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