Holiday Craft Party

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who came in and helped us during our holiday craft party!  It was a bit chaotic, but lots of fun!  Here are a few pictures:

 

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga

Elf on the Shelf and Plexers

I forgot to take pictures of our elf the last two days!  James brought us a little Christmas tree made out of garland on Monday and was hanging on to the top of it.  On Tuesday he left a note that it was too noisy on Monday and didn't come back from the North Pole :-( 

Luckily, our class had excellent behavior yesterday and James came back today!  We think he may have been trying to decorate and got all tangled up!

 

 

You may have heard your child talking about Plexers. They are word puzzles that I have been putting on the board.  They were quite challenging for students at first, but now they are figuring them out pretty quickly!  They are just a fun activity to get their brains thinking in different ways.  Below is a picture of our Plexer for today.  Can you figure it out?

 

 

:-)  Mrs. Z



Elf on the Shelf Day 2 and 3

James has returned to our classroom the last two days!  Yesterday he came down from the ceiling and was on one of our bookshelves!

I think all of elves in second grade classrooms talked last night...  This morning the elves in each classroom were on the calendars! 

I wonder where he'll be tomorrow?

:-)  Mrs. Z

Elf on the Shelf Day 1

Our classroom elf arrived!  We weren't sure if he was going to make it today as he only left this note this morning:

 

 

 

As you can see, we had many great suggestions for names!  After going through a voting process we agreed on "James!"

 

 

 

 

We aren't quite sure when James appeared, but he showed up at some point after he was named!  



It's been a very exciting day here at school!  Everyone is now on their very best behavior so that James has a great report to take back to the North Pole tonight :-) 

Mrs. Z

Bread Day

Bread Day

 

 

I hope that you all enjoyed Thanksgiving!  We had lots of fun making bread before the break. Below are a few pictures from Bread Day!

 

 

 

:-)  Mrs. Z

 



Discovery Center Field Trip

We had a fun time at the Discovery Center today!  Our kiddos were pretty wiped out by the time we got back to school!  Below are a few pictures of the exhibits:

:-) Mrs. Z

Turkeys in Disguise

Dear Families,

        Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you know what that means…turkeys everywhere are going into hiding. Yes, that’s right! Turkeys will do just about anything to avoid being your Thanksgiving meal. Help Tom Turkey survive this Thanksgiving by creating a disguise.

        A blank turkey template was sent home today, Friday November 7, 2014. Please help this turkey make it safely past Thanksgiving by disguising him through the holiday he fears the most! Turkeys that have made it through in the past have been dressed like ballerinas, football players, farmers, hula dancers, Elvis, snowmen, Spiderman, a princess, Santa, and even one of our second grade teachers, Mrs. Zuniga!

Your main focus is to dress your turkey in attire that will help him blend in with your family so he will go unnoticed at the Thanksgiving table!

Please have fun and be creative! You may use anything you can think of to decorate. Turkeys in the past have been decorated with crayons, macaroni, craft feathers, tissue paper, wallpaper scraps, dried beans, rice, clothes and shoes cut from newspaper ads, ribbons, fabric scraps, etc. 

Please follow these directions when disguising your turkey:

1. Cut out the turkey

2. Decide how to disguise him

3. Have fun decorating   

Below are examples from turkeys students have done in the past.  You can also do a Google search for "Turkeys in disguise" for lots of ideas.  Turkeys are due no later than Thursday, November 13, 2014.

:-)  Mrs. Z
 

Pumpkin Exploration

Pumpkin Exploration

 

 

Today we used our science and math skills to estimate and find actual measurements of pumpkins!  We looked at height, weight, circumference, whether our pumpkins would sink or float in water, and how many seeds were inside.

 

Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers for spending the morning with us and helping our activity go smoothly!

 

 

 

Below our some pictures of our morning :-)

 

 

 

 

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

 

Mrs. Z :-)

 

 



Donors Choose

Parents,

Below is a letter from one of our second grade teachers, Mrs. Hoschouer.  She has placed a science kit on Donors Choose for our grade level team.  If you would like to donate, please see the information below.  If you donate within the next 4 days, all donations (up to $100) will be doubled.  Thank you!

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga


Hi Friends,

I want to make sure my students have the materials they need to succeed. So I've created a classroom project request at DonorsChoose.org, an award-winning charity.

I'm asking for donations of any size to help my kids. For the next four days, any donation you make to my project will be doubled (up to $100). If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your donation will brighten my students' school year, and you'll get photos and thank yous from our class.

Here's my classroom request:
http://www.donorschoose.org/project/second-grade-scientists-exploring-exciti/1349030/?rf=email-system-2014-09-teacher_promo_expiring-teacher_2523120&challengeid=20475096/

To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the promo code INSPIRE on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through September 21.

My students and I greatly appreciate your support.

Mrs. Hoschouer

Weekly Update

School Carnival

 

Second grade is hosting the football toss game.  We need parent volunteers!  Please let me know ASAP if you are willing to donate 30 minutes of your time.  Volunteers will receive a free meal ticket for helping!

 

BSU Basket

Each year every grade level makes a basket for the silent auction at the carnival.  Second grade is designing a BSU themed basket.  If you are able to donate any new BSU themed items for the basket, please send them to school with your child!  Thank you for your help!

 

 

Yearbooks

 

 

 

 

Order forms for yearbooks were sent home this week.  Yearbooks are $15 and orders are due by November 21, 2104.  If you need an extra order form, they are available in the office. 

 

Back to School Night Schedule

 

 

September 16, 2014

6:00-6:20 pm Gym—Quick update from Mrs. Hart and Title I

6:30-6:55 pm Session 1 (your child’s classroom)

7:00-7:25 pm Session 2 (for parents who have more than one classroom to attend)

This night is informational and is intended for parents.  Due to limited space it would be best to leave children at home.  Thank you!

 

 

:-) Mrs. Zuniga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spelling Homework

Friday, August 29, 2014

Families,

 

          In your O.W.L. folders you will find a spelling list and activities for your child to complete in the next week. This list and activities are for practice, as will be the test on Friday, September 5. Next week, your child will be given a list of words based on a spelling inventory assessment that was given earlier this week in class. There will be three different lists in our class to target the word study needs of our students. More information about the upcoming spelling based on Words Their Way (WTW) will accompany the list of words sent home next Friday. If you have any questions, please let me know. I will talk more about word study (including spelling) at Parent Night on Tuesday, September 16.

 

Enjoy your three day weekend,

Mrs. Zuniga

 

 

 

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back!

 

 

We are having a fabulous start to the school year!  Our first newsletter will go home this Friday (8/29/14.)  Homework will begin next week.  We are still working on spelling groups, so spelling may not start for a week or two! 

 

 

Below is our daily schedule:

 

 

9:05-10:30 Math

 

10:30-10:45 Recess

 

10:45-12:00 English Language Arts (snack is first 5 mins. after recess)

 

12:05-12:45 Lunch

 

12:45-1:00 Daily Language Review

 

1:00-2:30 Specials, Social Studies, Science

 

2:30-3:30 Reading and Math Groups

 

3:30-3:50 Finish up unfinished work and get ready to home

 

3:55 Dismissal

 

* P.E. is Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Please make sure to send your child in appropriate footwear! 

 

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga



 



Math MAP Test Tomorrow (5-7-14)

Math MAP Test Tomorrow

(5-7-14)

 

     Our class will be taking the Math MAP Test tomorrow (5/7/14)! In order to help your child be as successful as possible please:

1) Make sure your child gets enough sleep tonight.

2) Give your child a healthy breakfast tomorrow morning.

• Avoid heavy foods that will make them groggy and high sugar food that will make them hyper!

3) Encourage your child to "Do their best on the test!"

4) Leave plenty of time to get to school on time, so that they can start the day relaxed and ready to go!

    We had a really big day today with the Foothills field trip!  Your child will probably be very tired when they get home. 

 

    They did so well on the reading test, I hope to see similar results with the math!  Let's make sure they know we are all rooting for them!!!

:-) Mrs. Zuniga

 



Reminder - Field Trip Tomorrow 5-6-14

Reminder ~ Field Trip Tomorrow (5/6/14)

 

 

We will be leaving Chief Joseph at 9:30 am.

 

Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for hiking in the foothills.  Tennis shoes, pants or shorts, and a sweatshirt or light jacket for the morning.

 

We will be eating lunch at the Foothills Learning Center. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BRING A COLD LUNCH. Students are encouraged to bring a “no waste” sack lunch to reduce the amount of trash thrown away. Think the three R’s… Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

 

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga

WOW!

Parents,

   Our kiddos worked their little tushies off on the MAP Reading test yesterday!  99% of our class met or exceeded their growth target - most exceeded their target! 

   I am so impressed with their hard work this year and the effort they put into showing what awesome readers they are - especially on a long, difficult test!

   Thank you for taking the time to help them read all those homework passages and answer all those tough comprehension questions each week! 

   They loved getting your supportive letters before the test.  Many brought the letters into the testing lab and re-read them when they needed a break or some extra encouragement!  If you haven't sent one in for the Math portion, please consider sending one in before May 7th.

    I am one very proud teacher!!!

Mrs. Z :-)

  



Reading MAP Test Tomorrow!

Reading MAP Test Tomorrow

 

 

 

      Our class will be taking the Reading MAP Test tomorrow (5/1/14)!  In order to help your child be as successful as possible please:

1) Make sure your child gets enough sleep tonight.

2) Give your child a healthy breakfast tomorrow morning.

• Avoid heavy foods that will make them groggy and high sugar food that will make them hyper!

3) Encourage your child to "Do their best on the test!"

4) Leave plenty of time to get to school on time, so that they can start the day relaxed and ready to go!

    Our little (well, not so little anymore!) second graders have worked hard all year and are ready to take their tests!  I am so proud of how much they have learned this year!  Let's work together to cheer them on and give them all the encouragement they need, so they can "Show what they know!"

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga



 



Common Core Math Practice Website

Check Out SumDog!

 

   I have registered our class on a math website called SumDog (click here to go to site!)  It is aligned with Common Core standards and is a fun way to practice math at home! 

 

 

   I will be sending each student's login information home with homework packets today!  Be sure to check it out!

 

 

 

:-) Mrs. Z



Lots of due dates tomorrow - see reminders!

Book Talks Due Tomorrow!




There seems to be some confusion about homework this week!  I did not send our regular reading packet this week, instead I sent the book talk.  A math page and spelling homework was also sent.

 Tomorrow is class picture day, and spring pictures (optional!)



Please make sure to send picture order forms and payment with your child tomorrow.

 

 Yearbook orders are due tomorrow!

 

Tomorrow is the last day to pre-order a yearbook!

 

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga

 

Book Bag and Book Talk Examples!

Homework for next week includes a brown paper bag book talk.  Here are a few examples of the quality of work we are looking for with this assignment.  Your child will be completing several book talks over the last trimester.  Please have your child practice presenting their talk at home with you!

Video Examples of Book Talks:

 

 

 

Picture Examples of Brown Bags:

 

 

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions!  Thanks!

 

 

:-)  Mrs. Zuniga