1. Welcome Specht Elementary School Second Grade Orientation 2015-2016

2. School Day Students arriving before 7:35 a.m. report to gym. The Pledges begin promptly at 7:35. Instruction begins promptly following announcements and students are considered tardy at 7:45 a.m. Dismissal is at 2:45 p.m.

3. Agendas Agendas are used for home-school communication, which includes behavior, homework assignments, notes, reminders, and other important information. Using the agenda is mandatory. Please sign the agenda nightly.

4. Second Grade Curriculum Spelling Spelling tests will be given each Friday. Your child’s spelling words are recorded in their agenda on Monday. Math Timed drills are administered to develop automaticity in addition and subtraction. You can help at home by practicing with flashcards. Reading / Language Arts Students will benefit from guided reading lessons. Guided reading books will be sent home with your child for reading practice starting approx. early October. Science / Social Studies We will alternate science and social studies within each nine weeks.

5. Homework Homework will be assigned Monday – Thursday. (M,W- math; T,Th-ELA). Students are also required to read for 20 uninterrupted minutes each night. Please remember homework is the student’s responsibility. You can do your part by providing a routine time/place to complete assignments, checking over work, and signing the agenda. Your signature in the agenda is verification that you have reviewed your child’s homework and ensured its accuracy, and have viewed any behavior concerns for the day.

6. Parent Connection You may access your child’s grades by registering for Parent Connection on Comal ISD’s webpage. http://www.comalisd.org/Parent_Connection/

7. Report Cards will be sent home at the end of every 9-week grading period. Progress reports are sent home in between report cards.

8. Graded Papers Graded papers will be sent home in your child’s take home folder. Please keep all graded work at home unless otherwise indicated by teacher.

9. Library Second grade students may check out two books. Library books should be kept in your child’s backpack. They may keep their books for two weeks. Students who do not have their library books to return will not be allowed to check out new books.

10. Absences A written excuse must accompany your child upon returning to school following an absence. Written excuses will not be accepted after two days from the absence. It will then be marked as unexcused. Arrival after 10:00 a.m. or leaving before 10:00 a.m. is considered a full day absence. Make up work will be given upon the student’s return.

11. Pick Up and After School Transportation You may not drop your child off before 7:00 a.m. You may drop your child off through the express line or through the bus loop. If you wish to walk your child into the building, you must enter the school from the Overlook Pkwy entrance and park your car. Please do not use the handicap spaces as a place to drop your child off. Contact the office if your child is going home a different way than usual. You must have your pink card to pick up your child through the express or walker line.

12. Water Bottles and Snacks Water bottles with sports top are permitted in class. No juice, soda, or Gatorade, etc. Please send a healthy, non-messy snack with your child, as we allow the students to have a snack during the day.

13. Allergies All allergies, food or other, must be reported to your child’s teacher. See Nurse Ward to notify her of any allergies as well.

14. Visitors Check in at the office to receive a visitor’s badge. You must have your driver’s license with you to receive a badge. You must have a background check on file before volunteering in the school or on field trips. Background checks may be filled out on the district’s website.

15. Second Grade Newsletter Newsletters will be sent weekly via email. These newsletters will keep you informed about what we are studying in class and other important news.

16. Celebrating Birthdays at SES! If you elect to bring a treat (must be store bought), please be sure to have it delivered before lunch. Treats will be distributed immediately following lunch and eaten outside. We will no longer take time from the instructional day to celebrate birthdays in the classroom.

17. All Star Fridays All Star Fridays will be held every other Friday. If All Star lands on a Friday holiday, it will be held on Thursday. Our first All Star Friday will be September 4 th. Parents will be reminded via School Messenger. We encourage parents to join us, in particular when your child is being celebrated. Each teacher will award a Shining Star to those students who exemplify good character. Not all students will necessarily be awarded a Shining Star award in the course of the year.

18. Conference Time Teacher conference time is from 8:40-9:30, with the exception of Tuesdays. You can also reach us via e-mail. It’s the most efficient form of communication.

19. Remind 101 Please sign up for “Remind.” This is a one way text messaging service for teachers to send important reminders or updates! Your number is not visible to anyone else!

20. Supplies-What goes where????? In the supply box (labeled with name): 1 glue stick 1 glue bottle 1 pink eraser 1 box of crayons Scissors In the desk (labeled with name): 1 box of markers 4 spiral notebooks 2 folders * Any extra glue, crayons, erasers, label with name, and put into the Ziploc bag located on your desk. I will store these for future use when they need to be replenished. ALL other supplies will go in labeled bins around the room. It’s like a scavenger hunt

21. Wish List Don’t forget to stop by the blue pocket chart, if you would like to donate any wish list items for our classroom! Thanks!