If your child is absent, please call the school to let us know. A note stating the reason for the absence must be brought to school as soon as possible to avoid an unexcused absence; please include the date(s) of the absence in the note/email.
If you would like to send a birthday treat with your child on or near his/her birthday, please feel free to do so. These treats will be eaten during our snack ti me me
Sometimes I will send home book order forms for you and your child to look over. Book clubs offer books at reduced prices. It's a great way to build your child's home library! I will also highlight a few titles if you would like to contribute to our classroom library!
Parent and Teacher conferences are held at the end of the first and third quarter. I will send home a sign up sheet for conferences; watch for information and reply accordingly. If concerns arise during the school year that cannot be addressed over the phone or through email, an additional conference may be scheduled. At
Communication is essential to student success! Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment, or concern. You can reach me by phone (919.870.4074), in person, by email (kmclendon@wcpss.net), or by note. Please keep me informed of any email, address, or phone number changes throughout the year.
Discipline is simple. I expect the students to behave in a manner that reflects the basic rules of courtesy, respect, and safety. We will develop classroom expectations during the first days of school. If your child displays inappropriate behavior, I will give them a verbal reminder to check their behavior. If the behavior continues, your child will have a consequence and possibly you will receive a phone call during which I will allow your child to explain to you what occurred.
Please refer to the Wake County Public School System dress code when helping your child dress for school. Shorts must reach the fingertips or below when the arms are held straight down at the sides. Shoulder straps on shirts must be at least two adult fingers wide. Halter-tops and spaghetti straps are unacceptable. You may consider having your child wear shorts under skirts and dresses.
My school email address is kmclendon@wcpss.net. I check email daily. If you have an email address that you’d like me me
Please complete and return the contact card from the office promptly. If your phone number changes, please inform the office and m e.
Information about field trips will co me me
If your child is going home a different way than usual, you will need to notify me in writing. You must clear transportation arrangements through the office if your child is riding the bus home with another child. I cannot send a child home a different way if they only “tell” me ; It MUST be in writing.
Homework is a way for your child to practice skills learned at school and develop responsibility. Sometimes children will need support in completing their homework. You may ask them to attempt it independently and then review it with them once they are finished. All homework will cover material addressed in class unless it is an enrichment activity. Homework is a requirement and not an option. Each night your child will be expected to read for 20 minutes or more. The students will keep a reading log in their homework folder to record their reading. The students will have a temporary log from me until the Lynn Road Book Club begins through the PTA. We will have “Turn In Tuesday” for students to show me their reading log. This is how they will show that they have read for at least 20 minutes a night (which is part of their homework participation grade). You will need to initial the students’ reading log when they finish their reading time. Logs that don’t have a parent signature cannot be counted.
Independence
Please do not jump to conclusions when your child comes home telling you about something that happened at school. Please call, e-mail, or send me a note so we can talk about your concerns and so you can get the full story!
Keep updated by reading the weekly classroom newsletter and checking the L.I.O.N. Keeper every day for other notes and information.
I believe in catching children making great choices and showing Lion P.R.I.D.E.! P.R.I.D.E. stands for Politeness, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Excellence. On our chart, the children will work their way "up" the chart until their clip lands on "We just can't hide our Lion PRIDE!" Children will be rewarded at different stages of earning “Lion PRIDE” (going all the way through the cycle).
The library is “flexible” in nature, meaning the students can go as needed! We;ll also participate in 2 research projects with the librarian!
L.I.O.N. Keepers help keep us organized. The three-ring binder houses a homework folder, newsletter/take home papers folder, and other items that assist with communication between home and school. L.I.O.N. is an acronym for Let’s Instill Organization Now. Please help your child remember to bring the L.I.O.N. Keeper to school each day. This should help your child become responsible and more organized! L.I.O.N. Keepers will be sent home and returned to school each day. I will be checking the contents of the binder each morning. The L.I.O.N. Keeper is also designed to encourage communication between you and myself; you can write notes to myself in the communication section.
We will eat lunch daily. (Ha, ha – just seeing if you are still with me!) Our lunch time will be 12:00-12:30. Breakfast costs $.80, and lunch costs $1.75. It is easiest if you set up a lunch account through the cafeteria. You are welcome to eat lunch with your child. If you choose to do so, please meet your child in the cafeteria at our lunchtime. If lunch money is sent to school, please send it in the L.I.O.N. Keeper. There is a pencil pocket pouch for this purpose that is located in the front of the L.I.O.N. Keeper.
Your child will not be permitted to take any kind of medication without a doctor’s note. The medication must be in the prescribed container and dropped off at the office by YOU, not your child. Over the counter medications, medicated lotions, etc. are not allowed in the classroom.
Mystery Readers are invited on most Fridays to read to us! More about this will be sent home in the newsletter!
For math, I use a “CGI” approach; CGI stands for Cognitively Guided Instruction. The basic premise of this approach is that students come to us with ways to solve real life math problems. As a teacher I can build on those to help them not only solve math problems, but to really understand them. We will be using manipulatives in our classroom such as: our brains, blocks, counters, place value blocks, and many other things to help us get a concrete grasp of numbers and the way they interact. CGI math problems will look like a story that has one or more math puzzles in it to solve.
One of the most important parts of the CGI approach is that your child can explain his/her thinking and his/her strategy used to solve the problem. The children will also be solving problems in multiple ways using multiple strategies.When you are working with your child rather than saying “oh try it this way….”, ask:*try asking why? *does that work every time? *is this the easiest way to solve this problem? *what is your first step? *do you have all of the information needed? *can we do it another way? In experimenting with different strategies your child is learning to solve problems using numbers in a concrete way.
A weekly newsletter will be sent ho me me
During this school year I would like to give your child the opportunity to “open new doors” and explore new knowledge as well as build upon the knowledge they already have. You can open doors for your child as well by helping them look up material on the Internet (some sites are already provided for you under second grade resources on my Blackboard homepage) and by helping them check out books in the library on the topics we are studying. A good rule for selecting books on their level is to have them read the first page and use the five finger rule. If they come to five words on the first page that they either cannot pronounce or do not know the meaning of they need to select an easier book. Encourage them to bring in and share any information they find.
Personal items such as jackets, book bags, and lunch boxes should be labeled with your child’s name.
I expect your child to make an effort to complete quality work. If your child turns in work that is not representative of their ability, they may be asked to redo that assignment.
Recess will be outside weather permitting. Please be sure that your child is wearing comfortable, appropriate clothes and shoes for outside recess.
Please send in a healthy snack for your child each day. Fruit, nuts, cheese and crackers, pretzels, vegetables, or a small bag of low sugar cereal are some good choices (no candy or sodas). Students may keep a water bottle on their desk throughout the day if they desire.
Our class’ specials schedule is:
· Monday: Gym *The children are asked to wear athletic shoes on gym days.
· Tuesday: Art
· Wednesday: Music
· Thursday: Computer
· Friday: Second Step
If your child has a special item they would like to share, please encourage them to make it something that correlates to something we are currently studying and to tell me first thing that morning.
If your child arrives at the CLASSROOM after 9:15 they will need to get a tardy note from the office before coming to the classroom. This means that being inside the school building by 9:15 is not considered on time; your child must be in the classroom. We get to work at 9:15!
Toys and valuables are to be left at home unless requested for a special occasion or share time. I will store items that are causing a distraction to your child or other children in a safe place.
The second grade teachers will be working as a team! We view all second graders as “our” students, and each teacher is a teacher of every child! We will be team teaching throughout the year in order to meet your child’s specific needs so your child will have all of us!
Each child is unique and has his/her own special gifts and talents that I hope they will share these with the class!
Volunteers and visitors must register in the office before coming to the classroom. I do appreciate volunteers in and out of the classroom! I will have sign-up sheets during the first days of school to find out how you would like to help. I will especially need volunteers for literacy centers time; I would like for a parent to be able to come in every day! When volunteering in the classroom, I ask you to keep in mind that it is still your child’s instructional time and they are to continue with their schoolwork. Prior to volunteering in the classroom you will need to register through WCPSS in the media center. Be sure to support our school and join the PTA!
We will be having Reader’s, Writer’s, and Math Workshops! Reader’s and Writer’s Workshops will begin with a mini-lesson where I will model a new skill or strategy followed by work time. During this work time, I will be conferring with students individual or in small groups to meet their reading and writing needs! Students often will choose what they read and write, which develops ownership of their learning. As they begin to use newly taught strategies that make them more skilled readers and writers, they are able to grow, increasing their confidence and sense of ownership. They will also have an opportunity to talk with partners about their thinking, decisions, and strategies used! During Math Workshop the students will be solving real-word problems using manipulatives and strategies they create; see the “Thinking Math” section for more information! All of these learning opportunities are centered on the students’ individual needs!
I am eXcited about teaching your child this year and hope that they are excited about the adventures of second grade! During this school year I would like to give your child the opportunity to “open new doors” and explore new knowledge. You can open doors for your child as well by helping them look up material on the Internet (some sites are already provided for you under second grade resources on my Blackboard homepage) and by helping them check out books in the library on the topics we are studying. Learning does not just happen at school!
You and I are a team in ensuring the success of your child. You can help your child have a successful school day by sending him/her to school well rested, on time, fed (or eat breakfast at school), and with all materials. Take a few moments to look over the work your child brings home. Offer support with homework without doing it for him/her. Talk to your child about how they feel about their work. Communicate with me if you have questions in how to better support your child with their schoolwork.
Zzzzzzz… Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedti me
I have zero tolerance for bullying in my classroom. I will do all that I can to see that your child feels safe, respected, and free to make mistakes without fear of being ridiculed.
