Welcome to Ms. Hardins Second Grade!

Welcome to all second grade families and students!  I hope you had an exciting and relaxing summer break.  I also hope you are ready for an exciting and rewarding year in second grade.  Lots of learning and growing are headed your way, so get ready!

Homework Policy:

Second grade homework in our school consists mostly of reading aloud each night and studying math facts and spelling/HFW(high frequency words).  Consistent practice with these things is the only way for students to successfully master these challenging areas.  Therefore, even if it is not specifically listed, students should consider it homework each night (Mon. through Sat.) to Read and Study Math Facts and Spelling Words.  Spelling words will be listed in students agendas.  Math Facts and HFW’s can be found in the back of their reading log.  Some examples of ways to study could be making flashcards, writing words and facts, or practicing them aloud. A daily math or reading worksheet and writing assignment will be in the homework folder some nights as well.  Writing is also a big focus.  Students will be tested four times this year.  Results will be sent to other schools and reading specialist to be evaluated.  Students writing skill can only improve with practice, which is why second grade has decided to have students work on this area daily.  Writing assignments will be listed on a writing calendar found in the second grade notebook.  Students should complete all written homework in their writing journals.  Do not rip these pages out.  Writing will be checked weekly and graded using the writing rubric provided in the second grade notebook.  Skills practiced in weekly math and reading worksheets will be tested at the end of each week.  Sometimes, additional work will be sent home for practice if your child is struggling in any area.  Practice work given for homework will not be graded.  If you would like additional work for your child to do, please contact me and I can send home individual work.  Students should be able to complete all homework within an hour (including the 30 min reading time).  Failing to complete homework can result in clipping down or loss of privileges. Students can complete most work independently, but research has shown that parental involvement and assistance with homework promotes higher learning, so I encourage you to be as involved as possible in this area.   

Grading Policy:

Grades are based on the 7 point grading scale. A chart with this information is listed at the bottom.  Most grades will come from classroom testing.   Students are tested on the subject areas of Science, Social Studies, Reading and Math as we finish a unit.  In some areas , students will take pretests to assess students prior knowledge in a topic area.  These papers will be marked as a pretest and will not be graded.  Weekly spelling tests will be given on high frequency words and other second grade words.  In Science and Social Studies, many grades will come from Weekly Reader tests and participation in projects and experiments. Students will have a chance to earn extra credit in each subject area at several times throughout the year.  Any extra credit will be marked as such and sent home as homework or completed as classwork in their free time.  

In most cases, homework is graded for completion, but on occasion, it will be graded based on correctness.  Students will be notified when this occurs.  Practice work will never be graded, as it is meant to be for practice and increasing students knowledge in a certain area.  Thank you for working with me to make this year a successful year in second grade for your child.   If you have any questions about homework or grading procedures, please contact me through phone or a note sent with your child.  

Late Work/ Missing Work Policy:

Any classwork missed while a student is absent from school or out of the classroom for any reason is required to be made up.  Missed work will be collected on the students desk while they are out.  Students will have one week from the missed day to turn in completed work before they receive no credit for the missing work.  Any tests that are missed will be made up in class or no credit will be given.  No zeros will be given for missed tests.  If you know in advance that your child will be missing school, makeup up work can be sent home early when possible.  Some work may still have to be made up when the student returns.  Homework is due daily.  If students do not complete a graded homework/writing assignment, they may turn it in late for up to one week after its original due date for a loss of 10 points.  Any late work turned after that will receive no credit.  Notes about missed work will be sent home periodically if your child is consistently not turning in classwork or homework.  

Honesty Policy:

Copying someone else’s work and presenting it as your own is dishonest —whether your neighbor’s homework, a web page, or a book from the library.  Besides, putting answers in your own words helps you learn. Students who copy work will receive a “zero” on the assignment, as will any person who knowingly supplies the original work.

Restroom/Drink Policy:  

Frequent requests from students to use the restroom or get a drink can be very disruptive to a class. Often students miss important information or lose valuable work time. Students are expected to use non-instructional times or lunch to take care of these needs. Students may have a water bottle. Only in emergences will permission be granted to leave the classroom during teaching. If restroom visits become too frequent, a limit of 2 passes per quarter will be set unless the student brings a note from their parent or doctor explaining their need for more.