August 19, 2019
Dear 2A Parents,
I’m looking forward to working with your child this year! The following information will help explain our daily schedule and special activities. Please plan on coming to “Back to School Night” on Wednesday, September 11th beginning at 6:00 pm in the Parish Hall.
The following information serves as a “sneak peak” into room 2A.
Student Information Sheet
Please take a few moments to fill in the Student Information Sheet and write a brief letter to me about your child and your family. Please return these with your child to me by Friday, September 6th. Thank you.
Home-School Connection Folder
The students will bring home a folder each day. On one side, it will be labeled “Take Home,” the other side labeled as “Bring back to School.” The “Take Home” side will include student work and any information that stays at home. The “Bring Back to School” side includes any notes needing to be returned to school. While most communication will be sent via email or posted on the website, there will be times throughout the year that the students will need to bring papers home. Please make sure your child has their folder at school on a daily basis. Thank you!
Specialist Schedule
We are fortunate to offer specialist instruction to our students. Our schedule will be available the first week of school.
Please remember to send in a clean, non-marking sole pair of shoes for P.E. use. Library books are due back each week!
Book Orders
Scholastic book orders will be sent home once a month. Book orders can be submitted via the Scholastic website. The books are grade/age appropriate and very reasonably priced. They are a great way to build up a home library. Many quality books appear on the order forms and are worth ordering. The first order will be sent home within the next two weeks. Thank you for helping your child become a better reader!
Homework
In second grade, students really have two main skills they need to continue practicing: Reading and Math Facts. In the first weeks of school, I will be modeling how to read independently, read to someone, and practice flashcards. Each month, students will be given a “menu” of choices for the month. Students should pick between 3-4 choices for the month to complete. In addition, students will have one book report per trimester to complete. There are also three larger reports that the students complete throughout the year. The reports are broken up by Trimester:
- Fall Report
- Holiday Traditions Around the World Report and Presentation
- Biography Report and Presentation
Here is what I encourage on a nightly basis:
- Family together time (eat a meal together, have quiet/prayer time, etc.)
- Have a bedtime routine and go to bed on time every night.
- Independent or buddy reading for 20 minutes.
- Practice addition/subtraction math facts.
Students will complete a weekly homework log. Homework is given on a weekly basis, not a daily basis. Homework logs will be provided each Friday and are due the following Friday. Homework will begin the week of Sept. 9th -13th, the due date being Friday, Sept. 13th.
Classroom Community
The first week of school, our class will generate a list of classroom expectations and consequences for exceeding expectations and for not meeting expectations as we write a “Community Promise.” My philosophy in teaching students is to create a community where each voice is accepted and that the students and I develop a set of “rules and regulations” together.
Behavior & Discipline
We will be using a “Behavior Clip Chart” where students will be moving throughout the behavior choices during the school day. At the end of each day, their choice at the end of the day will be indicated on a calendar in their take-home folder. My goal is to fill this out every day, however, our days are full of learning and growing together! Some days may not be marked and you can just ask your child about his/her day! J You will be notified via email or a phone call of any behavior concerns in accord with our school discipline policy and procedures.
The behavior management system corresponds to colors and phrases. Below is an explanation:
Pink-Hooray! (Outstanding)
Purple-Way to Go! (Role Model)
Blue-Doing Good! (Showing Pride)
Green-Ready to Learn
Yellow-Oopsie (Think About It/Warning)
Orange-Oh No! Refocus (Calming Corner)
Red-Contact Parents/Possible office visit or primary detention
This will be explained the first week of school with the students. Our class will also have a Star of the Week. Each student will take turns being the “Star” for the week so that we can get to know each member of our classroom. Mrs. Martin will demonstrate how to be Star of the Week during the first few days of school.
To encourage positive classroom community and foster a learning environment that recognizes the many blessings we receive through God’s grace, we will take advantage of opportunities to recognize Gratitude. The first week of school, students will reflect and respond to the acronym “JOY.” This stands for:
Jesus~I’m thankful for Jesus because…
Others~I’m thankful for___________ because_______________
Yourself~I’m thankful for this personal blessing…
I also like to catch students being kind and making positive choices. We have a classroom marble jar where students will earn marbles for positive behavior choices as a class.
Thank you for your support and partnership in educating your child. Welcome to 2A—it’s going to be a wonderful year!
Warmly,
Mrs. Nicole Martin
nmartin@stmarym.org