Second Grade is FUN!
Second grade is said to be the last year in which children learn to read before a lifetime of reading to learn. Students read classic works of fiction, expository text and poetry. They become authors who write to persuade, to inform and to entertain. As math students, they analyze many forms of word problems and master double-digit addition and subtraction, while beginning to explore multiplication and division. As scientists, they venture into the natural world with trips to the greenbelt and the botanical garden, along with other hands-on science activities such as witnessing the metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly. Geography, history and civics round out the curriculum with social studies. Creativity is encouraged and students use their talents to represent their learning through various inventive projects.
Mary Onak
2nd Grade Teacher, Team Lead
mary.onak@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Ms. Onak has been a teacher for 13 years with 12 of those years being at Barton Hills Elementary. Her favorite thing about Barton Hills is the small and cohesive community. Ms. Onak and her husband have a blended family of four adult children, three sons and one daughter. Her children attended Barton Hills. She's lived in Austin since 1978 and is a graduate of the University of Texas. In her spare time, she likes to do yoga, hike, read history and do math puzzles. Ms. Onak is also an avid fan of the Houston Astros.
Reagan Mendez
2nd Grade Teacher
reagan.mendez@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Ms. Mendez is in her first year at Barton Hills Elementary and has been a teacher for 5 years. She is from San Antonio and just moved to Austin to be a part of our awesome school community. Ms. Mendez is a graduate of Texas State University. She enjoys spending time and playing fetch with her little dog, Senna. She also loves attending motorsport events and her goal is to attend as many Formula 1 races as possible. Her students would like you to know the three things that make her happy are: macaroni and cheese, coffee, and PLANTS! She has over 50 plants at her house that she calls her jungle paradise.
Avery Benoit, NBCT
2nd Grade Teacher
avery.benoit@austinisd.org| 512-414-2013
Mrs. Benoit has been teaching at Barton Hills for eight years and has been a teacher in AISD for 12 years. She graduated from St. Edwards with a bachelor's degree in teacher education. Mrs. Benoit proudly lives in South Austin with her daughter, her husband and their very cute dog, Millie. She is a National Board-certified teacher, and she absolutely loves teaching 1st and 2nd grade!