Dear Second Grade Families,

We know this is not how you imagined your child’s second grade school year would begin.  We understand that this may be a very stressful time for your family, and we assure you that we are your partners and are committed to creating a great learning experience for your child. 

First Day of School: Tuesday, September 8th

We highly recommend making sure one parent or guardian is available to be with your child the first week of school to get them off to a great start.  Your child should log into Google Classroom at 8:30 am and be ready with his/her planner and pencil in hand.  We will begin the morning message with the class at 8:45 am. Your child will need support learning how to use Google Classroom, Google Meets, and SeeSaw during the first few meetings. 

The school day will be a full day for your child, from 8:30-3:30.  You will get a copy of our schedule to know when your child will be attending live lessons with the teacher and asynchronous (independent) work time. The first few weeks the second grade teachers will be assessing students to determine their current reading levels.  The assessments are one-on-one and they are district mandated tests. Please refrain from helping your child during tests and classwork unless asked to do so. You will be receiving an email from your child’s teacher notifying you of the date and time for when your child will be tested. 

Virtual Instruction: Google Meets and Google Classroom

Many of your child’s learning activities will be conducted live via Google Meets  with the teacher and other students. Please be mindful if you are next to your child and on the phone or talking in the background. We recommend that your child is in an area with minimum distractions where they can focus their best during live whole group and small group instruction. Check out this presentation on how to use Google Meets.

Let's Learn How to Use Google Meet

Morning Routine

Before beginning our Google Meets, it is important to have a routine to “get ready for school.”  This will help ensure that your child is awake and mentally and physically ready to engage meaningfully in learning.

We recommend you start easing into a morning routine now to ease your child’s transition to the first day of school.  It will be very helpful for your child to know in advance what they will be expected to do to get ready in the morning.  Here are some suggestions:

*Wake up with enough time to have a relaxed morning

*Eat breakfast

*Shower or wash face

*Brush teeth and hair

*Use the restroom

*Change clothes

*Sit in a designated learning area with school supplies

Communication with the School

To ensure that you receive important information from the school, be sure that your contact information is up-to-date. Register for emails from the school through the Garvy website. All teacher communication will be posted on the “stream” page in Google Classroom. 

Let’s Do This!

We know this is not how you imagined your child’s second grade year would begin, and we know this is not easy on your family.  It will take some adjustment, and there may be some bumps in the road, but we will figure it out.  We are committed to your child having a wonderful second grade year, whatever the setting, and we want to partner with you to make this the best experience it can be for your family.  Together we will help your child grow and learn socially, physically, emotionally, and academically.

Sincerely,

The Second Grade Team     

Mrs. Hanley (Room 112)

Mrs. Ganci (Room 107)

Mrs. Fernandez (Room 110)

Mrs. Hankins (Special Ed./Room 110)