Welcome to Second Grade!
It is our pleasure to welcome you and your child to Holland Elementary’s second grade! We are looking forward to a very exciting year filled with many opportunities for learning and fun! Below are topics that you might like further information about to help your child be as successful as possible in 2nd grade.
Daily Schedules:
Each class has different schedules, however some activities are shared. Second grade lunch is 11:00 – 11:30. Electives and PE, as well as our teacher conferences, are 1:00 – 2:00.
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. Please note: if a child is tardy 3 times, it counts as 1 absence- this is school policy. If your child is absent, please send an excuse note with them when they return to class.
Behavior Expectations:
A well-planned year begins with success-driven behavior expectations and a positive classroom climate. We like to encourage our 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 grade is as follows:
Star Stamp: Star Student… Great job all day! (no warnings)
Green check- Meets behavior expectations (some warnings)
Red check- Not meeting 2nd grade behavior expectations (several warnings,
tokens taken)
Black check- Severe behavior issues - sent to principal
****2 Black checks or 1 ISS causes automatic loss of AR trip
We also use a token system. Each child begins the week with five tokens. Tokens are generally taken after a student has already received a warning, unless he/she breaks a “major rule” (ex:hitting/kicking, foul language, disrespectful/untruthful to teachers, etc.) or makes repeated “bad choices” (not paying attention, not turning in homework, not following directions).
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 with the principal, lunch detention, afternoon detention, loss of special event privileges, loss of field trip, etc. These are designed to make consequences more meaningful and effective for individual students.
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 to play games for the morning, and in the afternoon we often serve popcorn and watch a movie together! A student receives one star by not losing a token for the week. To participate in the party, your child must have at least 4 of 6 stars, or weeks where they do not lose tokens.
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!)
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 with passing grades.
*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(excluding chapter books) 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 may review the book with us and re-read it at the reading table at lunch.
Each child is required to keep above an 87% average on AR tests and earn expected points to receive a passing AR grade and attend AR field trips. 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.
Homework/Daily Folder:
Homework is given daily 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. Please allow your child to determine homework answers independently, then check their work with them and help him/her correct mistakes. If you helped your child fix a problem, please circle the number to let me know this was a difficult question and I can review it with them at school as well.
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.
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher about any concerns or questions you may have. Should the need arise for a conference, please schedule through the Elementary office (254) 657-2525.
Thank you for your cooperation and for the opportunity to work with both you and your child! We are looking forward to a great year and hope that you are as well!
Sincerely,
Second Grade Teachers
Second Grade Syllabus
Language Arts
Reading Skills 75% of grade
Writing 10% of grade
Grammar 15% of grade
Reading 100% of grade
Math
Daily Work 10% of grade
*This includes homework and classwork.
Assessments 60% of grade
Fact Tests 30% of grade
Spelling
Tests 100% of grade
Science and Social Studies
Students are given a letter grade determined by participation and listening skills exhibited during whole class lessons.
Handwriting
Students are given a letter grade determined by assessment of correct formation of letters as they are taught and as they are written in practice and in daily work. Student handwriting is expected to improve throughout the year. Students are taught correct print formation and later cursive. Please do not start teaching your child cursive early as we do not use the same cursive as many schools in years past. Thank you! J
Reading Grade
Students are given a letter grade determined by his/her end of six-weeks STAR computer test and district reading level expectations.
AR Grade
Students are given a grade determined by the completed AR test averages and points on his/her level. A student, who does not meet point and percent goals, will have points deducted from his/her grade average to determine a final grade.
AR Level
AR reading levels are adjusted as necessary to keep students working at a Zone of Proximal Development, which provides for greatest reading growth.