Mrs. Flores’ 2nd Grade Handbook

Students, parents, staff and the community share responsibility for providing and maintaining an environment for learning and achievement.

In order to have a quality learning environment, I have developed the following classroom expectations and routines:

Entering Class: Studentsneed toput their backpacksin the next free cubbie, put their green folder in the tub, and beginbreakfast. These minutes are important! Please have your child here on time.Your child should arrive at school at 8:30 to allow time for using the restroom, getting unpacked, and eating his/her free breakfast in the classroom. If your child will not be eating breakfast at school, please have him/her arrive by 8:35. School begins at 8:45 and your child will be considered tardy if he/she arrives after 8:45am.

Green Folders: A green folder will be given to each student on the first day of school. This folder is expected to last the whole year, so please take good care of it. Parents please check your child’s green folder every night and clean out his/her backpack. This is a communication tool for parents and teachers so if you have any notes for me, please send them in this green folder.

Homework: Homework is an important part of the learning process and educational growth. The first two weeks of school, we will be working on classroom procedures, building community, discipline rules, and pre-assessments. During these two weeks your child should be reading at home every night for 20 minutes, but nothing will be required to be turned in.After the first two weeks, I will be assigning homework packets. The homework will consist of reading and mathpages which should be completed in addition to reading for 20 minutes each night. The homework packet will go home on Friday, and it will be due the following Friday. Each student is responsible to do his/her own writing. Please do not allow any family member to write the answers for them. Please make sure your child finishes and returns his/her homework every Friday. Students that have not turned in a completed homework packet will be expected to stay in from lunch recess for one day. If your child is not able to complete the packet for any reason , please just write me a note directly on the homework packet or contact me another way and your child will be excused (and will be allowed to go to recess). It is not my intention for homework to be a burden for your family, so please communicate with me about any struggles. Your child can also get homework help from me during breakfast every day if they are confused about any of the pages.

Library: Students will go to the library about once a week for story-telling and checking out books (2 per student). Library books should be returned or renewedwithin two weeks of being checked out. Your child will also have the opportunity to go to the library during lunch recess if he/she gets a pass from the teacher first.

Bathroom: Students need to follow the restroom procedures. Students will be permitted to use thebathroom during class one at a time if necessary, but theywill be expected to use the restroom before school or during recess. We will take a whole class bathroom break after lunch each day as well.If there is a medical condition that I need to be aware of, please let me know.

Drinks/Water: There is not a water fountain in our classroom, so it is important that your child bring a water bottle to school. It is very important that your child not be leaving the classroom any more than is necessary, but your child also needs to stay hydrated. Therefore, please send your child with one water bottle each day with his/her name on it. If your child has a water bottle in the room, he/she will be permitted to use it throughout the day. Your child is also welcome to leave the water bottle in the classroom and can refill it before school each day.

Birthdays: It is the policy of Esperanza that students are only permitted to bring items from the Safe Snack Guide or Nut Free List (a cheat sheet from the Safe Snack Guide posted on the Esperanza website) if he/she wishes to bring a food item to share for his/her birthday due to food allergies. Cupcakes and sheet cakes are not permitted. Links to the Safe Snack Guide and the “Nut Free List are on the Esperanza website and on my personal website. No balloons are permitted because they contain latex and we are a latex free school. In the interest of promoting student’s health, we encourage students to bring a non-food item to share for birthdays if you wish to bring something. Some non-food examples are party favors (marble mazes, small toys, etc.), pencils, erasers, or other small items. You are not required to bring anything to celebrate your child’s birthday, but if you choose to, please make sure that you notify the teacher ahead of time and bring enough for every child.

Morning Procedures:Our school begins free breakfast in the classroom at 8:30 a.m.In order to provide your child with the safest environment we ask that when any student arrives between 8:30 and 8:45 that he/she get a drink, use the restroom and go to his/her classroom.Students are not permitted to be wandering outside the classroom doors.No students should be on campus prior to 8:30 as there is no supervision.At 8:45 the bell will ring indicating that classes are beginning and students should be in their classrooms. Any student arriving to the classroom after 8:45 will be marked as tardy and will need a pass from the office.

Dismissal Procedures: Dismissal time is 3:30 p.m. on regular school days and 12:05 p.m. on Early Release days (usually one Friday each month). For the benefit of your child, please communicate how your child is getting home with his/her teacher so that she can assist your child if there is any confusion. Dismissal procedures vary based on your indicated preference for your child. In order to help all Esperanza teachers serve our students, we have incorporated a tape/coding system to help students know where to go. Students riding the bus will have a piece of green tape on his/her backpack with the bus number. All other students will have a piece of gray tape indicating that they will be exiting through the front of the school. Here are some general guidelines for dismissal procedures:

  • Walkers- Students walking home must exit the school through the front gate near the cafeteria and proceed to the crosswalk. Students are not permitted to exit campus by the side parking lot, as this is only for students who ride the bus. Students are expected to use the crosswalk and obey all instructions from the crossing guard.
  • Daycare Pick-Up- All students who ride daycare vans should go to the front of the school with the students who are being picked up in a vehicle. Once they have arrived at the front of the school, students should stand in line behind the orange cone labeled “Daycare”. When the daycare van arrives the teacher on duty will allow the students to load the van.
  • Car Pick-Up Student Info- All students being picked up in a vehicle will be expected to walk to the front of the school, near the office. When students arrive at the front of the school they will stand behind an orange cone that is marked with their grade level. Students waiting behind the cones will be expected to watch for their vehicle and have all of their belongings together.
  • Car Pick-Up Parent Info- If you are picking up your child in a vehicle please follow the signs and parking lot striping directions. The red lane is intended to be a loading zone. Please do not park your vehicle in the red lane near the curb. This lane is for Car Pick-Up parents only. When your vehicle pulls all the way forward (all the way to the exit gate), then your child will be permitted to come over while you remain in your vehicle. You may be asked to pull forward while waiting for your child to come to your vehicle to allow parents in line behind you to pick up their children in a timely fashion. Please note that students will not be permitted to get into any vehicle that is not in the red loading zone lane (vehicles stopped in the travel/thru lane or anywhere else). If you attempt to pick up a student in a different location you will be asked to get in the Car Pick-Up line. If you wish to park and come pick up your child, he/she will be in the same location. We simply ask that you use the crosswalks when exiting the school with your child.
  • Bus Pick-Up-Students who ride the bus will exit the school through the side gate and be asked to wait with a teacher until their bus arrives. When the bus arrives and is ready for loading a teacher will then tell the students to remain in the line and file onto the bus safely.

Approximately 15 minutes after dismissal time ALL students on campus will be sent to the front office to wait with the office staff for pick-up.

Playing Items: Students are not allowed to bring toys or other valuable items to school. I have a “May Box” where I will put these items if a child is playing with them in class. Items in the “May Box” will be returned the last day of school or a parent can come to pick them up at any time. If the items get lost the teacher is not responsible.

Supplies:Donations of supplies are greatly appreciated, especially items such as Ziploc bags and Clorox/Lysol wipes which are not provided by the school. Please see the attached supplies list.

Latex Free:Due to several students with severe allergies to latex, we are a latex free school. Please keep this in mind when purchasing items such as pencil erasers (pencil top and bar erasers). Other common items that are made with latex or certain types of band-aids, balloons, rubberbands, and rubber gloves.

Behavior:

Esperanza School Expectations:

Students are expected to be safe, respectful and responsible in all areas of the school.

2nd Grade: Clip Up, Clip Down

All second graders will be participating in the Clip Up, Clip Down program within their classrooms. All students are given a clothespin and start each day on the color Green which is labeled Ready to Learn. As the day progress students make choices that will have them move their clips up or down along the chart. If students are making positive choices then they will be allowed to move their clip up the chart. However, if students are making negative choices that are unsafe, disrespectful, or irresponsible then they will be asked to move their clip down the chart. Students can move up and down the chart as the day progresses, so students may have a rough morning and be lower on the chart, but make better choices in the afternoon and have the chance to end the day on a higher level.

This is the progression and color coordination of the chart in my classroom.

Pink-Outstanding!

Purple-Great Example

Blue-Good Choices

Green-Ready to Learn (This is where all students start out every day)

Yellow-Think About It

Orange-Teacher Consequence

Red-Parent Contact

Pink, Purple, and Blue are all indications that your child went above and beyond what was expected that day. He/She may have been helpful, kind, or simply followed the expectations throughout the day.

Green is where every child begins each day. If your child ends on green they had an overall good day and were likely able to maintain good choices throughout the day.

Yellow indicates that your child received a few warnings today and chose to clip down. The day could have gone better, but it wasn’t too bad.

Orange indicates that your child had a bit of a rough day. I recommend discussing the choices that your child made that day that resulted in earning this color.

Red indicates that your child had a very rough day and you will be contacted either by a note (paper or email, depending on your indicated preference) or a phone call explaining what happened that day with your child.

Each day the color that your child ended the day with will be recorded on the behavior calendar in the front pocket of his/her green folder. The horizontal calendar on the back is the school-wide calendar of events for your reference.

School Wide Intervention Levels

Esperanza has adopted a new behavior system of levels this year that runs on a weekly tracking system. The correlation between Clip Up, Clip Down and the Intervention levels is listed here. There is also a shorter version listed on your child’s behavior calendar for quick reference.

Every Monday starts a new cycle of tracking for your child so this is the progression for one week. The number of orange or red days is reset to zero every Monday.

Within one week:

1 Orange or Red=Intervention 1-Reteach & Log

This means that your child will be “retaught” the correct behavior(s) and I will make a log of the choices that your child made that resulted in that color for the day. The reteach is simply a conversation with the child about what choices might be better if the circumstances arise again. (Example: The next time that you want to say something during class, what should you do? “I should raise my hand and wait until I’m called on.”)

2 Orange or Red=Intervention 2-Reteach, Log, & Note Home

This step is the same as the previous one except you will be receiving an informal note home with your child explaining what your child’s choices were for the day. This is to ensure that you are aware of your child’s choices so the note will need to be signed and returned the following day.

3 Orange or Red=Intervention 3-Reteach, Log, Written Reflection & Call to Parent-This step indicates that your child has had at least 3 “rough” days within one week so your child will be calling you to explain the choices that he/she has made and to let you know that his/her folder will be marked with that color for the day. Your child will also be letting you know that if he/she earns another orange or red that week, they will be choosing a morning reflection time.

4 Orange or Red= Intervention 4-Reteach, Log, Call to Parent, & Morning Reflection Assignment

This step is similar to the previous one, but this time I will be calling to speak with you directly. Your child will also be assigned a Morning Reflection time. Morning Reflections are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:45-8:30 and you are expected to bring your child on his/her assigned Morning Reflection day. We will discuss this during the phone call to make sure that you are able to get your child here on the assigned day. Details about the Morning Reflections were sent in the white Esperanza folderat Meet the Teacher or on the 1st Day of School including consequences for not attending on the assigned day.

5 Orange or Red= Intervention 5-Office Referral-

If your child has gotten to this level, he/she has either had a rough day every day that week or has committed a major infraction such as assault, bullying, blatant defiance, use of profanity, vandalism, possession or drugs or weapons, or theft. The principal will contact you regarding the circumstances leading up to it the office referral and the consequences.

Website:My website can be accessed by going through the Esperanza website (esperanza.dvusd.org), then finding my name (Stephanie Flores) in the directory.

Lunch/Recess time is 11:45 to 12:30 on regular school days.

Special Areas are 2:00-2:45 daily.

Monday:Art

Tuesday: Band

Wednesday: P.E.

Thursday: Music

Friday: Art

Thank you for your support.

If you have questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Stephanie Flores

623-445-3742

Mrs. Flores’ Second Grade

Requested School Supplies

  • 12 #2 Pencils (no mechanical pencils please)
  • Pencil Box (not pencil pouch)
  • Box of 24 Crayons
  • 5 Glue Sticks
  • 2 Large School Erasers (must be latex free)
  • Pencil-Top Erasers (must be latex free)
  • Student Scissors
  • Dry Erase Markers
  • 1 Composition Notebook
  • 1 Plain Pocket Folder-purple please
  • Yellow Highlighters
  • 1 Backpack (NO WHEELS)
  • Kleenex boxes
  • Disinfecting Wipes (i.e. Clorox, Lysol wipes)
  • Gallon or SandwichZiploc Storage Bags

Note: Individual supplies such as pencils, erasers, and glue sticks will be used by your child and will be kept in his/her desk. However, extras will be collected for use later in the school year, so that there is no need to purchase these supplies again this year (i.e. 4/5 glue sticks will be stored until the first one runs out and needs to be replaced).