Daily Learning Resources

Welcome and About Me

Dear Families,

Let me begin by saying what an absolute joy it is to have your precious child with me this year! I love what I do, and I am looking forward to a super 2nd grade year here at OPES. :)

To share some background, my family moved to Glynn County when I was three years old, and I consider it my home – and a great one, at that! I attended Oglethorpe myself, as well as Glynn Middle School and Glynn Academy. I attended the University of Georgia and received my degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) in 2014. Since beginning my career, I have also completed coursework for my Gifted Endorsement. This marks my tenth year at OPES; since beginning here, I have taught 5th grade, 1st grade, and I am excited to begin my seventh year on the 2nd grade team! Some of my favorite things in the world, apart from teaching, are my family and friends, reading all sorts of books, playing games, and being outdoors, especially near an ocean or a tree. My husband teaches 5th grade at OPES, and yes, we met here! If you see anything that says “Johnson,” don’t be confused – that is my maiden name, and it still shows up in some of the school's computer systems, as well as on some classroom supplies.

For housekeeping, your child's take-home folder and DAN should serve as our main methods of communication. Please plan to check the folder nightly. Read, write, and/or respond to any notes in the DAN and sign nightly OR email me. In recent years, we have begun using digital platforms/communication much more heavily.

Thank you so much for your support and for sharing your sweet children with me!

Lots of love,

Mrs. Mimbs

Rules, Rewards, and Consequences

In our class,

RESPECT is the rule, and the rule is RESPECT. 👍

I will respect others and myself by...

Following directions the first time they are given.
Using hands, feet, and objects appropriately.
Being where I need to be, when I need to be there.
Completing tasks to the best of my ability.
Listening and waiting my turn to speak.
Being kind.
Representing my class with appropriate behavior outside of our room (hallways, bathroom, lunch, specials).
SOARing in everything I do! 🙂

My hope for your children in second grade is that they grow as individuals both inside and outside of the classroom. We will have a list of specific expectations for our classroom because I believe clarity is important, but our list is going to be summarized with one BIG idea: “Respect is the rule, and the rule is respect.” We will have a balance of rewards and consequences to reinforce this expectation, but my goal is to help your children learn to monitor their own choices by asking the questions, “Am I respecting others with this decision? Am I respecting myself?” *Health Safety choices will be discussed in this light! J

Respect Reminders: “Respect Reminders” will be given if a student is exhibiting a behavior that does not meet the expectations of the classroom. The first reminder is a warning and a chance to change the behavior; everyone needs a reminder sometimes! The second reminder will earn a name on the board, and subsequent reminders will earn tallies. Second and subsequent reminders will result in consequences and/or cause changes in the learning environment for an appropriate period of time (loss of material privileges for that activity, temporary or permanent seat change, etc.). If a student has any tallies by their name at the end of the day, parents/guardians will be contacted with an explanation of the behavior(s). We will have Fun Friday twice a month (a planned educational cooperative play time), which will be used as a reward for respectful choices; students will lose some of this time for 2+ notes home within the 2-week period. This might look a little different each month, but it will always be fun! :)

Respect Recognition: Students who are displaying particularly respectful behavior (showing great kindness to a friend, making consistently respectful choices without reminders, setting a positive example, etc.) will be given “Respect Recognition” on the board. If their name is still on the board at the end of a day, one box on the chart in their DAN will be signed, and there will be rewards for completion of each row on the chart. Both Respect Reminders and Respect Recognition can be earned and lost within a day!

Students can earn rewards as a class or individually. There is a marble bucket at the front of the room with a bag of marbles. When the class is making respectful choices as a whole, a handful of marbles will be moved from the bag into the bucket. When the bag has been emptied, the students will be able to vote on a marble celebration. “Respect Recognition” is given to individuals, and every student has their own incentive chart.

When children realize their teachers and families are communicating and working together, positive behaviors are often the result. I look forward to working with you to make second grade a fun and enjoyable learning experience and help your student grow as a respectful individual!

Second Grade Student Supplies

Many daily supplies will be provided! :)
• Pencils (Ticonderoga preferably)
• 2 two-pocket folders
• 3 composition books (not spiral)
• Pink Pentel Erasers/ Cap Erasers
• Zipper pencil pouch (not plastic)
• Expo/Dry Erase Marker

*Encouraged: Personal pair of headphones and refillable water bottle (daily).

Classroom Supplies
Tissues
Hand Sanitizer or Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
Disinfecting wipes

Student Snacks

We will have class snacks for the entire group rather than children bringing their snack individually. This is to simplify your life and mine at snack time, and to ensure that every child has something to eat - it is hard to do your best while your tummy is growling! During the first few days of school, I will be sending home an approved list of allergy-friendly, individually packaged snack brands that can be purchased in bulk and donated (crackers, pretzels, etc.). PLEASE do not send anything that is not on this list out of respect for our friends with allergies! :) You may send these snacks at any time, and I will send out a reminder if we are running low on anything. If your child is picky or prefers to bring a personal snack, that is fine; I just always like to have an option at school. :)

Homework Guidelines

Letter about homework will be here!

Helpful Links

Math

IXL

Math practice by grade level and content standard

Zearn

Math program aligned with our Eureka Math lessons

Eureka Math Homework Help

AMAZING Eureka Math homework help for parents!!

Language Arts

Get Epic!