Welcome to Second Grade! Teachers Mrs. Doni Fisk Mrs. Sarah Harmas Ms. Melinda Langworthy Mrs. Caroline Pease Mr. Joe Resar

Please contact me anytime with questions or concerns. Communication Email doni_fisk@nobl.k12.in.us Phone 773-0582 Notes in folder Newsletters Please contact me anytime with questions or concerns.

Daily Schedule 8:30-8:50 Check-In/Announcements/Morning Work 8:50-10:20 Literacy 10:20-11:05 Writing 11:05-11:20 Second Steps 11:25-12:15 Lunch/Recess 12:20-1:30 Math 1:40-2:20 Specials 2:25-2:55 Intervention 2:55-3:20 Inquiry/Content Time 3:25 Dismissal

Transportation A transportation list is created that states each student’s way home from school (bus number, walker, car rider, AYS). Anytime and every time your child is to go home from school any way other than his or her normal way, you MUST SEND A NOTE or CALL THE OFFICE. Please do NOT send an email as I may not receive it in time.

Daily Class Work We will do a lot of work together, especially at the beginning of the year. Letter grades will not appear on graded class work. Students will receive stars, stamps, stickers, happy faces, etc. Some work may be marked as a fraction. For example: 9/10. Please go over completed papers at home to see if your child understands what was missed.

Homework Homework will be sent home on Mondays (or the first school day of each week). Students will be given a reading log to complete each night. We ask that students read a minimum of 20 minutes a night. Additional math homework will be sent home regularly and MUST BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED THE NEXT SCHOOL DAY. Homework should remain in the blue take-home folder. This blue folder should be wherever your child is. If he/she is at school, the folder should be at school. If he/she is at home, the folder should be at home.

Language Arts Whole group: Interactive Read Alouds for comprehension and word chunks for phonics instruction Small group: Reading groups made up of a small group of children who are reading on similar levels or instructional needs (i.e. comprehension strategies, decoding skills, etc.). Readers Workshop: Students will have more choice over the books they read. The teacher will check in and conference with the students individually throughout the week. Students will also meet in strategy groups or book clubs during the week to discuss books together.

Writer’s Workshop Students will write everyday. Most of this work will be done in our Writer’s Notebooks, so you will not see it coming home on a regular basis. Our focus will be listening for the sounds in each word, utilizing the word wall, leaving a finger space between words, using capitals and punctuation, and writing complete sentences. We highly encourage students to choose their topics, etc. CHOICE IS VOICE!

Learning addition and subtraction facts is crucial. Math All Noblesville Elementaries use Everyday Math, which is a spiral based program. Students will also focus on comprehending word problems throughout the year. Learning addition and subtraction facts is crucial. They will be practiced at school, and it is an expectation that they will be practiced at home each night as well.

Science Integrated into Language Arts instruction Several Class Experiments Hands-On Science Journal Project Lead the Way

Project Lead the Way This will be our 4th year using these modules. PLTW is an investigative approach to learning. There are 2 modules per year: Properties of Matter (1st Semester) Form and Function (2nd Semester)

Social Studies Integrated into Language Arts instruction Family Community Project Based Learning Project (1st Semester)

Project Based Learning Noblesville Schools will be creating new units where students guide their own learning through PBL. Our unit will be in September. The topic is community. We will be exploring the community of Noblesville, as well as having a visit from Mayor Ditslear. Students will be designing a new business/service that they feel will benefit the Noblesville community.

Classroom Economy Students apply for a classroom job and can get a new job every 9 weeks. Students will be paid for their job with classroom money. Students will get paid for their daily behavior and homework. At the end of each 9 weeks we will have a classroom store where kids can purchase items and/or coupons

Field Trips We take two field trips a year: The first field trip is to downtown Noblesville. This correlates with our PBL. We go to the police station, fire station, historic jail, the square, and we eat lunch at Forest Park. This will most likely be sometime in September. The second field trip will be during second semester. This field trip is TBD. 

Parent/Teacher Conferences October 3rd 1:00-8:00pm and October 5th 1:00-3:45pm Please be sure to sign up tonight There will only be 15 minute time slots

Behavior We will be using Leadership Levels to reward outstanding behavior. Blue (Level 4) – Exceeds expectations Green (Level 3) – This is our expectation for students. Yellow (Level 2) – Warnings Red (Level 1) – Note/Phone call home; Severe behavior A calendar will be used to track each child’s behavior. This will come home daily in the blue take-home folder and must be signed/initialed by parents each night.

Birthdays We promise to make your child feel very special on his or her birthday! Due to allergies and Noblesville’s Health and Wellness Initiative edible treats will not be allowed. However, you may provide non-edible treats (pencils, stickers, erasers, bookmarks, small toys) or a gift of an indoor recess toy or book for the class to share.

Volunteers We would LOVE to have your help! If you are able to volunteer in the classroom, please fill out a volunteer form and return it as soon as possible. You MUST have a background check on file in order to volunteer. You can do this online. You will be notified after approval.

Money If you send money to school, please be sure that it is in a sealed envelope with your child’s name on it. Also, write on the outside of the envelope the purpose for the money. Lunch money should always be sent to school in an envelope with your child’s name and lunch code clearly written on the outside of the envelope.

Suggestions Check your child’s backpack each night. Read, read, read every night! Practice math facts nightly – even if only for 5-10 minutes! Ask your child questions about his/her day

Other Notes: We do not have snack in second grade. Please make sure your child has a breakfast. Our lunch time is an ideal time in the middle of the day. Fidget spinners are not allowed in school. If they are brought they will be kept in my desk.

Questions? Thank you for coming!