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Take a few minutes to check out what you can do--read an article, share an article by e-mailing it, or save to a folder.  You will also see other educational sites which link from the newspaper page.  Enjoy!

(The link is saved above on Link #14.)

Correction to one homework item:  The Language Arts assignment should be page 64, not 164.  Since homework is not due until Thursday, students will write a correction in their agenda on Monday and the assignment will still be due on Thursday.

Thanks for sending me notes about early check-outs, reasons for absences, and changes in after-school pickup!  We realize that last-minutes changes are necessary at times and our secretary and clerk are willing to relay emergency messages--so don't hesitate to call when you need to.

Remember to keep your information current:  Please send changes of address, phone numbers, people who can pick up your child, etc.  We want to be able to contact you, and we certainly want to release children to everyone you trust with that responsibility (and no one else!).

I know the new grading system is a matter of adjustment for all of us.  I think the greatest advantage to this new approach is that specific skills are measured.  You might have noticed that on a recent assignment in which children had to write sentences, two specific skills were assessed:

1) mechanics:  Did you child begin each sentence with a capital and use an appropriate ending mark.

2) grammar:  Did subjects and verbs agree?

Some students received 3 (met the standard) because they remembered the basic mechanics and 1(did not meet the standard) because they wrote sentences such as "The boys wants to play."  You will notice that I list the standard being addressed for each numerical assessment.

I am finding the change a challenge--simply because it's a change, but I AM excited that a child will be assessed in such a way that a B or C average will not obscure excellence in some areas and poor performance in others.  Recognizing the specific skills will help us teachers provide needs-based instruction.  We won't waste time on standards that everyone has mastered, and we will focus on areas of need--whether those are standards specifically included in the second grade curriculum or gaps in areas that should have been mastered previously.  (Sometimes this is simply a matter of students moving from another school system in which the order of instruction is different.)  This new system will also give you a very complete overview of your child's progress in all areas of instruction. 

Again, please remember that we are one of 17 school piloting the new report cards.  (And not all of them are piloting K-2 as DCE is.)  We are the "pioneers" in Muscogee County, so please feel free to respond to the new system.  We will have opportunities to offer feedback, and I would appreciate input from parents and other caring adults. 

Ah--here we go:  Second grade is going ahead full-steam!  I hope to schedule parent conferences (with anyone who has not had one) within the next two weeks.  I will send home a note with a pre-arranged time.  If that time is not convenient for you, simply respond with "can't attend" and provide the most convenient days and times for you.  I can generally meet as early as 8:00 a.m. and as late as 5:40.  I try to avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.  8~)

The following post will be deleted when I post the next message:

This note is being sent home with every student AND posted on my School Notes page. 

To access School Notes, go to schoolnotes.com and type in 31904. Choose “DCE” and click on my name.

1. Meet and Greet is Monday, August 18, from 6:00 to 7:00. Meet in the cafeteria and dismiss to the classroom.
2. We are starting our traditional 2^nd grade curriculum full-force this week after a week of routines and reviews.
3. Remember that students must be in the classroom by 8:45 to be counted on time. It is especially critical to be on time Thursday morning—since art starts at 8:50!
4. If your child is absent, please send notes on a full-sized piece of paper. We must submit excuses to the office—so writing it in the agenda just won’t do!
5. Please do not write notes in the agenda—we maintain a file of parent correspondence. You will notice that the only notes I write are “See note in back.” If you place a note in the back pocket of the agenda, your child will give that to me in the morning. (I  ALWAYS remind them to check!)
6. If you put lunch money in an envelope, please put your child’s first and last name on it. I have envelopes for those who do not bring one.
7. If you know in advance that you are going to check your child out, I can have him packed and ready to go when the office calls. If you don’t, it generally takes at least 5 minutes for us to gather everything that needs to go home. (longer if the class is at art, music, media, or on the playground)

9.  Please empty your child’s blue Home-School Connection every night. If you are unable to look at the contents, designate a specific place at home where your child can place those important papers.
10. Papers are sent home every Wednesday, beginning August 27. Please sign and date the space on the cover sheet. Limit comments to one line, and put any correspondence into the Home—School Connection. (I don’t check these folders for anything except comments on the cover.) Keep these papers at home.
11. Homework is sent home every Friday and is due on Thursday at 8:45. When we had A,B,C, and F report cards, points were deducted for late homework. Late homework may be checked at a later time than work submitted on time.
12. If there are any changes on #9 or #10, you child will write a note in the agenda. Please check the agenda every night and initial in the small box on the left side of the right page. (same side as the spelling words)
13. This week’s tests will be marked—but not weighed as heavily as future tests. We will be learning test-taking practices for second grade.
14. *Oops! No #8! Yes, I DO make mistakes. Please send me a note when you find one! 
15. PLEASE SEND CHANGES FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PICKUP IN WRITING.
16. I would appreciate the opportunity to speak to you about any matter of concern before you go to the principal, but Mrs. Shaw-Powell and Mrs. Moore have an open-door policy. Most “issues” are simple misunderstandings.
17. I appreciate your confidence in me as I seek to teach each child as much as he can possibly learn this year. It’s going to be a great year!

Patricia Montarella    Monday, August 18, 2008