Welcome to Second Grade!! PS 11

Agenda

School Procedures Arrival: 8:20 AM: Cafeteria open for breakfast 8:30 AM: Students begin to line-up by class and then make their way to their classrooms by 8:45 AM. Dismissal: 3:08 PM: Students will be dismissed in the front of the school. We will use the doors closest to the yard. Please do not take your child from us until you see him/her give us a “high five!” 3:15 PM: Students will be brought to room 101 for late pick up. Please help us to make dismissal safe and smooth for all of the kids in the class: Absolutely no changes can be made to dismissal procedure unless a hand written note is sent to school with your child in their homework folder OR the office receives a call BEFORE 9:00 am. If your child takes the bus home and you intend to pick them up instead, please make certain that you send in a written note AND you meet them at the bus gate. If you are not at the gate by 3:00, your child will be sent on the bus regardless of a note being sent.

Office Paperwork

Curriculum Information Units of Study: Reading For more detail on our curriculum, please visit the PS 11 website: Taking Charge of Reading Reading Information Books Getting to Know Characters Foundational Skills Series Reading Non-Fiction Reading Clubs Reading and Role Playing

Curriculum Information Units of Study: Writing For more detail on our curriculum, please visit the PS 11 website: Lessons from the Masters Informational Writing Writing About Reading Poetry Writer’s, Make your Case! Gripping Stories Lab Reports and Science Books

Mathematics Math Strands to be covered throughout the year: 1.Extending Knowledge of Place Value through 1,000 2.Becoming Fluent with Addition and Subtraction 3.Applying Base 10 Understanding 4.Measurement 5.Geometry & Fractions 6.Developing Multiplication and Interpreting Data Assessment: Students are given a pre-test to assess their benchmark understanding. This information is used to develop and adjust the curriculum as well as create grouping. The assessment is given again at the end of the unit to check for mastery of the skills taught throughout the unit.

Science and Social Studies 1.Science Units of Study: Rocks, Sand and Silt New Plants Balance and Motion ***We have a ten week program with a science facilitator from Wonderhut. 2. Social Studies - New York City with a focus on: Citizenship and Civic Life: Rules and Laws Urban, suburban and rural Communities NYC Geography, Past and Present, Needs & Wants ** We go on many Field Trips that connect to our curriculum and encourage you to join us!

A Typical 2 nd Grader’s Day (Scheduling will differ between classes) Time PeriodActivity 8:50 AM-9:27 AMMorning Work, Morning Meeting, Word Study 9:27 AM-10:30 AMReading Workshop 10:30 AM-11:22 AMWriting Workshop 11:22 AM-12:22 PMRecess and then lunch 12:22 PM-1:24 PMMath Workshop (Grade-wide) 1:24 PM-2:16 PMSocial Studies or Science 2:16 PM-3:08 PMSpecial Class (Music, Gym, Theater, etc.) 3:08 PMDismissal

Homework Homework Folder: Homework folders will go home every night. Please check to see if there is any communication from your child’s teacher or from the school. On the inside of the folder you will find the following: P.S. 11 Community Standards Current School Calendar, School Policies and Procedures Homework Packets: Homework packets will be handed out every Monday and are due Friday morning. They will be returned with teacher feedback so please review the returned assignments with your child. Your child may keep his/her homework in his/her homework folder until it needs to be returned to us on Friday. Reading Logs: Students will be held responsible for planning and recording their reading for the week both at home and at school. This will support student goal setting as well as foster a love and habit of reading. Please make sure your child is following and filling out their reading plans at home! We encourage that all students are reading for at least 30 minutes a night.

Field Trips Parents/guardians must fill out and return the original field trip permission form in order to give their child permission to leave the school building. Following Chancellor’s Regulation for field trips, no written notes or verbal permission over the phone will be accepted. Please dress your child in his/her P.S. 11 T-shirt on field trip days. If your child will want a school lunch for the field trip, we must know two weeks before the trip so that we may order it from the cafeteria. Chaperones will be selected on a rotating basis, with typically 4-5 per excursion.

“Specials” Swimming Students will begin swim class in October. Mr. Nichols will send a letter home explaining expectations and routines for swimming later this month. If you need to reach him with questions, he can be contacted via MondayTuesdayWednesda y ThursdayFriday Theater Computer s GymArtDance

Enrichment Programs Julliard: Composition and music appreciation Chess: Chess instruction (rules and strategies) Pascal: Introduction to modern dance Highline: History of the west side, study of ecology, and park design Cookshop: Nutrition education program WonderHUT: Hands-on science program, integrating art and science as well as social and physical activities

Scholastic Book Orders Monthly Scholastic Book Club order forms will be sent home with your child periodically. This is a wonderful (and affordable!) opportunity to purchase books for your home library. If you choose to order books, please send a check made out to Scholastic Book Clubs along with the order slip in an envelope labeled with your child’s name. NO CASH please! You may also order online which helps our classroom get free books from Scholastic! Order online at: scholastic.com/bookclubs and use class activation code: J6THH

Birthday Celebrations We love celebrating in our classrooms but please remember the following: All celebrations will be limited to 15 minutes. Families may provide 1 treat per student Goody bags, decorations, balloons, candles, or toys are not permitted. We are a nut-free classroom. Even if your child does not have an allergy, please do not send in food that may be problematic for another child.

Allergies Please let us know via the student information sheet we sent home if your child has any allergies or if they have an EPI pen. All EPI pens must be registered with the Ryan Center prior to being given to us. We are a nut-free classroom. Even if your child does not have an allergy, please do not send in food that may be problematic for another child.

Parent/Guardian-Teacher Communication Please feel free to us at We will check our between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response. You may also call the school at (212) and leave a message for us Please also feel free to send in a note with your child in his/her homework folder