Brie Cagle
bcagle@iss.k12.nc.us

Samantha Harris
samantha_harris@iss.k12.nc.us

Tonya Ledford
tledford@iss.k12.nc.us

Tips to Help Your Child be Successful in School

• Ask your child about his/her school day. Instead of asking, "What did you do at school today?"  The answer is often, "nothing!"....say, " I see you're learning about _______________, tell me about what you know."  You can use the newsletters and classwork sent home ot help you know what's going on in our class.
• Take 10- 20 minutes everyday to listen to your child. Allow him/her to tell you about any problems, funny stories, and anything else that interests them.
• Create a smooth departure each day before school. Give your child a hug and tell him/her how proud you are of them.
• Every once in a while sneak a "love note" in your child's snack bag or lunchbox. Tell your child how much you love him/her.
• Family Meeting: Try having one night a week to be set aside for family meetings. This is a time for a family to have open and honest communication with one another. This is a not a time to punish or discipline, just an opportunity to listen to your child/ren's feelings and concerns. This is a way families can increase its positive relationships and grow together. (We also have class meetings at school as well).
• Be a partner with your child's teacher.
• Have your child be responsible for his/her homework, bookbag, snack, lunchbox...etc.
• Make sure your child packs a water bottle and snack every day for school.
• Eat dinner as a family at the dinner table.
• Instead of watching a lot of television, play a family board game.
• Click here for homework tips.
• Make sure your child gets plenty of rest each night. Setting and keeping a bedtime will help your child do better in school.
• Have your child eat a healthy breakfast every morning.

Reading Ideas

• Read with your child. If your child struggles with reading, he/she should read aloud to you most days. If your child is a strong reader, have your child read aloud to you once a week. Listen for common missed words, fluency, and expression. Remember to ask questions to see if he/she is comprehending what is being read.
• Have your child/children get library card(s). It's free and easy! This will encourage you and your child to visit the library more often!
• Subscribe to a children's magazine.
• Read a bed-time story to your child most nights. You could start a chapter book and read 1 or 2 chapters each night. Not only does this give you and your child "special time," but it will also help him/her to become a stronger reader.
• Start a "Family Reading Time." Have several days each month for a "Family Reading Time."  This is a time where the whole family reads for 15-30 minutes. It is essential for children to see their parents read. They need to see that Mom and Dad believes that reading is important too.
• Work on "Lightning" words (these are words your child should know as fast as lightning!) Click on the links below to find the words most often used in reading and writing. The first 3 levels of the Fry list represent about two-thirds of all the words students encounter in their reading. Students should be able to recognize these words instantly and accurately (i.e., become part of their sight vocabularies) in order to read with fluency. Each level has a higher level of difficulty. Print out one list at a time to see if your child can read the words as fast as lightning! Once they can, go up a level. Really brag on your child each time! By the end of second grade students should know at least the first 4 levels.
• Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F
• "Booknic"-- Go on a picnic and bring books to the park for a relaxing reading day!
• "Extended Bedtime"-- Give your child the option of going to bed and turning out the lights, or going to bed and reading 15 minutes. The strategy here is that children are excited about staying up later and they think they are "getting away" with something, and they are! They're reading!

Math Ideas

• Practice addition/subtraction facts and strategies such as doubles (3+3, 4+4), doubles plus one (3+4, 4+5), adding ten (10+2= 12, 10+ 6=16...)
• Click: Fun Easy Math Games to Play at Home
• Have your child count out money to a cashier when buying an item. It might take a little longer, but it's worth it.
• Use food to review math skills. For example, divide a pizza into eighths (fractions), group M&M's into pairs to see if a number is even or odd, subtract and add using macaroni...etc.  
• Play games and solve puzzles. Play games that involve counting, such as those with spinners, dice, or cards. Puzzles, especially shape puzzles, build problem-solving skills, shape recognition, and spatial concepts.
• Set up a play store. As your child pretends to buy and sell groceries, toys, and so forth, he learns about counting, arithmetic, problem solving, and simple money concepts.
• Have your child check out math picture books from the library.  There are a lot of fun math picture books in the library.  These books are about all different types of math (fractions, adding, money, odd/even numbers, shapes, time...).  This often helps kids to review a math concept.  For students who don't like math, this can help to make it fun!
• Practice Adding a Different Way: When teaching children how to add 26 plus 32, show how they can break the 26 into 20 plus 6, and the 32 into 30 plus 2. Then they can add the tens together, to get 50, and the ones to get 8, to come up with the correct answer of 58. Not only can children do such calculations more easily in their heads, but breaking the numbers up in a different way helps them understand the value of the numbers — that the 2 in 26 and the 3 in 32 aren’t really 2 and 3 at all, but 20 and 30.

Talking with Your Child

• Are you looking for more than one-word answers from your child/ren about their school day? Below are some ways to find out what's really going on with your kid(s).
  • Share some of your day.
• Model for your child what a good conversation sounds like. "One thing that I liked today was_____." "This activity was hard, but I did it anyway_____." Once you share, then ask your child about their day.
  • Ask specific questions. Such as:
• What did you do in math today?
• Who did you play with on the playground?
• What was your favorite activity today?
• Tell me something that you learned.
  • Practice conversation skills.
• As you and your child are talking with one another, practice showing eye contact, a warm greeting, taking turns speaking, and proper body language. This is an important social skill to help children develop.
  • Let your child unwind.
• Think about your own after-work needs. Just like you, kids need time to wind-down after school. Try not to jump right in with questions about school the moment your kids are dismissed. Give your child time to get home, unwind, and sit with a snack. You might even want to wait until dinner.
  • Play a Conversation Game.
• Children at this age have rich imaginations and love stories.  Try turning school conversations into stories.  Begin by saying, "Today, I went to school and sat down right next to ___________."  Let your child fill in the blank.  "In math we learned about _________.  My favorite activity was ____________.  Continue until you get to the end of the day, or until you're satisfied that you've heard more than your child would normally volunteer.
  • Start a "Names I Know" list.
• Have your child start a list called "Names I Know" or "My Class."  Keep it on the refrigerator.  Ask specific questions about the kids on the list.  Keeping an on-going list serves as a memory jogger for your child and a conversation starter for you.
  • Get the facts straight.
• From time to time you might hear information that may concern you about your child's day at school.  Don't ponder the details-- ask the teacher!  It could be that you and your child's teacher is using different terminology, and your child is confused by your questions.  On the other hand, if your child complains about being teased or picked on, or repeats a complaint with regularity, there may be a problem.  Asking the teacher is the best way to find out.

~ Brought to you by the American School Counselor Association.

Other Online Tips

• Homework Tips for Parents
• The Homework Battle!
• Ways to Help Your Child Earn A's!
• The Right Ways for Parents to Help with Homework
• How to Ace Spelling Tests!
• All About Second Graders
• Improve Reading Skills
• Stop Schoolwork Troubles
• Top Ways to get your Child to Read
• Reading Tips for Parents
• Motivate Your Child at Home and School

 

About the above links: You are being directed to an outside site.
Neither this school nor Iredell-Statesville Schools are responsible for the content of the site you are about to visit.

FAQs

When does school begin and end? 
The tardy bell rings at 7:30.  This means that students are to be in their classrooms by this time.  School dismisses at 2:20.  If students have an appointment, they must either be picked up after 11:00 or come to school before 11:00 to be counted present. 

Can I help out in class? 
Yes!  We would love to have your help!  Due to recent budget cuts, we only have one assistant for all of 2nd and 3rd grade!  There are lots of ways that you can volunteer depending on what you enjoying doing.  You can even help out from home!  Click here for a list of ways that you can volunteer.  Please e-mail me if you are interested in volunteering. 

What will my child be learning this year? 
Here's a complete list of what we'll be learning this year:  Second Grade Curriculum.  Here is a parent guide created by ISS.

What's the best way to contact you if I have a question? 
The best way to reach teachers is by email. Email is usually checked several times each day. You may also write a note in your child's home folder or call the school at 704-662-8261.

How do I know what's going on in class?
There are lots of ways that you can be informed about your child's second grade year. 

• Ask your child (This sounds simple, but sometimes we forget to ask!)
• Volunteer
• Read the weekly newsletter on our class website
• Look at your child's classwork and tests
• Bookmark our class website and visit it often (it's updated at least once a week)
• E-mail the teacher with any questions or concerns.

What does my child have for homework?
Students will have spelling and math most weeks.  Both are due on Friday each week.  Students are also expected to read at least 5 days a week for at least 20 minutes each day. 

Did you know?  If your child reads for 20 minutes a night, 5 nights a week this school year, they will have read 3,600 minutes over the course of the school year!  Students that read for only 4 minutes a night, 5 nights a week will have read for only 720 minutes over the school year.  Research proves that students who read at home do better in school than students who read just a little or not at all.  Reading is important!  Please don't skip it!

(Click here for the full article about nightly reading)

How will my child be graded? 
Report Card Standards:  S= Satisfactory, N= Needs Improvement, U= Unsatisfactory
For 3rd and 4th quarter, we will put exact grades on classwork, tests, and homework to help prepare students for 3rd grade. 
A: 90-100
B:  80-89
C: 70-79
D: 60-69
F: Below 60

What does the word "corrected" mean on my child's work?
We try to help students correct mistakes they made on their classwork. Once we help students fix their mistakes, we write "corrected" on their papers.  This lets you know that your child has corrected problems they missed.  We obviously can't do this for every assignment, but feel it's important that students learn from their mistakes.  Please encourage your child to correct problems missed on tests and work.  This will help prevent them from making the same mistakes over and over.

What do I do when my child is sick? 
Please complete the online absence form about why your child is out from school. You are also welcome to e-mail your child's teacher and they can send home missed work with a sibling or neighbor (or it can be left in the office for you to pick up).  Click here to read the ISS attendance policy.

Can I eat lunch with my child? 
We would love to have you join us for lunch.  Our lunch time is 11:25.  If it is nice weather, please eat at the picnic tables right outside the cafeteria with your child.  This will help us with seating.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

When can my child go to the library? 
Students have the opportunity to go to the library every day. We have media class once a week. However, students are allowed to return and check out books every day.  Second graders are allowed to check out 2 books at a time.

What about my child's birthday? 
Students love to share their birthdays with one another!  Students are allowed to bring in birthday treats to share during our lunch time.  If you choose to send in a treat, please make sure it is cut and ready to serve.  All food must be store bought and not homemade (this is district policy). If your child has a birthday on a "non-school" day or during the summer months, you may bring in a birthday treat on a day that is convenient for you and your family.

Mystery Readers

What is the Mystery Reader Program?  Special guests come to our class and read a story.

Who are Mystery Readers? Mystery Readers can be parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and anyone special to your child.

When?  The best days are Mondays and Fridays at 11:00am or 1:45pm.   However, if these days/times don't work, please let me know.

Why? To let your child and our class know that reading is important.  It is also a great way to surprise your child!

Where do I get the book? You can either choose a favorite book that you and your child enjoy, or I can pick one out for you.  You might want to bring 2 books. 

If possible, please send in several clues.  To make this a real "mystery," please send in 3-5 clues about you (examples: where you were born, favorite color, number of people in your family, favorite food, favorite sport, hobby...etc).  Students enjoy guessing who they think the mystery reader will be. Please email your clues or send them in a sealed envelope.  Please try and not tell your child.  Remember that you are a "mystery."

How do I sign up?  Email the teacher or write a note in your child's home folder to let me know you are interested.  It usually works better to have only one parent each day!  So, sign up today!

Can I be a Mystery Reader more than once?  YES!  Please do!

2nd Grade Website

Srta. Silvia Bernal
silvia_bernal@iss.k12.nc.us

Claudia Castillo
claudia_castillo@iss.k12.nc.us

Paige Hudson
phudson@iss.k12.nc.us

Mrs. Erin Vallerio
erin_vallerio@iss.k12.nc.us

2nd Grade Website