The Toucan Squawk, Aug. 29

Hello families!  I hope everyone is enjoying their week.  Last night was our Parent Night.  A HUGE thank you to those who were able to attend!  If you were unable to attend, I sent home the packet of information we went over.  I also sent home the Demographics form.  If you attended last night, that was the form on your students' desks- I have your forms.  Please return those forms as soon as possible.  All of the information goes into our Synergy database, where it's stored for the school year.  Please be sure to sign and indicate on the back whether or not there were changes made.  The office is asking to have those returned the latest by Friday.  A big, big, BIG thank you! 

We've been going through Even and Odd numbers in math this week, as well as polygons.  Polygons is a fancy word for shapes (circle, rectangle, etc.).  Sometime in the year we'll go through 3D shapes.  The students have been finishing their writing for the bulletin board, and will be moving on to another writing piece this week. 

As you have probably seen on the work returned home with your student thus far, I've been putting one of three ways to record the grade of that specific work:  percentage, rubric grades (1, 2, 3, 4), and the grade received over the total grade possible.  These three are what we as second grade teachers are using to grade everyone's work.  When you are able to log into Synergy (I'll be passing out your log-in information at our conferences next week), you will notice which one I used for that work. 
As you work through the grades, you'll notice the rubric grades and the percentages they've been assigned to- please, please don't freak out because the percentages are going to be really low.  The way this system works is, unfortunately, not comparable to the K - 3 grading system of rubric grades- the 1, 2, 3, 4.  The district office has attempted to either do away with the rubric grades but have not reached a consensus on that issue from all of the schools.  So, in the meantime, I would suggest printing out the following percentage chart to refer to as you look at your child's grades:

• 4-  97%-  On grade level
• 3-  85%-  On grade level
• 2-  70%-  Below grade level
• 1-  50%-  Far below grade level

When we meet next week, I hope this will help understand the grading system a lot better.

Speaking of conferences, your child will be bringing home your conference time tomorrow.  If this time does not work for your schedule, please return it with your child as soon as possible and indicate if you would rather have a phone conference or if you would like me to email you instead.  Either way, my Thursday afternoon is completely booked.  Unless someone cancels at their time, I will be unable to meet with you at another time that afternoon.  I'm more than happy to meet with you at another time on another day, however, so simply indicate on the note if there is another time on another day when you are more available.

There will be a change for the homework packets starting next week.  Included in the packet is a spelling list page.  The words are on the page, as well as lines to practice writing the words.  One set of lines is to write the words with them uncovered, and the other set is to write the words with them covered.  This is going to be on the back of the reading log.  Also included is math practice for what we have so far covered- expanded notation and place value.


News
Sept. 3          Labor Day, no school
Sept. 6 - 7     Parent/Teacher conferences, 1/2 day early release
Sept. 12        Teacher in-service, 1/2 day early release
Sept. 26        Teacher in-service, 1/2 day early release

Birthdays
Sept. 23        Hawkins



Thank you for all you do!


Elizabeth Townsend
PDS
Second grade
elizabeth.townsend@svps.k12.az.us
515-2970