Life in Sra. da Silva's room
School is exhausting! Especially when you have to process everything in a second language! Please make sure that your child is going to bed early each night. I suggest 8:30 at the very latest. It is recommended that kids this age sleep 10-12 hours every night. Many kids are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD when the actual problem is just that they are not getting enough sleep. Enough sleep helps immensely with school success.
Here are a few things that I suggest to help with academic (and life) success for your second grader:
***Personal responsibility is something that your second grader should know a lot about. Your second grader will be expected to turn in daily folders and papers, zip coats, and tie shoes all by themselves. If they still need work on these skills, please take some time to work on them at home. I highly encourage asking them to pack their own lunch and snacks. They will feel so proud to be able to take care of these tasks on their own! Packing food for the day also helps them to learn about eating a balanced diet! Win, win!
Daily life in Sra. da Silva's Classroom
Some things that I talk about a lot throughout the year with the kids that are emphasized in my classroom are:
**I am passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and I love the outdoors. This coupled with the knowledge that exercise and exposure to the outdoors increases learning and attention and reduces anxiety in kids are reasons that I give kids extra recess as much as I can. Rarely will I ask a child to stay inside for recess as a disciplinary action. If I ever do need to use some recess time to speak with them privately, it will only be for a few minutes.
SNACK
Snacks are not provided for your child, but he/she is welcome to bring one in to eat in the morning, and one to eat in the afternoon. However, it must be a HEALTHY snack. I suggest a fruit, veggie, dairy product, cheese and crackers, nuts, etc. (High sugar foods like fruit snacks/fruit roll ups, pop tarts, candy, or potato chips are not on my list of healthy snacks.) Think good brain food with protein that will sustain your child’s energy. Please send an accompanying spoon or fork if the snack cannot be eaten without one. Water is the only beverage permitted in the classroom. Thank you!
LUNCH MONEY
Please send lunch money in a sealed envelope marked with my name and your child's first and last name. Labeling it as lunch money will also be quite helpful. I will ask your child to deliver it to the office independently, and the secretaries will have no clue what it is for if it is not labeled.
TOYS
Please enjoy toys at home! This includes any type of video/game device. It is school-wide policy that they should not be at school, and they may be confiscated. Thank you in advance!
END OF DAY TRANSPORTATION
Please send a note or an email if you have any end of the day transportation changes. If I do not have a note from home, I assume that your child will be riding the bus home after school unless you have already established consistent pick up days with me. If your child will not be riding the bus, please let me know who will be picking him/her up after school. Thank you so much for helping me to be sure that everyone is getting to the right location at the end of the day!
GYM SHOES
It is not necessary for your child to have an extra pair of shoes at school, but please make sure they have tennis shoes on Wednesdays for PE class!
BIRTHDAY TREATS
If your child would like to bring something in to celebrate a birthday, that is fine. However, it is school policy that edible treats will not be allowed. Your child may bring in an inexpensive prize of some type, stickers, or a book to donate to the classroom for his/her birthday treat. These small prizes are just as special to classmates as a cupcake! Class balls, recess toys, construction paper or other art supplies for kids to use as they please during indoor recess have also been popular. Some kids choose not to bring anything in, so please do not feel obligated. We will always sing and make each child feel special on his/her birthday! Thank you so much for your co-operation!
CLASSROOM RULES
Ada Vista uses a positive behavior intervention system in conjunction with Capturing Kids Hearts. We will make a class contract in which we come up with classroom rules together and talk about how to hold each other accountable for sticking to the contract. Additionally, I am a believer of Love and Logic which empowers children to make their own choices, solve their own problems, and help to come up with consequences and solutions if they happen to make a choice that doesn't turn out so well. We want kids to make mistakes now so that they can learn from them before the stakes are bigger in the future! Want to know more? Visit https://www.loveandlogic.com/
BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS
Please note that it is school policy that birthday invitations are not to be passed out at school unless the entire class is invited. This includes putting them in backpacks when nobody is looking. Sign up for the electronic directory, and you will have all of the info you need to send invites in another way. I hope you all understand why this policy is in place. Thank you!
STABILITY BALLS/FLEXIBLE SEATING
I do allow any child to sit on a stability ball or other type of seat instead of a chair provided they are using it appropriately (for sitting). However, I do not provide them for the students unless I think they REALLY need one in which case I can ask the guidance counselor if she has one that is not being used. I like to provide this option because it is better for health reasons and I also believe that it is asking a lot to expect 7 and 8 year olds to sit still in a chair all day. If it's hard for me, it must be hard for them too! I do provide many opportunities to move around and work in different spots in the room.
If you would like to send one in for your child to sit on, great! Please be sure that it has legs or a stand, or put some sand inside of it. If they do not have legs, a stand, or sand inside, it is too hard to keep them from rolling around the room.
If you send one in with your child and he/she is using it inappropriately, I will send it back home.
School is exhausting! Especially when you have to process everything in a second language! Please make sure that your child is going to bed early each night. I suggest 8:30 at the very latest. It is recommended that kids this age sleep 10-12 hours every night. Many kids are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD when the actual problem is just that they are not getting enough sleep. Enough sleep helps immensely with school success.
Here are a few things that I suggest to help with academic (and life) success for your second grader:
- Read every day whether you are reading to your child or your child is reading to you and dialogue about the book. It doesn't matter if it is English or Spanish. When you read with your child, you are providing a model of what a good reader looks like and helping him or her to see reading as an enjoyable activity. Talking about the book helps with comprehension development.
- Limit screen time (computer, TV, and video games). Studies show that kids who have more than 2 hours daily of screen exposure are more likely to have emotional, social and attention problems. They also have less time to play and be creative. I know many families have a 'no screen time on a school day' rule. That's an excellent idea in my opinion, and is the rule in my own home.
- Limit extracurricular activities. Kids need time to get bored so they can activate their minds and be creative! Not to mention time to decompress from the social and academic demands of a long school day. One sport at a time is plenty. Remember, these kiddos are only 7 and 8 years old and they have amazing minds when they are forced to use them in activities that they dream up on their own. Here's a link to a great article about letting kids get bored and limiting screen time. http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/raise-great-kids/intellegent-creative-child/boredom-busters-good-for-kids
- Check out and work on the list of manners I posted on the Parent Page. I try to work on as many as I can at school, but some of them are much more applicable to home life.
***Personal responsibility is something that your second grader should know a lot about. Your second grader will be expected to turn in daily folders and papers, zip coats, and tie shoes all by themselves. If they still need work on these skills, please take some time to work on them at home. I highly encourage asking them to pack their own lunch and snacks. They will feel so proud to be able to take care of these tasks on their own! Packing food for the day also helps them to learn about eating a balanced diet! Win, win!
Daily life in Sra. da Silva's Classroom
Some things that I talk about a lot throughout the year with the kids that are emphasized in my classroom are:
- I am not the police. My job is not to watch the students to make sure they are doing what they should be doing. My job is to help kids learn. It is difficult to help kids learn when students are not taking personal responsibility for their learning. We talk a lot about using time effectively in class even if the teacher isn’t looking in order to maximize learning time in the classroom for everyone, and achieve their personal best. This is a simple matter of self respect and respect for others. Dialogue about this at home is excellent reinforcement.
- MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES!!!! I find that kids don’t like to mess up and feel bad when they do. I tell them that mistakes are my favorite and that I want them to take risks and try things even if they are unsure. This is the BEST way to learn new things. If everything is always perfect, that means they haven’t learned anything new. Making mistakes is something to feel good about! It means you're learning!
- The number one most important thing I want your child to learn is how to be a good person who is kind and respectful. In my opinion, that will lead to more success in life than any academic skill they will ever learn.
**I am passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and I love the outdoors. This coupled with the knowledge that exercise and exposure to the outdoors increases learning and attention and reduces anxiety in kids are reasons that I give kids extra recess as much as I can. Rarely will I ask a child to stay inside for recess as a disciplinary action. If I ever do need to use some recess time to speak with them privately, it will only be for a few minutes.
SNACK
Snacks are not provided for your child, but he/she is welcome to bring one in to eat in the morning, and one to eat in the afternoon. However, it must be a HEALTHY snack. I suggest a fruit, veggie, dairy product, cheese and crackers, nuts, etc. (High sugar foods like fruit snacks/fruit roll ups, pop tarts, candy, or potato chips are not on my list of healthy snacks.) Think good brain food with protein that will sustain your child’s energy. Please send an accompanying spoon or fork if the snack cannot be eaten without one. Water is the only beverage permitted in the classroom. Thank you!
LUNCH MONEY
Please send lunch money in a sealed envelope marked with my name and your child's first and last name. Labeling it as lunch money will also be quite helpful. I will ask your child to deliver it to the office independently, and the secretaries will have no clue what it is for if it is not labeled.
TOYS
Please enjoy toys at home! This includes any type of video/game device. It is school-wide policy that they should not be at school, and they may be confiscated. Thank you in advance!
END OF DAY TRANSPORTATION
Please send a note or an email if you have any end of the day transportation changes. If I do not have a note from home, I assume that your child will be riding the bus home after school unless you have already established consistent pick up days with me. If your child will not be riding the bus, please let me know who will be picking him/her up after school. Thank you so much for helping me to be sure that everyone is getting to the right location at the end of the day!
GYM SHOES
It is not necessary for your child to have an extra pair of shoes at school, but please make sure they have tennis shoes on Wednesdays for PE class!
BIRTHDAY TREATS
If your child would like to bring something in to celebrate a birthday, that is fine. However, it is school policy that edible treats will not be allowed. Your child may bring in an inexpensive prize of some type, stickers, or a book to donate to the classroom for his/her birthday treat. These small prizes are just as special to classmates as a cupcake! Class balls, recess toys, construction paper or other art supplies for kids to use as they please during indoor recess have also been popular. Some kids choose not to bring anything in, so please do not feel obligated. We will always sing and make each child feel special on his/her birthday! Thank you so much for your co-operation!
CLASSROOM RULES
Ada Vista uses a positive behavior intervention system in conjunction with Capturing Kids Hearts. We will make a class contract in which we come up with classroom rules together and talk about how to hold each other accountable for sticking to the contract. Additionally, I am a believer of Love and Logic which empowers children to make their own choices, solve their own problems, and help to come up with consequences and solutions if they happen to make a choice that doesn't turn out so well. We want kids to make mistakes now so that they can learn from them before the stakes are bigger in the future! Want to know more? Visit https://www.loveandlogic.com/
BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS
Please note that it is school policy that birthday invitations are not to be passed out at school unless the entire class is invited. This includes putting them in backpacks when nobody is looking. Sign up for the electronic directory, and you will have all of the info you need to send invites in another way. I hope you all understand why this policy is in place. Thank you!
STABILITY BALLS/FLEXIBLE SEATING
I do allow any child to sit on a stability ball or other type of seat instead of a chair provided they are using it appropriately (for sitting). However, I do not provide them for the students unless I think they REALLY need one in which case I can ask the guidance counselor if she has one that is not being used. I like to provide this option because it is better for health reasons and I also believe that it is asking a lot to expect 7 and 8 year olds to sit still in a chair all day. If it's hard for me, it must be hard for them too! I do provide many opportunities to move around and work in different spots in the room.
If you would like to send one in for your child to sit on, great! Please be sure that it has legs or a stand, or put some sand inside of it. If they do not have legs, a stand, or sand inside, it is too hard to keep them from rolling around the room.
If you send one in with your child and he/she is using it inappropriately, I will send it back home.