Parent Information Night September 4, 2014

1. Parent InformationNightSeptember 4, 2014 Mary Catherine Baker Second Grade Serene Hills Elementary

2. Daily Schedule Schedule 7:25- 7:50 Morning Procedures 7:50- 9:20 Language Arts *9:00 Snack 9:20- 9:40 Recess 9:40-10:30 Specials 10:30-11:10 Social Studies 11:10-11:20 Science 11:25-11:55 Lunch12:00-12:35 Science 12:35-1:35 S.A.I.L. 1:35-2:35 Math 2:35-2:40 Pack Up 2:45 Dismissal

3. A Few Things to Remember • Transportation – If you have any last minute transportation changes please email Heather Kenley at KenleyH@ltisdschools.org • Library – Wednesday at 11:00 am, open checkout 2:15 – 2:45 Daily • Class t-shirts for field trips, track and field, Fridays – please make sure you have turned in money and form to teacher • Snack - Should be Healthy • Birthdays – Cupcakes last Friday of the month or Healthy Snack. • Specials – PE is every other day. Art and music alternate

4. E-News • We are going GREEN • Make sure you have signed up to receive the message in a bottle. You can find this link on the home page of the Serene Hills website or click on the link below. • http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001YTjaUsdMimhXb7rdSaOKS7m5uoYZofqk&1876Nav=%7C&NodeID=394

5. Lunch Money • You can pay your child’s lunch account online at www.myschoolbucks.com

6. Field Trips • Children must travel on the bus to and from the school. • Parents must pay separately when attending the field trip, and because of space, will not be allowed to ride the school bus. • If a parent is a chaperone, we ask that you do not bring siblings. • There will be a field trip chaperone form needed for you to attend as a chaperone with us. • Make sure your child brings a disposable lunch.

7. Homework Binders • Homework Assignment Sheet • Spelling Homework Contract • Reader’s Response Questions/Ideas • DOL • Math • Planner • Communication Between Teacher & Parent All homework is due on Friday.

8. Planners – communication

9. Assignment Sheet

10. Spelling Words • There will be a pre-test each Monday. The pre-test will consist of 10 words that follow the phonics rule. • If your child makes an 8 out of 10 on the pre-test, then they will receive a challenge list. (List B) • The spelling list will come home Monday with the homework assignment sheet.

11. Homework Routine Homework Routine • Reading: Read aloud at least 10 minutes every night. Write 2 responses a week. • Math: due on Friday • Spelling : choose an assignment- due Friday • Vocabulary: Review each night- quiz on Friday • DOL: Review each night- quiz on Friday • Homework should only be done in pencil. Make up work is due the same amount of days your child is absent and will be sent home with the child when the child returns from the absent days.

14. After reading aloud for 10 minutes, students should write some type of written response about the book. Please initial each night to verify that your child has read for the allotted minutes.

15. DOL • Practice sheets are in child’s binder • Corrections will be done in class • Quiz will be every Friday (with the exception of this Friday September 5th) • Skills include: grammar, sentence editing, punctuation, vocabulary, and comprehension

16. Helpful Reading Strategies • Look at the picture • Sound it out • Find a little word in a big word • Reread the sentence • ALWAYSask yourself: “Does it look right and make sense?” • Use context clues to decode the word • Ask a friend • Skip the word and come back

17. Writer’s Workshop • Students will participate in Writer’s Workshop throughout the year. During this time, we concentrate on writing skills. These skills include sentence structure and grammar within a sentence. My goal is to help them become better writers and love the process of writing!

18. Math • Number Sense: even/odd, number patterns, ordinal numbers • Addition and Subtraction to 18 • Time to the minute, quarter hour, half and hour • Money: value, adding a collection of coins to $1.00, • Adding/Subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers no regrouping • Adding/Subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers with regrouping

19. Math continued… • Place value to thousands (expanded notation, comparing, symbol representation) • Fractions – up to twelfths • Measurement – length, area and temperature • Graphing • Probability • Geometry: attributes of shapes and solids; differences/similarities; spatial relationship • Word Problems • Multiplication and Division using manipulatives • Daily Math Practice – consists of a daily practice which reviews math skills and concepts each day. • Mad Minutes: (+)(-) timed for one minute; drill and memorization; graded only if they complete all 25 problems; goal setting.

20. Social Studies • Where We Live: our city, maps • Our Earth: maps, landforms, conservation, geography • Working Together: goods and services, producers and consumers • Our Country Today: government • Our Country Long Ago: tradition, pioneers, colonists • People and Places in History: holidays, landmarks, inventions

21. Science • What is a Scientist? • Technology in Our World • Changes in Matter • Energy, Motion, and Magnets • Earth and It’s Resources (Recycling, Fresh Water/Salt Water, Rocks) • Weather (Weather Safety, Patterns of Weather, the Water Cycle) • Solar System (Observing the Moon, Observing the Night Sky) • Plants and Animals (Basic Needs, Characteristics) • Environments for Living Things

22. Rules, Schmooles! We have AGREEMENTS! • Instead of a list of rules that we all need to follow, we have 5 agreements in our classroom. The rhymes below help us remember what each of them means. We help each other remember these agreements so that we may work together as a successful learning community.

23. Mutual Respect

24. Attentive Listening

25. Appreciations/No Put Downs

26. Participation/Right to Pass

27. Personal Best

28. R.O.L.E.

29. H.A.L.L.

30. Discovery 2nd Grade • All students will be screened using the Stanford Achievement Test. • Students will be administered the test in their homeroom class. • Testing window is September 17-30. • Students scoring in the 94th percentile and above will be tested for Discovery (with parent consent.)

31. Characteristics of gifted students advanced/extensive vocabulary - work advanced beyond the grade level/age - extremely inquisitive, asks many questions, often challenging, provoking and/or demanding - in-depth understanding of complex concepts - persistence is evident in areas of interest - high level of curiosity, energy, enthusiasm and vigor for new ideas - advanced reasoning - feels keenly about own ideas and solutions to problems, and often expresses them regardless of what others may think - likes to examine new possibilities for problems/solutions, rather than fitting within a structure - especially original imagination - sustained attention span - initiates projects and often prefers to work alone - keenly observant/sense of humor

32. PTO INFO • PTO does so much to provide the materials and opportunities for our school that we otherwise would not have. • Please get involved by visiting the PTO page through the SHE website.

33. Attendance • Good attendance is important for many reasons. Your child receives the maximum benefit of education by being in school every day, and numerous studies show a strong link between academic performance and consistent attendance. Because attendance is so critical for the quality of your child's education, Texas has a Compulsory Attendance Law

34. Attendance • School district policy states, “If a student fails to attend school without excuse on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year, the District shall file a complaint against the student’s parent in a county, justice or municipal court for an offense under Education Code 25.093.”

35. Attendance • Please be aware that vacations are NOT excused absences.

36. Requesting Work During Student Absence • When a student is absent, it is important that the student takes the responsibility to see that all projects, essays, research projects and other assignments are completed and turned in to the teacher. The work must be turned in at a time specified by teacher. • Makeup Requests: For absences of three or more days, makeup work may be obtained through the office. Allow 24 hours notice for work to be collected.

37. Back to School Family PicnicThursday September 18th 5:30-7:30 • If you wish to purchase dinners, return an order form, with payment to your teacher or the front office by 9/12/14. You can bring your own food and enjoy the fun!! • Dinners must be preordered and cannot be purchased at the event. Questions? Contact Roxi Tsakas- ROXIJOHNSON@HOTMAIL.COM

38. Remind 101 • Download the Remind app. It’s free! • Enter this number 469-425-2558 with @4b55 in the message. • Click here to learn more about Remind101 https://www.remind.com/

39. Thank you for coming! • Please check my website for HAS and 2nd grade information. • You can contact me at:bakerm@ltisdschools.org or 512-533-7475 or 512-533-7400 (office) for an immediate response.