Welcome to Mrs. Olson’s Team

1. Welcome to Mrs. Olson’s Team Second Grade 2014-2015

2. About the Teacher • I grew up in southern Minnesota. • My family and I have lived in Wexford, PA for 18 years. • This is my 22nd year of teaching. I have taught in Pine-Richland for 17 years. Prior to Pine-Richland, I taught in Hilliard, Ohio for 5 years. • I have taught kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. • I have a Masters Degree in Reading and a reading specialist certification. • I am the second grade co-chairperson on the district’s Academic Leadership Council. • I am the co-chairperson of Wexford’s Literacy Book Room. This room contains the books we use for small group differentiated guided reading groups.

3. Welcome to the Second Grade Team! • Welcome to an exciting year in your child’s educational journey! • This year’s second grade theme is “All-Star Sports!” The students will learn how to work collaboratively and independently. • We will learn to be kind, caring, responsible, and respectful students. • In second grade, we will work in large and small groups. • Your child will also be responsible for completing his/her independent work during the course of the school day.

4. School Day Schedule • 8:55 Arrival • Turn in homework • Exchange books • Complete morning work • Take attendance/lunch count • 9:30 Morning Meeting • Responsive Classroom circle • Math Calendar • Daily Schedule • Learning Targets • 9:45 Fundations/Spelling • 10:15 Math • 11:15 Specials • 12:00 Lunch/Recess • 1:00 Silent Reading/Read Aloud • 1:25 Reading/Grammar/Writing • 3:00 Social Studies/Science • 3:30 Prepare for Dismissal • 3:45 Dismissal

5. Reading Champions • The second grade reading program consists of whole group reading lessons, small group guided reading lessons, and independent reading assignments. • As a whole class, we read stories from the Harcourt Brace Trophies reading series. Website, www.harcourtschool.com Password: Beck • In small groups, students read guided reading books at their instructional reading level. Teachers provide direct reading instruction to students based upon their individual needs. • During the reading block, students work independently on five literacy activities: read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing, and word work (grammar & spelling). • Reading comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary lessons are taught each week. • A new grammar skill is taught each week. A grammar test is given each Friday. • A reading vocabulary/comprehension test will be given on some Thursdays. • Every six weeks, students will take a holistic reading comprehension assessment. • The AIMS Web assessment is given three times a year to monitor students’ reading development. • Oral reading benchmark reading assessments are given throughout the school year to monitor the students’ reading progress.

6. Grand Slam Writing • Second grade writing goals are: • To write a paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a closing sentence. • To self-edit for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. • Second graders will write personal narratives, informational reports, friendly letters, and poetry. • Finished work will be compiled into their student portfolios. • Fundations manuscript letter formation will be taught during the first semester. Letters are practiced with sky writing and on paper. Gross motor practice helps students learn and retain the correct letter formation. • Cursive handwriting will be instructed during the second semester.

7. Flipping Over Fundations! • The Wilson Fundations program is a phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling program. • It is a systematic, sequential, multisensory method of teaching students. • The lessons include carefully sequenced skills on phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling. • Fundations lessons are thirty minutes daily. • Students blend and segment sounds with a finger-tapping procedure. • Students actively manipulate sounds by moving magnet letters to form words. • The Fundations spelling list will be sent home each Friday. It consists of 15 phonetically regular words and 5 trick words (phonetically irregular words). • Students will practice these spelling words in Fundations lessons all week. Students will also need to study these words at home. • The spelling test will be given on Friday of each week.

8. Diving into Math • The Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Envision math series gives students the opportunities to explore math concepts through concrete math manipulatives and paper/pencil assignments. ***On-line resources!!!*** • The students will learn math concepts and problem solving skills through whole class activities, small group games, and individual practice. • We place a great importance on memorizing addition and subtraction facts to 18 in second grade. An individualized “Mastering Math Facts” program is used to teach students their basic facts. We will begin this program, “Math Rockets,” in October. • The second grade math topics are: • Addition and subtraction concepts and facts • Place Value • Money • Telling Time • Two-digit and three-digit addition and subtraction • Geometry/Fractions • Measurement • Graphing/Probability • Multiplication & Division concepts

9. Hit a Homerun with … • Social Studies • Houghton Mifflin, publisher • Units include: • Communities • Map skills • Landforms • Oceans and continents • Cultures and traditions • Goods and services • America’s past • Citizenship • Health • “Here’s Looking at You!” a drug prevention curriculum mandated by PA Act 211 • Science • Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, publisher • Units include: • Plants • Fossils • Habitats • Landforms • Two ASSET hands-on science kit • Insects • Balance and Motion • Designing Bridges

10. Winning in . . . • Music! • Our music class consists of vocal and small instrumental instruction. • Art! • Bring a labeled short-sleeved t-shirt! • Library! • The students are permitted to check out two books per week. • Physical Education! • Wear gym shoes! • Computers! • We will have class with the computer technology teacher once a week. -Additionally, we will use the computer lab for curriculum-related projects. We will create class and individual projects using Microsoft Word and Powerpoint. We will also use a variety of computer software programs and websites to reinforce newly learned skills.

11. Be a Bucket Filler! • Wexford’s Schoolwide Behavior Program is based upon the book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids. This book encourages positive behavior and shows children how easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love on a daily basis. We can “fill someone’s bucket” by using kind words, giving compliments, and showing our appreciation. • Students will be taught the expectations for good behavior in all school areas. These expectations are listed on the buckets by our classroom door. • Students will receive encouragement when meeting these expectations in the form of verbal praise, stickers, coupons, tickets, and special recognition. • Students will understand the enforcement steps that will be followed if a student does not meet the behavioral expectations. For example, the recess enforcement steps are a verbal warning, a 10 minute time-out, an entire recess loss, and a referral to the office.

12. Shooting for Good Behavior • Our Classroom Rules: • Raise your hand and wait. • Show good listening. • Check your personal space. • Use kind words and actions. • Do your best! • Our Classroom Consequences: • Verbal reminder • Lose a sticker/move to yellow card • Lose recess/move to red card • Parent meeting • Principal’s office

13. All-Star Birthdays • We look forward to celebrating our students’ birthdays. In lieu of birthday snacks, the second grade teachers request that children select a book to donate to their classroom. The birthday book may be wrapped in birthday paper to add to the day’s festivities. • A special bookplate will be placed in the front of the book acknowledging your child’s gift. He/she may read all or a portion of the book to the class. • The “Big Hit Birthday Books” will be placed in a special birthday basket in our classroom for all to read! • Summer birthdays may be celebrated on his/her 1/2 birthday. • Birthday invitations should NOT be sent to school for distribution. To avoid hurting children’s feelings, please mail all party invitations and thank you cards to the children’s homes. Addresses can be found in the Wexford Student Directory, which should be available in late September.

14. Hitting an Ace With Homework! • Monday Study spelling words • Tuesday Complete math paper • Wednesday Review vocabulary words • Read anthology story • Thursday Complete grammar paper • Weekend Begin spelling homework • Every Day Study spelling words • Read book in plastic reading bag

15. Sidelined with An Illness • Please call the school office the morning of your child’s absence. • Make-up homework is available, by request, after the second consecutive day off. All requests must be called into the office or e-mailed to the teacher by 10:00 am. Work may be sent home with another student or available for pick up at 3:45 pm the same day of request. The school office is open until 4:30 pm. • When your child returns to school, remember to send a note to school stating the reason for the absence. • If a special absence is necessary for travel or other family needs, a Request for Special Absence form must be completed 2 weeks prior to the absence. Your child will have make-up homework to complete during the absence.

16. Scoreboard Announcements • Second Grade progress reports are distributed every nine weeks. • Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for November 6 and 7. • If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s education, please contact me at lolson@pinerichland.org. I check my e-mail at the end of the school day. • Each Friday, you will receive a Classroom Newsletter, which will highlight our learning from the week and give you a preview of the upcoming week. All important homework assignments and announcements will be in the newsletter. Please be diligent about reading our newsletter!! • Our second grade website is located at http://pinerichland.schoolwires.net/Page/1594.

17. Game Day Reminders • Bus Procedures • If your child is going home in a different way than usual, a note must be sent to the teacher. If a child is coming home with your child, a note must be sent. Otherwise, the children will not be permitted to vary from the normal routine. You may call the school office if you forget to send a note. • Lunch Money • Make checks payable to the Pine-Richland Cafeteria Fund. Write your child’s name and pin number on the check. You may also add money to your child’s lunch account at www.mypaymentsplus.com. • Toys • Please DO NOT send toys, trading cards, or stuffed animals to school. These items are often lost, which results in disappointment and tears.

18. Coaching Tips • Teach your child to tie his/her shoes with double knots. • Read with your child every day. • Teach your child his/her entire name, address, and phone number. • Have a consistent early bedtime for your child. • Check over all of your child’s homework assignments before he/she returns them to school.

19. Here’s to a Winning Season! • Green Communications Folder • Spelling list (do not remove from the folder) • Homework/Specials Schedule • Classroom Rules/Consequences • Parent Volunteer Form • Classroom Party Sign-Up

20. Thank You... for attending Meet the Teacher Night! I look forward to working with you and your child this year. It is going to be a wonderful year filled with exciting learning activities!!