Ainsworth School

Joni Dolan- School Secretary

Hours - Tuesday - Friday, 7:30 -4:00

Ginny Sachs- Principal's Secretary

Hours - Monday - Thursday, 7:30 -4:00

Terri Passch - School Nurse

Hours - Wednesday 8:00 - 3:00

Ganeen Fischer- Cafeteria Manager

Hours - Monday - Friday, 7:30 - 2:00

Head Custodian

Hours - Monday - Friday, 7:30 - 2:00

7:30 School Office opens

8:00 First Bell

8:05 Tardy Bell

11:05 - 11:30 Kindergarten Lunch

11:00 - 11:30 First Grade Lunch

11:35-12:00 Second & Third Grade Lunch

12:05 - 12:30 Fourth & Fifth Grade Lunch

2:15 Dismissal Bell

4:00 School Office closed

Grade 2 - English  

February 2012

Dear Families!

I am sorry I have not updated the Curriuculm page! I try to do it every week and have just forgotten in the midst of many other things. I will try to keep up to let you know what your child is doing in the classroom. Just click on the Curriculum Update bar on the left side of the page to get started. I look forward to a busy, engaging, and fun year!

Homework: Each week homework is given to students. It is my expectation that it is completed throughout the week and due on Friday. My hope is that the homework is practice and should be independently completed. Although, each week students are given, in the packet, a challenge sheet. This is optional and if you and your child deem it too difficult you may skip it.

When you receive a math facts sheet please have your child complete and sign the bottom before returning to school. This math facts sheet has been given to your child for practice and they are given 10 minutes to complete. This way you can see how many facts your child can do in 10 minutes. Hopefully, each child will get faster and faster throughout the year.

Classroom Management and Discipline: Our class participates in the Second Steps program that focuses on empathy training, anger management, and problem solving skills. If students are disruptive during class they are given a warning, if they continue I will speak with them, if it continues they will be separated from the other students and write a note to their parents describing their behavior.

This week I am going to implement a student written note home system. Students that are being disruptive in the classroom (taking away from teaching and learning) will write a note home to their adult and have it signed and brought back to school. If they do not bring it back to school they may miss a recess of some other consequence. This is mostly for smaller things as behaviors that are dangerous of very disrespectful will require a phone call home from me. Thanks for your support in this trial.

Differentiation in the Classroom: During the day students are given opportunities to work at their rate and level.

During language arts time students are grouped into small reading groups to meet each child's needs. They are asked to read books that are at their level and extends their thinking. At this times students are reading leveled readers and asked to respond to their reading. The class has been busy learning how Reader's Workshop looks like, feels like, and sounds like, as well as what the expectations are for their written responses.  

During math, students are working on the new curriculum called Bridges. It is engaging and challenging. Students are working in pairs, independently, and as a whole group.  I use pre-assessment and post-assessment data in order to know and understand how students are doing. I will begin grouping students into pairs according to their ability. Students will not know that they are being grouped this way. But, it helps me to know they are working with someone that is at the same level and understanding as they are. It also helps me to pull kiddos that need extra support in certain content areas.