August 16, 2014
Dear Parents,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you and your child to my Second
Grade Class. Second Grade will be a very exciting year for both you and your
child. The spiritual, academic, and physical growth your child will experience will
be rewarding to you as a parent and me as their teacher. It is truly a remarkable
year that you will enjoy. I know that you will be both thrilled and excited to
experience these positive changes in your child. It will be an awesome chapter in
their book of life. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of that chapter.
I live in Coplay with my husband and am a member of St. Peter’s Church. I
am the product of Catholic Schools as are my children. My children are the third
generation to attend and graduate from Catholic Schools. My father, sister,
daughter, and myself have a total of 87 years teaching in the Diocese of
Allentown. My oldest two daughters are married. Shannon Bloom is an Athletic
Director and Head Volleyball Coach at Christ Church Boarding School in Virginia.
Sheelin Mengel is a first grade teacher at Wilson Area School District. Shavaun is
our Pre School Teacher here at Good Shepherd School. Kyle recently graduated
from Lackawanna Police Academy in Scranton. He works at Dorney Park on their
police force, and is currently applying to every municipality that he finds for full
time employment. He would eventually like to become a PA State Trooper.
I can’t believe that this summer has moved along so quickly. It always does,
and they get faster each year. It seems impossible that I am writing this letter to
you already.
There are a few supplies that your child will need for this school year.
- Two sturdy folders with horizontal pockets
- Safety scissors
- 2 Glue Sticks (to be replaced as needed)
- Pencil box- not too big, please
-
3 sharpened pencils
Ruler- both metric and inch measure
Crayons - no larger than 24 count, no twistables
Roll of paper towels, box of tissue, and pack of baby wipes
The above items can be bought at a drug or discount store. There are
some copybooks that they need, but I will have them for you in the
classroom. Do not purchase any copybooks for the children.
The morning snack is very short, therefore, please send in a small, healthy
snack for your child. Apples are great, but there is no time to eat an entire apple.
It takes too much time and we do not have it. You could cut it up and only give
them part of the apple. They love going out to play at morning recess, so they
tend to throw away their food because they want to go outside. I hate to waste
food, or see it being wasted. It would also be great if you could put a kitchen tea
towel in their lunch box to act as a placemat. It comes in handy if there is a spill.
Independence is one of our goals in second grade, and this is a great way for them
to become independent. Please check it nightly and change it if soiled. Please
also send in all supplies that they need to eat their snack. I do have some plastic
spoons, but they are there for emergencies, in case someone forgets theirs.
Also, speaking of snacks, I encourage the children to eat healthy snacks. If
they have a healthy snack, they will be given a sticker to put on their chart. When
the chart is full, they can pick a prize from the prize box.
The children have their first break around 10:00am. It is a very short one.
This is typically their snack and bathroom break. The next break is right before
lunch, and the last one right after lunch. If your child needs to use the bathroom
more than the mentioned times, please let me know in writing. I will gladly let
them go more often, if that is normal for them. It is very hard to determine if
they actually do have to go, or if they just like to roam. The note will be of great
help to me in deciding which is the case.
Please familiarize yourself with the uniform code. If you are not sure,
please jot me a note and I will verify. If your child is in violation, I will let you
know and give you ample time to correct the offense. Thank you for your
cooperation in this matter.
Periodically throughout the year, I will be sending home some yes/no
forms to purchase magazines or books from companies. I am not asking you to
purchase anything from these companies. If you want to, please feel free to do
so. I am merely asking you to answer either yes/no and to sign your name to the
form. I receive classroom gifts just by sending them home to you from the
company. This is very helpful to me. The more slips I return to the company, the
bigger the gifts that I receive. Thank you for your time in this effort.
Birthdays are always a fun part of school. The US Government is pushing
healthy choices in all schools. That is why I encourage healthy snacks at morning
break. Please keep this is mind when you send in a birthday treat for the class.
They could bring in a granola bar, fruit, or even non edible items like pencils or
stickers. Also, if you are having a birthday for your child and you are inviting the
entire class, you may send them to school for distribution. However, if you are
only inviting a few, you must send them through the mail. We always publish our
FRIEND FINDER, which contains all addresses. If your child is a girl, for example,
and you are inviting only the girls, then we can pass them out in school. The same
for the boys!!!!
The children will need to cover all their books. The first week of school I do
not give homework, just to cover their books that come home. Contact paper
works the best and will last all year long. So, when you go out shopping, purchase
some clear contact paper for this use. Your child’s books are all consumable
books, which are soft covered and tear very easily. They will need a BOOK SOCK
for their Readers, which are hard bound books. You can purchase them at any
store, such as Wall Mart, K MArt, etc. Please purchase the JUMBO size. I just
bought some for the classroom, so if you can't find them or don't have time to go
look for one, I can give you one to use. I do not want to stress anyone out,
because I know how stressful the beginning of school can be!!!!!!
The end of the day is quite hectic, which I am sure you can imagine. I am
asking your help to make this time run more smoothly. If you have a
transportation change during the school year, please put it in writing and send it
to me. I post all changes in by the front door jam, and I remind the children at the
end of the day. Do not do a verbal message via your child. Also, do not email me
during the day, because if by chance I do not check my email, your child will not
be in the right place at the end of the day. If you have a change through the day,
call the office and Mrs. Asbury will call down to me and I will post the change.
Hopefully, I did not forget anything. I will give you more detail at Back to
School Night in September. If I can be of any help to you, please give me a call at
school, or email me through my website, and I will get back to you as soon as
possible.
Please check out my website. I use it all the time and communicate through it
as things come up. You can familiarize yourself with it, because it will come in
handy throughout the school year. I update homework, general news, pictures of
things we do throughout the year.
Enjoy these few days of vacation. I am looking forward to meeting those of
you I do not know and seeing the ones again that I do know. See you soon!!!!!
Mrs. Fisher