News from Mrs. Higgins Second Grade
November 4th, 2008

THANK YOU to all the parents that helped out with our classroom Halloween party.  It was a big success, and the kids seemed to really enjoy everything from the parade, to the fun treats and games!!  A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU goes out to Colleen Hancock for planning and getting everything together for the big day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!  We will be helping 3 girls celebrate their birthdays in the month of November!!  Happy Birthday to Makenna Williams on November 1st, Sarah Love has a birthday on November 22nd, and Lindsey Stalker will celebrate her birthday on November 27th!!  Happy birthday to these three girls!!

We just finished up our “Mystery Unit”!  The kids learned a lot about Nate the Great and some of the many other detectives that are out there.  We did a lot of “top secret” work before Halloween.  We learned that Nate the Great loved to eat pancakes, so we made some of his fluffy pancakes.  Most of the children really enjoyed the pancakes!  After eating our Nate the Great pancakes, we had to solve our own mystery in 2nd grade and that was catching “The Buck Snatcher!!”  We had so much fun.  The kids did a great job on their Mystery Reports too!!
Spelling Tests!!  Just a reminder to make sure that you’re helping your child study those spelling words at home.  Our first test is on Wednesday, and the final is on Friday.  These are also words that we are adding to the word wall, so they are often times sight words too!!  This will continue to help your child with their reading and writing too!!  Reading, Writing, and Spelling all go hand in hand.

November Book-It!!  For this month the kids are to read 10 stories and do a little story evaluation with one of these stories.  This form came home yesterday.
Read Aloud Time!!  I am just beginning to read Where the Red Fern Grows.  The little boy in the story, Billy, is very determined to get some hound dogs even though his family has no money.  He works for two years to raise $50.00 for his two dogs.  The story goes on to talk about his deep love for his dogs, and all the adventures that Billy has with his dogs.  I hope to have the book finished by December so we can watch the movie.  I hope that your child will come home and tell you every day what is happening in our story!
BOOK ORDERS!!  Book orders are due Monday, November 10th.  I know that it is getting that time of year when we start thinking about gifts for the kids.  If you order books and would like for me to “secretly” hold them until I can hand them to you, I don’t have a problem with that!
As the WEATHER gets colder, please make sure your child wears appropriate clothing for those really cold days – heavy coats, mittens or gloves, and stocking caps.   We will be going outside unless it is raining or snowing.  It really does help if your child’s name is on everything.
Thank you to each and everyone of you for coming to parent-teacher conferences.  It means a lot that you took time-out to come and see your child’s classroom and see how they’re doing in school.  I am very pleased with the progress that every child is making.  Each one of them is unique and special in their own way, and I am truly blessed to be working with such great kids.  THANKS again for all you do to help in your child’s education!!  Remember that if you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at home or school.

DATES TO REMEMBER
** Tuesday, November 11th, Veterans Day
** Thanksgiving Break will be from Wednesday, November 26th through Sunday, November 30th

Have a very thankful November!!!  We have so many things to be thankful for, and we have all been blessed in so many ways.  Have a GREAT month!!