Parents’ Night2017-2018

Bush Elementary School

Journey to Excellence

Who is Mrs. Strange?

• an Illinois farm girl

• an Iowa Hawkeye

• the proud mother of two Aggie grads

who are former Bush students

• a lifelong learner and avid reader

• an experienced teacher who stays current

on educational research and best

practices

Mrs. Strange’s Philosophy

• I believe each child is a unique individual who deserves an

educational environment that is safe, caring, stimulating,

challenging, and fun.

• I believe that teaching is a continuous learning process.

• I believe public educators are not only responsible for the

intellectual growth of children, but also for their emotional and social

growth.

• I believe that a teacher’s enthusiasm is contagious and creates

enthusiastic learners.

• I believe there is no limit to what you can teach a child.

• I believe that children are happiest and most successful when

behavioral boundaries and expectations are clear and consistent. I

believe children want and need boundaries.

Parent and Teacher

Communication

• Send a note with your child

• E-mail

kstrange@houstonisd.org

Parent and Teacher

Conferences

• Can be initiated by parent or by teacher

• Are scheduled in advance – no drop-ins

• Can be scheduled before school at 7:10

a.m. or during students’ ancillary time at

1:05

Classroom Procedures

Busy Mornings!

• Be on time for school each day – 7:35

• Morning routine:

1. unpack backpack

2. get out morning supplies

3. sharpen pencils

4. copy homework

5. do the daily warm-up

6. listen to announcements!

Folders

Red Folder

• comes home daily

• holds Reading Log

and Weekly Conduct

Sheet

• holds homework

• holds Wednesday

communications from

the office and PTO

Weekly Work Folder

• comes home on Wed.

• holds graded papers

• needs to be signed

and returned on

Thurs.

• keep passing papers

at home and return

papers with grades

below 70

Speaking of homework…

• it is given Monday-Thursday

• assignments written on back of conduct chart

• 20 minutes of daily reading

• math fact practice as needed

• spelling practice as needed

More About Homework…

• a review of material covered in class

• a chance for children to develop responsibility

• should be completed NEATLY in pencil

• is returned the next day by the child (not a parent)

or is completed during recess

• will usually be checked together in class

If you constantly bail your child out, she learns that self-sufficiency isn’t really necessary because you’ll always pick up the pieces.

- Jessica Lahey

Project Class

• Social Skills Training for all teachers and

students

• Reinforce them at home to help your child

understand the importance of proper social skills

Discipline Management

Although I prefer to accentuate the positive, there are consequences

for repeated behavior infractions.

• one conduct mark in a day = 5 minutes off recess

• two marks = 10 minutes off recess

• three marks = no recess

*Please note that some behaviors may warrant the loss of the

entire recess without going through the first 2 steps.

Conduct Grades• Weekly conduct grades are based on the number of

infractions for the week. The scale for weekly grade

computation is noted on the bottom of the Weekly

Conduct Sheet.

• Conduct grades for the report card are based on an

average of the weekly grades using the following

scale:

E = 4 points

S = 3 points

P = 1 point

U = 0 points

A student must have an E or S average to participate

in field trips.

ACADEMICS

Self-Contained Classroom

Reading

Writing

Language

Spelling

Math

Science

Social Studies

Handwriting

Guided ReadingSecond graders have moved from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”.

• Daily Five

• Small Group Instruction

• Independent Reading Levels

• Daily Read Alouds

• Mini-lessons

• Genre Studies

• Flexible Grouping

• Focus on comprehension, accuracy, fluency, expanding

vocabulary

OLA (Other Language Arts)a.k.a. Language, Writing and Spelling

30% of grade comes from Spelling

70% of grade comes from Language and Writing

Language

• skills that correlate with students’ reading

• students’ writing needs

• mini-lessons followed by application

opportunities

• proofreading and editing, parts of speech,

singular and plural possessives,

pronouns and antecedents, punctuation of

dialogue, irregular verb tenses

Writing

Learn steps of the writing process

Plan (Prewrite)

Draft

Revise

Edit

Publish

Share

Forms of Writing

• personal narratives

• expository nonfiction

• realistic fiction

• descriptive paragraphs

• how-to pieces

• fantasy

• poetry

• friendly letters

• book reviews

Spelling

• weekly word list is rule-based

• 3 review words on each test starting with 3rd

test

• correct spelling is not just for Friday’s test

• keep a Spelling folder at home for review

Math

Daily Routines

• calendar talks

• number talks

• number of the day

• problem solving (BIG

focus)

Problem Solving Steps

• understand the problem

• make a plan

• carry out the plan

• evaluate the solution for

reasonableness

PROBLEM SOLVING

STRATEGIES

• draw a picture

• look for a pattern

• guess and check systematically

• act it out

• make a graph/t-chart

• work backwards

Math Assessments

Skill Checks

• given weekly

• cover current week’s skills and review skills

• not retested

Fact Tests

• given every few weeks

• tests given in a grading cycle are averaged for one

grade

• mixed addition and subtraction

• not retested

Topic Tests

• given at end of a unit

• will be retested

Science and Social Studies

• Unit-based approach

• Varying time frames for different units

• Experts welcome to share/present

Science Units

• safe science practices

• properties of matter (measurement)

• states of matter and changes in matter

• sound energy

• force and motion

• natural resources

• weather conditions and seasonal changes

• patterns of objects in the sky

• basic needs of plants

• basic needs of animals

• life cycles of insects

• interdependence among living organisms

Social Studies Units

• citizenship

• timelines

• rules and laws

• maps and globes

• patterns in our world (seasonal and settlement)

• natural resources

• needs and wants

• landmarks

• patriotic symbols and songs

• customs and celebrations

• leaders in history

• pioneers in history

• good citizens in history

Grading Policy for Second Grade Students

Assignments that will NOT BE RETESTED:

• Weekly Comprehension Assessments

• Weekly Spelling Tests or Sentence Dictation

Tests

• Weekly Math Skill Checks

• Weekly Math Fact Tests

• Projects

• Oral Presentations

Other assignments for which a student receives a

grade below a 70 will be retested.

Calculation of Grade for a Retested Assignment

Original grade and retest grade will be averaged to

NO HIGHER THAN A 75.

Example 1:

Original grade earned: 25

Retest grade earned: 75

Grade entered in grade book: 50

Example 2:

Original grade earned:

60

Retest grade earned:

100

Grade entered in grade

book 75

Although the straight

average would be an

80, the highest grade

that can be earned on a

retested assignment is

a 75.

Students will receive 5 points off of a grade on a paper that is turned in with no name.

This will begin in the second nine weeks period.

Other Items to Note

• Weekly newsletter sent on Mondays

• Bush Parent Handbook available on website

• Absences – send note within 3 days

• No party invitations at school

• Thanks to Room Mother – Isla’s mom – Mrs.

Bate

• Scholastic News Magazine

Learning is a journey,not a destination.

Thanks for coming!

The powerof

modeling.

Children learn

what they live..

Get lost in a good book.