Welcome to

Mrs. Raines’ Class

2010-2011

Parent Packet
 Behavior Management
In our classroom, I have implemented a five-tier behavior management system called Being Unusually
Good. The five-tier system is based around colors. The following is the list of colors and their meanings:

Light Green – WOW behavior!

Dark Green – great behavior!
Yellow – good behavior, one warning
Red – note home to parents from the reflection center, second warning
White – teacher will contact parents

Each morning all students start out in the dark green area (great behavior). At the end of each day, I
reflect on the student’s overall behavior. From those students that end up in the dark green area (great
behavior), I will choose one student who has demonstrated exemplar behavior. If a student ends on dark green
or light green, they earn one or two “BUG” tickets respectively. This is for their great behavior. At the
accumulation of 10 “BUG” tickets students are able to turn them in and take one item from the treasure chest.
Students who are moved to red will be asked to go to the reflection center in the class and write a letter home
addressed to you, the parent/guardian, explaining why he/she is on red. Please sign the letter to let me know
you have read it. I will contact you if our child ends the day on white or if there is a serious or on-going issue
that needs your attention. Please encourage your child to have a GREAT day!

Homework Procedures
The students will be receiving a homework packet every Monday. The packet will have all necessary
assignments stapled together. The packet will include a weekly assignment sheet, assigning work to do each
night. This sheet will also include your child’s weekly spelling list. All assigned work will be due on Friday
of that week.
There are three main components to the homework packet. First, your child’s weekly spelling list will
be listed. Each list will consist of 15 high frequency words. Monday and Thursday nights your child will
complete spelling homework. Second, your child will be asked to read for 15 minutes each night. I have
included some reading strategies in this packet that you can utilize to help your child at home. These are
strategies that I will be implementing in the classroom as well. Math is the last component. Tuesday and
Wednesday nights will be designated for math homework. It will correspond to the concept(s) we are
studying in class. In addition, the second grade teachers are stressing the importance of practicing math facts,
both addition and subtraction, with your child throughout the week.
Throughout the year, the second grade teachers will assign projects, book responses, and activities for
your child the complete at home. These assignments will be given approximately one or two weeks for
completion.

Modifications and Enrichment

During the first weeks of school, the second grade teachers access the students in the areas of math,
reading, writing, and spelling. These initial assessments provide us with important information about your
child. In addition to this, students will be informally assessed as they complete independent assignments,
participate in class discussions, take part in small or large group activities, and as they interact with their peers.
I will utilize all of these formal and informal assessments to make modifications that best suit your child’s
needs.
In addition to this, I realize that some students may also need to be challenged. I will pre-assess the
class each Friday, in the area of Spelling. Students who receive a score of 13/15 or better will have a
“challenge” list for the week. Their spelling words will be listed on the weekly assignment sheet in the
homework packet.
You child will also benefit from the many different ways in which I group students throughout the day
to complete classroom assignments.
 Birthdays
Please feel free to bring in a treat on your child’s birthday. If you wish to bring something in, please
send in a note a couple days ahead of time, so I can modify my plans for that day. Right after lunch, 1:30, is
when we will celebrate! Currently, we have 17 students in our class. If there is anything I should know about
your child’s dietary needs please let me know for these special celebrations!

Snack
Each day we have 15 minutes allotted for snack. Please send your child to school with one, quick
snack everyday. Lunch is not until 12:30 p.m. and many of them are hungry much sooner!

Lunch Money/Lunch Tickets

Parents and guardians have the option of buying a pre-paid lunch ticket for your child. School lunches
cost $2.25 this year and milk is $0.55. You can send in a check with your child. This money will go into your
child’s account. A pin number is used in the lunchroom to access this account to use the money. This way,
your child does not have to worry about losing his/her lunch money.

Contacting Me
Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. You may reach me at school by
calling 342-3131. If I am unavailable, please leave a message with one of the secretaries. Also, my email
address is araines@vvportlandct.us. I try to check this at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in
the afternoon. Whether you contact me by phone or email, I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I
can. I feel that open communication between home and school plays an important role in your child’s
success!

Reading Strategies to Help Your Child

Name of Strategy Definition

Point to Words For beginning readers, point to each word
Use Picture Clues Look at the pictures on the page to help figure out a word
Cover Up Endings Put your finger over the endings (such as –ed in played, read play, and
then add the ending to read played)
Read Ahead Skip the unknown word, read to the end of the sentence, and then use
the context of the sentence to help figure out the missing word
Look for a Little Word in a Longer Example – Monday, kids are familiar with the word day, they can read
Word this part and use that to help then figure out the rest of the word
Look for Chunks A chunk is a vowel and the consonants that follow it (such as –it, -am,
or –at in the words sit, ham, and rat)
Look Back Look back to what has already been read to understand what is written
Look at the First and Last Letters When a word is unknown, look at the first and last letter of the word to
see what might make sense in the context of the story
Chunk It Divide word into smaller parts
Stop and Think Pause and think about what has already been read
Read It Again Re-read the sentence to see if a word makes sense
Ask an Expert If none of the other strategies work, ask someone for help
 The Sculptors

I dreamed I stood in a studio

And watched two sculptors there.
The clay they used was a young child’s mind
And they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher – the tools she used
Were book, music and art.
The other a parent, worked with a guiding hand
And a gentle, loving heart.
Day after day, the teacher toil’d with touch
That was careful , deft and sure.
While the parent labored by his side
And polished and smoothed it o’er.
And when at last, their work was done
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had molded into the child
Could neither be sold or bought.
And each agreed they would have failed
If each had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school
And behind the teacher, the home.