2nd Grade Almanac: October 2021

Friday, October 29, 2021

Can you believe it's almost November?! Each one of the days we've spent together has been a blessing! This week was filled with energy and excitement as we continued to learn with each other after a fun fall break! We had a beautiful class conversation this week about the gift of salvation through JESUS, as we're learning about the parables. What a gift God's grace is!

Colder Weather:
With the cooler temps heading our way, please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Heavy coats, hats, gloves and boots when necessary are so helpful in keeping the kiddos warm during recess! Thanks for helping your child be responsible with this!

Jungle Explorer of the Week:

Hayden was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and
pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love playing with friends, gym, and math. Your favorite food is pizza! Your favorite place is The Lost City. We love that you want to be a construction worker when you grow up! You are so special to God and to us, Hayden, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

Homework:
Next week we'll stick with the usual:
*Purple Reading Slip will come home Monday (due Monday, Nov. 8)
*Math Homework Page will come home Monday (due Monday, Nov. 8)

*A new Bible Memory for November will be in the Monday Homework Folder: Psalm 100. This is such a special psalm to memorize around the Thanksgiving holiday! Please practice this at home with your child.

Words of the Week:

This week we studied: often, such, best

Next week's words that we'll be adding in are: think, family, never

You'll see a blue half sheet with these 6 words to practice in Monday's Homework Folder.

Picture Retake Day:
Picture retakes will be on Wednesday, November 3 in the morning. If students would like a retake, they must bring back their original packet for a trade in. Please email me if you are planning on retakes so I can follow-up with your child--not everyone remembers to empty their backpacks. :)

DISCOVER HC:
Parents: Would you please share with anyone who may be interested in preschool or kindergarten for the 22-23 school year that we are having events for prospective parents in November? Details are included below. Thank you for helping us get the word out! If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Van Oostenbrugge at kvanoostenbrugge@hollandchristian.org or check out our school website with more info here: http://www.hollandchristian.org/november-discovery-events/

South Side Discovery Night - Thursday, November 11, 6 PM
Come explore, for an hour with your child, as you discover more about Holland Christian's preschool and kindergarten programs for the 22-23 school year! An RSVP is required. Please call 616.820.2805 or email admissions@hollandchistian.org. No child care available.

BOOK FAIR:

Winter is Coming! Get ready to hunker down with a pile of good books! Parent Board will be hosting a Book Fair the week of November 15. Families of SS and PR are welcome to shop Wednesday and Thursday, November 17/18 from 3:00-4:15. Proceeds will help keep our classroom libraries stocked!

Interested in volunteering for the Book Fair? Please sign up here! We appreciate your help and support!

POINSETTIA FUNDRAISER:

Due to a variety of reasons, we are foregoing the poinsettia fundraiser this year. We are so grateful for the support you’ve given us through this fundraiser in the past.

LITTLE MAROONS:

Little Maroons winter basketball is an opportunity for kindergarteners through sixth graders to develop in both skill and game play in a fun environment. Please find additional information and registration at the following link: www.hollandchristian.org/littlemaroons

Important Dates:
Nov. 1: Purple reading slip due, Math Homework due

Nov. 3: Picture Retake Day

Nov. 5: Library Books due
Nov. 8: Purple reading slip due, Math Homework due

Nov. 10: Our class Chapel

Nov. 11: South Side Discovery Night for prospective families
Nov. 24, 25 & 26: No School: Thanksgiving Break

Friday, October 15, 2021

Lord's Prayer

We have been studying the Lord's Prayer in Bible class this week and it's been such a gift to be able to talk to the students about prayer and why we pray. We've also been learning about what the Lord's Prayer means and how Jesus teaches us to pray. What a blessing and comfort we have in these words from our Lord! We are all so thankful to be at a Christian School where our faith in Jesus grows deeper each day as we learn more about Him through His Word!

HOMEWORK FOLDERS:
Your child's new Reading slip and Math homework are coming home on Monday (Oct. 18) and they will be due Monday, Oct. 25.

- Bible: Psalm 23 was sent home last week. It is a beautiful psalm, keep practicing!

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find, until, last, high, easy, next, pretty, more idea, soon

Thanks for helping your child practice these words! Our spelling test will be on Wed. Oct. 20!

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Lottie was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love dance class especially contemporary and hip hop and like biking, making crafts and your favorite food is pizza, watermelon, and cherries! We love that you want to be an artist or a farmer when you grow up! Your favorite place is Florida . You are so special to God and to us, Lottie, and we loved getting to know more about you this week! No Jungle Explorer next week because of the short week.

Pumpkin Day:

On Oct. 29 the 2nd grade classes will be having their Pumpkin Day! We will do some fun learning activities with pumpkins and make a fall craft. We are looking forward to celebrating fall with this fun day in 2nd grade. We are looking for some parent volunteers to help with our groups. If you can make it work we would love to have you! Check out the sign up genius link to come and celebrate with us! Feel free to dress in fall colors like: red, orange, yellow, or brown!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48A4AB2BA4F58-pumpkin6

Lunch Helpers:

I have linked a sign up genius for our Wed. lunch coverage if you can help out. Teachers meet and work over the lunch time. If you can help please sign up using the link below.

Thanks for your help! It's so wonderful to have parents in the building again!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48A4AB2BA4F58-lunch2

Book Orders:

Just an FYI if you placed a book order for Scholastic last month they had such a huge surge of orders for the beginning of the year that they are still trying to get them all boxed and sent out. Hopefully they will be here soon.

Room Moms:

Our class is looking for 2-3 room moms to help throughout the year. It would be helping out 3-4 times during the year for things like the Christmas Party, Valentines Day and maybe some end of year things. If you would like to help out please email me and I will add you to my list. Thanks so much for being willing to help our class!

CONFERENCES:
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be the following days:
Monday, Oct. 18 from 4:00-8:00pm
Tuesday, Oct. 19 from 4:00-8:00pm

I am looking forward to meeting with you, and celebrating all your child has accomplished in 2nd grade so far, and discussing ways we can continue to challenge your child this year!

REPORT CARDS:
Report Cards are available today electronically. Please take time to look it over, and I'll be looking forward to chatting with you more about your child's progress on Monday or Tuesday at conferences. Please remember that the standards are end of the year goals, and your child has had a good first quarter in 2nd Grade! Look for an email that has directions on how to access your child's report card. If you do not have powerschool a note was sent home on how to set this up. Please let me know if you have any questions or call the office.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY:
School picture retakes will be on Wednesday, November 3 in the morning. If students would like a retake, they must bring back their original packet for a trade in. Please email me if you are planning on retakes so I can follow-up with your child--not everyone remembers to empty their backpacks. :)

IMPORTANT DATES:

Oct. 18: Math and Reading slips due,

Oct. 18-19: Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4pm-8pm

Oct. 20: 1st -15 sight words test

Oct. 21-22: CEA Convention (No School)

Oct. 29: Pumpkin Day

Nov. 3: Picture Retake day

Nov. 25-26: Thanksgiving break

Friday, October 8, 2021

What a beautiful week it's been again. It's amazing to witness the intricate changes in season that our Creative God has designed and puts on display each fall! As we study life cycles in science, we are reminded that despite what's going on in the world around us, God remains constant and He is with us! What a comfort that is!

HOMEWORK FOLDERS:
Your child's new Reading slip and Math homework are coming home on Monday (Oct. 11) and they will be due Monday, Oct. 18.
- Bible: Psalm 23 was sent home this week. It is a beautiful psalm, enjoy learning and reviewing it all together!

WORDS OF THE WEEK:
Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find, until, last, high, easy, next, pretty
This coming week's new words are: more, idea, soon
There is a blue half sheet in today's Friday folder so you can keep it on the fridge and continue to practice reading and writing these words. This coming week we are finishing up our first set of 15 words, so we will have our Spelling Test on Wednesday Oct. 20!

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Josie was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love riding your Ripstick, playing basketball, softball, and soccer, and your favorite food is watermelon! We love that you want to be an artist when you grow up! Your favorite place is the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. You are so special to God and to us, Josie, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

CONFERENCES:
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be the following days:
Monday, Oct. 18 from 4:00-8:00pm
Tuesday, Oct. 19 from 4:00-8:00pm

The link to sign up for conferences will be available until Oct. 15. There are some days it will be locked as High School and Middle School conferences may be taking place. Please check back to the email you received to first sign up if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to meeting with you, and celebrating all your child has accomplished in 2nd grade so far, and discussing ways we can continue to challenge your child this year!

IMPORTANT DATES:

Oct. 11: Math and Reading slips due,

Oct. 15: Report Cards go home, Library books due

Oct. 18-19: Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4pm-8pm

Oct. 20: 1st -15 sight words test

Oct. 21-22: CEA Convention (No School)

Oct. 29: Pumpkin Day-more info. to come later

Nov. 3: Picture Retake day

Friday, October 1, 2021

Fall

Chapel outside- all about Sukkot! Thank you
Mrs. Engbers Class!

Devotions and personal prayer time
in the Sukkahs.

Fall is in the air! We are starting to see glimpses of God's power in the slight color change on the leaves! What an awesome God we serve! The students are learning each day in Bible to trust our all-powerful God. We are in awe of God's faithfulness to His people despite their unfaithfulness to Him. What a beautiful reminder that our God who changes the seasons also holds each of us gently in His hands.

HOMEWORK:

Your child's reading slip and math homework page are due Monday the 4th. Please return them in your child's Friday Folder, along with the homework folder.

Monday (Oct. 4th) your child will come home with their homework folder again.

Inside will be...

- A Math worksheet that will be due on Monday, Oct. 11. Please remember to time your child on each half of the page and write their time in the side column.

- A Reading Minutes sheet that will be due on Monday, Oct. 11. Remember the goal is 100 minutes. This can be your child reading on his/her own OR you and your child taking turns.

-New Bible memory-A copy of Psalm 23 to keep at home.

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find, until, last, high. Look for the blue half sheet in your child's Friday Folder.

This coming week's new words are: easy, next, pretty

BIBLE MEMORY:

We are starting to learn Psalm 23. A copy to keep at home will be sent home in the homework folder on Monday. Please continue to practice this at home. Our goal is to have this completely memorized by the end of the month.

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Oliver was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love pickleball, playing goalie with your family, and your favorite food is pizza! We love that you want to be an artist when you grow up! Your favorite place is Heaven. You are so special to God and to us, Oliver, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

Field Trip to Sassafras Ridge:

On Oct. 8 both 2nd grade classes will be going to Sassafras Ridge for outdoor learning. We look forward to using what we have learned about plants to see God's beautiful creation and see how plants can change this time of year. Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing for the day. We will be at Sassafras in the afternoon.