September Newsletter

 Second Grade News -  September, 2025

Dear Parents,

     Welcome back!  I hope that you and your child are excited about second grade.  I am writing to tell you about my classroom.

                    Communication

    You can expect a weekly newsletter from me (sent home via email on Fridays) to fill you in on what’s going on in the classroom.  I post them to my blog with pictures at the end of the week or on the weekend. (If you need a paper copy let me know.)

    Your child will use their durable, two-pocket folder as a take-home folder. This folder should travel to and from school daily. This will hold any notices or completed work. It is a good idea to get in the habit of checking it each night and clearing it out. Students will also have a plastic envelope that is their homework folder. Once we get rolling, this will contain math homework, their spelling list and a book or passage to read each night.

    E-mail is a convenient way for us to stay in touch. My e-mail address is bpols@rsu1.org.  Voicemail messages can be left for me as well.

    You can also visit my class website, http://mrspolsssecondgrade.blogspot.com. 

    

                My Program

    I believe that children learn by doing; reading, writing, using math tools and solving math problems, observing, and experimenting.  My hope is to have all children getting involved and taking responsibility for their own learning. 

    A great deal of my work with students is individualized to suit each child.  Every student is unique and has different abilities and learning styles, strengths and needs.  It is important to me to meet each child where they are and help them progress from that point.

I believe that the best learning takes place when children feel safe, comfortable and happy.  It is my goal every day to create an environment where children know they are cared for and valued, by me and by their peers.

    Students will keep portfolios in the classroom. Portfolios become a record of a child’s progress over a period of time; showing change, growth and a sample of their work. These will be sent home each trimester for you to keep.                

               

 Homework

    There are two parts to our homework in second grade. Second graders should spend no more than 20 minutes on homework each night. Part of that homework includes 10 minutes of reading at least four to five times a week.  Of course, if it’s already a habit for your child to read nightly, good for you and keep it up!  Home reading books will be sent home starting next Monday. 

    The second part of our homework will be in mathematics. We are implementing a new math program - Reveal Math, which I piloted last year as part of the math committee. For math homework, there will often be practice work associated with the day’s lesson or a critical math skill.  I do want to stress that these should not take very long to complete. They are intended to be a quick review of what we have done in math class that day.  If you find it is taking your child more than 10 minutes, please feel free to stop and send it back incomplete. That is ALWAYS fine with me. I know how important it is for children to have downtime and active playtime after the school day. If homework becomes a challenge at home, just let me know and we can work out a modified plan! 

Spelling lists will come home every Monday.  At-home practice is encouraged but we will practice words daily throughout each unit.  

                       

                Beginning Curriculum

    In the beginning of the year we work hard to build a strong sense of community in our classroom. It is essential to create an atmosphere of caring, and respectful behavior. Our focus is on creating a supportive classroom community. We will learn to solve conflicts in a peaceful way, practice demonstrating responsibility and learn why it’s important to be tolerant of others and accept differences. This focus sets the right tone and gets things off to a positive start. 

Penmanship:  We will be continuing to review proper letter formation. The goal is for students to be able to make letters as efficiently and neatly as possible, with formation starting at the top. This will be a quick review and practice session daily as part of our UFLI phonics sessions. If students need more practice I will provide it.

Reading:  I will spend the first two to three weeks assessing each child’s needs in reading, including phonics knowledge, fluency and comprehension. As a whole class we will work on how to use independent reading time well. Another focus will be learning how to write and draw about books in a variety of ways. Once I have finished assessing, I will begin focused daily whole class reading instruction as well as daily reading groups. We use the UFLI Foundations phonics program to teach foundational reading skills in a sequential and systematic manner. This program will help all students become strong readers AND spellers. 

Writing:   We LOVE to write in second grade!  Our first unit will be in sentence writing and narrative writing. All K-3 teachers at WCS are in the 2nd year of a new program called “Bridge to Writing” and we are very excited to see how our students thrive and grow.]

Spelling:  In spelling we use a program called Spelling Connections in grades 2-6.  This program includes spelling patterns, high frequency words, word meaning and structure, proofreading skills, vocabulary and using words correctly in daily writing.  Students will take a pre-test each week on the new spelling skill and will then get a list of words that matches their spelling needs. These lists will come home every Monday. If you have time to practice them a couple of times that is always helpful, but we will practice them at school often throughout each week.  

Math:  A family letter will come home prior to each new unit in Reveal Math, describing the content of that unit.  Students will have a math portfolio that will be sent home after each math unit is completed, to keep you posted on your child’s progress with skills. 

Science:  Our first science unit will be on Animal Biodiversity! Go 2 Science also kicks off in mid-September.

        

Our Special Schedule

    Monday:  Library Tuesday:  PE    Wednesday:  Music 

Thursday:   Guidance Friday:  Art

NOTES:

    •SNACK:  We will have a snack break for 10-15 minutes every morning. Please remember to send healthy snacks with your child each day. This is an important time to refuel with nutritious food to help our bodies be ready to learn.  

    •If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good idea to put your child’s name in permanent marker on coats, backpacks and lunch boxes.

    

    •Toys:  Please remember that toys and stuffed animals should be left at home.  When students bring toys to school it can be distracting for them and their classmates. We don’t have a show and tell time, but do orally share about our lives at morning meeting on most days.

  

    •Lunch:   Breakfast and lunch are both available for free this year. We eat at 11:15 every day. 

•Birthdays:  We celebrate birthdays by making cards and singing to the child as a class. If you want to send a special snack I just ask you to check with me a few days ahead of time so we can make plans to address any food allergies.

    I’m looking forward to an exciting school year.  Please don’t hesitate to call me, email me or set up a time to meet if you have any concerns or questions.