Behavior ManagementIn our classroom, I have implemented a five-tier behavior management system called Being UnusuallyGood. The five-tier system is based around colors. The following is the list of colors and their meanings:Light Green – WOW behavior!Dark Green – great behavior!Yellow – good behavior, one warningRed – head down for 5 minutes, second warningWhite – a student will write a note homeEach morning all students start out in the dark green area (great behavior). At the end of each day, Ireflect on the student’s overall behavior. From those students that end up in the dark green area (great behavior), I will choose one student who has demonstrated exemplar behavior. If a student ends on dark greenor light green, they earn one or two “BUG” tickets respectively. This is for their great behavior. At theaccumulation of 10 “BUG” tickets students are able to turn them in and take one item from the treasure chest.Students who are on white at the end of the day will be asked to write a letter home addressed to you, the parent/guardian, explaining why he/she is on white. Please sign the letter to let me know you have read theletter. I will contact you if there is a serious or on-going issue that needs your attention. Please encourageyour child to have a GREAT day!Homework ProceduresThe students will be receiving a homework packet every Monday. The packet will have all necessaryassignments stapled together. The packet will include a weekly assignment sheet, assigning work to do eachnight. This sheet will also include your child’s weekly spelling list. All assigned work will be due on Fridayof that week.There are three main components to the homework packet. First, your child’s weekly spelling list will be listed. Each list will consist of 15 high frequency words. Monday and Thursday nights your child willcomplete spelling homework. Second, your child will be asked to read for 15 minutes each night. I haveincluded some reading strategies in this packet that you can utilize to help your child at home. These arestrategies that I will be implementing in the classroom as well. Math is the last component. Tuesday andWednesday nights will be designated for math homework. It will correspond to the concept(s) we are studyingin class. In addition, the second grade teachers are stressing the importance of practicing math facts, bothaddition and subtraction, with your child throughout the week.Throughout the year, the second grade teachers will assign projects, book responses, and activities for your child the complete at home. These assignments will be given approximately one or two weeks for completion.Modifications and EnrichmentDuring the first weeks of school, the second grade teachers access the students in the areas of math,reading, writing, and spelling. These initial assessments provide us with important information about your child. In addition to this, students will be informally assessed as they complete independent assignments, participate in class discussions, take part in small or large group activities, and as they interact with their peers.I will utilize all of these formal and informal assessments to make modifications that best suit your child’sneeds.In addition to this, I realize that some students may also need to be challenged. I will pre-assess theclass each Friday, in the area of Spelling. Students who receive a score of 13/15 or better will have a“challenge” list for the week. Their spelling words will be listed on the weekly assignment sheet in thehomework packet.You child will also benefit from the many different ways in which I group students throughout the dayto complete classroom assignments.

BirthdaysPlease feel free to bring in a treat on your child’s birthday. If you wish to bring something in, pleasesend in a note a couple days ahead of time, so I can modify my plans for that day. Right after lunch, 1:15, iswhen we will celebrate! Currently, we have 19 students in our class. We do have a student with a peanutallergy.PLEASE, NO PEANUTS OR NUTS IN OUR CLASSROOM!Snack Each day we have 10-15 minutes allotted for snack. Please send your child to school with one, quick snack everyday. Lunch is not until 12:30 p.m. and many of them are hungry much sooner!Contacting MePlease feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. You may reach me at school bycalling 342-3131. If I am unavailable, please leave a message with one of the secretaries. Also, my emailaddress is ARaines@vvportlandct.us.I try to check this at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Whether you contact me by phone or email, I will do my best to get back to you as soon as Ican. I feel that open communication between home and school plays an important role in your child’s success!

Reading Strategies to Help Your ChildName of StrategyDefinition

Point to WordsFor beginning readers, point to each wordUse Picture CluesLook at the pictures on the page to help figure out a wordCover Up EndingsPut your finger over the endings (such as –ed in played, read play, andthen add the ending to read played)Read AheadSkip the unknown word, read to the end of the sentence, and then usethe context of the sentence to help figure out the missing wordLook for a Little Word in a Longer WordExample – Monday, kids are familiar with the word day, they can readthis

part and use that to help then figure out the rest of the wordLook for ChunksA chunk is a vowel and the consonants that follow it (such as –it, -am,or –at in the words s

, h

, and r

)Look BackLook back to what has already been read to understand what is writtenLook at the First and Last LettersWhen a word is unknown, look at the first and last letter of the word tosee what might make sense in the context of the storyChunk ItDivide word into smaller partsStop and ThinkPause and think about what has already been readRead It AgainRe-read the sentence to see if a word makes senseAsk an ExpertIf none of the other strategies work, ask someone for help