WELCOME TO 2ND GRADE
I am excited to begin my 10th year at Notre Dame Catholic School and am looking forward to teaching your children in 2nd grade. The following letter covers expectations for the upcoming year.
Curriculum
Our curriculum, developed by the Archdiocese of San Antonio, is an integration of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, National Curriculum Standards, and National Catholic Standards. We follow the Hunter Lesson Plan Cycle in teaching our lessons. We administer the Iowa standardized test in the fourth quarter to assess the mastery of the objectives for each grade level.
Morning Procedures
My classroom opens each morning at 7:40. Please do your best to have your children here by this time. They will have a morning warmup exercise to work on until we go to prayer and opening exercises at 7:50. If you arrive after 7:50, please take your child to the office to get a tardy slip before entering class. Early Bird is open in the gym at 7:30, but no supervision is available before then.
Classroom Behavior Plan
I follow the citizenship objectives found on the Notre Dame report card.
Expectations:
Participates in Liturgy
Practices self-discipline
Accepts responsibility
Respects authority
Respects others rights
Respects school and school property
Works and plays well with others
Follows dress code requirements
Shows effort
Listens attentively
Follows directions
Works independently
Makes good use of time
Completes homework assignments
Has work materials
Contributes to class discussions
My class rules are based around these expectations.
Consequences for not following rules:
1. Verbal warning
2. Conduct card marked, 5 min. of walking at next recess
3. Time away from others to think about appropriate behavior, 10 min. walking at recess
4. Notice to parents (through RenWeb), walk all recess 5. Visit principal, appropriate consequence to be determined by teacher and principal
*Extreme misbehavior may result in immediate removal from the classroom and visit with the principal.
*Please note: Absolutely NO bullyingor other forms of disrespect will be tolerated.
*I will encourage students to use our sacred space if they are having a difficult day. Prayer is our greatest tool.
Rewards:
The ultimate reward for good behavior is a classroom where students feel safe and have the opportunity to engage in various learning experiences. Examples of appropriate behavior will be recognized and reinforced.
Reading
I cannot stress enough the importance of reading. As part of their assigned homework, students will be assigned to read at least 20 minutes each night. This reading will be recorded on a reading log and initialed by a parent. Logs will be in your child’s take home folder and will be checked every Friday. This will begin the second week of school. In addition, students will also be required to take three AR tests per quarter on books at their reading levels. These will be three of their reading grades for each quarter.
Homework
Students will be assigned homework Monday-Thursday most weeks. In addition to the nightly reading mentioned above, Saxon Math has daily homework practice. Spelling lists, with a homework packet, will be sent home on Monday. Students are expected to study the list each night and turn in their homework packets by Friday. Vocabulary lists will also be sent home on Monday for study and will be tested on Friday. Weekly homework will be posted on our class webpage on the school website.
Daily Planners
Students will bring home a daily planner and folder, which will include homework assignments and any written communication. Please sign the planner each day to acknowledge receipt of materials and completion of homework. I will check these each morning.
In addition, conduct folders will go home on Fridays, along with graded work and any notes from the school office. Please sign your child’s conduct card and return the folder each Friday.
Religion
Second grade marks a major milestone in religious development as this is the age that Catholics prepare to receive First Communion. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Spino as our Religion teacher again this year. I will support Mrs. Spino as she guides your children in preparation for this momentous event.
I appreciate the opportunity to teach your child this year. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. I pray that this will be a wonderful year for all second graders.
God Bless,

Denise Martin