MorgantownElementary School

2nd Grade Syllabus

2012-2013 School Year

Mrs. Ashley Wright

Email:

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Welcome to my classroom! I am excited to be your child’s teacher this year. We are going to have a great year filled with lots of learning activities. This is my second grade syllabus. Please keep it at home for reference to use throughout the school year.

Teacher Information: Let me begin by telling you a little about myself. My name is Mrs. Ashley Wright. I have lived in ButlerCounty my entire life and graduated from BCHS in 2001. Upon graduation I began WesternKentuckyUniversity and now have my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. I started teaching Kindergarten here at MES in 2006 and I truly enjoyed teaching the sweet little ones for 5 years. However; I fell in love with 2nd Grade last year! I have one daughter named Gracie who was born in September 2009. She is her Daddy’s girl and her Mommy’s world!  In my spare time I enjoy reading biographies, swimming, fishing and taking Gracie to toddler tales or gymnastics.

Materials: Each day, students will be expected to arrive with two sharpened pencils, their yellow take home folder, agenda and any books or other supplies they may have to bring. Art boxes and/or pencil boxes will be kept at school at all times.

Please check out the classroom website: click on Teacher Web pages, and click on Ashley Wright. I will try to update frequently.

I also have a classroom Twitter page. Follow us @MrsW2ndGrade.

Agendas: Agendas are great organizational and communication tools. Students will fill out agendas daily with any homework assignments they may have. Unless other circumstances arise, students will be given time at the end of the day to make sure their agendas are filled out completely. While, I will assist students with filling out agendas (especially at the beginning of the year), it is ultimately the students’ responsibility to make sure agendas are completed. Please check students’ agendas nightly and help them check off their homework as it is finished. Also, please check agendas for any notes or reminders. Sign agendas nightly to verify that you have checked over the agenda with your child. Please feel free to use the agenda to communicate notes to me.

Our school day begins at 8:00. The school serves breakfast for any student who wishes to eat. Check with the lunch room for breakfast and lunch costs. If you normally drop off your child at school, please make sure they arrive in plenty of time to eat breakfast, if desired, and have time to get to the room and get their things putaway and be at their desk before the announcements come on at 8:00.

Attendance: The state of Kentucky has passed tough Truancy laws. This means several things for students and parents in the state of Kentucky. Students will be limited in the number of days they can miss during the school year WITHOUT a doctor’s statement. Also, when a student gets toschool late or leaves school early, (both of these are called a ‘tardy’) those minutes will be kept track of and added up. When these tardies total 6 hours, it will count as 1 day absent from school. This also means for parents, that each time a student is late for school or leaves school early, it will require a doctor’s statement to be considered an excusedtardy.

Attendance is an important aspect of school. Your child needs to be here each and every day of school to learn at their top potential. If your child must miss school, you need to:

(1) Call the school at 526-3361 to notify them of your child’s absence and the reason why.

(2) Then it is also necessary to send a written note with your child when they return to school.

(3) If they have been to the doctor, please send a doctor’s statement with them when they return.

***Please do not call for their missed assignments. Make up work will be on their desk when they return to school. If a student’s absence is considered excused by the front office, they will be allowed to make up the work they have missed. They need to complete and return these assignments to school within three days or the grades will become a “0” (which is an “F”) in the grade book.

Friday Folders: Each Friday your child will bring home a Friday folder with a newsletter, important notices, and all their work for that week. Please review and clean out the folder. Please sign and return empty on Monday mornings.

Homework: Homework is an important part of school. Homework reinforces what has been taught in the classroom. It should never take hours to complete. In our classroom we will have some sort of Homework daily, from Monday through Thursday night. If no homework is assigned during the week, a note in the agenda usually tells so. Please do not ever do your child’s homework for them. Anytime homework is sent home, it has been explained to students how to do it and they have already practiced it at school. Newly taught concepts are never sent as homework. If you can’t figure it out, just help them do it the best you can and send a note to tell me. Students have a yellow take home folder to help them transport homework to and from school.

Youth Leader Request Form (Criminal Background Check): —It doesn’t matter what you call it…it is Board Policy for any adult who wishes to help out in the classroom, in the school building, with picture taking day or other school activities, eat lunch with a child, OR go on a field trip with a class, they must complete and pass a background check each school year. This is being strictly enforced. These are free and are done here at MES. Papers will be sent home if you are interested. If you are one of those adults (parents, grandparents, other family member, or friend), get your form completed as soon as possible at the beginning of the school year. You can’t wait right before a field trip to fill one out because it takes 2-4 weeks to come back. Thanks for your understanding and support on this issue!

Lunch: In order to get reduced or free lunch, you must fill out the proper form each school year. If you do not wish to request free or reduced lunch, you MUST still write your child(rens) names on the form and write “N/A” or “Not Interested” on the form and turn it in. Your child will need to keep up with their own lunch money. The best way is to send money with your child to put in their account in the lunchroom. This is best done weekly or even monthly.

Coke Break: On Friday students are allowed to purchase a drink out of the coke machines for .50 cents. On this day students may also bring a snack if they choose and/or their own drink. I have a classroom refrigerator for drinks (please label with the child’s name).

***(Students who receive a yellow card for the week will not be able to participate during coke break).

Ice Cream: On Friday students are allowed to purchase an ice cream product during lunch for .50 cents.

Classroom Rules:

  1. Keep hands, feet and hurtful words to yourself.
  2. Raise hand before speaking or getting out of your seat.
  3. Be respectful to others.
  4. Use correct voice level.
  5. Follow directions the first time they are given.

Behavior Management: This year I am looking at a different approach for behavior management. Students will be given a clothes pin with their name on it. Each day the student will start out on “Ready to Learn”. Throughout the day if the student breaks a rule they will place their clothes pin down a space. Here is a visual:

 Ready to Learn 
Warning!
Time Out!
Parent/Principal Contact
(Yellow Card)

***Injurious behavior, stealing, destruction of property, disrespect for authority, bullying, or behavior that infringes on the rights of others may also result in an automatic yellow discipline card.

**If a student stays on “Ready to Learn” all week then they will beable to participate in the Behavioropoly Game on Friday! 

After 5 yellow cards- discipline referral sent home to parents.

After 8 yellow cards- students will be sent to the Principal and discipline referral sent home.

After 10 yellow cards- Parent conference with Principal and teacher to develop improvement plan.

Effort/Class Participation: Each day a student will be observed participating in class discussion, or giving their best effort. If they do this to the best of their ability they will be given a “Smart Bead”. This is a beaded necklace that they can trade in at the end of the day for a treat!

Accelerated Reader: Many of you are familiar with the AR program from last year. This year, time will be set aside daily for students to read AR books (the librarian and I will help students in choosing books appropriate for their interest and reading level) and take AR tests. Students will also be able to take tests of many selections in their Reading Textbook. Students will track their AR progress in the AR logs (red folder). AR logs will be kept in students’ desks.

Tests: Students will be given a spelling test and reading test each Friday (unless otherwise noted). They will also have tests in math, science, and social studies from time to time. On all tests, students will be informed of the test date as far in advance as possible. They will also be given a student guide before each test to help them review. Please go over the study guide with your child, sign it, and return it in your child’s take home folder on the day of the test. If it comes back signed the student automatically gets 5 bonus points! 

Grades: Grade cards will be given out each nine weeks. Grades will primarily be based on students’ test scores and on some assignments. If an assignment will be calculated into their final grade, they will be told when given the assignment. This year grades will be given in the areas of Reading, Writing/Language, Spelling, Math, Science and Social Studies.

Grading Scale- 90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

60-69 D

59 or below F

Textbooks: Reading textbooks will be taken home daily Monday- Thursday). .

Math in Focus: The series will encourage students to become critical thinkers and will allow them to become better math students. The way your child will be taught math this year may look very different from the way you were taught. However, Math in Focus has been proven effective and is a fun and exciting way for your child to learn math concepts in depth.

Home Supply List:You need to keep school supplies at home for your child to complete homework with:

Crayons Pencils Glue

Scissors Writing Paper

School Supply List: Students will keep their school supplies at school. Here is the same supply list, for all students in my classroom:

  • 2 Boxes of 24 crayons (I keep one for them to use later)
  • 2 Boxes of #2 YELLOW Pencils
  • 4 Rectangle pink erasers (I keep 3 for them to use later)
  • 2 Large White Glue sticks
  • 1 white Liquid Glue
  • 1 package of construction paper
  • Fiskar Scissors
  • Small pencil box (no handle ) (about 8” by 4½”)

(Please do not bring any other size to school)

  • Two pocket folders (not with prongs) in the following colors

2 solid Red folders

2 solid Blue folders

2 solid Green folders

  • Regular sized composition book, wide ruled (9¾” by 7½”)
  • 1 wire bound notebook, 1 subject, wide ruled
  • Box of tissues (any brand)
  • Roll of paper towels (any brand)
  • One container of germ killer (like Purell, any brand)
  • One container of wet wipes (any brand)- these are used to clean our desks to keep germs at bay!!! 
  • One box of Band-Aids (any brand/any size)
  • One Box of zip lock bags (Gallon size)
  • 1 Clip Board
  • Backpack

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:

  • 1.5 in. binder, and zip pencil holder (3 holes) to put in binder to transport money and/or notes to school safely. This will be used only for organizational purposes and is not required.

***The following items need to be labeled with your child’s name in permanent marker please:

  1. Backpack
  2. Clip Board- (FYI- you can get really cute ones at the Dollar Tree or Mighty Dollar)
  3. Pencil Box
  4. Scissors

How is your child going to get to and from school? Please make sure that your child and I both know how they are to get home from school. If your child needs to ride a bus, and you do not know the bus information, you can call the Board of Education at 526-5624. They can find out your bus number for you and tell you the time that the bus will pick your child up and drop them off. As changes occur as to how your child will get to and from school, the best way to let us know is to send a note with your child that morning. If you have to call the school to let us know of any changes, please make sure that you call the school BEFORE 1:00 p.m. The secretary personally calls classrooms in the afternoon to remind each child of any changes in how they are to get home that day.

Classroom Giving Tree: Throughout the year you will see a section on the newsletter that requests any donations for items we need in the classroom. My first optional request is treats for our class treat box. This can be individually wrapped candy, toys, stickers, tattoos, bracelets, pencils, etc. 

Parties and Celebrating Birthdays: I am a firm believer in the statement: “Mrs. Wright’s Room is Where a Kid Can Be a Kid!” Therefore, I welcome any parent to bring in cupcakes, etc. for their child’s birthday. 2:00 in the afternoon would be the best time. Please just write me a note before hand so I can make the adjustment for the day. Also, we will be having 3 parties in our room: Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Remember it is school policy for store bought items only.

We have PE/HOPSon Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Please wear tennis shoes on these days. Thank you.

Contact Information:

School Phone #: 270-526-3361, please call during planning times (special classes) or before/after school.

Email: (Fastest form of communication).

The beginning of the school year brings lots of papers for grown-ups to fill out and sign. I ask for your patience as we take care of these matters as quickly as possible. I am sure that we can work together to be a successful team in helping your child be the best student that they can be!!

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