Tag: second grade

Leaping Into Summer… Reflections on a Year in Mrs. Leeper’s Second Grade!

Published on by noteworthymommy2 Comments

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.

Mrs. Leeper and my Mini Me on the last day of school.

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!

Sailing Into Second Grade!

Published on by noteworthymommy3 Comments

My mini me started second grade a few weeks ago and I am happy to report that so far second grade has been smooth sailing! As a mommy educator I have been looking forward to this age and stage! There is less drama then the previous grades and although second graders are gaining independence they still have the sweet innocence of a young child. Second graders are comfortable with school. They were introduced to critical foundational skills in first grade and are now ready to apply those skills in second grade! It’s so much fun seeing my mini me make those connections! Her reading and writing skills have taken off and she is working independently with just a little help from mom and dad. She is confident and loves school!

But her love of school isn’t simply from the skills she is beginning to master but rather from the amazing teacher who is guiding her! This is the first time my mini me has had a young teacher. After working with inspiring young educators this summer, I was drawn to their energy, excitement and pure optimism! So when I found out Mrs. Leeper was going to be my daughter’s second grade teacher, I was thrilled! Mrs. Leeper was born in 1996 (so she’s young to this fifty year old noteworthy mommy) and she embodies the young educator vibe. With her inviting classroom, warm smile and infectious love for her students and her Lord and Savior, she exudes positivity and enthusiasm. After a few days I could tell Mrs. Leeper is naturally intuitive. Based on some of her comments I told the hubs, “What a blessing it is that our daughter has a teacher that really “gets” her! I know we are going to have a fantastic school year!”

My mini me with Mrs. Leeper, her 2nd grade teacher.
Making homemade sugar cookies with Nana. A back to school tradition!

Jesus Loves You Cookies– Now that my mini me is a big second grader, we no longer needed to read The Kissing Hand to prepare her for going back to school. However, I know there will be times when my mini me will feel sad, frustrated or anxious. There will be times when she is faced with decisions to make and will feel unsure. I reminded her that Jesus walks beside her wherever she goes and that she can turn to Him for support. Jesus hears our prayers while we are at school, when we are on the soccer field or at a friend’s house. We can talk to Him through prayer in the morning, afternoon or evening. He is there to listen when we feel happy, worried or sad. So my mini me continued the tradition of baking homemade iced sugar cookies with Nana but instead of making kissing hand cookies like they did in years past, they made Jesus loves you cookies! Heart shaped to remind us that Jesus is with us wherever we go and crosses with hearts to remind us that Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. My mini me enjoyed making the cookies with Nana and shared them with teachers and administrators at school.

Cookies to share with Zion teachers and administrators.

I wish all of the teachers, students and parents around the world blessings for a wonderful school year! Whether it’s your first year or twenty-ninth year in education (like me) I pray you have smooth sailing. When you find yourself in rough waters (there will be those days) know you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, make sure you take care of yourself and know that Jesus loves you!