back to school night miss paolucci grade 2 september 28, 2004

Back To School NightMiss Paolucci

Grade 2

September 28, 2004

“Whose child is this?” I asked one day,

Seeing a little one out at play.

“Mine,” said the parent with tender smile.

“Mine to keep for a little while.

To bathe his hands and comb his hair

To tell him what he is to wear.

To prepare him so that he may always be good

And each day do the things he should.”

Whose Child Is This?

“Whose child is this?” I asked again.

As the door opened and someone came in.

“Mine,” said the teacher with the same

tender smile.

“Mine, to keep for a little while.

To teach him how to be gentle and kind,

To train and direct his dear little mind,

To help him live by every rule,

And get the best he can from school.”

“Whose child is this?” I asked once more,

Just as the little one entered the door.

“Ours,” said the parent and the teacher,

as they both smiled.

Each took a hand of the little child,

“Ours to love and train together,

Ours to teach forever.”

-author unknown

My hope is that our year together can model this poem. Together, we can make this a terrific and rewarding year for your child! I look forward to working with you throughout the year!

-Janine Paolucci

• Mrs. – Head Class Parent

• Mrs. – Asst. Class Parent

• Mrs. – Asst. Class Parent

• Mrs. - Asst. Class Parent

Thurs. Oct. 14th - Whaling Museum

• 2 parents per trip!

•Sign up sheet is on the round table!

Thurs. Nov. 4th- Old Bethpage Village

Fri. Nov. 12th–Goudreau Math Museum Discovering Dominoes

Wed. March 2nd-Cam Jansen at Queens College

• 2 parents per trip!

•Sign up sheet is on the round table!

There will be a few other trips that will be held in the Spring. Dates to follow. The trips are:

• Nassau County Police Headquarters (Free)

• LIJ Hospital (Free)

• Waldbaum’s(Free)

• “Picture Perfect Community” Trip (lunch $)

Date TBA- Clark Gardens Trip

Fri. April 15th–Goudreau Math Museum Logic For Little People

• Parent/teacher Conferences

• Daytime: December 3rd

•Evening : December 9th

** Please sign up tonight!• Other ways to contact me:

• Email: jpteach95@aol.com

• Note with child

• Phone call

• Set up an appointment

• Scholastic Book Software Orders

•Monthly (Sept. orders due 9/30)

• Checks made out to Scholastic. No cash please!

• Birthdays

• Birthday snacks are welcome on the day of your child’s birthday

• Please do not send in party invitations to be distributed in class

• Rules were generated by students themselves

Marbles- Class Reward

Rewards

Paolucci Payouts-Individual

Kids get 2 warnings

Consequences

Call Home

Conference and other

• Morning Routines• Normal “check-in” routines

• Usually a Math Journal or a Regular Journal activity

• Children are given approx. 20 –30 min. to complete

• Absences from school• Call school in AM-Note sent in on day of return!!

•Work will be sent home with buddy on 2nd day of absence unless otherwise requested by a parent.

• Weekly Update• Will be in the HW folder each Friday

•Please sign off on this each week and return on Monday

• Homework Folders:• Assignment folders are provided

• Please check to be sure children complete assignments and sign off in folder!

• Be sure to remove the items on “take out and leave at home” side!

• Usually will be assigned Monday through Friday

• DAILY ASSIGNMENTS:• Math• Spelling

•Possibly one other (LA, Science or S.S)

• Reading & Log •Please have children fill it out•Reading Log stays in folder and is returned to school daily.•Be sure to sign off on it on Thursdays and return to school on Friday!

• LONG TERM ASSIGNMENTS:• Book Report• Project

** Given well in advance with detailed instructions! **

Children will receive rewards monthly for “perfect homework!”

• Missing Assignments (No parent note)

• Note will be sent home. Send back next day signed.

•Assignment to be made up at recess

•If it becomes a consistent issue, I will call you in for a conference to discuss the matter.

• CLASSWORK• Most classwork is completed together. It is usually “self-checked” by your child.

• Homework• Usually just a comment on the paper.

• “Outstanding”, “Very Good”, etc.

• A check mark will represent “satisfactory”

•If an assignment has many errors, was done incorrectly, or was messy your child will be asked to “redo.”

•TESTS• All tests will receive a traditional “number grade” based on the number of questions. • Partial credit will always be given where possible.

95

Great Work!

•WRITING• A writing rubric will often be used, esp. for process writing and projects!• See example of the rubric that your child will become familiar with in your folder!

MATH

SCIENCE

GROWING HEALTHY

SOCIAL STUDIES

LANGUAGE ARTS and WRITING

READING

The Second Grade Reading Program will focus on the following:

• Reading strategiesUsing cueing systems, self

correcting, making predictions, locating ideas, making inferences, and using graphic organizers• Appreciating

LiteratureCan retell a story, sequences events, compares books and characters, makes connections, chooses new materials to read, uses literature as a model for own writing

Genres we will study:• Biography

• Fantasy• Folk Tales

• Poetry• Non-Fiction

Core Books for 2nd Grade:

The Little House

Ox Cart Man Sleeping UglyStone Soup

Children will be taught the elements of the writing process:•

Prewriting• Drafting • Revising

• Editing • PublishingThe Writing process focuses on

developing the child’s ability to:• Enjoy writing

• Formulate and organize ideas• Participate in writing conferences

• Edit and proofread• Use proper punctuation

• Work on Spelling skills • Experiment with different

genres

• The spelling program I will utilize this year has two parts.

• “Word Study” approach-This is a phonics based approach that will help children learn common spelling patterns & sounds. List words will come home based on a particular phonics skill.

•“No Excuse Words” approach- Teaches the highest frequency words. This is individualized for each child. To be most successful, the home-school connection needs to be strong!

•The emphasis will be on using correct spelling in everyday writing. Children will be responsible for previously covered list words, phonics “sounds” learned, as well as their individualized “No Excuse Words”.

•Children will be assessed using weekly spelling tests AS WELL AS frequent checks of assignments for “No Excuse Word” spelling.

• Assessment

• Review of skills:•Skills and words are reviewed through spelling homework as well as various activities and games throughout the week.

My math program is eclectic in nature. I use material from:

You will be kept informed of topics being covered! •A letter will be sent home at the beginning of each unit• “Math Soup”- a mini-magazine from our text will be sent home toward the end of each unit. It reviews concepts discussed during the unit and offers a variety of ideas for you to try at home with your child!

• Scott Foresman Math series

• Investigations in Number, Data, and Space

• Materials from a variety of other sources

• Math Games!

Our math program addresses the 5 nationwide Content Standards:

• Number and Operations • Algebra• Geometry •

Measurement

• Data & Probability

It also addresses the 5 Process Standards that are consistent throughout the grades:

• Problem Solving• Reasoning & Proof • Communication

• Connections

• Representation

Second Graders complete 3 science units:•

Interactions• Measurement

• Plant & Animal Life CyclesAdditional units will be taught

based on the seasons as well as the student interest as time permits.

In 2nd Grade students explore:

• their local community. They compare it to various other suburban, urban and rural communities.

• Community helpers are also explored, as well as the goods and services a community provides.

•communities today and long ago. Concepts such as change, citizenship, government, interdependence, identity, culture and empathy are also introduced.

The Health program in Grade Two builds upon the study of personal health and the Five Senses from Grade One. Second graders focus on:• Personal Health (both emotional and

physical)• the structure and the function of the eye

•Students will be dissecting a sheep’s eye this year!• the structure and function of the ear

• nutrition

We hope you enjoyed our classroom as much as we do each day!