I Have Compiled This Booklet of Information with My Classroom Expectations

Welcome to Second Grade! I am absolutely delighted that your child will be in my classroom this year. With your encouragement, your child will be part of many exciting experiences.

I have compiled this booklet of information with my classroom expectations.

ASSIGNMENT SHEET

Each evening your child will be bringing home a daily assignment sheet. On our assignment sheet you will find any homework your child will have for that evening as well as our daily class schedule. Homework for the evening will be in bold print.

I do ask that you sign your child’s assignment sheet each day as that is part of their homework. It will also count toward their homework reward party on Fridays. If their assignment sheet is not signed one evening, they will not be rewarded with the homework party.

BIRTHDAYS

Students are allowed to bring treats in celebration of their birthday. I do, however, ask that you let me know ahead of time what your child will be bringing. We will celebrate birthdays at the end of the day from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

I do ask that if you plan on sending “birthday invitations” with your child, please only do so if you have enough for each child in the class. This saves a lot of hurt feelings.

CHANGE OF PLANS

Please send a note or call the school with any change of plans your child might have at the end of the day. It is very important for me to know if they are doing something different than usual.

CLASSROOM EXPECTATION PLAN

Classroom Expectations:
Listen when others are talking.
Follow directions.
Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.
Work quietly and do not disturb others.
Show respect for school and personal property.
Work and play in a safe manner

Classroom Expectation Plan: In my classroom, I have an economy system where your child can earn or lose “Fish Bucks.” A classroom economy behavior system not only encourages positive but also helps your child with many math skills they are going to need in class and the future. Last year this system was very successful in encouraging the positive in each child. At the beginning of the year they will be given a wallet in which they are to keep track of to store all their “Fish Bucks.” Below in the table you will find the many different ways you can “earn” or “lose” money.

Fish Bucks

Every two to three weeks your child will be able to shop in our classroom store. Our classroom store has items such as bouncy balls, ink pens, rings, pencil grippers, erasers, and much more. I also have items such as eating lunch with Mrs. Fish, eat lunch with Mrs. Fish and a friend, and much more. They will only be able to purchase items that they have enough money for.

I will discuss this plan your child the very first day of school, but I would also like you to review it with them as well.

Whole Group:
This year we will be beginning a new behavior system called PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System.) This will be school wide from Kindergarten through Sixth Grade in the classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, lunch room, and buses.

CLASSES

MATH
This year in second grade, we have a new math series. Our series this year will be “enVision,” and I am very excited about it! enVision Math is sorted by topics and we will focus on one topic at a time.

READING
In our reading series, we begin new stories every Monday. Your child will bring home their reading textbook on Tuesday evenings and I ask that they read their story to an adult. At the end of all stories, there are questions that can be answered aloud to help with understanding of what they have read. All reading books need to be returned the following day, as I don’t have any extras to loan out.

There will be many reading activities that go along with our stories each week. We will always have vocabulary words, a weekly skill, a graphic organizer chart and a text feature during the week.

On Monday evenings, your child will bring home a “MAP Format Assessment” attached to their weekly newsletter. This assessment is optional for your child to take, however, if they complete the assessment they will have more practice before Friday. All the concepts that are on the practice assessment will be on the assessment in class given on Friday, just not identical. I find that these practice tests will make your child more successful.

We will have whole group reading as a large class using our basal reading book and we will also have guided reading groups. Our guided reading groups will be a small group of students meeting together at our round table in the classroom. I will work on reading strategies with these students for a short amount of time each day. We will also be working on “Pathways to Reading” this year during our guided group time. Pathways to Reading is a phonemic awareness system that will help us become better readers! Pathways to Reading will focus on the sounds in each word that your child hears.

SPELLING/PHONEMIC AWARENESS
Spelling words will be sent home on Mondays. Our spelling this year will focus on 10 words and two sentences. Our spelling lessons will focus on a skill taught during Pathways to Reading.

We will take a pretest on Wednesday and a final test on Friday. Please continue to study with your child daily.

OUTLINE FOR SPELLING/PHONEMIC AWARENESS

Monday – Your child will bring home “MEET SCREECH!” take home sheet. Please have your child read each word in the list either top to bottom/bottom to top and spell them to you.

Tuesday – Practice your spelling words for tomorrow’s pretest.

Wednesday – Pretest today during class and practice any missed words at home on Wednesday evening.

Thursday – Study for Friday’s final test.

Friday – Final Spelling Test

GRAMMAR/WRITING

Our Grammar will follow right along with our reading. We will do most grammar together in class, but I will also have the students work independently. Our grammar topics will last a week and we will test each Friday.

Daily we will begin working on forming complete sentences with at least 6 words, capital letters and punctuation. We will also begin writing daily journals over teacher assigned prompts or free writing of their choice.

EMAIL

You can contact me through email at I do check my email on a daily basis.

HOMEWORK

D.O.T – Daily Organizational Tool

Each evening your child will bring home their D.O.T. This binder will need to be returned each day to school. On the left side of their binder you will find anything that will need to be returned to school such as homework. On the right side you will find anything that will need to be left at home and not returned. You will also find your child’s homework assignment sheet, newsletter, spelling words, reading vocabulary words, and monthly calendar located in the clear sheets. Also, in your child’s D.O.T. you will find a purple pouch to send any notes or lunch money for me and your child will always have a pencil located in the pouch if needed at home.

Daily Homework
Homework will be assigned daily, and your child will be required to bring it back the following day. At the end of each school day, your child will fill in their assignment sheet with any homework they might have that evening.

Any missing assignments will result in your child receiving a ZERO until they are turned in completed.

If your child completes all homework and assignment sheet is signed each day, on Friday your child will be rewarded with a homework party during the last 20 minutes of the day.

NEWSLETTERS

Every Monday I will be sending home a weekly newsletter. You will find information about anything happening in class that week, our weekly specials, spelling words and any birthdays we will be celebrating.

READING CIRCLE

Students are asked to complete a total of 14 book reports. The first 7 book reports are written reports that can be completed at school or home. Then, the last 7 book reports may be completed on the computer through the Reading Counts Program. Students may always complete more than 14 book reports. This year, I challenge our whole class to complete all 14 book reports. 

WEBSITE

On the South Harrison website ( each classroom teacher has their own individual webpage. If you go to the Elementary tab, then Faculty/Staff Web Pages and search for “Sara Fish”you will find my page. I update each week with useful information. I will always upload our weekly newsletter and spelling words on there as well.

Thanks for all you do for your child, and I am looking forward to a very successful school year. If I can help with anything, please feel free to contact me at school (425-8061 or ).

Mrs. Fish

Don’t forget to praise your child daily, they truly are amazing individuals!

Classroom Expectation Plan
In our classroom, we have a color system for behavior. Each child has color cards (green, yellow, blue, orange, brown and red). Each day the students will start with a green card. The cards are changed if expectations are broken. I will often give many reminders to your child before their color is actually changed.The changes and consequences are as follows:
Green— Great behavior
Yellow— Warning
Blue— 5 minute consequence of walking at recess
Orange— 10 minute consequence of walking at recess
Brown— 15 minute consequence of walking at recess
Red— No recess, note home and visit with our principal
Each morning your child will begin their day back on green.

We do have 1 recess a day and our recess lasts 30 minutes. Unless the student is on red, they do not miss their entire recess when they have a color change. If the student is on red, they have been given several chances to make the right choices.