Merry Christmas!

Critter Barn

Merry Christmas 2nd Grade Families! What an amazing week we've had together! We enjoyed the Live Nativity at the Critter Barn, we had a great chapel on advent and we learned about the JOY we have in JESUS, we put together snack packs for Hand2Hand and it was a blessing to deliver our snack packs to Hand2Hand and see how they bless others!  We also had lots of laughter and fun at our class Christmas Party! Thank you Laura Bindon for planning and putting together everything needed for a FUN class Christmas party! The boys and girls are so excited to tell you all about it!

 Homework:
 *There is no homework over Christmas   Break. Cozy up with some good books, and   just enjoy the time off! 

 Activity Booklet: 
 There is an activity booklet called the "The   Case of the Missing Elf" in today's Friday   Folder in case you hear the words "I'm   bored..." over break. :) Use it for travel or   for some days when you need something   quiet to do!

Words of the Week:
Thanks for helping your child practice these words at home: does, friend, enough, should, you're, through
We'll add our new three words when we return with: ready, might, suddenly 

I'll send the half sheet home the Monday we return to school so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle of Christmas. 

Stocking Stuffers?
We've noticed several kids running low on markers, crayons and colored pencils, and pencils in the last few weeks. Maybe an idea to fill some stockings with school supples! :)

I pray that you will have a blessed time with your family this Christmas. Stay safe, and make lots of fun memories together! Take time to rest, be still, and celebrate the birth of our Savior! I have thoroughly enjoyed journeying through our Christmas devotions with your child as we have been waiting for the arrival of our Savior. 

Thank you for the ways you've blessed me in 2021--for your love, support, prayers, Christmas gifts, emails, and most of all for entrusting your 2nd grader under my care each day. It's been such a unique year, yet our God is so faithful! I look forward to what God has in store for us all in 2022!

See you NEXT YEAR!

Important Dates:
Jan. 3: Return to school
Jan. 7: Bring your Library Books
Jan. 17: No School-MLK Jr. Day

Jan. 18: Discover South Side Christian Night

Christmas is right around the corner. It has been a busy, big week with pocket day, having a writing celebration, and learning about how other countries around the world celebrate Christmas! We have still found time to remember the reason for the season...Jesus! What a blessing to have the hope and promise that we have received from our Lord and Savior! May you enjoy this time of year with your families, and find time to reflect and bask in the blessings from our Lord!

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD: 

This week we had fun learning how Christmas is celebrated in Israel, Italy, Australia, and Germany. Next week, our Social Studies lessons will continue to cover how the Christmas holiday is celebrated in more countries. It's a fun unit where we can compare and contrast our traditions with others, and learn more about other cultures. Be sure to ask your child about the fun and exciting things that they are learning about from all over the world! 

Jungle Explorer of the Week:

Gerrit 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 biking, volleyball, and Legos, your favorite place is the cottage, and your favorite foods are watermelon and homemade ice cream! We love that you want to be a soccer player when you grow up! You are so special to God and to us, Gerrit, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

HOMEWORK:

Next week we'll stick with the usual:

*Purple Reading Slip and Math homework will be due Monday. New pages will come home on Monday and be due Friday, December 17. No homework over Christmas break.

*Library books are due Friday, December 17.

BIBLE MEMORY: 

We have a long passage this month--the Christmas Story! We are practicing it daily at school, but please try to review it at home as well. This is such a great passage to reflect on this time of year! We have made it through verses 8-14 so far this week. 

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Our words from this set so far: does, friend, enough

Next week's words that we'll be adding in are: should, you’re, through.There is a blue half sheet in today's folder. Thank you for helping your child practice these words at home! 

Class CHRISTMAS Party:

Our class Christmas party will be the Friday before break. 

Please have your child bring in his/her "boy" or "girl" gift on Friday, December 17.

We ask that each boy come with one wrapped "To: A boy, From: _______" labeled gift, and each girl come with one wrapped "To: A girl, from _______" labeled gift. These will be used as a part of games and activities at the class Christmas party. Please limit the value of these gifts to $3 only. Even though you may be able to find a great deal on a higher priced item for only $3, it helps us avoid some difficulty if the value of each item is actually $3. It is not a requirement to participate in the gift exchange part of the party if you would rather not participate.

Parent Board Christmas Lunch:

On Tuesday, December 14 the Parent Board is blessing teachers with a special Christmas lunch. If you are able to provide coverage in our classroom and be our lunch helper from 11:40-12:10 would you please email me? Also, If you're willing to bundle up and cover recess duty, please sign up to reserve your spot! Thank you for your help in making this a special time for all of us at South Side!

 

Christmas Spirit Week: 

To get into the spirit of Christmas, we are going to have some fun, themed days our last week of school before Christmas Break, December 13-17. Here's what we (along with Pine Ridge) have planned: 

12/13   Monday: Christmas Socks

12/14   Tuesday: Christmas Sweater

12/15   Wednesday: Christmas Headgear (antlers, hats)

12/16   Thursday: Red/Green Day

12/17   Friday: Christmas PJs

 

Christmas Service Project: 

With Christmas approaching, we are excited to take part in a school wide giving project! We are partnering with Hand2Hand Ministries to put together Snack Packs. Our class is in charge of bringing in applesauce (pouches preferred).  We will be collecting these items on tables in the hallway by the gym from December 6-14, and we will hold our packing day on Wednesday, December 15.

Important Dates:

Dec. 13: Purple Reading slip due, Math Homework due

Dec. :6-14 Bring in applesauce pouches for Hand2Hand

Dec. 16: 2nd grade to the Hand 2 Hand Ministry site to drop off donations

Dec. 17: Class Christmas party, Library books due, Math and Reading Homework due

Dec. 20 - Jan. 2: Christmas Break

 This week Mrs. Wyma taught the students about Advent. She talked about the great hope, joy, love, and peace we have that comes along with Christmas. It isn't about "hoping" for certain gifts and presents, but the promise of a Savior. Our God always keeps His promises, and He is faithful! What a comfort that is! Let's take time to slow down, and to reflect on God's goodness and faithfulness. We also started to work through our "Ann Voskamp Devotional titled the Greatest Gift" each day and we are gaining a deeper understanding of what Christmas is all about...JESUS!

HOMEWORK:

Next week we'll stick with the usual:

*Purple Reading Slip and Math homework will be due Monday. New pages will come home on Monday and be due Monday, December 13.

*Library books are due Friday, December 10.

BIBLE MEMORY: 

We have a long passage this month--the Christmas Story! We are practicing it daily at school, but please try to review it at home as well. This is such a great passage to reflect on this time of year! We have made it through verses 6-8 so far this week. 

Jungle Explorer of the Week:

Samantha 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 biking, playing video games, and snuggles with Ona your bird, your favorite place is Oahu, and your favorite food is steak! We love that you want to be a service dog trainer when you grow up! You are so special to God and to us,
Samantha, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Thanks for helping your child practice these words at home!

We'll start our new batch next week with: does, friend, enough

There is a blue half sheet coming home in your child's Homework folder so you can remember to practice these words at home too. 

CHRISTMAS Party:

Our class Christmas party will be the Friday before break. 

Please have your child bring in his/her "boy" or "girl" gift on Friday, December 17.

We ask that each boy come with one wrapped "To: A boy, From: _______" labeled gift, and each girl come with one wrapped "To: A girl, from _______" labeled gift. These will be used as a part of games and activities at the class Christmas party. Please limit the value of these gifts to $3 only. Even though you may be able to find a great deal on a higher priced item for only $3, it helps us avoid some difficulty if the value of each item is actually $3. It is not a requirement to participate in the gift exchange part of the party if you would rather not participate.

Parent Board Christmas Lunch

On Tuesday, December 14 the Parent Board is blessing teachers with a special Christmas lunch. If you are able to provide coverage in our classroom and be our lunch helper from 11:40-12:10 would you please email me? Also, If you're willing to bundle up and cover recess duty, please sign up to reserve your spot! Thank you for your help in making this a special time for all of us at South Side!

 

Christmas Spirit Week: 

To get into the spirit of Christmas, we are going to have some fun, themed days our last week of school before Christmas Break, December 13-17. Here's what we (along with Pine Ridge) have planned: 

12/13   Monday: Christmas Socks

12/14   Tuesday: Christmas Sweater

12/15   Wednesday: Christmas Headgear (antlers, hats)

12/16   Thursday: Red/Green Day

12/17   Friday: Christmas PJs

 

Christmas Service Project: 

With Christmas approaching, we are excited to take part in a school wide giving project! We are partnering with Hand2Hand Ministries to put together Snack Packs. Our class is in charge of bringing in applesauce (pouches preferred).  We will be collecting these items on tables in the hallway by the gym from December 6-14, and we will hold our packing day on Wednesday, December 15. See the green paper in today's Take Home Folder for more information. 

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD: 

Over the next two weeks, our Social Studies lessons will be covering how the Christmas holiday is celebrated in other countries. It's a fun unit where we can compare and contrast our traditions with others, and learn more about other cultures. Be sure to ask your child about the fun and exciting things that they are learning about from all over the world!

Important Dates:

Dec. 6: Purple Reading slip due, Math Homework due 

Dec. 10: Library books due

Dec. 13: Purple Reading slip due, Math Homework due

Dec. 17: Class Christmas party

Dec. 20 - Jan. 2: Christmas Break