Welcome to Back To School Night
2015 - 2016
Welcome to the 2015 – 2016 school year at Algonkian Elementary School. I am
excited to be working with your child, and look forward to all that they will achieve this
year! I would like to remind all of you to return the first day packets as soon as possible.
Thanks in advance for taking the time to look through all of the paperwork and return
all necessary forms!
Class Routines: Take home folders are sent home daily. Please empty folder each day
and return only papers that are relevant to the teacher. (i.e. homework, signed forms,
notes, etc.) SIGN AGENDA DAILY!
Reading - I strongly believe that it is important for you to read daily with your child.
You need to read with your child for a minimum of 20 minutes each evening
(including weekends).
Writing homework- I will be assigning a weekly writing assignment to be completed
in their homework journal. It will go home on Monday and it needs to be returned by
Friday. A suggested topic will be sent home each week but each student is free to write
about any topic they choose. All journal entries need to be 5 or more sentences. We will
be using kidblog this year and I encourage everyone to use it for homework
assignments. If you do not access to a computer or internet, your child may complete it
on paper and turn it in.
Word study - on Thursdays, your student will bring home their word study journals to
practice for their test on Friday.
Math homework- i-ready and Reflex are available at home.
Assessment Procedure: The following assessment procedures will be used on your
child’s work this year to let you know how your child is progressing in the mastery of
identified skills:
E=Exceeds Standard
M=Meets Standard
P=Progressing Toward Standard
B=Performing Below Standard
 Denotes knowledge or skill not assessed at this time
At the end of the quarter, we will mark the report card based on mastery rather than
assigning a grade or taking an average. We believe this provides a fair assessment of
your child’s progress and mastery of the skills taught in second grade. This also helps
you see which specific skills your child needs additional reinforcement with at home.
Book Cart: Your son or daughter will be taking a book home every day (Monday
through Friday). He/she will choose this book every morning from the book cart. This
is an independent reading book that your child should be able to read to you without
frustration. Please return the book each morning in the provided bag in your child’s red
home folder so that a new book can be chosen.
Scholastic Reading Club: I will be sending home flyers home about once a month for
you to purchase books. This is optional! It is a good way to get inexpensive books for
your children and the books purchased online help us to purchase books for our
classroom. Parents are responsible for reviewing the items your children choose. In
September, if our class book order total is $300 or more, we will receive 10,000 bonus
points to be used for books in the classroom!
Headphones: we have a Dell tablet in our classroom as well as a classroom set of
devices and I would love for each student to have their own headphones or ear buds –
please sent in whichever one your student prefers. They will be labeled and returned at
the end of the school year. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me. We
will also have
Things to know:
-Please remember to have children wear appropriate shoes for P.E.
-Toys are not be allowed at school.
-Birthday invitations are not to be brought to the classroom unless
everyone in the class is invited.
-There will be NO snack in the classroom.
Contacting Me: If you have any questions or concerns about your child's day at
school, please feel free to contact me at school 571-434-3240. You can also contact me
through the school-based e-mail, via the school's home page.
My email address is mary.carlson@loudoun.org. Please understand, however, that this
system is not always reliable. It is very difficult at times to access it during the day.
PLEASE do not send time sensitive information or any information of a confidential
matter by email. I would be glad to set up a conference with you any morning at 7:00
a.m. or after school.
Thank you for your support and cooperation!
Mary Carlson