Welcome to Second Grade!
It is my pleasure to welcome you and your child to Holland Elementary’s second grade class! I am looking forward to a very exciting year filled with many opportunities for learning and fun! Below are some topics I feel that you might like further information about to help your child be as successful as possible in 2nd grade.
Behavior Expectations:
A well-planned year begins with success-driven behavior expectations and a positive classroom climate. I like to encourage my students to meet behavior standards by giving lots of praise and rewards of various kinds for positive behavior. If a student does not make good choices, we talk about the choices he/she has made and how to improve upon those choices.
The color system for our class is as follows:
Star Stamp: Star Student… GREAT job all day!
Green check- Meets behavior expectations… Good job!
Red check- Not meeting 2nd grade behavior expectations
Black check- Severe behavior issues today- sent to principal
In our class, we also use a token system. Each child begins the week with 3 tokens. Tokens are lost when the student has broken a rule, but the behavior does not necessarily warrant a red or black check. Tokens are generally taken after a student has already received a warning. Students will miss 10 minutes of recess for each token lost that day. (If the token, red or black check is received after recess, the student will serve their minutes the following day.)
There are also other consequences for misbehavior, such as the loss of a privilege or activity. Consistent, daily misbehavior or severe misbehavior will call for more severe consequences and/or parental contact. These consequences may include: visit to principal, lunch detention, afternoon detention, loss of pep rally privileges, loss of field trip, etc.
Now, here’s the fun part!
At the end of each six-weeks, Second Grade has a Star Party! This party is a lot of fun- students are allowed free time play games for the morning and in the afternoon we serve popcorn and watch a movie together! A student earns their stars by not losing a token or not getting a red or black check for the week. To participate in the party, your child must have earned at 4 of 6 stars for each 6 weeks.
Accelerated Reading (AR):
AR not only gives your child the opportunity to better his/her reading skills, but is a great tool to monitor that success as well. (Not to mention all the fun field trips your child can earn through the program!)
Your child’s 6-weeks point goal and reading level are determined by their results of a 6-week STAR Reading assessment.
One hour of class time each day is dedicated to AR. Students are expected to take a minimum of 2 tests each day over books they have read. *Please note that the minimum is 2 books; “extra” AR trips (100-pt trip,
200-pt trip) can only be achieved if students are going above and beyond the basic reading requirements and testing on at least 3-4 books a day.
Each student must read a book 2 times before taking a test on a book. **(Each child will take home 4 books a day; they will read books once at home and once in class.)** If a student fails an AR test, he/she will review the book with me.
Each child is required to earn their 6-weeks point goal and keep above an 87% average on AR tests to receive a passing AR grade and attend any AR field trips they earn. A weekly AR report will be sent home for you to review with your child. You will also receive more information about AR and AR rewards throughout the year.
Absences/Tardies:
Students are considered tardy if they arrive after the second bell rings and must report to the Elementary office before going to class, so that they will not be counted absent for the day.
Updated School Policy: If a child is absent and does not have a doctor’s note upon returning to class, it is counted as an unexcused absence. If a child is tardy 3 times, it counts as an absence.
Homework/Daily Folder:
Homework is given Monday-Thursday each week to help your child excel in school. It is designed to review and reinforce daily learning and help your child develop good study habits that they will use throughout the rest of his/her school experience! A homework/behavior folder goes home every day, helping students remember their homework and encouraging parents to be involved in their student’s learning.
Daily homework typically consists of Reading, Spelling and Math practice. Please allow your child to determine homework answers independently, then check their work with them and help him/her correct mistakes. Please have them check that their work is complete and their name is at the top of their homework to be ready to be returned the next morning. Then, please review the behavior portion of their homework sheet and sign.
Parent/Teacher Communication:
Teamwork and communication between parent and teacher is very important for the success of each child.
I can be reached by e-mail at cgilley@hollandisd.org, or send me a message on ClassDojo! (ClassDojo is your best option here!)
Please feel free to contact me about any concerns or questions you may have. Should the need arise for a conference, please schedule through the Elementary office (254) 657-2525. (The homework sheet is also a good place for us to communicate with each other about your child’s behavior or learning!)
Thank you for your cooperation and for the opportunity to work with both you and your child! I am looking forward to a great year, and I hope that you are as well!