1. Welcome to Second Grade!
Welcome to the school year at Temperance Elementary School. I am so excited to be joining the Temperance family and am looking forward to a great year in second grade. I taught kindergarten for 9 years and second grade 2 years before taking time off to raise 2 children and be the caregiver for my parents. I am happy to be returning to full time teaching. With your support and communication, this year will be very successful. The following information is important in keeping up with your child’s progress in class work, homework, and daily behavior. In order for this year to be a success, I need your help and constant support at home. In school, I have prepared an organized and structured environment to best promote your child’s academic growth. I hope the following information will help you to better understand how our classroom will be managed and make for a smooth and successful year.
Welcome to Second Grade!
Janette Mears

2. The ABC’s of Mrs. Mears’ 2nd Grade Class
A Attendance- It is so important for your child to be at school on time everyday! You will significantly increase your child’s chances for success by making sure that he or she is here, and on time, everyday.
B Backpacks- Be sure that your child brings his or her backpack to school every day so that we can be sure everything makes it to and from school.
C Conference- Good communication between home and school is important to your child’s academic success. If I find it necessary to have a conference with you to either discuss your child’s academic performance or behavior, I will contact you to set up an appointment. If you wish to speak with me during my conference time for any reason please feel free to or call me to set up a date and time.
D Dress Code- Please be sure that your child is dressed appropriately each day, as is outlined in the school dress code. Please make sure on Fridays your child wears his or her sneakers/tennis shoes for P.E.
E Emergency Information- It is incredibly important that I have correct and up-to-date phone numbers for you! If there is an emergency, I need to be able to contact you, so please let me know if your address or phone number changes during the school year.
F Field Trips- We will be planning a field trip this year, which will be both fun and educational for your child. Be sure to return permission slips quickly so that your child will not have to miss any of these wonderful opportunities! Remember, if you want to go with us on the trip you must be fingerprinted.
G Grades- Your child will begin receiving grades this year on his or her report card. I will send home all graded classwork in their Friday folders, so you should always be aware of how your child is doing in class. You can also review your child’s progress by accessing Parent Portal. Mrs. Campbell can help you set this up if you do not already have an account. Please remind your child to always do his or her best work!
H Homework- On Monday afternoons I will be sending home weekly word study homework. This will give the students an opportunity to work with their words on a daily basis. Other homework assignments will come home in each child’s homework folder. Once your child is done with their homework, return it to the folder. Students are expected to read nightly and parents need to sign their Agenda in the Parent-Teacher Communication box.

3. I Invitations- Students may only hand out invitations (for birthday parties, etc.) if there is one for every child in the class. Otherwise, please take care of this outside of school. We don’t want anyone to have hurt feelings!
J Join the PTO- The PTO is a great way for you to get involved at Temperance! Information about joining the PTO will be coming home with your child during the first few weeks of school.
K Kindness- An important part of a successful classroom is that all students treat one another with kindness and respect. I expect all students to be kind in their words and actions.
L Lunch- If your child buys lunch, please place the money in an envelope or zip-lock bag with your child’s name on it. He or she will take it to the cafeteria to put the money on their account.
M Math – We will concentrate on the new math SOLs this year. I will send a copy of the SOLs we will study each new nine weeks.
N Notebook – Students will have an interactive notebook for math and science this year. Everything that we will study should be in the notebook, which will help each child study information at home.
O Office- Remember to check in at the office any time you visit the school.
P Planner- Your child’s planner (agenda) will be kept in his or her binder. I will be using the student’s agenda to communicate with you about your child’s work and behavior. Occasionally you will find notes regarding your child’s behavior in the agenda according to the classroom discipline plan. (Refer to Mrs. Mears’ Discipline Plan Letter to Parents )
Q Questions- If you have any questions for me, please feel free to me. My address is This is the best way to contact me, as I check my often. Otherwise, you are welcome to call the office before school, during my planning time (2:30 – 3:15), or after school and have them transfer your call to my classroom. You can also leave a message on my voice mail and I will return the call as soon as possible. The quickest way to contact me is through .

4. R Reading – Read, read, read, and read some more
R Reading – Read, read, read, and read some more! Each child should read at least 10 minutes nightly. More time reading is highly encouraged. The more a child reads and is read to, the better reader he or she will become.
S Scholastic Book Orders – We will be doing book orders about once a month. This is a great, inexpensive way to build your home library and help build our Reading Corner library.
T Tests- Students take assessments at the beginning and end of our school year to assess their growth in math and reading. Second graders also begin taking Amherst County-designed benchmark tests. These tests will assess the students’ knowledge of the various content areas we study throughout the year. Every Friday, we will have spelling tests. Students will also complete a variety of assessments as needed.
U Up-to-Date- Please remember to keep me up-to-date on any important changes in your child’s life. Please let me know if there is any situation at home that you think might cause your child stress at school. I would like to be informed of important experiences that may be affecting your child’s state of mind, such as: illness in the family, a best friend moving away, conflicts among family members, loss of a pet, etc. Although I am interested in anything that could be affecting your child, it is not necessary for you to reveal personal information. Please know that anything you do say will be kept strictly confidential.
V Volunteers- If you wish to volunteer at Temperance or in the classroom you must first complete a background check. This can be done at the Human Resources Office on weekdays (except holiday breaks/inclement weather) from 9-10 AM and 2-3 PM Monday through Friday to complete background checks.

5. W Water Bottles- All students are allowed to keep a bottle of water at their desk during the school day. However, they may not have any other type of beverage in the classroom. Water bottles may only be refilled at the beginning or end of the day. However, if individuals are caught misusing them in any way, such as water fights, he or she will no longer be allowed to have water bottles in the classroom.
X X-tra Practice- If you would ever like any ideas for ways to help your child at home, please let me know and I will be happy to provide you with ideas and resources for extra practice!
Y Your Support- Your support is so important to your child’s success in school! If you have any questions or concerns about anything in our classroom, please contact me. I am here to help your child be successful!
Z Zzzzzzz- Be sure your child gets plenty of sleep each night so that he or she is prepared to do his or her best in class!
I look forward to working closely with you to ensure a most enjoyable, successful year for your child. Thank you in advance for your support!
Mrs. Mears