| Welcome to Second Grade... |
| we're building great minds!!! |
| A Little About Me I graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and continued my education by earning a Master of Science in Reading and Literacy from Walden University. My professional certification is in Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade and also includes an English Speakers of Other Languages endorsement for Pre-K through 12th grade. I began my career in Oconee County where I taught Pre-Kindergarten for 5 years. After some time off when my children were very young, I made the move to Gwinnett County and returned to the classroom in 1999 to teach at both the Kindergarten and 1st grade levels. In addition to teaching, I enjoy writing for educational publications. Moving to second grade this year is an exciting endeavor and I'm looking forward to a great year! Click here to view my personal mission statement. A Little About Our Class Throughout the day your child has the opportunity to receive whole group instruction as well as small group and one on one time with the teacher. All activities in my class are designed to be developmentally appropriate for second graders while addressing our Gwinnett County AKS objectives. These activities give your child the chance to build literacy skills, develop socially, continue to improve fine motor skills, express themselves through words and art, strengthen problem solving strategies, and enjoy themselves while doing it. A Little About Supplies The materials you sent in at the beginning of the year are either being used now by your child or will become part of our community supplies. I will use these items to replentish consumable materials. Your child will be bringing home RAMS Notebook daily. He/She needs to have a backpack large enough to hold this binder. A Little About Homework Homework will be sent home on Friday and is due back the following Friday. A Little About Discipline Dominguez Dollars is our classroom behavior monitoring/incentive program. This system allows us to incorporate academic skills while learning to be more self-disciplined. Each student will be given discipline checkbook. Students will be paid $100 Dominguez Dollars each payday as their salary for being a second grader. Students will be permitted to spend their Dominguez Dollars within the classroom on a monthly basis. However, these funds are also used to pay “fines” that may be incurred for not following school/classroom rules and expectations. The students will help determine the price of misbehaving at the beginning of the year as we establish our classroom community. A behavior card will be used to document behavior and work habits. It will be kept in the back pocket of the RAMS Notebook all week. On Friday, I will enter a Conduct and Work Habits grade. Please sign and return the behavior card to school the following Monday. A Little About Grades Grading Procedures: Reading- Students will be given class work each week based on the reading skills and story we are reading. Weekly tests and quizzes will also be given. Percentages- Current Reading Level 30% Weekly Classwork 25% Weekly Reading Tests 45% Writing- A total of 5-8 writing samples will be collected through out each nine-week grading period. These writing samples will be assessed based on student’s mastery in “writing content.” They ability to write a complete story with all correct story elements will be evaluated. Along with these writing samples, the teacher will give grammar tests to determine each child’s mastery of grammar, usage, and mechanics of our language. Percentages- Writing Samples 50% Classwork/Participation 10% Weekly Grammar Tests 20% Spelling- Students will be given class work and homework each week based on the Sitton spelling words assigned by the classroom teacher. A weekly spelling test will NOT be given each Friday. However, there will be periodic “Dictation Tests” given to all students. These tests/writing samples will be used to assess student’s current mastery of the Sitton Spelling words. Each nine-week grade will be determined by the grades earned on Dictation tests, writing samples, and weekly class work. Percentages- Classwork 40% Tests 60% Math- Grades in the area of math will be obtained through class work assignments, weekly quizzes, and tests administered at the end of each math chapter. Pecentages- Classwork 40% Tests 60% Science- Throughout the school year, a total of 4 science units will be covered. All four units of study will involve science experiments and hands-on projects. Homework will also be assigned as follow-up activities to the class experiments and projects completed at school. At the end of each unit of study, a written test will be given as well. All of these assignments will be used to assess student achievement on the grade 2 science AKS. All class work, quizzes, and tests will be given a numerical value. Projects will be assessed using a rubric. An overall grade will be determined using the Grading Percentage Scale shown at the end of this letter. Percentages- Classwork 40% Tests 60% Social Studies- Throughout the school year, students will study various topics such as map skills, countries, and continents. All topics studied will involve class work/projects, quizzes, and tests. All of these assignments will be used to assess student achievement of the grade 2 science AKS. All class work, quizzes, and tests will be given a numerical value. Projects will be assessed using a rubric. An overall grade will be determined using the above Grading Percentage Scale. Percentages- Classwork 40% Tests 60% Grading Scale for Academic Areas: A 90-100 B 80-89 C 74-79 D 70-73 U 0-69 Grading Scale for Specials (art, music, and P.E.), Health, and Penmanship: E Excellent Progress/Surpasses Standards S Satisfactory N Needs Improvement U Unsatisfactory Effort *Subjective grade based on class work and homework participation. Our school has adopted a no “zero” policy. The scale below will be utilized in assigning grades that fall in the 0 – 55 range. If a student fails to turn in work a 50 will be assigned rather than a zero. 0- 9 = 50 10- 19= 51 20- 29= 52 30- 39= 53 40- 49= 54 50- 55= 55 56 and above= actual numerical grade |
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