Welcome to Mrs. Acosta’s 2nd Grade Class Please leave a “Love Note” for your child. Welcome to Mrs. Acosta’s 2nd Grade Class

Welcome! About Me! Live in Pembroke Pines Have 2 sons: Christian 23, Jason 18 Graduated from Florida Atlantic University bachelors in Elementary Education. ESOL endorsed 13th Year teaching 2nd grade at Somerset My doggies are Minnie & Skippy, you will get to know them VERY well!

Curriculum The 2nd grade curriculum consists of Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. Somerset Academy will follow the “Florida Standards”, previously known as the Common Core State Standards. The State Board of Education voted unanimously to revise the student performance standards in English/LA and Mathematics. Writing is now infused within English and LA. We will be utilizing Journeys Reading Curriculum and Go Math Curriculum by Harcourt. We will also incorporate newspaper articles, brochures/pamphlets, magazines, and the Magic Tree House novels for additional learning and enrichment.

EFL CURRICULUM Our EFL program will offer students enrichment in Spanish across the core subject areas. I will be utilizing a variety of resources to supplement our 2nd grade curriculum.  They will be exposed to  academic vocabulary and instruction, a diversity of literature, magazine articles and educational games to enhance their Spanish. Our textbook, “Cancionero” will provide students a lively song saturated with target syllables.  These songs help develop phonetic awareness because music makes the syllables memorable and the story-like nature of the song offers maximum context. 

Tests/Exams/Assessments: 45% Grades and Pinnacle 100% – 90% A 89% - 80% B 79% - 70% C 69% - 60% D 59% and below F Pinnacle is our student database system. Parents can access their child’s current grades. You will receive a user name and password. Certain settings will allow you to receive a “warning email” when your child goes below a specific grade. Tests/Exams/Assessments: 45% Class work = 45%% Homework/ I Station: 5% Projects = 5%

Schedule 8:30- 8:45 Morning Drill 8:45- 10:15 Reading/Language Arts – ELA 10:15- 10:45 Math / Healthy Snack 10:45- 11:20 Specials Monday: Music Tuesday: Art of Leadership Wednesday: STEM/Computer Science Thursday: P.E. (8:45 – 9:20) Friday: World Languages 11:20- 11:45 Continue Math 11:45- 12:15 Lunch 12:15- 12:30 Wrap up Math 12:00- 1:00 Science/Social Studies/SPANISH 1:00- 1:30 SPA (Structured Physical Activity) 1:30- 2:00 Science/Social Studies (Continue) 2:00 – 2:30 SSR and Dismissal Procedures

Students must wear PE uniform Specials Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Music The Art of Leadership STEM/ Computer Science P.E. Students must wear PE uniform (8:45-9:20) World Languages

Classroom Management Rules Rewards and Consequences ClassDojo -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaeNSYJvrn0

Planner Planners are used daily and provide much information such as the year long calendar of school activities, homework, spelling/vocabulary words and notes from school to home. Parent signatures are required daily in the planner. Reviewing the planner nightly will give you an opportunity to check and discuss your child’s homework and progress. It will also give me the opportunity to communicate with you if needed.

Homework * Your child will have homework Monday through Thursday. Homework will be collected daily for a grade. It must be complete in order to receive full credit, Students should expect approximately 30-45 minutes of homework daily in order to reinforce material covered and to keep their grades up. Students will record their homework and spelling/vocabulary words in their planners on the first day of the week. Homework will also be posted on my Somerset Academy Web Page. Important: If your child is missing or has 3 or more incomplete homework assignments in one quarter then he/she will not be eligible for honor roll for that quarter. The Math portion of the homework will be from the Math Book. Assigned pages will be torn and turned in the next day. Your child should keep their homework pages inside their red homework folder so that they can easily retrieve it the next morning and place them in the designated box. If your child is in LEAP he/she must keep their red folder in their backpack. In addition your will be assigned homework from their “Readers Notebook” . This workbook will remain in class so that he/she can tear out the pages assigned.

Homework -continued Vocabulary Homework Math Reading Mondays : Vocabulary – Define numbers 1-4 Tuesdays : Vocabulary – Define numbers 5-8 Wednesdays : Readers Notebook Thursdays : Spelling Words 5x each. Fridays : No homework unless project assigned or make-up work is due for Monday Math Students complete the assigned pages for each night and turn them in on the next day. Reading Students are required to read 15-30 minutes every weeknight any book or story of their choice. (Reading Log to begin in September)

Tests Tests (45%) and Classwork (45%) count toward your child’s final average. A Vocabulary Test, Spelling Test, and Reading Test will be given on Fridays. In addition, your child will alternate between taking a phonics and/or grammar quiz on Fridays. (Your child will not be allowed to take home the Journeys Reading Textbook. However, they will have access to it on Thinkcentral.com in addition to many activities that will help them with the weekly story and/or skill) Math Tests will not be weekly (in most cases they will be bi-weekly). I will notify you a few days in advance before a test. Please check Pinnacle weekly to track your child’s progress.

Internet Tools Think Central I-Station https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do Select Broward County and Somerset Academy Login and password are both first initial and last name (example: John Smith = jsmith) I-Station https://secure.istation.com/Account/LogOn Login and password - TBA

Magic Tree House Book Schedule 03/12/18 -Vacation under the Volcano #13   04/16/18 - Midnight on the Moon #8 05/21/18 - Lions at Lunchtime #11 09/06/17 - Hour of the Olympics #16 10/23/17 - Carnival at Candlelight #33 11/13/17 - Thanksgiving on Thursday #27  01/16/18 - Polar Bears past Bedtime #12 02/12/18 - Civil War on Sunday #21  

Communication, Friday Folder & Conferences Communication is an important part of success for your child. I will provide weekly updates via my Somerset Web Page. The fastest way to reach me is by e-mail. Please feel free to e-mail me at nacosta@somersetacedemy.com with any questions or concerns anytime. Friday folders are sent home each Friday. Please look through it, keep any papers from the left pocket and return anything from the right side on Mondays.

Parent Volunteer Hours Parents must complete a total of 30 volunteer hours. If you have additional children in the middle or high school, you must add 10 additional hours for each school. Hours can be done in a variety of ways.  The best way to complete these hours is by donating items needed in our class.  You can also participate in class events such as field trips and special occasions.  Please be aware however that in order to achieve maximum instruction during our academic time periods, I do not have parents volunteer in the classroom during instructional times.  15 hours must be completed by in order to re-register. All hours must be complete by mid-May in order to obtain a confirmed seat for the following school year.

Uniforms Uniforms shirts must have school logo and be worn appropriately (shirts must be tucked in) on a daily basis. Pants must have the school name embroidered on the pocket Jackets or Sweaters must be in school colors –white, navy blue or light blue. Shoes must be closed-toe and closed-back; socks are required Fridays: (please check calendar in planner for exact days) Spirit Days - Students can wear their blue Spirit shirt and jeans Dress Down Days – Students can dress down for $2 (Please check the school uniform policy on which attire is appropriate for dress down days. Example: Shorts and skirts can not be higher than three inches from knee, no midriff shirts, no spaghetti strap shirts, no tight attire, no open toe or backless shoes, ect)

Attendance Somerset Academy follows Broward County Schools Attendance Policy 5.5! This means every minute counts, from absences, tardiness, and early sign-outs. School begins at 8:30 am. Students that arrive late to school must have parents sign them in the office and pick up a late pass before walking to the classroom. 5 tardy = 1 absence. If your child is absent more than five times in a quarter The Broward County School Board may be contacting you regarding the excessive absences. ** Please make sure your child makes up any missed assignments. If you are planning a trip or special occasion, you must submit a letter and get prior approval from Mrs. Enriquez. Failure to get pre-approval may result in unexcused absences on your child’s attendance record. Please do not plan trips during the month of May. This is when our Primary End of Year Tests take place.

Dismissal We start dismissal at about 2:20 pm. Carpool pickup is from 2:20 -2:30 p.m. **If your child is not picked up by 3:00 p.m. you will receive a phone call and your child will be placed in a LEAP classroom. You will have to pay a fee of $25.00 for picking up your child late. Early Release Days – dismissal is at 12:30 p.m. If you pick-up from the car lane: Please hang colored decal from rearview mirror and make sure to include your child’s name using a dark marker. Early Pick-up is not allowed after 2:15 P.M.

Reminders At times, it is quite cold in the classroom. Please send your child with a sweater to school if needed. Snacks must be healthy and it should be something he/she can eat within 5 minutes. Students are required to bring a chapter book daily for SSR. Magic Tree House Books (see dates) Weekly Newsletters via email. Wish List See notes on the board

Please send in a front/back copy of your child’s insurance card (Must have in order to attend fieldtrips). Field Trips If your child is going to be attending one of our class field trips you must pay online. This is a 2nd Grade Team Policy. Field trips must be paid by the due date if not your child will not be able to attend. This is a school wide policy.

Final Note I am truly excited to be teaching your child! I know that all children can learn and that it is a collaborative effort between the parents, teacher and student. I am committed to the success of your child and I hope to inspire and educate them. I know we will have a successful year!