Dear Parents,

I would like to welcome you all to the new school year and I hope and pray that your children will have a very successful and happy year in second grade. The items discussed below will better acquaint you with our classroom and its management. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at school (788-3151) or at home (554-1627). You may also contact me by e-mail at egentry@stmarysderby.com. I would be happy to meet with you before or after school to discuss any concerns you may have. I will be involved with Latchkey on Monday and Friday this year, so please contact me ahead of time to arrange a time that works with both of our schedules.

RELIGION

Our religion book is called Faith First and it has a great website www.FaithFirst.com that we will access in the computer lab to complete the Chapter Reviews before each test. I would encourage you to check out this website to see what we are studying.

This year your child will be preparing for two very important sacraments. They will study throughout the year in preparation for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. As parents, you will be required to attend several meetings for each sacrament and will be asked to work on various areas at home. The Parent Reconciliation meetings are planned for Oct. 4 and Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Neumann Hall. First Reconciliation will be celebrated on December 13 in the Faith Center. The Parent Eucharist meetings are planned for Jan. 24, and March 27 at 6:30 p.m. in Neumann Hall and May 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Faith Center. First Eucharist will be celebrated on May 3 and 4 at all the Masses. You will sign up for a Mass time at a later date. The Rite of Covenant will be celebrated at the 8:00 a.m. school Mass sometime in February, but a date hasn't been set yet.

We will attend Mass on Tuesdays and Fridays and a prayer service on Wednesday morning before school in the Parish Center. Our class will prepare the prayer service several times throughout the year and we hope you will be able to join us.

COMPUTERS

Your child will have the opportunity to work on an IBM computer in our classroom and twice a week in the Computer Lab. They will work in a variety of subjects both for reinforcement and for enrichment using programs such as Accelerated Reader, Advanced Learning Systems, and Heartsoft. I will send home periodically progress reports showing their achievements on the computer. We will also access the Internet as we study various subjects. 

READING

We will be using the Harcourt series and there are two student anthologies. At the end of each theme there will be a reading and language skills test. The reading test will be on Thursday of each week and I require them to take their reader home on Wednesday to study. This will help me to assess how well they mastered the comprehension skills and the vocabulary taught in that unit. I also encourage them to bring their readers home for extra reading practice and to help improve their fluency.

I require all the students to participate in the Accelerated Reader program. They will be tested four times throughout the year on the STAR program to help determine their reading level range. Books will be available for checkout from the school library and I require them to check out one AR book along with a book of their choice. Students will use the points they have earned to "buy" merchandise at the Accelerated Reader store. Their performance in this program does not affect their reading grade.

PHONICS/SPELLING

The Phonics and Spelling programs are a component of the Harcourt Reading series and there is a workbook for each subject. I will also be using Dibels materials for individualized assessment of phonics and reading skills. A spelling list will be sent home on Monday. Please keep this list in a safe place until the end of the week so you can help your child study his words at home. There will be several spelling assignments during the week (including spelling while tossing and catching a bean bag!). The final test will be on Friday unless notified otherwise.

GRADING SYSTEM

I use the diocesan grading system as outlined in the student handbook. A late grade (10% deducted from their grade) will be given for daily work or homework that is turned in late. A late note will be sent home notifying you of a late or missing assignment. Please sign and return the late note the following day. Students who fail to return their notes will lose 5 minutes of recess time. I understand that there are occasionally factors that may prevent your child from completing his homework. Please send me a note explaining the situation (i.e. illness or a family emergency) and I will allow extra time to complete the assignment.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Good classroom management is based on children understanding the behaviors that are expected of them. I expect everyone to be treated with dignity and respect and I encourage children to try and solve their own problems. Of course, I monitor their progress and offer suggestions if they are not feeling successful in their efforts. The students know that they can solve a problem any way they want, provided it doesn't cause a problem for anyone else.

Each student has also been issued a demerit behavior card by the office that is kept in his or her agenda book. The consequences are explained on the card.

I also use incentives to encourage my students to work hard, to complete assignments, and to follow the principles of the room. Listed below are some of the incentives I use:

•  Praise-verbal and written
•  Stickers/ award certificates/ candy basket
• Free Time-instructional games and activities to play when their work is completed
•  Reward Box-small inexpensive items that the winners of various games (i.e. Sparkle and Around the World) can choose as prizes

AGENDA BOOKS

Each student has an agenda book that they must have at school each day. This is the first year that your child will be required to use one to record his/her daily assignments. This can be a very difficult and confusing task for some students, so please be patient with them. If an assignment is circled that means they have not completed that assignment and it is homework. Try to spend a few minutes each day looking over what they did in class and ask them to explain if you don't understand what they wrote. Homework assignments, special supplies needed, and upcoming events should be noted in it. You can also write me notes in the agenda book or reminders to your child (i.e. go to Latchkey or bring home Reading book). Please help your child to return it to school each day.

SNACKS

Many of the children get hungry around the first recess (9:15). If you would like to send snacks to be shared with the whole class it would be greatly appreciated. It should be something that is easy for your child to pass out in a few minutes. Due to the Wellness policy, some suggestions would be crackers, pretzels, animal crackers, or fruit. I know it can be very hectic in the morning, but please try to make sure your child has something for breakfast. You might be surprised how many students tell me they didn't eat breakfast and as a result they tend to be lethargic and sometimes will develop a headache.

BIRTHDAYS

If your child would like to celebrate his/her birthday with the class, please send a simple treat that is easy for them to pass out after the last recess. Please do not send a drink. We have 29 students this year. If their birthday is in the summer, they are welcome to choose a day to celebrate it during the school year.

SERVICE PROJECTS AND STEWARDSHIP

There are several projects that our class has the opportunity to participate in throughout the year to give back to God in thanksgiving for the blessings He has given us. We participate in the Holy Childhood Mission collections, canned food drives, Birthdays for Stewardship, and various others during the year.

HOMEWORK AND REDO PAPERS

If your child does not complete his work during class, it must be taken home as homework and is due the next day. A late grade will not be given if it is returned completed the next day. I will occasionally assign homework in various subjects for extra practice. Please check your child's folder each day for homework, but it is his responsibility to complete it and to let you know if and when it is completed.

If a paper is a 75% (D+) or lower, it can be corrected for a redo grade of 80% (C). This rule does not apply to tests. Please be prompt in returning the corrected work, but it does not have to be turned in the very next day. Redo work must be completed during the grading period (1st nine weeks, etc.) in which it was assigned.

SCHOOL NOTES/ DAILY PAPERS/CLASS NEWSLETTER

School and class notes are sent home frequently with your child. I will send home a class newsletter every two weeks and this is also posted on my website. Please stress the importance of getting this information home and notify me if you suspect that there is a problem. I try to grade papers every night, so there should be some work in your child's folder each day. I have them label their folders so that graded papers and notes are in one pocket and homework is in the other. If your child brings home an empty folder (or no folder) two or three days in a row, please contact me so we can discover what is happening.

I suggest looking through your child's folder with him so you can discuss the work. Ask your child to point out the best things he did on his papers and have him describe to you

the reasons for his success. Children need to understand that they are in control of their success.  

I have attached a classroom schedule and this will let you know how we spend our day and when would be the best time to schedule doctor and dentist appointments.

I appreciate your support and cooperation and I am looking forward to being your child's teacher this year. I want to be a positive influence on my students and to help them to

grow spiritually and academically. I truly care about each one of them and want St. Mary Parish Catholic School to be a place that they look forward to attending each day. Thank you for your wonderful example of stewardship that has provided this special opportunity for all of our students to continue to walk as children of God!

In Christ's Peace,

Mrs. Edna Gentry

"TO EDUCATE STUDENTS WHILE NURTURING THEIR CHRIST-LIKE FORMATION"