We believe that education is a life long journey—a conviction we try to pass on to our students. In fact, we learn along with the children together, as we believe it should be. Providing your child with the best second grade experience possible will remain our focus as we consider the needs of the entire class.
About Our School and Classroom
International Baccalaureate – Our school provides the International Baccalaureate program. We will encourage a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, critically think, reflect, develop research skills, and apply what is learned. Memorizing facts and information is not the most important skill in today's world. Facts change, and information is readily available. The skill that students needed is an understanding of how to get information and how to make sense of it. Our primary goal is to develop your child’s intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.
The IB PYP focuses on instilling positive attitudes (roots) within students. Through encouraging these attitudes we hope to create students that are the PYP profiles (leaves).
IB? IBO? PYP? MYP? POI? UOI?....Wait What???????
Are you having a difficult time understanding what all of this lingo is about? ?Let me take a moment to slow down and define some of the terminology that goes into our IB program.?
IB stands for International Baccalaureate. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) was established in 1968 and is a non-profit, international educational foundation registered in Switzerland.?
PYP stands for Primary Years program and is one of the three programs offered by the IB organization. This is what we are currently teaching at LBCS in grades k-5th. The MYP, Middle Years Program is being taught in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes. The DP or Diploma program is the high school program offered at Granite Bay and Oakmont high school. ? ?
The PYP focuses on the total growth of the developing child. It was developed based on best practice and a wide range if educational systems to create a challenging and engaging curriculum that offers an international education focusing on the needs of the whole child. This program uses guided inquiry as its main method of learning.?
Each grade level writes their very own curriculum (usually science/social studies based, but not always!) This curriculum is called a Unit of Inquiry (UOI) or what we usually refer to as the current planner. ? ?
All of the units combined are what make up our Program of Inquiry (POI). This year will be the first year that each grade level will be teaching all six planners creating a first time completed POI. Even so, our POI will continue to change each year, updating and changing planners as needed. It is a constant evolving process that is never complete. ?
Academics – The following curriculum will be used as supplements and resources for our IB planners.
Math-Saxon believes that students learn by doing. All new concepts are developed through hands-on activities and rich mathematical conversations that actively engage students in the learning process. Concepts are developed, reviewed, and practiced over time. Students move from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract.
*Saxon naturally supports students who might struggle with math through spiraling. We have adjusted the program so that it will also support those students who have strong math skills. Instead of extending what is taught we will be facilitating more application of math concepts.
Science -FOSS uses an active learning teaching approach. Students assume the role of scientists by making observations, asking questions, making predictions, collaborating and communicating with peers, and conducting experiments to test ideas and verify results. 2nd graders will study three themes: Balance & Motion, Insects & Plants, Pebbles - Sand & Silt.
Social science- Scott Foresman- The goal of the series is the development of individuals with the knowledge, skills, and civic values they need to become active and reflective citizens in the world of the 21st century. 2nd graders will study the following themes: Long Ago & Yesterday, Maps, Our Government, Producers & Consumers, and People in History.
Reading & Language Arts-Guided Reading, Handwriting Without Tears, Step up to Writing, Hartcourt- We will use a variety of each of these programs to both support and challenge each individual child with their needed reading and writing skills.
Spelling- AVKO Sequential Spelling- (Audio-Visual-Kinesthetic-Oral) Each day, as a whole class students will take a “test.” This test includes 25 words that spiral and build on one another. We will correct each word directly after they have written it down. If the student misspells the word, they erase it and write it correctly. We will discuss that, “mistakes are opportunities to learn.” This reinforces the correct way to spell words as well as helps them to spell future words more successfully. This program is more exciting for the students compared to traditional lists, as they never know what word is coming next. This also keeps students from just memorizing words as well as helps them better learn word patterns. Once a month, I will give the students a multiple-choice discrimination test that will come home that day. Students will also be studying the spelling and meaning of many other vocabulary words from both our science and language arts curriculum.
Extended Inquiry- Extended Inquiry is a 2nd grade program that students may CHOOSE to participate in. Projects are for those students who are CHOOSING to challenge themselves and apply what we are studying in the classroom. If your child is already busy with lots of extracurricular activities and does not have the necessary time to do these projects well, please don’t take this on. This project is NOT required and needs to be quality work, teaching students good study habits. Students must choose their project early in the month and then work on ALL necessary requirements. ? This project should not be done last minute!? Students need to read and follow all directions and requirements for their chosen project. ?Students should choose a project that interests them early on, get it checked off with the teacher and then stick with it. Above and Beyond projects will be offered two or three per trimester. Dates will be posted on the website. Projects will change depending on the current planner that is being studied. Through these projects, students will strengthen their research and presentation skills and teach other students in their classroom. Parents will be invited to all presentations. All information can be found on the website.
Allergies- If your student has food or other allergies, please inform me immediately so that I can make necessary precautions for your child’s safety.
Absences– Regular attendance will help ensure your child’s success. If your child is absent, please contact the school office.
Arrival - Your child should arrive at school between 7:45 and 8:00 A.M. We will begin our day with a whole school meeting and flag salute (Mustang Roundup). Please bring your child to the amphitheatre.
Birthdays – We will celebrate your child’s birthday on or as close to the date as possible. Half birthdays or other arrangements can be made to celebrate those birthdays occurring in the summer. You can send a non-food item for your child to share with their classmates or a book to donate to our classroom library.
Clothing – The LBCS dress code is a shirt with a collar (like a polo or oxford shirt) and has no visible logos. The shirt can be any solid color. Bottoms can be navy or tan pants, shorts, skirts, or skorts. We will have free dress on Fridays. Shirts must have at least 1-inch straps. Shorts and skirts need to be at a Bermuda length for girls. Students should wear shoes that are appropriate for physical education and recess. Please remember to label all articles of clothing, like jackets and sweaters. Hats and sunglasses may be worn outside at recess, not in the classroom.
Computers – We will be utilizing computers on a regular basis. We will have access to the school’s mobile computer lab that has a number of Apple computers. Students will be taught the proper way to use a computer and will have access to educational programs that support our units of inquiry and your child’s needs.
Dismissal – We will be dismissing students from our classrooms at 2:55. We will not release a student to another adult or sibling unless we have received permission from you. We will follow the dismissal plans we have discussed with you. If your plans change, please let us know.
Early Dismissal – We will have three minimum days this year. They will be August 26st, November 7th-10th, December 16th and Friday, June 13th. Students will be released at 11:30 on these days.
Essential Agreements and Incentives/Consequences - At the beginning of the year, our class develops a list of Essential Agreements to help us have a set of common behavior standards that we all commit to following. Your children will have a great deal of input in writing these positive action statements. We will all sign these Essential Agreements and we will make a commitment to abide by them. I try to praise the children when I notice that they are being wonderful community members and when they are keeping our Essential Agreements in mind. Students can earn “Doonan Dollars” to use for bathroom passes, to buy classroom supplies or to purchase things during our monthly auction. Students can also earn group points or classroom PAT minutes. PAT (Preferred Activity Time) will be an opportunity for students to choose between a variety of activities during Friday afternoons. Other rewards may include lunch with the teacher, stickers, certificates, high-fives, and words of praise. This group will be terrific, so I'm certain that there will be lots of praising one another in the classroom!
If there is a time when a child chooses not to abide by our Essential Agreements or complete his/her work, I will speak with the child one-on-one. If that does not remedy the situation, the child may lose a privilege in the classroom or he/she may be asked to step away from the group or activity until he/she is ready to follow our Essential Agreements. There may be times when a child misses part of recess to write and reflect about their behavior, but I do not believe in taking the entire recess away from your child. He/she may need that active time to regroup and get some energy out! If the situation calls for it, I will contact you, the parents/guardians, and we will discuss ways we can help your child get back on the right track. I really appreciate your support outside of school with this!
Field Trips -We will take a few educational field trips during the year. We will be providing you with permission slips, costs, and dates prior to the field trip. Chaperones must fill out paperwork and fingerprinting prior to trip, preferably at the beginning of the year. Estimated cost will be $20 per month.
Food – Students will have an opportunity for morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. I have found that students go through growth spurts and often need more food during these growing times. It is a long day and we work them hard, please make sure your child is bringing enough healthy food. I never let students throw food away, and will bring home what they do not consume at school. Here is a small listing of foods that are delicious and healthy for our students: apples, apple sauce, apricots, animal crackers, bananas, berries, bread sticks, carrots, celery, crackers, cheese, dried fruit, dip for vegetables, English muffins, fruit, Jell-O, fish crackers, graham crackers, grapes, green apples, honeydew melon, ham or hot dog chunks, jumbo pretzels, kiwi, kabobs (fruit, cheese), lunch meat, melon, mandarin oranges, nectarines, oranges, popcorn, plums, pears, peaches, pizza, pineapple, raisins, strawberries, string cheese, tangerines, vegetables, yogurt, and zucchini!
Homework - Each day, your child will bring home his/her communication/homework folder. I believe that it is very important for your child to bring home and return this folder daily, even if homework is finished in class. There will not be an overload of homework during the week, but there will be some each day. Your child is asked to read at least fifteen minutes a night (longer later in the year) as part of the homework assignments.
Library – We will have a scheduled library time every week. Students will have the opportunity to check out books and will need to return them each week.
Parent Communication - I consider you a vital part of the learning triangle: student, parents, teacher. I strongly encourage two-way communication, via e-mail and phone calls. It is our partnership that can help ensure that your child receives a quality education.
Communication Folder: Every day your child will bring home their homework in this folder and on Thursdays they will bring home student work, school information and other important papers. Please look through this with your child and return the folder the next day or latest Monday.
Website: http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/jvonspreckelsen/
Please familiarize yourself with the class website, I will use this daily. The website will include: big due dates, upcoming events, classroom photos, classroom news, and other important information.
Weekly emails: Very similarly to a newsletter, I will be emailing parents about important upcoming events and information. Please make sure that I have your current email address.
Reportcard/Conferences: We will meet after the first trimester to discuss your child’s progress. Other conferences can be set up as needed. Report cards will be sent home following each trimester.
Please feel free to contact me at anytime with your concerns. The best way to reach me is by email: kdoonan@loomis-usd.k12.ca.us Please allow 24 hours response time.
*For urgent information please contact Tammy in the office. She will relay important messages.
Parties, Events, and Activities – We will have various celebrations throughout the year. Our room parent will contact you to help with the celebrations.
Physical Education – We have physical education on a regular basis. (100 minutes/wk) We also will be playing outdoor games and taking wiggle walks. It would be beneficial to have your child wear athletic shoes. Our playground is provided by Project Fit America. It is designed to be fun and to provide students with an opportunity to be physical everyday. Teachers are trained on how to use this equipment to the fullest extent.
Reading Folders - Your child will bring books home to read to you a few times a week. Please be sure to sign the reading log and return the folder to school the next day.
Second graders will be expected to read for at least 15 minutes every night. THIS SHOULD NEVER BE CALLED OR VIEWED AS HOMEWORK, AS READING SHOULD BE SEEN AS A PREFERRED ACTIVITY OF CHOICE!
I strongly recommend family reading time, where televisions and radios are turned off, and everyone reads. If children see adults they love and trust reading, they are much more likely to grow to truly value and love reading. Please make reading fun by sometimes reading with your child, while other times encouraging independent reading in the same room with reading adults. Children should be encouraged to read both fiction and non-fiction.
Please remember that life long reading habits are developing now, and that the more children read, the better writers they will be—and the more they write, the better readers they will become.
Schedule-
8:00-8:15 Mustang Roundup
8:15-8:45 Morning Work
8:45-9:35 Spelling/Language Arts
9:35-9:45 Snack and chapter
9:45-10:00 Recess
10:00-10:30 Espanol
10:30-11:20 Math
11:20-12:00 Lunch
12:00-1:00 Science/Planner time
1:00-1:40 Music/Library/PE
1:40-2:00 Surf
2:00-2:15 Recess
2:15-2:35 Surf/whole class reading
2:35:-2:45 Cleanup/packup
2:45-2:55 Reflection/Chapter
School Supplies – Please refer to the updated supply list on our website. We will be asking students to bring a variety of school supplies that we will collect and use for our communal use. As we begin to run out, I will ask our Parent Supply Coordinator to contact parents for donations.
Spanish – We will have Spanish instruction on a daily basis from our Spanish teacher. We will also support and reinforce Spanish language in our classroom.
Student of the week - Each week I will choose a student to be our classroom leader. This leader will share about themselves through an About Me activity as well as handle classroom jobs. This might include passing out and collecting papers, sharpening pencils, taking attendance, etc. They also will be line monitor.
Transdisciplinary Themes - Who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organize ourselves, and sharing the planet.
Units of Inquiry - In a traditional classroom, the instructor sets goals, generates objectives, plans a curriculum, then delivers the curriculum, and finally, tests to see how well the learner has met the objectives. In contrast, an Inquiry Unit of instruction, the teacher will use the six transdisciplinary themes as a framework to drive instruction through every subject area (language arts, social studies, mathematics, arts, science and technology, personal, social and physical education).
Students gain knowledge that is relevant and of global significance. They will develop an understanding of concepts, which allows them to make connections throughout their learning. These units of inquiry are relevant and meaningful to a child’s education. Children’s interests and questions are incorporated into each of the units so that the children learn how to ask constructive questions, plan investigations, solve problems and find the answers to their questions. Through the process of inquiry, or asking questions, IB students are able to construct meaning from their learning experiences.
Volunteers- I will use volunteers throughout the school year for numerous activities and events. I will contact you prior to the event or activity to let you know our classroom’s needs. Below you will find a list of volunteer jobs.
