Welcome Parents Before we begin please take time

Welcome Parents! Before we begin, please take time to : l Read the letter written by your child in the Friday Journal and write a response. l Fill out the November conference form. l Preview the power point presentation packet for tonight. l Look around our classroom!

WELCOME TO Mrs. Slinka’s SECOND GRADE BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT

Who is Mrs. Slinka?

Our Classroom Community l Our Mission Statement l Encourage a safe and positive learning environment l Character Traits Respect Responsibility Collaboration Citizenship l See Behavior Policy in homework folder for expectations l Behavior Chart- Students will mark where their clothespin was on the chart at the end of the day in their homework folder. OFF THE CHART Outstanding Great Job Good Day l Be a Bucket Filler! Ready to Learn Slow Down Teacher’s Choice Parent Contact

Daily Schedule Mornings l 8: 15 -8: 50 Arrival/Morning Work/ Morning Meeting l 8: 50 -9: 40 Writing l 9: 40 -10: 10 Centers l 10: 10 -10: 25 Snack l 10: 25 -10: 50 Reading l 10: 50 -11: 15 Centers l 11: 15 -11: 50 Content l 11: 50 -12: 30 Specials Afternoons l 12: 30 -1: 30 Lunch/ Recess l 1: 30 -2: 00 Read Aloud/ Class Meeting l 2: 00 -3: 10 Math l 3: 15 Dismissal

Specials Schedule l Monday- Computer l Tuesday-Art l Wednesday. Library l Thursday- Music l Friday – P. E.

Everyday Math l Spiral Curriculum l Math Journal, Homelink books with parent letters, Math Reference Book- Everything is ONLINE at www. everydaymathonline. com l Tool kit (coins, clock, number grid, flash cards, etc. ) l Fact Fluency– Students will participate in Xtra Math to help with fact fluency. We will practice on the computer and with paper and pencil. Our goal is 50 facts in 3 minutes by June. See Fact Fluency on classroom website for practice sheets. l Helpful websites for additional practice… www. everydaymathonline. com (Click on “at home student login”. Enter teacher name, student name, and password) l www. xtramath. org www. aplusmath. com www. coolmath 4 kids. com www. allentownsd. org/EETT Practice, Practice!

Reading Curriculum l Good Habits, Great Readers program l whole and small group instruction l “Daily Five” Centers: 1. Read to Self (2 nd grade benchmark = 20 minutes of independent sustained reading) 2. Read to Someone 3. Writing 4. Word Work (Words Their Way) 5. Listen to Reading Skills l Fluency l Accuracy l Before/ During/ After Reading Comprehension Strategies l Finding “Just Right Books” (appropriate reading level) l Retelling/ Summarizing l Writing about reading l When reading at home…talk about books!

How Do I PICK a “Good Fit” Book? l I Choose a book l Purpose …Why do I want to read this book? l Interest… Do I like this book? l Comprehend…Do I understand what I’m reading? l Know…Do I know most of the words? (use 5 finger rule)

How Do I Check if the Words are too Difficult? The Five Finger Rule l Open to any page and try to read it. l Count the words you miss. 0 -1 finger = Too Easy 2 -3 fingers = Just Right 4 -5 fingers = Too Hard

Writing l l l l Types of Writing Narratives – “Small Moments” Poetry Non-fiction (research, “how-to”, letters) Opinion writing Summarizing Journals Creative writing Skills Complete sentences Capitalization and Punctuation Paragraphs (main idea and supporting detail) Handwriting/ Spacing Revising and editing Generating and developing ideas How Will Writing be Assessed? Pennsylvania Domain Scoring Guide/ Central Bucks Rubric l Focus l Content l Organization l Style l Conventions

Friday Journal l Students will write about what they did in school during the week. l They will bring the journal home on Friday. l Parents will read and respond in the journal over the weekend. l Students will return the journal on Monday for a sticker. GOAL: To improve communication between students and parents about what happens in school.

Spelling l Words Their Way Program l Materials: Spelling/ Phonics workbook, Spelling Homework Book l Number of words per week varies/ Study the words in the homework book l Word lists are available on classroom website. l Each week focuses on a different word pattern.

Science and Social Studies Science l Habitats l Rocks l Sound l www. learningscience. org Social Studies l Civics l Kids Voting l Economics l Geography www. teachtci. com

General Information l School Hours: 8: 15 a. m. – 3: 15 p. m. l A child arriving after 8: 35 a. m. will be considered tardy and will need to stop at the office to sign in. l A note is REQUIRED if your child is late or absent!

Lunch and Recess l Lunch: l 12: 30 p. m. – 1: 00 p. m. l Check the menu for daily choices. l Please send a check in an envelope labelled with your child’s name. DO NOT SEND CASH! l Please send a healthy snack with your child each day too. l Recess: l 1: 00 p. m. – 1: 30 p. m. l We go outside whenever possible. l Children should dress appropriately for the weather. On very cold days, the time will be abbreviated. l Recess equipment is provided by the school; items from home are NOT permitted.

Dismissal: 3: 15 p. m. l. Children may ONLY ride their own bus unless an emergency arises or unless child care reasons permit otherwise. l. Please send a note if your child’s regular dismissal changes or if he/she is leaving early for an appointment. If there is a change after 1: 30 pm, PLEASE call the main office at 267 -893 -3700. Do NOT assume that I have received an email or voicemail after 1: 30 pm. l. If your child is being picked up before 3: 15 p. m. , please stop at the office and your child will be called. l. Please make sure your child knows how he/she will be getting home!

Absences Vacations l Please send in an excuse l If a child will be absent note the day your child due to a vacation, please returns to school. notify me prior to the anticipated absence. l Parents may request work l ALL vacations need to be be sent home with a pre-approved by Dr. sibling or neighbor. Garvin. Forms are Please make requests by 9: 30 a. m. available in the office. l School work missed due to absence needs to be made up as soon as possible.

Homework Policy ¡ Homework Folder ¡ Parents should sign their child’s homework folder each night. ¡ Approximately 20 minutes of homework each night. ¡ Independent Reading – Your child should read every night. ¡ Parents are a resource!! ¡ If your child is experiencing difficulty or spending a great amount of time completing assignments, please send me a note. ¡ When a student does not complete an assignment and does not have a note from a parent, a Homework Reminder will be sent home to be signed. If not completed for the following day, the student will complete the assignment during his/her recess. ¡ See HOMEWORK POLICY on website and in Homework Folder

Birthdays ¡ Alternative ways to celebrate birthdays include being a mystery reader, donating a book to the library in your child’s honor, sending in bookmarks, stickers, pencils, etc. You are encouraged to celebrate in one of these ways rather than sending in a food item. ¡ Students will each take the Birthday Bag home for one night. Please keep the contents of the brown bag at home and return the Birthday Bag and book. ¡ It is asked that home birthday party invitations to a small group of children not be distributed in school due to the sensitivity of other children’s feelings.

Scholastic Book Orders OPTION 1 OPTION 2 l Parents order online l Return form to school l www. scholastic. com/p l Pay by check made arentordering payable to Scholastic Books l Set up account l Books delivered to l Pay by credit card school l Books delivered to school

Class Website www. moourl. com/slinka How to Access the Website l Go to www. cbsd. org l Click on the Elementary School Tab, then Bridge Valley Tab l Click on Teacher Websites l Click on Mrs. Slinka What Does Our Website Include? l Class Announcements and Resources l Helpful links l Classroom Calendar l Curriculum information

Classroom Coordinators Special thanks to our classroom coordinator Mrs. Lundquist lollypup@comcast. net Announcements….

Classroom Donations l Glue sticks l Clorox wipes l Ziploc bags (snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon sized) l Post-it notes l l l Paper towels Colored copy paper Index cards Napkins stickers

BTSN Reminders… Don’t forget to… l Fill out Conference Form l Write a reply to your child’s letter l Leave everything at your child’s desk!

Questions or Comments l Please contact me anytime throughout the year. l mslinka@cbsd. org l Voicemail: 267 -893 -3710 l Main Office: 267 -893 -3700 THANK YOU!