Welcome to Open House Thank you for coming!

Look for the Tuesday Folder every week. It will have important papers in it. Sign and return it on Wednesday mornings.

The children will record their homework assignments in their Homework Assignment Books. Work assignments will increase during the year.

Homework assignments should be returned to school the next day. Late assignments are accepted but must be turned in by Friday of the week it is due. Excessive late homework will lower your child’s Completes Homework grade on the report card.

Homework Reading/Language Arts homework – Monday and Wednesday Math homework-Tuesday and Thursday Science and Social Studies homework- occasionally 3 or more missed assignments=S in completes homework 6 or more=N in completes homework

From time to time special projects will be assigned. Look for information about these in your child’s assignment book, homework folder, and on our web pages.

All of the Study Guides and Spelling Words can be found on my web page. A copy of them will also be sent home for your convenience. Be sure you review them with your child often.

A conduct book will be used in the classroom. You will be notified on the Tuesday folder if your child signs this book. You will receive a phone call if your child signs the book excessively. ****Rewards-Students will earn tickets for good behavior to be used at our classroom store.

We go to P.E. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Be sure your child wears tennis shoes on those days so they can participate fully in P.E.

We go to Music on Tuesday and Thursday.

The computer lab will be visited once a week for forty-five minutes. We will be practicing typing and computer skills with Learning.com as well as assigned projects throughout the year.

Please join the PTO. Your dues will go toward the purchase of many valuable programs for all students.

It is important that your child attend school every day.

My conference period is from 9:15 to 10:00 each day. Conferences are not scheduled on Wednesdays due to our grade level meetings.

Our classrooms can sometimes get cold so please have your child bring a sweater if they need one.

The supplies you purchased are only to start the year. Usually paper will need to be replenished before December. You can purchase supplies at our school store before school each morning. You will be notified when new supplies are needed.

Varied needs such as enrichment or tutoring will be met in the classroom as needed and as much as time will allow. Your help at home will also be very important. Please study flashcards, study guides, and read nightly with your child.

Be sure to sign up to receive the Hassler Herald and other school wide information electronically. You can sign up at: hassler

Pony Reading and Pony Math Encourage your child to participate. While they may not feel like doing it, when the end of the year comes, they are sad when they can’t go to the parties. It also provides good practice for them in reading and math.

Snack Time Please remember to only send what your child can eat in approximately 15 minutes. A snack size bag that can be thrown away will probably work best. Whatever is not eaten has to be thrown away. It is helpful if the water bottles are labeled with your child’s name or initials. The small bottles of water are usually sufficient for them.

Word Wall Words The children are responsible to knowing how to read the words and use them in a sentence. They do not have to know how to spell them. In composition and sentence dictation these words should be spelled correctly. Encourage them to look at the Word Wall if they don’t know how to spell a word. There will be at least one major grade Word Wall test each nine weeks in Reading.

Vocabulary Words These words will be defined in class and added to their Vocabulary Notebooks. The words are defined by the way they’re used in our Read Aloud book for that week. I encourage the children to use these words in their writing when it is appropriate.

Holistic Reading Test One Holistic Reading Test will be given each nine weeks. It consists of two long reading selections that are on second grade level. There is no way to study for this test except to make sure that your child reads at home each night for at least 20 minutes. Be sure to ask you child comprehension questions about what he is reading. This test counts as a major Reading grade. It will not be sent home in order to protect the integrity of the test. You will be notified in the Tuesday Folder about the grade your child made. If you would like to see the test, you are welcome to stop by Mrs. Phillips’ room either before or after school to look it over.

Composition Second grade students are just learning to become writers. Their compositions grades might not be as high as their other grades. As with any developing skill, the more they practice, the better writers they will become. Make sure your child has many opportunities to write at home.

Language/Composition There will be major grade tests taken over topics that we cover such as sentences, nouns, verbs, etc. Major grades will also be taken in composition. Language grades and composition grades are averaged together for one composite grade.

Spelling Spelling Test are given on Fridays. Spelling tests are averaged together for one minor language grade each nine weeks. I allow the children to miss one Spelling Test each nine weeks without having to make it up.

Handwriting The first semester we review manuscript writing. The second semester we introduce cursive writing. The children are always very excited about learning cursive writing.

Math, Science, Social Studies There will be major and minor grades taken in these subjects. The major grades will consist of activities, projects, quizzes, and end of the chapter tests. The minor grades will consist of partner activities, small group activities, workbook pages, and class participation.

Math Topics Number sense Graphing Addition and Subtraction concepts and strategies Fact families Number to 100 Patterns and comparisons Money Time to the minute and elapsed time Regrouping addition and subtraction (2 digit) Length, perimeter and area Temperature, weight, capacity Solids and shapes Fractions

Science Topics Plant and animal life Animal habitats Earth science Space and weather Matter Energy

Social Studies/Map Skills Texas communities Living in a community (communities and neighborhoods) Our government (community, state, and national) Looking at the Earth (land, water, natural resources, and map and globe skills) Learn about people (family, heritage, celebrations, and cultures) Past and present (our country’s history and heroes of the past) People at work (goods and services)

Science and Social Studies Study guides and/or flash cards will be sent home when we begin a new chapter or unit. The information on the guides was taken straight from the chapter/unit tests since second graders do not take their books home. Please review over the concepts and ideas on these guides nightly.

Thank you for joining us for Open House. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime.