Welcome back!  I'm so happy to be teaching 2nd grade again.  I've taught 2nd grade before, and I've also taught 4th-7th grades.  I've been here at St. Lucy's School for 13 years as a teacher and 5 years as a student.  SLS is part of me & I consider this my family.

We've been back for over 3 weeks now.  I think we got off to a rough start, but I saw this changing this past week.  The students are getting back into their school groove.  This class is very chatty, but they are eager to learn.  They don't moan & groan like the older students do when it comes time to work.  They have lots of questions & love to tell me things about their lives.

I want to thank the parents who came out to the parent-teacher meeting on Thursday.  This was my most successful parent meetings!  The parents came in, sat down, quietly, and listened intently.  I was very happy.  I think we are going to have an awesome year together teaching the children 

It's almost June.  June means summer, the end of the school year and FINAL EXAMS!  Oh yes, final exams are coming!

Even though I will give out study guides and review sheets just like I did for the midterm exams, the students are responsible for studying and reviewing for their final exams.  Everything being tested is something we did in class already.

I warn the students that the final exams are TEN PERCENT of their overall subject averages.  Each quarter is 20%, the midterm & final exams are 10% each.  The students' midterm grades weren't what I was expecting from them, so I expect even more for their final exams.

Some of the students have been slacking off lately.  I know it's the end of the year and the weather is nice, but there are no excuses for not putting effort into their work.  The 4th quarter is the LAST quarter.  Their final exams are their LAST exams of the year.  This means that there are no more chances to bring up their grades after this.

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a restful Easter vacation.

This week, the students will take their New York State English Language Arts Exam.  It will begin Tuesday, April 14 and end on Thursday, April 16.  There are three components to the exam.  The students have been practicing all year with reading comprehension, multiple choice, and backing up their answers with evidence from the text.

Next week, the students will take the New York State Math Exam.  Again, we have been practicing all year with computation, decimals, and fractions.  The students need to be able to show & explain how they got their answers.  The exam will be given from Wednesday, April 22 to Friday, April 24.  There are three components to this exam as well.

Even though these tests will not dictate whether or not they will be retained or go to summer school, they are still very important.  Teachers use these scores to see if a child needs extra help with Title 1 and where the class is as a whole.  We use these scores for lesson planning and Ms. Pescador-Martinez will know where the students are in ELA & Math for next year.

I told the students to stay calm during the test & do their best.  That's all I can ask for.  I don't expect perfection, but I always expect effort.  Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest & eats a good breakfast with protein so they can perform their best.  They also need plenty of sharpened #2 pencils with erasers and a book to read after they have finished the exam.

On Friday, April 24, the students will receive their 3rd Quarter report cards.  That means we are entering the FOURTH QUARTER!  It's the very last quarter of the school year.  This is the last chance to bring up grades.  If a student fails a subject, he/she must go to summer school.  If a student fails more than one subject, he/she may be retained in the 5th grade.  Please make sure your child knows that this is their last chance!

There is 12:00 dismissal on that day so I can meet with the parents about their child.  I will send letters next week indicating the times that you can meet with me.  It's imperative that I meet with ALL the parents!  As I stated above, this is your child's last chance to bring up his/her grades.  I do not want anyone to be surprised at the end of the year.

Please remember that it's up to your child to put in the effort in order to pass the 5th grade.  He/She must take their education seriously.  Being lazy will only hurt them.  Slacking off is not tolerated in my classroom.  This gets them ready for their adult life, where they will need to put effort into their jobs & family life.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

During our math lessons yesterday and today, we have been working on changing improper fractions to mixed numbers.  In order to do this, you need to divide.  In order to divide, you have to know your times tables.  As I walked around the room, I noticed that the majority of the 5th graders DID NOT know how to divide.  This was because they DO NOT have their times tables memorized.

As a 5th grade teacher, this is very disappointing.  The students were told last June, September and were reminded in December to memorize their multiplication tables.  This was MANDATORY!  Multiplication and division are topics that were started in 3rd grade.  I expected that my 5th graders knew these math skills already.

Since most of the 5th graders need to practice their multiplication & division skills, the students will be getting extra math homework every night.  They will have to complete their regular homework on the day's lesson (fractions) and also complete a workbook page or worksheet to practice their multiplication or division skills.

Please know that the extra homework is MANDATORY, not optional!  ALL the students need to practice.  This is NOT a punishment.  This is to help the students.  If they do not have these skills down, they will fall further & further behind in math, especially as they progress into junior high and high school.

Please encourage your child to MEMORIZE their multiplication and division tables.  Thank you for your cooperation & support.

The students received their 2nd Quarter report cards today (Wednesday, February 11).  Please sign the report card & send it back to school.  I want to make sure that all parents see their child's grades.  I will send the report card back home once I see that you have signed it.

Out of 34 students, 24 are on Honor Roll.  I am very proud of them.  In my 12 years of teaching, 2nd Quarter is usually when I see a drop in grades.  The students do well the first quarter because they are in a new grade, then they get complacent and their grades drop slightly for the next quarter.  Then 3rd & 4th quarters are when we see a rise in grades again.  So to see my students' grade go UP instead of the usual down in 2nd Quarter makes me very happy & very proud.  I hope they continue the good work and continue to bring their grades up.

There is one disappointment though...the midterm exams.  I was not happy with the results of the students' midterm exam grades.  These grades were not averaged into the 2nd Quarter.  The midterm exams are 10% of their final averages in June.  I warned the students that they need to bring up their grades for the next two quarters and their final exams.

I sent a letter home for some parents to meet with me in regards to their child's academic progress.  Please send back the tear-off or email me to set up an appointment.  It's imperative that we meet.  The school year is halfway done and I want to ensure that your child brings up his/her grades.  Retention and summer school may be a possibility for some students.

If you did not receive your child's report card due to finances, please see Mrs. Gwin as soon as possible. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at [email protected].