August 15, 2023
Dear Parents,
Welcome to a new school
year! With Back to School Night happening in a couple weeks on Aug 24, we are
sending out much of the information directly, then using our in-person time to
answer questions and to get to know you a bit.
This year in our class we
will be focusing greatly on building community, taking risks, and understanding
that mistakes are part of learning. This will take place through direct and
indirect activities, conversations, and the on-going reactions to learning
situations every day.
As a teacher my goal is
connection, with the students and with you, their families. A guiding question
for me as I teach is “How can we best help these students become the best
version of themselves and the best humans they can be?”
In our class we have aims
designed to help students learn and apply important life principles in any
situation.
Be Here—Be present and on time, and more importantly, be involved and
interested.
Be Kind—Look for ways to be kind to others and yourself in any situation
Have Fun—Getting involved and enjoying yourself makes learning more
effective.
We will be building
community using restorative practices designed to help students reflect on
their own actions while also recognizing their responses to what is going on
around them. Carrillo teachers and staff have all been trained in these
practices and it is a school-wide goal to utilize these practices in resolving
problems and building community. We will ask frequently, “What is the kind
thing to do: for ourselves, and for others?”
Every day we are
developing a safe atmosphere for students to do their best while helping them
to challenge themselves to stretch beyond what seems easy and possible.
Character Development
This year at Carrillo, we
will continue focusing on Character Development as a school. We are keeping our
focus on kindness and adding focus on a character trait each month. At the
beginning of each month, there will be a flag salute to highlight the trait. At
the end of the month, we will celebrate the trait and recognize students with
character awards.
Communication
I will check my school
email at least twice a day. [email protected] Also I check for phone
messages throughout the day. I will return your calls and email as soon as
possible, generally within 24 hours. I will also be frequently calling parents,
or speaking with you in person, for a general check-up on how things are going.
It is my intention to speak with each of you, on the phone or in person, at
least once a month. Please feel free to email or call whenever you have
comments or concerns. I send most class related emails directly through the
Synergy portal which shows up looking like email. Please make sure your email
addresses are current for all family members that would like to receive class
email from me.
Content and Extra Work
Students will be working
all year toward mastering more complex reading and math concepts. To facilitate
this, they must know basic addition and subtraction facts to 10. Please help
your child practice these facts daily for 5 minutes. If you are looking for
additional homework, or enrichment activities for your child, there are various
on-line programs, such as iReady, available through the Clever login.
Spelling
This year we are using Benchmark as our Language Arts program
and we will be connecting phonics skills and high frequency vocabulary in our
spelling program. All week in the classroom we will study and practice words
based on the focus pattern, as well as including 10 high frequency vocabulary
words. There is not a weekly test for spelling, but rather an on-going focus in
using words correctly in their writing, as this forms the basis of the spelling
grades on the report card. Students will usually bring home a work page with
the focus words for the week at the beginning of each school week so that you
have the words available if you’d like to practice with them at home.
Mathematics
We will work with a
variety of strategies, tools, and methods across the school year as we work
toward a deeper understanding of math concepts. We frequently talk about math
in class and with the goal of understanding how math works by looking at a
variety of ways to solve equations and problems. This provides opportunities
for growth to advanced, and advancing, students. If they bring home math work
that looks differently than a way you might have solved it, please ask your
student to explain what they did and why. These math conversations at home are
valuable connections, and help to reinforce what we are learning at school. If
your student struggles in explain it, contact the teacher for further support.
Homework
This year in second grade the only daily, on‐going responsibility
given to the students outside school hours is to read. We expect students to
read daily, either independently or with a family member. Daily reading will
improve students’ overall academics as reading is an integral part of all
subject areas. Homework for second grade students is to read 20 minutes each
day. Students receiving additional instructional support may
receive individualized learning activities for home.
Illnesses
Please refer to and follow
the SMUSD policies regarding student illness. We work to share at school but we
do our best to not share colds and viruses.
Water bottles
Water bottles are great to
have in the classroom and to take out for recess. I ask that if students bring
a bottle, it should be small to medium sized, with a cap that is easy for them
to open, and keep closed when not in use. Also, please don’t freeze the bottles
or include ice because the condensation gets everything on their desk, or in
their backpack, wet. Water only please. Also, please write your student’s name
on their bottle.
Discipline
Our class rules are based
on the Carrillo Elementary school rules with focus on The Carrillo Way to “Do
the right thing, because it’s the right thing, even if no one is looking.” We
focus with students on some guiding principles.
Be Respectful
Make Good Choices
Solve Problems
To
encourage students to follow our rules, I reinforce appropriate behavior with
positive recognition and praise along with the natural consequences of
responsible behavior. We have a clip chart on the wall with student names to
help them monitor positive behavior and warnings to improve, as well as
consequences.
The
consequences are:
Warning
Time out from an activity or
recess
Lunch time in another classroom
and a home contact
If things continue beyond this,
removal from class and contact with office are possible
In trying to focus on the
positive, we will also have programs in place that earn rewards, both as a
class and as individuals. I will be constantly looking for the positive, to
“catch” kids doing what we are hoping for them to do as well as to guide them
towards those goals.
Classroom
Website
We have a website for
classroom news, homework, schedules, information and most importantly
communication. It can be found at https://carrilloelementary.smusd.org/staff_directory_List/mr__retzer
Or go to the Carrillo
website https://carrilloelementary.smusd.org/ and look in the
classrooms section for Mr. Marklyn Retzer.
Technology
We have regular access to
a computer cart with Chromebook computers and regular time scheduled for
independent and targeted work. School policy is for phones and smart watches to
remain in backpacks other than for medical reasons (such as diabetes monitoring.)
The plan for now is that students will keep their computers at school and
generally will not be carrying them between home and school every day. Our
computer cart in the classroom makes storing and charging easy. There are
occasions when students may bring the computers home for additional practice.
If this is something you as a parent are interested in, please contact the
teacher.
Weekly
Readers
The PTO has chosen to
support the school with the purchase of the weekly Scholastic News magazines
from PTO funds. Your support of the PTO helps to fund this and many other great
things for the school. Thank you!
Snacks and Celebrations
Healthy snacks are
important here at school. As you plan for snacks for your student, please
remember that recess is before lunch this year. Candy and soda are not allowed
at school. Please look for healthy options for snacks. The California
Department of Education and our school district have established guidelines
regarding food for celebrations. This means that food (or treats) may not be
included as part of birthdays celebrations. One great way to honor your child
on this special day is to donate a book. The library has a wonderful program in
place where children donate books to the library on their birthday. There are
other non-food options for celebrations also.
Parent Volunteers
There will be various
opportunities to help on campus and in the classroom. An email with more
information will come to the class email list in September, once we have
established our regular routines.
Attendance
It is
very important that your child attend school daily. We do many lessons,
projects and activities to promote learning throughout the day. Regular and
punctual attendance plays an important role in your child’s educational
success. The school day begins promptly at 8:45 a.m. Students who arrive late
not only miss instruction, but can also be a class disruption. If a student is
late, they must obtain a Late Pass from the office in order to be admitted to
class. Please help your child form the good habit of being on time. If your
child will be missing three or more days of school in a row, please contact the
teacher regarding missed classwork.
Curriculum, Standards and Grading
Please see the curriculum
guides for the state and district required content for this grade level. These
standards form the basis for the grades we give. We will move forward during
the year, with proficiency of these standards as our goal by the end of the
school year. The numbers 1-4 are the written grades we give based on these
standards. Note that 3 is mastery of grade level standards.
4 The student consistently demonstrates
advanced mastery of grade level standards.
3 The student consistently demonstrates
mastery of grade level standards.
2 The student demonstrates partial
mastery of grade level standards.
1 The
student is consistently performing below grade level in standards.
Common Core State Standards
Carrillo
Elementary, and all of SMUSD, follows the California Common Core State
Standards in Math, Language Arts, Writing, Science, and Social Studies. This
makes some of the areas of instruction, (especially math) look different than how
it may have traditionally been taught. There are a number of resources
explaining this on the district’s website. https://www.smusd.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=157433&pageId=343185
Carrillo PTO
Please check the Carrillo
PTO website at www.carrillopto.com for information updates
and to sign up for the email list.
In order for the students
to have the most successful year possible, we need your continual support.
Thank you for the opportunity to work with your child.
Gratefully,
Mr. Marklyn Retzer
[email protected]
760-290-2900 x3012