Do you have a question about classroom and school policies? Hopefully this section will be able to answer them for you!
Attendance
Attendance
Regular school attendance is very
important in 2nd grade, as it is in every grade. So much is learned during our time at
Prairieland, so being at school will allow for the most optimal learning for
your child. If your child is absent, please
notify the office by 8:20 a.m. on the day that your child is absent. Prairieland’s attendance line is 557-4473. Please send a note with your child if you
have a planned absence (i.e. vacation, Dr. Appointment, etc.)
Birthdays and Birthday Treats
Birthdays are a very special event to
kids and your child may bring treats to school to celebrate his/her
birthday. Since some children’s
birthdays are during the summer we can celebrate their special day on their
half birthday. According to the district policy birthday
invitations for home parties may only be passed out at school if all classmates
are invited. If only a select group of
students is invited, please do not send invitations to school so hurt feelings
may be avoided.
Recognizing birthdays of each student
is a special and important time! I love
seeing the faces of the “birthday celebrity”—they stand a little bit taller on
their day! J Unit 5's policy is edible treats are no longer permitted in schools. Your child will still be allowed to bring
something in to share with his/her classmates, but THIS TREAT NEEDS TO BE NON-EDIBLE!!!!!! Ideas for items that could be brought in would
be pencils, pens, erasers, bookmarks, bouncy balls, stickers, etc. I’m positive there are many more, but that’s
what I thought of now. If you plan on sending treats with your child or would like to bring them in, please let me know IN ADVANCE. I would prefer if
the treats were brought in before school or sent in with your child. If you have any questions about anything,
please do not hesitate to ask. **If you do not celebrate birthdays or
other holidays, please let me know and alternate arrangements will be made.**
Book-It Reading
Book-It is a monthly reading program
to encourage reading at home. This
program is sponsored by Pizza Hut. It
will begin in October and ends in March.
Monthly reading goals will be set and children will receive a personal
pan pizza coupon when they meet their monthly goal. Monthly forms will be sent home at the
beginning of the month. They will need
to be signed and returned by the end of the month. Please keep these forms in a safe place! Reading that is done for homework can absolutely be counted towards minutes for the Book-It monthly reading goal!
Book Orders
Book orders will be sent home every
month or other month and will include 3-6 orders a time. The books usually arrive within 2 weeks
depending on the book club. I prefer if you order online, but can also put your order into the computer quite easily. Please make
sure the checks are payable to SCHOLASTIC
book club, NOT TO PRAIRIELAND AND/OR MYSELF.
This is a great way to purchase books since many are often at half
price. Remember there is no obligation
to buy! If at any time you would like to
purchase books that will be used as gifts, please let me know and we can make
arrangements to sneak them home!
Breakfast
Unit 5 will once again be
offering breakfast for all students each day.
The cost of breakfast will be $1.45.
Please refer to the Unit 5 website for both the breakfast menu and lunch
menu.
Communication
Communication is very important to the
success of your child. I will do my best
to keep you informed of all the major happenings in our classroom. Please feel free to contact me anytime. The school phone number is 557-4424. My e-mail is murrayk@myunit5.org. You
may also send a note with your child. It
is vitally important to communicate with me in some form if your child is going
home a different way than you specified at the beginning of the school year.
Home Folder
Your child will be
bringing home a “Take Home” Folder each day.
In this folder you will find:
· Daily
work that you need to look through and discuss with your child.
Important
notes that you need to read and possibly sign and return
Please encourage
your child to be responsible for showing you what is in the folder each night
and returning to school with the folder each day. This folder is a main source of home-school
communication.
Imagineer of the Week
Shortly into the school year we will begin our Imagineer of the Week program. During your child’s week, he/she will get to do many special things (including making an “All About Me” poster!)
Library
Books
Please return all books on checkout
day so your child can check out a new one.
Our check out day is on Wednesday. If your child
finishes reading his/her library book, he/she may bring it back early, but
cannot check out a new one until our designated day. Please help your child remember his/her
book. This is a wonderful way to
encourage responsibility.
Lunch
Our recess/lunch time is from 11:05. Children will go to recess first and then
come in for lunch. Children will be
outside for recess unless it is raining or the temperature with wind chill is
below 20 degrees. Please dress your
child appropriately. If you would like,
you may pick your child up for lunch or join them in the cafeteria. I just ask that you send me a note if you
will be eating lunch with your child so I may include you in our morning lunch
count. Lunches are $2.15 for students
and $2.65 for adults.
Money
You will need to send money to school
for various things (lunches, pictures, book orders, etc.) Please send all money to school in a sealed
envelope. On the outside of the envelope
please include the following:
Child’s Name (Susie Jones)
Purpose of Money (Lunch money)
Amount of Money Enclosed ($5.00)
Teacher’s Name (Murray) or Room Code (2M)
Newsletters
The newsletters will tell about what
we have been doing, what will happen in the future, and a brief look ahead at
monthly events. This newsletter will contain
information about parties, field trips, special events, and of course what we
are studying and learning about in class.
Reminders are also included.
Please look for this letter in the folders or check this blog to keep informed about our
class happenings!
Report
Cards
New to the elementary schools this year is our report card dates...there will only be ONE official report card that goes live/is sent home!! This will occur at the end of the year. During October conferences
we will discuss your child’s progress.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s academic or social
progress at any time throughout the year, please contact me at any time. It is going to be vitally important that you check TeacherEase on a regular basis as I will keep official progress documented in that system as often as possible.
***Grading System
We fully implement Standards Based Grading in all subject areas. Your child will be
receiving grade marks of 3, 2, or 1 in the different academic areas.
·
3
indicates that your child shows a consistent mastery of the standard.
2
indicates that your child is developing the skills and concepts of the
standard.
1
indicates that your child needs continuous teacher support to meet the
standard.
I believe it is important to understand that if your child earns a "2" that's great! There are so many new concepts students are being exposed to and they should not have mastered skills that are so new. Give them some time to work through the process and if there is something that concerns me, I'll be sure to let you know so we can talk about ways we can support your child both at school and home.
Snack
Each day we will take a break and have
a snack. If your child would like a
snack, it is his/her responsibility to bring it with him/her to school. Personally, I would prefer the kids to bring fruits and veggies for snack, but it is not required.
Children do not have to bring a snack every day; only if they would
like. No dips will be allowed due to the potential
mess it may cause!
Starting
and Ending Time
The
school day will begin at 7:45 a.m. This
means that students should be in their classrooms ready to begin our school
day. If students are not in their
classrooms they are marked “tardy” on the attendance sheet. Bus riders are dismissed at 2:27 and walkers
or those being picked up in a car will dismiss at 2:30 p.m.
Supplies
I do have the students put their extra
supplies in a Zip-Loc baggie. These are
kept in the classroom and students replenish their supplies as needed. However, as the school year progresses, there
may be a need to replenish the basic school supplies, especially pencils. Ask your child frequently if they have
pencils and all of their supplies. I
will also send reminders in the newsletter when I see children running low on
supplies.
Teachers
Your child will have other teachers
for special classes like Art, Music, P.E., Library, etc. We will also have some special teachers that
will come into our room on a daily basis.
Feel free to contact these teachers also. I can relay messages for you or you can
contact them directly. Below are a list
of Prairieland personnel and when your child will see them every week.
Mr. Peters Principal
Mrs. Dillon Secretary
Mrs. Mook Secretary
Mrs. Garneau Physical Education (Daily)
Mr. Emerick Physical Education (Daily)
Mrs. Boyd Music (Tuesday and Friday)
Mrs. McHenry Art (Thursday)
Mr. Ford Librarian (Wednesday)
Mrs. Halsey 2nd grade teacher
Mrs. Woodard 2nd grade teacher
Mrs. Lenz 4th grade
teacher; our book buddy class (Thursday)
Mrs. Hammond Paraprofessional working with our class
Mrs. Hammond Paraprofessional working with our class
Transportation
I will assume that your child will be
using his/her regularly arranged form of transportation unless I receive a note
stating otherwise. For the safety of
your child, I must adhere strictly to this rule! If your child is going home a different
way than what I have written down, I MUST have a note telling me of the change
in plans. Thank you for your
help with this important safety matter.
"Zee Last Part!"
There are always
items that we can use anytime
throughout the year. Feel free to send
in:
Gently used 1” binders Pla-Doh
Expo Dry Erase markers Paper plates
Baby wipes Cotton balls
White or brown paper lunch bags Sharpie Markers
Bottled Tempra Paint Tacky glue
Toothpicks Washable
stamp pads
Bright/bold colored paper Double sided
tape
Plastic spoons Computer labels
Gift cards for craft supply stores
like Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby
