Welcome to second grade!  My name is Andrea Ramoley, and this is my sixth year at Palos East.  I graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Elementary Education.  I earned my master’s degree in Teaching and Leadership from Saint Xavier University.  I am looking forward to a wonderful year in second grade.

Here are the answers to all the little questions about Room 6’s schedule, routines, procedures, and policies.  Don’t hesitate to contact me should other questions come up. (aramoley@palos118.org or 671-2020)

Take Home Folders

In your child's book bag, there is a red, plastic "Take Home" folder.  Please look through and empty it daily, as it contains daily handouts/notes, a weekly Homework Sheet, Spelling Packet, and Reading/Math Log.  On some Fridays, it will contain the "Room 6 Newsletter," which keeps you updated on our classroom activities over the past week and will inform you of upcoming events.  You will also find forms of communication between the office and home sent home in this folder.  Your child is expected to bring this folder to school every day.  It is my hope that having this take home folder be plastic will be more durable and last longer, however, if your child’s folder becomes torn or ruined, please replace it so they can continue this system of communication between home and school.

Homework
Palos East Homework Policy (for the second grade):
-Independent Reading 15 min/night/5 times a week (MINIMUM!)
with nightly "Reading Log" entries
-Spelling (Monday through Thursday)
-Math Facts (Monday through Thursday)
-Additional Assignments 2-3 times/week (Language Arts/Math)

Each day your child will fill out their assignment notebook.  It will list all the assignments that need to be completed at home.  This notebook should be kept in (and returned to) the take home folder/backpack at all times.  This is where I will write any notes that you need to see and you can communicate with me via this as well.  Please sign or initial the signature box each night.  I will look at this first thing in the morning in case you wrote me a note as well. 

There are three homework assignments that the children will have on a weekly basis.  All three items (Reading Logs, Math Logs, and Spelling Packets) will be sent home on Friday afternoon and should be completed and returned the following Friday morning. 

Reading Logs - Unless otherwise noted, EACH NIGHT, your child is required to read for (at least) 15 minutes (M-TH) and 2 out of 3 nights on the weekend. Please record the title(s) of the book(s) and number of minutes read on the front of their "Reading Log" (found in the take home folder) and return the "Reading Log" to the take home folder.  READING LOGS SHOULD BE RETURNED TO SCHOOL EVERY FRIDAY with a parent signature and the number of minutes totaled.  I will send home a new reading log each Friday afternoon.  If we do not have school on Friday, please return logs on Thursday.

Math Logs - On the back of the reading log is a section to keep track of math practice completed throughout the week.  On Friday I will send home a packet of 4 timing sheets that are all the same.  This is the timing that your child will take the following Friday.  I encourage your child to use these at home to practice and prepare for their Friday timing.  I will not collect these practice sheets.  These timing sheets can be left at home.  The children will have a few weeks of addition and then a few weeks of subtraction.  We will continue to alternate addition and subtraction throughout the year.  I have sent home a baggie of flash cards with each child of addition and subtraction facts for them to keep and use at home as well.  On the math side of the reading/math log, please record the type of practice your child does each night, whether it be flash cards, a timing practice sheet, or another activity, as well as the minutes practiced.  I will send home new timing sheets on Friday after we have taken our Friday Timed Test.  Again, I will not collect these practice timings.  I will only collect the logs on Friday’s.

Spelling Packet - Spelling packets will be sent home on Friday’s so that your child can gain an early start practicing their words for the next week and completing assignments in the spelling packet.  I will collect these packets on Friday morning, prior to their weekly spelling test.

Assignment Alert
If an assignment is not turned in on time and no other arrangement has been made, the student will stay in for recess to complete an "Assignment Alert" form and any missing work.  The "Assignment Alert" is used to let you know what assignment(s) is/are missing.  It should be signed and returned to school the next day.  If for some reason your child cannot complete an assignment, and you are aware of this (i.e. felt sick, stayed at grandma's house too long), simply write me a note.  Then, your child will not have to fill out an assignment alert. 

Discipline
I use the stoplight system in my classroom.  Each day your child will start the day on the green light.  If your child follows our classroom and Palos East building wide rules, he/she will remain on the green light for that day.  If, however, he/she does not follow the rules on a given day, certain consequences will result.  After a friendly warning if your child needs to be reminded again he/she will lose one recess and move to the yellow light.  I will communicate this with you in the message box of your child’s assignment notebook.  Please make sure to sign the box so that I know you have been informed of your child’s behavior for that day.  If the behavior continues that day, I will move your child to a red light and make a phone call home to you after school.  The next morning your child will start the day on a fresh note and back on the green light.

Birthdays
If you would like to send a small treat to school with your child on his/her birthday you are welcome to do so.  We currently have 18 students in our class.  Please make sure that the treat is a healthy treat and falls within our school wellness policy.  I also ask that this item be individual sizes and nothing that needs to be cut or served.  In lieu of a treat another idea is to donate a book to our classroom in honor of your child’s birthday that we can read aloud that day. If your child has a summer birthday I will make arrangements with you to celebrate the last few weeks of school.

Snack
Due to the later lunch that we have this year we will be having a healthy working snack in the morning.  If you would like to participate, you may send a healthy snack to school with your child.  Please make sure that this snack isn’t sticky, drippy, or messy!  It should not require utensils and should be able to be opened independently by your child.  I appreciate your help in making this a healthy and working snack.

Specials
Please make sure that your child is prepared for each of our daily specials.  Students must have gym shoes on P.E. days and MUST return all library books on Library day.  Your child will not be able to check out library books if they don’t return their books and will fill out an assignment alert if they don’t have them.  Students will also have the opportunity to free flow one book daily throughout the week to use for their nightly reading.

Monday – Library 9:45-10:25; P.E. 11:05-11:05
Tuesday – P.E.  9:45-10:25
Wednesday – Art  9:45-10:25
Thursday – P.E. 9:45-10:25, Computers 11.:30-12:30
Friday - Music 9:45-10:25

Recess
Monday – 8:55-9:15 (extended AM recess)
Tuesday – 11:05-11:20Wednesday – 11:05-11:20, 2:00-2:10
Thursday – 11:05-11:20 on Library
Friday – 11:05-11:20, 2:00-2:10

If your child is feeling under the weather/overcoming an illness, and you wish for him/her to stay inside, you must write a note.  Otherwise, your child will be going outside (weather permitting).  PLEASE DRESS ACCORDINGLY!!!  If you wish for your child to stay in for more than one day, a doctor’s note is needed. 

Lunch
Daily:  12:30-1:10 (includes recess).  A hot lunch with milk can be purchased for $2.30.  Milk only is $0.30.  Salad Bar and cheese pizza are available every day.  Money for tokens should be turned in when needed in an envelope with your child's name on the front and labeled “lunch token money”.  

Book Orders
I will send home at least one book order each month.  Each order form will have a note attached that states the date the order is due.  Please send checks only!  Please make checks payable to "Scholastic Book Clubs.”  Each order that I send in gives our classroom bonus points.  These bonus points are used to purchase items for our classroom, such as books and tapes!  Thanks in advance for contributing to our classroom!

Car Riders/Transportation
If your child has a change in their after school schedule, please send a written note.  Without a note, your child will have to follow their normal schedule.  It is extremely hard for me to check their backpacks, so the best place to put these notes is in their red take home folder.  Students have learned where to put all important daily notes in the morning so that I can be sure to read them by 9:15.

Parent Volunteers 
There are three ways to volunteer in my classroom.  The first way is to come to school at a scheduled time to do activities with the children and/or help me with various jobs in the hallway.  In first grade volunteers were used in the classroom on a daily basis.  This year I will be working with the children to encourage them to work more independently, therefore, volunteers will be used mostly in the hallways unless special activities come up.  While working in the halls you may be asked to pull children out one-on-one or assist me with other work that I may need completed.  Please know that all help is greatly appreciated.  Although it may seem to be “busy work” at times, this only allows me more time spent focusing on the children.  The second way is to be an at home volunteer.  If you choose to be an at home volunteer, occasionally I will send small projects home with your child for you to complete.  Finally, you can also sign up to be a donation helper and as needed, send in small items for the children to use for projects and/or lessons.  Volunteers are very important in my classroom and greatly appreciated!  I will have a sign up sheet at Open House for volunteers.

CURRICULUM
The following will serve as an overview of the second grade curriculum that your child will be studying this year.  Second grade will be filled with many concept-based units.  These units will be integrated into our daily activities across the curriculum.

MATH - Our second grade mathematics program includes both arithmetic AND problem solving. The students will be exploring math concepts this year through a hands-on approach. They will focus on the following skills, strategies, and concepts using manipulatives:  

- Review of Addition and subtraction facts to 18
- Estimation and Place value to 1000
- Time and Money
- Graphing and probability
- Adding and subtracting two and three digit
  numbers with regrouping
- Measurement and fractions
- Geometry

Games and other fun activities will also be used to reinforce and enhance the understanding of the concepts being studied. Second graders also practice math facts daily working at their own pace. This is separate from the Math log timings and Friday timing.  The children will refer to this as A-Z math.  Daily in-class math fact practice will include a variety of facts through 18, and focus on addition.  Each child will receive an individual math goal geared toward his/her ability.  The one minute timings will come home periodically Monday - Thursday with the children.  Please look this over with your child.  THIS SHEET MAY STAY AT HOME so that your child can use the remaining portion to practice his/her math facts.    

SCIENCE - Our second grade program consists of two hands-on units:  

Nutrition/Health 
Rocks to Soil/Plants

We will also take a field trip to The Robert Crown Health Center.  There we will learn more about elements needed to be a healthy second grader including nutrition, cleanliness, and exercise.  In the spring, we will travel to Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook to learn more about the benefits of plants.

SOCIAL STUDIES - This year's concepts include global perspectives, cultural unity and diversity, and political and economic systems.  These concepts will be understood through the following topics:

*Historical Events and Individuals
*Government 
*North America and Our World
*Economics

LANGUAGE ARTS – Our language arts (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) program includes direct instruction to teach skills and strategies and oral and written response to literature.  Our newly adopted Harcourt Reading Program – Trophies links to the research recommendations of the National Reading Panel.  The major strands of the program include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension.  This program uses a variety of fiction and nonfiction literature to reach every student at his/her instructional reading level.  The reading program here contains a spiral of skills throughout the grade levels. 

Writing and Literature go hand in hand in second grade.  The students will become familiar with reading for information and taking notes. They will learn the steps of the writing process through writing paragraphs and creative writing.  They will write for a variety of audiences, and for a variety of purposes.

The Harcourt – Trophies Program also contains a spelling strand. Each week spelling word lists contain words that follow a particular spelling rule.  Also included are high frequency and review words.  Spelling words will be introduced and taught to the children using a variety of strategies.  After they are assessed, high frequency words are placed on our class word wall.  Correct spelling of these words is expected in the children’s daily writing.

Although the areas of the curriculum are separated above, it is important to mention that much of what we do in the classroom is integrated throughout our day to provide for meaningful experiences.

Please call me or email me with any questions or concerns at:
448-1084/671-2020
aramoley@palos118.org
Return to the Second Grade Page.
Return to the Palos East Page.

Last updated: October, 2007
Web page designed and maintained by: 
Deb Balayti and Marcy Basch

Written for:
Palos Community Consolidated School District 118