ABC's of Second Grade

Accelerated Math/Accelerated Reader: These programs are a huge part of our instruction and assessment. Students are expected to complete at least one Acc. Math assignment and pass at least two AR quizzes weekly. Prizes are awarded as students earn math objectives and AR points.

Arrival: School begins promptly at 7:50 a.m. Students arriving before that time, need to report to the gym. Students must be in the classroom by 8:00 to avoid being counted tardy. If your child arrives after 8:00, please be sure to sign them in at the front desk so that they are not counted absent.

Attendance Your child's regular and prompt attendance at school is a must! This is crucial to his/her success. If your child must be absent, please send a note. If your child is seen by a doctor, it is a good idea to obtain a doctor's statement. (After three parent notes, you must have a doctor's statement in order for the absence to be excused.) *Please refer to the WCES Attendance Policy for complete information.

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Background Checks: If you are planning on being a chaperone for any of our field trips, or volunteering in any other way, you must have a background check in the office. These are sent to Frankfort and usually take about a month to return to us. Waiting until the time of a field trip could be too late. Let me know if you need a form sent home.

Birthdays: Birthday treats are welcome. Your child will be allowed to share them during our recess time. You can email your child a birthday wish by clicking here.

Book Orders I will be sending home a book order each month. If you wish to order, fill out the form and send cash (correct amount, please!) or a check made out to Scholastic Book Clubs in an envelope or baggie. Or you can order online (information about this will be with your child's book order). There are some great deals each month, and each purchase helps earn bonus points that are used for classroom books and materials and AR rewards!

Communication: One thing I enjoy about teaching (besides, of course, the kids!) is the relationships I have built with parents. I believe that communication between school and home is essential to your child's success at school. Please be sure to check your child's red Take-home Folder and Weekly Folder for any notes, and I will do the same for any notes you may send to me.

Computer Use: We use computers often and daily! Please be sure to complete all parts of the Technology Acceptable Use Policy. Be sure to read the attached note for more information on how we use computers in the classroom. Students can not be allowed to use the computers without this form on file.

Conferences: We have one scheduled parent-teacher conference after the first nine weeks. However, I would be happy to meet with you at any time to discuss your child's progress or any concerns you may have. We can also hold phone conferences. I can meet before school, after school, or during my planning. Just send me a note, or call the school to set up a time.

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Discipline Like in first grade, we use the stop-light behavior system in our classroom. Please be sure to read the Classroom Discipline Plan for more information on consequences, as well as incentives.

E-mail: I check my email each day (and night!) so this is probably the best way to contact me. My email is toni.thomas@washington.kyschools.us. If you don’t have email, you can send a note or call and leave a message at school: 336-5490. I will respond to your questions as quickly as possible, either during my planning or after school.

Expectations: The expectations for the primary program at WCES are posted in our classroom, and we review them daily. (The wording has been changed a little to fit our classroom climate.)

RULE ABOVE ALL RULES: RESPECT EVERYONE!

1. Follow directions quickly.

2. Raise your hand to speak.

3. Use inside voices and walking feet.

4. Everything has a home.

5. Make smart choices.

6. Keep your dear teacher happy. J

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Facts Math facts (addition/subtraction) are very important this year! In our second math unit we will start having timed quizzes on math facts each week. Study sheets, and more information, will be sent home. Please help your child to study these each night.

Folder: Your child’s red folder will come home each night. Stapled inside will be a calendar which lets your know of upcoming events, specials schedule, and snack days. This will also be used to let you know of problems, if any. Please check and sign each night. Any notes, money, and homework should be placed in this folder so children know where to find them.

Grades: All graded work will come home in your child’s Weekly Folder. Please sign the attached sheet each week after reviewing you child’s work. I may also ask that some work be signed by you, so I know you have seen your child’s work. ** Students are encouraged to correct bad grades (with help) and return them to me for a better grade.

Grading Scale: Our grading scale is as follows:

A 93 - 100
B 85 - 92
C 77 - 84
D 70 - 76
F Below 70

Please remember that grades are earned by the student, not given by the teacher. Students will also earn grades through daily participation, tests, and homework.

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Homework: Your child should study spelling words and read for his/her reading log nightly. Most nights there will also be a worksheet to practice what we are doing in the classroom. I encourage you to help your child with his/her homework. Homework done incorrectly is not good practice. Your child’s homework should not take more than 20-30 minutes. Don’t hesitate to contact me if your child is struggling or needs a challenge.
If there are extenuating circumstances that cause homework to not be completed (ex. family emergency), please send me a note.

Click here for homework and weekly spelling words.

Incentives Students, and teams, who display responsible behavior are rewarded with a variety of incentives!

Tickets can be earned for acts of kindness, good behavior, daily homework, etc. Students keep up with their own tickets and can "spend" them on prizes, including "Stinky Feet", "Pick Your Seat", and "Treasure Chest" on Fridays.

· Marble Jar - Our class earns marbles when the whole class displays responsible behavior/good work habits. When our class receives compliments from other
adults in the building (including me), they earn marbles. When the marble jar is full, we vote on our reward (popcorn/movie, pizza party, toy party, pajama party, etc.).

· Team Cubes - Teams (tables) who demonstrate responsible behavior earn cubes for their table. The team with the most cubes at the end of the week gets to pick
from the Treat Box or Prize Box.

Ms. Osborne's Points - Ms. Osborne awards points to classes for good behavior in the lunchroom, dress code compliance, no office referrals, and attendance. Each Monday, she announces the points totals for each class. Classrooms who earn 100 points win a dress-down day or a pizza party. 200 points = dress-down day and a pizza party! When we get all our lunchroom “apples” for a week, or perfect attendance for a week, our points for that week are doubled!

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Jumping to Conclusions: Please do not jump to conclusions when your child tells you about something that happened at school. Just call or send me a note, so we can talk about your concerns, so you can get both sides of the story. If you promise not to believe everything your child says, I promise to do the same! J

Kindness: Students in our school are expected to treat all members of our school family with kindness and respect. Bullying (hitting, fighting, name calling, and making fun of others) will not be tolerated.

Lunch Money Please send money at the beginning of the week if at all possible and put it in an envelope or baggie with your child's name, my name, and what the money is for.

Lunch prices (full price) are as follows:

          Breakfast $1.15
          Lunch         $1.70
          Extras       $ .25 (juice, lemonade, extra milk)

*Please note that if your child chooses a drink other than milk, they will be charged for Extras, which may cause them to run out of lunch money sooner than expected.

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Money: Please make sure that any money that is sent to school is either in an envelope or a baggie with a note telling me what it is for. (lunch, field trip, pictures, etc.). Students often hand me money with no idea what it is for!

Medication Policy When your child needs medication at school, the following guidelines must be met:

No prescription medication will be given unless authorization has been signed by a parent and the student's doctor. A parent's signature is required for authorization to give over-the-counter medicines. If an over-the-counter drug is given for over three (3) consecutive days, the doctor must also sign authorization form.
Parent or other adult must bring medication to school and pick up medicine. No child is to transport medication.
Medication must be in its original container. If medication needs to be given at both school and home, ask your pharmacist to put the prescription in two separate bottles -- one for home, and one for school.
A child who needs to carry emergency medications (Epipen or inhaler) may carry it with them as long as we have parent and physician permission.
Discontinued medication will be disposed of by school nurse if not picked up by parent or other adult within two weeks of discontinued date.

If you have any questions, please contact Jill P. Clements, R.N., School Nurse.

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Newsletters: Newsletters will be sent monthly since we will be limited on copies this year. However, I will send mini-updates in between, so please check your child's folder nightly.

Open Door: OK, so I don’t have a door! J But please know that you are always welcome to come by to read, volunteer, or share a special treat or project. Just let me know ahead of time, and be sure to sign in at the front desk. Or, if you just want to talk about your child's progress, I can be available, if you just notify me ahead of time.

P.E.: For your child’s safety, please make sure s/he wears gym shoes on these days. See your child’s calendar for the days our class goes to P.E.

PTO: PTO meets monthly. If you can, please try to get involved in our PTO. The PTO has worked hard to provide much needed classroom supplies and student rewards. Please watch your child's folder for more information.

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Questions: Please feel free to ask. If I don't know the answer, I will find out for you as soon as I can!

Reading Log: Ideally, your child should be reading at least 20 minutes each night. From my experience, students who read nightly are reading at least one grade level above by the end of the year! The Reading Log also counts as a part of your child’s homework grade.

Snacks: Please watch your child's calendar to see when (s)he will be the snack provider for the class. Please try to send individually wrapped snacks (ex. put chips in baggies if not already bagged). Drinks are optional. Students may bring their own drinks to have with their snack.

Toys: Please make sure your child is not bringing toys to school. Not only do these distract from learning, but they also can cause conflicts. I will send a note to let you know when toys will be allowed.

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Uniforms Please make sure that your child follows our school's dress code policy. Students have the choice of red, blue, or white polo shirt. Bottoms must be navy or khaki. Students may wear pants or shorts -- no cargo pockets or carpenter loop. Belts must be worn if pants have belt loops (you can always cut these off!). Girls may also wear navy or khaki skirt, skort, or jumper. For safety reasons with the stairs, flip-flops and Heelies are not allowed. Socks must be worn with shoes.

Students who are in violation of dress code will bring home a note regarding the violation, and what they need in order to be compliant. WCES sweatshirts and polos sold by the PTO are also acceptable. "Spirit Wear" also sold by the PTO may be worn with uniform bottoms on Fridays. Students must wear tennis shoes in the gym.

*Please refer to the WCES Dress Code Policy for complete information.

Volunteer There are many ways that you can help out -- chaperone field trips; work with individual students/small groups of children to practice a specific skill; share a book or information about your career or hobby; color/cut out classroom games, repair over-loved books, file papers; etc. If you are interested in being a parent volunteer, just let me know. *Background check is required for working directly with children.

Water Bottles: Your child is allowed and encouraged to bring a water bottle for his/her desk. I prefer the pop-up tops to prevent spills and distractions. If there is a problem, the water bottle will be sent back home.

Webpage: Be sure to visit for information, spelling words, educational games, and glimpses into your child's day. Go to our school's site: www.washington.k12.ky.us/wces/wces.htm and click on "Classroom Corner." Then, follow the links to our site!

I am eXcited to work with You and Your child this year! Make sure s/he gets plenty of Zzzzz’s each night as we have exciting days planned for this year. J

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