I am so excited to get the new school year under way! Teaching children is my passion. I have worked hard to set up our classroom and I'm looking forward to meeting each one of your children and to get to learning. The website is loaded with information about how our day will look and how the classroom operates. Please take some time to explore and be sure to check back often for more information!!
Here is a copy of the my classroom Amazon Wish List. The items here will all be used in the classroom to support teaching.
Math will continue to be taught using the Eureka Squared math program along with other supporting materials. Students will work through topics organized in "modules." The program works to help the students develop a deep understanding of math concepts. The Eureka math program will be supplemented with other math curriculum to make sure that all math concepts are strongly supported and mastered.
Literacy in the classroom will be taught using HMH Into Reading and Structured Literacy. The reading component will be broken into a very structured layout consisting of vocabulary building, exploring common text, and small group/centers which support the lesson's focus. The children will work through strategically organized units throughout the year that will enable them to become fluent readers and help them to comprehend grade level text. Structured Literacy is our
Writing in 2T will be taught through a combination of Writers' Workshop and SRSD. Writer's workshop follows the same format as Readers' Workshop. The lesson begins with a mini lesson, followed by independent writing time, and ends with a group share. In Writers' Workshop the students participate in units based on different genres. To teach these genres, students will be learning strategies from the Self Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) program. This program makes use of mnemonic devices and consistent graphic organizers to empower the students to own their writing. While working in each genre the students will also learn standard conventions and grammar. Each unit will end with the students publishing their pieces of writing. Students will focus on persuasive, informative, and narrative writing. Throughout their writing time mentor texts will be used to allow children to see how "writer's write" and for them to then explore their own ideas.
Poetry will be on most Fridays where the students will engage in various poetry activities incorporated during their writing block. We will read poetry together and then insert them into our poetry notebooks. We will also have time throughout the year where children will create their own poetry.
Science and Social Studies takes place for a half hour daily and is on a rotating basis. Each quarter the students will complete one science and one social studies unit that is aligned with the state frameworks. Through our explorations we will incorporate various engineering projects.
This year we will continue to incorporate our new garden spaces and outdoor classroom to enable the students hands-on explorations while learning about our grade level science topics. *If you would like to be involved with this please reach out.
The Mayo PTA has purchased green folders for every child at Mayo School again. These folders are used to send any correspondence back and forth to school. The folders will arrive home with important notices on the first day of school. It is your child’s responsibility to care for this folder. This folder will be brought home each night to deliver any mail and brought back to school the next day with any notices from home.
I give a minimal amount of weekly homework. I will also give a few projects throughout the year to complete at home. I believe that children spend their day learning in school and work hard while they are here. When they leave school their time at home should be spent with family, outside playing, taking walks, riding bikes, participating in activities. I will ask that families engage in conversations and family time.
Nightly Homework
Students should practice their math facts, math book pages, phonics through spelling, and read each night.
On Monday a spelling packet will come home. The packet will include the words the we will be practicing that week during structured literacy. They should be practicing those words at home and I ask that you return two practice sheets (one on Tuesday and the other on Thursday). This will support our weekly structured literacy weekly practice assessments. They will work on the skill all week in class through many activities and games and then this practice will support that work as well.
Children need to know their facts with automaticity. On Fridays, students will be assigned a fact family to practice and learn. On the following Friday students will have a fact test to see how much they have learned and to determine if they are ready to move on to their next set of facts. Children should be practicing their facts both at school and at home. Students will move at their own pace and need to get 27 out of 30 correct on their fact test to move on to the next set of facts.
It is suggested that children read every night. I will be sending home a monthly reading log for children to track their minutes. I understand that some nights it is not feasible to read and on other nights it is easier and that is why the monthly reading log works best. I ask that a minimum of 300 minutes be read for the month. Children can read by themselves, to a parent or sibling, or even listening to someone else read to them.
Each day your child will have 2 snack times. Both snacks will be eaten in the afternoon. One snack will be right after special at 1:35 and the other will be closer to 3:00. I feel it is important to feed the brain to keep it functioning at its greatest potential for learning. The first snack the children will have 10 min. to eat their snack while they are read to. I ask that the snack be healthy in nature i.e. fruit, cheese and crackers, muffins, vegetables with or without dip. Then the second snack will be eaten around 3:00. Again, they will have 10-15 minutes, but this snack will be consumed while they are working on an assignment. The classroom is not equipped with utensils such as forks and spoons. Please be sure to pack your child with any necessary utensils. Based on school district policy I am unable to provide snack for those students who do not have one.
*If you would like your child to participate in the breakfast program, please send me a note or email. When the children arrive in the morning they head down to the cafeteria, and they are to help themselves and bring it back to the classroom. They will have 10 mins. to eat what they choose. Please check with your child to know what they are choosing for their breakfast i.e. donut sticks, cereal, muffin, sticky bun, or fruit. The selections from my class last year mainly consisted of donuts, sticky buns, or cinnamon rolls. Also, as a reminder our academic day begins at 9:00 and we eat lunch at 10:55.
*Lunch is free, children who bring their lunch from home but would like to purchase milk it will cost $0.75
Here is my Classroom Amazon Wish List
Here is a list of the supplies that we use in second grade. This year the district will be supplying these items. My recommendation is that you send your child with their own headphones so they are not sharing with another child. Please label them and at the end of the year I will return them home to you.
Please send in a pair of headphones for independent computer work
1 small pencil box
5 large pink erasers (no decorative erasers)
2 black ultra-fine sharpies
2 red pens
Scissors (Fiskars 5" rounded blades)
Pencil sharpener with bin for shavings
12 count colored pencils
1 box of 16-24 crayons (please no more than 24)
A sock or eraser for individual white board (no whiteboard cleaner)
2 pocket folders for class work (1 green, 1 red)
1 binder (1” white with clear plastic pocket cover) It must have a clear front cover
2 - wide ruled 1 subject notebook (green, and red)
24 #2 pencils, sharpened*
12 glue sticks*
16 dry erase markers*
Headphones - district requested
*These items will be shared with classmates.
Please no Trapperkeepers, decorative notebooks or folders.
Donations of extra pencils, tissues, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, liquid soap, hand sanitizer, 2 gallon Ziploc bags, and sandwich size Ziploc bags are always welcome.
Volunteering times are subject to change as the schedule for the 2024-2025 year is finalized. Please check back soon for updated information.
All parents who wish to volunteer MUST be CORI checked. See the School Information page for the details.
Parents are invited to volunteer in the classroom throughout the year. Parents may volunteer during Reading, Writing, or Math. At these times parents would be asked to meet with individual students to listen to them read or assist them with their work. At curriculum night I will fully explain my expectations for parents who choose to volunteer.
I also look for parents to help with copying and laminating projects for the classroom.
If you would like to volunteer please complete the volunteer form in the heading bar and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Reading (M-TH)
Writing (M-TH)
Math (M-TH)
Library (day)
Boston Children's Museum
TBA 2026
We will leave and return to school at regular times. No special transportation is needed.
Chaperones will be by lottery - each class will have 5 chaperone spots (all chaperones must have a current CORI)
Cost for the field trip as well as permission slips will be coming home in the near future.