Grade 2

Click here to see an overview of the curriculum of this grade.
Click here to view the School Handbook (general policies for grades K through 8)
Click here to see photos from 2nd Grade
Click here to read the quarterly Curriculum News

Parent Information

Welcome to Second Grade

We wish to extend to each and everyone a warm "Hello". After a wonderful summer, it's time to begin again. We hope your child is looking forward to the new school year that lies ahead. They will be going on an exciting adventure called "Second Grade." There are many new and exciting learning experiences they will be partaking in this year. We will try our best to make this adventure both exciting and enjoyable. You have many questions concerning activities that will be happening in the classroom this year. Many of these questions will be addressed on Curriculum Night which is scheduled for October. Included in this newsletter are some of the most commonly asked questions by parents.

BIRTHDAYS

Birthdays are one of the most important events in the life of a young child. We are very aware of food allergies, and for this reason we are asking that nonfood items be brought in as birthday treats. You are more than welcome to send in a goodie bag (with stickers, pencils, small toys) or non-food item for your child's birthday celebration. We are also aware that many children would like to bring in an edible treat. For this reason,t he school policy is that teachers must be notified of the treat 24 hours in advance of bringing in the treat. On this day your child may be “out of uniform.” You may drop the items off at the Office during the morning of their special day. Summer birthdays will be celebrated in June.

SNACKS

There will be morning recess each day. In line with our Life Threatening Allergy Protocol, children will get their snacks and bring them to the cafeteria. We ask that you send in a healthy snack daily, as lunch is not served until 12:00. Recess is from 10:15 to 10:30 daily. Children are also encouraged to bring in water bottles for use during the day. Please fill with water only.

SCHOOL DAY

Students begin entering the building at 7:50 and head to the classroom. Teachers are in the classrooms at that time. During this morning time the children unpack, get ready for the day, and begin morning work. This morning work acts as a review for the students. All students should be in the classroom by 8:00 AM for prayer. Students not in the room by 8:00 will be marked absent. The student must report to the office first if tardy. The children are dismissed at 2:30 PM. They have been assigned to a bus, or maybe they are walkers, extended day or car riders. If there should be change in their normal schedule, please let us know by way of a note. If you need to dismiss your child early, please send along a note in the morning, and be sure to sign your child out at the office before coming down to the classroom.

HOME-SCHOOL JOURNAL

The Home-School Journal is a method of communication that has worked wonderfully over the past years. Either you or we have the opportunity to jot a note or a concern to each other in a form that is not easily lost. There is a more complete description of this concept attached to the journal itself.

ASSESSMENTS

Second graders will be assessed this year in a variety of ways. There are more formal assessments in all content areas. Informal assessments include teachers’ observations, daily work, writing samples, activities, experiments and projects. Both forms are combined to best assess your child. There may be occasion for work to be corrected or completed during the day. We work with the children to help them understand their mistakes. Our goal is for the child to apply the skills and knowledge they have learned. Portfolios will be kept by each child. These portfolios include writing samples, assessments and “best work”. At the end of each term the children have an opportunity to review their portfolios to see their growth.

HOMEWORK

Second graders receive a homework packet on Mondays, along with a cover page describing the homework assignment, and any quick notes to the parents. The intent of a homework packet is to allow the student the flexibility to complete the homework within a week’s time. Reading is a given in the homework packet. Everyone is expected to read a few minutes each night and to record the readings on the Reading Log. If you do not list any books read for the week, we assume you have not read any.

Homework should reflect pride in one’s work. Papers that are rushed or partly completed, or that do not follow the directions do not show the effort that is expected of Second Graders. Illustrations should always be colored neatly, and handwriting should always be neat. We ask that homework be completed in pencil. Homework folders are passed in on Friday mornings.

We hope that for the most part homework is done independently. However we understand that there may be times when parental help is needed. It is for this reason that homework is not given a heavy grade. We are looking for the children to develop good work habits, independent thinking, pride in one’s work, and good study habits. We also expect them to pass in the homework folders without being reminded.

The grading policy is simply a 3-2-1 rubric. Packets or papers that are scored a 3 show that directions have been followed and best effort is given. A 2 shows average work, with some areas that are lacking. A 1 is incomplete, not completed correctly or shows a poor level of knowledge. As the year continues, the rubric may change to a 4-3-2-1 rubric, with scores of a 4 showing outstanding effort.

CLASS RULES

At the beginning of each year the children discuss and decide which rules are necessary for our classroom. These rules are then posted and reviewed whenever necessary. Our guiding principle is that each person in the class has a right to learn. Rules are kept simple, and focus attention on the 4 D’s. Behavior is inappropriate if it is dangerous, disturbing, destructive, or disrespectful. With guidance and reinforcement, the children can better manage their behavior.

CLASSROOM WORK

Second grade is filled with activities that include whole class and small group instruction, cooperative groups, computer activities, group work, partnered work and individual work. Each class is made up of a diverse group of students with many different learning styles and needs. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. We encourage each child to do work that is neat and to the best of their ability. Students are expected to complete their work in class. If a child does not complete an activity, they will be dealt with on an individual basis. Many of these procedures are a carry over from First Grade.

UNIFORMS

Please label your child’s uniforms. There are many times sweatshirts are unidentified because the children have taken them off during gym. Please use the Student Handbook as your guide for seasonal uniform changes. Out of uniform slips will be passed out to those who do not wear the uniform correctly.

GRADING:

Tests such as math, spelling, religion, science and social studies are given number grades. Other papers are scored with the 3-2-1-rubric at the beginning of the year, and change to a 4-3-2-1 rubric by midyear. Math tests are given independently, parts of the science, social studies and science tests are read aloud to the class. Religion is read aloud to the class, and the children also have the option to refer back to their books for additional information.

Spelling tests are but a small portion of the spelling and writing grades. Each portion of the spelling test is scored separately. Words are those from the week’s Preview Words as well as words that were from previous weeks. Words are not considered mastered until they are consistently written correctly – in daily sentences, journals, written responses.

Second Graders should expect to spend 20-30 minutes per night on homework.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

Second graders traditionally collect funds during the Christmas season for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette Santa Fund. At one point we collected pennies, then counted and rolled the coins. We have now begun to demonstrate our commitment to service by making a variety of arts and craft ornaments. We sell these ornaments during the Holly Fair, with members of the class participating as sellers. This process helps the children to realize that service to others is an enriching activity.

GOALS:

Our goals for your children are to help them become more independent learners. We take them from simple one step directions to more complex two and three step directions, both in oral and written form. We form many partnerships within the classroom: seasonal buddies, cross group buddies, elbow partners, and same group buddies. We encourage your children to learn to work with many other children as well as to learn to work independently. We are there to promote learning but we are also there to offer strategies for learning rather than giving answers.

COMMUNITY BUILDING:

We began our year developing classroom rules. As a class we replaced the “do not…” with a more positive word. Reflecting that the classroom is a community of learners, we focused on the ideas that we wanted to make the classroom an environment where we all could learn.

Community service projects, Sixth grade buddies, classroom jobs, homemade cards, and prayer intentions all help to unite us as a community.

SCHEDULES:

Spanish – Monday Art – Tuesday Spanish – Wednesday Music – Thursday Computers, Library, Gym - Friday

If you or you child has a question or concern, do not hesitate to let us know.
Mrs. O’Brien and Mrs. Lukach