1. Welcome to Mrs. Byers’ Second Grade Class I am looking forward to a great year together!

2. What will we be learning? Most of our days will include a variety of subjects including reading, writing, spelling, math, science, and social studies. Working in centers will be a large portion of our day, therefore, working as a team will be an on- going focus.

3. Second Grade Reading Our district adopted an updated reading series by Pearson Scott-Foresmann in 2009. We utilize this reading series and supplement with trade books (non-fiction and chapter books) throughout the year. Reading will take place in a small group setting in order for students to receive instruction at their own level of readiness. By the end of the school year, students need to read chapter books in preparation for third grade!

4. Second Grade Writing Our class will be using a writing program, “Units of Primary Writing”, based on the research of well known author and researcher, Lucy Calkins. Second graders will engage in demand and creative writing. Second graders will learn many different types of writing (personal narrative, persuasive, how-to, sequence, friendly letter, journal entry, etc.). Second graders will learn how to write complete sentences using correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling. Second graders will be encouraged to read over their work to revise and edit their writing, as needed. By the end of the year, second graders should be able to write a complete paragraph with an indented topic sentence, details and a conclusion. Most weeks, second graders will complete a demand writing piece called a “Test Prep” based on our target skills. This “Test Prep” will be graded using a scoring rubric. The students will be introduced to all of these new concepts!

5. Writing Introduction to Writing (September) Small Moments/Personal Narrative (October) Teaching Skills and Strategies (November) Authors as Mentors (January/February) Non-Fiction (February/March) Poetry (April/May) Fiction (May/June)Purposes for Writing (June) (recipes, invitations, pamphlets, songs, book reviews, etc.)

6. Second Grade Spelling A new unit of words is assigned every week. The list correlates with our weekly target skills. Children will spend the whole week using the words in varied assignments and centers. Words should be studied on a nightly basis. Students will be tested on their words every Friday. Individual words will be tested and one sentence will be dictated for the students to write correctly. Please SAVE all spelling lists for end of the unit review assessments and end of the year Spelling Bee!

7. Math  We will be learning about 20 topics in math this year! The topics will include…  Understanding Addition and Subtraction  Addition Strategies  Subtraction Strategies  Place Value: Numbers to 100  Counting Money  Mental Addition  Mental Subtraction  Adding two-digit numbers  Subtracting Two-Digit Numbers  Using Addition and Subtraction  Geometry  Fractions  Measurement: length and area  Measurement: capacity and weight  Time and Temperature  Graphs and Probability  Numbers and Patterns to 1,000  Three-digit addition and subtraction  Multiplication concepts  Division concepts and Facts

8. IMPORTANT MATH REMINDER! ALL ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION FACTS TO 18 MUST BE MEMORIZED THIS YEAR! Please practice your facts OFTEN at home! We will be busy learning other math lessons at school!

9. Science Animal Life Cycle- focus on Spiders Bulbs-focus on the Amaryllis MatterHealthy You and Me

10. Social Studies City, government and rules Economics GeographyCommunities Symbols of the U.S.

11. HOMEWORK POLICY  Students will have homework Monday-Thursday nights. Please read with your child as often as possible. Homework should not take your child more than 15-20 minutes. If you find that your child is struggling to complete an assignment, please send the homework back to school with a short note.  Homework will review spelling, math or reading skills.  If your child is unable to complete homework, please send a note to school the next day.

12. Second Grade Agenda To help with organization, to facilitate communication between home and school and to better prepare your child for third and fourth grade, I have created a homework “agenda” that the students will use. Students will bring home agendas on a nightly basis. Homework and important information/notes will be sent home in the agenda. On the back of each week’s agenda page is a place for parent/teacher comments. Please have your child tell me if you wrote a note in the agenda! Please return homework, excuses or notes in the front pocket of your child’s agenda. PLEASE SIGN (OR INITIAL) YOUR CHILD’S AGENDA EVERY NIGHT after you check it. THANK YOU!

13. Hooked on Books Book Club New York State recommends that second graders independently read 25 books during the course of a school year. Students should be reading at home on a daily basis (even weekends)! ONE book should be recorded in a book log once per week. Your child will probably read more than one book per week, but only one should be recorded. Book logs should be completed every Friday. I will stamp and record the book log entry. Prizes will be awarded for meeting reading goals! The ONLY way to become a BETTER READER is to READ!

14. Second Grade Report Cards Second graders will receive report cards that will be printed from a computerized program. Second graders will receive percentage grades. The grading scale is as follows: E: Excellent – 90% - 100% P: Proficient – 80% - 89% S: Satisfactory – 70%-79% N: Needs Support – 69% and below Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences will be held in November. Other conferences can be scheduled at any time during the year, if needed.

15. Important Information  Lunch is at 12:35 daily  Our Special will be everyday 1:40-2:20  Monday- Physical Education  Tuesday- Library  Wednesday-Art  Thursday- Physical Education  Friday- Music

16. Second Grade Lunch and Snack Students will use their ID cards to purchase lunch. Please send lunch money to school in an envelope with your child’s name and my name. You can prepay lunches in advance. We will have snack every day around 11:00 a.m. Students are responsible for bringing their own HEALTHY snack to school every day! Candy, gum and soda pop will be returned home if they are brought for a snack. Please send in an emergency box of individually wrapped snacks (i.e. granola bars, fruit snacks, etc.) to be kept in your child’s locker.

17. Classroom Rules and Discipline Boys and girls in Room 204 agree to a classroom contract on the first day of school. We always remember the “golden rule”: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Students need to respect everyone! I believe in being firm, fair, consistent, but always caring when it comes to discipline. We use the “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” model for discipline. First, a student who is not making a good choice gets a reminder. Second, I discuss the problem with the student using four focus questions. If needed, the student writes a note home to parents that needs to be signed and returned the next day. A note from me and/or call home might also me helpful. Students enjoy EARNING their privileges! Our classroom is POSITIVE.

18. Behavior We will be completing a number of team building activities throughout the year. Research has indicated when a class acts as a team they are less likely to misbehave. I will leave a note in your child’s agenda at the end of the day if behavior is an ongoing problem. If needed, your child will write a note home that needs to be signed and returned the next day. Please feel free to contact me with any questions and/or concerns.

19. Parent Volunteers Research has indicated that parent involvement is crucial to a student’s success in school. I encourage and welcome your involvement in our classroom! Please sign up to help with classroom parties and to chaperone a field trip! Sign-ups are on the chalk board during Orientation Day and Open House.

20. Classroom Parties We love to celebrate holidays in Room 204! We will have Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter parties. Our class will need parents to help with snacks, games, organization and clean-up. We would love it if we had a parent volunteer to organize a party! See sign up sheets for more information! Birthday parties are very important, too! You are welcome to send in a treat for your child’s birthday. All of the supplies that are needed to serve the treat (cups, can opener, plates, forks, spoons, bowls, etc.) need to be brought in from home too!! You can send in a treat at your convenience.

21. Party Reminders I’m bringing________ to the Halloween Party on 10/30. I’m bringing________ to the Holiday Party on 12/22. I’m bringing________ to the Valentine Party on 2/12. I’m bringing________ to the Spring Party on 4/1. Please note unless otherwise noted I plan on having all holiday parties at 2:00. You can either send in the items with your child or bring them to the party we’d be happy to have you join us!

22. Important Paperwork Please fill out and return to me all of the important paperwork for the office: School compact Information form Health form Technology form Walker form (if necessary) Lunch application Please also fill out and return the following to me: $5.00 supply fee in an envelope marked with your child’s name THANK YOU!

23. Important dates  9/11 -Grandparent’s Day  10/15 –Open House  10/29-Halloween Party  11/2-11/20 Food Drive Begins  11/24 & 11/25- Parent/Teacher Conferences  12/22-Holiday Party  1/28- Second Grade Play for school (tentative date)  1/29- Second Grade Play for Parents (tentative date)  2/12-Valentine’s Day Party  4/1-Spring Party  6/4 Field Trip to Buffalo  6/11- Culmination Day  6/18- Grandparent’s Day Reunion  6/24- Last day of second grade!!!!

24. You can reach me at 492-9300 ext. # 3204 between 8:00- 8:45 and after school. If it is an emergency, you will be connected with the office. You can always leave a message on my voice mail & I will return your call A.S.A.P. In case of an emergency, you may contact me at home. My evening are quite busy with my three children, so the best time to reach me is when I am at school. 585-492-3602 Please do not hesitate to call or stop in if you need something or have any questions. –My door is always open. –lbyers@pioneercsd.org My Availability