October 3, 2016
Hello Families,
Welcome back to our 6th week of second grade. It’s hard to believe that we have been in school that long already. That just goes to show that times flies when you are having fun!!
Please remind your child that their Reading Record is due first thing in the morning. A breakfast treat is waiting for those who turn theirs in. Thank you for encouraging your kiddo to write their own titles. This helps them to be more independent. Please remember to add the minutes read on the back of the Reading Record. If your child can not find their Reading Record, please download one from our class website.
We are almost half way through Topic 2, Addition Strategies, in math. My little friends seem to be doing really well so far. I believe we will finish Topic 2 and assess early next week.
Please be on the lookout for our first homework sheet in your child’s backpack tomorrow. It lists the IXL components that go along with Topic 2. Challenge components are also listed on the homework sheet. It is my hope that my little friends will work 30 minutes on IXL and if they still want to work, they move to Dreambox. Their id and password are the same as they were last year. We will most likely still be on Topic 2 next week and so the components may be the same. If kiddos rush through them this week, then they won’t have much to do next week. Please encourage them to pace themselves.
My little friends should be achieving at least 95% before moving on to the next component.
Please encourage them to try again if they are not achieving 95%. If they do achieve 95%,
encourage them to try the Challenge components.
One last important thing about IXL, there is a cut off time to complete their 30 minutes per week. I believe it is midnight Saturday night. Work done after that time is credited to the next week. I receive a report either Sunday evening or Monday morning that tells me which of my friends completed their 30 minutes. Friends completing 30 minutes per week will earn a punch on their punch card. This will start next week.
A few of my friends have a math sheet in their mailbox that needs to be corrected and returned. It is blue. Please be on the lookout for this.
Thank you very much for helping your child register with Orangeruler.com. We are in 20th place and have earned just over 1/3 of our class goal of $1,891.00. Please help your child to invite family and friends to support our class via the Orangeruler.com website. We earn credit and prizes for this. Thank you so much for your help with this.
A huge shout out to Genevieve McLean for setting up our class Shutterfly account. Invitations to view this site have been sent to all emails that I have. Please check your junk box if you have not received an invitation.
We have library tomorrow, so send in any books your kiddo has checked out so that they can check out a new book tomorrow. We have PE on Tuesday. Please encourage your kiddo to wear appropriate shoes for PE. Thank you for all your help with this.
Sorry I’m so long winded this week. Lots to tell you. Have a great week.
Jacque C. Barry
Second Grade Teacher
425.831.8071
[email protected]
Class Website: http://barrysbunch.weebly.com
September 12, 2016
Dear Families,
Beginning this week students will be expected to read for 20 minutes each evening for homework. They may read orally to you, silently or orally to themselves, or you may read orally to them. To create a variety of reading experiences, feel free to use all three methods. Children who are not yet able to read the words can certainly invent words from the pictures and this is an excellent beginning. At the beginning of each week, I will send home a form, a Reading Record, on which I would like your child to write the name of the book or books s/he read and I would like it to be signed by the person reading with your child. The space provided for the names of the books represents a 20 minute time period, not a single book. For fast readers who read more than one book in this 20 minute time period, please list all the books read. If your child is reading a chapter book, s/he may list the same book in the space for several days. Your child will be responsible for turning this Reading Record in the following Monday morning. This will be part of your child’s reading grade.
On the back of your child’s Reading Record is a chart to keep track of the minutes read. Keeping track of the exact minutes read is not necessary. Rounding up to the nearest five minutes is just fine. Eventually, there will be a challenge to read a certain number of minutes as a school, and we will be well on our way!!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Happy Reading,
Jacque Barry
[email protected]
425-831-4056
September 7, 2016
Dear Families,
We have made it through the first full week of 2nd grade. Each new day, my kiddos come into our classroom with bright smiles and enthusiastic ready to learn attitudes. We’re off to very ‘beary’ fabulous start!!
I am truly committed to the importance of parent involvement in a child’s education. I confidently believe that your child deserves the very best education possible when you and I work together on his/her team.
I will keep in close contact with you through e-mails, newsletters, personal notes and phone calls home. Please feel free to do the same. I welcome your notes, calls and emails. I can be reached by phone at 425-831-4056 or by email at [email protected]. The best time to contact me by phone is before or after school. Additionally, please check our classroom website for important updates, paperwork and helpful learning websites. It has grown since last year and I hope to improve it even further this year: http://barrysbunch.weebly.com .
I am excited to see you Thursday, September 22, at Curriculum Night. I believe there will be two sessions ~ one at 6:00 and another at 6:30. I will be going over our daily routine and expectations for the classroom and homework.
****NEWS TO NOTE****
1. Going Paperless!
It is a goal of mine this year to send home FAR fewer pieces of paper. It sounds simple, I know, and we’ll see how it goes, but I’m committed! Newsletters, special homework, and regular classroom communication, among other things, will be dispensed via e-mail and/or our classroom website, unless requested otherwise. I have finalized our classroom contact list, however I have not heard back from very many that they have received that email. If someone mentions they have not heard from Ms. Barry, please ask them to contact me so we can remedy that. Please contact me also, if you are unable to print documents and/or would like hard copies sent home with your child. I
2. Homework
It is important for students to continue to develop the routine of doing some homework each evening. As presented at Curriculum Night, the items listed below should be included in your child’s homework routine. Periodically, throughout the year, your child may have a special homework project that he or she is asked to do. These projects will usually correlate with reading, science, or social studies and will be completed in addition to the expected 20 minutes, or more, of reading that students do each evening.
3. Math ~ I have not finalized my decisions about math homework yet. It may look something like below:
Enroll in XtraMath. (optional)
Go to www.xtramath.org and click Enroll. Type in the enrollment code on your XtraMath flyer. Email if you have questions. XtraMath is optional. Please sign up so you can receive progress reports and your child can use XtraMath on breaks and days he/she is absent.
4. Reading
Each learner is expected to spend a minimum of 20 minutes reading each night (including weekends). This can include students reading independently, reading to someone, or someone reading to them. Weekly Reading Records have been coming home for the last two weeks. Kiddos have been doing a wonderful job turning them in first thing Monday morning
5. Orange Ruler 2016
Our incredible PTSA is working hard to plan an exciting and successful Orange Ruler Fun Run! This year, the Walk-a-thon will be held on Thursday, October 13th. We are hoping that this fundraiser will make a significant contribution to our great PTSA! This is our chief fundraiser during the school year. Please be on the look-out for further information and ways you can help at this year’s Fun Run. We will all be doing a sun-dance that morning, however, if it is raining a little bit, we will still be walking!!! Make sure your kiddo has the best shoes for the weather. The field might be muddy! Keep your fingers crossed for nice weather.
6. Volunteers
Thank you for your patience as I navigate opportunities for volunteers. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
7. Classroom Behavior Expectations
Many of your kiddos may have talked with you about our classroom Clip Chart. You will able to see it at Curriculum Night. During the course of the day, the clothespins move up and down the chart based on the behavior choices each child makes throughout the day.
Good choices result in the clothespin (clip) being moved up one level. Conversely, inappropriate behavior choices will cause the clothespin to be moved down one level. At the end of the day, children with their clothespin on the green level or above earn a punch on their punch card. Twenty punches earn a trip to the prize basket. Kiddos with clothespins below the green level may owe Ms. Barry recess time or landing on the red level requires parent contact. I encourage you to ask your child where they ended up each day and what they did to get there.
Second grade is a fabulous year of growth for children. I look forward to working closely with you to meet the individual needs of each child. We will work hard and play hard. Here’s to the start of a great year!
Sincerely,
Jacque Barry
Hello Families,
Welcome back to our 6th week of second grade. It’s hard to believe that we have been in school that long already. That just goes to show that times flies when you are having fun!!
Please remind your child that their Reading Record is due first thing in the morning. A breakfast treat is waiting for those who turn theirs in. Thank you for encouraging your kiddo to write their own titles. This helps them to be more independent. Please remember to add the minutes read on the back of the Reading Record. If your child can not find their Reading Record, please download one from our class website.
We are almost half way through Topic 2, Addition Strategies, in math. My little friends seem to be doing really well so far. I believe we will finish Topic 2 and assess early next week.
Please be on the lookout for our first homework sheet in your child’s backpack tomorrow. It lists the IXL components that go along with Topic 2. Challenge components are also listed on the homework sheet. It is my hope that my little friends will work 30 minutes on IXL and if they still want to work, they move to Dreambox. Their id and password are the same as they were last year. We will most likely still be on Topic 2 next week and so the components may be the same. If kiddos rush through them this week, then they won’t have much to do next week. Please encourage them to pace themselves.
My little friends should be achieving at least 95% before moving on to the next component.
Please encourage them to try again if they are not achieving 95%. If they do achieve 95%,
encourage them to try the Challenge components.
One last important thing about IXL, there is a cut off time to complete their 30 minutes per week. I believe it is midnight Saturday night. Work done after that time is credited to the next week. I receive a report either Sunday evening or Monday morning that tells me which of my friends completed their 30 minutes. Friends completing 30 minutes per week will earn a punch on their punch card. This will start next week.
A few of my friends have a math sheet in their mailbox that needs to be corrected and returned. It is blue. Please be on the lookout for this.
Thank you very much for helping your child register with Orangeruler.com. We are in 20th place and have earned just over 1/3 of our class goal of $1,891.00. Please help your child to invite family and friends to support our class via the Orangeruler.com website. We earn credit and prizes for this. Thank you so much for your help with this.
A huge shout out to Genevieve McLean for setting up our class Shutterfly account. Invitations to view this site have been sent to all emails that I have. Please check your junk box if you have not received an invitation.
We have library tomorrow, so send in any books your kiddo has checked out so that they can check out a new book tomorrow. We have PE on Tuesday. Please encourage your kiddo to wear appropriate shoes for PE. Thank you for all your help with this.
Sorry I’m so long winded this week. Lots to tell you. Have a great week.
Jacque C. Barry
Second Grade Teacher
425.831.8071
[email protected]
Class Website: http://barrysbunch.weebly.com
September 12, 2016
Dear Families,
Beginning this week students will be expected to read for 20 minutes each evening for homework. They may read orally to you, silently or orally to themselves, or you may read orally to them. To create a variety of reading experiences, feel free to use all three methods. Children who are not yet able to read the words can certainly invent words from the pictures and this is an excellent beginning. At the beginning of each week, I will send home a form, a Reading Record, on which I would like your child to write the name of the book or books s/he read and I would like it to be signed by the person reading with your child. The space provided for the names of the books represents a 20 minute time period, not a single book. For fast readers who read more than one book in this 20 minute time period, please list all the books read. If your child is reading a chapter book, s/he may list the same book in the space for several days. Your child will be responsible for turning this Reading Record in the following Monday morning. This will be part of your child’s reading grade.
On the back of your child’s Reading Record is a chart to keep track of the minutes read. Keeping track of the exact minutes read is not necessary. Rounding up to the nearest five minutes is just fine. Eventually, there will be a challenge to read a certain number of minutes as a school, and we will be well on our way!!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Happy Reading,
Jacque Barry
[email protected]
425-831-4056
September 7, 2016
Dear Families,
We have made it through the first full week of 2nd grade. Each new day, my kiddos come into our classroom with bright smiles and enthusiastic ready to learn attitudes. We’re off to very ‘beary’ fabulous start!!
I am truly committed to the importance of parent involvement in a child’s education. I confidently believe that your child deserves the very best education possible when you and I work together on his/her team.
I will keep in close contact with you through e-mails, newsletters, personal notes and phone calls home. Please feel free to do the same. I welcome your notes, calls and emails. I can be reached by phone at 425-831-4056 or by email at [email protected]. The best time to contact me by phone is before or after school. Additionally, please check our classroom website for important updates, paperwork and helpful learning websites. It has grown since last year and I hope to improve it even further this year: http://barrysbunch.weebly.com .
I am excited to see you Thursday, September 22, at Curriculum Night. I believe there will be two sessions ~ one at 6:00 and another at 6:30. I will be going over our daily routine and expectations for the classroom and homework.
****NEWS TO NOTE****
1. Going Paperless!
It is a goal of mine this year to send home FAR fewer pieces of paper. It sounds simple, I know, and we’ll see how it goes, but I’m committed! Newsletters, special homework, and regular classroom communication, among other things, will be dispensed via e-mail and/or our classroom website, unless requested otherwise. I have finalized our classroom contact list, however I have not heard back from very many that they have received that email. If someone mentions they have not heard from Ms. Barry, please ask them to contact me so we can remedy that. Please contact me also, if you are unable to print documents and/or would like hard copies sent home with your child. I
2. Homework
It is important for students to continue to develop the routine of doing some homework each evening. As presented at Curriculum Night, the items listed below should be included in your child’s homework routine. Periodically, throughout the year, your child may have a special homework project that he or she is asked to do. These projects will usually correlate with reading, science, or social studies and will be completed in addition to the expected 20 minutes, or more, of reading that students do each evening.
3. Math ~ I have not finalized my decisions about math homework yet. It may look something like below:
Enroll in XtraMath. (optional)
Go to www.xtramath.org and click Enroll. Type in the enrollment code on your XtraMath flyer. Email if you have questions. XtraMath is optional. Please sign up so you can receive progress reports and your child can use XtraMath on breaks and days he/she is absent.
4. Reading
Each learner is expected to spend a minimum of 20 minutes reading each night (including weekends). This can include students reading independently, reading to someone, or someone reading to them. Weekly Reading Records have been coming home for the last two weeks. Kiddos have been doing a wonderful job turning them in first thing Monday morning
5. Orange Ruler 2016
Our incredible PTSA is working hard to plan an exciting and successful Orange Ruler Fun Run! This year, the Walk-a-thon will be held on Thursday, October 13th. We are hoping that this fundraiser will make a significant contribution to our great PTSA! This is our chief fundraiser during the school year. Please be on the look-out for further information and ways you can help at this year’s Fun Run. We will all be doing a sun-dance that morning, however, if it is raining a little bit, we will still be walking!!! Make sure your kiddo has the best shoes for the weather. The field might be muddy! Keep your fingers crossed for nice weather.
6. Volunteers
Thank you for your patience as I navigate opportunities for volunteers. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
7. Classroom Behavior Expectations
Many of your kiddos may have talked with you about our classroom Clip Chart. You will able to see it at Curriculum Night. During the course of the day, the clothespins move up and down the chart based on the behavior choices each child makes throughout the day.
Good choices result in the clothespin (clip) being moved up one level. Conversely, inappropriate behavior choices will cause the clothespin to be moved down one level. At the end of the day, children with their clothespin on the green level or above earn a punch on their punch card. Twenty punches earn a trip to the prize basket. Kiddos with clothespins below the green level may owe Ms. Barry recess time or landing on the red level requires parent contact. I encourage you to ask your child where they ended up each day and what they did to get there.
Second grade is a fabulous year of growth for children. I look forward to working closely with you to meet the individual needs of each child. We will work hard and play hard. Here’s to the start of a great year!
Sincerely,
Jacque Barry