables, fruits & soups
Rice, pasta, & boxed meals
Peanut Butter, jelly & cereal
Canned meats & beans
Thank you for joining us in spreading kindness & care this holiday season. Together, we can make a big difference for families in our community!
TO THE BOOK FAIR AND BEYOND! Book Fair begins this week! The book fair will be open daily from 7:20- 3:30. There will be late shopping on Tuesday, November 11th until 7:00PM. It will be closed from 5:00-5:30 for the PTA meeting and for a short time on Wednesday, November 12th from about 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The new Dog Man: Big Jim Believes will be available at the book fair from Tues, Nov 11 (pre-pay on Monday to reserve your copy!)
Mrs. Bamford could also still use volunteers for running cash registers and tearing down. If you would like to help out or just get general information about the book fair, check out the
HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD: As we head into the holiday season, Second Graders will be "traveling" around the world to learn about different customs and celebrations. There is a lot of preparation that goes into our travels. Because of this, I am looking for parents to help with the cutting, folding, and gluing of some of the pieces! The link to sign up is below. I will send your materials and one completed example home with your student as slots are filled. Materials can be sent home as early as Monday, November 10th. Completed materials will need to be returned no later than Friday, November 21st. Thank you in advance for your help!
Ms.Thurin's Holidays Around The World Prep Sign-up
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 1st.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week will be Emily. We’re excited to learn more about our classmate and friend!
Next Week's Spelling Words:
close
before
fire
hard
more
like
cold
hurt
both
five
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
Click here to buy your 2025-2026 yearbook!
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Drafting our Turkey in Disguise opinion writing
Making connections to the characters and text
Identifying and using synonyms and antonyms
Reading, writing and spelling using Bossy R spelling patterns (ar, er, ir, ur, or)
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 1,000
Representing addends with base ten blocks
Using expanded form
Breaking apart addends
Social Studies:
Government Officials
Roles of government officials
Election Day and voting
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
November 9-14: Book Fair
November11: Picture Retakes
November 12: Thanksgiving Lunch
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!
The Second Grade Team
If you’ve made it to the end of the newsletter, please respond to this email with Mr. Turkey is in trouble and your child will earn a ticket.
October 31, 2025
It's been a fa-BOO-lous week of learning! We had a rock solid time at Inner Space Caverns today! The kids caved in to their curiosity and loved every minute. The students stalag-MIGHT have a lot of new cave facts to share with you! I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!
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 1st.
STAR OF THE WEEK: There will be no star of the Week the next week due to the shortened week. We will resume Star of the Week again on Monday, November 10th.
TO THE BOOK FAIR AND BEYOND!
It's almost time for the book fair, and we can always use volunteers for setting up, running cash registers, and tearing down. If you would like to help out or just get general information about the book fair, check out the CCE BOOK FAIR WEBSITE
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!
THANKSGIVING FEAST
We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 19th for our Thanksgiving Feast!
Students will eat during their regular lunch time. If you plan to eat, please be sure to bring cash to pay for your meal. The meal price is $5.00 for all visitors (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, 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!
The form will close Nov. 7 @ 12pm RSVP HERE
IREADY
All students are required to complete iReady each week.Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. We try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 minutes at home.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
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 in either or both of these events, please complete this form by Monday, November 3rd at 3:00pm. Sign-ups will close at that time so we can begin preparing UIL groups for practice sessions that will begin soon.
Thank you for considering this learning experience and commitment! Feel free to email karen_ogle@roundrockisd.org with any questions or concerns that you may have.
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
Click here to buy your 2025-2026 yearbook!
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Publishing our Scarytales
Sequencing the events in a story
Making connections to the characters and text
Identifying and using common and proper nouns
Identifying and spelling words with Frozen e (vce pattern- make, rope, cube, kite)
Reading, writing and spelling using Bossy R spelling patterns (ar, er, ir, ur, or)
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 20
Doubles
Doubles +1
Monkey in the middle
Make a 10
Doubles -1
Inverse Operation
Bar Model
Counting Back
Science:
Identifying materials found in magnets and
Identifying the difference in magnetic poles
Observing and identifying objects that magnets attract and repel
Magnetic Strength
Social Studies:
Government Officials
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
November 2: Daylight Savings time ends (fall back 1 hour)
November 7: Student Holiday
November 9-14: Book Fair
November11: Picture Retakes
November 12: Thanksgiving Lunch
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
Have a wonderful HALLO-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 24, 2025
We had such a fun week getting into the Halloween spirit. 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! To top it off, we ended the week with our pumpkin parade. Thank you to everyone who came out this morning to show your support. Everyone’s pumpkins looked amazing!
News of the week:
FIELD TRIP: Next Friday will be our first field trip to Inner Space Caverns. Please send your child in the gray Comets CCE shirt or any gray 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.
PUMPKINS: Pumpkins from our pumpkin project will be sent home on THURSDAY. Please send a bag or make sure your child is able to safely carry their pumpkin home after 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!
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.
OCTOBER READING BINGO
October Reading BINGO is due next Friday, 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.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week next week will be Charlie. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend.
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 in either or both of these events, please complete this form by Monday, November 3rd at 3:00pm. Sign-ups will close at that time so we can begin preparing UIL groups for practice sessions that will begin soon.
Thank you for considering this learning experience and commitment! Feel free to email karen_ogle@roundrockisd.org with any questions or concerns that you may have.
TAG REFERRAL INFORMATION AND PARENT 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 10/28 at 5:30 PM! Before attending the meeting, watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness, the referral process, and TAG services in RRISD. Make plans to attend the virtual meeting to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Questions? Email jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org or melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org
IREADY:All students are required to complete iReady each week.Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. We try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 minutes at home.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
MESSAGE FROM PTA:: This is the final call to participate in the Reflections program. Final Projects are due by Friday, October 31 More information HERE
Join PTA (one parent required to be a member to participate): HERE
Questions: Marissa Kashani at marissakashani@gmail.com
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
Click here to buy your 2025-2026 yearbook!
SPELLING WORDS
those
ask
hope
tell
white
fine
just
name
six
dog
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Drafting our Scarytales
Sequencing the events in a story
Using quotation marks in our writing
Shades of Meaning/Synonyms
Identifying and spelling words with Frozen e (vce pattern- make, rope, cube, kite)
Reading, writing and spelling using Bossy R spelling patterns (ar, er, ir, ur, or)
Math:
Using various addition and subtraction strategies up find sums up to 20
Doubles
Doubles +1
Monkey in the middle
Make a 10
Doubles -1
Inverse Operation
Bar Model
Counting Back
Science:
Identifying materials found in magnets and
Identifying the difference in magnetic poles
Observing and identifying objects that magnets attract and repel
Magnetic Strength
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
October 31: Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
Reading BINGO due
PTA Reflections entries due
November 7: Student Holiday
November 9-14: Book Fair
November11: Picture Retakes
November 12: Thanksgiving Lunch
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
We hope you 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 says Mehrrr and your child will earn a ticket.
October 17, 2025
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! We truly appreciate your hard work and the time you took to help make our learning fun!
FALL CONFERENCES:
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me for a fall conference. It has been so great seeing you again and sharing your child's progress and yearly goals.
PUMPKIN PROJECT: We hope your pumpkin projects are coming together nicely. We hear how hard you have all been working. We are so excited to see the finished products! As a reminder, when your child brings in their completed project on Friday, October 24th, they will need to bring in the pumpkin and the book the character is from. Please do not send in projects before 10/24. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.
Pumpkin Character book report due next Tuesday, October 21.
Completed plastic pumpkin character due next Friday, October 24. Don’t forget to send in the book your child used as well!
Pumpkin Parade Friday, October 24th outside following announcements and lunch count
Pumpkins on display in the library October 24-30
Pumpkins sent home October 30
PUMPKIN PARADE: As a way to share our boo-tiful work, we will be holding an outdoor pumpkin parade on Friday October 24th immediately following morning announcements and lunch count. Parents will need to stay on the outer perimeter of the car dismissal sidewalk. Only students who used a plastic pumpkin will be able to participate.
TAG REFERRAL INFORMATION AND PARENT MEETING: Are you interested in referring your student for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at CCE? Please attend the virtual TAG informational meeting onTuesday 10/28 at 5:30 PM! Before attending the meeting, watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness, the referral process, and TAG services in RRISD.
Make plans to attend the virtual meeting to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Questions? Email jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org or melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org
FIELD TRIP: We are getting ready for our upcoming field trip to Inner Space Caverns. Please remember, even though it is Halloween, costumes, masks, or accessories of any kind are prohibited. Your child will be asked to wear their gray Comets t-shirt purchased through PTA. This makes our group easy to recognize and keep everyone safe and accounted for. If you would still like to purchase a t-shirt click here to order.
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.
Red Ribbon + Digital Citizenship= HEALTHY LIVING WEEK!
Healthy Choices, Online and Off! Get ready for a week of fun and important learning! This year, we're teaming up our Digital Citizenship Week with Red Ribbon Week from 10/21 to 10/24. This combined initiative allows us to teach our students about making safe, healthy, and responsible choices in all aspects of their lives—from choosing to be drug-free to choosing to be kind and smart when using technology. We encourage all students to participate in our daily dress-up themes! Please see the attached flyer for the theme schedule, and help your child prepare for a great week. We also encourage you to use this week as a chance to chat with your student about what it means to be a healthy human and a good digital citizen!
-Mrs Hougham & Mrs Connair
Tuesday 10/21- Team up for healthy habits! Wear a jersey or favorite sports gear!
Wednesday 10/22- My Future is Bright & Kind! Wear ORANGE or bright neon colors!
Thursday 10/23- Don’t get mixed up with unhealthy choices or clicks! Wear mismatched or wacky clothes!
Friday 10/24- Dream big as a healthy living and digital leader! Dress in your favorite pajamas!
iReady!
All students are required to complete iReady each week.
Kinder-2nd students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 30 minutes of iReady Math. 3rd-5th students are required to complete 2 lessons at a passing rate and complete 45 minutes of both iReady Math and iReady Reading.
We try our best to have students complete this requirement at school, however sometimes we might need your support for completion. See below for more information on how to view your student’s progress and how to support them if they need to complete the 2 lessons passing and 30 or 45 minutes at home.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOU SUPPORT WITH THIS!
iReady Family Guide (District Code for the For Families Report on page 4: 53CXBV)
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
Message from PTA: This is the final call to participate in these PTA programs for the 2025-2026 school year! Please find all deadlines and sign up links for the respective programs, as well as the contact information for the PTA Program Lead.
Destination Imagination
Sign up by Friday, October 17 HERE
More information HERE
Join PTA (one parent required to be a member to participate): HERE
Questions: Linda Pedersen at pedersen.lindam@yahoo.com or 512-914-8451 (text is best)
We have full teams for kindergarten and 4th grade and would love to build teams for other grade levels.
Science Fair
Sign up by Friday, October 17 HERE
More information HERE
Join PTA (one parent required to be a member to participate): HERE
Questions: Saranya Kandasamy at sarankau2006@gmail.com
Reflections
Final Projects due by Friday, October 31 HERE
More information HERE
Join PTA (one parent required to be a member to participate): HERE
Questions: Marissa Kashani at marissakashani@gmail.com
OCTOBER READING BINGO: October Reading BINGO is well underway. Please remember to sign and date each square when your child has completed the task. October Reading BINGO is due October 31st.
SPELLING WORDS
begin
fast
home
made
old
best
too
was
fall
which
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 27th.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Reading nonfiction texts about spiders
Recording and publishing facts about spiders
Identifying nonfiction text features
Using adjectives and the writing process to publish our procedural writing- How to Sneak Your Monster Into School
Identifying and spelling words with Frozen e (vce pattern- make, rope, cube, kite)
Math:
Using various addition strategies up find sums up to 20
Doubles
Doubles +1
Monkey in the middle
Make a 10
Science:
Identifying materials found in magnets and
Identifying the difference in magnetic poles
Observing and identifying objects that magnets attract and repel
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
October 20: Student/Staff Holiday - No School
October 21-24: Digital Citizen & Red Ribbon Week
October 21: Pumpkin Character Book Report due
Report cards sent home
Kona Ice at 2:55
October 24: Pumpkin Character due with the book you read
Pumpkin Parade outside following announcements and lunch count
October 31: Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
Reading BINGO due
PTA Reflections entries due
We hope you have a wonderful 3 day 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 10, 2025
We’re going BATTY with all of the fun activities we have planned for October! We soared into our bat unit this week with our mentor text Stellaluna and also learned a bat colony’s worth of facts we roost….I mean write about. We can’t wait to display them in our cave next week along with our directed drawings! Thank you in advance to everyone for helping bring our Comet cave to life this afternoon. We cannot wait to see the kid’s faces when they walk in on Tuesday morning!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK
FALL CONFERENCES: Thank you to the parents that I’ve had the opportunity to conference with already. It has been so great seeing you again and sharing your child's progress and yearly goals. I am looking forward to meeting with the remaining families over the next week. Please check the schedule to make sure that you remember our meeting time. See you soon!
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, use the 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. If you need to change characters from the one you previously submitted, that is absolutely okay! When your child brings in their completed project on Friday, October 24th, they will need to bring in the pumpkin and the book the character is from. Please do not send in projects before 10/24. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.
Pumpkin Character book report due Tuesday, October 21.
Completed plastic pumpkin character due Friday, October 24. Don’t forget to send in the book your child used as well!
Pumpkin Parade Friday, October 24th outside following announcements and lunch count
Pumpkins on display in the library October 24-30
Pumpkins sent home October 30
PUMPKIN PARADE: As a way to share our boo-tiful work, we will be holding an outdoor pumpkin parade on Friday October 24th immediately following morning announcements and lunch count. 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.
TAG REFERRAL INFORMATION AND PARENT MEETING
Are you interested in referring your student for the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program at CCE?
Please attend the virtual TAG informational meeting onTuesday 10/28 at 5:30 PM! Before attending the meeting, watch this 12 minute video to learn about characteristics of giftedness, the referral process,
and TAG services in RRISD. Make plans to attend the virtual meeting to ask questions and meet the CCE TAG specialists, Jamie Gauck and Melissa Hamilton.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Questions? Email jamie_gauck@roundrockisd.org or melissa_hamilton@roundrockisd.org
FIELD TRIP: We are getting ready for our upcoming field trip to Inner Space Caverns. Please remember, even though it is Halloween, costumes, masks, accessories of any kind are prohibited. Your child will be asked to wear their gray Comets t-shirt purchased through PTA. This makes our group easy to recognize and keep everyone safe and accounted for. If you would still like to purchase a t-shirt click here to order.
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.
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
DIWALI CELEBRATION: Celebrate Diwali at CCE on Friday, October 17, at 3:00 PM! Join us for a bright, family-friendly afternoon celebrating the Festival of Lights outside the CCE. All students and families are welcome—feel free to wear festive attire. Click here to view the available volunteer opportunities we still have.
PTA REFLECTIONS CONTEST: Calling the Creators of Tomorrow! Canyon Creek Comets show the world where you belong! The PTA Reflections contest is now underway! Perform a dance, make a video, write a poem or story, take a picture, create art, or compose a song showing your interpretation of “I Belong.” Participants get to show off their art, earn prizes, and have the opportunity to move on to district, state, or maybe even national level! The deadline for entries is October 31st. Go to HTTPS://PTA.ORG/HOMEPROGRAMS/REFLECTIONS/CRAFT-AN-ENTRY for more information.
DESTINATION IMAGINATION: Destination Imagination (DI) returns to Canyon Creek Elementary! DI is a hands-on, team program where students build creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving by choosing a challenge (Engineering, Science, Fine Arts, Improv, Service Learning, Early Learning K–2) and presenting at the Regional Tournament on Saturday, Feb 21, 2026.
Teams: 5–7 students in the same grade; weekly meetings begin in October at a team member’s home.
Costs per team: $165 registration, $25 manager background check, plus low-cost/recycled supplies.
Parents: one Team Manager per team—support and coaching provided.
Enroll by Oct 15, 2025, here
Questions: Linda Pedersen · pedersen.lindam@yahoo.com · 512-914-8451.
OCTOBER READING BINGO : October Reading BINGO is underway. Please remember to sign and date each square when your child has completed the task. October Reading BINGO is due October 31st.
SPELLING WORDS: There will be no new spelling words this week due to the shortened week.
STAR OF THE WEEK: There will be no star of the Week the next 2 weeks due to our shortened weeks. We will resume Star of the Week again on Monday, October 27th.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Reading nonfiction texts about bats
Recording and publishing facts about bats
Identifying and using strong vs. weak verbs (fly vs. soar, saw vs. spied)
Using adjectives and the writing process to draft our procedural writing- How to Sneak Your Monster Into School
Identifying and spelling words with Frozen e (vce pattern- make, rope, cube, kite)
Math:
Using various addition strategies up find sums up to 20
Doubles
Doubles +1
Monkey in the middle
Make a 10
Science:
Identifying and observing how objects move using force & motion
Identifying materials found in magnets and
Identifying the difference in magnetic poles
Observing and identifying objects that magnets attract and repel
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
October 13: Student Holiday/Fall Conferences - No School
October 15: Destination Imagination sign up deadline
Watch DOGS Kick Off Game Night
October 17: Diwali celebration 3:00PM
October 20: Student/Staff Holiday - No School
October 21-24: Digital Citizen & Red Ribbon Week
October 21: Pumpkin Character Book Report due
Report cards sent home
Kona Ice at 2:55
October 24: Pumpkin Character due with the book you read
Pumpkin Parade outside following announcements and lunch count
October 31: Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
Reading BINGO due
PTA Reflections entries due
We hope you have a wonderful 3 day weekend!
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, 2025
We hope you enjoyed walking and rolling to school this week! We had such an exciting week eating…I mean writing our procedural text How to Make Pie in a Cup, and spending those tickets at our class store!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE WEEK
FALL CONFERENCES: Thank you to the parents that I’ve had the opportunity to conference with already. It has been so great seeing you again and sharing your child's progress and yearly goals. I am looking forward to meeting with the remaining families over the next 2 weeks. Please check the schedule to make sure that you remember our meeting time. See you soon!
PICTURE DAY: Picture Day is this Tuesday, October 7th. Please send in order forms no later than Tuesday morning or purchase online with the link below.
https://vando.imagequix.com/g1001300265
BAT CAVE: Second grade is getting "batty" in October! The home room parents are asking for parent volunteers to help decorate the hallway for the bat unit. We will have all the needed supplies! It will be a fun surprise for the students when they come to school on 10/14. Decorating will take place on Friday, October 10th at 3:15. If you would like to help, please click on the link below.
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, use the 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. If you need to change characters from the one you previously submitted, that is absolutely okay! When your child brings in their completed project on Friday, October 24th, they will need to bring in the pumpkin and the book the character is from NO MOVIES. 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 10/24. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.
Pumpkin Character book report due Tuesday, October 21.
Completed plastic pumpkin character due Friday, October 24. Don’t forget to send in the book your child used as well!
Pumpkin Parade Friday, October 24th outside following announcements and lunch count
Pumpkins on display in the library October 24-30
Pumpkins sent home October 30
PUMPKIN PARADE: As a way to share our boo-tiful work, we will be holding an outdoor pumpkin parade on Friday October 24th immediately following morning announcements and lunch count. 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.
FIELD TRIP: We are getting ready for our upcoming field trip to Inner Space Caverns. We did a book study on caves and caverns in library this week with Mrs. Bamford and the kids got really excited talking about all the exciting things they might see in the cavern when we go. Thank you for turning in your permission slip and money on time. Our class has room for 3 more parents to join us. I will be reaching out to our volunteers with information about arrival, costs, and the itinerary soon. Also, even though it is Halloween, costumes, masks, accessories of any kind are prohibited. Your child will be asked to wear their gray Comets t-shirt purchased through PTA. This makes our group easy to recognize and keep everyone safe and accounted for. If you would still like to purchase a t-shirt click here to order.
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.
CANYON CREEK YEARBOOKS: CCE yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are a great way to celebrate your child’s school year and celebrate and share all of the memories they’ve made throughout the year.
Click here to buy your 2025-2026 yearbook!
CLOTHES CLOSET- SOCKS & UNDIES DRIVE: The annual Westwood PTSA Socks & Undies Drive is underway. This service provides NEW socks and NEW underwear to Round Rock ISD students in need. If you would like to donate, please drop off or send in new, unopened packages of underwear and/or socks to school by October 9th. You can also click here or on the image to visit the Amazon Wishlist.
DIWALI CELEBRATION: Celebrate Diwali at CCE on Friday, October 17, at 3:00 PM! Join us for a bright, family-friendly afternoon celebrating the Festival of Lights outside the CCE. All students and families are welcome—feel free to wear festive attire. Click here to view the available volunteer opportunities we still have.
PTA REFLECTIONS CONTEST: Calling the Creators of Tomorrow! Canyon Creek Comets show the world where you belong! The PTA Reflections contest is now underway! Perform a dance, make a video, write a poem or story, take a picture, create art, or compose a song showing your interpretation of “I Belong.” Participants get to show off their art, earn prizes, and have the opportunity to move on to district, state, or maybe even national level! The deadline for entries is October 31st. Go to HTTPS://PTA.ORG/HOMEPROGRAMS/REFLECTIONS/CRAFT-AN-ENTRY for more information
DESTINATION IMAGINATION: Destination Imagination (DI) returns to Canyon Creek Elementary! DI is a hands-on, team program where students build creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving by choosing a challenge (Engineering, Science, Fine Arts, Improv, Service Learning, Early Learning K–2) and presenting at the Regional Tournament on Saturday, Feb 21, 2026.
Teams: 5–7 students in the same grade; weekly meetings begin in October at a team member’s home.
Costs per team: $165 registration, $25 manager background check, plus low-cost/recycled supplies.
Parents: one Team Manager per team—support and coaching provided.
Enroll by Oct 15, 2025, here
Questions: Linda Pedersen · pedersen.lindam@yahoo.com · 512-914-8451.
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.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week’s Star of the Week is Anushka. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!
SPELLING WORDS
step
ate
hand
most
small
back
pull
such
then
will
THIS WEEK'S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Comparing 2 texts by the same author
Describing and comparing characters
Writing a summary using Somebody Wanted But So Then
Identifying and spelling compound words
Writing a procedural text using the writing process (How to Make Pie in a Cup)
Identifying and spelling words with consonant blends and digraphs
Math:
Wrapping up and assessing our place value unit
Doubles and Doubles + 1 Facts
Understanding and using the commutative property of addition ( turn around/flip flop facts)
Science:
Forces and Motion
Social Studies
Finishing up our citizenship unit
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
October 3: Cody Fisher Magic Show
October 7: Fall Picture Day
October 8: CoGAT testing 8:00am
October 9: CoGAT testing 8:00am
October 10: Bat cave decorating
End of the 1st 9 Week marking period
October 13: Student Holiday/Fall Conferences - No School
October 15: Destination Imagination sign up deadline
Watch DOGS Kick Off Game Night
October 17: Diwali celebration 3:00PM
October 20: Student/Staff Holiday - No School
October 21-24: Digital Citizen & Red Ribbon Week
October 21: Pumpkin Character Book Report due
Report cards sent home
Kona Ice at 2:55
October 24: Pumpkin Character due with the book you read
Pumpkin Parade outside following announcements and lunch count
October 31: Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
Reading BINGO due
PTA Reflections entries due
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 Sheila Rae, the Brave and your child will earn a ticket.
September 26, 2025
Happy Fall, y'all! It's Friday, so let's leaf any worries behind!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE 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!
PICTURE DAY: Picture Day is October 7th. Order forms will go out in next Tuesday folders! Here is the link to purchase online. https://vando.imagequix.com/g1001300265
BAT CAVE: Second grade is getting "batty" in October! The home room parents are asking for parent volunteers to help decorate the hallway for the bat unit. We will have all the needed supplies! It will be a fun surprise for the students when they come to school on 10/14. Decorating will take place on Friday, October 10th at 3:15. If you would like to help, please click on the link below.
PUMPKIN PROJECT: We can’t wait to see what book character you and your child came up with for our pumpkin project! Pumpkin project packets will go home in your child’s Tuesday folder next week. We will go over the packet as a class in its entirety before sending it home. As a reminder, this is a 100% AT HOME PROJECT. Please make sure to use the planning page to prepare and to read the report in its entirety. When your child brings in their completed project, the pumpkin project packet FILLED OUT BY THEM, and the book they used to complete the project. Please be sure that the book the character is from NO MOVIES. 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 10/24. We do not have room to store them before this date. Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.
Pumpkin Character book report due Tuesday, October 21.
Don’t forget to send in the book your child used as well!
Pumpkin Parade Friday, 10/24
PUMPKIN PARADE: As a way to share our boo-tiful work, we will be holding an outdoor pumpkin parade on Friday October 24th immediately following morning announcements and lunch count. 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.
FIELD TRIP: We are so excited for our upcoming field trip to Inner Space Caverns on Friday, October 31st. This is always such an exciting way to culminate our bat unit while also coinciding with Halloween. Just a reminder the orange permission slip and cost of the trip ($12 in exact cash or a check) is due next Tuesday, September 30th. Each class will be its own group and have its own tour time starting within 10 minutes of each other. Inner Space Caverns limits each group to a total of 30. Our class has room for 5 more parents to join us. If you are interested in attending, please respond to the newsletter email. Availability will be on a first come first basis. Parents will arrive separately from the bus and join our class once we arrive. You will pay upon arrival and the fee for adults is Cash: $15.70 (tax free) and Credit Card: $16.17 (tax free but includes a service fee).
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.
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.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Next week’s Star of the Week is Hudson. We can’t wait to learn more about our classmate and friend!
SPELLING WORDS
black
off
dress
full
help
let
jump
much
stop
flash
THIS WEEK'S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Creating mental images
Identifying and using Adjectives
Publishing our personal narrative
Identify and spell words with consonant blends and digraphs ( l, r, s blends and ch, sh, th, wh)
Math:
Representing numbers to 1,200 using standard, word, expanded, and base ten block forms
10 more 10 less, 100 more 100 less
Ordering numbers
Comparing numbers
Using strategies to solve place value word problems to 1,200
Science:
Forces and Motion
Social Studies
Finishing up our citizenship unit
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
October 1: Walk or Bike to School Day
October 3: Cody Fisher Magic & Comedy Show
October 7: Fall Picture Day
October 13: Student Holiday/Fall Conferences - No School
October 20: Student/Staff Holiday - No School
October 21-24: Digital Citizen & Red Ribbon Week
October Oct 31: Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
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 The Salamander Room and your child will earn a ticket.
September 19, 2025
We had another great week in second grade! We have really enjoyed the cooler weather during recess and are excited to welcome fall when we return next week!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE 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. I look forward to visiting with you soon!
FIELD TRIP TO INNER SPACE CAVERNS: We are so excited for our upcoming field trip to Inner Space Caverns on Friday, October 31st. This is always such an exciting way to culminate our bat unit while also coinciding with Halloween. Please send the orange permission slip and cost of the trip ($12 in exact cash or a check) by Tue, Sep 30th. Each class will be its own group and have its own tour time starting within 10 minutes of each other. Inner Space Caverns limits each group to a total of 30 which means our class will have room for 9 parents to join us. If you are interested in attending, please respond to the newsletter email. Availability will be on a first come first basis. Parents will arrive separately from the bus and join our class once we arrive. You will pay upon arrival and the fee for adults is Cash: $15.70 (tax free) and Credit Card: $16.17 (tax free but includes a service fee).
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 September 29th with Hudson.
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 PROJECT: We are excited to kick off our Pumpkin Project next week! The informational letter and parent permission form will go home in your child’s orange take home folder next Wednesday and book report packets will go home in the September 30th Tuesday folder. Please make sure to read the introduction letter and book report in its entirety. When deciding which book to use, make sure to use a book your child is familiar with and enjoys reading and that your child can answer questions required in the book report on the character they have selected. The character chosen cannot come from a movie. Since this will be a 100% AT HOME PROJECT, we are giving your child 3.5 weeks to complete it. Please do not feel overwhelmed or rushed. Please do not send in projects before 10/24. We do not have room to store them before this date.
Important Pumpkin project due dates are listed below.
Pumpkin Parent Signature form due Monday, September 29
Pumpkin Character book report due Tuesday, October 21
Completed plastic pumpkin character due Friday, October 24
Pumpkin Parade outside the school Friday, October 24 after morning announcements
PTA REFLECTIONS PROGRAM: The PTA Reflections Program is underway and we are excited to see what your students create this year with the theme "I Belong!" Entries are due by October 31st! For rules and guidelines, click here! Please submit all entries and questions to marissakashani@gmail.com
SAFETY NEWS: Please use the properly identified crosswalks to safely cross the streets surrounding Canyon Creek Elementary. While it can be convenient to simply cross the street wherever you are, we need to make sure that we are doing so where you and your students can be protected.
Also, please be mindful of handicap parking and do not park or stop in these spots without a permit.
SPELLING TESTS: There will be no spelling test next week due to our shortened 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. 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.
THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM
Language Arts:
Identify the importance of setting
Learn about the Appalachian Mountains
Blends
Adding details, an introduction, and conclusion to our personal narrative
Identifying and using Nouns
Math:
Representing numbers to 1,000 using standard, word, expanded, and base ten block forms
Ordering numbers
Comparing numbers
Social Studies:
Traits of good citizenship
Science:
Properties of Matter
Important dates to remember:
Monday, Sept 22nd - Teacher Work Day - No school
Tuesday, Sept 23rd - Teacher Work Day - No school
Friday, Oct 3 - Cody Fisher Magic & Comedy Show
Tuesday, Oct 7 - Fall Picture Day
Monday, Oct 13 - Student Holiday/Fall Conferences - No School
Monday, Oct 20 - Student/Staff Holiday - No School
Tuesday, Oct 21-24 - Digital Citizen & Red Ribbon Week
October 31-Field Trip to Inner Space Caverns
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 12, 2025
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 it is so sweet to see all of the friendships that have been created.
Important information for this week
Conferences: Parent Conference Day is October 13th. Please be on the lookout for a sign up email and link from me next week. I am looking forward to sharing all of the amazing things your child is learning.
A blue parent conference form went home in your child's orange take home folder this afternoon. Please complete and return it in the orange folder on Monday. If you need more time please send back the folder Monday and send the form back in your child’s Tuesday folder next Wednesday. 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. Your responses help me prepare for our meeting!
After School Enrichment Clubs: Next week after school enrichment clubs begin. While teachers will receive a list of students in clubs, please remind your child in the morning if they will be attending a club after school that day.
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 Tuesday, 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 various parts of speech. This week students were graded on capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling. Next week in addition to capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling, we will also identify the verb(s) in the sentence by underlining it orange. The 10 spelling words and the sentence are added together for a total score. Students are also given a challenge word to spell each week but are not penalized for misspelled challenge words.
Spelling Words;
tall
who
chess
cliff
jazz
two
milk
of
lunch
girl
Star of the Week: Star of the Week began this week! The class loved seeing pictures and items that were special to our STAR. Each week, we will have a new classmate that we get to focus on and get to know more about. To find more about each daily activity click on the Star of the Week tab on our class website. Our next Star of the Week will be Coco. We can't wait to learn about our classmate and friend!
This week's curriculum:
Language Arts:
Identifying and using our schema
Making inferences in a text
Identifying and using 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
Writing words in ABC order
Math:
Representing numbers to 1,000 using standard, word, expanded, and base ten block forms
Ordering numbers
Comparing numbers
Social Studies:
Traits of good citizenship
Science:
Properties of Matter
Important dates to remember:
September 16: Kona Ice Day after school
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 Wilfred Gordon….. and your child will earn a ticket.
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:
and
pick
get
big
rake
look
kite
friend
car
the
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!
This week's curriculum:
Language Arts:
Writing a summary using SWBST (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then)
Describing Characters using our mentor text A Bad Case of the Stripes
Reading and spelling words that end in CK, K, and KE
Reading and spelling words using the FLOSS rule (ending is ff, ll, ss, zz after a short vowel)
Identifying complete and incomplete sentences
Alphabetizing words in a list
Continuing practice of punctuation and capitalization
Adding supporting details to facts in our writing
Math:
Building number fluency
Recognizing patterns in numbers
Using what we know about number patterns to solve problems
Using a hundreds chart
Practicing ways to represent a number
Social Studies:
Traits of Good citizenship
Science:
Investigating properties of matter
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:
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
Making and confirming predictions
Spelling with C, K, CK, and KE
Identifying complete and incomplete sentences
Punctuation and capitalization
Math
Reading Graphs
Even and Odd Numbers
Patterns in Numbers
Addition with precision
2D Shapes
Comparing Numbers
Number Bonds
Missing numbers in a hundred’s chart
Beginning math stations
Social Studies
Identifying traits of a good citizen
Science
Investigating properties of matter
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.
The yearbook is at the BEST price $25 now through September 26th - CLICK HERE TO ORDER TODAY!
We need your school event photos with your students and their friends - Click here to share.
Questions? Reach out to Julie Reynolds and Lauren Perkins at ccetxyearbook@gmail.com
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
Building reading stamina
Interviewing and writing about a new friend
Introducing the writing process
Making connections to our reading
Sequencing a text
Complete and Incomplete sentences
Handwriting
Visiting the library
Math
Collect, sort, and organize data.
Types of graphs
Parts of a graph
First grade math review
Social Studies
Meet and learn about our new classmates and friends
Review classroom procedures, rules and expectations
Review cafeteria procedures, rules, and expectations
Review recess rules and expectations
Science
What is a scientist
Using scientific vocabulary
Science Safety
Science Tools
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.
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.
This week's curriculum:
Language Arts:
Write about summer experiences
Read stories about the beginning of school
Respond to stories
Math:
First grade review of addition and subtraction
Graphing
Math About Me
Social Studies:
Meet and learn about our new second grade classmates and friends
Learn classroom procedures, rules and expectations; create a classroom social contract
Learn cafeteria procedures, rules, and expectations
Learn recess rules and expectations
Discuss importance of making good choices
Science:
What is a Scientist
Types of Scientists
Brainstorm questions and topics of interest within 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