Welcome to Parent Night!

1. Welcome to Parent Night! The Wildly Bright Baker Bunch!

2. TRANSPORTATION - Don’t forget to send a note if your child’s afternoon transportation changes. MEDICINE - All medication taken during the day has to be given to the school nurse by a parent. Label it and include instructions for administering it. SNACK - Each child brings his own snack. 9:30 - 9:45 LUNCH - Twana Stewart is our lunchroom manager. Contact her about any questions concerning your child’s lunch account. LUNCH MONEY - Send lunch money in a sealed envelope with child’s name, and teacher’s name on it. Also, mark “lunch money” on the envelope. You can also pay for lunch on line. * Let me know if your child may not have seconds at lunch. I usually check to see if the child has eaten most of his lunch and then let him/her go back for seconds unless I have a note from you. LUNCH TIME – 11:15

3. BIRTHDAYS – The Wellness Committee met last week and decided that parents should not send in items in recognition of their child’s birthday. Instead, we will make every effort to recognize the student who has a birthday by listing his/her name no broadcast and on our lunchroom message sign. In addition, teachers will recognize each child in her classroom with some “non-food” item. Teachers have been asked not to provide sweets of any kind to recognize birthdays since that will be out of compliance with our wellness policy. CLASS PARTIES – Each classroom will have a midyear and an end of the year party. Limited cookies and sweets can come in for these two events only. Students will never be allowed to have carbonated drinks. NEWSLETTER - I try to send a newsletter home weekly. If we have a short week or something special going on at school I may skip a week. The newsletter will also be on our class web page. Go to http://cbaker.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us. Parent Volunteers - Sign up on board! Field Trips - Sign up on board! Communication - I would prefer for you to send me a note or email if you need to give me information. Please do not leave me a voicemail. I will answer email either before or after school. Please do not send any transportation changes via email. My email address is cbaker@hoover.k12.al.us. BOOK ORDERS – Please try to place all Scholastic orders on line. I have an account already set up for you to order from. Or, you can send a check made out to Scholastic with the order filled out.

4. SECOND GRADE CURRICULUM MORNING RESPONSIBILITIES – Children are dismissed from the lunchroom at 7:40. When they arrive at our classroom they are responsible for a lunch choice, unpacking all homework, notes, money, etc. and placing each in a designated place. GUIDED READING - “Making Meaning” is our current reading program. The main focus is on comprehension because many people believe that if a child can read a page aloud, they can understand it. It will help children to make sense of what they read. We will also have “text talk” books, book sets, the Scholastic Reading Book, leveled books, and a multitude of interesting literature. We will concentrate on reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension through the use of all of these reading materials. We will also use literature to reinforce comprehension and to help children think critically about the story. Various genres and levels of books will be read throughout the year. Each child starts on a reading level determined by the Fountas and Pinnell reading comprehension test. Once their reading level is determined, the students will pick a book from that level to read. When the student finishes the book, he/she will log the name of the book into their “Reading Response Journal” and write a few sentences about the book. Read Aloud/Shared Reading & Silent Reading/Reading Conferences - Read Aloud/Shared reading is when the student observes the teacher reading with fluency and expression. After the teacher has completed the read aloud, each student reads a book silently on his/her reading level. During this time the teacher will hold reading conferences. Reading conferences give the teacher a one-on-one opportunity to assess reading strengths and weaknesses. The conferences also provide a time for the teacher to give students specific strategies for working through possible challenges in the text. Each child will have a scheduled conference day.

5. WRITING - This begins with a mini-lesson when grammar, punctuation, and the writing process are taught. I will model the writing process with the help of the class to create a class story. Children then start to write their own individual pieces. The class word wall, personal dictionaries, and classroom dictionaries will aid the children with spelling needs. Writing conferences will be held during this time. WRITING PROCESS - brainstorming, prewriting, rough draft, editing, publishing. Handwriting - We will be using the Zaner-Bloser Handwriting curriculum this year. Each child will have a handwriting book that will start with manuscript review and last through the first half of the year. Cursive will be introduced during the second half. Spelling - Spelling Connections is our current spelling program. This program helps children learn valuable spelling patterns and strategies. Children retain more of their learning using practical study tools, exercises and activities, and are able to transfer more spelling knowledge for success in reading, writing, and test taking. Every Monday, the children will take home a list of 16 spelling words that contain a spelling skill. Ex. “Short a” On Thursday or Friday, each child will log onto Spelling City and take a test on the computer. Spelling City is a great interactive web site for children to practice their spelling words. I will enter the words into Spelling City each week. Your child can go to www.spellingcity.com at home and practice their spelling words for the week. Spelling City also has many fun activities for the children to do with their spelling words. They can even take a pre-test to see which words they still need to work on. I encourage the children to be familiar with this web site because they will be taking their spelling test on it each week.

6. MATH – We will be implementing Investigations in Grade 2 for our math curriculum. This program helps students develop flexibility and confidence in approaching problems, fluency in using mathematical skills and tools to solve problems and proficiency in evaluating their solutions. Computational fluency of basic number facts develops through understanding of number relationships and practice in games and activities. Students also use many ways to communicate about their mathematical thinking and their multiple strategies to solve problems while their enjoyment and application of mathematics grows. Technology - My classroom is equipped with the latest technology to prepare the children to be 21st century digital learners. We have Dell laptops, iPods, a digital camera, a video camera, Lightsmith, and an HP Photosmart Printer. The children will visit the computer lab once a week and also use the computers in our classroom. They will have the opportunity for internet research, learning activities in math, reading, spelling (practice and tests), and theme. They will learn the basics of Microsoft Word and how to create PowerPoint presentations. Projects - During project time, the class works on projects pertaining to the topic of study. This time encompasses science experiments, social studies lessons, cooking activities, research projects, and individual book reStudents will write their homework in their agendas daily. This is a great source for parent/teacher communication. It is not a requirement for the agenda to be signed nightly, therefore remind your child to show me their agenda if there is a note in it. Show and Tell - Show and Tell is not part of our schedule. Toys - Toys are not allowed in the classroom. They are distracting and not a part of our curriculum.

7. Homework - Homework will be given out each Monday and will be due each Thursday. It will contain each week’s spelling words and a math review. The children will be required to read 20 minutes each night and record their readings in a reading log. The reading homework can consist of silent reading, read aloud by the child to the parent, and/or shared reading. On Wednesdays, we have Poetry Night. This is the only Wednesday homework. Each child is given a poem to read. The child must read the poem to family members, friends, neighbors, etc. and then get the signatures of each person who heard them read the poem. The goal is to read the poem to as many different people as possible. We will also practice reading the poem in class. In addition, as we explore educational web sites in class, children will be asked to go to a specific web site to complete a math, reading or spelling activity and print it or write down what was done and return it in the homework pack on Thursday. Take-Home Folder - The take-home folder consists of graded papers, letters/information, etc. Take-home folders are sent home on Mondays with a newsletter. Please keep the papers, and return the folder to school the next day. 3 Ring Binder -The agenda and loose-leaf paper are kept in the 3 ring binder. The binder serves as a study notebook. Homework sheets, spelling words for the week, and theme study guides, etc. are kept in this binder. This binder must be brought to school every day. Classroom Discipline Plan - Working together in an atmosphere of cooperation is very important to each child in our class. Cooperation insures adequate time for curriculum subjects to be covered, fosters self-esteem, and promotes an enjoyable day for all. Therefore, I stress self-control, accepting responsibility, and establishing good 2nd grade work habits.

8. Classroom Discipline Plan - Working together in an atmosphere of cooperation is very important to each child in our class. Cooperation insures adequate time for curriculum subjects to be covered, fosters self-esteem, and promotes an enjoyable day for all. Therefore, I stress self-control, accepting responsibility, and establishing good 2nd grade work habits. Individual Reward System - We will discuss all of the classroom rules during the first week of school and these rules will be posted in the room the entire year. I like to use positive reinforcement to motivate children to make good choices. I have found that a child who consistently makes good choices and excels academically has a united team of teachers and parents that hold them accountable for their actions and encourages them on a daily basis. Expected Behaviors: Self-Control, Accepting Responsibility, Good Work Habits, Behavior Consequences If a Child Makes a Bad Choice. 1. Time out/Loss of free time 2. Silent or Working Lunch 3. Note sent home to parent 4. Parent Conference 5. Behavior Contract 6. Visit to the Office

9. Thank you for sharing your child with me! I know we will have a successful year!