Class Information
Binders/Take-home folders: Your child will have a binder that contains their agenda and a take-home folder. This way, they only have ONE thing to turn in each morning and ONE thing to grab before they leave. Every day, your child will take home a folder in his/her binder that has the weekly class work that needs to be sent home containing important information. Please send the binder back with your child to school every day.
Newsletters: Every Monday, a class newsletter will be sent home in the front inside pocket of your child’s binder. This is where you will find important dates, weekly events, weekly skills and content, and information about tests. In addition to our paper copy of our newsletter each week, your child will have access to all of the daily and weekly information and class work on our Google Classroom.
Homework: Instead of assigning homework for each night, a weekly homework packet will be assigned on Monday and must be completed and returned on Friday. I know that some nights are busier and more hectic than others, which is why I like to get it all together at the start of the week and let your child pace the homework how they like-- work on a little each night, or get it all done so the rest of the evenings that week can be free. Homework will be used to reinforce skills taught in the classroom. The homework will also serve as “good practice” for what your child will be tested on each week. HOMEWORK IS NOT TAKEN FOR A GRADE; however, ANY practice to keep the skills fresh is so important and makes a tremendous difference. Please check your child’s binder each week for homework packets, and please check your child’s homework for correctness. As long as they turn in SOMETHING, and I can see that they at least made an effort, then we’re all good. Remember—this is only for practice purposes and documentation. I do not want YOU or your CHILD to stress over homework AT ALL. Childhood is fleeting! Playing outside and spending quality time together in the evenings is far more important.
Grades: There will be tests every Friday. There will also be sporadic quizzes (announced) on questions from our morning work that will serve as “review questions” to the skill(s) being taught. Graded work from class will also be reflected in your child’s gradebook. Students will be informed when class work/activities are taken for a grade. ALL material will be discussed and reviewed in class throughout the week, but please study with your child at home to make him/her feel more comfortable, confident, and prepared. Grades can be found on PowerSchool; tests will also be sent home after they are graded (several weeks at a time). They will be placed in your child’s graded-papers folder. Please review the graded tests with your child. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me a note. Please remember—the grades are a reflection of what your child has learned and understands. I am very approachable and reasonable, and I want your child to succeed!
Classroom Management and Discipline: Unlike Kindergarten and First Grade, we do not sign agendas or give color codes each day. Think of it like this: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS. 😊 If there is a problem concerning your child’s well-being or behavior, then I’ll of course make contact. I rarely have discipline problems, however, and I prefer to spend one-on-one time with each child and work things out personally before making parental contact for minor behaviors.
I expect rules to be followed and appropriate behavior displayed in my classroom to promote student learning, concentration, and well-being. We will have a routine and procedure for everything involving our class day (entering and exiting, lining up, distributing and collecting papers and materials, raising a hand to speak except for during open discussion, walking on the sidewalk, walking to and from the bathroom and water fountain, etc.). Structure and routine make our classroom run like a well-oiled machine and allows us, as a class, to know exactly what is expected; students should never be caught off-guard.
Our class rules are: 1. Speak and act kindly, 2. Use listening ears, 3. Raise your hand to speak, 4. Respect others, school property, and surroundings, and 5. Always try your best.
We remain seated, use appropriate voice levels, and follow directions.
Consequences to misbehavior are: 1. Redirection and Verbal Warning, 2. Teacher’s choice of consequence (depending on the offense/situation—loss of reward points, one-on-one teacher meeting, changing seats temporarily, loss of privilege, etc.), and 3. Parent contact, loss of recess, and/or punish work. If the above measures do not change the behavior, then an office visit/referral/infraction will be the next step.
*Take note: lots of positive reinforcement, motivation, and verbal praise are incorporated into our classroom management plan, and I invest my time and attention to every student. Student-teacher rapport and communication are the most important elements to me. I get to truly “know” my students and each child’s temperament and habits. I promise-- I don’t look for error and failure—I believe in them, and I am very fair.
“Punish work” seems to be the thing that works best (with new behavioral problems comes trial and error). If your child comes home with punish work to write or copy, your signature is required. Please check their binders daily to make sure that IF your child has punish work that day that you sign it because they will stay in for recess to complete it if it is not turned in the day after it is assigned. This way, you will stay informed on what is going on, and they will know that their parents/guardians will find out how they have acted in class! Punish work is a last resort in place of or before an office referral.
Reading/Accelerated Reader Component: AR points are required in 2nd grade, and our Accelerated Reader program is highly encouraged. Please make sure your child is reading his/her library books at home! This is so important.
*All information can also be found on my teacher homepage on our school website: www.hhsrockets.com.