Mrs. Wachsmann's Second Grade Class
2008-2009
Conference time: 10:35 to 11:25
Phone: 512-434-5300
E-mail: Heather.Wachsmann@leanderisd.org


Schedule:
7:45-8:15 Warm-up
8:15-9:45 Math
9:45-10:35 Language Arts
10:35-11:25 Specials
11:25-11:55 Language Arts
11:55-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:05 Recess
1:05-1:35 Language Arts
1:40-2:30 Science or Social Studies
2:40 Dismissal

Discipline:
Each student has an initialed magnet on a colored pie pan in our classroom. Our target behavior every day is green. Green means your child had a good day! If the student exhibits exemplary behavior they will be able to move their magnet to purple! After one infraction, a student will be warned. If they continue the undesired behavior they will be asked to move their magnet to yellow and they will sit out five minutes of recess. If the student again chooses to not follow our classroom agreement the student’s magnet will be moved to blue and miss ten minutes of recess. If the child is continuing the undesired behavior they will be moved to red, with a phone call home and/or an office visit. Students have the opportunity to earn their way back to green. The student is responsible for writing the infraction that occurs in the conduct folder. I may also elaborate on the event that occurred. The folder will be brought home daily and requires an adult signature or initial.

Homework:
Homework is given to students to help them prepare for the third grade. It reinforces the basic skills learned in second grade and helps students become responsible. Please stress the importance of homework to your child and encourage them to complete it each week. Homework folders will be sent home on Monday and returned on Friday morning. Each day there will be approximately 30 minutes of homework. The work should be completed independently with minimal assistance. Students will graph their homework weekly at school. After a certain amount of weeks of completed homework students will be rewarded with a homework club. Some activities may include computer time, drawing, games, or extra recess time.
*Homework help center is open from 7:25-7:45 if extra help is needed.

*Any unfinished school work for the week might be sent home and needs to be returned the following Monday!

Grading:
Look for graded assignments in your Wednesday folders. Assignments will be graded with either a check mark, for completion, or a grade that will go in the grade book. If for any reason a student scores below a 70, the assignment will be sent home to correct for a maximum grade of 70. There will be a small note attached (sometimes stamped) for you to sign. Please review the skills with your child, assist with corrections, and return it to school the following Monday. Student’s grades include daily work, tests, spelling tests, and projects. Students might receive 5-10 points off an assignment due to no name, or extremely late work. A student will be given as many days as he/she was absent to make up assignments. We send home progress reports (in the middle of the 9 week period) and report cards (every 9 weeks) to communicate with parents about their child’s progress. Students will bring them home in Wednesday folders, please sign them and return them the next day! You can access your child’s grades online using GradeSpeed. https://gradespeed.leanderisd.org/gs/ Please contact the registrar for your GradeSpeed password. There will be at least one scheduled parent conference per year to discuss children’s strengths and weaknesses. Feel free to contact your child’s teacher, as needed for additional conferences or concerns.

Wildcat of the week:
When your child becomes Wildcat of the week they will need to fill out a “Star of the Week” form, a questionnaire about how you came up with their name, and a picture of themselves. The student will share their info on Friday and you are welcome to join your Wildcat for lunch to celebrate their accomplishment.

I am here to encourage your child to become a lifelong learner. In second grade we have many fun learning opportunities throughout the year. Please encourage your child to ask questions, come see me if they need help, and to be enthusiastic about learning this year. I look forward to a wonderful year working with your child! Feel free to email me about anything, as it is one of the quickest ways to get in touch with me!


Let’s have a great year,

Heather Wachsmann
Heather.Wachsmann@leanderisd.org