Wild About First Grade!Ms. Deans’ First Grade Handbook

2015-2016

The First Week of School

The first week of school will be a busy week! We will be doing several activities that will allow us to get to know each other better and develop a classroom community. We will also be working on establishing and learning our classroom expectations and routines.

Here is what your child needs for the first day of school: The completed transportation and student information sheet

received at Meet the Teacher. A backpack labeled with the students name on it. Please no

wheels. Any school supplies purchased for your child to use.

Parent/Teacher Relationship

I believe that a positive parent/teacher relationship is integral for your student’s success. Throughout the year, I will communicate with you through notes, telephone calls, email, newsletters, school and classroom website, and parent-teacher conferences. If you need to schedule a conference, please call the school or email me so we can schedule a time that works for both of us. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me via email at adeans@wcpss.net or by calling the school at 919-544-2474.

School Attendance

Your child’s regular and prompt attendance at school is extremely important. We are building language, working on auditory development, and using hands on materials to enhance our learning. Many of these activities cannot be duplicated for students who are absent. If your child is absent, please send a note stating the reason. If your child was absent due to an illness and a doctor’s visit, please send a doctor’s note.

NOTE: School begins at 9:15; please have your child here on time daily. A warning bell rings at 9:10 and we will take attendance promptly at 9:15 each morning so your child will need to be in class on time in order to avoid being marked late. Please keep in mind that many children arrive at 8:50, which allows them time to transition into school. During this time, children are able to complete morning work and unfinished work. It is much easier to be calm and focused when you have a chance to interact with your friends first. Please note that in order to receive the Perfect Attendance award at the end of the year, he/she must not be absent for any reason and have less than 3 lates or early dismissals.

Transportation

If your child is a car rider, they will be picked up in the carpool line at the front of the school. Parents need to go through the carpool line and wait until their child is called. Please do not park and go in to pick up your child unless it is before 3:30. If you are picking up your child early from school, please remember that they should be signed out at the office. If there is any change in transportation you will need to send in a written note or call the office. If I receive no written note, your child will be sent home by his or her usual method of transportation.

Allergies

If your child has allergies please make sure we are aware of them. I especially need to know about any food allergies and insect bite reactions.

Lunch

The students eat lunch in the school cafeteria each day. A full lunch cost $2.00. If you would like to buy milk, it cost $.50. You are always welcome to join us for lunch. However, please give us two weeks to establish routines before visiting. When you arrive, please sign in at the office and get a visitors pass.

Technology

I enjoy using technology whenever possible to provide interactive learning experiences for the children. We will regularly utilize the Promethean bard, ipods, and computers.

Recess

We will have 30 minutes of outside time each day (weather permitting). Please dress your child appropriately. In case of rain, extreme heat or cold, we may have indoor recess in the classroom.

Label Everything

It is important to label lunch boxes, sweaters, jackets, book bags, hats, umbrellas, water bottles, etc. with your child’s first and last name so if it is lost or left behind we can properly identify it.

Birthdays

Birthdays are a special occasion for children. In class, we will celebrate your child’s birthday in a special way with a song or special surprise. We encourage you to visit our classroom on your child’s birthday and read their favorite book or eat lunch with them. The book can also be donated to the school’s library in their name.

Take Home Folder

Your child will bring home a green folder Monday-Thursday. It will include important school and classroom information. It will also have a behavior log that will need to be signed every night. Please return this folder to school daily.

Homework

Reading Homework- It is imperative that all children become aware of reading as a life skill- the newspaper, cookbook, greeting cards, letters, etc. Reading at home could be you reading aloud to your child, you and your child reading together, or your child reading independently with a little help from you. Your child will be asked to read every night for 20 minutes and record it on a reading log.

Math Homework- Just like reading, numbers and math concepts are all around us. It is helpful to spend time pointing out these elements in the world (grocery store, toy store, road signs, length of a cartoon). Math homework will be sent home reflecting skills your child worked on in class.

Curriculum – Common Core State Standards and N.C. Essential Standards

Wake County schools standards changed in the 2012-2013 school year due to North Carolina’s adoption of the new Common Core State Standards and the N.C. Essential Standards. These new guidelines describe the essential skills and knowledge that students master annually and provide parents with a clear and common understanding of what their child is expected to learn and know. To find more information please visit the WCPSS website at http://www.wcpss.net/common-core/.

Reading

One of the most important goals in first grade is that all children learn to read and comprehend to the best of their ability. You are a very important part of this process. This is why the 20 minutes of daily reading homework is so important. The Wake County Public Library is a great place to visit each week. In our classroom, we will participate in Daily 5 centers to make the most of our reading time every day.

Writing

Students will write each day as a part of our Daily 5 centers and literacy block. Students will also learn to practice writing during our afternoon writing block. Students will learn to write at least six sentences about a given topic using capitals, periods, and age appropriate spelling by the end of the year through writer’s workshop.

Math

Our math block, will take place each afternoon. We will be learning many different skills such as adding and subtracting one and two digit numbers, telling time to the nearest hour and half hour, ordering objects according to their length, and partitioning shapes into halves and fourths, just to name a few! I love using manipluatives and hands on activities to teach math and relate what we are learning to real life examples.

Social Studies and Science

Social studies and science are also important parts of our day. We alternate when we teach these subjects every 4 weeks. We teach social studies of our first 4 weeks of the quarter and we teach science the last 4 weeks of the quarter. I will keep you informed as to our topics of study through my newsletters. Topics range from Organisms and Balance and Motion; to Community Rules and Economy.

Report Cards

In first grade students will receive four report cards. These will be sent home at the end of each quarter. Interim reports will be sent home in the middle of each quarter. Please review your child’s report card when it arrives home and then send the envelope back to school.

Parent Involvement

Parents are welcome to be involved in their child’s first grade year as much as they can. Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school! I am always happy to have you help for special activities in the classroom. You will need to have volunteer clearance to do so. Also, please see the Super Volunteer form if you would like to help out in the classroom. We will also have many classroom activities when parents are invited into the classroom throughout the year.

Discipline

I always do my best to encourage and praise positive behavior in all areas of the school. In our classroom, we will use a clip chart where students can move their personal clip up or down based on their behavior that day.

Each student will begin the day on “Ready to Learn” or green. Throughout the day they may be asked to move their clip up for great behavior or down if they are not following our classroom expectations and have to be redirected. If a student has to move their clip down, they will have the opportunity to move it back up by the end of the day if they correct their behavior.

At the end of each day, I will include a happy, straight, or sad face to indicate the part of the chart they ended on. If they are green or above, they will receive a happy face. If they are on yellow, the student will receive a straight face. A sad face will indicate that the student ended the day on red which is the lowest on the clip chart. If necessary, I will send home a note or call you to explain what happened in class that day. Please initial below the chart on their behavior calendar each day and send it back to school in their folder.