All About 2nd Grade

Welcome

To

2nd Grade

Mrs. Mergenthaler’s

Class

Welcome

Hi! My name is Mrs. Mergenthaler, and I will be your second-grade teacher. I hope you have had a wonderful summer with your family and friends. I am really looking forward to having you in my class this year. I have so many exciting things planned for us including making projects, singing songs, playing games, and of course, lots of learning!

All About Me

This will be my 27th year of teaching. I have taught Preschool, kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th grades. This is my fourth-year teaching 2nd grade. I earned my teaching degree from Millersville and my Masters degrees from Cabrini and Wilson in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Mass Customized Learning. I grew up in Ohio and currently live in East Petersburg with my husband and my cat, Merlot, and my dog, Melody. I have two grown children, Josh and Jordan, and two 8-year-old grandchildren, Tyler and Annabelle.

Contact Information

dawn_mergenthaler@elanco.org

717-354-1525 ext. 8126  

Schedule

I am excited to have the opportunity to work with you and your child this year! Whether this is your first child beginning school or your last coming through, you are probably experiencing some mixed emotions concerning school right now. I am here whenever you need me and am looking forward to a fabulous year!

Lunch:

Our lunch time is from 12:50-1:20 each day. Learners pick their lunch choice in the morning. I am expecting them to make the choice that was talked about at home. When sending money for the cafeteria, it is very important to send it in a sealed envelope with the following information: your child’s first and last name as well as their teacher’s.

Snack:

We will have snacks in the morning each day, not the afternoon since we are eating lunch late. Please send in a healthy snack (ex. granola bars, pretzels, goldfish, etc). Learners can bring a water bottle. Please fill it with water only. No soda or juice. Snack donations for the class are greatly appreciated!

Recess:

We have recess each day from 12:30-12:50. We will be on the playground as weather allows. Otherwise, we will have recess indoors in our classroom. Please dress your child accordingly to the weather and send a coat/jacket when necessary.

Schedules:

The children go to specials every day from 11:40-12:25. When it is PE day, please be sure your child has sneakers. Library books get returned on Thursdays. We run specials on a 9-day cycle:                                                                                                   Art-Music-Gym- Library-STEM. 

Communication

Family/Teacher Relationship

I believe that we must work closely together as a team to best meet the needs of your children and help them reach their maximum potential. Please feel free to contact me at any time to discuss any questions or concerns. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Phone: 717-354-1525                                        Email: dawn_mergenthaler@elanco.org

You will receive a monthly newsletter about the goings on in your child’s classroom. Also, you have access to our classroom website at:

https://sites.google.com/elanco.org/mrsmergenthaler/home

Student Expectations

Learners are expected to:

Always try to do their best and be kind!

Our three rules in our school and classroom are: be respectful, be responsible, and be safe.

How Can You Help at Home?

Read together as much as possible.

Practice math facts daily.

Have high expectations for your learner’s behavior in school and help us build a community of friends in our classroom by reinforcing the school rules and how to be a good friend.

Ask your learner about his/her day. Celebrate even the smallest of accomplishments and help problem-solve together if there are struggles.

School Information

Office:

Much of our school’s business is handled in the main office. Attendance, bus changes, and other pertinent matters can be handled in the office. The number of the office: 717-354-1525.

Cafeteria:

Breakfast is served each morning if the children do not have time to eat at home. Please go over the lunch choices prior to coming to school so your learner knows what to choose in the morning when they arrive at school.

Attendance:

Please make sure that your child makes every effort to attend school each day except in cases of illness or emergency. If your child will not be in school, please send a note or doctor’s excuse stating the reason for the absence when they return. Our school hours are 8:50-3:30. It is important for your child to come to school on time to begin the day.

Nurse:

We try to make visits to the nurse only when necessary, However, if there are specific concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the nurse. If you need to send medication for your child, it must be personally brought to the nurse by you.

Transportation:

Learners need to bring a note when there is a change in how they are going home. When this needs to happen, please send it in their backpack in their take-home folder. You may also email me and/or the school. In case you accidentally forget, you may call the office and make them aware of your child’s change in pick-up. When picking up your child, you must display your family name sign visibly in the window.

Arrival/Dismissal Times:

Regular days:

8:50-Learners arrive

3:30 Learners leave

One Hour Delay

9:50 Learners arrive

3:30 Learners leave

Two Hour Delay

10:50 Learners arrive

3:30 Learners leave

Early Dismissal Schedule:

Children enter the building at normal time. Dismissal is at 12:30. Normal transportation will occur. You must send a note or email if you are picking up your child that day, specifically. All learners will eat lunch in the school before they go home.

Classroom Information

Birthdays:

Birthdays may be celebrated at school. It works best for us to celebrate birthdays at the end of the day or at lunchtime. Please let me know a couple of days in advance so that I can allow time for the birthday. Summer birthdays can also be celebrated. Again, just let me know when you would like to do this.

Take-Home Folders:

Please check the take-home folder each night as it will contain papers from the office, notes from me, and your child’s daily papers. Remove any unnecessary papers each night and return the folder to school the following day. I will also check the folders each morning for any notes, signed forms, lunch money, etc.

Volunteers:

I encourage parent involvement in our classroom. I welcome all parents or other family members. Please let me know if you would be interested in volunteering. You will need to complete volunteer clearances before you can help in the classroom. If you are unable to volunteer in the classroom, you can always participate by sending in items for parties or activities or attending special events or celebrations.

Discipline:                

I have many forms of classroom management in this room. In the beginning of the school year, we practice all our routines vigorously, receiving ‘high 5’s’ for making good choices. These ‘high 5s’ can be redeemed throughout the school year for this and that and other things. A Golden Ticket whole-school reward system for going above and beyond the call of duty is in place. I have set up individual and whole class classroom rewards as well. I don’t use a daily star chart. I promise, I will reach out to you throughout your child’s year. I will contact you for all kinds of reasons: concerns, celebrations, positives, etc. You can always contact me.

Seesaw:  

This is a program that will allow you to see your child’s work. I am excited for the opportunity to learn and grow with you. I will send invites for those who are not signed up to have access to this gateway program.

Computers:

Your learner will be given a computer for the classroom. I am opting to keep them at school this year so that all the computers are charged for your learner’s day. If you really want your learner to bring the computer home, please write or email me.

Curriculum

Reading:

What an exciting time it is where your learner will be immersed in literacy all year long! We will have time each day for teacher read alouds, shared reading, and small group guided reading, all of which include instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension. I encourage learners to take early chapter books from our library for independent reading. Please allow them to read to you and show off their new skills. I also highly encourage read alouds at home.

Writing:

We will have times where the learners come up with their own topics and ideas for writing, as well as time when they will write about common topics. In 2nd grade, we will work on narrative, informative, and opinion writing.

Math:

Learners explore math in so many ways throughout the year. We focus on daily math skills: date, number of days in school, etc. We will build number sense throughout the year and learn about time, money, data, geometry, and measurement.

Science:

We will explore many exciting topics throughout the year. Some of our larger topics include: the scientific method, body systems, matter, water cycle, and plants and animals.

Social Studies:

There are some awesome topics we cover in social studies too. We get to explore, family, friends, community, rights and responsibilities, needs and wants, and maps and globes.