Second Grade September Newsletter
Dear Families,
Welcome Back! Our theme for the year is Celebrations. We will be celebrating new friendships and the joy of learning this year. We are certainly looking forward to working with you and your children over the course of this year.
The following is an overview of our general operating procedures. We thought it might be helpful to have all this information condensed into one newsletter that you can keep and refer to all year.
Buses: Children who ride the school bus should have their home address, bus number (both AM and PM) and bus stop information inside their backpacks for easy reference. We will be escorting all the children to the buses during the first week of school so they can get accustomed to where their buses are located. Questions regarding busing should go to the Capitol Hill office at 651-325-2500.
Attendance: School begins promptly at 8:05 AM. If you drive your child to school, please drop them off between 7:45 and 7:55. This will give them enough time to unpack their backpacks, eat breakfast, and get organized before attendance is taken and announcements are made. If your child arrives at the classroom after 8:05, she/he will be sent to the office for a tardy slip.
If your child is ill and will be staying home, please call the school and report the absence. Please send a note when your child returns explaining the reason for the absence. If you know in advance that your child will be missing school for a religious holiday, family trip or other reason, please send a note in advance. There is also a form in the opening week folder for travel requests.
Medications: Medications may not be given at school unless they are accompanied by a prescription and doctor’s note. The medications should go directly to the school nurse. Any questions about medications at school can be directed to the school nurse at 651-325-2784.
Lunch Money: Our food service works on a computerized credit system. Your child has been given a PIN to enter whenever he/she purchases food at school. Please send cash or a check in a sealed envelope with your child’s first and last name, teacher’s name and PIN written on the outside of the envelope. It’s also helpful to write your child’s PIN on the memo line of the check. Lunch money must be sent to the office by 8:10 in the morning. Students may no longer pay in the cafeteria. Prices for this year can be found in the school handbook.
Take Home Folder: Every child needs to have a designated Take Home Folder with his/her name clearly printed on it. We have provided the first (and hopefully the only) folder. This folder should travel with your child to and from school every day. It helps to build a daily routine for checking the folder each day so you can receive school information and any homework you child may have. Each teacher also has a designated spot in her classroom where homework and notes should go. We expect (and will provide reminders at the beginning of the year) that each child checks their folder in the morning and turn in any important papers.
Newsletters: Every month the 2nd grade teachers publish a newsletter to keep families up to date on what’s “Hop”ening in 2nd grade. We often include highlights and important dates to mark on your calendar. We will send home a hard copy of the newsletter and you can always find one on the front page of the 2nd grade website. We encourage all families to make it a habit to check the website regularly for fun photos and lots of information.
Book Orders: About once a month a book order form will come home with your child. Buying books or software is completely optional. If you decide to order, please fill out the form and enclose a check made out to the book company (usually Scholastic). If the order is a gift, include a note and we will contact you when the order arrives rather than giving it directly to your child. Once the order is sent in by the teacher, it takes 2 – 3 weeks for the books to arrive at school.
Current Events: Each month students are required to find an interesting and appropriate news or magazine article to summarize and present orally to the class. Classmates often have questions about the articles so practice answering the 5 W questions at home. (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How). The forms for current events will be sent home at the beginning of the month.
Contacting the Teachers: If you would like to speak to any of the 2nd grade teachers, call the office between 7:30 and 7:45 AM or between 2:45 and 3:15 PM. If we are not available, we will return your call at our earliest convenience. You may also email the teachers and written notes are always welcome. Links to our email addresses are on the website www.capitalhill.spps.org just go to elementary classrooms and then to the 2nd grade page.
Opening Week Packet: There is A LOT of information coming home the first week of school. Please read through the rules and responsibilities, the bus information, PTO and Site Council information and then fill out all the forms enclosed. We must have these forms back by the end of the first week of school (sooner if possible – especially the emergency form). Forms we need returned are:
1. Emergency Form 2. Type 1 Field Trip Form
3. Media Permission Form 4. Internet Use Form
5. Any other PTO or school forms included in the folder.
Thank you and Have a ‘Toad’ally Un’Frog’ettable year.
Mrs. Young, Mrs. Waskosky, Mrs. de Sam Lazaro and Mrs. Blumer
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