Dear Parents,
Welcome to a new school year! My name is Mrs. Melanie Garrett, and I will be your child's 2nd grade teacher. The 2016-2017 school year will be my fourteenth year of teaching. I graduated in 2003 from Tennessee Tech University with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and from the University of the Cumberlands in 2014 with my master's in reading education. I live in Oneida with my husband, Ben, our ten-year old twins Rachel and Toby, and our beagle, Scooter. We also added two kittens to the mix this summer- Popeye and Chubs. When I'm not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, shopping, and jeep riding.
2nd grade will bring a lot of exciting new challenges for your child. This year, we will be teaching the Tennessee State standards. This means that we will be going more in depth over the things that your child is learning about. It also means that we will be reading more nonfiction (real-life) stories. These are often a bit more difficult for children to understand, so you are encouraged to stay involved with what your child is reading and doing in the classroom.
Your child will have about 20 minutes of homework each night. I would like for them to read their reading story, read a library book, and look over their spelling words at home. We will have our reading story test and spelling test on Fridays, so this will help your child be prepared. Also, students are going to be encouraged to reach the 100 point club in AR, so reading and testing on library books is very important.
I look forward to working with you and your child this school year. I want your child to feel successful, happy, and safe in my classroom. Thank you for your help and support at home this school year!
Mrs. Garrett