Dear Parents and Students,



Dear Parents and Students, Welcome to second grade! It will be such a pleasure to work with all of you this year. We have many fun and interesting activities and projects planned for this year. To start the year off right, I am sending this second grade survival book as a tool to better help make for a positive and rewarding school year. I feel as though open lines of communication between parent, student, and teacher are the key to promoting an educational climate conducive to learning and growing. It is my hope that you feel you can talk to me at any time with a question, comment, or concern. I am very open to communication!!! You can reach me between 8 am and 3:30 pm at school (636) 464-2951 and leave a message – I will return ASAP, or jot me a note describing the issue. You can also email me at tmueller@windsor.k12.mo.us. This is probably the best way as I check my email several times during the day.I have every confidence that this will be a successful and rewarding year. Remember:Parent + student + teacher cooperation = Successful school year! Student work/Home folder: Your child will be bringing graded work and notes from the office home daily. Be sure that he/she brings a folder to and from school daily. This folder will be our main source of communication. I will check folders each morning. We use a mailbox system in our classroom so each student has his or her own box. We get into the routine of packing folders and book bags at the end of the munication Arts: We are continuing with the Pathways to Reading (PTR) program. Your child will increase knowledge in phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, multisyllable spelling, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension; all the components of reading. In our literacy block during the day we will do guided reading groups, shared reading as a class, and self-selected independent reading (SSR). During shared reading we will read some stories from the textbook in addition to some other selections. So you will not see the textbook every week. You will know what the shared reading for the week is through the Monday newsletter and updates to the website. During SSR time I will conference with the students on book choices, etc. Each child will also have an individual book box that will have selections appropriate for them. Spelling: Our spelling program will consist of words that correlate with the weekly focus of Pathways guides. The lists will have fifteen words and two dictation sentences. On the test students will be asked to pick the correct spelling of the word (ex. wej wege wedge). In addition to the words there will be the two dictation sentences that the students will have an opportunity to study prior to the test and then a third sentence called a cold sentence that they will not have study time for. This sentence will require the student to apply any and all applicable spelling rules. The key is application of the learned knowledge. A grade is taken on all the spelling of the sentences and a written grammar grade for the capitalization and punctuation. The spelling test will be on Friday. Lists will come home on Mondays and they will also be posted to the website on Mondays. In class there will be study time during centers, large group and small group lessons, and at home. These words are tougher than last year. Be prepared.Math:We will again be participating in the Singapore math program this year. It is also the year for second graders to improve on fluency and accuracy of addition and subtraction facts. We will also be covering multiplication, division, measurement of all types, and problem solving. Be sure to be practicing math facts at home. Automaticity and MASTERY OF MATH FACTS is very important with this program. Science/Social Studies: These topics will be integrated through reading and writing. No formal assessments or report card grades are given.Homework:Any assignment not completed in class is considered homework. You will not see much of this during the school year. I do expect that spelling tests get studied for weekly. I also expect that math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) are practiced daily at home. I also expect that twenty minutes of reading get done nightly. This can be done with a parent. This is just a great habit to get into to promote recreational reading. Any type of book, magazine, or newspaper is acceptable. Reading Counts: Second graders will participate in the district wide Reading Counts incentive program. This is a Scholastic Reading program where students read appropriate books and take a ten-question comprehension test over the book. Each child will be given a quarterly goal to reach. Both the librarian and I will ensure that reading level appropriate books are being read. The RC library books are labeled on the spine of the book. Each week in library they are required to choose at least one RC book. Report Cards: Your child will be assessed in the areas of reading, writing and math. Each category is broken down into a few expectations dictated by the state ( GLE’s: grade level expectations/common core standards). The Windsor Website has a link to see these in full. They will also be assessed on character and special area classes. Report cards will be given at the end of each quarter. Parent/teacher conferences will be offered at the end of first quarter. Weekly Newsletters: Each week I will write a letter that will give you information about the week. These letters will come home on Monday. They will also be posted to the website on Mondays. Information about academics, special events, and reminders will be included. This should keep you up to date about the happenings in our classroom.Toys: Please do not allow your child to bring toys to school. They are also not allowed for recess. This also includes trading cards of any kind (baseball, wrestling, Pokemon). If there is a special incentive requiring such objects you will be notified in advance.Tests: Students will take tests as we cover material throughout the year. There will be testing done in AIMS, Pathways, and math. All second graders of the district at about the same time take these tests. This is done for consistency purposes. The AIMS tests are given three times throughout the year to see if a child is requiring additional reading or math services besides what is offered in the classroom. These are leveled into three tiers. I will give level two small group remediations and tier three one-on-one remediations will be done with another specialist. Pathways assessments are also given quarterly to allow me to meet the needs of your child. On the math tests called Summative assessments, if your child does not achieve mastery level, he/she will be remediated and retested at a later date.Birthdays: Each student will be given a day to celebrate his/her birthday. Treats are allowed, however please be aware of any classroom allergies or illnesses. Please only send prepackaged items. Homemade goodies are no longer allowed. On the student’s birthday or the day celebrating, he/she will be allowed to pick from my coveted birthday box. Summer birthdays will each be given a celebration day near the end of the school year.Clothing:Please make sure that your child is appropriately dressed for the weather. Your child may choose to bring a jacket or sweater to leave at school. Also make sure to wear sneakers on PE days. Flip flops are not allowed at school.2971800-2540 Neat Writers Club:Your child will be given an opportunity to participate in the NWC. When a paper comes home with an NWC on it that means it is eligible for Neat Writers Club. When ten papers are accumulated, they can be exchanged for a treat from the NWC prize box. Be sure not to throw any NWC’s in the trash. It will be your child’s responsibility to collect these until they are redeemed. Most students choose to keep them in their home folders.Book Projects: (AKA Book Reports) Your child will be asked to complete one book project per month. All the materials needed for the assignment will be given near the beginning of the month. Each activity will also have a due date. I will inform you about the genre of the book that needs to be read. You may help your child read the story and compose the answers for the project, but the student must do the thinking and the writing. These projects will satisfy the requirements for the second grade expectations, and if the student reads a RC book, then he/she can take a test over the book as well.35433000Scholastic Book Orders:I will participate in Scholastic book orders this year. The due date for the order will be attached to the forms. You may order from any of the order forms that come home for the month. Note: I skip ordering during book fair months. Please only send one check payable to Scholastic. I cannot accept cash. If you choose to order, remember that the classroom gets points to purchase books to expand the classroom library. Thanks in advance for your support.Positive Behavior Supports (PBS): Freer Elementary has adopted the PBS program. The idea is that with universal expectations, school behavior will improve. We are focused on being respectful, responsible, and safe. With this in mind, I will give out the school wide rewards of “feathers.” I also give out tickets in my classroom to students when I see something great (being on task, helping another student, setting a good example, etc.) When the student receives five of these tickets they can be redeemed for a prize from the treasure box. Thanks in advance for expecting respectful, responsible and safe behavior. If you have extra small toys at home that you are wanting to rid yourself of, I would love to have them for the prize box. Hopefully these few notes will help you navigate through the second grade. Please remember to email or call me at any time if you have a question, comment or concern. I’m looking forward to an exciting year with you and your child. Mrs. Mueller tmueller@windsor.k12.mo.us ................
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