Halloween in the Herd!

Happy Halloween from the Herd!

We had so much fun on Halloween! Our costume parade theme was Super Heroes. The second grade team got in the spooky spirit by dressing up like some of our favorite crime fighters!

We loved walking in the costume parade! We even had front row seats for the sixth grade Thriller flash mob! Check out our awesome costumes!

We got to tour the fourth grade pumpkin biography museum!

We learned a lot about some very famous people, and we even saw some graduates of the Herd!

Here are two generations of the Herd ...

And here are three!!!

I guess this proves it, the Herd really is a family!

Did you know that Taylor Swift is in the Herd? We like to keep it quiet (to avoid all of the crazy fans), but she is a proud member of the Herd! She loved seeing her very own pumpkin biography!

Our Fall Celebration was fun, spooky, and yummy!

Thanks to all of the parents who brought in treats and to the moms who helped make our party a success!

Field Trip Fun!

We had so much fun on our trip to the pumpkin patch! First, we rode on a hay ride around the farm. We saw horses and goats, and we got to smell them, too!

Next, we picked out our pumpkin. 

Finally, we met some the animals up close. We got to pet a pig, duck, chicken, turkey, goat, sheep, and a baby cow. We learned all about how animals help us and how they take care of them on the farm. We even got to watch them milk a goat!

Thank you to all of the parents who helped out on the trip!

Red Ribbon Week

The Herd is proud to be drug free!

We will celebrate Red Ribbon Week with a fun week of dress up days!

Monday: Sock it to drugs! 

Wear crazy socks!

Tuesday: My future is bright and drug free!

Wear cool (or crazy) shades!

Wednesday: Team up against drugs!

Wear your favorite team jersey!

Thursday: I am successful and drug free!

Dress up in a spiffy outfit!

Friday: It is SUPER to be drug free!

We will march in our costume parade at 8:15. Our theme is super heroes! You can come to school dressed to match our super hero theme, or you can wear your Halloween costume!

On Friday afternoon, we will have a Fall Celebration in our room. Notes went home about the party last week. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

And The Award Goes To ...

A big thank you to Landon's mom, Mrs. Martinez!

She prepared materials for our class to create a submission for the Cochise County Fair!

This year's theme was "Critters, Squeals, and Ferris Wheels."

We answered questions about each category, tallied our responses, and then graphed the results.

And ... the judges loved it!

We won second place!!!

And the blue ribbon goes to ... Mrs. Martinez!

Thank you for all that you do to make the Herd amazing!

Science in the Herd!

Did you hear about Science Week? 

The week before Fall Break, the second grade classes at PDS shared a fun week of science activities! We learned about the scientific method and practiced making a hypothesis.

In Mrs. Blackburn's class, we did a Sink or Float experiment with different types of candy! 

In Ms. Davison's class, we made soda rockets!

In Ms. Taylor's class, we experimented with colors.

In the Herd, we made pumpkin volcanoes. Here are pictures of our volcanoes in action!

I wish we had sound effects on this blog, because I would love to share all of the oohs and aahs that I heard during our experiments!

Up next in Herd Science: creepy, crawly spider reports!

Holston's Herd 2015-16

 We love showing our class spirit in our Herd t-shirts! Thank you to all of the parents who sent in shirts and to the moms who came in to help us paint. They look great!

I think this silly picture shows our real personality! What a wild and crazy bunch!

Walking Club

Did you know that PDS has a walking club? Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, students can have fun while exercising! Our class earns points for every lap completed by the Herd! We are currently in second place - the class with the most points will earn an ice cream party! Come join the fun and walk with the Herd!!!

Math Facts in a Flash

Are you practicing your math facts at home? This week, students need to have passed Level 3 on Math Facts in a Flash. Many of the students in the Herd are behind on math facts. Every time a student passes a level, a new set of flashcards is sent home. In addition, students can practice using a computer or tablet at home by accessing Home Connect. The Home Connect information (as well as an extra copy of Class Dojo login information) can be found in the back of your child's binder. The best way to learn your math facts is to practice, practice, practice! If you have any questions about math facts, please let me know.

How to Find a Good Fit Book!

Goldie, one of our reading buddies, visited the Herd last week. She taught us how to find a good fit book!

At first, some of us were picking books that were too big for us. These books made us feel frustrated, and that didn't help us become better readers. Picking books that are too hard is like picking shoes that are too big. These books made us feel like this ...

Some of us were picking books that were too small. These books were too easy for us. These books can be fun to read, but if we only read easy books, then we won't become better readers. Reading easy books all of the time is like wearing very small shoes. These books made us feel like this ...

When Goldie came to our room, she taught us how to pick books that are a perfect fit! We need to pick books that we are interested in, that we can understand, and that are on our reading level. Reading good fit books is like wearing a pair of shoes that fits perfectly. Good fit books help us become better readers. Our books don't have to be a good fit for anyone else, they only need to fit us. Reading good fit books makes us feel like this ...

Thanks for the help, Goldie!

Parent Night!

It is Parent Night in the Herd! Come to our classroom on Tuesday, August 25 from 5:00-6:00. I will be talking about classroom expectations and procedures. I will also be answering questions about AR goals, grading, and upcoming projects. This is a great time to get more information about curriculum and classroom policies. I hope to see you there!