Welcome!

1. Welcome! 2011-2012 School Year San Elijo Elementary Mr. Gidner 2nd Grade

2. Agenda • Introductions • Daily Schedules • Classroom Rules • Academic Goals • Homework • Classroom Policies • Special Projects • Grading • Parent Conferences • Supplies and Donations • Parent Volunteers • Questions/Answers • Summary

3. Mr. Gidner • Grew up in San Marcos • Currently live here in San Elijo Hills • Wife is a teacher at Carrillo Elementary • Addison is 5 ½ years old…starting kindergarten • Nolan is 9 months old • Attended San Diego State University • Began teaching in 1999 • Taught: ~Kindergarten 1999-2003 ~1st Grade 2003-2006 ~4th Grade 2006-2007 ~Kindergarten 2007-2008 ~2nd Grade 2008-present

4. Daily Schedule

5. Classroom Rules • We have three basic rules in our classroom: 1. Be respectful 2. Be a decision maker 3. Make good choices • Classroom Management Plan a. Individual: Students will have the opportunity to earn rewards such as homework passes, student of the month, special awards, etc. b. Class: Class will begin with 5 points per day with the opportunity to earn more or lose points; points can be redeemed for rewards Students breaking the rules will sign into the discipline book and face consequences: 1st: Loss of recess and lunch 2nd: Buddy Classroom 3rd: Office

6. Reading Goals By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to: • Use strategies and skills to read fluently and with appropriate annotation and expression. • Apply their reading to answer comprehension questions including written and oral responses. • Compare and contrast plots, setting, and characters presented by different authors. • Recognize common abbreviations (Jan., Tues., St., Mr., etc.) • Identify and correctly use regular (s, es, ies) and irregular plurals (flies, tries). • Understand and use common antonyms and synonyms. • Understand common multiple meaning words (fly, well, etc.) • Apply common prefixes and suffixes

7. Writing Goals By the end of 2nd, students will be able to: • Write (using the pre-writing process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing) complete paragraphs around a central idea. • Write brief narratives based on personal experiences: ~Move through logical sequence of events ~Describe the characters, setting, objects, and events in detail. • Write a friendly letter including the date, salutation, body, closing and signature. • Correctly spell common and irregular words correctly • Capitalize all proper nouns • Use quotation marks correctly • Recognize and apply vowel patterns, r-controlled vowels, and consonant-blend patterns correctly.

8. Math Goals By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to: • Understand the relationship between numbers, quantities and place value in numbers up to 1000. • Addition and subtraction of 3 digit numbers • Solve simple problems using multiplication (2’s, 5’s, and 10’s) and division • Understand and compare fractions up to 1/12 • Use combinations of coins and bills to solve addition and subtraction problems • Use associative and commutative properties to do mental arithmetic and check problems. • Use measurement to the nearest inch/or centimeter • Compare measurements and determine greater than or less than • Tell time to the closest quarter of an hour • Know relationships of time (minutes in a day, days in a year, seconds in a minute, etc.) • Put together shapes and pull them apart to form or shapes • Collect, manipulate and interpret information on a graph • Recognize, describe and extend patterns in order to solve a problem

9. Social Studies Goals By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to: • Differentiate things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday (including using a time line or storyboard) • Label a map of North America including major rivers, mountains and lakes • Locate on a map where ancestors came from and their journey to present location. • Understand basic economic principles of consumers and producers and how these practices relate to each other; also, how the practices have changed over time.

10. Science Goals By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to: • The motion of objects can be observed and changed ~Describe the location of the object ~Push/pull can change the location of and object • Plants and animals have predictable life cycles • Compare the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and know that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals • Investigating and experimenting using different concepts and tools; comparing the data from the experiment to enhance and understand scientific progress.

11. Grading • Students will be graded on a sliding grading scale: 4 Meets grade level standards with a high degree of competency 3 Consistently meets grade level standards 2 Approaching grade level standards 1 Below or far below grade level standards • The school year will be divided into the following three trimesters: 1st August 24 – November 4 2nd November 7 – March 5 3rd March 8 – June 11

12. School Information Dismissal: Please be aware of our traffic policy for drop off and pick-ups. It is much different than last year. The goal is to keep the children safe and get you and your family home as quickly as possible. I will be walking the students to the gate....if you are not at the gate, I will be sending them to the drop off area so that they will be supervised. Wellness Policy: Treats such as cakes, cupcakes, candy, etc. are not allowed into the classroom. Instead we will try to make healthier choices for celebrations and such. Please choose non-food items for birthday celebrations or donate a book to the library. Swine Flu: The students will be washing their hands before lunch, after eating lunch and before recess every day. Also, we will be wiping down desks, pencils, scissors, etc multiple times per week.

13. Homework • Homework will be sent home on a nightly basis. A “homework chart” will go home each week and the students will be writing down their homework each night on this chart. The homework needs to be returned the next day. The homework chart needs to be returned on Friday with your signature. • A weekly reading log will accompany homework. It will be on the back of the homework chart. Each week, the reading log will focus on a specific strategy or skill to be practiced during the week. Reading logs are due on Friday. • Unfinished class work that is sent home incomplete, should be finished and home; it is not necessary to return it.

14. Classroom Website • Our classroom website can be found on our school homepage www.sanelijoelementary.org • Click on classrooms and then select Mr. Gidner • There is a calendar for you to access throughout the year. • On Friday, the students will bring home their Friday report stating their progress on these standards. Please sign it and return it to me on Monday morning.

15. Classroom Policies Snacks: Please remind your children that they are to eat only what you have packed them and that there is no sharing. We have children with severe allergies and we need to keep everyone safe. Birthdays: If you choose to recognize a birthday in the classroom, a good idea is to send your child with an inexpensive book for our library to keep. Your child will be recognized at flag salute and the book will be brought back to class to share prior to going to the library. You may also send non food items to pass out if you’d like! ~Birthday Invitations need to be sent home using the school Directory….DO NOT send them to school! Take Home Projects: Throughout the year, we will have some special projects that will be completed at home. I will let you know about these as we get closer to each project.

16. Accelerated Reader • Our school has an accelerated reader program where the students will read books and take quizzes on the books via the computer. Quizzes can no longer be taken at home. One of the centers the students will have most weeks will focus on accelerated reader and taking quizzes at school. • We have our own incentive program in our classroom as well entitled… Where in the World Are You? The students will travel to different continents in their hot air balloons based on their points. • I will send home a Welcome to AR letter when the program kicks of later next month!

17. Special Projects • Field Trips: Fall: Legoland pulleys and levers Spring: Butterfly lifecycles Rocks with Ranger Kyle • Projects ~Flat Stanley ~Heroes report ~Family Heritage

18. Parent Conferences • Conference Day is November 14th • Conferences will continue 11/15 through 11/18 after schoool until 3:45pm • Communication throughout the year can be done via email damon.gidner@smusd.org Phone 290-2600 ext. 3302

19. Supplies The students will need the following supplies: • Backpack • Hand sanitizer • Pencil case • If you would like to “donate” items to the class, there is a donation tree on the wall….please choose an apple • I also appreciate gift cards to purchase “extra” school supplies to any of the following: Office Depot Target Staples

20. Parent Volunteers Volunteers are welcomed and encouraged!!!! Please sign up in the back…..I need: • Art docent(s) • Room Mom(s) or dad(s) • Basket Coordinator for Spring • Class photographer • Science Lab Helper • Classroom Volunteers M-TH

21. Q&A • Questions???????

22. Thank you for coming! • Don’t forget to leave questionnaire and information card on my desk • My email is damon.gidner@smusd.org • School website is www.sanelijoelementary.org