Welcome to Mrs. Herons Class!

Second Grade
2014-2015
Dear Second Grade Families,
Welcome to another school year! I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable
summer with your family. I had so much fun spending time with my husband
Matt, my son Brady (9), and daughter Kendall (6 ). This summer was filled
with swimming, visiting with out of town family members, many baseball
games, a trip to Tawas and Mackinaw Island, and a visit to Cedar Point. Now
however, the excitement is building as I think about the upcoming school
year.
Id first like to introduce myself to you for those of you whom I dont
already know. My name is Shannon Heron, and I am so pleased to be your
childs second grade teacher. I absolutely love teaching second grade. I
think its an awesome age to teach. This school year will mark my eighteenth
year of teaching and thirteenth as a second grade teacher at Silver Springs. I
have a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from Central Michigan
University including an Early Childhood Endorsement, as well as a Masters
Degree from Marygrove College.
Teaching is very important to me, and I feel lucky that I am in the
position to be a positive influence in your childs life. I know that with your
support and cooperation we can make your childs year a successful one. I
have high expectations for your child, and I will do everything I can to help
your child meet these expectations. I am also excited to help foster your
childs leadership skills as we continue in our journey as a Leader in Me
Lighthouse School.
I look forward to meeting all of you soon, either at Open House or on
our first day of school. Enjoy the rest of your summer and get ready for a
great year!
Sincerely,
Shannon Heron

Welcome to 2nd Grade!

Mrs. Herons Class 2014-2015

Dear Second Grade Families,

School Supplies: Please check the schools website for our complete
list or write me a note and I will provide you with a list as soon as
possible. We will be using all of these items, so if there is a problem

obtaining any of them, please let me know and I will assist you in any
way I can.
Snack Time: We will take a break each morning to enjoy a snack and
story. I am requesting that you send in fruits or vegetables with
your child as much as possible. If you are unable to send in fruits or
vegetables, on occasion you may send an alternative snack such as
yogurt, pretzels, cheese, etc. No junk food please! I will ask students
to put unhealthy snacks away if they are brought for snack time. Your
child may also feel free to bring a water bottle that they may use
throughout the day, but no colored drinks are allowed due to the
carpet.
Birthday Treats: We love to celebrate birthdays in our classroom and
students are welcome to bring in a treat to share. Currently we have
22 students in our classroom. Please do not send in cake that needs to
be cut or ice cream that needs to be scooped. If your child has a
summer birthday, they may bring in a treat to celebrate their half
birthday. Please let me know ahead of time when you will be sending
in a treat. Thank you!
Class Parties and Helpers: We will be having 4 classroom parties
throughout the course of this year. I may need a few parent volunteers
to help out with various tasks in the classroom such as stuffing Monday
Envelopes, photocopying, editing in Writers Workshop, etc. Some of
you signed up for these tasks at Open House, but if you would still like
to help and didnt sign up please let me know. I will contact those who
signed up.
Homework: Most of your childs learning this year will take place in
the classroom; however, at times your child will bring home some
homework which they may need your help with. Students will be
completing reading, writing, spelling, or vocabulary homework each
night either with you or by themselves. There will be a weekly form
(called B.E.A.R. P.A.W.) that you will find in your childs Monday
Envelope. This form needs to be turned in every Tuesday when your
child returns his/her Monday Envelope. This is extremely important as
I will be keeping track of whether or not students have turned this form
in, and it will be used in determining your childs homework grade on
his/her report card. You may also see math homework coming home if
you child does not finish it in class. Your child will have a Green
Homework Folder. This folder will stay in your childs backpack at all

times. If a student does not finish an assignment in class, they will put
it in this folder to take home. You will see a stamp that says Please
finish at home and return at the top of his/her paper. Please note that
these assignments are due the next day.
Any correspondence
throughout the week will also be sent in this folder. If your child is
absent, they may complete any missed work at home. Please be
aware, however, that many of the things we do in class take place in
discussion, practice, and interactive activities that cannot be recreated
at home!
Grading: Practice makes perfect! We do lots of practice in second
grade in order to master our benchmarks. Work that is marked with a
stamp, star, smiley face, or check mark is just that. You may also see
a stamp that says Practice which simply means it was an assignment
done for practice. Sometimes assignments are stamped with We did
this in class together if it was something we completed as a whole
group. Lastly, if you see a stamp that says Correct and hand back in
at the top, it is because I feel your child needs some extra support at
home to reinforce this skill or concept. Your child should return this
assignment the next day. The marking system for second grade is a 3,
2, 1, or NY (not yet). Formal assessments are given at the end of each
unit and are considered when marking report cards. Please note that
these numbers are not equivalent to letter grades.
Special Classes: I will be sending home a copy of our special
schedule for you to post at home. Please make sure your child is
dressed appropriately for gym days and also brings his/her library
books to school on library day.
Arrival: Drop-off begins at 8:30 a.m. There is no adult supervision
before this time. Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Students sit by
class and read quietly in the gym. Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade
Students sit by class and read quietly in the Multi-Purpose Room. Staff
members monitor students and maintain a quiet environment for
students as they read. All students wait for the 8:42 bell at which time
their teacher walks them to their classroom. Parents can assist by
making sure books are available in backpacks each morning.
Dismissal: In order to ensure the safety of all students, parents are
asked to declare a pick up location to their childs teacher. Any
changes to this location must be made in writing to the teacher. We
realize there are occasions when plans may change. If end of day plans
change during the school day, please contact the school office before
3:15 p.m. If you are picking up your child early, come to the office and

we will call the student from the classroom. We do not permit students
to wait in the office for parent pick up at a pre-specified time.
Attendance: We expect students to arrive at school on time every day
and we urge parents to monitor closely their childs attendance record.
Not only does a poor attendance pattern demonstrate a lack of
responsibility, but it could also negatively affect school performance.
We need to work together to model and reinforce responsible behavior.
Students are considered tardy if they are not in their classroom by 8:47
AM. If your child is tardy, you must walk him/her into the building and
sign the student in on the green attendance sheet before he/she may
attend class. If your child will be absent or tardy, we ask that you call
the 24 hour Attendance Hotline at (248)465-2305 and follow the
menu options.
Late Belongings: Parents that bring items to school for their
child(ren) will be asked to leave the item in the appropriate grade level
basket outside the front office. Students will be allowed to check their
grade level basket as they walk to lunch/recess. This fosters
responsibility. Lunches, coats, homework, etc. will not be delivered to
classrooms due to the frequent and disruptive nature of these
interruptions.
ListServ: Parents are encouraged to sign up for the ListServ to receive
the latest information from the school district and specific, up-to-date
announcements from Silver Springs. To do so, simply go to the districts
web page at http://www.northvilleschools.org/ and follow the on-line
instructions.
Monday Envelopes: Monday Envelopes will be distributed on the first
day of school. They will be filled with important forms that should be
completed and returned the next day. This envelope will travel back
and forth from school each week with communications from the
teacher.
You are the Expert: One of my main goals at the start of each year
is to get to know your child as much as possible. Since you know your
child best, I need your help. Id like each family to complete the
attached survey about your child (feel free to add anything other
information you believe is necessary such as likes, dislikes, hobbies,
interests, etc.). I want to know what makes them tick. The better I
know your child, the more I can tailor his/her instruction. Thank you!

I hope you found this information helpful. Please look for future
communication from me each week in the Herons Herald which will
be sent via email. Please complete the attached email distribution list
with your name and email address so I can add you to our class
distribution list. Again, please contact me if you have questions or
concerns throughout the year. I look forward to a wonderful year of
learning!

Sincerely,
Shannon Heron