August 19

Esteemed parents,

We’re off to a great start!  Today was our first day of second grade where things appeared “more as they’ll be” this year.  Thanks for your continued support from home helping with planners, checking for homework, and keeping up a positive attitude as all these new things go flying the kids’ way.

Here’s a few things to note to be prepared for the week:

·         Homework has started i.e. if work isn’t completed here at school it will be sent to be completed at home to be returned the next day.

·         A Language Arts review sheet was sent in the badger folder today.  A review sheet of this kind will be sent every Monday.  See the attached file for an explanation of each of the categories included on this sheet.  Please plan to save 5 weeks worth of review pages for a theme test over all of the skills every 6 weeks.  For example, theme 1 test, in about 6 weeks, will cover lessons 1-5 review pages.  If you take a small amount of time each week to cover the skills, and especially the vocabulary terms and sight words, your child will not feel so overwhelmed when the theme tests come rolling along. 

·         Continue to check planners and badger folders.  And THANK YOU for keeping track of signing!

·         We will benchmark test tomorrow.  Please ensure your child gets a good night’s rest and eats a healthy breakfast in the morning. 

·         AR has not yet started for the second graders (even if you’ve heard rumors of the older students already starting.)  Since it’s a new process for our grade level, we typically do not start until after Labor day.  This gives Mrs. Klaus plenty of time to work on setting up codes for the kids, and ensures that they are only “overwhelmed” with one new big thing at a time.  Please be patient.  It’s coming, I promise!

·         This week I am asking your help in providing a donation for your child to complete a writing project here at school.  We are going to be making sock puppets to help support our on-going understanding of the various stages of the writing process.  If you could please send a sock pre-labeled with your child’s name on the opening to school by Thursday, I would greatly appreciate it.  Socks will be damaged beyond ability to be worn again in the puppet making process, so please do not send a sock you do not prefer to have ruined.  Thank you.

I think that about wraps it up for today.  We’re still very much in “get to know how the classroom runs” mode, so the information I have to offer you isn’t real extensive today.  I’ll keep you posted on more happenings as they happen!  Happy wishes this week.  Cheers!