Dear Parents and Students,

November 20, 2014

Welcome to the 2nd grade! I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. My name
is Angie Hutchinson, and I will be instructing your child throughout this school
year. Here is a little about myself - I am married, have six children, and a puppy. I
live in Hanover, Indiana where I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, and
living life to the fullest. I received my associate degree from Ivy Tech Community
College and my bachelor degree from Indiana University Southeast. For the past
ten years, my passion has been interacting with children. I started out in the
daycare setting then quickly moved up to teaching preschool. After six years of
preschool, I decided that I wanted to further my education and become an
Elementary teacher.
In this letter, you will find the a list of the class learning goals that your
child will be working toward achieving this year. Our classroom management is
another topic discussed that is of importance to both you and your child. You will
also notice that there is a section on how you as a parent can help to enhance your
child learning in the classroom, becasue you ARE your childs number one role
model. Finally, I have listed my contact information and a classroom supply list.
Learning Goals
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In reading, your child will learn reading concepts, phonics, fleuncy, and new
vocabulary words to help build reading skills.
During the writing process, your child will learn how to structure sentences,
and do research for a project.
In math, your child will learn the sense of numbers, measuring, goemetric
shapes, and problem solving skills by using real world examples.
In science:your child will learn about the realms of physical science, Earth
science, and life science. In this area, your child will learn how to make
observations, record what they observed, and review the recorded data.
In history, your child will learn to distinguish what has happened in the past
and what is more recent, and about why communities have laws and
responsibilities.

Classroom Managemnet System

I want my classroom to be a safe learning environment for all of my
students. I will communicate with my students about my expectations for all of
them. I also want to know what my students expectations are for me, as a teacher.
This classroom is a learning community, so the students will be involved in the rule
making decisions in the classroom. This will help them to take more responsibility
for their own actions. In my classroom, our main behavior focus is on respect:
respect for self, respect for others, and respect for our school. There are nine
points that I expect from my students in the area of respect.
Self
o Always do your best
o Participate in class with a positive attitude
Others
o Stay on task without disturbing others
o Respect your classmates, teachers, and anyone
else that enters our classroom
o Respect all ideas and not critical of others ideas
or thoughts
School
o Raise your hand to speak
o Enter and exit the room in a quite manner
o Complete assignments on time
o Follow directions that are given
Notice the photo to the right. This is the system that our class
will be using to monitor the students daily behavior in the classroom. You will be
able to monitor your childs daily behavior at home, as well. Inside your childs
homework folder is a calendar that will show you your childs behavior every day of
the month. Please initial this chart daily.

Homework Policy
Your child will bring home a "homework folder" every night because it will
also contain his/her take-home papers. All homework assignments will be listed in
his/her agenda book. All homework is to be placed back in the folder when it is
complete and turned in the following morning. Late homework will be accepted, but
points will be deducted per the rubric for that individual assignment.

Being an Involved Parent

Parental involvement is important for a childs education. What can you do as
a parent to help your child succeed in the classroom? There are numerous things
that can be done to boost your childs academic knowledge. Below are some tips
that you, as a parent, can do to help your child want to learn.
1. Make time count. There are times when you are in the car with your child
just driving down the road. This time can be utilized to talk to your child
about their day. You can also chat during dinner, or even schedule time with
your child to just talk about things that are happening at school. By just
talking to your child about the things he/she
learned at school can help them to remember
some of the major topics of the day.
2. Check your childs assignments daily. This will
also let your child know that you care about
what they are doing at school.
3. Read to your child. Set aside 15 to 20
minutes a day to read to your child.
4. Encourage your child to read at home. Have
your child select topics that are of his/her
interest and within your parental guidelines.
5. Look over your childs homework when it is complete.
6. Attending parent-teacher conferences, school events, and/or volunteering at
the school can help your child become more interested in school. A parentteacher conference is a great way to express any concerns that you may
have about your child and his/her education.
7. Make sure your child attends school regularly. Being at school is extremely
important to prevent your child from falling behind in the lessons.
These tips can help your child to earn better grades, get better test scores, and
enjoy school more.
Communication between you, your child, and myself is one of the most
important tools that can enable your child to be successful. So, if you have any
questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school at 555-555555, or via email at anghutch@ius.edu. If needed, an appointment can be scheduled
to discuss any issues or questions you may have. I will return any calls or emails in a
timely manner. My goal is to help your child succeed in the second grade and
maintain a love of learning.

I believe that every child is capable of learning and that is why I am looking
forward to getting to know and working with your child this year. Thank you for
taking the time to review this letter and your support throughout this school year.
Heres to a great year and lots of learning!
Sincerely,
Angie Hutchinson

The supplies that your child will need for class include:

2 boxes (20 or 24 count) #2 pencils

1 pair of scissors
1 box of 24 crayons or colored pencils
2 black & white composition notebooks
o Math journal
o Science journal
2 boxes of tissues (for classroom use)
1 bottle of Elmer's glue
2 pocket folders for papers (must have pockets)
1 cm. / in. ruler
1 package of white board dry erase markers