SECOND GRADE HANDBOOK
2011-2012
WELCOME TO SECOND GRADE!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to the beginning of another exciting school year at Ross Elementary! We look forward to working with you and your child this year. Second grade is a year filled with new learning, new friendships, new curriculum, and new responsibilities. We are eager to help your child grow and succeed in each of these areas. Our ultimate goal for the school year is to guide your child in reaching his/her personal goals.
This school year we will strive to build a strong classroom community where each child is valued, recognized, celebrated, and nurtured. We will work together as a team and learn from one another. Children are expected to follow the RossSchool virtues of respect, responsibility, compassion, honesty, perseverance, and courage. Each child is encouraged and expected to put forth his/her personal best effort, contribute to class discussion, take risks in learning situations, and work cooperatively to reach common goals. Your child has many exciting activities to look forward to in second grade. The year is filled with numerous hands-on learning activities, interesting topics of study, and fascinating field trips.
Thank you in advance for your support throughout this school year. Together, we will work to help your child be successful in second grade, and we look forward to building a trusting relationship with you. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, or information that will help us better understand your child’s needs.
In the best interest of your child,
The Second Grade Team
OUR CLASSROOM
Second grade teachers: MissStitz, Mrs. Krutzsch,
Miss Rooker, & Miss Smith
Counselors: Mrs. Austerman (K, 4, 5)
Mrs. Rivadeneira (1, 2, 3)
Student Development: Miss McManamey
CURRICULUM
Math: Investigations , Dreambox
Literacy: Writers’ Workshop, Reading Workshop, and
Word Work
Social Studies: Our Neighborhood, Our Community, and
Our Country
Science: Inquiry–Based, hands-on units of study (Soil, Sound, Changes, and Life Cycle of a Butterfly)
COMMUNICATION
RossSchool- (314) 415-6700
Miss Stitz : 415-4721
Mrs. Krutzsch : 415-4722
Miss Rooker : 415-4718
Miss Smith : 415-4737
Ross Take-Home Folder - This gray folder goes back and forth in the backpack to school and home each day. Please have your child empty it daily and give you all the information. Any notes or information should be placed in this folder and returned to school.
Backpack Mail- On Thursdays, students receive Backpack Mail. The purpose for the Backpack Mail is to condense the important information sent to families and to create a systemic way to communicate with our community. Papers will be put in their gray folder.
Homework/ News - Packets come home on the first day of the school week (usually on Mondays). The packet should be returned on the last day of the week with the assignment sheet attached to the front. Homework is the responsibility of the student (please refer to the Parent/Student Handbook)
COMMUNICATION
We will make every attempt to keep you informed through monthly school newsletters and special notices. We depend on our students to deliver these communications to you. All school-wide notices will be sent home on Thursdays with the oldest or only child in the family. In an effort to conserve paper, the newsletter will be sent out electronically, unless a paper copy is requested. Please notify the office if you prefer a paper copy.
DISMISSAL POLICY
Please report to the office for early dismissal of your child. We will call your child from his/her classroom to the office. Children are not to meet parents in the parking lot. Teachers have been requested not to release a child to any adult without permission from the office. The policy is in effect during regular school hours. Please advise the office if your child is to be picked up by someone other than a parent.
Children are not to go to another child’s home after school unless the school has written permission from the parent.
A note is needed if your child usually rides a bus but occasionally walks home. One note will suffice for the entire year if your child is to determine when he/she walks; however, if he/she may walk only on specific days designated by you, please send his teacher a note eachtime he walks. For 3rd-5th grade students who are riding bicycles to school, a parent note is required.
Please send a note if you intend to pick up your child at school for a doctor or dentist appointment. Please allow yourself enough time to have your child called to the office for dismissal after you arrive.
When picking up or dropping off your child at school, please use the lower level parking lot. For safety reasons, we ask that you not drive into the upper drive or behind the school. The school buses use this area to load and unload children. Students may not be dropped off from Ross Avenue.
ROSS HOMEWORK AND EXTENDED LEARNING POLICY
RossSchool believes that learning is a lifelong process. Therefore, homework is an integral part of educational growth. It creates interest on the part of the student in learning and provides an important communication link between the home and the school.
Homework will be assigned at all grade levels. The amount and length of independent practice will increase with each grade level. Students are expected to complete all homework assignments. You may check the second grade website for homework assignments. Parents will be notified if homework assignments are not consistently completed.
If a child is absent for more than two days and is able to work, homework may be requested. If work is requested, parents are responsible to check to see that students complete the work. In the event of long absences due to vacations, the daily assignments missed will be given to the student upon their return and students will assume responsibility for the completion of these assignments. If the daily assignments are requested prior to long absences, parents are responsible to check to see that students complete the work.
The definition of homework shall be an assignment that students complete outside the regular classroom time. The four basic categories of such work are:
a. practice assignments which help students master specific skills
b. preparation assignments which enable students to gain maximum benefit from subsequent lessons
c. extension assignments which determine a student’s ability to transfer a new skill or concept to a new situation and require a degree of abstract thinking
d. creative assignments which require students to integrate many skills and concepts in the process of producing a response.
Homework assignments should:
a. enhance and extend the classroom material and never be assigned as busy work or as punishment
b. be clearly explained
c. be appropriate to the ages, skill levels and abilities of the students
d. receive prompt evaluation and/or feedback
e. be coordinated as much as reasonably possible so as not to overload students
f. promote the development of student responsibility and self discipline
In an effort to foster your child’s successful completion of extended learning activities, the following guidelines are suggested:
a. provide a quiet, well-lighted place to study
b. set aside regular time for homework
c. read to your child
d. include independent reading time at home
e. show interest in your child’s work
f. talk, listen, and discuss with your child, his/her daily learning experiences
g. interact with your child: take walks, bake cookies, play games with him/her
Special Information
Birthday Invitations
Only pass out invitations in the classroom if there is one for everyone in the class (mail others). A class list can be found in the second grade handbook. You may send a birthday treat for the class. All treats must be store bought and sealed in wrapper. Please avoid all peanut products.
Lunch Money
Pay by sending money in a correctly filled out lunch envelope, or online.
Reading Intervention Specialists
Mrs. Jost
Mrs. Ghory
Mrs. Murphy
Trimesters
There will be 3 reporting periods and 3 grade reports.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conferences will be held in November and March, after the first and second trimesters. Grade reports will be distributed at conferences.
Portfolios
A Ross portfolio is a binder featuring student work and projects from kindergarten to fifth grade. Starry Night is a celebration held in the spring to share the binder with parents.
Multi-Age Families
Multi-Age is a school wide initiative that meets once a month with students of all grades, and focuses on the RossSchool virtues.
Volunteers
We would love to have parents come and volunteer in the classroom and throughout the school. Discuss with your teacher times and dates that you are available to help.
Field Trips
We will be attending the Powell Symphony Hall this fall, and the Butterfly House in the spring.
Supplies
Please check with your child periodically to see if they are in need of any extra supplies. We will try to send notes home if your child has lost items or is in need of additional things. Some supplies are shared and considered community supplies.
Dress Code
-Please dress your child appropriately for the weather. We go outside for recess and your child needs to be ready for changes in temperatures.
-Please make sure your child wears safe shoes to school everyday(covers the toe and heel). Children cannot run and play on the playground safely without proper shoes.
-Please remember that halter tops and tops with thin straps are not allowed. (See Parent handbook).
Second Grade Supply List
School box – no larger than L12” x W8” x H3”
Crayons (box of 24 Crayola works best)
1 (4oz.) Elmer’s glue
Scissors (Fiskars work best)
40 #2 pencils – only yellow, sharpened
1 set of 12 colored pencils
1 large box of tissues – 250 count
1 highlighter – yellow
6 spiral notebooks – wide rule (to be replaced as needed)
1 composition notebook (to be replaced as needed)
1 (2 pocket) folder with prongs for Art
Markers (primary color Crayola, box of 8, 10, or 12)
2 dry erase markers
4 glue sticks
Post-it notes – 1 pkg. any size
1 container of Clorox wipes (girls), hand sanitizer (boys)
4 – 2 pocket folders (any color)
Plastic Ziploc bags – gallon size (girls), quart size (boys)
Felt tip markers (2 red – not permanent markers)
Roll of paper towels
Set of headphones for computers in plastic bag marked with student’s name
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES MAY BE REQUESTED DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
Miss Stitz’s 2nd Grade Class
2011-2012
Olivia Buckley
Kevin Coleman
True Deck
Yoav Gal-er
Amani Jones
Connor Manion
Alexa Martinez
Tyler Mattingly
Hamzah Mir
Vicky Ngo
Jessica Pai
Leehie Peleg
Owen Powers
Zoey Price
Nicole Reed
Jackson Seamans
Yuhi Takasu
Mia Thompson
Emma Vance
Mrs. Krutzsch’s 2nd Grade Class
2011-2012
Kylie Allen
Marissa Allman
Maya Atlas
Celina Bindra
Adara Blake
Ella Clemins
Bar Danielli
Mikayla Glennon
Lily Kraft
Lauren Magnuson
Ellie Mawuenyega
Inas Mirza
Peyton Orr
Alison Rhodes
LaShea Shelton
Aubrey Sindel
Isabella Watkins
Layla Weaver
Emma White
Taylor Williams
Emily Zwbelman
Miss Rooker’s 2nd Grade Class
2011-2012
Jelani Blake
Nick Crockford
Caleb Dunbar
Vassili Georges
Daniel Hetland
Jacob Humphrey
Jeremy Kang
Kyle Kassing
Kaden Katz
Sam Lowery
Caden Magnuson
Shayne McLaughlin
Gabriel Ryan
Tommy Schnettler
Elijah Tiggs
Jack Wagner
Adam Zalaudek
Miss Smith’s 2nd Grade Class
2011-2012
Tamer Abusaid
Mina Allman
Julie Balaban
Jordan Burmester
Julian Calvez
Sara Hendry
Kyla Holmes
Julien Johnson
Jonathan Kim
Rohan Kudva
Ryan Manion
Ian Pressy
Tiffany Ramos
Audrey Richardson
Camille Ross
Lucy Shin
Madesyn Thompson
Norah Von Yeast
Kamaria Waller