Back To School Night

1. Back To School Night Miss Paolucci Grade 2 September 28, 2004

2. Introducing Miss Paolucci's 2nd Grade Class!

3. Whose Child Is This? “Whose child is this?” I asked one day, Seeing a little one out at play. “Mine,” said the parent with tender smile. “Mine to keep for a little while. To bathe his hands and comb his hair To tell him what he is to wear. To prepare him so that he may always be good And each day do the things he should.”

4. “Whose child is this?” I asked again. As the door opened and someone came in. “Mine,” said the teacher with the same tender smile. “Mine, to keep for a little while. To teach him how to be gentle and kind, To train and direct his dear little mind, To help him live by every rule, And get the best he can from school.”

5. “Whose child is this?” I asked once more, Just as the little one entered the door. “Ours,” said the parent and the teacher, as they both smiled. Each took a hand of the little child, “Ours to love and train together, Ours to teach forever.” -author unknown My hope is that our year together can model this poem. Together, we can make this a terrific and rewarding year for your child! I look forward to working with you throughout the year! -Janine Paolucci

6. Thank you to our PTA parent volunteers! • Mrs. – Head Class Parent • Mrs. – Asst. Class Parent • Mrs. – Asst. Class Parent • Mrs. - Asst. Class Parent

7. Thurs. Oct. 14th - Whaling Museum Thurs. Nov. 4th- Old Bethpage Village Fri. Nov. 12th–Goudreau Math Museum Discovering Dominoes We need parent Volunteers for Field Trips! • 2 parents per trip! • Sign up sheet is on the round table! Wed. March 2nd-Cam Jansen at Queens College

8. Fri. April 15th–Goudreau Math Museum Logic For Little People We need parent Volunteers for Field Trips! • 2 parents per trip! • Sign up sheet is on the round table! Date TBA- Clark Gardens Trip • There will be a few other trips that will be held in the Spring. Dates to follow. The trips are: • Nassau County Police Headquarters (Free) • LIJ Hospital (Free) • Waldbaum’s(Free) • “Picture Perfect Community” Trip (lunch $)

9. Announcements and Reminders • Parent/teacher Conferences • Daytime: December 3rd • Evening : December 9th • ** Please sign up tonight! • Other ways to contact me: • Email: jpteach95@aol.com • Note with child • Phone call • Set up an appointment

10. Announcements and Reminders • Scholastic Book Software Orders • Monthly (Sept. orders due 9/30) • Checks made out to Scholastic. No cash please! • Birthdays • Birthday snacks are welcome on the day of your child’s birthday • Please do not send in party invitations to be distributed in class

11. Classroom Rules Rewards Consequences • Rules were generated by students themselves Conference and other Call Home Paolucci Payouts-Individual Marbles- Class Reward Kids get 2 warnings

12. Classroom Procedures and Routines • Absences from school • Call school in AM-Note sent in on day of return!! • Work will be sent home with buddy on 2nd day of absence unless otherwise requested by a parent. • Morning Routines • Normal “check-in” routines • Usually a Math Journal or a Regular Journal activity • Children are given approx. 20 –30 min. to complete

13. Classroom Procedures and Routines • Homework Folders: • Assignment folders are provided • Please check to be sure children complete assignments and sign off in folder! • Be sure to remove the items on “take out and leave at home” side! • Weekly Update • Will be in the HW folder each Friday • Please sign off on this each week and return on Monday

14. Usually will be assigned Monday through Friday • Book Report • Project • DAILY ASSIGNMENTS: • Math • Spelling • Reading & Log • Please have children fill it out • Reading Log stays in folder and is returned to school daily. • Be sure to sign off on it on Thursdays and return to school on Friday! Homework • Possibly one other (LA, Science or S.S) • LONG TERM ASSIGNMENTS: ** Given well in advance with detailed instructions! **

15. Missing Assignments (No parent note) • Note will be sent home. Send back next day signed. • Assignment to be made up at recess • If it becomes a consistent issue, I will call you in for a conference to discuss the matter. Homework Children will receive rewards monthly for “perfect homework!”

16. Grading Policy • CLASSWORK • Most classwork is completed together. It is usually “self-checked” by your child. • Homework • Usually just a comment on the paper. • “Outstanding”, “Very Good”, etc. • A check mark will represent “satisfactory” • If an assignment has many errors, was done incorrectly, or was messy your child will be asked to “redo.”

17. Grading Policy 95 Great Work! • TESTS • All tests will receive a traditional “number grade” based on the number of questions. • Partial credit will always be given where possible. • WRITING • A writing rubric will often be used, esp. for process writing and projects! • See example of the rubric that your child will become familiar with in your folder!

18. GROWING HEALTHY MATH SCIENCE READING SOCIAL STUDIES LANGUAGE ARTS and WRITING 2nd GRADE CURRICULUM

19. Reading The Second Grade Reading Program will focus on the following: • Reading strategies Using cueing systems, self correcting, making predictions, locating ideas, making inferences, and using graphic organizers • Appreciating Literature Can retell a story, sequences events, compares books and characters, makes connections, chooses new materials to read, uses literature as a model for own writing

20. Reading The Little House Ox Cart Man Sleeping Ugly Stone Soup Genres we will study: • Biography • Fantasy • Folk Tales • Poetry • Non-Fiction Core Books for 2nd Grade:

21. Writing • Enjoy writing • Formulate and organize ideas • Edit and proofread • Participate in writing conferences • Work on Spelling skills • Use proper punctuation • Experiment with different genres Children will be taught the elements of the writing process: • Prewriting • Revising • Drafting • Editing • Publishing The Writing process focuses on developing the child’s ability to:

22. Spelling • The spelling program I will utilize this year has two parts. • “Word Study” approach-This is a phonics based approach that will help children learn common spelling patterns & sounds. List words will come home based on a particular phonics skill. • “No Excuse Words” approach- Teaches the highest frequency words. This is individualized for each child. To be most successful, the home-school connection needs to be strong!

23. Spelling • Review of skills: • Skills and words are reviewed through spelling homework as well as various activities and games throughout the week. • Assessment • The emphasis will be on using correct spelling in everyday writing. Children will be responsible for previously covered list words, phonics “sounds” learned, as well as their individualized “No Excuse Words”. • Children will be assessed using weekly spelling tests AS WELL AS frequent checks of assignments for “No Excuse Word” spelling.

24. Math My math program is eclectic in nature. I use material from: • Scott Foresman Math series • Investigations in Number, Data, and Space • Materials from a variety of other sources • Math Games! You will be kept informed of topics being covered! • A letter will be sent home at the beginning of each unit • “Math Soup”- a mini-magazine from our text will be sent home toward the end of each unit. It reviews concepts discussed during the unit and offers a variety of ideas for you to try at home with your child!

25. Math Our math program addresses the 5 nationwide Content Standards: • Number and Operations • Data & Probability • Geometry • Measurement • Algebra It also addresses the 5 Process Standards that are consistent throughout the grades: • Reasoning & Proof • Problem Solving • Communication • Connections • Representation

26. Science Second Graders complete 3 science units: • Measurement • Interactions • Plant & Animal Life Cycles Additional units will be taught based on the seasons as well as the student interest as time permits.

27. Social Studies • In 2nd Grade students explore: • their local community. They compare it to various other suburban, urban and rural communities. • Community helpers are also explored, as well as the goods and services a community provides. • communities today and long ago. Concepts such as change, citizenship, government, interdependence, identity, culture and empathy are also introduced.

28. Health The Health program in Grade Two builds upon the study of personal health and the Five Senses from Grade One. Second graders focus on: • Personal Health (both emotional and physical) • the structure and the function of the eye • Students will be dissecting a sheep’s eye this year! • the structure and function of the ear • nutrition

29. Thank you for coming to visit our room! We hope you enjoyed our classroom as much as we do each day!