Second
Grade Handbook
for
Mrs.
Large's Class
2004-2005
Dear
Parents,
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and you child to
second grade at McFadden School of Excellence.
This year should prove to be exciting and quite challenging for your
child. Although you will notice
some similarities between our magnet second grade class and a traditional second
grade class, there will be many differences.
Your child has qualified for this program because he/she is
intellectually capable of being challenged.
Therefore, we will move at a faster pace on the basics allowing us time
to explore, research, and problem solve through project-based learning.
Your child will be enriched and his/her knowledge broadened through a
variety of activities that will accommodate his/her learning style.
I am looking forward to working with all of you this year.
I hope to keep in touch will all parents on a regular basis.
Your involvement with your child's education makes all the difference. Thank
you for sharing your child with me.
Sincerely,
Lillie Large
FOLDERS
AND AGENDAS
Take-home
folders will be sent home each day. Please
check these for incomplete work and homework assignments.
Letters from me, school-wide information and the bulk of last week's
completed work will be sent home each Wednesday.
All letters from the principal will be on red
paper. All
letters from me will be on green
paper.
Agendas will also be sent home each day.
Agendas contain important class information, comments from me, and will
show you the color your child’s magnet was on at the end of each day.
A small colored dot by each date will signify the color for each day.
You
will need to sign the agenda and send it back along with the take-home folder. This
will keep you in touch with your child's classroom behavior and work habits.
Please go over your child's returned work and behavior report with
him/her. Check the agenda for personal notes from me, and please use it to send
me notes. I try to check them daily.
HOMEWORK
Your
child will have written homework 2 to 3 times a week.
The assignments will be short and easy to complete.
If a student is absent he/she has 1 week to make up written homework.
Your child will be expected to read every night.
READING
HOMEWORK IS IMPORTANT! Your
child should read about 30 minutes each night.
A reading record will be kept in the front pocket of the agenda for you
to help your child record the book/s he/she reads each night.
Please sign or initial these each night. The
books read for homework will be accelerated reading books.
You can identify these by the sticker on the spine of the book.
Your child will be tested over these books on the computer.
Our AR goals this year will deal with percentage correct instead of
points. Your
child should always have a book checked out to read and should take at least 1
AR test each day. (I recommend checking out at least 2 or 3 books.)
Your child should always have a picture book checked out even if he/she
is reading a chapter book so that a test can be taken the next day. Each
student should strive to reach his/her goal each six weeks.
We will begin with a goal of an average of 80% correct.
WHAT
TO BRING:
a healthy snack, signed agenda, homework folder, all needed supplies
WHAT
NOT TO BRING
toys
(unless requested by me), candy, jewelry, messy snacks, ink pens, large
notebooks
PARENTS IN THE CLASSROOM
Please allow your second grader to walk to class alone after the first few days. Please don't come to the classroom to pick up your child in the afternoons. Parents should come into class only during scheduled volunteer time. Our schedule is tight, therefore instructional time is precious. If you need to talk to me please schedule a conference.
CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS
If you can possibly help out in any way this year, please sign up for one of the following class committees:
Parties
Take
and Make
In-School
Weekly Volunteer
(This
includes grading
and filing papers, book repair and cataloging, etc.)
Gardening
Aluminum
can recycling project
Cleaning
I will contact those of you who have signed up for jobs
that need to be done on a regular basis to schedule days and times.
FIELD
TRIPS
We
will go on from 2 to 4 field trips this year.
Parents are encouraged to chaperone.
On some trips we might have to limit our number of chaperones to 5 or 6.
I will try to be fair and use different parents each trip.
Most trips will be scheduled for Fridays since we don't have connections
on
Fridays.
CLASS DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES
It
is very important that your child understand what is expected of him/her.
Because of our fast pace and tight schedule, we won't have time for
discipline problems. I make sure
that the children understand the class rules, the consequences for breaking a
rule, and that they are rewarded when they follow the rules.
The following is my class discipline plan.
CLASS
RULES
• FOLLOW
DIRECTIONS
• KEEP
HANDS, FEET, OBJECTS AND UNKIND WORDS TO
YOURSELF
• BE
A GOOD LISTENER
• TAKE
CARE OF OUR SCHOOL AND SUPPLIES
• TAKE
CARE OF YOUR OWN BUSINESS
• RAISE
YOUR HAND FOR PERMISSION TO TALK
• RESPECT
YOURSELF AND OTHERS
COLOR PATH SYSTEM
Each
child has a magnet with his/her name on it.
Each day everyone begins on the green section.
If a child breaks a rule he/she puts the magnet on the next section in
the following order with the corresponding consequence.
1st
offense -(warning)
2nd
offense - yellow (loses treasure box for week and 10 minutes of play time)
3rd
offense -red (loses play time and note sent home)
4th offense - (discipline note visit to the principal and possibility of loss of next field trip)
INCENTIVES
Students
are rewarded for good behavior. Stickers
and treats are awarded during the day when I "catch" students
following rules. Also if a child
remains on green for the entire week and gets his/her agenda signed each night,
he/she gets to visit the treasure box.
Mrs.
Large’s
CLASS
SCHEDULE
2003-2004
7:30…………..First
bell rings. Begin independent reading and AR tests.
7:45................Students
are tardy if they come in after this time.
Morning Broadcast
8:00.............…Reading
Workshop
9:00…………..Math
10:00...........…Connections
(Mon-Thurs.), Writing
Workshop
(Fri.)
11:05..............Lunch
11:45..............Recess
12:15..............Electives:
Music (Mon. & Thurs.), Guidance (Tues.), Art (Wed. & Fri.)
12:45..............PE
(Monday & Friday)
12:45…………Language
Arts/Spelling
1:15…………..Begin
Social Studies/Science 2:25................Prepare to leave
2:35................Begin
dismissal
SUPPLY LIST
·
4
Pocket folders
·
10
regular # 2 pencils
·
Crayons
·
Colored
pencils
·
Markers
·
3
Composition books for journal writing (at least 80 sheets)
·
2
Pair scissors
·
Backpack
·
Small
school box
·
Glue
bottle and 4 glue sticks
·
Kleenex
tissue
Art
Supply List
·
8
Color watercolor set (Pang or crayola
·
1
Bottle of liquid RIT dye (any color)
·
Pack
of Lysol or Baby Wipes
·
ALL students will need a white
t-shirt for tie-dying in the spring. DO
NOT send now – this is just a heads-up.
Please
put your child’s name on each item.
WISH
LIST
good
electric pencil sharpener
Back
to school, building community within our class, getting along, working as a
team, finding differences and similarities, good manners, and class rules
Environment,
natural resources, extinction, soils,