Merry Christmas on January 6

The ice came on Friday the 20th and prevented our final Christmas celebrations from happening. I want to reassure everyone, especially our wonderful students, that they will have it on Monday, January 6, 2014. So plan on the classroom party occurring at the same time (2:30-3:30) but on Monday when you return from break.

Skating Party

On Tuesday, December 17, Bauer Parent Club is sponsoring a Holiday Skating Party at Tarry Hall Roller Rink, in Grandville from 6:30-8:30.  Admission is $4.00.  Roller skate rental is free.  Roller blade rental is $2.00.  Students are encouraged to wear Red or Green as well as a "Skating Party" sticker to win prizes that evening.  Stickers will be distributed the day of the event by classroom teachers.  Hope you can make it!

Newsletter: December 13

Here is the newsletter for the week!

Newsletter

Also, today you will find a letter to Santa that your child filled out.  All the letters are fun to read, but if you are still looking for a few ideas you may want to check out your child's list.  They wrote one thing they wanted, one thing they needed, one thing they will wear, and one thing they will read.

Here are a few pictures from the program last night.  They were so great!

Nicely done!!!

Weekly Reminders

Thursday: Christmas Program. 7pm. Doors open at 6:30. Please drop your child off to their designated area (Family Life Center) at 6:45. 

Friday: Pajama Day! It will be a great day to come cozy to school. Pj's and slippers only. Please no blankets, pillows or stuffed animals. 

Marco's Pizza Night

During the busy holiday season, take the night off from cooking and order PIZZA from Marco's.  Wednesday, December 11 is the last Marco's Pizza night of the year.  Just mention Bauer and your teacher's name when ordering.  A portion of the proceeds will go to Bauer and the class with the most orders will win a FREE PIZZA PARTY!!  Thank you for support - Enjoy!

December 6: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week.

Newsletter

Have a great weekend!

HO! HO! HO!

On Friday we will be going to the Secret Santa Shop!  Our class will be shopping from 10:00-10:30.  If you are interested in having your child pick out a few Christmas presents, please have their money sent to school by Friday morning.

Thanks!

It is really beginning to feel like Christmas around here!!!

A few fun things...

I couldn't wait until next week to tell you that our class won the most hallway tokens this month for their great hallway manners!  They chose to have a Pajama Day as our reward.  I will schedule that day sometime in December.  Here is the picture after our victory.  We get to keep the trophy in our room all month!

Also, yesterday the students wrote letters from the perspective of a turkey.  They were trying to convince me, the farmer, to spare them from becoming Thanksgiving dinner.  We had a lot of fun decorating turkeys and sharing our letters.  I was very impressed with their creativity!  Later in the day, I received a couple pictures of my parents back yard.  I thought the students would get a kick out of them.  My parents live in the woods.  I guess the turkeys are trying to find someplace to hide! :)  There were 42 total turkeys!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am very thankful for this great group of 2nd graders!  They make me smile every single day.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

I am THANKFUL for you!

Click on the link above to read a special note of thanksgiving.

Scholastic Book Order

Today I have home a Scholastic book order.  There are many great books that could make great Christmas presents!  Here are some of my favorites:
*Geronimo Stilton
*Amelia Bedelia
*Pinkalious
*Cam Jansen
*Flat Stanley
*And many informational books about animals, snow, and other great topics!

If you are interested in ordering, please return your order and payment (checks made out to Scholastic) to school by Friday, December 6.  You can also place your order online using the code HM67V.

Happy shopping!  Please let me know if the books you order are gifts that you don't want your 2nd grader to see.

November 22: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week.

Newsletter

Also, we are down to our last few boxes of kleenex.  If you would be willing to send in a box or two, we would greatly appreciate it.  We may start going through them more quickly during this season of colds!  Thank you!

November 15: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week.

Newsletter

And a picture from our day!

So very FANCY!!!

Fancy Day

Tomorrow is FANCY DAY!  Have your child come to school in their fanciest clothes.  I am excited to see them all dressed up.

Random Midweek Reminders

1.  Remember that tomorrow night (November 13th) is Marco's Pizza Night!  Once again the class with the most pizza orders from that evening will win a PIZZA PARTY!  This is also a great fundraiser for the school.  And did I mention great pizza?

2.  Also, keep sending in those donation for our food drive!  I hope to fill our bucket this week so the students can bring our donations down to the gym to add them to the collection.  The gym is filling up!

3.  I am sure you heard that our class t-shirts arrived!  Don't they look great!  We are excited to wear them all on the same day sometime soon.

  

November 8: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week!  I hope you have a great weekend!!!

Newsletter

October 31: Newsletter

I hope you had a great night trick or treating!  Even though it was raining, I am sure your child was able to get a LOT of candy.

Here is the newsletter for the week!

Newsletter

I look forward to seeing you next week at our Parent Teacher Conference!

Students played a skeleton relay game!

They created a very unique pumpkin.

They had fun making adorable spiders.

They all loved the delicious snack!

What a fun party!!!

Halloween Reminders

I just wanted to give you our Halloween schedule one last time.  Students are to bring their costumes to school tomorrow.   I will have students change into their costumes starting at 1:50.  The school parade will begin at 2:15.  Our classroom party will be immediately following and will end at 3:30.  We are looking forward to a fun day tomorrow!

Newsletter: October 25

Here is the newsletter for the week.

Newsletter

I also wanted to remind you that our BOOK FAIR is next week!  Our class will preview the books on Monday at 10:30.  I will have your child write 3-4 books down on a wish list and send it home that evening.  We will then return to the book fair on Wednesday at 10:30 to purchase books.  If you are interested in your child buying books from the Book Fair please have the money sent to school on Wednesday.  Don't forget to include 6% sales tax to all book prices.  A portion of the proceeds goes back to Bauer to benefit our students.  Plus, it is fun to get new books!!!

Parent Teacher Conferences

I am sending home a paper with your date and time for parent teacher conferences tonight.  Since there is not a Friday Folder today, I wanted you to be aware it is coming home.  Please sign and return it as soon as possible!  Thanks so much!  I am looking forward to sharing your child’s progress with you soon!  Have a great day! 

Picture Retakes

If you were hoping to have your child get new school pictures, our Picture Retake Day is Wednesday, October 23.  Please make sure to bring back their original picture packet to get their picture retaken.  Thanks!

October 18: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week.

Newsletter

Also, if you have not turned in your child's t-shirt money, please do so by Friday, October 25.  Thanks!

Mark your calendars....Bauer is having a Book Fair the week of October 28.  This is a great opportunity to get new books for your 2nd grader.  You could even begin to shop for Christmas!  I know that is REALLY thinking ahead, but it will be here in no time!  Also, we will be having a classroom book exchange for the students at Christmas time.  We are hoping that all students will have a $3-5 book to exchange in class.  The Book Fair would be a great place to find a book for the book exchange.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Reminders!

We have another busy Friday ahead!

Tomorrow is Sports Day!  Students can wear clothes supporting their favorite team.  I have a feeling that I may see quite a bit of blue and orange tomorrow...Go Tigers!

Also, tomorrow is our first popcorn day.  YUM!

Last, we also have our first math assessment tomorrow.  This assessment will cover Unit 1.  Please see the completed practice test that was sent home today.  The assessment tomorrow will look very similar to this one.

From the Art Room...

• All students have completed their original drawings, for the fundraising project, Square 1 
• Order packets will be sent home by October 29th.  
• Then online or paper orders will be due by November 13th. 
• Below are a few awesome examples!
• Please contact the office or contact our art teacher cnienho@hpseagles.net if you have any questions.

October 11: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week!  

Newsletter

Also, I have put a “secret letter” in your child’s Friday Folder.  This letter has some important information in it.  Please do not let your child read it!!  You will see why!  So fun!!!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy this beautiful sunshine!!!

Spirit Day!

Tomorrow is a spirit day to go along with Hudsonville's homecoming week!  Tomorrow is Maize and Blue day!  We will have a fun assembly in the morning to help show our school spirit!  The HEF Fundraiser is also tomorrow night.  Our very own Mr. Lloyd, Mrs. Oldebekking, and Mr. Mac will be in the dunk tank!  It will be a fun day!

Go Eagles!!!

Marco's Pizza Night

Tomorrow night, October 9, will be our first Marco’s Pizza Night!!  The class with the most pizza orders will win a pizza party and Bauer will receive 15% of the sales!  You can find more details in the Bauer Bits.  

Thanks for supporting our school!

October 4: Newsletter

Here is the newsletter for the week.  There is a lot of information about activities you can do at home with your child to support our learning.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Newsletter

Junior Achievement in 2nd Grade

Our class is taking part in something called Junior Achievement this year.  We will have people from local businesses come to talk with our class and complete fun activities.  It will focus on our local community which ties right in to our Social Studies curriculum.  If you are interested in participating and are a part of a local business, please let me know!  Here are the details from the Junior Achievement representative:

Interested parents should know that it’s 5 sessions, each about 30-40 minutes long. The schedule is set up by you the teacher and them, and that you’ll be in the class the entirety of their stay.  I would meet with them and train them personally and have them prepared for the class.

There is no pressure as Junior Achievement will also contact local people for us.  Just thought I’d make you aware of the opportunity!  Thanks so much!  Have a great day!

What a week!

I just wanted to let you know that this week will not be a normal week in the classroom.  I will let the kids know about this tomorrow in class.  I will not be at school on Wednesday and Thursday this week.  My husband's grandma passed away this morning.  The visitation and funeral are on Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago.  I really don't like being out of the classroom, especially this early in the year.  However, I have found a GREAT sub and I know the 2nd graders will do their personal best!  I will check my email as much as I can when I am away.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do.

I will be excited to see their smiling faces again on Friday!

September 27: Newsletter

Here is our newsletter for the week.  Have a great weekend!  I hope you can spend lots of your time outside in this sunshine!!!

Newsletter

Walk-A-Thon

Tomorrow is our Walk-A-Thon!  We will be walking from 11:00-11:45.  Don't forget to turn in those pledge envelopes.  Please make sure your child has comfortable shoes for walking/running outside on the track.  We are going to have a great Friday!

Also, tomorrow is Maize and Blue Day!
Go Eagles!

Library Books and Reading Levels

Reading Testing – I have completed our Fall reading testing.  Your children are great readers!  A few of you have asked me what level your child is starting second grade at.  I am planning to send this home in your child’s Friday Folder this Friday!  Also, if you find your child’s level has dropped since last spring in First Grade, don’t stress!  We do have a new kit for our reading testing that aligns with the new Common Core Standards.  That means it is a little harder than in the past.  I just wanted you to know ahead of time!

Also, this week your child will begin picking library books at their “Just Right” level.  They will have a bookmark which helps them pick good fit books in the library.  If your child brings home books that are way too easy or too hard, please let me know!  I want to make sure they are reading and picking good books for them!

September 20: Newsletter

Next Friday, September 27 is our Walk-A-Thon.  Please have your child wear maize and blue that day! We will be walking from 11:00-11:45.  

Also-I have posted a picture of our Social Contract.  I am so proud of them for doing such a great job! They have earned a LOT of Dojo points this week for their great behavior.  Don't forget to check out our child's report!

Our Library day this year will be on Tuesdays.  Please make sure your child returns their library books by Tuesday every week!

This week we had a guest speaker in our classroom.  She taught us about what a real emergency is and how to call 911.  We even had two 2nd Graders that got to practice!  She sent me this information in case you are interested.  It is an Open House at the fire station for families to go to.  She will be there and has a special prize for all of our students that attend the event.

It is on Thursday, October 3 @ the Georgetown Fire Dept. – Station 1 (located at 14^th/44^th) from 6-8pm.  It is a family friendly event focused on fire prevention education.  They usually have an ambulance and the police there also.

If any of your students find me at the 911 booth and tell me that I visited their classroom, I will give them something small that won’t be available to the other attendees.  I will have the practice phones set-up also.  I hope to see many of them there!”

One last thing...this week we focused on learning our double facts in math.  To help with this process we learned a doubles rap.  I have included our rap so you have practice at home.  Please make sure your child shows you the motions too.  It is so fun!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Newsletter

Doubles Rap

Picture Day!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is picture day!  If you are purchasing any pictures, please make sure to send in your child's money in the provided envelope tomorrow morning.  Thanks and have a great day!

I mentioned in our newsletter that we had a "Book Tasting" and played musical chairs to view many different types of books in our library.  Here are a few pictures of our fun!

September 13: Newsletter

We had a great 2nd week of school!  It was definitely HOT at the beginning of the week, but we made it through.  Here is the newsletter for the week.  I hope you have a great weekend!

Newsletter

September 6: Newsletter

Today you will find your child’s Friday Folder coming home!  There is A LOT of important information in there!  Please make sure you read through everything when you get the chance.  In the middle of the folder you will find a paper that says “Friday Folder Communicator”.  Every Friday we need you to date and sign this paper.  Feel free to write any comments or questions as well.  Then return your child’s Friday Folder in their backpack on Monday!

This will be a great way for us to communicate as we are not using agendas anymore.  Also, I have posted our weekly newsletter.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

Newsletter

We had a GREAT first day of 2nd Grade!  Today the students took a "quiz" all about their teacher.  They learned a few new things about me and my family.  Here are the answers:

True Statements:
I have 2 daughters named Karson and Braylon.
My favorite color is yellow.
My husband's name is Brad.
I am a fan of the Chicago Cubs.
I have 1 brother and 13 sister in-laws or brother in-laws.
I LOVE cereal!
My favorite store is Target.
My favorite place to visit is the the beach.
Both of my daughters were born in May.
I have green eyes.
I LOVE to play games.

False Statements:
My dad is a principal.  (He use to be and is now retired.)
I have a dog named Pluto.  (No pets in our house.)
I know how to speak Spanish.  (I am learning with my daughter that is in a Spanish Immersion Program).
I have been teaching 2nd grade for 8 years.  (It is hard to believe that this is my 13th year!)

School Supplies

I hope you are having a great summer!  School will be starting before you know it, so enjoy what’s left of your summer break!  I know I am excited for school to start.  I hope you are as well.  I will be posting lots of very fun things here each week.  This is your place for newsletters, pictures, reminders, and the day to day happenings in our classroom.

On the top right side of our home page is a place where you can subscribe to our blog.  This will give you an email when I update or post something.  All you need to do is enter your email address.

Feel free to look around the blog to learn more about me and second grade.  I can’t wait to meet all of you!  Our open house is August 28 at 6:30 pm.  I hope you all can make it!

I have spent a lot of time back to school shopping.  I thought I’d include a list of supplies you will need so you can start hitting up the back to school sales too.

Recommended items:

1. Backpack

2. A pair of earbuds in a bag labeled with your child’s name

3. Gym Shoes

4. Pencil Box

Things we would LOVE for you to donate!

1. Pencils, Pencils, Pencils (sharpened is wonderful!)

2. Clorox Wipes

3. Ziploc Baggies (large and small)

4. Plastic Spoons

5. Kleenex

6. Wrapped Candy

7. Stickers

8. Glue Sticks

9. Indoor Recess Games

*There will be a "giving tree" at open house with other needed items!

That’s it!  Happy shopping!

Welcome to 2nd Grade!

Hello Second Graders (and Families)!

I hope you are having a wonderful summer!  Welcome to our class blog.  This blog will be updated with all the wonderful things going on in our classroom throughout the school year.  Be sure to visit often!  Stay tuned for many updates here as the summer progresses and we get closer to Open House and our first day together. I can't wait to meet you!