Welcome to Second Grade!
Welcome back to school! I enjoyed meeting you and your children at Open House. Every family from my class attended which tells me that you are as excited about starting the new school year as I am!
We have had a good time getting to know each other this past week. I am thrilled about my very nice class this year! Parents, please be looking for students' homework assignments this week in agendas. Also, please remember to sign both the agenda and behavior chart in the green folder each night.
In math,this week, we will continue to review numbers and different ways to represent them using manipulatives. We will also be using many strategies including some games to help students work on basic addition facts. Our reading story this week, "Julius", is from our silly stories theme. We will also begin our science unit on weather this week.
Feel free to e-mail me any time if you have a question or concern. I am looking forward to many fun-filled, successful school days ahead!
******Congratulations to _________ for being our star of the week!***
Upcoming Events
Monday,Aug. 25-First day of school
Monday, Sept. 1-Labor Day holiday-No school
Thursday, Sept. 18-Knollwood Open House/PTA
Friday, Sept. 19-Second grade trip to Sloan Park-"Stories by the Mill Stream"
Wednesday, Sept. 24-First quarter progress reports
Monday, Sept. 29-PTA Penny War fundraiser begins.
Second Grade Overview
Second Grade is an exciting time as your child learns new skills, makes new friends, and embarks on many new adventures. In Second Grade your child will blossom into a confident reader, writer, and mathematician. Your participation is extremely important to your child's academic success. Please set aside at least 20 minutes each day to read and to practice spelling words and math facts with your child. I am confident that if you spend some time each evening with your child, you will not only be making a major contribution to your child's academic success, but you will discover that you will be looking forward to this special time every night.
Reading: In our second grade classroom we strive to provide your child with an intensive reading program which is designed to meet the needs of each student. Each child is placed in a variety of groups according to his/her specific needs and works daily for ninety minutes on phonics, oral reading, comprehension skills, and enrichment activites. Additionally, Knollwood School has implemented the SRA Phonics program for forty- five minutes each day for every student in the school to improve reading. We also have guided reading groups in our class two days a week, along with literacy centers. The children seem to be enjoying them and learning in the process!
Accelerated Reading and Math Programs: The Accelerated Reading program is a computerized program designed to encourage your child to read books. Your child is assigned a reading level range and will sign out books from the library in this range that should be read orally at home and school. He/she will take a test on the computer after reading the book two times. Depending on their score, they will receive points. Your child will need to meet a quarterly goal to earn points and, thus, the reward. Rewards in the past have included field trips to movies and bowling, parties, etc.Your participation is extremely important to the success of this program. Remember....you are your child's best teacher! The Accelerated Math program provides opportunites for your child to practice skills already learned in class by doing practice sheets and taking quizzes. Practice sheets will be sent home for homework, and quizzes will be given in class.
Math: Problem solving and critical thinking skills are an important component of our math program this year. We will be using many games and manipulatives to help your child learn new math concepts. However, your child still needs to know the basics, which is accomplished only through hard work and repetition. Your child will need to memorize addition and subtraction facts through 18 by the end of the year. Please help your child to practice these facts each evening.
Spelling: Weekly spelling words will be sent home with your child each Monday. They will also be listed on this website each week under "Flashcards". Spelling tests are given each Friday.
Tests: All tests (spelling, math, etc.) require a parent signature. Please look for these in your child's homework folder. This will help you know how well your student is doing with second grade skills.
Weekly Folders: Each Thursday (except for short weeks and holidays, workdays, etc.) your child brings home a brown envelope with a parent signature sheet attached on the front cover. Inside, you will find your child's graded work from the previous week. Please praise your child for his/her hard work. Go over the papers and correct the mistakes to better reinforce the skills taught. This is an excellent way to help your child at home. A weekly conduct grade will also be noted on the envelope. Please sign and return the empty envelope on Friday of each week. You may keep your child's papers.
Lunch: Our regular lunch time this year is 11:15. Feel free to come eat lunch with your child anytime!.
I am looking forward to working with you and your child during this growing year. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at school at 704-857-3400 or drop me an e-mail. Thank you for all your support. We could not do it without you!!
