Parent Orientation Packet

Behavior Management In our classroom, I have implemented a five-tier behavior management system called Being Unusually Good. The five-tier system is based around colors. The following is the list of colors and their meanings: Light Green – WOW behavior! Dark Green – great behavior! Yellow – good behavior, one warning Red – head down for 5 minutes, second warning White – a student will write a note home Each morning all students start out in the dark green area (great behavior). At the end of each day, I reflect on the student’s overall behavior. From those students that end up in the dark green area (great behavior), I will choose one student who has demonstrated exemplar behavior. If a student ends on dark green or light green, they earn one or two “BUG” tickets respectively. This is for their great behavior. At the accumulation of 10 “BUG” tickets students are able to turn them in and take one item from the treasure chest. Students who are on white at the end of the day will be asked to write a letter home addressed to you, the parent/guardian, explaining why he/she is on white. Please sign the letter to let me know you have read the letter. I will contact you if there is a serious or on-going issue that needs your attention. Please encourage your child to have a GREAT day! Homework Procedures The students will be receiving a homework packet every Monday. The packet will have all necessary assignments stapled together. The packet will include a weekly assignment sheet, assigning work to do each night. This sheet will also include your child’s weekly spelling list. All assigned work will be due on Friday of that week. There are three main components to the homework packet. First, your child’s weekly spelling list will be listed. Each list will consist of 15 high frequency words. Monday and Thursday nights your child will complete spelling homework. Second, your child will be asked to read for 15 minutes each night. I have included some reading strategies in this packet that you can utilize to help your child at home. These are strategies that I will be implementing in the classroom as well. Math is the last component. Tuesday and Wednesday nights will be designated for math homework. It will correspond to the concept(s) we are studying in class. In addition, the second grade teachers are stressing the importance of practicing math facts, both addition and subtraction, with your child throughout the week. Throughout the year, the second grade teachers will assign projects, book responses, and activities for your child the complete at home. These assignments will be given approximately one or two weeks for completion. Modifications and Enrichment During the first weeks of school, the second grade teachers access the students in the areas of math, reading, writing, and spelling. These initial assessments provide us with important information about your child. In addition to this, students will be informally assessed as they complete independent assignments, participate in class discussions, take part in small or large group activities, and as they interact with their peers. I will utilize all of these formal and informal assessments to make modifications that best suit your child’s needs. In addition to this, I realize that some students may also need to be challenged. I will pre-assess the class each Friday, in the area of Spelling. Students who receive a score of 13/15 or better will have a “challenge” list for the week. Their spelling words will be listed on the weekly assignment sheet in the homework packet. You child will also benefit from the many different ways in which I group students throughout the day to complete classroom assignments.

Birthdays Please feel free to bring in a treat on your child’s birthday. If you wish to bring something in, please send in a note a couple days ahead of time, so I can modify my plans for that day. Right after lunch, 1:15, is when we will celebrate! Currently, we have 19 students in our class. We do have a student with a peanut allergy. PLEASE, NO PEANUTS OR NUTS IN OUR CLASSROOM! Snack Each day we have 10-15 minutes allotted for snack. Please send your child to school with one, quick snack everyday. Lunch is not until 12:30 p.m. and many of them are hungry much sooner! Contacting Me Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. You may reach me at school by calling 342-3131. If I am unavailable, please leave a message with one of the secretaries. Also, my email address is [email protected]. I try to check this at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Whether you contact me by phone or email, I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. I feel that open communication between home and school plays an important role in your child’s success!

Reading Strategies to Help Your Child Name of Strategy Point to Words Use Picture Clues Cover Up Endings Read Ahead Look for a Little Word in a Longer Word Look for Chunks Look Back Look at the First and Last Letters Chunk It Stop and Think Read It Again Ask an Expert

Definition For beginning readers, point to each word Look at the pictures on the page to help figure out a word Put your finger over the endings (such as –ed in played, read play, and then add the ending to read played) Skip the unknown word, read to the end of the sentence, and then use the context of the sentence to help figure out the missing word Example – Monday, kids are familiar with the word day, they can read this part and use that to help then figure out the rest of the word A chunk is a vowel and the consonants that follow it (such as –it, -am, or –at in the words sit, ham, and rat) Look back to what has already been read to understand what is written When a word is unknown, look at the first and last letter of the word to see what might make sense in the context of the story Divide word into smaller parts Pause and think about what has already been read Re-read the sentence to see if a word makes sense If none of the other strategies work, ask someone for help

The Sculptors

I dreamed I stood in a studio And watched two sculptors there. The clay they used was a young child’s mind And they fashioned it with care. One was a teacher – the tools she used Were book, music and art. The other a parent, worked with a guiding hand And a gentle, loving heart. Day after day, the teacher toil’d with touch That was careful , deft and sure. While the parent labored by his side And polished and smoothed it o’er. And when at last, their work was done They were proud of what they had wrought. For the things they had molded into the child Could neither be sold or bought. And each agreed they would have failed If each had worked alone. For behind the parent stood the school And behind the teacher, the home.