August 18, 2009

 

Dear Parents,

 

         Welcome to a new school year!!  I hope that you and your child are as excited as I am about starting a new school year.  I am looking forward to getting to know you and your child.  If there is anything you feel I should know about your child please let me know.  We will work together to meet the needs of your child.  Please feel free to contact me at any time. My e-mail is anderscb@unit5.org. You can also reach me by phone at school (452-0935) or at home (661-4608). 

 

      You were asked to purchase GREEN and RED FOLDERS. The green folder is your child=s own take home folder.  It will be coming home nightly. We=re organizing the folder by putting notes on the LEFT and papers on the RIGHT.  Please decide with your child on a place where he/she can place the folder each night so you can look at it at your convenience.  A sheet labeled PARENT - TEACHER COMMUNICATION will stay in the green folder so you can communicate any questions or concerns to me whenever the need arises.  I also have a teacher website. You can e-mail me at anytime. A weekly newsletter - SECOND GRADE BUS STOP NEWS- will be sent home on Mondays so you can review current and upcoming activities.  All important classroom letters will be printed on PINK paper. I will also post the weekly newsletter (Bus Stop News) on my website each Monday. The RED FOLDER never goes home. It always stays at school. It is for papers/projects we are working on at school.

 

     This year our lunch will be served during the FIRST setting - 11:15 - 12:40.   Second graders will eat first and then go to recess. The students are welcome to bring nutritional snacks for our class. NO CANDY OR POP ALLOWED!!! If you would like to send snacks for our class, we would appreciate it.  Boxes of crackers, pretzels, and fish crackers are good snack ideas.

 

     Second graders have NO BATHROOM in their classroom this year.  We will take frequent restroom breaks throughout the day as a whole class. Individual children will be allowed to go the bathroom (with a hall pass) only if it is an emergency.  If you don=t think these rules are appropriate for your child, please let me know.

 

     Your child will bring home a SPELLING list on Mondays.  We will start spelling on August 24^th.  We will start with 10 words every week. Each list will highlight a specific spelling pattern or word family.  Later in the year we will add more words. On Mondays, students will be given a pre-test. They are then responsible for studying their words each night. We will also be doing games, activities, and other practices here at school so they are working with their spelling list throughout the week.

 

     We are using EVERYDAY MATH again this year. THERE WILL BE MATH HOMEWORK THIS YEAR. Pages called HOMELINKS will be sent home almost nightly. These sheets provide follow up and enrichment activities at home. The assignments will not take much time to complete, but most of them involve interaction with an adult. Please return the HOMELINKS pages on the NEXT school day. If your child does not return homework, he/she will receive a warning card and must stay in at recess to complete the assignment.  We will also continue drill and practice of addition and subtraction facts to 20. Flashcards will be sent home on Thursdays. Please do a quick review of these facts for a quiz on Fridays.

 

     Students will bring home their READING book or a literature book on Monday or Tuesday of each week. Our reading series is Harcourt Brace. It incorporates spelling, language skills, reading, writing, and DOL (daily oral language).  Please have your child read the story of the week to you or with you.  The literature books will be sent home in a plastic bag for protection. Please handle these books with care and return them the following school day.  This year both second grades will be participating in the four block language arts program. The Four Block consists of guided reading, self selected reading, writing, and working with words. Research shows that this technique is a stronger approach to teaching ALL children to read and write. This framework represents four different approaches to teaching children to read using a variety of formats to meet each child’s individual learning style.

 

     BIRTHDAYS are always a special time in our class. I am happy to help your child celebrate by sharing birthday treats with the class. If you would like to send nutritional treats, just let me know when you will be sending them.

 

     BOOK ORDERS will be sent home with the first BUS STOP NEWS of each month. I use SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB.  Payment should be made by writing a personal check to each book company.  DO NOT make checks out to me. NO CASH PLEASE!!!!! Checks and orders are due on Fridays.

 

     Similar to first grade, we will be filling our own POETRY books with a variety of poems. Your child needs a 1 inch three ring binder for his/her poetry collection.

 

     We will be starting CURSIVE WRITING immediately!!!!  I will be introducing lowercase                and              next week.  Please practice these letters at home.  A sample sheet of all cursive letters is included in this folder.  Remember we are no longer using D=Nealian writing.  We are using TRADITIONAL style for print and cursive.  I am sending home a copy of the TRADITIONAL manuscript alphabet as well.  Students should be using the traditional print now.

 

Our district uses the Harcourt SCIENCE series. The following units are part of the second grade curriculum: 1. Plants  2. Animals  3. Plants and Animals  4. Living Things  5. Earth, Land, and Water 6. Weather and Seasons  7. Fossils and Dinosaurs  8. Matter  9. Energy  10. Forces and Motion   11. Sound  12. Earth and Space   13. Technology.

 

The district has purchased a new SOCIAL STUDIES series this year. We will be using a text book.  The second grade curriculum is based upon the theme “People We Know”. The students will study and learn about the following topics: 1. Citizenship   2. Maps and Globes   3. The Land and its Resources  4. People of Long Ago  5. A World of Many People  6. People in the Marketplace

 

     Please read, review, SIGN, and RETURN the CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PLAN that is attached to this newsletter.  I will review the rules and procedures with the students this week. The tickets will be traded in for treats, prizes, or free time activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The whole class ticket reward party will be on Fridays. Just like last year we are also using PBIS (positive behavior intervention system) throughout the school. Cheetah awards are earned for good behaviors and school-wide reward parties are held for those who qualify.

 

      I use a variety of ASSESSMENT TOOLS.  Some of the ways your child will be assessed this year are: anecdotal records, work samples, portfolios, tests, and quizzes.  For papers that are graded, there will be two numbers at the top - one over the other.  For example, a +11/13 means that your child did 11 problems correctly out of 13.  Please go over completed papers with your child and correct the errors. Some papers may be marked A DT”.  This means did together. Others may be marked AWP@.  This means done with a partner.

 

This yellow folder is to be kept in a safe place throughout the year. It contains important information you will need for this school year. The number grid is to be used for daily math homework.