Absences If your child is sick or has an appointment, please send in a note the next day. You should also call the office and let us know why your child is not in school (we worry!). In the note, please include child’s first and last name, reason and date of absence.
Birthdays Your child is welcome to bring a treat to share with the class. Just let me know ahead of time if you plan to send something in. Please remember that to avoid hurt feelings, party invitations cannot be passed out at school unless the entire class is invited. Summer birthdays can be celebrated on the “half birthday” or in June. Please do not send in extra treats because children will not be allowed to walk around the school to deliver them.
Book-It Each month starting in October, our class will participate in the Pizza Hut Book-It program. The children will have a Reading Log to complete for the month. This is considered part of our homework as well.
Book Orders I send home a Scholastic book order about once each month. This is a wonderful way to build your child’s home library and help our class at the same time. Our class earns Bonus Points with each child’s order that I will use to buy more books and reading materials. Books can also be bought as gifts. Just attach a note and we can make alternate arrangements for you to pick the order up. You can also order them online with a credit card and they are shipped right to our classroom
Box Tops An easy way to help our class and school is by collecting Box Tops for Education which are found on many of the foods we all buy. At my house, we have a Ziploc bag hung on the fridge for collecting them.
Conferences Conferences are scheduled at the end of the first marking period in November. You may schedule a conference at any time during the school year if you have concerns or questions. We can also hold phone conferences.
Discipline Our class has an “Oops Box” for not following the rules. If a child is not following the rules then his/her initials go in the box as a warning. If I speak to him/her again, it is 5 minutes off recess. The next time I speak to the child, it is 10 minutes off recess. The third time I have to speak to the child, a note goes home to parents and all of recess is taken away.
Emergencies Please make sure that we have all of the correct emergency numbers and information on file for your child. If you move, change your cell phone or home phone number, please let us know as soon as possible. The main office and the nurse both keep these numbers handy for emergencies.
Folder Please check and empty your child’s Take Home Folder each night. Any notes for me should be placed in this folder so children know where to find them. Children should have their folder every day.
Guest Reader I invite you to be a Guest Reader one Friday during the year. I will have a sign up sheet at Open House. You are welcome to come read a favorite book to our class. You can also share what types of literature you like to read as well as a favorite reading spot you may have. As we learn about ourselves as readers this year, we would like to learn about others as readers too. When we learn about others, it helps us reflect on what we do as readers. Other family members are welcome to read to us also!
Homework A homework sheet will be sent home almost every Monday. This will have all the assignments for the week. Assignments should be handed in the day after they are assigned. Please remind your child to put his/her name on the paper. In general, homework shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes to complete. Don’t hesitate to contact me if your child is struggling or needs a challenge. Homework can be modified as necessary. Homework is also posted weekly on our class website.
Illness Please keep your child home if he/she is sick. It is important that we not pass germs around to each other. Please send in a note when your child returns to school.
Journal Almost every Friday, your child will bring home his/her Travel Journal. As a class, we will brainstorm some things we did in school that week. Then your child will write you a letter explaining a favorite event/activity. I ask that you take time over the weekend to read your child’s letter and write him/her back. The children really look forward to reading the responses the following Friday and are disappointed when they don’t find a note.
Kindness Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our school community with kindness and respect. Our two main rules are:
Respect yourself!!
Respect each other!
These rules are repeated often and hang in our room.
Love of Learning This year will be filled with many lessons and activities that will help your child to truly enjoy learning and to carry that love for learning with them as they grow.
Mad Minutes Approximately once a week the children will have a Mad Minute in math. This is a one minute quiz with 20 problems. Sometimes it will be addition, sometimes subtraction and sometimes mixed. I will let you know what to study on the homework sheet. Children should have most of their addition and subtraction facts memorized by the end of the year.
Money Do not let your child come to school with loose change for lunch/milk because it tends to get lost. Make sure that it is in a labeled envelope or change purse. “Junk mail” envelopes are great for this!
Newsletters Our class newsletter will be part of the homework sheet that comes home each Monday. It will let you know what is happening in class as well as any reminders or upcoming important dates. This can also be found weekly on our class webpage.
Organization I hope to teach the children organizational skills this year. Children are expected to check and empty their take-home folder daily. They are expected to keep track of their belongings and put them where they need to be. I also expect the children to keep their spot and work neat and tidy.
P.E Our class has P.E. each Wednesday, Thursday(B Week) and Friday. Please make sure that your child has socks and sneakers.
Pen Pals We will correspond with a second grade class this year in California. This is a fun way to learn about the writing process, life in another part of the country, and make a friend!
Postcards A favorite project of mine is our postcard exchange. I have found 100 classes from across the country with which to exchange postcards. We are able to learn about different states and geography. We graph our results as well. Please feel free to have family members and friends from across the country (and beyond) send us a postcard to add to our collection.
Questions or concerns? Please feel free to contact me at any time. I check my email each day so that is a the best way to get in touch with me. Please call or send in a note for urgent matters because I often don’t get to the computer until after the children leave.
e-mail- beamsel@egcsd.org
Genet phone- 207-2680
Read!! Children are expected to read at least 10 minutes each night in the beginning of the year. This number will increase as the year goes on and children increase their reading stamina. They can do this with an adult or by themselves. A new Reading Log comes home each Monday to keep track. Reading is the most important part of your child’s nightly homework.
Recess All children will receive about 20 minutes of recess per day right before lunch. They will go outside every day weather permitting. Please make sure that children have the appropriate clothing (especially in the winter!) Please label all jackets, boots, snowpants, etc. Sneakers are also needed daily to play on the playground.
Rules “High Five”
- Eyes on the speaker 4. Mouth quiet
- Ears listening 5. Body sitting up straight and tall
- Hands free
Snack Your child may bring in a healthy snack to eat. Children will be able to eat for a short time, so please send something that can be eaten neatly and easily ~ raisins, goldfish, peanut butter on crackers, cheese sticks, etc. Candy will not be permitted.
Tardy Children arriving after 8:55 are marked tardy. Please stop in at the office to sign your child into school if you arrive after then.
Upper and Lowercase Children are expected to use correct print formation when writing. We will start to learn cursive writing in November. Children will not be allowed to use cursive writing until we have learned the entire alphabet.
VIP Each week a new student will be chosen at random to be our class’s Very Important Person. Information will come home on Friday to let you know what your child needs to bring in for his/her special week. This is not show and tell, but rather an opportunity for children to build confidence speaking in front of a group. It also gives us a great way to learn more about our friends.
Water Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle to keep on their desk to drink throughout the day. Water only, please.
I am eXcited to work with you and your child this year!
You are your child’s first teacher and you play an extremely important role in your child’s education. You also know your child best. I hope you will feel comfortable enough to share any important information with me throughout the year so your child can have great success.
Make sure your child gets plenty of zzzzz’s each night as we have exciting days planned for this year.
