2nd Grade — Where You’ll Watch Your Child Grow!
A Letter for Parents
Congratulations! You are the parent of a super second grader at Maeola Beitzel Elementary! You will be amazed at just how much your child will grow this year. Most likely, your child has had the seeds of reading and writing planted, and during second grade, those seeds will grow and blossom, making your child an accomplished reader and writer! You will see changes in your child’s thinking, as he/she becomes familiar with abstract concepts and symbols. The change will be dramatic — just compare a tiny seed with a full-grown sunflower! That’s the kind of growth you’ll see this year!
Ways to Help Your Child Bloom
The most lovely flowers usually have the best gardener — and that’s you! Staying involved in your child’s education is the key to a successful year. Engage your child in conversation about his/her day, but know that children won’t always give out much information. I will send home a weekly newsletter detailing our activities for the week. You can use this as a springboard for discussion; instead of saying “What did you do at school today?” (the answer is often “nothing!”), you can say, “Oh, I see you’re learning about….what did you find out?” Some parents save these newsletters as a special remembrance of their child’s school year.
A Few Procedures
To help keep things growing “weed-free”, it helps to remember our class procedures.
Your child will need a small, healthy snack each day, packed SEPARATELY from lunch in a bag or sack with his/her name on it. I also allow clear water bottles filled with water only. They can fill up after recess. Lunches should be in a lunch box or bag.
Your child will need his/her backpack EVERY day. We are hard workers and will be bringing home papers daily.
Weekly homework packets are given on MONDAYS. They are to do a little bit every day. Homework folders are to be turned in on FRIDAYS. Please check your child’s homework agenda each day, and make sure that your child returns their homework ON FRIDAY MORNING. If homework is not returned, your child will have to stay in and finish at recess. The temperature in our room varies greatly, so dress your child in layers.
If you are visiting our classroom, even if it is on a regular basis, you will need to stop at the office for a visitor’s pass. If you do not have a pass, you will be asked to return to the office. Also, if you are visiting our school, my classroom policy is NO SIBLINGS in the classroom during parties, projects or parent-teacher conferences as this creates unnecessary distractions.
We’re also asking that no toys be brought into school from home. Our classroom is filled with items to keep us busy, and lost or broken toys result in very sad feelings! If the items are brought, they are kept in a safe place until the end of the day! Children often keep some
Parent-Teacher Communication
Communication is key for success in any situation, especially the classroom! Every nine weeks students will receive a printed progress report. Please look it over, sign and return the form. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me to schedule a time to talk. The Monday Folder is key to communicating back and forth with parents and teacher. Important information will be in this folder: school events, graded assessments, progress reports as well as homework.
In addition to our Homework Folders, three report cards (sent home in October, March, and June) and our conference (October), I am always available to meet or speak with you. I prefer email and can get back to you as soon as possible during the day. Please email me at mdallas@egusd.net. If it is not urgent, please jot a note and I will respond as soon as possible. You may also call the school. In return, I will contact you by email, note or telephone if there is something that I’d like to discuss.
Behavior Management Plan
Our classroom uses the whole brain learning rules to help our class run smoothly. These are 1. Follow directions quickly, 2. Raise your hand to speak, 3. Raise your hand to leave your seat, 4. Make smart choices, and 5. Make your dear teacher happy. If a rule is broken, I call out a rule number that was broken and everyone reinforces the rule by repeating it aloud. We also have clothespins with each child’s name that begins on “Ready to Learn” each day. They can clip up for great behavior and receive a sticker at the end of the week on their clip. After 5 stickers, they trade in their clip for a different color clip. It also works as a consequence. If a child continues their behavior after the warning, they will be asked to clip down. This acts as a warning. If the behavior continues, they will clip down again. This is teacher’s choice. They can take a time out or miss recess. If the behavior still continues, they will clip down one last time which is parent contact. I will inform you of the behavior so you are aware of the unwanted behavior. They can ALWAYS clip back up, which is why I love this system! I am always looking for ways to provide positive reinforcement!
Seeds Need Sun and Water…Here’s What We Need!
In addition to the school supplies that your child will need, we always welcome donations! At the top of our “most wanted” list is White Board MARKERS – classic colors as well as special ones! Some other items we can ALWAYS use are craft items (of any type), paper goods (plates, napkins, cups, etc.), Clorox wipes (for quick clean-ups), hand sanitizer, Kleenex, paper (for our writing center), as well as extra glue sticks and pencils. Thanks for your help!
Here’s wishing us all a wonderful year of growth