Welcome to Room 105! I hope this is a wonderful year for you and your second grader.

Through this newsletter I will keep you informed about what we are doing in class, about special projects coming up, as well as other items of interest. Always look for it on the first day of every school week and read it carefully. You can also read my current newsletter, as well as those from past weeks, by visiting the school Web site, www.sjcpsinfo.org, and clicking on “Newsletter, Room 105.” This Web site contains a wealth of information, including a daily update of the school calendar. Please check it regularly. Any items that are new are posted in red font. You can find my school email address on the Web site as well as at the bottom of this note. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I am in school every day by 7:30 A.M. and usually stay until at least 4:00 P.M. I will return your call or your email as soon as possible.

This year Mrs. Diane Sellinger will be the CORE teacher for second/third grade Language Arts and Mrs. Cheryl Haney will be the CORE teacher for second/third grade Math. Mrs. Debbie Stauffer is our instructional aide. We will work together as a team planning units, and their creative ideas and expertise will allow us to address the various learning styles of the children in our classroom. We look forward to seeing you at the Pre-K through Grade 3 Parent Night on Wednesday, September 3. Please mark your calendar for this special event. More information will be coming home soon.

This year we would especially like to welcome Quinn Parker to our class. Quinn is new to our school this year. I know he will make many friends very quickly!

Your child will have a “take home” folder that should be checked every day for completed work and important messages. If you have something to send to school, please place it in this folder and soon it will become routine for your child to check the folder for items that need to be given to me. On Friday your child will bring home a special green folder containing announcements and/or more completed work. This folder should be returned to school on Monday. On occasion I will also be sending messages via email, so please watch for notes.

Some important announcements and reminders:

§         By Friday of this week I would like each student to bring in a photograph that was taken this summer. The child may or may not be in the picture. Please put it in an envelope with your child’s name on it. We will be using these pictures for a getting-to-know-you writing activity and they will be returned to you unharmed.

§         We have snack every day in second grade, sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon, depending on our schedule. We strongly encourage you to send along a healthy snack with your child, and one that can be eaten in about 10 minutes.

§         We will celebrate the opening school liturgy in church on Friday morning at 9:15. You are most welcome to join us in prayer. It is our custom here at SJC to ask for a donation of non-perishable food to be brought whenever we have a school liturgy. Thank you for encouraging your children to share their blessings with those less fortunate.

When I Grow Up

When I grow up I think that I may pilot rockets through the sky;

grow orchards full of apple trees or find a way to cure disease.

Perhaps I’ll run for president, design a robot or invent

unique computerized machines or miniature submarines.

When I grow up I’d like to be the captain of a ship at sea;

an architect, a clown or cook; the writer of a favorite book.

I might just be the one to teach a chimpanzee the art of speech . . .

But what I’ll really be, I’ll bet, I’ve not begun to think of yet.

I know that new beginnings can be exhilarating and sometimes more than a little intimidating. I am very excited to begin this new school year. It has been a privilege and my great delight for the past 25 years to spend my days working with these precious children. We will “grow up” together – as writers, artists, mathematicians, musicians, thinkers, readers, scientists, adventurers, problem solvers and followers of Jesus. Who knows how far we can go?

Have a wonderful week.

Mrs. Mary Ann Oczkowski

Email: oczkowski@sjc.pvt.k12.il.us              School Web site www.sjcpsinfo.org

                          Voicemail: 708-246-4454, #305