Welcome to Second Grade!

Welcome to 2nd Grade!  My name is Mrs. Das and I hope to spend 180 days with your scholar learning and growing!

Below is the letter that will be sent home on the 1st day of school.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the information!

«Seton Hall Pirates«

* Friendship Southeast Elementary Academy –* Room 103 –* Mrs. Das *

August 26, 2014

Dear Seton Hall Class of 2028 Families,

Welcome to your child’s 2^nd Grade class at Friendship Southeast- Home of the Seton Hall Pirates!  I am looking forward to a wonderful school year, full of learning, hard work, and fun. We have VERY big goals for this year, which we will work towards EVERY SINGLE day to achieve. This year, your child will get a clear and full understanding of all it takes to be a College Bound Scholar.

BIG GOALS

As a College Bound Scholar, your child learned today that in order to get smarter, s/he must work very hard. S/he also learned about our Big Goal for the year:

Our Reading Big Goal: By June 2015, in order to be ready for 3rd grade, 100% of our scholars will be reading on a level O or higher and will be able to answer questions about the text using information given.

Our Writing Big Goal: By June 2015, in order to be ready for 3rd grade, 100% of our class will be able to write 3 complete paragraphs on the same topic or idea.

Our Math Big Goal: By June 2015, in order to be ready for 3rd grade, 100% of our scholars will be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers to the thousands and apply in real world problems.

This means that every day your scholar will be working towards these big goals in reading, writing, and math.  My job as their 2^nd grade teacher is to ensure that I am setting them up to be ready for 3^rd grade as well as preparing them for the necessary skills needed to graduate from college.  I expect that 100% of my scholars will meet these goals.  The only way they can do this is with your support at home.  This includes having them complete all homework and having them read every night. 

We will work hard together to meet this very big goal. Here’s how you can help support your child:

1.     Send your scholar to school on-time in a uniform, EVERY SINGLE DAY. After two uniform offenses, your scholar will be required to stay for detention after school.
2. Help your scholar to have excellent attendance.  (If your scholar is sick, please be sure to call the office in the morning to let us know.) Breakfast will be served until 8:15 am—if your scholar does not arrive on time, then they will not be provided with breakfast. No exceptions.
3. Please do NOT send cookies, chips, candy, electronics, or toys to school. They will be taken and not returned until the end of the school year.
4. Ask your child how his or her day was! Ask them what they learned in Math, Reading, and Writing today, and allow them to show you the skill and explain it’s importance in their daily lives.
5. Ensure that your child is giving you all papers from the school.  There will be papers you will have to sign and return throughout the year in your child’s book bag, so please make sure you are staying up to date on all information.
6. Complete all homework, every night. Make sure to check their planner to see that they are completing all homework assignments for the night.  You can expect to receive homework on the first day of school and it will continue until the last day of school. 
7. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you in advance for supporting me in this way!  Each of these items will help your scholar to be much more successful in school.

DISCIPLINE AND MANAGEMENT PLAN

I believe in the ability of every single one of my students, and distractions to learning will not be tolerated. I have attached a copy of the discipline and management plan and have also included important pages from the parent teacher handbook for you to keep a constant reference of. Please read it carefully and sign and return the bottom of the first form. I recommend keeping a folder, labeled “2^nd Grade Important Information” for your child so that you may always be up-to-date with the expectations.

HOMEWORK POLICY

As stated above, your child will start to receive homework today and will have homework for the remainder of the year.  It is VERY important that your child is completing his/her homework.  I am available until 7:00pm on my cell phone (732)610-6205 and will answer any questions you or your child might have about solving the problems on their homework.  Please call only AFTER your child has called a friend to ask them for help.  This is to ensure that our peers are helping us out, just as you would call a peer in college if you had a question.

As a 2^nd grader, your child is responsible enough to ensure that their homework is done daily without your immediate assistance.  This means that I will not accept any excuse as to why homework is not completed.  Your child should always have their homework and book bag with them at all times so that they can use any available time they have to complete their work.   

If homework is not completed the child will be required to stay either during lunch or afterschool to complete their homework.  The child will still receive a 0 but will need to make up the homework so that they are still practicing the skills that they need to be successful in their math future. 

ABSENCES

*If a child is absent they MUST complete the work they missed within 3 school days. 

That means:

If they were absent on….	The work is due by….
Monday	Thursday
Tuesday	Friday
Wednesday	Monday
Thursday	Tuesday
Friday	Wednesday

If a child has not completed the work and turned it in by then it will be marked as a zero. 

FAMILY CONTACT AND SURVEY

In order to get to know you and your child better, I have also included a family contact and survey form. Please complete both forms and return them by Friday, August 31, 2012, along with any supplies your child did not bring to school the first day. A supplies list has been sent home with your child.

2^nd Grade is a challenging time for most students, and I understand that the skills we cover might be things you have not practiced in quite some time.  Please feel free to reach out to me if you are unsure of how a scholar should solve a problem.  Also, please feel free to email me if you do not understand and I will try to get back to you that same night.  My school phone number is :  (202)-562-1980 ext 206.  My email address is:  apiccoli@friendshipschools.org  and my cell phone number is (732)-610-6205

Finally, at Southeast, we are preparing each student for college in the 2^nd Grade. I want to officially welcome you and your scholar to Seton Hall University- Go Pirates!
«Seton Hall Pirates«

* Friendship Southeast Elementary Academy * Room 103 – * Mrs. Das *

Discipline and Management Plan: due 8/31/2012

Class Rules:

1-    Listen when someone is talking

2-    Follow directions the first time they are given

3-    Treat everyone with kindness and respect

4-    Take care of our school and classroom

5-    Work and play safely and quietly

If a student chooses to break a rule/expectation

Our 2^nd grade behavior policy is that we do not tolerate any misbehavior.  There will not be a minute to waste in 2^nd grade.    Here is the overall structure for the level system:

Level	Behavior	Consequence
Blue Star Scholar!	I rocked out today and did my very best on all school work and was respectful to the rules of the school and classroom!	Add 5 more dojo points! Students will receive a tally at blue star scholar at the end of the day.  After 10 tallies the student’s clip will be painted silver.  10 more tallies and they join the gold clip club!  10 more and they are in the Diamond clip club!
Star Scholar!	I have done something amazing relating to the rules of the classroom or the core values	Add 3 dojo points!
Superstar!	Student is doing following all directions	Nothing!  You are doing a great job!
1	Student is not following a pirate rule or Southeast Expectation	Student is placed on a level 1. Student is warned about behavior. Student earns a chance to go back up to Superstar at the end of the day based on behavior for the remainder of that school day.
2	Student continues to disrupt classroom learning by not following a rule or expectation	Student is placed on a level 2.  Student is asked to reflect on their own about their behavior. Student will NOT be allowed to move back up to Superstar at the end of the day.
3	Student continues to disrupt classroom learning	Student is placed on a level 3.  Student is sent to a buddy teacher to reflect. Parent will be called ASAP to inform you of the behavior concerns.