This document provides information for parents and students about Ms. Davila's second grade class for the 2009-2010 school year. It outlines her background and teaching experience, goals for the year, subjects that will be covered including reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. It describes classroom policies around homework, tardiness, absences and having a positive classroom community. The overall purpose is to welcome parents and students and set expectations for an exciting and successful year of learning.

1. Ms. Davila’s Second 1rst Grade Class Welcome, parents and students!

2. Welcome to Second Grade! I am pleased to have your child in my second grade class for 2009-2010. This will be a year of exciting growth for your child. Together we can make it a successful year.

3. All About Me My background I attended la universidad ITESO in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. My experience This is my 5th th year teaching. I taught 1 st grade and 2 nd grade.

4. My Goals To give your child the academic and social skills they need to be successful in third grade and on the TAKS test. To provide a safe, supportive and fun classroom environment. To help your child make new friends, discover new interests, and achieve new goals.

5. Class Subjects The subjects we cover during second grade are: Reading and writing Math Science Social studies Music, art, and P.E.

6. Reading Our lessons move from learning to read to reading to learn. Phonics is taught through our Word Work time and Spelling- all are connected to stories the students are reading. It is essential your child read every night

7. Reading Activate prior knowledge Create visual images Drawing inferences Asking questions of themselves, the authors, and the texts the read Determining the most important ideas Synthesizing Sequencing

8. Writing Detailed and complete sentences Paragraphs Prompt writing Grammar and punctuation Stories Science reports Letters

9. Math Addition and Subtraction strategies Place value and graphing Money Time 2-digit addition and subtraction Geometry and Fractions Measurement Numbers to 1,000 Exploring multiplication and division Problem Solving Logic problems

10. Science Life Cycles Plants – Life Cycle Solids, liquids Wood Rocks Weather Environment Planets

11. Social Studies Citizenship, Roles, Government Map skills Timelines- Past, present, future Cultures History Biographies of famous Americans

12. Music, Art and P.E. We will go to special areas from 10:50- 11:05 Please have your child wear tennis shoes for P.E. Appropriate behavior is expected.

13. Classroom Community Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have agreements to help us get along with each other. Our class agreements are: Attentive Listening Appreciations/ No Put Downs Mutual Respect

14. Homework All homework is due the next morning and the calendar must be signed by an adult. If all parts are not complete this will result in a color change on our behavior system and loss of privileges. Homework is the responsibility of your child, but should be checked daily by the parent. There will be a Reading, Writing, Science, Math and Vocabulary homework everyday.

15. Tardiness and Absences School starts at 7:45 A.M. Tardy bell rings at 7:50. If your child isn’t in the classroom by the time the second bell rings, they will need to check in at the office and receive a pass. Five tardies add up to one unexcused absence. Attendance is crucial to your child’s success. After an absence, please send a note with your child when returning to school.

16. Let’s Have a Great Year!