On Thursday, May 23, 2023, Zion’s principal declared the end of the 2022/2023 school year at closing chapel and summer officially began!

Our second grader is leaping into third grade! As I look back at my mini me’s second grade year, I am amazed at how much she has grown! Not just in physical height but in academics and confidence too. And we have her nurturing second grade teacher, Mrs. Leeper, to thank for leading us through the special year that is second grade.

Mrs. Leeper– With her quiet disposition, nurturing ways, and keen sense of intuition, it didn’t take Mrs. Leeper long to realize what makes my mini me tick! And that connection helped her guide and nurture my mini me. Mrs. Leeper has high expectations for her students, promotes independence and decision making, and provides ample opportunities for her students to work together and solve problems on their own. While in second grade my mini me gained more independence, confidence in reading and writing, fostered new friendships, and developed a deeper relationship with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I had the opportunity to be my mini me’s second grade teacher on several occasions this year and some of my favorite memories are dancing to grammar and math songs, sharing pretzels and oranges with them at snack time and reading favorite Jan Brett books during read alouds. I led the class in prayer and reminded them how much Jesus loves them.

Field Trips– This year welcomed our first field trips since COVID and second grade enjoyed trips to the library, Magic House and to the Science Center. I accompanied the class to the Science Center where my STEAM loving girl and her BFF had a blast exploring every corner of the museum!

Special Guests– I wasn’t the only family member to teach second grade this year. My mini me shared her grandfathers with her class when her creative art teacher “Pops” taught an autumn leaf art lesson and Army Veteran “Paw Paw” visited on Veteran’s Day. And her engineering daddy joined the class when his auction bid brought Lutheran High’s robotics team, The Roboteers, to the classroom for an engaging demonstration.

Market Day- And then there was Market Day where the second graders made, marketed and sold a product to their peers, Zion students and family members. The kiddos made commercials, posters and all of the products. My mini me created Slimy’s Slime and sold three varieties of slime: regular, sparkle and glow in the dark! It is a project the class will happily remember forever!

Reading, Writing & Arithmetic-Although my mini me hasn’t fallen in love with books, she can read text independently and is comprehending and discussing what she reads. And like her Noteworthy Mommy, my mini loves to write! And Mrs. Leeper created ample opportunity for her to practice and refine her skills in second grade. The school year ended with a unit on letter writing and I’m happy to report that my little one is exchanging letters with her two BFFs weekly, if not twice a week! One friend gifted her a little mailbox and the BFFs personally deliver their carefully crafted letters to each other’s doorstep! She excels in math and science and they are her greatest loves; clearly skills she has inherited from her mathematical daddy!

This is only a sampling of the many learning opportunities that took place this year. Other highlights included singing at an Advent Service, participating in the spring musical (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), classroom parties, field day, lunch worker Julia’s magical birthday party, mileage club, Jumprope for Heart, dress up days, Mrs. Leeper’s surprise birthday party and weekly memory work. The memory work may not rank as a class favorite but the gift of carrying God’s word with them wherever they go, finding comfort in His word when they are facing adversity, and sharing His word with others, is a gift that will last a lifetime.

I have enjoyed watching these kiddos grow and look forward to new adventures with them when we leap into third grade in August!