Welcome to 2nd Grade!
Let me start off by saying thank you for your support and for sending your child to St. Mary’s Catholic School. Your child will be part of a Christian community that will work together to grow in faith and understanding. Blessed by the opportunity to share their faith with others, they will be encouraged to share what they learn with their families, as well. We are going to have a great year and I am so excited about the year ahead of us! It is my goal to make learning fun and provide various ways for students to learn, process, and apply the material covered.
Important school and class policies will be covered in this packet. Please return the family questionnaire by the first day of school, if possible. This just gives me a little more information about your scholar. If you have any questions, please contact me via email [email protected] or by phone 254-778-8141. I am available for conferences after school and can arrange meetings during the day.
Monday-Website
Every week on Monday the 2nd grade website will be ready to find information regarding homework, objectives for the week, and any upcoming events. To find this, simply go to https://stmarys-temple.org/. Hover over Classrooms at the top of the page and select 2nd grade. On this page you will also find our Syllabus, the Welcome Letter, spelling words each week, and our schedule for the 25-26 school year.
Homework:
Homework will be a part of your student’s final grade. If there is any homework issued throughout the week (i.e. assignments that weren’t completed during class time) it will be in their take home folder and updated on the website.
Recess:
Students will have outdoor recess daily, with the exception of extreme weather. It is important that students stay well hydrated. Please send a plastic filled water bottle to school with your child daily. Please do not send the heavy metal ones; when they fall, the noise is deafening! Water will be provided for children to keep their water bottles filled. As the weather cools, please send students to school with appropriate outerwear.
Rules:
We will recite the following rules daily and students will be asked to identify and exhibit behaviors that exemplify each rule.
1. Keep all body parts to yourself.
2. Work diligently on the assignment.
3. Show respect to all students and staff.
4. Listen when someone else is talking.
5. Follow directions quickly.
Behavior:
Students will be given opportunities to practice following the rules and reflect on their behavior. Students will also be given stickers daily in their take home folders for exhibiting positive behavior. If a student has a sticker for great behavior every day that week, then on Friday they will be able to pick from the treasure box.
In the event that a student doesn’t follow the rules, they will receive a warning and opportunity to redirect their behavior. Parents will be notified in their take home folder and via email communication. A consequence may be loss of portion of free play recess.
This year (beginning 2025-26) 2nd grade will be utilizing the “Merit/Demerit” system via RenWeb. Behavior that emulates the virtues we instill in our students can receive “Merits.” This is for conduct, behavior, and actions that go above and beyond normal expectations.
“Demerits” will be issued to students that fail to follow class directives (Student Handbook), rules, or conduct expected of them. One-Four (1-4) demerits can be issued for infractions that fail to meet expectations. Depending on the severity of the infraction one to four demerits can be issued.
If 4 demerits are accumulated, a detention will be issued. Each time a Merit/Demerit is issued, an automatic notification will be sent to the parent/guardian registered in RenWeb. After attempts have been made to allow for correction of the negative conduct (i.e. verbal warnings, demerits, detention) a teacher requested-conference with the parent/guardian may occur.
Students can have the opportunity to remove a demerit if/when they have earned 4 merits. In other words, one demerit can be erased when 4 merits have been earned through positive behavior that goes above and beyond normal expectations.
Take Home Folder:
Students have a take home folder that should be returned to school daily. Inside the folder I will provide a calendar where your student will keep track of their homework. I suggest taking a look at this each day just to make sure no assignments were sent home. We will also periodically send home flyers for any upcoming events/information happening at the school.
Dress code:
● Boys are to wear blue and white striped shirts (Mass shirt) or light blue polo shirt with school logo daily. On Mass days (Tuesdays/Thursdays) and Holy Days of Obligation, boys must wear mass shirts, pants, belts and ties.
● Girls may wear light blue polo shirt with school logo and navy skorts or navy jumper with school logo and white shirt. On Mass days (Tuesdays/Thursdays) and Holy Days of Obligation, girls must wear their jumper with the school logo and white shirt.
● Spirit Days vary throughout the school year. Keep an eye out for reminders in the weekly Newsletters as well as reminders in take home folders. Spirit Day dress is as follows: gray St. Mary’s Catholic School t-shirt, properly fitted blue jeans with a navy, black, or brown belt, and school shoes. Capris and walking shorts are also allowed, as long as they are not too short.
● Only school sweaters and school-emblem fleece jackets can be worn inside the classroom and church during Mass. Each child has a hook in the classroom to hang up winter coats or rain jackets. During cold weather, winter coats and other non-school jackets will be placed under the pews during Mass.
Field Trips: More information will be provided throughout the year when opportunities arise.
Parents will be needed to provide transportation for field trips when we can have them, which will be in the spring semester. Parents must be in compliance with the Diocesan requirements when volunteering at St. Mary’s. All volunteers within the Catholic Church are required to complete an application that will be kept on file with the Diocese and attend an EIM workshop every three years. More information can be found at www.austindiocese.org .
Sacraments:
During religion class, we will prepare for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion. The church office must have a copy of the child’s birth certificate and Baptism certificate. If you attend a parish other than St. Mary’s, your child has a choice of receiving these sacraments at your home parish or at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Those who receive their sacraments at St. Mary’s will join with children from the parish Religious Education program. There will be classes /meetings for parents and children to attend throughout the semester. These dates will be provided for you when they come available.
If you choose for your child to receive sacraments at St. Mary’s and are a
member of another parish, please ask your pastor to write a letter giving permission for your child to receive sacraments at St. Mary’s. If you choose for your child to receive sacraments at your home parish, please contact the director of Religious Education (Julie Rex [email protected]) to learn parish requirements for Catholic school students.
Drop off and dismissal:
Students may be dropped off in the cafeteria beginning at 7:00 a.m. before school. They will be supervised until 7:40, then they will be released to their classrooms. All students should be prepared for the day by 8:00 to join the school in the Pledge of Allegiance and opening prayer. It is extremely important that your child is in the classroom by 8:00 so that we can begin instruction and/or prepare ourselves to get ready for mass.
We will dismiss at 3:20 after closing prayer. You are more than welcome to pick up your child from the classroom, if that is more convenient. Otherwise, if they are a car rider, they will be escorted to your vehicle once you have checked in through the Pikmykid app.
Curriculum:
Students will receive instruction in the following classes: math, language arts, religion, science, social studies, music, art, physical education, and Spanish. The TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) are the objectives that will be taught for the academic subjects of math, language arts, social studies, and science.
The following is the weighted grading criteria for 2nd grade:
40% - Tests/Quizzes
20% - Classwork
20% - Homework
20% - Participation
Students are also enrolled in iXL to practice second grade math concepts and to use if they forget book pages for homework or to guide them through extra practice on concepts we learn in the classroom. Students’ usernames and passwords will be sent home soon, so students can access their accounts from home. If you have internet access at home, please encourage your child to log in to iXL regularly.
The standards for Religion are provided by the Diocese. Our religion curriculum comes from the Diocese of Austin directly and is instructed through our textbook: Spirit of Truth.
Accelerated Reading
We utilize the Accelerated Reading program to help students improve in their reading skills. Students will take a computerized test to assess their reading level and identify areas for improvement. With this information, students will create goals for each grading period and will read to accomplish their goal. Students will read books that are on their level, and then take a test to show comprehension. The program will track their progress, keeping a record of the books they’ve read and their success on the tests. Students are expected to read daily.
BIRTHDAYS:
You may send cupcakes or cookies for your child’s birthday. My only request is that you let me know ahead of time so we can plan accordingly. ([email protected]) The school has birthday stickers and we have a bulletin board recognizing their special days. I will try to let them have a special job or something on their birthday too.
Thank you for your continued support throughout this upcoming school year. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.
-Mrs. Ochoa (Stacey)