Monday, August 30, 2010

Important Announcement

Attention 2nd Grade Families!

Our class will be visiting the Computer Lab and the Library on Mondays and Wednesdays.

In order to take advantage of the software provided by the Computer Lab, students are required to bring a set of headphones to school to use for these classes.

Please have your students bring the headphones to school for Computer Class by Wednesday, September 1.

Thanks!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Week of August 30 - September 3

Dear Families,

    What a great first week of school! I really enjoyed getting to know your children. They are an extremely bright, motivated, and productive group! It will be my goal to seek creative ways to support them and challenge them academically this year.

    I have a few bits of important class news to share with you this week:

Blog
Our class blog is up and running. Please bookmark it and check in often. It can be accessed at: www.grade2sjs.blogspot.com
The blog will be updated frequently with class announcements, reminders, homework assignments, and spelling words. The homework assignments and spelling words for this week have already been posted. You may want to use this resource to make sure your child is copying assignments and spelling words accurately in the Homework Notebooks.

Physical Education
Our P.E. days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please make sure that your child wears their P.E. uniform on these days, including appropriate tennis shoes for exercise.

Mass Days
Our first School Mass of the year will take place this Friday, September 3. Please remember to arrive at school EARLY at 7:45 am on days that we will celebrate Mass together. This year, the whole school will come together for Mass every Friday. The only exceptions will be weeks during which we celebrate Special Masses or Holy Days of Obligation. These dates should be noted on the School Calendar and will be posted on the blog.

Homework for the Week of August 30 – September 3

Remember that homework time should always include reading time!
Reading Logs will be distributed September 1.

Monday
Cover your Reading book
Math p.1 (just one side)
Write your spelling words in alphabetical order.

Tuesday
Cover your English book
Math p.2
Use each of your spelling words in a sentence.

Wednesday
Cover your Social Studies book
Math p.3 (just one side)
Write your spelling words three times using three different colors and types of writing (block letters, all capitals, bubble letters, cursive, etc.)

Thursday
Cover your Science book
Math p.4
Study for your spelling test

Friday
Spelling Test


Spelling Words

bat
that
fit
this
cub
mug

could
have
need
then
was

Challenge:
flag
slip

Saturday, August 28, 2010

2nd Grade Class Policies

My name is Kimberly White, and I am very pleased to be joining the St. Jerome family this year as your child’s teacher. Making the transition to a new school always comes with challenges, but the faculty, staff, and families of St. Jerome have been both welcoming and supportive. I am very excited to be part of this community, and I am eager to get to know you and your children.

I can be contacted via email at whitesjs@gmail.com or after school by phone at (310) 670-1678. I am also available by appointment before or after school.

In addition to the school policies outlined in the St. Jerome School Policy Manual, there are a few items specific to our 2nd grade classroom of which you should be aware:

Homework Policy
Homework will be assigned Monday – Thursday. Students will be responsible for copying their assignments legibly into their Homework Notebooks. A Parent Signature is required nightly. Any comments, questions, or requests for conferences may also be communicated in the Homework Notebook. Students will also have a two-pocket folder dedicated to transporting their homework assignments between school and home.

Reading Logs
Students are expected to read independently at home for at least 15 minutes daily. A Reading Log will be provided monthly to help your child keep track of the books read. The Reading Logs should be kept in the student’s Homework Folder and will be collected monthly. I will also provide a list of suggested reading material for 2nd Graders.

Standards for Classroom Behavior
This year, St. Jerome School is celebrating the virtue of Respect. Students will be expected to behave respectfully in all of their school interactions. I will work with students during the first week of school to establish a set of standards for classroom behavior based on the theme of respect. These guidelines for behavior will include respect for others (using polite language, listening attentively, following directions given by an adult, and showing consideration for the physical space and property of others), respect for our environment (keeping our classroom, hallways, and playgrounds clean and safe), and respect for oneself (paying attention to class material, participating in class discussions, asking questions, completing assignments, and striving for excellence).

Care of Books and Materials
Students will be expected to come to school with the appropriate supplies each day. A copy of the class supply list can be found on the school website or in the office. Textbooks will be distributed to the students next week. Textbooks should be covered and transported in a book bag or backpack. Please be aware that covering textbooks will be required as part of the students’ homework next week. If you need to purchase book covers, please do so this weekend so the students can fulfill this responsibility next week.

Uniforms
The Uniform Policy as outlined in the St. Jerome School Policy Manual will be strictly enforced in the 2nd Grade as students are maturing into responsible young people who take pride in their appearance.

Birthdays
St. Jerome School Policy prohibits any food being distributed in the classrooms, so if you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday with the class, please do so by donating a book to our class library. A nameplate with the child’s name and the date will be placed inside the front cover and the student will be invited to read the book to the class.

Student of the Week
Each week a student will have a turn to be our Student of the Week. The student will be given a poster to decorate, fill out, and share with us on Friday. This is a great way to learn more about our classmates, build community, and develop oral language skills.

Weekly Mass
This year the whole school will celebrate Mass on Fridays at 8:00am. Please make sure that your child arrives at school EARLY (at 7:45am) on Fridays to avoid disrupting the Mass with late arrivals. Students will be considered TARDY if they do not arrive on time for Mass.


Don't forget! Back to School Night will be held on Wednesday, September 8 at 6:30pm. I look forward to seeing you all there!



Thank you again for the warm welcome and support!