All About
Ms. Spooner
My background:
 I grew up in New Jersey, but I have lived in
Houston for the past 12 years.
 BA in Elementary Education from University of
Houston Clear Lake
 ESL and GT certifications
My experience:
 8 years teaching 2nd grade at Timbers Elementary
in Atascocita
My Goals
 Students’ Social and Academic
Success
 Student and Parent Communication
 Let’s HAVE FUN!
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Arrival & Dismissal
School hours are 8:00 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. TARDY at 8:05 a.m.
Any walker or biker in K-2 must be accompanied by an older sibling or
adult
Parents must send written documentation to change a child’s dismissal
in advance if there needs to be a change.
Students MAY NOT be removed from the car rider line to walk with a
parent/guardian (in case of emergency dismissal change a student
must be signed out through the office).
Parents should not park on neighboring streets or in front of Fall Creek
residents homes.
Students MAY NOT be dropped off in the front parking lot. This is a
major safety concern. Please drive through the line to drop students
off safely in front of the school.
Please be courteous and follow traffic patterns with drop off and
dismissal and be patient as the first couple of weeks of school.
Absences
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Please remember that student attendance is a key factor in student
success!
Compulsory attendance requires that students between the ages of 618 attend school (exemptions include religious holy days, required
court appearances, etc…)
A court complaint may be filed against parent if the student is absent
without excuse for 10 or more days within a six-month period.
State law requires that to receive final grade in a class (promotion) a
student must attend at least 90% of the days the class is offered
(equating to less than 18 excused or unexcused absences for the
school year).
Please remember that documentation for an absence must be
recorded within 48 hours upon the student’s return to school
Dress Code
 Dress and Grooming Code is found on page 33 of the Humble
ISD Parent/Student Handbook.
 Highlights for elementary students include:
 Hair should be neat, clean, & non-disruptive.
 NO hats, sunglasses, makeup, tattoos, excessively loose or tight
clothing.
 For boys: NO earrings, sleeveless shirts.
 For girls: No “spaghetti” straps
 NO “short shorts” (must be at least to mid-thigh)
 Jeans should be free from holes
 Foot wear should be appropriate for physical activity (recess
etc…). Tennis shoes are required on P.E. days.
FCE Things to Remember
 FRIDAY IS SPIRIT DAY!!! Show your school spirit by wearing
red or an FCE spirit shirt.
 Wear your favorite college shirt on the fourth Thursday of each
month. FCE students are college bound!
 LABEL ALL JACKETS, LUNCH KITS, ETC. with student name.
 Helpful Hint: Keep a jacket or sweater in your backpack.
Sometimes it is chilly in the classrooms.
 Lost and Found is located in the back of the main hallway
(although small items such as glasses are kept in the office).
Please check in at the office if you’d like to check the lost and
found. Items will be sent to charity if not claimed.
 Second grade activity fee of $15 will be collected later in the
year for the field trip, classroom projects, and misc. items.
Communication
 My email address (resend/call after 36
hrs.)
jennifer.spooner@humble.k12.tx.us
 My phone number
(281) 641-3428
Red Tuesday Folders
 Distributed EVERY Tuesday
 Things to look for –Conduct form and
“graded papers”
 Tuesday Folder - Important information from
District, School, PTO, or Faculty
Orange Daily Homework
Folders
 Students complete homework packet
 Read EVERY NIGHT! (Complete
Reading Log in homework packet)
 Place all homework materials and
reading log in folder to be returned
DAILY!
Classroom Community
 Our school is a community. In our
community, we have rules to help us get
along with each other.
 Our Cardinal Creed (school AND classroom
rules) are:
 Be Safe
 Be Respectful
 Be Responsible
Discipline Plan
•Class Incentives
•Behavior Chart (weekly conduct form)
•Classroom Consequences
C.A.T.C.H. Break
 Coordinated Approach to Child Health
 We will have a snack break each
morning in the classroom.
 Please send nutritious snacks such as
fruit, crackers, cheese, etc…
 Water bottles with a sport top are also
encouraged.
Birthday Treats
 We are encouraging parents to take
advantage of our frozen treats through the
cafeteria. Treats may be ordered at a
discounted rate in advance.
 Fall Creek Policy – No Treat Bags.
 If you have party invitations you would like
given out, we can only pass them out if there
is one for each classmate.
Lunch in the Cafeteria
 You are welcome to have lunch with your child in the
cafeteria. Our lunch time is 11:20.
 We have special tables for parents and their child on
the stage in the cafeteria. (Student/Parents only)
 Please remember to sign in at the front office.
 Monthly menus can be downloaded on Fall Creek’s
Website
 Cafeteria Prices: Breakfast - $1.30, Milk 40 cents,
Lunch - $2.00, Meal Ticket for a week $10.00
 Snack accounts for ice cream may be “frozen” at
parents’ discretion.
Class Subjects
 The subjects we cover during second grade
are:
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Reading
Written Composition
Grammar/Capitalization/Punctuation/Handwriting
Spelling/Word Study
Math
Science/Health/Social Studies
Music, Art, PE, Computer Lab, Library
Daily Schedule
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Community/Care Time
Literacy Instruction (Reading Lesson, Just Right Reading, Reading
workshop/Workstations)
Interactive Read aloud (C.A.T.C.H. Break)
Math workshop
Handwriting/Everyday editing
Lunch/Recess
Writer’s Workshop
Specials
Word study
Science/Social Studies
Dismissal
Specials Schedule
 We are on a six day rotation this year. The
2nd and 4th nine weeks we will have art
instead of a second section of computer.
 Our Specials Schedule will be available in
your child’s Orange Homework folder on their
monthly calendar.
Reading/Writing
Balanced literacy approach:
 Read-Alouds
 Genre Studies
 Just Right Reading
 Guided Reading Groups
 Reading Workshop (research)
Writer’s Workshop held daily that incorporates:
 The writing process
 Everyday editing
 Handwriting
Spelling/Word Study
Phonetic principles for spelling words are
worked on and high frequency words will be
emphasized
 Spelling lists usually come home every other
Monday
 List will show phonetic PATTERN
(CVC),(CVVC)
 Test will be given at the end of two weeks
 The test will look for application of the
phonetic principles being studied
Math
 Goal in 2nd Grade is
to create problem
solvers/critical
thinkers.
 Memorization of
basic
addition/subtraction
facts
Math cont…
 Types of Word Problems…
 Combining situations (with/without additional
information)
 Separating Situations
 Unknown Change situations
 Comparison Situations
 Related Situations
 Multi-step Situations
Examples…
 Unknown Change…
Stonewall had 30 dog bones. He gave SOME to his brother.
Now Stonewall has 16 dog bones. How many did he give
away?
 Multi-step Situation…
The Boy Scouts were selling coupon books. Their goal was to
sell 85 coupon books. In April, they sold 30 books and in May
they sold 45 books. What is the difference between the number
of books sold and their goal?
Science/Health/Social
Studies
 The Scientific Process
 Seasons, matter,
weather, living things, and
our environment
 Social Studies- How
things work together
(communities, citizenship,
government, natural
resources, and
economics)
Grades
 Students will not receive numeric grades.
 Second Grade Report Card is standards based.
 Each student will be scored based on their mastery
of a given standard/TEK.
 All reading/writing/conventions standards are scored
each nine weeks.
 Most math standards are only scored during the nine
weeks they are taught or are gradually increased in
difficulty throughout the year.