The “ABCs” of Ms.Beck’s 2nd Grade:
A Handbook for Parents
A
Absences: Please call the office if your child will be absent that day at 303-387-6725. In an effort to keep our children as healthy as possible, we ask that you keep your child home until he/she has been symptom-free for 24 hours (fever, vomiting, diarrhea). THANK YOU for your cooperation! Please don’t worry about any work your child missed while absent. For extensive amounts of days off, I will send home any missed work.
Arrival: School starts at 8:35 a.m. Students may start arriving anytime between 8:25 and 8:35. They are to come in the front doors (no lining up outside anymore) and come down to our classroom. Please try to have your child to school on time so we can start learning right away!
Allergies: If your child has food allergies, please provide me with a bag of safe snacks for your child to eat throughout the year (10 or so should be good). There are times kiddos bring in birthday treats, etc. and I’d like to have something yummy and safe to give your child. Thanks!
B
Backpacks: Your child should bring a backpack daily to carry all essential things. Please make sure your child comes to school every day with a water bottle, cold lunch, if needed, healthy snack and his/her BEE Binder.
BEE Binders: Your child will have a BEE Binder that will come home daily. Please check it nightly and return it to school daily. All important school papers will be put in the folder on Thursdays. The purpose of this folder is to make home/school communication as simple as possible and to help your child stay organized. Send all notes, money and homework to school in the pocket of the folder.
Birthdays: Birthdays are VERY important in 2nd Grade! Your child may bring in a store bought birthday treat on the day of his/her birthday. Because we are a peanut free classroom, all treats need to be “peanut free”. Treats also need to be easy to pick up, eat, and clean up. Some ideas are doughnuts, fruit kabobs, or individually wrapped snacks. Please no huge birthday cakes! You can send the treats in with your child and we will celebrate during our recess time. If your child is having a birthday party and would like to invite the whole class, they may bring the invitations to school. Otherwise, please invite children during non-school hours to avoid hurt feelings!
Book Orders: Book orders will be sent home throughout the year. These books are inexpensive and a great way to build your child’s home library. If you plan to order something, please have your order and money turned in by the due date indicated. It takes about a week for the books to be delivered.
C
Chromebooks: We are incredibly lucky here at Heritage because we have one-to-one devices for every child in the school. In 2nd grade, every child will have his/her own chromebook to use at school.
Communication: is important! Feel free to contact
me whenever you have a question, comment or concern. You can reach by email at kmbeck@dcsdk12.org
Conferences: You will have the opportunity to participate in two parent/teacher conferences during the school year. Of course, if any concerns arise, we can schedule a meeting at your convenience.
4Cs: At Heritage we teach with the 4Cs in mind - Communication, Critical Thinking, Cooperation, and Communication. These 4Cs will be intertwined into the everyday curriculum.
D
Dismissal: School ends at 3:30. 2nd graders will be dismissed through the front doors (unless something changes). If your child will be taking the bus home, please be sure to let me know by the end of the 1st day.
Delayed Dismissal: If there is lightning in the area or inclement weather, the school may need to delay our dismissal time. If this is the case and you are picking your child from school, you will need to come in and sign out your child from your child’s classroom teacher.
Discipline: We believe in using positive behavior support and praise as our main discipline tool. We strive to encourage good behavior!
Drills: We participate in many drills over the course of the year. We will have fire drills, disaster drills, lockout drills and lockdown drills. When we do participate in a lockdown drill, I will lock the door, turn off the lights, and then we will quietly sit in the back corner of the room. During these drills the children practice sitting or standing quietly.
E
E-mail: E-mail is the quickest and easiest way to contact me. I am able to check email throughout the school day and will respond as soon as I can to questions or concerns! My email is kmbeck@dcsdk12.org.
Email Sharing: I’d like to be able to share your email with other parents for party sign-ups. If you would NOT like your email shared, please let me know as soon as possible.
F
Field trips: Hopefully we will be able to go on field trips this year. I will keep you posted as we know more. Permission slips will be sent home when dates and times are determined.
Fun: Second grade is a time for FUN! I promise to have fun with the kids everyday!
G
Goof and Grow: Learning to cope with risks and the unknown is part of development. It is certainly my goal as your child’s teacher to help him/her learn healthy risk limits. In 2nd grade, we’ll call these “Goof and Grow”. As a class, we will be talking about what it looks like to take a risk and how these risks can help us grow as a learner, with our friends and in becoming good citizens.
Growth Mindset: The beliefs students have about intelligence, effort, and struggle impact the choices they make about learning therefore, students will be taught about the power of a growth mindset. Students with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. These students see school as a place to develop their abilities and think of challenges as opportunities to grow.
H
Hand Washing: The children are required to wash their hands before and after lunch and recesses.
Homework: Homework is only as beneficial as the assignment given and the purpose behind it. Homework for the sake of homework is actually doing more harm than good. Any homework assigned in 2nd grade will have a purpose and benefit, and will be designed to cultivate learning, development and passions. “Book Bag Readers” will be sent home each week for those kiddos who need them. Reading practice in 2nd grade should be done nightly for about 15 minutes.
I
Independence: This is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. 2nd graders are very capable of doing many things on their own and I encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. We are focusing on how to be kind, helpful and responsible! Be sure to encourage your child to continue these behaviors at home.
Illness: Your child’s health and the health of all in our classroom is very important in order for optimum learning to occur. If your child is ill, please keep him/her home until she/he is well. Also be sure to call the office at 303-387-6725 and let them know your child is home ill.
J
Journals: The 2nd graders will have a variety of journals to work on throughout the year. Writing journals will be composed of children’s writing on specific or free choice topics.
K
Keys: Keys to a successful school year include good communication. Keep updated by reading the class newsletter and by checking your child’s BEE Binder every day for other notes and information.
L
Label all of your child’s items: This includes jackets, backpacks, lunch boxes and water bottles (and in the winter...boots, mittens, and hats). This cuts down greatly on lost items! Also, check the lost and found throughout the year for any missing items!
Library: We will have library once a week. Your child will have the opportunity to pick out 2 books. If our child does not return the books, the following week, he/she will be unable to check out a new book.
Love: I promise to love your child and my hopes are that they will LOVE 2nd Grade, LOVE Heritage, and LOVE coming to school each and every day!
M
Math: Math concepts are covered daily. Encourage your child to explain what they are learning in math throughout the week. You can always expand your child’s math knowledge by using everyday objects to count and add. Show your child how you use math every day as well!
Money: Please send all money in a sealed, labeled envelope to school in the BEE Binder.
N
Newsletter: A monthly newsletter will be emailed to you. Be sure to read it for important updates, what we have been learning about, and other special news.
O
Office: Always sign your child in and out of the office when children arrive late or when they are picked up early.
Outdoors: Recess is outdoors every day, weather permitting. If the weather is rainy or too cold, children will have indoor recess. Please put sunscreen on your child before school on these hot sunny days. Please send your child in with weather appropriate clothing and extra warm clothes in the winter months!
P
Progress Reports: These will be sent home twice per year - in December and in May.
Parties: 2nd graders love to celebrate holidays and other events. We will be having parties throughout the year. I will let you know about them ahead of time in my newsletters. Volunteers and donations are greatly appreciated – so be on the lookout for upcoming events! Three parties we always have are the Halloween Party and Parade, the Winter Party and the Valentine's Day Party. All parents are invited to parties so mark your calendars!
Parent Portal: You should have received instructions when you registered on how to set up your Parent Portal account online. If you cannot figure it out, please contact the front office. You will have access to field trip payments, progress reports and lunch balances all on Parent Portal so please get it set up as soon as possible. Thank you!
PTO: Below is a message from our PTO:
On behalf of the Heritage Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) we would like to welcome you to the Heritage Team! Our PTO consists of parents and teachers working together to support and enrich learning experiences and build a connected community! We focus on Fundraising and FUN-making! We hope you will join us at some of many of our PTO sponsored events this year: Back to School Bash, Mother Son Night Out, Father Daughter Dance, Silent Auction, Donuts with Dad, Muffins with Mom, Family Paint night and more! We encourage all families to get involved! Become a PTO member to get discounts to all our events, volunteer at an event, or join us at a PTO meeting! It takes a village, and we are so happy for you to be part of ours!
Q
Questions: Please don’t hesitate with questions or concerns! Email is the best and quickest way to get a hold of me.
R
Reading: We will expand reading fluency skills and work on comprehension skills in 2nd grade! Please have your child read every day. You can read with or have your child read to you! During, before and after reading be sure to work on the retell. Encourage any and all reading your child may do!
S
SEL: Social Emotional Learning class will be taught by Mrs. Mitchell.
Specials: Everyday your child will participate in "Specials" which consist of Art, Music, PE. They will have each special for 5 days in a row before moving onto a new special. During the PE rotation your child will need to wear tennis shoes to school.
Science and Social Studies: We integrate our science and social studies instruction within our World Class Outcomes. We will be exploring a variety of topics throughout the year!
Snacks: We will have snack each day during our recess time so please send your child with healthy snacks everyday. Just put them right into backpacks. Healthy snacks could be fruit, vegetables, pretzels, cheese sticks, etc. (not cookies, candy or brownies). It is always helpful if you put your child’s name on his/her snack. This takes away from the confusion if others have the same snack.
T
Technology: Your child will be learning how to use a chromebook.
Toys: Please remind your child that toys from home should not be brought to school.
Transportation: It is very important that we safely get your child to their proper form of transportation each day! In order to keep everyone updated on how your child will get home, please email me how your child is getting home from school each day. Please do this before the 1st day of school. If there is a change in the way your child will be getting home, please contact the office and they can get the message to me. Unless we hear otherwise from a parent/guardian, your child will be sent home the way that’s normal for him/her on any given day!
U
Unique: Each child comes to us with gifts and needs that are unique to him/her. We rejoice in each child’s uniqueness and will do our best to teach him/her according to his/her individual needs. We strive to differentiate our teaching so that each child can be the best 2nd grader he/she can be!
V
Visitors: When visiting the school, please sign in at the office and you’ll receive a “visitor” sticker. You'll need to bring your Driver's License in with you when you come to the school during the school day. When leaving, please remember to sign out!
Volunteers: You can make a difference! I love having parent volunteers in my classroom and can find many creative ways to use your talents. It is important to give the students the first few weeks to get settled but, by the beginning/middle of September, I would love to have you volunteer. A volunteer sheet will be sent home. I will let you know of other opportunities to volunteer as they arise throughout the school year.
W
Water Bottles: Please send your child with a reusable water bottle each day. This water bottle should contain water only.
Web Page: The school website is a great place to keep updated with current school events.
Writing: Children will have various opportunities to write.There will be time for direct writing instruction through Thinking Maps, small group writing, creative writing and free choice writing.
X
“X-tra” Time: All children are notorious for learning at different speeds. Some might come in not feeling confident as a reader or writer, others might come in feeling nervous or anxious about starting a new school year. Because of this, I will take each child from where he/she is and teach accordingly. There's no sense in boring children - or teaching over their heads. Some just need "x-tra" time…
Y
You: You are the first and most important teacher your child has. You know your child better than anyone. If you think of things throughout the year that will assist me in teaching your child, please let me know.
Younger Siblings:: We understand that volunteering is difficult to do when you have younger siblings to take care of. I'm sorry to say that when you come in to volunteer, younger siblings are not allowed. Volunteering with a group of 5 or 6 2nd graders is tough enough, but then to add another child... it could get crazy. Thanks in advance for following this rule.
Z
Z-z-z-z’s: Young children need plenty of rest each night to prepare for a full day of learning. It’s important to set and stick to a nightly bedtime schedule so that your child is ready to go when morning comes.
Thanks for getting through this handbook! We're going to have a wonderful year together!