Happy 1st Day!

Welcome to 2nd Grade! 

Please complete the packet that came home tonight and return to school tomorrow!

About Me:

I graduated from Greenfield-Central High School in 2007 and then moved to Franklin to attend college. I graduated from Franklin College in May 2011 with my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. After graduation, I taught 4^th grade in Brownsburg for a short time while the classroom teacher was on maternity leave. I then worked with English Language Learners in Perry Township until I was given the wonderful opportunity to teach 2^nd grade at Hendricks Elementary in February 2012.

I am looking forward to getting to know your child! I am confident we are going to have a wonderful year as we have fun learning and exploring together! I believe that learning should be fun and hands-on. I have high expectations for my students, and I aim to stretch their minds and imaginations. I believe that every student has the potential to learn and be great. I am proud to be a Hendricks Hurricane!

Behavior Plan:

            Every student has a clothespin. The clothespins start each day on “Ready to Learn” on our behavior chart. When a student misbehaves, he will move his clip down. The first move is a warning. The second move will result in the loss of Friday Celebration, and a third move down means a call/note home or a trip to the office if necessary. When clips are moved down, students will get a mark on their behavior card. Students can also move their clips up for making good choices and showing “Role Model” behavior. Students earn rewards in the classroom for moving their clips up.

Students will have a weekly behavior card. Each day they earn smiles or marks on their cards. There are two parts: 1) Behavior and 2) Responsibility. Behavior marks will be given for poor choices in actions (not following directions, excessive talking, disrespect towards an adult, etc.). Responsibility marks will be given for missing homework, no name on paper, not being prepared for class, etc. Weekly behavior cards must be signed every weekend and returned on Monday morning. I use weekly behavior cards for the students’ Conduct and Study Habits grades.

Each week there will be a Friday celebration. If a student has 1 or 0 marks on Responsibility and 0 marks on Behavior, he or she will be allowed to participate in the celebration.

 Homework:

Students will have homework assigned each night of the week except Friday. They will be required to read for 20 minutes every night. This will need to be recorded by the student and signed by a parent on the weekly reading log. Students will also have a math page to do each night. The math page will review and provide practice for the lesson taught that day. In addition to these two assignments, students should practice their weekly Spelling words a little each night. However, there is not a Spelling assignment to hand in to the teacher. The only assignment students will have on weekends is to ask a parent or guardian to sign their weekly behavior card. Students turn homework in when they arrive at school in the morning. Students with incomplete or missing homework will receive a mark on their behavior card (Responsibility). The incomplete/missing assignment will be made up as homework that night or during recess time.

Birthdays:

       You are more than welcome to bring in treats to celebrate your child’s birthday. However, I ask that you contact me prior so we can set up a time. Any treats must be store-bought and PEANUT FREE! We ask that birthday party invitations be mailed or given outside of class unless your child is inviting our entire class. We try to avoid hurt feelings. J

Communication:

       I believe that effective communication between parents, students, and the teacher is key to student success. Please feel free to contact me by email or phone with any questions, concerns, etc.

317-398-7432/ext. 6601

hedonahue@shelbycs.k12.in.us

I will send home a weekly newsletter every Monday with class news and homework. I will also email the newsletter each week to the email you provide on the Student Information sheet. Also, visit our class blog to see class happenings, photos, and reminders/homework assignments.

www.thesweetlifein2ndgrade.blogspot.com

You can sign up for Remind101. This is an online program I will use when needed to inform parents of any changes to homework, delays or closings, or important classroom reminders. I send the message from a computer, and you get it as a text message! You can sign up in just a few easy steps! Your number will remain private. It is not visible to others.

Reading:

We will cover 6 units this year, each with a different theme. Each unit has 5 stories. At the beginning of a new unit, you will get an overview that has information about the stories and what we’ll be working on. In every story, there will be a focus skill for Vocabulary, Phonics, and Comprehension/Reading Strategies. You will be able to find this information on our weekly newsletter and classroom blog. Students will take a test every Friday to measure how well they have mastered the weekly focus skills.

Spelling

We will have 20 Spelling words each week. I will send the word list home on Friday the week before. Students will take the Spelling test on Thursday. Please be sure to study these a little each night during Homework Time.

Math:

We will focus on Math skills in topics throughout the year. Each time we begin a new topic, you will receive a Home Connection letter. This letter will explain the skills and Math vocabulary we are working on, as well as provide games and books related to the skills. At the end of each topic, we will take a test. While we will work on Rocket Math at school, it is incredibly important that students are working towards mastery of addition/subtraction facts at home too.

MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT is on Thursday, August 8^th from 6:30-7:30. I would LOVE to meet you and learn more about your child!