ABCs of Ms. Warren’s 2nd Grade
2015 – 2016
A
Arrival - School begins promptly at 8:10 a.m. Students arriving before that time need to report to the back playground. Students must be in the classroom by 8:10 to avoid being marked tardy. If your child arrives after 8:10 please be sure to sign them in at the front desk so that they are not marked absent. If your child is going to be absent please call Sheila in the front office at 264 - 5920.
B
Birthdays - Birthday treats are welcome (please follow the healthy birthday treat policy). Your child will be allowed to share them during our end of day snack time. Please do not send birthday invitations to school unless there is an invitation for every child in the class.
Classroom Blog - Our classroom blog address is: http://mswarrenssecondgradeclass.blogspot.com/ . The classroom blog is a great way to stay connected and to learn about what your child is doing in school. The classroom blog contains photographs from each week, classroom news, important dates and educational sites your student uses in school.
Student Blogs - Each student in our classroom will have their own blog! This is a place where they will respond to weekly wonder prompts and will post other thoughts. I will email families when these blogs are live. Students LOVE to receive comments from family members on their posts. Links to student blogs will be on the classroom blog.
C
Communication - One thing that I particularly enjoy about teaching at Porters Point School (besides, of course, the students) is the sense of community that exists between teachers and families. Please feel free to get in touch with me at anytime. The best way to contact me is via email. My email address is: tessa.warren@colchestersd.org . I try extremely hard to respond to all emails within 24 hours.
Conferences - We have two scheduled parent-teacher conferences over the course of the school year. However, I am happy to meet with you at anytime to discuss your student's progress or any concerns you may have. We can also hold phone conferences. Just send me an email or note to set up a time.
D
Dismissal - School ends at 2:45 each day. If there is any change in where your child should go after school or their method of transportation please send in a note or call the front office.
E
Email - Email is my preferred method of communication because of the quick turn-around. If you have an email address that you check regularly please provide it to me to maximize our communication.
F
Folder – Each student has a yellow homework folder that needs to come back and forth to school each day. I will copies of most announcements that need to come home but hard copies will come as well.
G
Grading - All report card grades are based on CSD grade 2 standards. Student work will frequently be sent home in homework folders.
H
Homework – Homework will be sent home on Monday night in your student’s Homework Folder. Homework needs to be returned to school on Friday. Each week your child will receive a math packet with a reading log as a cover sheet. Your child should complete one math page a night; each page should take no more than 10 minutes. Students are also expected to read for 10 minutes a night. Reading should be documented on the Reading Log. If your child needs the weekend to complete their homework or something came up and your child didn't get a chance to finish their homework, no problem! Just send in a note.
My philosophy is that homework should practice skills that have already been taught. Each night’s math homework will reflect what was taught that day. So if a student is completing all of their homework on Monday, the Thursday page may be challenging.
I
Independence – Independence is a goal for students in 2nd grade because it builds self-esteem and is expected in 3rd grade. 2nd graders are very capable of doing work on their own, and I will encourage them to do so in the classroom.
J
Journals – In 2nd grade we LOVE to write across all subjects! Journals are used in science as Science Notebooks to document our thinking and questions. The 2nd grade science curriculum provides students with real life science experiments and notebooks are a wonderful way to document their new learning and experiments.
K
Keep Reading - Please encourage your child to keep reading. Students need to read each night for at least 10 minutes, but encouraging them to read more will go a long way. Reading to your child is a wonderful way for students to be introduced to new vocabulary and work on comprehension.
L
Lunch and Lunch Money – We have lunch each day from 12:25 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. If you would like your student to order school lunch EVERY day please sign up here .
Library - We have library on Wednesdays. Each Wednesday your child will check out a book to take home for the week. Please be sure your student returns their library book each Wednesday so they can check out a new book.
M
Money – Please make sure that any money sent to school is in an envelope or baggie with a note telling me what the money is for (field trip, lunch money, photographs, etc.)
N
News- For the most up-to-date news from our classroom please subscribe to our classroom blog. For information that is time sensitive I will send an Email to parents/guardians directly.
0
Open Door - You are always welcome in our classroom. Whether that is in the form of reading, helping out with a project, sharing a special treat or sharing your expertise on a topic.
P
Physical Education - We have Physical Education on Monday and Friday each week. For your child’s safety, please make sure s/he wears gym shoes on these days. On non-PE days, we go outside for recess, so if your child likes to run or play on the playground equipment, it would be beneficial for them to wear sneakers daily.
Q
Questions - Instead of asking your child, “What did you do in school today?” try asking, “What book did you read during independent reading?” or “What did you learn in math?” or “Tell me what you wrote about during Writing Workshop!” Show that you’re interested, and ask specific questions. Most likely, your child will respond positively and more thoroughly.
R
Report Cards – Report cards are sent home every nine weeks. Please be sure to sign and return the envelope that your child’s report card is sent home in.
S
Snack – We have breakfast each morning from 8:25 - 8:45 and a full snack at 2:30. When healthy snack choices are made, they provide the nutrients and calories kids need for growth, good health and energy to get through the day. Please pack your child a healthy snack to enjoy on a daily basis. Students who order breakfast at school do not need a morning snack but may need an afternoon snack.
Working Snack - Each day during math we have a working snack. The food provided during the working snack is part of our classroom “snack share.” Snack share is made possible by families donating a small snack to our classroom at the beginning of the month. Everyone having the same snack creates less distraction during our working time in math. Items that I appreciate families sending in for snack share are: granola bars, peanut butter and crackers, goldfish, animal crackers and cheeze-its.
T
Toys – Please be sure your child does not bring toys into school. Toys can be distracting and can cause conflicts if they are misplaced. If your child would like to bring in a toy to share I will keep it in a “safe place” throughout the day and give it back to your child at the end of the day.
U
Unique - I believe that each learner is unique and needs different strategies and supports to excel. Therefore, I may be providing instruction to your child that may be different than their peers. The students in my classroom understand that we all need different things to do our best.
V
VOLUNTEERS and VISITORS – Volunteers and visitors are welcome! There are many opportunities for you to be involved in the classroom this year. Before anyone can volunteer in the school they need to complete a CSD Volunteer Form (click here). If you would like to volunteer please email me for a “Calling all Volunteers” sheet that lets me know what your preferences are. When you arrive at school to volunteer or visit, please sign in at the office and pick up a badge before coming to the classroom. This policy is for the safety of our children.
W
WATER BOTTLES – Please feel free to have your child bring a water bottle to class. I prefer water bottles with tight fitting lids (fewer spills) that do NOT have the spray feature. Please encourage your child to bring their water bottle home regularly to wash it.
WISH LIST – We have various supplies that need to be replenished throughout the school year. These items are on the on the classroom Wish List and can be viewed on our classroom blog here .
X, Y, Z
It is EXCEPTIONALLY important for your child to have a successful second grade YEAR. I will do my best to make learning fun and exciting – you can expect a lot of growth in so many different areas. The 2015-2016 school year will ZOOM by!
