Miss Rempfer's Page

2010-05-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! This is my last official newsletter. We had a crazy week, but we are wrapping some things up. Take note of the following:

Thank you to all of you that showed up for the spring musical. The kids sounded great. Mrs. Bell did a fantastic job preparing them. It is wonderful to hear the kids sing praises to God!!

Field day is tomorrow Friday, May 14th. Remember you do not have to report to school. You can go straight to field day. As soon as your child’s events are completed you are free to go if you would like. Remember this does count as a school day. I will be working the ball throw so please try to stop in so I can mark attendance. Have a great day!!

On Saturday, May 15th we are celebrating Mr. Mumby’s retirement. The dinner is being catered, but we are asking that you bring a dessert to share. It starts at 6:30 PM. We would love to see you there!!

Don’t forget to work on the reading project. It is your last weekend!! Please follow the directions very carefully. Remember it is due on Monday, May 17th. Points will be deducted if the project is turned in late. I can’t wait to see what the kids are reading!!!

Our field trip is Monday, May 17th. I sent a note home on Monday explaining everything. We will leave at 8:45 AM. If you are driving/chaperoning please meet in the library at 8:30 AM. We will be eating our snack right away in the morning. Please send something that will substantial as we will be eating a late lunch. Your child will bring a sack lunch, but we will not eat it until we get back to school around 12:30. We will continue with the school day after that. If you wish to take your child home with you immediately following the trip Mrs. Lillard will mark a ½ or ¼ day absence for your child.

This coming week is the last week of school!! There is no memory or spelling unit!
We earned another marble party just in time. We will be having our last marble party next Wednesday, May 19th.

Eighth grade graduation is Thursday, May 20th at 7:00 PM.

Most of your child’s things will be sent home next Thursday. Take a look through some of the workbooks. There are some review units in spelling and some review pages in reading that could be done over the summer for extra practice. It’s good to keep things fresh in your child’s mind! I will also be sending a packet of things home for over the summer. It is not mandatory for them to be done, but just some ideas for things to do over the summer!
Friday, May 21st is the last day of school and we will be getting out at 11:30 AM. We will not be having the school wide pizza party this year. Enjoy the summer!!

Here’s what we have been up to this week.

Religion: This week we continued to talk about Paul. I introduced the words conspiracy and ambush. Sounds like Paul was in some trouble again!! In our Bible story we learned how God blessed Paul when he was in jail. God used Paul’s nephew, a Roman Centurion, and a Commanding Officer to keep Paul safe. Even after all this, Paul was still in jail, but in another city. Actually, Paul spent practically the rest of his life in jail. But Paul trusted in the Lord and God blessed Paul and his work. Visitors were allowed to visit Paul and he used that time to share the love of Christ. In addition, during those times in jail, Paul wrote many letters to his Christian friends. Many of those letters we still read today.

Math: In math this week, we practiced dividing a set of objects into equal groups. I used this time to show the kids that division is simply the opposite of multiplication. Many of them caught on, but keep practicing at home. We practiced recording information on a graph and we took our final fact test and written assessment. We are finished with the math curriculum so next week we will review with some games.

Reading: In reading this week we went over the following high frequency words: ago, earth, slowly, those, shall, and different. We identified adjectives and adverbs in the story. Finally, we reviewed those –ed and –ing endings.

Science/SS: In science this week we took our quiz over the food guide pyramid. Because of musical practice, we did not get to social studies. We have been talking about the marketplace and hope to finish up next week.

Language Arts: This week we worked really hard on our fictional stories. I asked the kids to focus on making sure they had a beginning, middle, and end. In addition, we worked on using adjectives. They will be sent home next week!

Spelling/Phonics: We have finished our spelling book. This summer please have your children review the words by doing the review units. In phonics, we continued to work on prefixes. In addition, we have been reviewing synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms.

Remember to find the joys in each day!! First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” God’s blessings on your upcoming week!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

2010-05-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade! Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!!! You are all very special and although they don’t always show it, the kids love you very much and have wonderful things to say about you. We thank God for giving us supportive, loving, and caring moms. You are all blessings!! Enjoy your day! Please take note of the following reminders.

On Monday, May 10th your child will have a quiz over the food guide pyramid. They will need to know where each group is located, the number of recommended servings, and an example from each group. If your child has not handed in his/her food log it is also due on Monday, May 10th.
The spring musical will be on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. This is a part of your child’s music grade. If your child cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. We look forward to seeing you there! Your child will need to wear dark pants and a white shirt. Please bring them to the classroom at 6:45 p.m. so that we can line up. Thanks!

Please be sure your child turns in all library books and movies (fines too) by Thursday, May 13th. Many of them are stamped for the 14th, but since we will all be at field day it would be better to play it safe and get them in early. We will not be checking things out for the remainder of the year.

Field Day is Friday, May 14th. The students do not report to school that day. Each child has chosen three events and will perform these events at Denver Lutheran High School. We have been practicing these events. I just want you all to know that this does count as a school day and if your child does not participate they will be counted absent. In addition, you are responsible for getting your child to and from field day and they are under your supervision during that day. I will be working at a “Ball Throw” station. I am asking that your child check in with me sometime during the day.

Your child’s reading project is due Monday, May 17th. Hopefully you have gotten a start on it! I am looking forward to hearing about what your child is reading!

Our field trip to the capitol building is also Monday, May 17th. Permissions slips were supposed to be in today. Next, week you will receive driving arrangements and any other information. Remember we will be asking for a few dollars to go toward parking. Thanks!

Here’s what we have been up to this week!!

Religion: This week we continued to talk about Paul. Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, simply for being Christians. You could say they were having a pretty bad day. An earthquake shook the prison doors open, giving them a chance to escape, but they didn’t. The jailer was afraid all the prisoners had escaped and that he would be punished, but when he turned on the lights all the prisoners were there. The jailer became a believer that day and he and his entire family were baptized. God turned a bad day into a joyful day. Knowing that Jesus is in our heart, we have reason to be overflowing with joy at all times. Paul continued to share that with a woman named Lydia and her friends. These ladies all believed in the true God, but they had not yet heard about Jesus. Paul told them what Jesus had done on the cross and how He arose on Easter. Lydia was so excited she not only wanted to be baptized, but she wanted her entire family to be baptized as well. She was ready to share the Good News!

Math: We started the week by taking our 100 problem, subtraction assessment and our 25th written assessment. We spent time this week discussing weight/mass. The kids also practiced doubling a number, which was basically a review. Because of musical practice and an extra field day practice there was no homework in the latter part of the week. By next Thursday we will have completed the 2nd grade math curriculum.

Reading: In reading this week, we read our last story entitled, “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.” We spent some time with vocabulary words and comprehension. In addition, we are trying to finish up some material that we have started reading in our reading groups.

Science/SS: In science this week each child planned a balanced meal and made a placemat of the meal. We also reviewed for the quiz on Monday, May 10th. Finally, we introduced the new food guide pyramid. In social studies, we practiced reading a flowchart. We also talked about supply and demand, only I tried using simpler terms. This was a tough concept for many of the kids.

Language Arts: In class this week, we reviewed antonyms. In addition, we began talking about story writing. Each story needs a beginning, middle, and end. We brainstormed ideas for the stories we will be writing.

Spelling/Phonics: In phonics, we worked with the prefixes un, re, and dis. We are finished with spelling and memory work for the remainder of the year. Please note that during the year we skipped the review units. This gives you an opportunity to have your child do these units over the summer for a review. It is good to keep it fresh in their minds.

God’s blessings in the week ahead!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

2010-04-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! I feel like we still have so much to do, but so little time!! The end of the year is busy, busy, busy. Please take note of the following events and reminders.

Congratulations to the following students for completing all six months of the Book-It program: Cavin, Trevor, Alexis, Victoria, Haven, Brekyn, and Hailey. I will be providing a pizza lunch for these students on Friday, May 7th. Everything will be included. They do not have to bring anything. Thanks for your hard work!! Way to go!!

In science we have been focusing on our health. We have talked about exercise, water, and a balanced diet. Attached to the newsletter is a take home assignment. Your child is to keep a food log for an entire day. They need to write down what they eat and mark what food group it belongs to. Please have them be specific as possible. This take-home assignment is due on Monday, May 10th. Please have them turn it in as soon as it is completed. We will also be having a quiz over the food guide pyramid. It is also attached to the newsletter. Given a blank food pyramid your child will have to label where each group is located, how many servings are recommended each day, and give an example of a food that belongs in that group. This quiz will be given on Monday, May 10th as well.

The spring musical will be on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. This is a part of your child’s music grade. If your child cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. We look forward to seeing you there!

Field Day is Friday, May 14th. The students do not report to school that day. Each child has chosen three events and will perform these events at Denver Lutheran High School. We have been practicing these events. I just want you all to know that this does count as a school day and if your child does not participate they will be counted absent. In addition, you are responsible for getting your child to and from field day and they are under your supervision during that day. Attached to the newsletter is more information for field day. If you have any questions please let me know.

Your child’s reading project is due Monday, May 17th. Remember they are to read a book that they have not already read and follow the guidelines that were given in the newsletter last week. Please do not wait for the last minute. If you need a shoebox, I have plenty!! Have fun!
Our field trip to the capitol building is also Monday, May 17th. Be looking for more information next week!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week in religion, we talked about Peter being in prison. Peter did not do anything wrong. He was simply in prison for being a Christian. He was not worried because he gave his problems to God. God answered Peters prayers and he did go free. We need to remember that we too were trapped in a prison, a prison of sin. There is nothing we can do to free ourselves, but Jesus was sent to save us. We also talked about Saul’s conversion. God chose Saul to do a special job. The funny thing is, Saul was the enemy. Saul threw people in jail if they believed in Jesus, but God changed his heart and used Saul as a messenger. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and told others the good news of Christ.

Math: In math this week we learned how to show change for a dollar. This can be a very hard concept. We simply started with dimes and quarters. We also began dividing by two. I told the kids if they know how to multiply by 2, then dividing by 2 shouldn’t be too hard. We discussed probability and did a little experiment. The kids really enjoyed that. Finally, we practiced finding the area of a rectangle and reviewed multiply by zero.

Reading: In reading this week we tested our comprehension on the story “Two of Everything.” We reviewed synonyms and we are trying to finish up the chapter books we have started in our reading groups. It is so amazing to see how far they have come in their reading skills over the year. Thanks for all the work you do at home!

Language Arts: Our letters have been sent. If we do not hear back from our pen pals before school is out. I will mail your child his/her letter once I receive them. This week we learned how to use quotation marks. In addition, we reviewed the parts of a book, such as the title, table of contents, etc.

Science/SS: In science this week, each child planned their own balanced meal. We also talked about the importance of drinking water, especially when we are active. Finally, we talked about the benefits of exercise. Remember, your child has to keep a food log for one entire day. This take-home assignment is due on Monday, May 10th. In social studies we reviewed chapter two, including the vocab words occupation, income, business, and free enterprise. In addition, we began chapter three explaining the process of how goods get from the factory to us.

Spelling/Phonics: Next, week is our final spelling unit. We will be reviewing more –ed and –ing words. In phonics, we worked with the dipthongs oi and oy. We also reviewed vowel pairs and digraphs. We closed the week with a phonics test.

God’s blessings on the week ahead! Remember, you are God’s messenger too. You never have to worry because God is taking care of you!!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: liked, hoping, baked, using, chased, making closed, hiding, named, riding, time, sleep
Challenge Words: teasing, decided

Extra List: bound, linger, outlined, event, dining, bright, fight, laying, speak, dances, sleepy, seats, bow, outfit
Challenge Words: television, flashlight
Extra Challenge Words: California, Europe, international, antibiotic, lasagna, intermediate, bologna, lieutenant, pneumonia, soldier

Memory Work: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:19-20

2010-04-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! I pray you all had a blessed week in the Lord!! Please take note of the following announcements.

Today marks the 4th quarter midterm. Midterm reports will be sent home on Wedensday, April 28th.

Tonight is “Night at the Museum.” It takes place at Zion. Tours begin at 6:00 p.m. We hope to see you there!!

On Friday, April 30th Alexis will be celebrating her birthday by bringing lunch for the class. She will be bringing pizza and brownies!! Your child can get a milk to go with lunch or you may send them with a drink of your choice. If they would like anything else to supplement the meal (like fruit or veggies) it is up to you to bring that. Thank you Alexis!!

The spring musical will be on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. This is a part of your child’s music grade. If your child cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. We look forward to seeing you there!

Field Day is Friday, May 14th. The students do not report to school that day. Each child will choose three events and will perform these events at Denver Lutheran High School. We have started to introduce and practice these events. More details will be sent home in the upcoming weeks. I just want you all to know that this does count as a school day and if your child does not participate they will be counted absent. In addition, you are responsible for getting your child to and from field day and they are under your supervision during that day.

Attached to the newsletter are guidelines for our story cube/book project. This is our last big project of the year. Please be sure to save this. The project is due on Monday, May 17th. Be sure that your child reads a book they have never read before by May 7th. That will give them plenty of time to complete the rest of the project. If you have any questions after reading the attached sheet just let me know. Thanks!

Our fieldtrip to the capitol building will be on Monday, May 17th. More information will be sent home in the next couple weeks.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we talked about Peter and the crippled man. We learned that everyday the man sat by the temple gate and begged for money. Only that day, Peter didn’t give him money. The man received something much better. Through the power of God, the man was given the ability to walk. He now had two strong legs. There were definitely amazing things to celebrate in the temple that day. It was amazing that the man could walk and run and jump for joy. And it was amazing that he and the people around him learned of Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the dead. It is also amazing that even though we are sinful people, we receive forgiveness, life, and salvation through Jesus. We also talked about a woman named Tabitha. Tabitha made clothing, which is hard work. When she was finished, Tabitha would give the clothing away to people who could not afford it. Tabitha became very sick and died. Peter came and prayed and then told Tabitha, “Get up!” That day God provided a miracle. Tabitha sat up and her friends rejoiced. Tabitha continued to help others and share the good news of Christ. We too can share the good news!

Math: This week we tested over our multiplication by 3’s and began practicing our multiplication by 4’s. We made flashcards for our 4’s facts. Please be practicing at home. We studied the following transformations: translations (slides), rotations (turns), and reflections (flips). This was a tricky concept for some. It was much easier when I used the simple terms, but the goal is to get them familiar with this terminology. Finally, we learned to location and graph points. The first number in the set of coordinates tells you how many spaces you go over and the second number tells you how many to move up. The kids thought this was kind of fun!

Reading: We briefly discussed figurative language this week. At first, I thought I had lost them, but I think they are catching on. If you are reading at home, please be sure to point out any figurative language so they have a better understanding. We talked about the importance of writing events in order. A story may not make sense or be interpreted correctly if the story is not written in order. Finally, we read the story “Two of Everything.” This is the last story in our reading curriculum.

Language Arts: In language arts this week we finished up our letters to our pen pals and we hope to hear from them again before summer. I encourage you to have your child continue to write their pen pals over the summer. In addition, we reviewed adverbs the rest of the week. I feel as though there is a lot of guessing going on, so we have had to review verbs as well.

Science and SS: In science this week we started a brief unit on health and nutrition. We began by talking about the food guide pyramid. I will introduce both the older model and the newer version of the pyramid. The kids are really enjoying it. We briefly touched on serving size as well. Finally, we talked about protein, fat, and carbohydrates. In social studies we talked about reading bar graphs. The kids were pretty familiar with this because we have seen it in math quite a bit! In addition, we studied “Lesson 2: Work and Income.” We studied the following vocabulary words: occupation, income, free enterprise, and wants.

Spelling and Phonics: This week our spelling unit covered words that end with –er. This week we also practiced putting our spelling words in alphabetical order. In phonics, we reviewed the ou, ow, oi, and oy, sounds.

God’s blessings on the upcoming week! Remember, we have been blessed in so many ways!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Unit: batted, running, clapped, stopped, getting, shopping, stepped, hugging, pinned, sitting, missed, telling, this, must
Challenge Words: jogging, flipped

Extra List: writer, smoking, wore, pounds, lovely, weekly, platform, talks, starts, posters, classes, gloves, rating, sank
Challenge Words: interesting, ocean
Extra Challenge Words: Massachusetts, Australia, personalized, education, individual, equipment, rhythm, transportation, muscles, immediately

Memory Work: The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who are in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
And the power and the glory
Forever and ever, Amen.

2010-04-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! We had a pretty routine week. Like I have stated before, this quarter I am really working on getting the kids ready for third grade. I am not giving as many reminders after giving directions. I am expecting them to reread directions and double check their work. Take note of the following:

Night at The Museum will take place on Friday, April 23rd. It goes from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This is a great night to see some of your child’s artwork and have some family fun. Many parts of the movie Night at the Museum will be portrayed live with parents, students, and teachers from Zion.

On Friday, April 23rd your child will need to bring a sack lunch. Many volunteers will be helping set up for Night at the Museum so hot lunch will not be served.

On Friday, April 30th Alexis will be celebrating her birthday by bringing lunch for the class. She will be bringing pizza and brownies!! Your child can get a milk to go with lunch or you may send them with a drink of your choice. If they would like anything else to supplement the meal (like fruit or veggies) it is up to you to bring that. Thank you Alexis!!

The spring musical will be on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. This is a part of your child’s music grade. If your child cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. We look forward to seeing you there!

Field Day is Friday, May 14th. The students do not report to school that day. Each child will choose three events and will perform these events at Denver Lutheran High School. We have started to introduce and practice these events. More details will be sent home in the upcoming weeks. I just want you all to know that this does count as a school day and if your child does not participate they will be counted absent. In addition, you are responsible for getting your child to and from field day and they are under your supervision during that day.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we talked about what heaven will be like. It will be perfect!! There will be no more crying, suffering, pain, or destruction, etc. in heaven. What an awesome future we have to look forward to!! We also talked about Pentecost. On Pentecost Day, God used the sound of a great wind to get the people’s attention. On this day God sent the Holy Spirit into the hearts of His disciples. This helped strengthen the disciples and give them courage to speak the Gospel. Little flames appeared on the heads of Jesus’ followers as a sign of what was happening in their hearts. These people were excited to tell about Jesus. The Holy Spirit also gave the disciples the ability to speak in different languages so that all people could hear and understand the message of salvation. Peter told the people to repent and be baptized. Through the work of the Holy Spirit about three thousand people came to faith that day!!

Math: In math this week we tested over our 2’s multiplication facts. We also began practicing our 3’s multiplication facts. These are usually much harder for the kids compared to 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. We learned how to make and label an array. In addition, we can now write number sentences for an array. Finally, we learned how to tell and show time to the quarter hour. We are using the terms “quarter past” and “quarter till.”

Reading: This week we discussed irregular verbs. We spent a lot of time in groups reading. We read a story entitled, “Bringing Rain to the Kapiti Plain.” Comprehension was tested and we reviewed the following high frequency words: wild, cloud, stood, happen, heavy, rain, and change. Book-It has ended but I encourage you to continue to give your child reading goals.

Science/SS: In science this week we answered the question “What are other changes to matter?” We discussed how food changes when it is cooked and how matter changes when it has burned. We did a class open book test on this unit, so there was no need to study at home. In social studies, we tested over unit 5. We are now beginning our last unit, Unit 6: The Marketplace. We differentiated between producers and consumers.

Language Arts: In class this week I introduced adverbs. This was a tricky concept for many students because it has multiple steps. First, we identify the verb, then ask the question (when, where, or how), and finally identify the adverb. We will be spending more time on this because it can be so confusing. We will be taking a short break from adverbs to write our penpals back. We FINALLY got their letters. The kids really enjoyed them. We are hoping to exchange addresses so that your child can continue to write their penpals over the summer.
Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we studied the vowel+r sound in store. This is another r-controlled vowel. In phonics, we are continuing to review the following vowel pairs: oo, ea, au, and aw.

God’s blessings on your weekend!! Remember, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we have the promise of a perfect future—heaven!!! We have so much to look forward to. I pray that each one of you is fired up to share the message of God’s grace and salvation with others!!

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: flower, water, under, over, better, sister, brother, mother, father, after, that, shop
Challenge Words: gather, center

Extra List: cleaning, number, bringing, hiding, everywhere, carrying, rights, blame, golf, flock, cord, oldest, bones, lock
ChallengeWords: firecrackers, bookkeeping
Extra Challenge Words: schedule, crucifixion, oxygen, ketchup, kindergarten, frequently, stationary, manufacturer, announcements, architecture

Memory Work: 2nd half of the New Testament—Extra credit points will be awarded if your child can say all of the New Testament books from Matthew to Revelation.
1st Timothy
2nd Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1st Peter
2nd Peter
1st John
2nd John
3rd John
Jude
Revelation

2010-04-09T15:08:00.001-07:00

Social Studies Study Guide
Unit 5: A World of Many People
Test: Tuesday, April 13th

Vocabulary – Matching

Invention: a new product that has not been made before
Scientist: a person who observes things and makes discoveries
Calendar: a chart that keeps track of time and special days
Tradition: something that is passed on from older family members to children
Diversity: many different ideas and ways of living
Immigrant: someone who comes form another place to live in a country
Culture: a group’s way of life

Multiple Choice

Not all of these questions will appear on the test. Some of them may be phrased differently as well. I just am trying to prepare the kids for more difficult tests in third grade.

Why do immigrants want to come to America?

What is a culture’s way of doing things?

What information do you find on a calendar?

Who was Thomas Edison? What did he do?

Name the person who shares Cuban culture with music?

What did George Washington Carver do?

What is Ieoh Ming Pei known for?

Short Answer

Given a calendar, the kids will be asked to answer 5 questions about the information shown.

Ex. What happens on January 27th?
What day of the week does the month begin on?
How many days are in this month?

2010-04-09T15:07:00.001-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! I prayed you all enjoyed spring break and the celebration of our risen Lord! We had a busy week preparing for chapel, but next week we should be back to our regular routine. I just wanted to thank the class for their hard work on our chapel service. They did a great job!! Here’s what is coming up:

Our unit 5 social studies test will be Tuesday, April 13th. The study guide was sent home on Tuesday, April 6th.

Night at The Museum will take place on Friday, April 23rd. It goes from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This is a great night to see some of your child’s artwork and have some family fun. Many parts of the movie Night at the Museum will be portrayed live with parents, students, and teachers from Zion.

The spring musical will be on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. This is a part of your child’s music grade. If your child cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. We look forward to seeing you there!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we talked about “The Great Commission” and Ascension Day. The Great Commission is the job Jesus gave His disciples and us to do. No one is too young, too old, too sick, too tired, too poor, too busy, too anything to do this job. Jesus told his disciples to go and spread the good news of Christ. We can tell others about Jesus’ love for them, His birth, death, and resurrection. Jesus uses us as His messengers too. We have a job to do!!! We also talked about Jesus’ ascension. After Easter, Jesus stayed on the earth for 40 days. He used this time to help His disciples and followers understand His death and resurrection. When the time came Jesus took the disciples to a hill and they watched as He ascended back up to His home in heaven. But, Jesus promised to give us the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we would not be able to do our job of sharing the Good news of Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to us through God’s word and the sacraments. With the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we live as people of God, sharing His message and showing His loving-kindness. Jesus will return someday return to take us to heaven.

Math: In math this week we practiced writing number sentences. In addition, we learned to identify intersecting and perpendicular lines. Finally, we worked on subtracting 3 digit numbers and money amounts. We are also continuing to work on our multiplication by 2’s.

Reading: In reading this week we talked about the suffixes –ful, -ly, -y, and –ness. We also practiced the following high frequency words: draw, also, between, eight, and seven. Even though Book-It has ended, please continue to encourage your child to read each day. I suggest that over the summer you set some goals for them as well.

Science/SS: In science this week we talked about how water can change. We reviewed the following vocabulary words: freeze, melt, water vapor, boiling, condensation, and evaporation. In social studies we reviewed for our Unit 5 test. Our test is on Tuesday, April 13th. The study guide was sent home this past Tuesday.

Language Arts: Before spring break we started a project in computer. The kids were each assigned a type of fish or sea creature. They took notes on this fish and this week we took their notes and formed five to seven sentences. They will type these sentences and make a slide show about their assigned fish. We also practiced writing book titles.

Phonics/Spelling: In phonics this week we worked with the vowel pair “ea.” We discussed how it can make more than one sound. In addition, we talked about the sound of “au” and “aw.” In spelling, we studied words with the vowel+r sound in car.

God’s blessings on your weekend!! Don’t forget about the job each of us was given to do—share the good news of Christ!!

In Our Risen Savior,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: store, corn, for, more, or, morning, short, born, story, horn, four, your, fish, game
Challenge Words: afford, before

Extra List: everyday, ranch, bigger, mailing, workers, wool, which, pleased, team, wage, twist, short, ripe, shoot
Challenge Words: departments, northwestern

Extra Challenge Words: jealousy, irregular, Tennessee, measurement, parallelogram, boundaries, technology, permanent, fluoride, dehydration

Memory Work: First half of the New Testament
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians

2010-03-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! I just wanted to thank those for taking time to have a conference with me. I enjoyed my time with you. Well, spring break is here! Enjoy the time off. Have a blessed Easter as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection!! Please take note of the following:

Spring break has begun. We will not return to school until Tuesday, April 6th.

Be sure to turn in your March Book-It calendars when you return from Easter break. I will need them all in by Friday, April 9th.

Your child will not have math homework over the break, but we WILL have a spelling unit and memory work for the week April 6th-9th. The lists are attached.

Remember our 2nd grade class is serving the Lord by presenting a chapel service on Wednesday, April 7th at 12:45 p.m. We have been practicing hard and we are looking forward to sharing God’s Word with you. (In case you were wondering…..we have not had math homework the past few days due to chapel practice. We will continue our regular math schedule on April 7th.)

Remember summer classes in reading and math are available here at Zion. These classes could give your child the boost they need or simply a review of material to keep concepts fresh in their minds over the summer. The program is 5 weeks long and 3 days a week (T, W, TH). If you are interested please let me know or you can contact Mrs. Grein.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week in religion we talked about Easter. We discussed the amazing story of Jesus’ resurrection and what that means for us. The Sunday after Jesus’ death on the cross, His friends went to the tomb. The women were bringing spices to place on Jesus’ body. But when they got tot eh tomb, Jesus was not there. He had risen! Jesus is alive! Because Jesus lives, we know death cannot have final power over us. Because Jesus lives, we will have our own resurrection day on the Last Day. Because Jesus lives, we will live eternally with Him in heaven. Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil all to secure our future with Him. What an amazing love He has for us!!

Math: In math this week, we tested over our multiplication 5’s facts. We also took a written test. Now we are shifting gears a bit and working on our 2’s multiplication facts. This is confusing a few kids. I thought the transition would be easier, but we will definitely need a lot of practice. Two’s multiplication facts are just like addition doubles facts and the kids had those down pretty good. Be sure to do a little practice over break! We have also been doing more work with some story problems.

Reading: In reading we started a new, non-fiction story entitled, “An Octopus is Amazing.” We worked on the following vocabulary words: clever, also, prey, ate, den, intelligence, eight, draw, seven, between, and beak. We tested over comprehension and worked on the concept of fact vs. opinion. Be sure to do some reading over break.

Science/SS: In science this week we talked about how matter can change (by cutting, slicing, breaking, tearing, and shaping). We also discussed how solids, liquids and gases can all be parts of mixtures. Some mixtures can be separated again and some cannot. In social studies we worked on a chart/graph skill. We practiced reading a calendar. I thought this would be simple for the kids, but again they must read the questions carefully. Many of them got mixed up, so it is a good thing we reviewed. We also read the lesson “Recognizing Americans.” We read of four different individuals and how they may have affected our lives or shared their culture.

Language Arts: In language arts, we practiced identifying adjectives that tell how many and adjectives that compare. In addition we talked about the articles “a” and “an.” We identified the correct way to use them.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we studied contractions. In phonics we covered more vowel pairs. We talked about words with ie, oe, oa, and oo. We will have spelling and memory work the week we return after spring break (April 6th-9th).

Have a blessed Easter as you celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and His power over sin, death, and the devil. God loved us so much He made the ultimate sacrifice. Now, one day we can live in heaven with Him.

In Our Risen Savior,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: car, start, arm, far, yard, part, barn, hard, party, farm, are, warm, cut, fast
Challenge Words: large, carpet

Extra List: outstanding, understand, whatever, hanging, teacher, windows, thanked, packing, forest, remind, beard, bunk, angry, living
Challenge Words: delightful, pasture
Extra Challenge Words: chocolate, miracles, developmental, multiplication, spaghetti, circumstances, righteousness, anxiety, salvation, continually

Memory Work: Second half of the Old Testament books of the Bible
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

2010-03-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade! I pray you all enjoyed Tuesday off. I hope you all enjoy the long weekend as well. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you for conferences. Please take note of the following:

If you haven’t yet, please sign and return your child’s report card envelope.

We are now in the fourth quarter. If your child does not remember to put his/her name on the paper they will have to write their name 100 times. My expectations for this quarter are high. By now the kids should be able to read and follow directions. I will not be giving many reminders. It is my job to prepare them for 3rd grade when they will need to be able to read and follow directions, and work more independently.

Don’t forget to mark April 7th on your calendars. Our class will be presenting our chapel message at 12:45 p.m. Be sure to keep their script and song in your child’s folder. We will spend a lot of time practicing next week. We are excited to share God’s Word with you.

Don’t forget to return your summer school form if you would like your child to participate in a reading or math class. It is a good review and refresher so that your child does not forget the information they have learned over the school year. Classes are 3 days a week for 5 weeks.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we talked about Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus was mocked. When the people heard that Jesus claimed to be a king they teased him by giving him a crown of thorns, a robe, and a scepter. They even placed a sign over his head on the cross reading, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. The Roman soldiers ridiculed and laughed at Jesus. Yes, they mocked him as King, but we praise Him as King. He did not have to suffer the way He did. He had the power to come down off that cross at any time. So, why didn’t He come down off the cross? Well, from childhood Jesus’ role on earth was recognized, but many people didn’t understand because they were looking for an earthly king. But, Jesus once said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus came to earth to fulfill God’s will. He never did anything wrong. He was holy. He was falsely accused, mocked, and tortured. He suffered through all this and died because He had to complete everything for our salvation. Jesus died on the day we now call Good Friday. It is not good because of everything He went through, but it is good because through his death we are saved. What an awesome sacrifice!!

Math: In math this week we continued to practice representing and writing mixed numbers. We also worked on creating and reading a bar graph with a scale of two. This did get a little confusing for some. Finally, we identified right (90 degree) angles. If you have extra time at home please review counting money and telling time. These are life long skills that we need to be confident in doing day to day.

Reading: In reading this week we reviewed the following high frequency words: cold, guess, later, leave, and often. We reviewed possessives and the vowel sound in cow. Remember to read at home as well. The best way to improve your child’s reading is to practice. Be sure if your child is reading aloud to you that you stop periodically and ask them questions to make sure they understand what they have read.

Science/SS: In science we continued to talk about matter, focusing on liquids and gases. We learned that liquids do not have their own shape. Rather, they take the shape of their container and gases fill the space. We learned that the measure of a liquid is its volume. Volume can be measured in milliliters and ounces. We did not get into social studies this week. After spring break you will be receiving a study guide for our next test.

Language Arts: In language arts this week we worked on alphabetical order. This proved to be quite difficult for some kids. It made me realize we need more practice. In addition we worked on identifying synonyms. Finally, we started a new unit on adjective and adverbs.

Spelling and Phonics: We will resume with our regular spelling unit next week. It is attached. In phonics we had a test over contractions, endings, and suffixes. We started a new unit on vowel pairs. We started off by talking about “ay” and “ai.” Generally, “ai” is used in the middle of a word and “ay” is most commonly used at the end of a word. We also worked with “ee” and “ea.”

Think about this Bible verse as Good Friday approaches. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In HIM,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: I’ll, we’ve, don’t you’re, isn’t didn’t, you’ll, I’ve, hasn’t, we’ll, can’t, it, us
Challenge Words: they’re, wouldn’t

Extra List: coal, army, sore, somewhere, hours, warmer, wagon, alone, base, cross, drum, fears, bathing, early
Challenge Words: railroads, taught
Extra Challenge Words: camouflage, determination, dictionary, Jerusalem, Minnesota, subtraction, carbohydrate, delicious, unbelievable, Epiphany

Memory: First half of the Old Testament Books of the Bible:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
I Samuel
II Samuel
I Kings
II Kings
I Chronicles
II Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs

2010-03-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! We had such a fun week!! Thank you to all those who participated in some of the dress up days. It was great to see your school spirit. Zion Lutheran School has been such a great place to grow over the past 100+ years. I am so thankful to be able to teach here!! Your children are truly a blessing to me and to this school! Please take note of the following reminders!
· Today was the end of 3rd quarter. Report cards will go out on Wednesday, March 17th.
· If you have not turned in your form to schedule a teacher’s conference please bring it in on Monday. Conferences will begin after school on Thursday the 18th. There is no school on Friday the 19th due to conferences. The teachers will meet Monday after school to try and coordinate conference times.
· The teachers will be attending the Nurturing the Faith conference on Tuesday the 16th. There will be no school that day!
· Today is the last day to fill out the on-line survey. We would really appreciate your feedback. It only takes about ten minutes of your time!
· Our 2nd grade class will be doing chapel on Wednesday, April 7th at 12:45 p.m. In your child’s folder they have a copy of our chapel service. Their lines are highlighted. Please read over this with them. They should feel comfortable and confident with their lines. They do not have to memorize their lines unless I indicated that on the paper. We will be practicing the week before our break. Please keep the paper in your child’s folder so that it is handy when we need to practice.
· There will be no spelling words or memory work next week! With two days off it will be hard to get it all in!
· On Thursday the teachers beat the 8th grade in the volleyball match. It was so much fun! Thank you to all the kids for cheering on their favorite team. A special thank you to Rod Clark for doing the introductions and the music!! It was fantastic!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we talked about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus went to the garden to pray and he took Peter, James, and John with him because He wanted His friends near Him. Jesus was overwhelmed with sadness. Jesus knew He needed help to be strong, so He prayed to His heavenly Father. Jesus prayed three times and said, “Your will be done.” It was not easy for Jesus to save us. He knew it would be painful, lonely, and that He would die. But Jesus trusted the will of the heavenly Father. Jesus wanted to do whatever was best to save us from sin and death. We also talked about Jesus’ trials. We discussed how unfairly Jesus was treated. Jesus was arrested and treated like a criminal. He was accused of blasphemy, saying He was the Son of God. Pilate let the people decide whether to free Barabas, a criminal, or crucify Jesus. Jesus was not treated fairly, but He endured it all because He loves us. He took all the punishment in our place, for our sins and the sins of the whole world. It was unfair to Jesus, but it was a miracle of love for us!

Math: This week in math we began adding three digit numbers, including money amounts. The kids didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Just remind them to use the $ symbol and the decimal point. We tested over subtraction by 9’s and began multiplication by 5’s. The kids were very excited to start multiplication. Finally, we started learning how to represent/write mixed numbers….for example 2 ¼.

Reading: In reading this week we reviewed the –s and –es endings. In addition, we talked about irregular verbs. From time to time the kids will see the verb but say the past tense wrong. We started a new story entitled “What Happened to Patrick’s Dinosaurs?” After reading the story we differentiated between what was real and what was fantasy.

Science/SS: In science this week we began talking about matter. Matter can come in three different forms: solid, liquid, or gas. All matter has mass and takes up space. We focused on solids this week. We practiced listing the properties of specific solids (properties include size, shape, color, texture). We also learned that all solids have shape, while liquids and gases take the shape of the space or container they are in. In social studies we continued to talk about culture. We compared the culture of a boy that was Jewish American and a girl that was Mexican American. Our culture can be part of what makes us unique.

Language Arts: In language arts this week we continue to talk about contractions and possessive pronouns. This was a bit tricky (they’re or their, you’re or your, it’s or its). We practiced reading it splitting the contraction into the two smaller words. If that made sense then we would use that contraction, if not then we would use the other form of the word. We will need some more practice on this. The kids are really required to slow down and check, sometimes our problem in simply slowing down.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we worked on compound words. Next week there will be NO spelling or memory work. In phonics, we continued to change the “y” to the “i” and add –es. We also tested over the unit.

Remember to pray “Your will be done Lord.” He has a plan for you and knows what is best for you!! He always hears your prayers!!

In Him,

Miss Rempfer

2010-03-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! I can’t believe it is already March. Spring is right around the corner. We will have Easter break in a few weeks, but we have so much to do before that. Please take note of the following announcements.

We have an early release next Friday, March 12th at 11:30. That is the end of 3rd quarter.

Parent/teacher conferences are coming up. Please be looking for the sign-up sheet to schedule your conference for March 18th or 19th.
You have one more week to go online and fill out our school survey. We would love your feedback. The website and password were attached to last week’s newsletter. If you need it again please stop in the office.

The scholastic book fair will be taking place Friday, March 5th after school to Friday, March 12th after school. We will be going as a class on Wednesday, March 10th if you want to send money with your child that day.

I just wanted to let you know that I will be keeping your child’s president brochure for a while longer. Mrs. Whitmore has asked if they can be displayed in “Night at the Museum,” which takes place in late April. I will send them home as soon as I can.

Our 2nd grade class will be doing chapel on Wednesday, April 7th at 12:45 p.m. In your child’s folder they have a copy of our chapel service. Their lines are highlighted. Please read over this with them. They should feel comfortable and confident with their lines. They do not have to memorize their lines unless I indicated that on the paper. We will be practicing the week before our break. Please keep the paper in your child’s folder so that it is handy when we need to practice.

Lutheran School’s Week is March 8th-12th (next week). This should be a fun week. Here is a schedule for the week:
Monday: Slippers and Necktie Day!
Tuesday: Class Choice Day! We chose to have a mix and match day in our classroom. Your child does not have to match at all….different socks, different shoes, colors that don’t match, etc. It should be interesting!
Wednesday: Grandparents or Special Guest Day!! Dress-up Day!
Thursday: Favorite Sports Team Day!
Friday: Hawaiian Day!
Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we started a new unit entitled, “Jesus Saves Us.” We will study the events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. We talked about Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Jesus showed His power over death by bringing Lazarus back to new life. Jesus promises that all believers who die in Christ will have their own resurrection day on the Last Day. Jesus will take us to new life in heaven. We also talked about the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. This means it is a way God uses to give His loving grace to our hearts and lives. Baptism and the Bible are means of grace as well.

Math: In math this week we tested over subtraction by 8’s and moved onto subtraction by 9’s. Next week we will have 6 minutes to do 100 subtraction problems. We are working on telling time to the minute and counting money (quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies). These are two very important concepts. Please work on these at home too!! Finally, we identified parallel lines.

Reading: In reading this week we started a new story entitled, “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash.” We checked comprehension and we used the story to identify base words. We reviewed the following high frequency words: class, farm, finally, sound, egg, and hurry. We briefly discussed when to use is/are and was/were.

Science/SS: In science this week we took our planet quiz. In addition, the kids worked in groups to complete an open book science test and then we went over it as a class. I was a little disappointed because I felt everyone should have received 100% since we went over it together. I had to stress the importance of listening and following along. In social studies we talked about how our country is so diverse. We also discussed why it is so diverse and why people chose to move to the United States. We defined the terms diversity and immigrants.

Language Arts: In language arts we talked about pronoun-verb agreement, which came pretty easy for the kids. They could hear what sounded correct and what did not. We also talked about possessive pronouns and more contractions. Hopefully our penpals are working on their letters for us. The kids are excited to see what they have to say.

As we celebrate Lutheran School’s week, I thank the Lord for Zion Lutheran School where we can share the good news of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What a blessing!!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: bathtub, bedtime, myself, someone, maybe, into, upon, anyone, without, cannot, stop, flag
Challenge Words: playground, nobody

Extra List: bush, dance, herself, swings, tail, remove, smaller, tiny, unhappy, knew, airplane, dating, finds, oven
Challenge Words: hardware, potatoes
Extra Challenge (optional): American, Massachusetts, adjectives, scholastic, courteous, illustrations, resurrection, superior, explorations, vegetable

Memory: Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.” John 14:19
4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48

2010-02-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! Well, it is hard to believe, but March is right around the corner. We finished up our ITBS testing on Monday. We are hoping to jump back into our regular routine. Hoping is the key word. Take note of the following:

We will have a short planet/solar system quiz on Monday, March 1st. The study guide was attached last week. We will also have a test over this unit, but it will be done with the book during class. Your child does not have to study for it at home.

Please remember to turn in February Book-It calendars on Monday, March 1st. Your March Book-It calendar is attached. March will be the last month for Book-It. Keep it up!!

Just a reminder that grades 1-5 will be walking to Brighton High School to see Beauty and the Beast on Wednesday, March 3rd. We will leave after lunch.

Zion Lutheran school is participating in a survey among LCMS schools across the nation. We would like your opinion and input. We can take your feedback and ideas so that we can improve Zion Lutheran School. Attached to your newsletter is a website and pin number. Please take the time to go online and complete the survey. We appreciate it!

The scholastic book fair will be taking place Friday, March 5th after school to Friday, March 12th after school. We will be going as a class on Wednesday, March 10th if you want to send money with your child that day.

Lutheran Schools Week is March 8th-12th. Wednesday, March 10th is Grandparents Day!! Grandparents may join us in our classroom after chapel and then stay to eat lunch with us. After lunch they may leave.

Our 2nd grade class will be doing chapel on Wednesday, April 7th at 12:45 p.m. I know this is a ways off, but I just thought I would let you know now in case you need to make special arrangements to be there. We would love to see you there and share God’s word with you!!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we finished up our unit on Jesus’ miracles. We talked about Jesus healing the centurion’s servant. The centurion had confidence that Jesus could heal his servant. The centurion even knew that Jesus did not have to touch the servant, but that He could simply say the word. Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s great faith. Finally, we read the story of Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter. Actually, the little girl had died. Even though she had died, Jesus continued on to her house. There was a crowd of people there mourning. Jesus said, “What is all the commotion? The little girl is just asleep.” Some of the people laughed at him. But He went into the little girl’s room, held her hand, and commanded her to get up. The little girl sat up, got out of bed, and walked around the room. Jesus had done it again!! What an amazing Savior we have!! We did talk briefly about death. Our body may die, but God sends His angels to take our soul to heaven. And on the Last Day, Jesus will come again to reunite our body and would and take us to live forever with Him in heaven. So Jesus tells us that death is like a gate. You go through a gate to get somewhere else. We pass through death on our way to life in heaven. Jesus calls Himself the gate! In John 10, Jesus says, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.”

Math: In math this week, we identified geometric solids and practiced drawing line segments in centimeters. In addition, we continued reviewing multiplication by 1’s, 10’s and 100’s. This week we also learned a new term, perimeter. The class learned how to calculate the perimeter of a square or rectangle. They seemed to catch on pretty fast. Next week we will be testing over our 8’s subtraction facts and moving on to 9’s.

Reading: In reading this week we continued to check comprehension over the last story that we did. We also talked about prefixes and suffixes and how to sound out a word with a prefix/suffix. I told the kids to locate the base word first. We went over the following high frequency words: second, laugh, white, light, and nearly.

Science and SS: In science this week, we answered the following questions: “Why does the moon seem to change?” and “What causes the seasons?” We discussed the phases of the moon. It takes the moon about 29 days (1 month) to orbit the earth. It takes the earth 365 day to orbit the sun. When the earth is tilted toward the sun it is summer and there are warmer temperatures and more hours of daylight. When earth is tilted away from the sun there are cooler temperatures and fewer hours of daylight. Our new unit is social studies is entitled “A World of Many People.” Our first lesson is about world cultures. We discussed the vocabulary words culture and language. We talked about different cultures in Ghana, Spain, and Japan. The kids really seemed interested in learning about other cultures.

Language Arts: This week we got back on track and began talking about pronouns. We talked about the following pronouns: it, he, she, they, I , me, we, and us. We differentiated between those that were singular and those that were plural. We also discussed why we use pronouns to take the place of nouns sometimes.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we talked about the final “y” sound in puppy. The “y” usually makes the long “e” sound when it is at the end of a two syllable word. In phonics we continued talking about the –ed and –ing endings, which continue to be a struggle for some kids. We just keep reviewing the rule!! We also talked about the suffixes –ful, -less, -ness.

God’s blessings on your week!! Remember to have faith in the Lord and be confident that He is always with you!!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: town, house, out, down, cow, now, found, how, mouse, brown, could, should, name, cat
Challenge Words: couch, crowded
Extra List: waiting, washed, seventh, poles, pound, rich, spending, wise, wolf, suit, cleaned, wheels, visits, shore
Challenge Words: package, newspapers

Memory: He was delivered over to death for our sins. Romans 4:25

Multiplication by 3’s: 3, 6, 9,12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36

2010-02-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! It has been an intense week! I commend the kids for their hard work on the ITBS testing! We are just about done. I really enjoyed listening to their president presentations. I appreciate all the time and effort that was put into their projects. This will be a short newsletter since most of the week we focused on our testing. Please be sure to go over the following reminders.

If you have not signed and returned your child’s midterm please have it in by Monday the 22nd. They were sent home last Wednesday.

Hang in there, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are just about done in 2nd grade. We will be taking our final two tests on Monday, February 22nd. Again, be sure your child gets plenty of rest and a good breakfast. Thanks! Last week was pretty hard on them, but I am proud of their efforts.

The 2nd grade classes will be singing in chapel on February 24th. It is a Lenten service, so it will start at 10:00 a.m.

We will have a short planet/solar system quiz on Monday, March 1st. The study guide is attached. We will also have a test over this unit, but it will be done with the book during class. Your child does not have to study for it at home.

Next week we will resume with our spelling unit and memory work. They are attached as usual!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: We continued to talk about Jesus’ miracles. This week we read the story of how He healed a paralyzed man and Peter’s mother-in-law. Truly amazing!

Math: This week we simply tested over our subtraction by 7’s and began studying our subtraction by 8’s. We also took our written test and talked briefly about area.

Reading: We read a new story entitled, “Too Many Tamales.” We discussed some vocabulary words and tested comprehension.

Science/SS: We did not get to science this week due to testing. In social studies we had the opportunity to listen to president presentations. Again, thank you so much for your hard work and effort on these projects.

Language Arts: We did not get to language arts due to testing.

Spelling and Phonics: Next week we will start up spelling again. Our spelling unit next week will contain words with the final sound in “puppy.” We will resume memory work as well. In phonics this week we talked about the –ed and –ing endings. There is one rule that seemed a little tough for many of the kids. If the base word has a short vowel and ends with one consonant then the consonant is doubled before adding the ending. This can be tricky. We will keep practicing!!

God’s blessings on your week!!

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: puppy, baby, lucky, happy, very, lady, funny, silly, many, only, cookie, me, bee
Challenge Words: furry, noisy

Extra List: bowl, belongs, shooting, thanks, invite, lies, omit, seal, pile, starting, whom, temper, wishes, namely
Challenge Words: kitchen, giant

Memory: God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

2010-02-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! We are continuing to stay very busy. Hang in there!! Thank you to all those who volunteered to chaperone for the field trip. I am sorry we were not able to use all of you. I appreciate your willingness to help. Please take note of the following reminders.
Today was midterm of the 3rd quarter. Midterm reports will go home on Wednesday, February 17th.
We have no school on Monday, February 15th in honor of President’s Day.
Your child’s president brochures are due on Tuesday, February 16th. Points will be deducted if the project is late.
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills begin Tuesday, February 16th. These tests are pretty intense so please be sure that your child has breakfast and gets plenty of sleep.
There will be no spelling unit or memory next week. I am trying to limit the amount of homework your child will have to help you ensure that they get to bed early for the ITBS tests.
Remember to send in any spare change for the quarter raiders. All the change that is collected will be given to the relief effort in Haiti.
The 2nd grade classes will be singing in chapel on February 24th. It is a Lenten service, so it will start at 10:00 a.m.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion, we continued to talk about Jesus’ miracles. Jesus had the power to calm the storm. The disciples were very afraid, but Jesus simply used His words and the waves died down. The disciples were blessed to have Jesus with them during this emergency. The truth is that we don’t need God only in emergencies. We need God all the time—when we have big problems, when we have small problems, and also when we have no problems at all. Just like the disciples, we can be thankful that Jesus is near—all the time!! We also talked about how Jesus healed the blind man Bartimaeus. When we have faith in God in our hearts, it affects our lives in what we say and do. We can see this in Bartimaeus. He had faith and was certain that Jesus could help him. Bartimaeus called Jesus the Son of David. He believed that Jesus was the promised Savior sent from God to save us. Bartimaeus followed Jesus to learn more about God’s love, and he praised God for showing love and mercy.

Math: In math this week we learned how to find half of both even and odd numbers. This proved to be a challenge for many of the students, especially in dealing with the remainders for the odd numbers. In addition, we practiced estimating a sum by rounding both addends. Finally, we practiced measuring in feet and inches.

Reading: We started the week out by discussing syllables. The kids can either clap it out or put their hand under their jaw. These are just two tricks to help them find how many syllables are in a word. Breaking a word down into syllables can help your child sound words out. We also talked about verbs that end with –ed and discussed how they are pronounced. Finally, we reviewed how to summarize a story by identifying the main characters, setting, problem, main events, and ending. The kids really do a good job with this.

Science/SS: In science this week, we reviewed key information about the solar system. We also practiced saying the names of the planets in order, beginning with Mercury, which is closest to the sun. We learned some new information as well. We discussed what causes day and night. The earth rotates once every 24 hours. When it is daytime here, we are facing the sun and the other side of the world is experiencing nighttime because they are not facing the sun. In social studies, we reviewed some key terms for the test. In addition, we played a Jeopardy review game. The kids really enjoyed studying for their test. The class took the test today. Remember president brochures are due Tuesday, February 16th.

Language Arts: This week, we simply finished up our letters to our penpals. Our penpals in Iowa should receive our letters next week! We are looking forward to hearing from them. After Iowa Tests we will be starting a new unit.

Spelling: In spelling this week, we worked with more long “i” spellings, for example, i, y, and igh. Again, there will be no spelling or memory next week due to ITBS testing. In phonics, we reviewed the plural endings –s and –es. Because this was a review it came very easy for the kids.

God’s blessings on your week! This Valentine’s Day remember that God love you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die and rise for you!! What an amazing love!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

2010-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! This time of year seems to get very busy. We have field trips, projects, tests, early releases, days off, and Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are fast approaching. Please read over this and mark these days on your calendar.

This weekend Zion is hosting the boys basketball tournament. During halftime of the championship game on Saturday, February 6th, there will be a jump roping show. It is very impressive, so if you can make it we would love to see you there. The championship game begins at 5:00 so the performance will be at about 5:30.

Yearbook order forms are due by Monday, February 8th.

Wednesday, February 10th we will be having our skating party. We will leave right after lunch. Don’t forget to pick your child up at the skating rink, unless you have made other arrangements.
Thursday, February 11th is our fieldtrip to Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science. Don’t forget to send your child with a sack lunch. Driving arrangements were made and sent home earlier this week.

Friday, February 12th we will be having our Unit 1 social studies test the study guide is attached. We have done a lot of reviewing in class as well.

Friday, February 12th we will be taking just 30 to 45 minutes to pass out valentines and have a small treat. If your child brings valentines please be sure they have one for each child.
We have an early release at 11:30 on Friday, February 12th. We have no school on Monday, February 15th in honor of Presidents Day.

Your child’s president brochures are due on Tuesday, February 16th. Your child will have points deducted if it is late. If your child is done early they may bring it in and I will keep it is a safe place!

Iowa Tests of Basic Skills begin on Tuesday, February 16th. This is a very intense week. Please be sure that your child gets plenty of rest and eats breakfast each morning.
This year the National Junior Honor Society is doing quarter raiders again. They are asking that you bring in all your spare change (dollar bills are accepted as well). All the money that is collected will go toward the relief effort in Haiti!

Here’s what we have been up to this week!

Religion: This week we started talking about Jesus’ miracles. His very first miracle was at a wedding in Cana where He changed water into wine. With the kids, I compared it to kool-aid. Once you add the powder the water then changes into a sweet, tasty drink. But, when Jesus changed the water into wine He didn’t use a powder, He simply used His power. We also talked about a time when Jesus was teaching a great number of people. The people were getting hungry and a boy offered Jesus his lunch consisting of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus took what the boy offered and used it to feed all the people, over 5,000 people!!! On top of that, the disciples even gathered 12 baskets of leftovers. Jesus cares for all people and will take care of you. What Jesus did in these two stories was a miracle—something out of the ordinary that is hard to explain. They were miracles that can only be explained by the fact that Jesus is God.

Math: This week in math we started so many new things. The class really enjoyed learning to multiply by 10. We even got a little ahead of ourselves and tried some other multiplication problems as well. The class continues to work on counting money, but now we have added in the quarters. It didn’t seem too hard for them because we have been counting by 25 for awhile. Many of the kids do need to slow down especially when they transition between coins. They need to remember to switch from counting by 25 to 10, and then 10 to 5, etc. Another new lesson this week was rounding. We still need a little work on that one. We tested over our 6’s facts and continued on to 7’s. Remember, subtraction may take a little more practice for some kids.

Reading: In reading this week, we started a new story entitled, “Now One Foot Now The Other.” We tested our comprehension and went over the following high frequency words: picture, warm, carried, mean, year, word. We are still doing reading groups which is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to read aloud and gain confidence.

Science/SS: In science this week, we started our chapter on the solar system. We discussed the sun, stars, planets, orbits, and constellations. I gave the kids a mnemonic device to help remember the order of the planets. In social studies, we reviewed how to read a map key and we also talked about community and state governments. The Social studies test will be Friday, February 12th. The study guide is attached.

Language Arts: This week in language arts we focused on our letters to our pen pals in Iowa. We started with a rough draft and will soon finish up our final copies. I will send the letters all together. At the end of the school year we will get our pen pals home addresses so that your child can continue writing over the summer.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we talked about homophones, which can be a little confusing. In phonics, we spent more time on contractions. Again, when the kids don’t slow down they tend to put the apostrophe in the wrong spot.

God’s blessings on the week ahead! Remember God can work miracles, big or small, in all of our lives!

In Him,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: sky, find, night, high, fly, try, light, dry, right, kind, eye, buy, why, cry
Challenge Words: flight, behind

Extra List: shoes, almost, defend, sisters, larger, heads, grades, tires, Tuesday, swell, teams, unlike, myself, rabbits
Challenge Words: cough, include
Memory: The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

2010-01-29T13:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! This week we celebrated the 100th day of school. I feel like we have accomplished so much, yet we have so much more to do!! I want you to know that I feel blessed to be able to work with your child. Please take note of the following:

President brochures will be due Tuesday, February 16th. Please be sure to look at the requirements. They were attached to the newsletter last week! If you have any questions please let me know. Try not to wait until the last minute. J We do have a test coming up as well. The study guide will go home next week!

Attached to your newsletter is the February Book-It Calendar. Please send in your child’s January Book-It minutes as soon as possible. Thanks!

Field trip information and permission slips went out Wednesday. We will be going to the Museum of Nature and Science on Thursday, February 11th. We have a limited number of chaperones, so I will have to choose by who turns their slips in first and how we can accommodate for 17 children. The permission slips are due by Wednesday, February 3rd.

If you are planning to order a yearbook please turn in your forms by Monday, February 8th.

Like Halloween, for Valentines Day we will not have a big party. Instead we will be going to the skating rink on Wednesday, February 10th. We will be skating in the afternoon. Please look for that permission slip in the next week. We will take about 45 minutes on Friday, February 12th to have a small treat and pass out valentines. If your child brings valentines, please be sure that he/she has one for everyone in our class. Thanks!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we listened to the story of the Prodigal Son. At first the young man just wanted to get his money and go out and live as he pleased. At the end of the story the son received something far more valuable than money…..he received forgiveness. Money can’t buy forgiveness. Whenever we come to God in prayer, in worship, in our daily lives, we come confessing our sins, admitting we don’t deserve His grace, but pleading for His mercy. No matter how many times we have sinned, God’s love is always bigger. He always calls us to repent about our sins, receive His forgiveness, and turn away from our sins. All of this happens because of what Jesus has done for us! We also talked about the parable of the Good Shepherd. Once there was shepherd who had 100 sheep, but as he looked around he realized one was missing. He loved and cared for that one lamb so much that he went out and looked for it until it was found. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He cares about each one of you. If someone gets lost in sin, if someone gets into trouble, Jesus doesn’t walk away and say He has plenty of other followers. No, Jesus cares about every person. He wants to bring you back to a life with Him, with forgiveness, with faith, and with the promise of eternal life. Jesus said that there is rejoicing in heaven whenever a sinner repents. Our Good Shepherd loves us!!

Math: In math this week, focused mainly on double digit subtraction. The kids are excited about it and they were doing quite well so we started right in on borrowing (or regrouping). It is so nice to see them get excited about math. We did test over our subtraction by 5’s facts. We began practicing subtraction by 6’s. It is obvious that this does not come as easy as addition. If your child is struggling be sure to spend some extra time at home on subtraction.

Reading: We began our week by reading “A Chair for my Mother.” We went over the following high frequency words: bought, buy, fall, four, full, and world. We checked comprehension and discussed predictions. We also talked about making inferences. We are continuing to practice reading out loud so that the kids become more confident and fluent.

Science/SS: In science this week we spent the majority of our time discussing the water cycle. We talked about what it means when water evaporates and condenses. I am trying to have the kids use those words so they begin to understand it better. We defined the terms drought and flood. The kids also had to draw and label the water cycle. In social studies we talked about voting. Voting means that you make a choice about who you think will do the best job and who best represents what you believe. We also began talking more about the 3 branches of government and what are each branches responsibilities.

Language Arts: In language arts, we discussed how to use an encyclopedia to help us find information. In addition, we talked about the suffixes –ful, -less, and –ness. Finally, we talked about the letters we will be writing to our pen pals in Newhall, IA (my mom’s 2nd grade class). The kids are really excited about that!

Spelling and Phonics: In spelling this week we studied word with the vowel sounds in moon and book. In phonics, we reviewed compounds, -le endings, hard and soft c/g, blends, vowels, and digraphs. Finally, we worked on contractions with will and not. The kids caught on to this fairly quickly.

God’s blessings on your week!! Remember there is nothing that can separate us from the love of our Good Shepherd!!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

If your child is sending out Valentines here is a class list:

Braydon Cavin Trevor Alexis Olivia Victoria
Haven Konner Torrey Dawson Brekyn Matthew
Emily Hailey Connor Vincent Jayla
Spelling Words: plane, plain, tale, tail, rode, road, hole, whole, to, too, two, see, by
Challenge Words: threw, through

Extra list: hardly, sour, porch, shells, raw, bride, besides, anywhere, died, cares, dream, ages, sunshine, meeting
Challenge Words: laugh, valley

Memory Work: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. I Peter 5:7
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

2010-01-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! With last Monday off, the week seemed to fly by! We have got a lot of stuff coming up in the next few weeks so you may find that your child is going to be very busy. Please take note of the following:

Your child has chosen a president and is assigned to make a president brochure. There is a letter attached explaining the project. On the back of the letter is a rubric explaining what your child needs to do to get the grade they want. Please look over it thoroughly. The president brochure is due on Tuesday, February 16th.

Please remember to keep track of your Book-It minutes!!

We will be having a field trip to Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science on Thursday, February 11th. Both second grades and third grade will be going. Permission slips and details will be handed out next week. A limited number of chaperones will be able to go and I cannot start making those arrangements until the permission slips go out. Thank you for your understanding.

Like Halloween, for Valentines Day we will not have a big party. Instead we will be going to the skating rink on Wednesday, February 10th. We will be skating in the afternoon. Please look for that permission slip in the next couple of weeks as well. We will take about 45 minutes on Friday, February 12th to have a small treat and pass out valentines. If your child brings valentines, please be sure that he/she has one for everyone in our class. Thanks!

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we talked about the “Sermon on the Mount.” It was here that Jesus spoke to the people about God’s love and trusting that God will take care of you. Our fears in life are many times things that we worry about. Some fears are big and some are little. But fears are not silly. Fears are bothersome, worrisome, and troublesome. Fears make us unhappy. We know we will have troubles in this world, but we know God is still there. He is always with us and will help us. His love fills us with trust. He has forgiven our sins, and He promises us heaven, where all our troubles and worries will be gone. We also talked about the Lord’s Prayer. In the Bible it says we are to be imitators of God. When the disciples asked the Lord how to pray He showed them. Christians have been imitating the Lord’s Prayer for 2,000 years since then. Some people think that praying just means asking. But in the Lord’s Prayer only the middle section of the prayer has asking statements. The beginning and the end are all about God. The important thing to remember is the no matter what words you use, God hears and answers our prayers.

Math: In math this week we tested over our subtraction by 4’s and began practicing our subtraction by 5’s. We also did some work with tangrams, which was very fun for the kids. It is a different kind of thought process. The kids practiced writing money using a dollar sign and we began subtracting double digit numbers. We will be borrowing before you know it.

Reading: We started the week out by reading a new story entitled, “Clean Your Room Harvey Moon.” We went over the following high frequency words: clean, few, should, done, today, notice, and shout. In addition, we talked about the vowel sounds in moon and book and practiced writing with rhyming words. We have also gotten back to doing some reading in groups.

Science/Soc. St.: In science this week we talked about why we measure weather and discussed a few instruments used to measure weather. In social studies, our study skill was working on reading a tally graph and we began talking about the branches of government. We also identified our leaders at the city, state, and country levels. Be sure to read the attached note about your child’s president project.

Language Arts: In language arts this week we learned how to write contractions with the word “not.” We reviewed apostrophes, specifically when we are using possessives. Finally, we reviewed past tense verbs and some common errors that are associated with them.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we talked about more long “o” spellings. (For example, words spelled with o, ow, oa, and oe. In phonics, we are still working on r-controlled vowels, but this week we focused on ir, er, and ur. We also reviewed digraphs and silent consonants.

God’s blessings on the week ahead!! Remember to take it to the Lord in prayer. Trust in Him. He is always listening!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: zoo, food, look, moon, book, soon, took, good, room, foot, you, who, clap, like
Challenge Words: hoof, moose

Extra List: chairs, beach, faces, giving, fence, canning, driveway, seemed, money, stage, himself, soda, dare, able
Challenge Words: wonderful, garage

Memory: If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins.
I John 1:9

2010-01-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! The class is doing a great job. We got right back in the routine and they are working hard! Many new things are introduced in third quarter so we want to do our best to keep the kids focused. Thank you for all your support! Please read the following reminders:
Our class picture day is Wednesday, January 20th. Our picture will be taken around 9:15 a.m.

This time of year I really start to stress the importance of responsibility. This is key in preparing your child for third grade. This past week I reminded the kids that if they do not put their names on assignments they will have to write their name 75 times. In addition, if an assignment is late your child will receive a blue slip (late slip). If your child receives 3 late slips in the quarter they will have to serve a detention.

I also want to remind families of the new scrip program. It is a program where you can buy gift cards from participating vendors and a percentage of what you buy will go toward the school. The goal is not to have to buy extra, but to use these gift cards to buy things you would normally buy. For example, I will buy $50 in gift cards to Walmart and then use them to buy my groceries. I was going to buy my groceries anyway, but now a percent of what I spend will go to Zion. You can place your orders on Tuesdays and I believe you will receive your cards by Fridays. If you need a list of the participating vendors please stop in the office. This is an easy way to help our school…..It just takes a little planning.

Book orders went out today. Please have them back by next Friday, January 22nd.

We will be doing a president project in the near future. In your child’s folder you will find a paper asking you and your child to write down the names of four presidents they are interested in or would like to find out more about. The most famous presidents are usually picked first, so take that into consideration. Please return this paper by Tuesday, January 19th. Next, week I will draw names and each child will choose the president they would like to research. In next week’s newsletter you will receive the details of the project and the president that your child has been assigned.

There will be no school on Monday, January 18th.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we talked about Jesus’ disciples. We discussed what we knew about each one and tried to become familiar with their names. More importantly we talked about how they became Christ’s disciples. Jesus knew everything about his disciples. He didn’t choose the priests and Pharisees or those who studied God’s law. It might surprise some, but Jesus chose a tax collector and even a trouble maker, one who had been in trouble with the authorities. He also chose a betrayer. But Jesus knew all this. He didn’t choose His disciples according to what they could do, but for what He could do in them!! Jesus taught the disciples all they needed to know about God’s grace. Jesus changed their hearts and their lives. And Jesus empowered them—He gave them power through the Holy Spirit to live as people of God. Jesus does the same for you and me. He chooses us, He teaches us through His Word. He changes our hearts and lives, and He empowers us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s not who you are, it’s who you know—Jesus!!

Math: In math this week, we started by taking our 100 problem addition test and our 18th written test. This week comparison symbols were introduced. We covered greater than, less than, and equal to (<,>, =). We also talked about scale, which is a little confusing for some of the kids, but with practice we will get it down. Finally, we learned how to write a number in expanded form (Ex. 134 = 100 + 30 + 4).

Reading: In reading this week we covered the high frequency words black, both, dear, and ever. In addition, we worked on contractions. I noticed that when some of the kids read contractions, they actually say the two words instead of the contraction. I don’t think they even realize they are doing it. We also talked about fact and opinion.

Science and SS: We started out the week by taking our science test. Now we have started a new unit on weather and space. We talked about how weather changes. In social studies, we discussed problem and solutions. We talked about how our solutions may not always work. There are times you may have to try more than one solution to a problem. In addition, we talked about government. We discussed why we need a government and what the government does for us. The class defined taxes and talked about how some of the money is spent. We also identified some government services.

Language Arts: In language arts this week we talked about the following verbs: do, go, say, see, run, come, sing, and give. There past tense forms are different because we do not add and –ed. The understood this and it pretty much came naturally because they know what sounds correct.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we talked about words that end with “s” or “es.” This seemed to be a review since we have covered plurals in language arts. In phonics we reviewed digraphs and talked about r-controlled vowels. For example, we talked about the “ar” and “or” sounds.

God’s blessings on your week!! Remember God has chosen you to be his disciples. He wants to teach us. He wants to change our hearts and our lives. He will empower us through the Holy Spirt.

In Him,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: boat, cold, go, slow, no, old, coat, grow, told, show, toe, do, so, say
Challenge Words: coast, rainbow

Extra List: heat, insist, smoke, fisherman, please, honey, September, queen, improve, sight, sounds, high school, attic, stood
Challenge Words: language, cause

Memory Work: seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

2010-01-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome back!!! I pray you all enjoyed your Christmas break. I thank you all for the Christmas gifts. You have been so kind and generous to me. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I have truly been blessed. I did write out thank you’s, but I left them in Iowa…..so, my mom is sending them to me! I apologize. You will get them, but they will be a little late. Please take note of the following reminders:

There will be a science test this coming Monday, January 11th. A study guide was sent home on the 4th. Be sure to have your child fill it out and study it. We have reviewed in class.

Today was the end of the quarter. Report cards will go home next Wednesday, January 13th.

Our class picture day is Wednesday, January 20th. Our picture will be taken around 9:15 a.m.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we talked about Jesus’ baptism. Jesus lived a perfect life, so why did He get baptized. Jesus did this as an example for us. He did all the things we should do. Jesus took our place in perfect obedience to God’s will. He is our perfect example. We all receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus. But baptism is one of God’s special ways that he touches our lives with His forgiveness and grace. Baptism is a gift God wants to give us. We also talked about Jesus calling His first disciples. When something special or exciting happens in our lives we want to tell others. That is exactly what Andrew and Philip did. When they saw and heard Jesus they rushed to tell their family and friends. We too can share the good news of Jesus with all people. We can remind people who already know Jesus of His love and we can introduce Jesus to those who don’t yet know Him as their Lord and Savior.

Math: This week, we reviewed place value. We now know that HTO stands for hundreds, tens, and ones. The ones place is always to the far right, no matter how large the number. We also used base ten blocks to show place value. In addition, we practiced telling and showing time in five minute intervals. The kids seemed to pick up on this pretty quick because they are very confident in counting by 5’s. We tested over our subtraction by 3’s facts and began learning our subtraction by 4’s. Again, subtraction is not coming as easily as addition, so you may need to take extra time at home to practice.

Reading: In reading this week, we started a new story entitled “Ruby the Copycat.” We went over the following vocabulary words: write, copied, matching, and both. The class was tested on their comprehension of the story. We also discussed cause and effect. I asked the kids to give real life situations where they could identify a cause and effect. Finally, we reviewed plurals and the vowel pair “ou.”

Science/Soc. St.: In science this week, we talked about how people can protect natural resources. The class discussed various ways to reuse and recycle items, and well as reduce the use of some natural resources. We also reviewed for the test. Remember the test is this coming Monday, January 11th. In social studies, we started a unit entitled “Governing the People.” We defined some of the terms we will be using throughout the unit. Our first lesson talked about our role as citizens in a community.

Language Arts: This week was a little confusing for the kids. We have discussed action verbs, but now we are getting into other types of verbs. Action verbs were easier for the children to identify. We tried to memorize the following “be verbs”: am, is, are, was, and were. We also went over helping and linking verbs. Finally, we practiced putting commas in the names of places.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we studied words that end with nd, ng, and nk. In phonics, we talked about the digraph “kn.” In addition, we talked about silent letters, for example, the w is silent in “wr.” Finally, we reviewed the following high frequency words: your, once, two, bought, new, and believe.

God’s blessings on your week!! Be excited to tell about Jesus!!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: dishes, dresses, bells, boxes, beaches, days, bikes, wishes, things, names, children, cups, frogs
Challenge Words: coins, classes

Extra List: evening, fighting, already, track, growing, finger, blocks, hose, tape, sharp, seals, mouth, arose, bunch
Challenge Words: juice, carefully

Memory: Salvation is found in no one else. {For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.} Acts 4:12

2009-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! Time is flying by and Christmas break will be here before you know it. I hope you stayed warm this past week!! We are all glad that we were freed from our classroom on Tuesday! We are getting a new door, so hopefully that won’t happen again. J Here are a few reminders!

No spelling or memory this week!!!

Our Advent service is on Wednesday, December 16th. There is a service at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Your child is expected to be at both services. If they cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. Please have them in our classroom by 6:45 p.m. for the evening service!

We will be having a social studies test this Friday, December 18th. We will take it before our Christmas party. I know it seems mean J, but I didn’t want to wait until after Christmas break. Chances are kids would forget a lot of the information and then we would have to take a week or two to review in January. Now it will be out of the way and you won’t have to worry about studying over break. The study guide is attached.

On Friday, December 18th we have an early release at 11:30 a.m. We will also be having our class Christmas party. We will be having a gift exchange. I am asking that each girl bring a gift for a girl and each boy bring a gift for a boy. We will just have a $5.00 spending limit. Your child can bring in their gift at anytime. We will draw numbers for gifts. Remember, if your child does not bring a gift, they will not be able to participate in the exchange. If you need help buying a gift please let me know. I would be more than happy to help. At the party we will do a craft, read a book, watch a movie, exchange gifts, and eat a treat. If anyone is interested in providing the drinks or snacks please let me know. I would really appreciate it! Thank you to those who sent in plates, napkins, cups etc. Now we just need something to go on/in them.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week in religion, we talked about the first Christmas and the visit from the wise men. Many times at Christmas we spend so much time focusing on the gifts that we are getting for others or thinking about the gifts that we might get. Giving gifts is a wonderful reminder of the greatest gift we received on that first Christmas…..Jesus. The gifts we give and receive many times will wear out, get broke, or get lost. The gifts that we receive from God will last not only a lifetime but also for eternity. In addition to Jesus, we receive forgiveness, life, salvation, peace, joy, love, and faith. These gifts are the reason Jesus came to this earth and was born at Christmas. Jesus came so that He could purchase these gifts for us with His “holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” We want to share the gift of Jesus with all. It is the best gift we can give. The wise men followed the star to find the Savior. Once they found the baby they worshipped Jesus. The word star can remind us of ways to worship our Lord.
Sing
Thank
Adore
Rejoice
We want to do all these thing today to worship Jesus, who came to save all people of all nations.

Math: In math this week we practiced subtracting 10 from a 2-digit number, drawing/measuring line segments, and ordering 3-digit numbers. In addition, we are practicing subtracting by 2’s. Even though we are subtracting, we still want the kids to practice addition as well.
Reading: We started off the week by reading our new story entitled, “What Kind of Babysitter is This?” The class reviewed the following vocabulary words: wish, sneaked, crawled, boy, while, angry, through, heard, and miss. We also tested our comprehension and worked with the vowel pairs oa and ow. Finally, we applied some things from the story to our lives.

Science/SS: In science this week we talked about how people can harm natural resources. We discussed pollution and how people are wasting our natural resources. Soon, we will talk about what we can do to protect our natural resources. In social studies, we practiced using directions to find locations on a map. In addition, we took our continents and oceans quiz. Remember our social studies test is next Friday, December 18th.

Language Arts: In language arts this week, we put sentences in logical order so that the paragraph would make sense. We also started our explanatory writings. The kids are using time order words and space order words to explain how to do something. We are working on our rough drafts.

Spelling/Phonics: Our spelling unit this week focused on the two digraphs “th” and “wh.” In phonics we reviewed our blends and talked about how the letter “y” can make the long “i” and long “e” sounds.

God’s blessing on the week ahead!! Remember that Jesus is the greatest gift all!! Share the gift of Jesus with someone this Christmas.

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

2009-12-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade! We have a lot to get accomplished before Christmas and the kids are working hard. I hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving break. Here are some reminders.

It is that time again!! Our class has earned another marble party. Way to go second grade! We will be having our marble party on Monday afternoon. Keep us the good work!!

Streets of Bethlehem is this Friday from 6:00-8:30 and Saturday from 5:00-8:30. You are all invited to come and bring a friend to see the Christmas story come to life. We would love to see you there!

On Friday, December 11th we will be having our continents and oceans quiz. The attached map is the exact test, so have your child take it as a practice quiz. Your child will be given a list of the continents and oceans. They are not expected to know how to spell them. The names of the continents should be written in the boxes and then cut out and pasted on the correct continent. The oceans are simply to be written in the correct location.

Our Advent service is on Wednesday, December 16th. There is a service at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Your child is expected to be at both services. If they cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note.

I sent out December calendars for Book-It on this past Tuesday. Keep up your reading routines!! I am proud that so many kids are meeting their goals.

On Friday, December 18th we have an early release at 11:30 a.m. We will also be having our class Christmas party. We will be having a gift exchange. I am asking that each girl bring a gift for a girl and each boy bring a gift for a boy. We will just have a $5.00 spending limit. Your child can bring in their gift at anytime. We will draw numbers for gifts. At the party we will do a craft, read a book, watch a movie, exchange gifts, and eat a treat. If anyone is interested in providing the drink or snacks, plates, cups, napkins, etc. please let me know. I would really appreciate it!

Here’s what we have been up to this week!

Religion: In religion this week, we talked about the birth of John. God promised He would send someone before Jesus who would get thing ready for the Savior. That person was John. So his birth meant the time for the Savior to be born was near. God’s promise to love us, to always be with us, and to save us eternally through Jesus may sound “too good to be true.” But we can be certain of what God says. God is able to keep his promises because he is perfect and almighty. We also talked about the angel visiting Mary. Mary didn’t know it, but a cross is the picture of what God’s promise would be when it was completed. Jesus, the Savior, would die on the cross. Mary’s own baby would save her from sin, death and the devil. Her baby would grow up to save the whole world, including you and me.
Math: In math this week we differentiated between AM and PM. In addition we talked about dozen and half dozen and identified items that are associated with each. Adding three 2-digit numbers and reading a thermometer to the nearest 2 degrees were also topics we touched upon. We had our first subtraction fact test and continued with our 100 problem addition test.

Reading: This week we focused on comprehension. We reviewed the following high frequency words: round, still, best, don’t, and blue. We are continuing to work on our dictionary skills. Finally, we talked about how authors use pronouns to substitute for nouns so their writing isn’t repetitive.

Science/SS: In science this week we talked about fossils and how they are formed. We did discuss that many scientists believe the world and fossils are millions of years old, but the Bible says the earth is only thousands of years old. We also discussed why some animals are endangered or extinct. In social studies, we practiced reading information from a table. In addition, we talked about world regions and identified the hemispheres, poles, and equator. Finally, we reviewed for the continents and oceans quiz. Don’t forget to practice at home.

Language Arts: In language arts, we reviewed subject-verb agreement, map skills, and introduced prefixes. We will be starting another writing soon. The class also has been locating and correcting mistakes in sentences.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we worked with the digraphs “sh”and “ch.” In phonics we discussed “s” blends and final blends (blends that appear at the end of a word).

God’s blessings on the week ahead! Remember, God always keeps His promises.

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling List: teeth, when, then, wheel, with, what, than while, then, which, white, bath
Challenge Words: mouth, whistle

Extra List: buyer, won, covering, cities, month, yourself, worn, rainbow, replace, smile, dated, rolls, trick, pride
Challenge Words: studying, growth

Memory: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

2009-11-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!!! This week flew by! We must have been busy! Here are a few reminders.
Book-It!!! Remember to mark your minutes down for November on your calendar.
We will not have a spelling unit or memory next week because of Thanksgiving break. The attached lists are for November 30th-December 4th. I will not send home a newsletter next week.
Advent services are coming up in December. I know it is still seems far off, but it will be here before you know it. Our class will participate in the 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. services on Wednesday, December 16th. Please mark that date on your calendars. Your child is expected to be at both services. Again, if you cannot make it Mrs. Bell will need a note.
In math we started the 100 problem timed tests. If your child is having trouble be sure to do some extra practice at home. Remember they have 6 minutes to complete the 100 problems.
I have not set a date yet, but we will be having a continents and oceans quiz sometime before Christmas. Please have your child be studying the attached map. They will be given a blank map and they will have to label the 7 continents and 4 oceans. The do not need to study the spellings. I will have a list for them. I will send home a practice test when we get back from Thankgiving break.
Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week, we finished up our unit “Leaders for the Lord.” The last leader we talked about was Josiah. Josiah became king when he was only 10 years old. Josiah was taught about God and he set out to repair the temple. While doing so, the scriptures were found, including God’s commandments for the people. Previous kings did not live according to God’s commands. Josiah was sad about the nation’s sinfulness and how they had been living. He gathered the people to repent and hear God’s word. The people then worshiped God and celebrated the Passover because they knew that God delivered them, forgave them, and loved them. The Bible also teaches us about our lives. The Ten Commandments remind us that we are all sinners. The Gospel tells us the good news that Jesus loves, forgives, and saves us. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us to live as God’s people. God wants us to tell everyone the good news of His love and salvation. In addition, we started a new unit entitiled, “Jesus is Coming.” We began by talking about the prophets and the message they had foretold. They told of a savior who would come and bring forgiveness and eternal life. What a wonderful message to share.

Math: In math this week we started adding double digit numbers with carrying or regrouping. The kids got really excited about this and most of them picked up on it pretty quick. We even tried a few problems adding 3 and 4 digit numbers. Try a few at home with your child. Again, make sure you continue practicing addition facts for the 100 problem fact tests. We have also started subtraction by 1’s as well.

Reading: In reading this week we reviewed the sounds of nd, nk, and ng. In addition we practiced reading with more feeling again, which means we pay attention to the sentence punctuation and whether or not someone is speaking. I love listening to the kids read once this becomes a habit. We read a new story entitled, “ My First American Friend.” We went over the following high frequency words: girls, last, didn’t, myself, flying, and soon.

Science/SS: In science this week, we began a new unit about the earth’s surface. We talked about weathering and erosion. We also discussed how earthquakes and volcanoes can change the earth’s surface. In addition, we talked in detail about rocks, sand, and soil. In social studies, we practiced reading a landform map and talked about various regions. As a class we reviewed the seasons and talked about climate. Depending on one’s location, seasons and climate will vary. Finally, we have been studying the continents and oceans. We have a little chant to help us remember. We have also been locating these on a map. We will have a continent and oceans quiz before Christmas. I will give more details after Thanksgiving.

Language Arts: In language arts, we studied abbreviations, more specifically abbreviations for titles. Abbreviations are like sentences, they start with a capital and end with a period (Mr., Mrs., Dr., Jr., etc.). We did return to verbs as well. We did some work with past tense verbs and talked about adding –ed. Finally, we worked on combining sentences. Instead of writing two short sentences we combined sentences with the same subject to make one longer sentence.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we talked about the vowel sound heard in ball. Next, week we will not have a spelling unit, so the spelling list that is attached is for the week of Nov. 30th -Dec. 4th. In phonics, we worked on the hard and soft “g.” In addition, we went over the following high frequency words: only, laugh, own, even, their, might.

God’s blessings this Thanksgiving!! I am thankful for this class for your child! Thank you for all your support so far this year. I appreciate it. We all have much to be thankful for. God has richly blessed us!!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: sheep, chase, wish, much, chop, each, dish, such, wash, ship, catch, sure, she, chin
Challenge Words: shout, lunch

Extra List: weak, ahead, another, whenever, treat, window, forever, railway, pushed, lettuce, walked, sticks, plates, readers
Challenge Words: chalkboard, niece

Memory: May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise. Psalm 119:41

2009-11-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! What a great week! I want to thank the class for their hard work on the habitat projects. I was very impressed! We did much better this week with following directions and getting back into the routine. Here are a few reminders:
Book-It!!! Remember to mark your minutes down for November on your calendar.
Advent services are coming up in December. I know it is still seems far off, but it will be here before you know it. Our class will participate in the 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. services on Wednesday, December 16th. Please mark that date on your calendars. Your child is expected to be at both services. Again, if you cannot make it Mrs. Bell will need a note.
Chapel offerings are going to Pastor Lima in New Orleans. Pastor Lima was vicar at Zion at one time.

Religion: This week we talked about the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s teacher Elijah was taken to heaven. Elisha was worried he wouldn’t be able to do his job well and he was sad that he could no longer talk to his friend Elijah. Elijah was happy to be able to go to his heavenly home. So the class talked about some sad and glad things that have happened in their lives. We also talked about how we can bring both sad things and glad things to God in prayer. We can ask for His help and comfort with the sad things in our lives. We can thank and praise Him for the glad things with which He blesses us. We also talked about King Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good king. He tore down idols. He led the people in worshiping and obeying the Lord. Hezekiah knew Jerusalem was under attack, but he prayed to the Lord. He trusted in God’s might and the Lord took care of the enemy. Hezekiah also became very sick when he was a young man in his 30’s. Hezekiah was sad because there was much that he still wanted to do to help the people and serve the Lord. Hezekiah again prayed to the Lord. The Lord heard his prayers and gave Hezekiah 15 more years to live. Hezekiah was faithful to God, but that doesn’t mean everything always went right for him. We live in a troubled world, and Satan is always trying to attack us. God has won the victory over sin. He gives us the victory through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. We can trust that He has power to help us with our other troubles in the way and time He knows best.

Math: In math this week, we talked about polygons. We practiced making polygons on a geoboard, which the kids really enjoyed. We also practiced adding 3 or more single digit numbers. One strategy we use is to locate two numbers that will equal ten first. We also learned how to write fractions using fraction notation. We tested our addition facts over 15 ,16, 17, and 18. Now we will be moving on to subtraction, but we will still occasionally take a 100 problem addition fact test. The kids will be given 6 minutes to finish, so keep practicing addition facts at home.

Reading: In reading, we tested our comprehension, worked on identifying details, and reviewed the following high frequency words: small, brown, sea, lead, and island. We read in groups and talked about words with –nd, -nk, and-ng. Finally, we reviewed our dictionary skills as we talked about guide words.

Science/SS: In science this week we shared our habitat projects. I really enjoyed listening and it is so nice to see them take so much pride in their work. Thank you for your help as well. In social studies, we learned how to read a grid map and we also talked about North America. We identified its neighbors to the north and to the south. We also talked about various landforms and bodies of water (example: gulf, island, peninsula, hills, mountains, etc.)

Language Arts: In language arts we finally were able to finish our descriptive writings. You should have seen them in your child’s folder yesterday or today. We also started a new unit on verbs. We first talked about action verbs and present-tense verbs. We also talked about subject-verb agreement.

Spelling and Phonics: In spelling this week we studied words that have the long “e” spelled with ee, ea, or just e. Next week we will be studying words with the vowel sound you hear in ball. In phonics, we practiced identifying how many syllables were in a word. In addition, we talked about words that end with –le and the hard/soft sounds of the letter “c.”

Remember, whether it is a sad thing or a glad thing, you can always take it to the Lord in prayer. God’s blessings on your weekend!

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: dog, paw, call, saw, ball, all, draw, small, log, fall, best, came
Challenge Words: stall, claw

Extra List: mouse, owns, steak, pretty roommate, rained, depart, rider, caves, carpet, pail, pipes, badly, display
Challenge Words: monuments, thoughts

Memory: I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:3
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow. Philippians 2:10

2009-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings from 2nd grade! This week was hectic. We were trying to get back on track. I apologize if things seemed unorganized. It seemed as though the kids forgot what it was like to be in school J. Next week, it is my hope that we will be back into our routine. Here are a few reminders:
Your child’s habitat project is due this Monday, November 9th. If the project is late points will be deducted. I am looking forward to seeing what each one of them has been working on. Don’t forget to have them answer the questions in complete sentences.
The church is continuing to collect canned goods for those in need. I believe the food bank is going to try to put together baskets for families at Thanksgiving time. Any non-perishable food item you could donate would be a huge help. Have your child bring it to the classroom and I will be sure to get it where it needs to go.
I am sorry that I haven’t been able to get a hold of some of you to reschedule conferences. I was out of town last weekend. I also had a dentist appointment, church meeting, tutoring, and some make up conferences this past week. If you still wish to reschedule please give me a call at 720-217-7017.
I sent out book orders this past Wednesday (the 4th). The forms are due back on Friday, November 13th. Please make checks payable to scholastic. If you are thinking about giving books as Christmas presents for your child, let me know and I will arrange to give you the books instead of sending them home with your child.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week, we talked about David and Jonathan and the friendship they had. Sometimes we take our friendships for granted. We often know what I want a friend to do for us. But we forget to be a friend in return. We all need help. Our help comes from our best friend. Jesus loved us so much that he gave up everything, even His life, to save us from sin. Jesus is the best example of a friend. Jesus knows we have a lot to learn about friendship. He forgives what we have done wrong, and then He also helps us to learn to show true friendship to others. The Bible says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.” (Ephesians 4:32-5:2)

Math: In math this week we continued adding 2-digit numbers. We tested over our 13/14 facts and moved onto our 15, 16, 17 and 18 facts. We talked about measuring in feet and when it makes sense to use inches and feet. Finally, we practiced drawing and reading a number line.

Reading: This week we did some reviewing from last week. We reviewed antonyms, sentences, and some vowel-consonant-e. I thought we had that down, but we did need some more work. We also started a new story entitled, “Where Does the Trail Lead?” These were the vocabulary words: brown, island, lead, smell, dunes, tracks, twilight, and tidepools.

Science/SS: In science this week, we differentiated between food chains and food webs. It can be a little confusing for them. In addition, we took the Unit B test together as a class. The kids were able to use the book to find answers and we would talk about each one. I did not want to send out another study guide because the habitat projects are due on Monday and we just took our social studies test at the beginning of the week. In social studies we started a new unit entitled, “The World Around Us.” We will be talking about regions, landforms, climates, directions, etc.

Language Arts: In class this week we continued working on our rough drafts for our descriptive writing. We did not get as far as I had hoped last week. Again, students are supposed to use their senses to describe one of their favorite places. Once the rough draft is written we will revise it and start the final draft. Some kids are at that point, and others still have a little ways to go.

Spelling and Phonics: In spelling this week we studied more long “a” spellings and next week we will be studying more long “e” spellings. In phonics, we reviewed and tested on long vowels. In addition we started working on compound words.

God’s blessings on the week ahead. We thank God for the gift of friendship!!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: clean, keep, please, green, we, be, eat, tree, mean, read, the, people, he, feet
Challenge Words: stream, street

Extra List: sure, ready, shout, places, wait, pairs, office, robin, booklets, bean, space, warn, branch, talk
Challenge Words: field, phone

Memory: If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8

2009-10-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! We are continuing to stay busy in 2nd grade. It seems that one thing ends and the next is right there waiting. I pray that you enjoy the three day weekend. Here are some reminders to keep you up to date on what is coming our way!

Read! Read! Read! Don’t forget to keep track of the minutes you read outside of school on your calendar. Your goal is 15 minutes a day or 450 minutes for the month of November! Turn in your October calendars on November 2nd! Your new November calendar is attached.

Good news!! I was told we would not be able to participate in the Book-It reading program, but Mr. Hubach was able to talk to someone. Pizza Hut did send us some certificates. So, if your child meets their goal each month then he/she will receive a certificate for a free personal pan pizza. Again, if your child meets the goal for 6 consecutive months, then they will have a pizza party at school!!

We will be doing a science habitat project. Your child has picked an animal. With your help they will do a little research. They will have to transform a shoebox (or any box around that size) into their animal’s habitat. I then need them to answer a few questions. The project is due Monday, November 9th. If they are done before that date they can go ahead and bring it in early.

Now that the second quarter has begun, my expectations will be a bit higher. We have one quarter under our belt and by now we should be in our routine and the kids should know what is expected of them. Any late work will have points taken off and if your child forgets their name on their paper he/she will write their name 50 times. Not as many warnings for talking or behavior will be given out. I have discussed this with the kids.

Here’s what we have been up to this week!
Religion: This week we have learned many things about Martin Luther. We have seen how he was born and baptized, how he went to school, and how he grew up to be a famous monk, teacher, and pastor. We have also learned why many Christians each year celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st. Martin Luther was raised thinking that he had to be afraid of God. He did many things so that God would not get angry with him. He thought the more good works he did, the better his chances of getting to heaven would be. But, when Martin started to study his Bible he realized maybe not everything he was taught was true. The more Martin read, the more he learned about Jesus and how He died on the cross for the sins of all. “Even for my sins,” thought Martin Luther. He came to understand that God loves us and that we do not have to be afraid of God. Martin Luther helped bring this good news to the church. He helped reform the church. Your kids will probably forget some of the things we learned about Martin Luther, but it is my hope that they remember the most important thing that Martin Luther taught: God loves us. He loves us so very much that He sent Jesus, His own Son, to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus paid for all our sins. The Bible tells us about God’s love. We want to read the Bible to learn more about God’s great love.

Math: In math this week we practiced finding a line of symmetry in different shapes. In addition, we began adding 2-digit numbers. The kids are really excited about this. We have not begun carrying yet, but that will be here before you know it. We are still practicing our facts. We are working on sums of 13/14, although our fact test will include various facts from previous weeks.

Reading: In reading this week I checked comprehension from the story we read last week. We also learned to categorize and classify different animals with shells. We reviewed how to sound out CVCE words and went over some high frequency words from the story. The class also talked about antonyms. We call it the fancy word for opposites. We did not have time for reading groups this week.

Science and SS: In science this week, we reviewed the habitats that we talked about last week: tundra, grassland, rain forest, desert, ocean, and pond. In addition to describing them, we also talked about what kind of animals you might find in those environments. We also talked a little more about our habitat projects. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Habitat projects are due November 9th. If handed in late, points will be deducted. In social studies, we took our Unit 4 test. Next week we will be starting Unit 2.

Language Arts: This week the children chose their topic for the descriptive writing. They were assigned to choose one of their favorite places. In the writing they are expected to use their five senses to describe their favorite place. We are still working on our rough draft.

Spelling and Phonics: In spelling this week, we worked on words with double consonants. Next week, we will be working on words with different long “a” spellings. In phonics, we are working with the long “e” sound and spellings. In addition, we studied the following high frequency words: song, said, something, boy, girl, and people.

Take time to read about God’s love in the Bible this weekend!! God has amazing love for each one of us!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling List: train, way, mail, play, trail, pay, sail, hay, nail, rain, they, great, stay, day
Challenge Words: railroad, subway

Extra List: nail, load, hundred, household, belonged, study, newspaper, restore, enough, stone, packed, corners, wished, asks
Challenge Words: journey, answer

Memory Work: The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
Psalm 118:14
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
I John 4:11

2009-10-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! It seems like a few things have been going around at school. Please make sure your child is washing hands, eating right, and getting plenty of sleep. If they are sick just keep them home. We are sanitizing our desks, doorknobs, etc. In addition we are washing hands and trying not to spread our germs. I pray that everyone stays healthy. Please check out the following announcements.

Read! Read! Read! Don’t forget to keep track of the minutes you read outside of school on your calendar. Your goal is 15 minutes a day or 465 minutes for the month of November! Turn in your calendars on November 2nd! Remember if you are interested in that bookmark that is also a timer go to markmytime.com or Barnes and Noble.

Today was the last day of the quarter. Report cards will go home Wednesday, October 28th.
There will also be no school on Friday, October 30th. Parent teacher conferences will take place on Thursday the 29th and Friday the 30th. I will confirm a time and send a slip home so you can put it down on your calendars.

Picture retakes are on the 27th at about 10:30. I believe you are to bring your first set of pictures back.

Our next social studies test will be on Wednesday, October 28th. We will be taking it in the morning sometime. The test is over Unit 4: People Long Ago. The study guide was sent home last week.

On Wednesday, October 28th, we will be having a skating party at the Wagon Wheel. This will take place in the afternoon. If you have not turned in your child’s permission slip please have it in by Monday. Grades 1-4 will be going. This takes the place of a “Halloween party.” However, on Thursday afternoon we will be doing a small craft and having a treat. We will not be dressing up in costumes.

We will be doing a science habitat project. Your child has picked an animal. With your help they will do a little research. They will have to transform a shoebox (or any box around that size) into their animal’s habitat. I then need them to answer a few questions. All the details are attached. The project is due Monday, November 9th. If they are done before that date they can go ahead and bring it in early.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week, we continued to talk about various leaders for the Lord. Again, the people of Israel turned away from God. This time God allowed an enemy, the Midianites to overrule the land. The Midianites robbed the people of their food and animals. So the people hid from their enemies. God chose Gideon to lead the army, but Gideon wasn’t sure he could do it. The Lord promised he would be with Gideon. Gideon gathered an army, but the Lord said it was too big. So, many of the soldiers were sent home. Gideon’s army small, but God didn’t want the people to say they fought and won because they had only the bravest soldiers. God said he would use this small group to save Israel. Now, if this sounds unusual, listen to the weapons the army was to carry—not swords, not shields, not spears—just empty jars, torches, and trumpets! The most powerful weapon they had was God Himself! God won the victory! We also talked about David and Goliath. David was only a boy but he trusted the Lord to help him defeat the giant Goliath. David used only a small stone to defeat a giant that the entire army was worried about. We have “giants” in our lives too. In other words, we will have problems while we are in this sin-filled world. But God is our only hope, and He will never leave us.

Math: In math this week, we practiced ordering 2-digit numbers. We tested over the sums of 12 and started practicing the sums of 13 and 14. We learned to read a recipe and measure the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. We got to eat them too!! Finally, we practiced counting money, again we stuck with dimes, nickels, and pennies for now!

Reading: In reading this week, we practiced reading and writing different kinds of sentences. Again, we talked about how our voice might sound different when you read a question or exclamation. We also read a new story entitled “What lives in a shell?” We studied the following vocabulary words: grow, smooth, open, enemies, goes, outgrow, opening, and hollow. We also are continuing to read in groups.

Science and SS: This week in science we talked about how living things survive in different places. We defined the following words: pond, ocean, tundra, grassland, rain forest, desert. In addition, we gave some examples of animals you might find in each environment. I also spent time explaining the habitat project which is due on Monday, November 9th. Your child chose their own animal. In social studies we talked about differentiating between fact and fiction and we also reviewed for the test which is on Wednesday, October 28th.

Language Arts: In language arts we studied compound words. The kids picked up on this really fast. In addition, we talked about good leads and endings for paragraphs that we write. We like to start with a topic sentence and give some kind of closure to our paragraph. Finally, we started talking about the descriptive writing we will be starting next week.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we studied words with k or ck. Next week we will be studying words with double consonants. The pretest will be on Monday and the posttest will be on Thursday. In phonics, we are continuing to work on long and short vowels, rhyming, and using words in context.

God’s blessings on the week ahead! Remember God will help you face the “giants” in your life!!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: bell, off, dress, add, hill, well, egg, will, grass, tell, at, hot
Challenge Words: brass, skill

Extra List: hour, monkey, becoming, hoping, finest, airplanes, midnight, earth, across, painter, weeds, itself, protest, loud
Challenge Words: coward, should

Memory: The Ninth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
The Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his
manservant or maid servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your
neighbor.

2009-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! Thank you to all of you that could make it to sing in church last Sunday. We appreciate it. The kids sounded wonderful. What a great way to praise the Lord! Here are a few reminders for the upcoming weeks.

Read! Read! Read! Don’t forget to keep track of the minutes you read outside of school on your calendar. Your goal is 15 minutes a day or 465 minutes for the month of November! Turn in your calendars on November 2nd!

Mrs. Schwartz showed me a really cool bookmark that can help you and your child keep track of the time they have spent reading. It is a bookmark with a timer. You can set it to count up or down for the 15 minutes or the 465 minute goal. You can find them at www.markmytime.com or they are available at Barnes and Noble.

Remember the Yankee Candle fundraiser packets are due back this coming Monday, October 19th.

On Friday, October 23rd we will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. This marks the end of the first quarter. Report cards will go out on Wednesday, October 28th.

There will also be no school on Friday, October 30th. Parent teacher conferences will take place on Thursday the 29th and Friday the 30th. Being looking for a conference sign up sheet in the next couple weeks.

Picture retakes are on the 27th and 28th. As soon as I know more details, I will let you know. I believe you are to bring your first set of pictures back.

Our next social studies test will be on Wednesday, October 28th. We will be taking it in the morning sometime. The test is over Unit 4: People Long Ago. The study guide is attached.

On Wednesday, October 28th, we will be having a skating party at the Wagon Wheel. This will take place in the afternoon. Look for a permission slip in the next few weeks. Grades 1-4 will be going. This takes the place of a “Halloween party.” However, on Thursday afternoon we will be doing a small craft and having a treat. We will not be dressing up in costumes.
Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we finished up the story of Moses with the golden calf. We discussed how the story does not end there though. So if you get a chance continue the story at home. When Moses went up to get the Ten Commandments he was gone for a long time—40 days. Some of the people became impatient and some were afraid. They wanted a god they could see and touch. The people no longer loved and trusted God above everything else. They put their own want first. They made a statue of a gold calf and called it their new god. We may not make idol gods for ourselves, but in a way, we fall into the same trap that the Israelites did. Whenever we love something more than we love God, whenever something else becomes most important in our life, it becomes an idol. Actually, most of the when we break the First Commandment, it is because we put ourselves first—we do what we want rather than what God wants. There is only one way to get over this sin sickness that we have. Only Jesus can take away our sins. Only He can change us so that we turn from sin and follow God’s will. Remember the word “JOY.” It is a good acronym for us to remember. Put Jesus first, others next, and yourself last. Trust the Lord!

Math: We began the week by taking our fact test over sums of eleven. We also took our written test on Tuesday. Now we are working on our sums of 12. We continued counting money, but now we added nickels to the mix. Remember when your child counts change they should always begin with the coin that is worth the most. We practiced writing the shorthand date, just using digits. The kids picked up on this pretty easy. They write it on their papers, but some of them never realized what it meant. Finally, we practiced making bar graphs and reading a Venn diagram.

Reading: We started a story entitled “Nature Spy.” It encouraged the kids to take a closer look at things around them outside. The kids really listened because at recess I have kids coming up saying, “Did you know if you take a closer look at a leaf, you can really see the veins we were talking about?” We did a comprehension check, worked on comparing and contrasting, and went over the following vocabulary words: curious, spy, discover, small, green, bird, eye, notice, size, and close. Again, we are working on fluency, so we have been reading aloud quite a bit.

Science and Soc. St. : We started off the week with our Unit A science test. I read the test aloud, but it was an individual assessment. Thank you for all the studying you did at home. We moved on to unit B—“Homes for Living Things.” We started off by answering the question, “What is an Environment?” We discussed the words habitat, environment, and adapt. In social studies, we talked about American heritage. We defined heritage, landmark, and memorial. Some of the symbols of our heritage are the bald eagle, our flag, the Constitution, and the Statue of Liberty. In addition, we talked about heroes and holidays. We discussed a few heroes like Harriet Tubman and Neil Armstrong and their accomplishments. We defined the word legend and discussed that some parts of legends may be made up. Finally, we discussed the following holidays and why they are celebrated: President’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. There will be a test on Wednesday, October 28th. The study guide is attached!

Language Arts: In language arts this week we talked about plural possessives. This has been very confusing to some. Each year this seems to be a tough concept. We will be reviewing this again. We also learned how to write a greeting and closing to a letter. The tricky part seems to be the commas. This will come in handy later when we write our penpals in Newhall, IA (it is my mom’s second grade class).

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week, we studied words with consonant clusters. In phonics we are continuing to work on long vowels. I know many of you may think this is too easy, but there are several ways to spell long vowels so this is a pretty long unit for us. We reviewed long a, i, and u. I introduced the long “o.”

God’s blessings on the week ahead! Remember the acronym for JOY!

Jesus
Others
You

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: lake, rock, ask, pick, truck, black, back, bake, clock, kick, kite, take
Challenge Words: dock, snake

Alternate List: driving, aunt, pain, hearing, training, birthday, grasshopper, hello, pool, howl, safe, talked, bottle, thinks
Challenge Words: energy, disturbed

Memory Work: The 6th Commandment: You shall not commit adultery.
The 7th Commandment: You shall not steal.
The 8th Commandment: You shall not give false testimony against
your neighbor.

2009-10-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! It was wonderful to see all the kids back after the extended weekend. I hope many of you got a chance to enjoy the time off too. They have done such a wonderful job this week getting right back into the routine. Again, I just want to highlight a few things for the upcoming weeks.

Don’t forget we sing at Zion Lutheran Church at 8:00 a.m. this coming Sunday, October 11th. Mrs. Bell is asking that all the kids meet in our classroom by 7:45 a.m. This is an awesome opportunity for both 2nd grade classes to share Christ with others and to praise the Lord! Remember, if you can’t make it please send in a note for Mrs. Bell.

Read! Read! Read! Don’t forget to keep track of the minutes you read outside of school on your calendar. Your goal is 15 minutes a day or 465 minutes for the month of November!

Our science test is this coming Monday, October 12th. The study guide went home a few weeks ago. We have been studying in class and hopefully you have been spending time on it at home. If not you have time to brush up on it this weekend.

Remember the Yankee Candle fundraiser packets are due back on Monday, October 19th.

On Friday, October 23rd we will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. This marks the end of the first quarter. Report cards will go out on Wednesday, October 28th.

There will also be no school on Friday, October 30th. Parent teacher conferences will take place on Thursday the 29th and Friday the 30th. Being looking for a conference sign up sheet in the next couple weeks.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week in religion, we talked about how Moses lead the people out of Egypt (the Exodus). Really, we know we can’t give all the credit to Moses. As a class we talked about the 3 P’s: present, patient, and powerful. God was present the entire time. A pillar of cloud led them by day, and a pillar of fire led them by night. We know that He is always with us too. God was patient. God had shown His power and protection. But at the first sign of trouble, the Israelites panicked and complained. God could have given up on these people. Instead He was patient and faithful. God is patient with us even though we make mistakes and sin. He continues to love us, forgive us, and help us to follow Jesus. God is powerful. God showed his power as we parted the Red Sea and destroyed the enemy. Jesus has shown His power over sin, death, and the devil—the greatest enemies of all. We also began talking about the Ten Commandments. The commandments tell us what we should not do, but they also help us understand what we will do through God’s power working in us. God loved us and sent Jesus to save us. Now, because of our love for God, we want to do His will. It is impossible for us to follow the commandments perfectly because we are sinners. But God had a plan. He sent someone who could obey for us. Since we break the rules we deserve to be punished, but God sent Jesus to take the punishment for us. We are truly loved! Now we strive to live as children of God.

Math: We started out the week by taking a written test and practicing measuring in inches with a ruler. The kids liked it. Challenge your child to do some measuring at home. We also practiced trading pennies for dimes. This is something that can also be worked on at home. I suggest keeping a bag or bowl of change around to practice with weekly.

Reading: This week in reading we continue to work on fluency. We read some passages several times and I talked to the kids about how much better it flowed after they felt more confident and comfortable. Sometimes we have to break the sentence into sections and read them. We did a lot of group reading this week. In addition, we talked about answering questions in complete sentences and using part of the question in the answer.

Science and SS: In science this week we talked about the plant life cycle. Our big word for the day was germination. In addition, we spent much of our time reviewing for the test, which is on Monday. In social studies, we talked about independence. We discussed the 13 colonies and how they wanted to form their own country. The Declaration of Independence was written and then signed on July 4, 1776. Finally, we talked about the American Revolution and some important leaders at that time.

Language Arts: This week we reviewed when to use capital letters. Some kids are making silly mistakes on these worksheets by rushing or simply not following directions. I have reminded many of them several times, but perhaps you could encourage reading the directions, etc. at home. I also introduced plural nouns. The rule we learned is when the word ends with ch, sh, s, x, or z, then you add –es. In most other cases you just need to add –s to make a word plural. When the word ends with a y, then you change the y to an i and add –es. Then of course there are those words that are irregular and don’t follow the rules.

Spelling and Phonics: This week we did more vowel-consonant-e words and next week we will be studying words with consonant clusters. In phonics, we went over long “i” and long “u” spellings. In addition, we studied the following high frequency words: could, over, very, come, one, and these.

God’s blessings on your weekend! Remember the three P’s! God is present. God is patient. God is powerful!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: trip, swim, step, nest, club, stone, next, brave, glad, lost, flat, slip,
Challenge words: branches, storm

Alternate List: indeed, fourteen, thanking, hurry, shame, tool, while, roar, pulling, somebody, higher, grain, navy, oats
Challenge Words: lightning, believe

Memory: The Third Commandment-Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
The Fourth Commandment-Honor your father and your mother.
The Fifth Commandment-You shall not murder.

2009-09-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! Our class really enjoyed the marble party last week and we are already working towards the next one. Keep it up 2nd grade!! Please take note of the following reminders:

Remember sightword flashcards go home on Tuesdays and are returned by Friday. Thank you for returning them promptly. Last week I had all the flashcards by Friday. I really appreciate it!!

If you have not returned your midterm please do so by Monday. Don’t forget to sign it!
The carnival is tonight from 3:30 to 7:30!! Hope to see you there. Thanks to the PTL for all their hard work.

Attached to the newsletter is our first science study guide. The science test will be Monday, October 12th. I know it seems like I am giving this to you really early, but your children will have to look up some answers for the study guide. I really want them to be prepared! We will be reviewing in class Oct. 5th-9th.

Next week, the teachers will be attending the Rocky Mountain District Conference. There will be no school Wednesday, September 30th through Friday, October 2nd. There will be no spelling or memory for those two days. The spelling list and memory attached is for the week of Oct. 5th-9th. You will have plenty of time to study!!

The 2nd grade classes will be singing in church on Sunday, October 11th at 8:00 a.m. Please make plans to be there. If you cannot attend Mrs. Bell will need a note. I look forward to hearing the kids praise the Lord!

I believe the PTL is starting a fundraiser on Monday, September 28th. The kids will have the opportunity to sell Yankee Candles. Be looking for more information to come home soon.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we started talking about the story of Moses. God protected baby Moses from the danger of being killed by the Egyptian soldiers because God had important work for Moses to do. God is powerful enough to protect us from dangers too. When we are sick, injured, or when other things go wrong, we can pray to God to help or to send helpers. He will always do what is best and at the time that is best. God had a plan for Moses and He has a plan for you too. Moses was chosen by God to lead the people out of Egypt. Moses wasn’t sure he could handle it, but God was with him every step of the way. Moses had to trust in the Lord. Some things in life are very difficult. God never said it would be easy to make the right choices. But He did say that when we rely on Him and trust in Him, we can be sure that He is with us and will help us.

Math: In math this week we tested over sums of 8 and 9 and began practicing sums of 10. We weighed some items using a scale and blocks (non-standard units). We practiced adding 10 to a multiple of 10, for example 40+10 or 70+10. We started putting things in pairs. Finally, we talked about place value, focusing on the tens and ones places.

Reading: In reading this week we talked about “wh” and “th.” We discussed how “th” can make two different sounds. We read a new story entitled “Animal Tracks.” We discussed the story and worked on summarizing. In addition, we worked on writing a short story and organizing the text. We did some reading in groups as well.

Science/SS: In science this week we talked about the parts of a plant. In addition, we discussed the function of each part of the plant. We did an experiment to prove how the stem functions and what happens when the stem of a plant is bent. The kids had to predict what would happen. Ask your child to explain. The science test over Unit A will be on October 12th. Please look at the study guide! In social studies, we talked about diagrams, especially family trees. We talked about generations and they made their own simple family tree. In addition, we talked about early America. We discussed the settlers, where they came from, and why they wanted to leave. We talked about what life was like in their new colony and what they learned from the Native Americans.

Language Arts: In language arts, we made a cover page for our personal narrative and it was sent home. Then, we started a new unit on nouns. Nouns can be people, places, things, and ideas. In addition we talked about proper nouns, which is something we struggle with when we write in our daily work. Hopefully this will give them a boost in the area.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we worked on vowel-consonant-e words. The kids should know that the silent “e” on the end makes the other vowel say its name (or makes it a long vowel). We have another unit on them next week. Remember, if you chose to go with the challenge list you only need to study that list for the test. In phonics we are continuing to review short vowels.

God’s blessings on the weekend!! Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid I will trust in You.” Remember to put your trust in the Lord. He will always be there!

In Him,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: bone, nose, use, these, rope, home, cute, close, hope, those, one, goes, make, ride
Challenge Words: globe, mule

Alternate List: begin, again, mittens, teaching, soap, children, size, speed, people, says, planted, headed, louder, sliding
Challenge Words: November, renewed

Memory: The First Commandment: You shall have no other gods.
The Second Commandment: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

2009-09-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! Things are going well in 2nd grade. I want you all to know that I take time to pray for each of your families every week. Have a wonderful weekend! Please take note of the following:
The book fair will be taking place September 20th-25th. You may go and purchase books with your child before and after school. The book fair is also open Sunday between services I believe. Our class will be going to the book fair on Wednesday, September 23rd at 10:30. You may send money with your child that day if you would like. I will not be allowing your child to leave class to purchase things at the book fair.

Individual school pictures for our class will be taken Tuesday, September 22nd at about 10:10. Please have your child dressed in the clothes you want them in for pictures. We will not have much time to change. They may change after pictures if you would like.

Remember sightword flashcards go home on Tuesdays and are returned by Friday.

The midterm ended today. Midterm reports will go home Wednesday, September 23rd. At that time I will send home an alternate spelling list for you too look at. If you are interested in your child trying this list please indicate that when you sign and return their midterm.

The school carnival is Friday, September 25th, from 3:30-7:30. I hope to see you all there.

I have received news that the food drive will be going on until September 25th. So if you didn’t get a chance you can bring something in and help support our community food pantry.
Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we talked about Joseph. Joseph was one of 12 brothers. His father, Jacob, showed favoritism toward Joseph. This made Joseph’s brothers jealous. They ended up being so angry that they planned to get rid of him. They sold Joseph as a slave. Later, Joseph was put in jail for something he didn’t do. Joseph definitely went through some rough times, but Joseph knew that God was with him every step of the way. God had a plan to turn the bad things into something good. The Bible tells us “to give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Even when bad things happen to us, we can give thanks because we know that God’s love and forgiveness will continue. We know that God has a plan for good.

Math: We began the week by taking our 5th written test. The kids are now taking these tests independently. They are doing fairly well, but I have to remind them to read all the directions. Please encourage them to do this on their homework as well. This week we also practiced reading a bar graph, using tallies, counting by 5’s, and identifying different types of lines (horizontal, vertical, and oblique). In addition, we worked on dividing a whole into halves, fourths, and eighths.

Reading: In reading this week I tested the kids comprehension on our last story. We discussed the digraphs th and wh and went over the following high frequency words: better, hour, pick, stay, and told. The class worked on alphabetizing words and reading with feeling (for example, your voice may have inflection when reading a question or exclamation). In addition, we are reading in groups.

Science and SS: In science this week we differentiated between reptiles, amphibians, and fish. This can be kind of tricky because there are some similarities. In addition, we talked about animal life cycles. In social studies, we took our first test. Thank you for all the studying you did at home. Most of the kids were very prepared. Today we started Unit 4: People Long Ago. I must say I had to laugh because one of the kids said, “So we are learning about our parents.” J We discussed the term past, present, and future.

Language Arts: In language arts this week we have been working hard on our personal narratives. A personal narrative tells about something that happened to you. It is a true story and your child is to tell/write it using time order words. Time order words are words that show the order in which things happen (example: first, then, next, after that, finally). We did a prewrite, added details, wrote a rough draft, and now we are working on the final copy.

Spelling and Phonics: This week in spelling we focused on short “u” words. Next week, we will be moving on to vowel-consonant-e words. There will be a note about the alternate spelling list with your child’s midterm next Wednesday. In phonics, we continued to review short vowels. In addition, we went over the following high frequency words: does, about, our, then, other, and where.

Remember to give thanks in all circumstances and know the Lord has a plan!

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: five, late, nine, made, side, ate, fine, same, hide, line, give, have, gave, bike
Challenge Words: mistake, write

Memory: Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit.”
John 15:16

The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. Hebrews 13:6

2009-09-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Greeting from 2nd grade!! We got back to work in no time. The three day weekend didn’t even throw them off. Good job 2nd graders!!
There will be a canned food drive going on at school until September 17th. Please send in any canned foods to help support our community food pantry. Your donations are greatly appreciated.
The school carnival is Friday, September 25th, from 3:30-7:30. I hope to see you all there. We are still looking for volunteers to sign up and work the 2nd grade booth. There is a sign-up sheet outside the classroom door. We appreciate your help!!
We will be having our first Social Studies test Tuesday, September 15th. The study guide was given out last Friday. It is over unit 3. The study guide is on the blog as well.
Each week sight word flashcards will be handed out. We will begin next Tuesday. Please go through them with your child. The flashcards will be due back on Fridays so that I have time to get things together for the next week. As soon as your child tests out of all three lists, I will stop sending them home for him/her.
Here’s what we have been up to this week!

Religion: This week we talked about Jacob and his family sin. There were a lot of tricky things happening in this story. But the biggest trickster was the devil. He tricked all four people into doing wrong. Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau fell for the devil’s tricks and temptations. They fell into sin. Isaac was told by God to give the special family blessing to Jacob, but planned to give it to Esau. Isaac did not want to obey God’s will. Rebekah sinned because she thought up a tricky plan and talked her son Jacob into doing wrong. Jacob lied to his father and cheated his brother. Esau hated his brother and wanted to kill him. Sin and the devil made a mess of things. This happens in our lives too! When we mess up something, we throw it away. But God didn’t throw out Jacob and Esau and their parents. And when we mess up by falling into sin, God doesn’t toss us out either. Instead, God gets rid of the mistakes through Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to take away those sins completely. Because of Jesus our sins are gone. Because God forgives us, we also ought to forgive one another. Esau forgave Jacob and they once again had peace with one another!

Math: This week we practiced reading a thermometer to the nearest 10 degrees. Later in the year we will become more precise and accurate. In addition, we worked on counting pennies and dimes. We also began work with fact families. A fact family consists of 3 numbers. With those three numbers we can make 2 addition problems and 2 subtraction problems. (Example: 5,6, and 11 : 5+6=11, 6+5=11, 11-6=5, 11-5=6) Finally, we tested over our doubles plus one facts and then practiced sums of 8 and 9.

Reading: We began the week by taking a picture walk through the new story and making a prediction. We then read the story and went over the following vocabulary words: teach, sharing, taught, special, learned. We learned to differentiate between real and fantasy. In addition, we did some reading in groups.

Science/SS: In science this week we started a new unit on animals. We did some comparing between birds and mammals. Mammals usually have hair or fur, while birds have feathers. Mammals have live young, but birds lay eggs. Mammals feed their young with milk from its mother, but birds have to go out and find food for their young. In social studies, we worked on being able to follow a route. In addition, we talked about the compass rose and directions. Finally, we reviewed and studied for the test which is next Tuesday, September 15th.

Language Arts: In language arts, we worked with time order words like first, next, then, and finally. In addition, we started brainstorming for our first writing which will be a personal narrative.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we went over short “o” words. Next week will be the short “u” unit. In phonics, we are continuing to review short vowels as well.

God’s blessings on your weekend!! Remember to share God’s forgiveness with others!

In Him,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: sun, mud, bug, fun, but, hug, bun, nut, bus, rug, some, from, up, run
Challenge Words: thunder, puddle

Memory Work: Pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:28
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.
Romans 8:28

2009-09-10T05:52:00.001-07:00

This is a study guide for our first social studies test. We will be doing much of the test together since it is our first one. After this test they will be doing the tests independently. I will be reading each test, but will not offer any help. I am asking that you go over this study guide with your child for a few nights. This will help them prepare for the test and gain good study skills. Unit 3 covers pages 104-151. We have covered all of this in class, but if you would like to glance over the material you are more than welcome. Thank you!

Study Guide
Unit 3 : Using Our Resources

Vocabulary-Matching
1. Conservation – the saving of resources to make them last longer
2. Fuel – a resource that can be burned for heat and energy
3. Environment – all of the things that people find around them
4. Natural Resources – something found in nature that people can use, such as air, water, and land
5. Communication – the sharing of ideas and information
6. Transportation – the moving of goods and people from place to place
7. Technology – the use of new objects and ideas in everyday life

Multiple Choice
What are some ways to save natural resources?
- Don’t let the water run
- Recycle newspapers, pop cans, milk jugs, etc.
- Turn off the lights
- Reuse things when possible

What were some things that farmers worried about long ago?
- Rabbits, mice, and bugs ate the young plants
- Sometimes there was no rain
- Bad storms sometimes killed the plants

How has technology helped today’s farmers?
- It makes the work go faster and farmers can get more done in less time
- It makes the work easier
- They can produce more crops

What kinds of communication do we have now?
- e-mail
- Internet
- cell phones
- letters
Which one of the above was also used long ago?

What is the difference between urban and rural areas?

Urban – many businesses, homes and people
- lots of traffic
- noisy

Rural – usually in the country
- wide open spaces
- fewer people
- many times it is a farming community where natural resources are used to grow food and raise animals

Short Answer
There will be a product map that they will have to observe and study. After looking at the map they will be asked to answer a few questions. (Look at pages 136-137 as an example.)

2009-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Greeting from 2nd grade!! The kids are really doing a great job of coming in and getting right to work in the morning. I am so proud of them. They are earning marbles right and left! Keep it up 2nd grade! Just a reminder to make sure your child is getting enough sleep and eating breakfast. In addition, we are trying to make sure everyone is washing hands at school. We want to try and prevent the spreading of germs. Here are a couple of reminders for you:

Next week we will still be having a spelling unit. The pretest will be on Tuesday the 8th and the posttest will be on Friday the 11th.

Don’t forget to sign your child’s behavior chart every evening. If it does not come back signed they will owe a few minutes of recess. In addition, check your child’s homework. The math fact practices that come home need to be timed for 2 minutes. That will help prepare them for the tests.

Remember there will be no school Monday, September 7th due to Labor Day. In addition we will have an early release Thursday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m. We are getting out early because we are hosting the volleyball/soccer games. We are playing Trinity Pueblo and since they have a long trip we like to start the games a little earlier.

As a staff, we were reminded to tell the kids not to wear shorts on Wednesdays for chapel service. Please feel free to send clothes for your child to change into if you so desire.
There will be a canned food drive going on at school until September 17th. Please send in any canned foods to help support our community food pantry. Your donations are greatly appreciated.

The school carnival is Friday, September 25th, from 3:30-7:30. I hope to see you all there. We are still looking for volunteers to sign up and work the 2nd grade booth. There is a sign-up sheet outside the classroom door. We appreciate your help!!

We will be having our first Social Studies test Tuesday, September 15th. The study guide is attached.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week we talked about Abraham. God chose Abraham to do His work and He had a plan for Abraham’s life. God promised to be with him and show him the way to a new land. Abraham obeyed, knowing God does what is best for us. God chose us too!! God chose us because of Jesus! God didn’t choose us because of something we did; He chose us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus is the Savior promised to Adam and to Eve and to Abraham and to all people, including you and me. God was with Abraham and blessed him in many ways. God blesses us each and every day too and he keeps all His promises.

Math: In math this week we practiced drawing picture to go with our story problems. This can be a big help to kids who learn visually. In addition, we practiced dividing shapes in half, making sure we had two equal parts. We tested over our 9’s facts and now will move onto our doubles plus one (for example, 8+9, 7+8, 6+7, etc). These can be very difficult for some kids so it may take some extra practice. Finally, we practiced showing and telling time to the half hour. Again, this may be review for most, but I have to know they can master this before moving on.

Reading: In reading this week we read our story in groups. We covered the following high frequency words: care, night, thank, these, and watch. The following digraphs were reviewed: sh, ch, ck, th, and wh. We made actions to go with each sound, so they will be easy to remember. We practiced putting words in ABC order. We will be doing a lot more of this in the future. We did some more work with some vocabulary words as well.

Science/SS: In science, we discussed the 5 things that plants need. They are as follows: sunlight, water, gases, food-nutrients, and room to grow. We also made a compare and contrast chart on the differences between the needs of plants and animals. In social studies we practiced reading a product map and had the opportunity to each make our own. In addition, we talked about connecting communities. The class discussed how transportation and communication is different today than it was years ago. We will be having our first Social Studies test on Tuesday, September 15th. The study guide is attached.

Language Arts: We have been going over subjects and predicates quite religiously. This is just a hard topic for many of the students to understand. We will continue to review it, but we had to keep moving. This week we also started combining to shorter sentences with the same predicate to form a longer sentence (Example: Trevor hit the ball. Connor hit the ball. Trevor and Connor hit the ball.) We also talked about using commas when we list a series of things. The class reviewed incomplete/complete sentences as well. We need to get in the habit of writing in complete sentences!!!!

Spelling and Phonics: In spelling this week, we studied short “i” words. In a few weeks I will be offering an alternative spelling list that will be a bit more challenging. Next week we will still be having a spelling unit. The pretest will be on Tuesday and the posttest will be on Friday. More details will be coming. In phonics, we started a unit on short vowels. This week we covered short “a” and short “i.”

Enjoy the long weekend!! Remember that God has blessed you in many ways. Give thanks for those blessings.

In Christ,

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: job, pot, nod, top, not, dot, fox, mop, spot, hop, of, on, box
Challenge Words: block, hospital

Memory Work: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. Genesis 28:15
Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9

2009-08-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade! I pray you all had a wonderful week. Class ran very smoothly this week. Some were testing the boundaries a bit, but we’ll get there. We are still working on that daily routine!!!
Remember if your child passes the basic words (not the challenge) with 100% on Monday they will not have to take the test on Friday.
Don’t forget to sign your child’s behavior chart every evening. If it does not come back signed they will owe a few minutes of recess. In addition, check your child’s homework. The math fact practices that come home need to be timed for 2 minutes. That will help prepare them for the tests.
This Sunday, August 30th at 9:30 a.m. there will be a groundbreaking service for the new school addition that will be constructed. This will take place between the 8:00 and 10:45 services. You are all invited to attend. We would love to see you there.
Remember there will be no school Monday, September 7th due to Labor Day. In addition we will have an early release Thursday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m. We are getting out early because we are hosting the volleyball/soccer games. We are playing Trinity Pueblo and since they have a long trip we like to start the games a little earlier.
As a staff, we were reminded to tell the kids not to wear shorts on Wednesdays for chapel service. Please feel free to send clothes for your child to change into if you so desire.
I just wanted you to know that we are doing a lot of review right now. This allows me to see where everyone is academically. We are doing many of our assignments together as a class because I want the kids to know exactly what I expect. This may seem repetitive to you but it is important to set this example. Thank you for your patience!
Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: In religion this week we continued to talk about creation. God made people to the crown or high point of His creation, and He said that people should rule over and take care of all that He created. He gave Adam and Eve that job and He gives us that job as well. When God created the world everything was perfect, but it didn’t stay that way. Adam and Eve sinned and people have been sinning ever since. Sin changes everything. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve were afraid. They felt guilty. They blamed others for what had happened and they made excuses. God hates sin, but He still loved Adam and Eve. He gave them a special promise and this promise was for you and me too. God promised to send His Son, Jesus, to take away the sins of all people. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. That’s how much God loves us!

Math: This week we continued to work on our 2’s addition facts. The kids were tested on them and now we are working on 9’s addition facts. We practiced drawing and reading pictographs, identified fractional parts of a whole, and got a chance to create a color pattern.

Reading: We identified consonant clusters (blends) this week. In addition, we practiced writing and reading complete thoughts. We started a new story entitled “Arthur’s Pet Business.” We summarized the story, discussed some vocabulary words, and tested comprehension to see if they understood the story.

Science/Soc. St.: In science, we reviewed living and nonliving things. There are 5 criteria for living things: 1. They need water. 2. They need food. 3. They need gases (oxygen, etc.) 4. They are able to make new things like themselves. 5. They are able to grow and change. Then we focused specifically on what animals need. In social studies, we discussed where people like to settle. We also differentiated between rural and urban areas, as well as, suburbs. Finally, we discussed how the environment has changed over the years and how technology has made many things easier and more efficient.

Language Arts: In language arts we practiced identifying subjects and predicates. The subject is the “who or what” of the sentence and the predicate tells what the subject does or what it is. This will take a little more practice. We also worked on combining sentences that have the same predicates.

Spelling/Phonics: In spelling this week we studied short “e” words. Next week we will be focusing on the short “i” words. In phonics, we practiced identifying medial consonants and then tested over initial, medial, and final consonants. We will start a new unit on short vowels next week.

Enjoy the weekend!! Share God’s love with someone this weekend!

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling words: pig, win, is, six, his if hit, fix, pin, dig, been, I, did, big
Challenge words: quilt, picnic

Memory: I trust in You, O Lord; I say "You are my God." Psalm 31:14
We love because He first loved us. I John 4:19

2009-08-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!! We have conquered our first full week of school! I am exhausted J. The kids are doing very good. We are still getting into the routine and going over rules and procedures. As a class we need to work on coming in quietly in the morning and READING THE BOARD. I asked the kids to do the steps in order. Some are skipping around and forgetting steps. I told the kids I would really be cracking down this coming week with following rules/directions. I hope they enjoyed the week. As soon as we have everything down, we can really start having fun. I just need them to understand my expectations and realize that we can have fun and learn as long as they can handle it. I have enjoyed the week and getting to know your children. Here are some things to take not of:
Remember if your child passes the basic words (not the challenge) with 100% on Monday they will not have to take the test on Friday.
Don’t forget to sign your child’s behavior chart every evening. If it does not come back signed they will owe a few minutes of recess. In addition, check your child’s homework. The math fact practices that come home need to be timed for 2 minutes. That will help prepare them for the tests.
Next Wednesday, August 26th, chapel will be at 12:45. If you remember, your kids can bring an offering. I believe this quarter our offerings are going to the Brighton food pantry.
The school carnival is Friday, September 25, from 3:30-7:30. I hope to see you all there. We are still looking for volunteers to sign up and work the 2nd grade booth. There is a sign-up sheet outside the classroom door. We appreciate your help.
I just wanted to let you all know that there is a student in our class with a peanut/treenut allergy. If you send in treats for birthdays/class parties please let me know if they contain peanuts/treenuts or not so I can give him an alternative snack if needed.

Here’s what we have been up to this week:

Religion: This week in religion, we talked about how God created the world. God made the entire world from nothing. He simply used His words. He said, “Let there be….and it was so.” With each thing that God made he saw that it was good. What a powerful, amazing God we have. He has the power to do things we could never do. God gave us a beautiful, amazing, wonderful world to live in because He loves us so much. But….people sin by doing bad things. Sin has made a mess of God’s creation…..it is no longer a perfect place. But God has remade us through Jesus, our Savior. Jesus takes our sins away and creates new hearts and new lives in us. Because of Jesus, we are new creatures. Jesus has made us children of God. In addition, we have a job here on earth to take care of God’s creation. We can show out thanks to God by caring for the plants and animals. We also can show thanks for the people that God has put in our lives by loving and forgiving them. I thank God each and every day for the children He puts in my care!!

Math: For the first couple weeks you may notice that we are not doing our math lessons in order. The beginning of the curriculum is a lot of review. It may seem very easy right now so I will be skipping lessons for the first couple weeks. We practiced our doubles math facts ( 9+9, 8+8, 7+7, etc) and moved onto adding 0, 1, and 2. Continue to practice these facts at home. If you have flashcards I recommend using them. We are reviewing telling time by the hour, left and right, writing the date (not the short form), counting , etc. Like I said, it may seem easy for some, but it is important for me to get a feeling for where everyone is.

Reading: This week took a couple picture walks, which means we page through a story and only look at the pictures. We use clues from the pictures to write a prediction. As a group we also talked about summarizing a story. We worked with the following high frequency words (HFW) that showed up in our story: end, far, quietly, family, left, and street.

Science/SS: In science this week we started out with the basics. We worked on differentiating between living and nonliving things. We got a chance to go outside and observe these things. In social studies, we talked about natural resources and how we use them in everyday life. We discussed the following: water, land and trees, air, and fuel. In addition, we briefly talked about conservation and how we can use less of our resources or reuse them. The kids had some good ideas!! For our study skill we practiced reading a picture graph. We will probably review these topics a bit next week.

Language Arts: Again, we started with the basics. We practiced differentiating between and sentence and a sentence fragment. This is a very important concept. I have already noticed in small writing activities that some struggle writing in complete sentences. If you notice this at home please remind your child. In addition, we have started to talk about sentence punctuation. We need to use the clues to let us decide when to use a ., ?, or !.

Spelling and Phonics: This week we studied words that have the short “a” sound. Next week we will be working with the short “e.” Please study these words at home. In phonics we worked with initial consonants and final consonants. This seemed to be review for most.

Please take time this weekend to enjoy God’s beautiful creation!! God’s blessings in the week ahead!

In Christ,
Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: pet, leg, ten, yes, bed, help, set, went, pen, wet, any, said, get, red
Challenge Words: elk, penguin

Memory Work: How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24

2009-08-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings from 2nd grade!!!! The school year has officially begun. I pray you all enjoyed your summer break. It was so nice to get a chance to meet all of you. I appreciate you taking time to schedule your visit. Once again if anything was unclear don’t hesitate to ask questions. If any questions or concerns come up during the year please let me know so the situation can be handled. My phone number is 720-217-7017. Feel free to call or talk to me after school. Let’s make this a great year!!!

The first two days of school were spent mainly going over procedures and getting to know one another. We talked about our class rules and we will continue to review those these first couple weeks. In addition, we talked about consequences and what happens when the rules are broken. Respect was a big topic as well. We discussed what it means to have respect for our classmates, teachers, and for our school.

I wanted to make sure that everyone was familiar with our morning routine. Once again, all students need to be in the classroom by 8:00 or they will be marked tardy. The door will be closed at 8:00. It is important that the students enter quietly and get right to work. I would appreciate if students do their morning routine on their own to gain independence. There will be numbered steps on the board telling them exactly what needs to be done.

Finally, we spent time getting know each other and welcoming any new students to our class. We played name bingo, among other little games to feel more comfortable with one another. We read some books that talk about starting a new school year and how to make it a good one. Most importantly, we talked about how we are all children of God, how much He loves us, and how to show that love to others.

Spelling words and memory work are below. The spelling pretest will be Monday. Remember, if your child passes the 14 BASIC words with 100% they will not have to take the test on Friday. Enjoy the weekend!!! God’s blessings!!!

Miss Rempfer

Spelling Words: hat, bag, as, am, has, sad, bat, ran, sat, bad, was, want, a, an
Challenge Words: mask, fabric

Memory Work: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
God saw all that he made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31