2A Newsletter September 2019
Welcome to the 2nd grade year! I hope your family is getting into the swing of the new school year. This will be my 27th year at SPSL. Most of those years were in second grade with 5 years as a third grade teacher. I taught at St. Bonaventure in Columbus before coming here. I graduated from UNL and am originally from Beemer, Nebraska. My husband works for OPPD and we have two children. Jessa who attends pharmacy school at UNMC and Will attends Wichita State University.
I will be emailing you a monthly newsletter and posting pictures on the school’s website, under my classroom page. If you would like me to send a paper copy of the newsletter please let me know and I will make sure to send one at the beginning of each month.
Homework will be coming home on Mondays -spelling words to study for the week and sentences to write using spelling words for now or math fact practice. Please help your child see that the homework is returned the following day.
If you have questions during the year please don’t hesitate to ask. The best way to reach me is e-mail at denise.johnston@spsl.net.
Thank you to all who volunteered to help in the classroom this year. I will be sending out the year’s schedule in mid September. Volunteers will begin in October. If you have not been Safe Environment Trained I will not be able to add you to the volunteer schedule until you let me know you have taken the training.
Calendar of Events
September 2…………………… …………..No school (Labor Day)
September 20………………………..No School for students-meetings for teachers
October 1……………………………Second Grade Reconciliation meeting for parents 7:00PM
Subjects to be Covered
Math – Addition and Subtraction Concepts – Please practice daily if your child is struggling with basic facts.
Religion — Signs of the church/ Sacraments
Reading — Vocabulary, comprehension, main idea, and locating information
English — Sentence structure, ABC order, & antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms (ASH)
Spelling – Words with short vowels
Social Studies — Communities, map skills, and using a compass rose
Phonics — Beginning, middle, and ending consonants and short vowels
Reminders
–Remember to please label all clothing items such as sweatshirts and jumpers. They can easily get misplaced during gym class or in the hallway.
–Birthdays — If you would like to bring birthday treats for your child please bring one for each student. We have 23 students in room 2A. This is optional of course. Remember that nonfood items such as pencils are fun too.
–Spelling lists will be coming home on Mondays or the first day of the week. Please help your child study words each week so your child is ready for the test on Fridays. I also give students a pretest to see if they know the next week’s words. Students who master the pretest will be given a different set of words for the following week.
A reminder that the school’s dress code policy can be found in the student handbook located on the school’s website under “For Parents” on pages 14 -18. Please take a few minutes to read this. spsl.net
The following policy regarding birthday treats reads: There is an option that allows students to bring treats to share with their classmates to celebrate their birthdays. If treats are sent to school for a student birthday, parents must communicate with the teacher in advance. Certain foods may not be allowed in particular classrooms due to the allergies of students in those classrooms. Teachers will communicate to classroom parents specific allergen(s) not allowed in the classroom (e.g. peanuts, tree nuts). Teachers will provide a list of suggested appropriate items for a classroom treat. Parents have the option of providing “safe snacks” appropriate for their child in the event a snack includes an allergen or is manufactured in a facility that contains an allergen. Our school wellness plan suggests that you might want to consider nonfood items, like a pencil, eraser, etc. for birthday treats. Please take into consideration the time restraints and the learning environment of the classrooms. We do ask, though, that you do not send pop for birthday treats since we do not allow pop in the cafeteria either. Invitations to birthday parties are NOT to be handed out at school. You will have to either mail them or deliver them somewhere other than at school.
This policy is also found in the handbook on page 12.
We do have nut allergies so please avoid items with nuts. I love nutritional treats but the students usually like donuts, cookies, and fruit snacks to name a few.
Please ask if you have any questions and enjoy the long weekend.
Thank you,
Mrs. Johnston
