About Our Class

Welcome to our class: Ms. Averett’s Awesome Rainbows! Please read the newsletter carefully to answer any questions you may have about how our class is run daily.

School Hours: Arrive at school between 8:45-9:10. Instructional hours are 9:15-3:45. If your child arrives after 9:15, please stop by the office to sign in and receive a tardy slip. 

School Meals: Breakfast will be $1.50 and lunch will be $3.25. The reduced price will be $0.40 for eligible students. Our cafeteria begins serving breakfast at 8:45 a.m. each morning.

Volunteers: I will need volunteers throughout the year for learning experiences and coordinating special classroom activities. I will also need a room parent (or parents). If you are interested in being a room parent, please let me know!

Personal Belongings: Please label everything your child brings to school (backpacks, jackets, sweaters, lunch boxes with first/last name.) Help your child choose weather-appropriate clothing that he/she can manage with little or no help. Do not allow your child to bring any toys or electronic games to school.

Medication: Medicines must be taken to the office in their original prescription bottle with a signed authorization note from the doctor. Please do not send any type of medication to school in your child’s possession., unless they have a special plan with the school and the school nurse. This includes such things as cough drops and even sunscreen. These procedures are in place for the safety and well-being of all children.

Transportation: If there are any changes in your child’s transportation, please send a note or send me a message on Class Dojo– even for just one day. If your student’s transportation changes you will need to submit this in writing in order for it to be honored. Otherwise we will send him/her by the usual mode of transportation. Carpool students will be dismissed at 3:40 p.m. Please be on time if you will be carpooling. Bus riders will be dismissed at 3:45 p.m.

Home/School Communication:  Please connect to our classroom via Class Dojo. I will send quick messages and share photos/videos of our class on Dojo. I will also send a weekly newsletter. The quickest way to contact me is through Class dojo messages or email. 

Homework: Students will have homework Monday-Thursday. In second grade, our homework includes reading for 20 minutes each night, practicing Letterland words for Friday tests, and a math sheet reviewing the math skill we learned that day in class. This year we are shifting to a weekly homework pack. All homework for the week will be sent in a packet on Monday and turned in on Friday. This will give families flexibility on time for homework completion.

Snacks: Students will be expected to provide their own healthy snacks daily. Please do not send in candy for a snack. Also, make sure that the snack is manageable (if it requires a spoon, please send that as well).

If you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday at school, just let us know by note or email so we are prepared ahead of time to have your special treat for the class. We enjoy recognizing special occasions, but in the case of allergies or other concerns, we need to ensure the safety of all students. Make sure any treat you send in is precut or in individual servings and store bought. This is a Wake County policy. Also, be sure to send us any necessary utensils: plates, napkins, forks, spoons, etc. We may not have these supplies in the classroom.

Also, make sure your child knows to distinguish snacks for the afternoon and not to eat them at lunch. This can be a second grade predicament! 

Daily Folder: Your child will bring home a purple homework folder every day. In this folder will be your child’s Letterland homework assignment sheet along with the math homework for the week. 

Tuesday Folder: Your student will bring home a PUE folder on Tuesdays . In this folder will be your student’s work from the previous week. Please keep your child’s work and return the empty folder on Wednesday.

Report Cards/Conferences: Report cards will go home four times per year. If you would like a list of those dates, please let me know and we will be happy to provide them. We will have fall conferences after first quarter report cards go home and optional conferences at the end of the year. If you feel that you need to meet with us to discuss anything going on in the classroom, please feel free to reach out and schedule a conference so we can work together to make your child’s second grade year the best!

Absences: If your child is absent from school or has an appointment, please send a note explaining the absence the first day he/she returns to school. If your child is on vacation, as per Wake County policy, makeup work is given when your child returns to school. Excused absences for Educational Experiences need to be turned in for the principal’s approval 1-2 weeks before the trip takes place.

Conduct/Behavior: Our class goes by a redirect, sideline and break system. 

1. If a child does not follow directions they get a redirect card (on my desk)

2. If that child continues to not follow directions they get a sideline, they will sit away from the group but in a place where they can still listen to the lesson being taught.. They can come back when they are ready to follow directions.

3. If that child continues to not follow directions they get a break. They go in the hallway and fill out a Think Time paper which asks the following questions: What do you think happened? How could you have handled it differently? How do you feel? What will you do when you come back to class? The student will come back when they are done. If this happens, then they get a note home.

Please check your child's daily folder for their daily conduct. 

Discipline: Learning to follow the rules and to cooperate with others is an enormous part of early childhood education. Children adhere to classroom behavior better when expectations are clear and procedures are taught and modeled within the classroom. We will be practicing and reviewing these things for the first couple weeks of school. We will be using lots of positive interventions such as praising a child for appropriate behavior, redirecting a child’s interest or activity when there is inappropriate behavior, and removing a child from the group or activity for a short period of time. Natural consequences are also used. If they run in the halls, they will have to go back and practice walking. If the situation indicates further intervention, she/he will be seen by the principal/assistant principal.

Grading System: We will continue to use the Standards-Based Grading system, using a scale of 1, 2, 3, and 4. Please see the child friendly explanation of the grading system below…

4- Exceeding Expectations. I’m working on a higher level. I can explain how to do this skill and I can teach others.

3- Meeting Expectations. I can do it myself! I can show how I understand. I make little or no mistakes.

2- Developing Understanding. I am starting to understand. Sometimes I need help or an example.

1- Beginning to Understand. I am starting to learn this. I cannot yet do it by myself. But I will keep trying.

In Closing: Your child will be expected to read 20 minutes every night with an adult as a part of their homework assignments.

Please stress often with your child:

a. Responsibility-each child is responsible for his/her own behavior, for completing homework, for returning library books, etc.

b. Listening and following directions

c. Good manners (including table manners)

d. Bus and carpool safety

e. Have Fun in Second Grade!!!!