Arrival and Dismissal Times

Mrs. Cole’s 1st Grade Handbook

Dear Parents, I am so excited to have your child in my class. I look forward to working with each of you this year. I will do my best to make this a fun and exciting year of learning for your child. Students grow so much in their reading and math skills in first grade. We will work together to make sure every child achieves success this year. Thank you for allowing me to spend the next nine months with your child. I want to thank everyone for coming to Meet the Teacher Night. Thank you for sending in supplies and being so supportive of your child. Below you will find some important information about first grade. I am looking forward to a great year! 

Arrival and Dismissal Times School starts at 8:35. Students are allowed to go to their classrooms at 8:10. Free breakfast will be served in the classroom. Wednesdays are our late start days. On Wednesdays, the students are allowed to go to their classrooms at 8:40, and class begins at 9:00. At 3:15, students being picked up are dismissed. The first round of bus riders are dismissed at 3:35 and the second round of bus riders are dismissed at 3:50. If you will be picking your child up early, you will need to sign them out in the office before I can release them to you. If your child will be doing something different at dismissal time, I will need a note from you telling me about this change. This includes changes like your child riding a different bus, being picked up instead of riding the bus, or being picked up by someone new. The Waynesville School District will not accept phone calls or emails for transportation changes. We must have a written note for safety issues. In the event of an early dismissal because of bad weather, your child will follow their normal end of the day plan unless you come and check them out early at the office. Please listen to the radio or check your answering machine if the weather is questionable!

Library Books Your child will be bringing home library books from school. These are for you to read at home and can be used to fulfill the Reading Circle award, the Pizza Hut Book-It program or other classroom and school reading programs. One of the books your child brings home will be one they can probably read by themselves. The other will be a fun book of their choice that you can read together. Please remember these books are the property of the school. If one is lost, misplaced, or damaged you will be responsible for replacing it. I also encourage you get your child a public library card and check out books from the local library. This is a great source and it’s FREE! Teacher/Parent Communication Your child’s orange take-home folder will be one way for us to communicate this year. If you need to send me a note, lunch money, or a transportation note, simply put it in the left pocket of the folder. I will check the folders daily. The right side of the folder is for completed work, weekly calendars, and notes from the office or myself. **Please check the folder every night and remove the papers from the right pocket. Go over the work with your child if they got something incorrect. The take-home folder should come back to school every day! On the left side of the folder, you will also find your child’s monthly behavior chart and snack calendar. This chart will tell you how your child’s behavior was each day. Each child colors his or her chart to show what color they were on at the end of the day. It will also tell you when your child’s snack day is. If your child’s name is not on this calendar, it will be on the next month. Please return this chart to school every day. I will also be communicating with you by email. I will email weekly calendars and notes in an attempt to improve communication and save paper. When emailing me questions, please allow a couple days for me to respond, particularly the first time you email me. Parent emails go to our school’s SPAM account. We do not receive notification of them until the next business day. I can then click “Always Allow” and should get your email faster after that. I check my email every day after school. Just wanted to make you all aware of this possible delay.

Afternoon Snacks Please check the behavior/snack calendar for your child’s snack day. The calendar will also tell how many students are in our class. Please bring healthy, store-bought snacks. Some examples of healthy snacks are crackers of any kind, pretzels, granola bars, and fruit snacks. Drinks are not required, but you may bring them if you wish. If your snack requires spoons, forks, or cups, please supply those materials. Snacks will be around 2:00.

Birthday Treats Birthday treats are welcome. I do try to schedule a student’s snack day on or close to their birthday. Please remember that the only way birthday invitations can be passed out at school is if an invitation is given to every child in the class.

Weekly Calendar I will be sending home a weekly calendar on Mondays. This calendar will have information on what we will be doing in reading, writing, and math each week. It will also tell you what the homework is for each night, the special class for each day, and upcoming events. The spelling words for the week are on the calendar as well. Please take a minute to read this note. Teacher Plan Time I believe it is very important for parents and teachers to work together to help children succeed. Please feel free to call me at school (during my plan time or after school) with any questions or concerns you may have. My plan time is from 11:30 – 12:20. My e-mail address is [email protected].

Classroom Rules and Discipline Plan For learning to take place, students must follow certain rules and procedures. On the 1st day of school, the students were introduced to our classroom rules. Every morning we say these rules together. 1. Listen while my teacher is talking.

2. Raise your hand for permission to speak.

3. Keep hands, feet, and other objects to yourself. (KHFOOTY)

4. Follow directions quickly.

5. Work quietly.

6. Be respectful to my teachers, my classmates, and my school.

The discipline plan we use is a color-coded visual where the students get rewarded for good behavior and have consequences for misbehaving. The students start each day on Green (Ready to Swim). If they are caught being good, they can “clip up” to Blue (Just Keep Swimming). If they are caught being good again, they “clip up” to Purple (Fintastic Job) and then to Pink (Star-fish Student). When a student breaks a rule, they are told to “clip down.” The first time they clip down they will be on Yellow (Stop and Think/Walk 1 lap at recess). If they continue to misbehave they will “clip down” to Orange (Teacher Choice) and then to Red (Parent Contact/Loss of Privileges). If students break a rule and “clip down” but then start showing good behavior, they can “clip up” again. At the end of the day, students color in their behavior chart in their orange take-home folder. Please look at this each night and keep it in the orange take-home folder. If your child is on blue, please read the Comment Note on the Behavior Chart and Sign it. Students will be rewarded for good behavior. “Star-fish Students” get candy at the end of the day. Students on green or above get points in Class Dojo. Students on pink get 4 points. Students on purple get 3 points. Those on blue get 2 points and students on green get 1 point. Students will also lose points in Class Dojo for breaking rules. Students on yellow will lose 1 point. Students on orange will lose 2 points. Students on red will lose 3 points. Once a student gets 15 points, they get to pick a reward from our Celebration List. Class rewards are also earned for class compliments. The class gets to color in tiger paws for compliments. Once the 4 paws are full, a reward is chosen. This recognition will be on the Weekly Calendar. One more way good behavior is celebrated is by giving out Tiger Bucks. Any teacher can give a student a Tiger Buck for good behavior. The students collect their Tiger Bucks and use them at the Tiger Store to buy treasures. Homework The weekly calendar will outline your child’s daily homework. This is usually reading the nightly story or mini-book, practicing sight words, reviewing math facts, and studying spelling words. Listening to your child read is very important. Please spend 20 minutes a night reading with your child. Remember you can also read a story to your child to model fluent, expressive reading. Children enjoy being read to, and it is time the two of you can spend together. Practicing Sight Words is another important part of homework. 1st Quarter we will work on Pre-Primer Sight Words. 2nd Quarter we will do the Primer Sight Words. 3rd Quarter we will do the 1st Grade Sight Word List. 4th Quarter we will do the 2nd Grade Sight Word List. I will give your child a pre-test to see which words they need to practice. Throughout the quarter, I will post-test your child on these words. You can practice these words by making flash cards or playing sight word games on websites like: www.abcya.com, www.mrsperkins.com, and www.familylearning.org.uk/sight_word_games.html There are even more links to good websites on my teacher web page on the district website. You can also help your child by practicing addition and subtraction facts to 10. Using flashcards or playing math games on the computer are great ways to improve your child’s addition and subtraction fluency. If you Google “Math Magician” you will find a great website that has timed math practice. By the end of the year, your child will be asked to do 20 addition problems in 2 minutes and 20 subtraction problems in 2 minutes. Last, you can help your child study their spelling words. Each week, your child will have 10 spelling words. This will include six words that follow the spelling pattern for the week, two review words from last week’s list, and two new sight words. We will take our spelling test on Friday.

Grade Cards & Portfolios Grade cards will be sent home after each quarter. We will be giving standard-based grades this year. Students will be given a pre-test for each standard BEFORE instruction. PLEASE DO NOT PUNISH YOUR CHILD IF THEY DID NOT DO WELL ON THE PRE- TEST. This pre-test is to help guide my instruction and to show growth. During instruction, students will be informal assessed three times to monitor progress. After instruction, the teacher will post-test students on the standard. You may view your child’s scores in Power School. The grading scale begins at a 1 and progresses to a 4. We want every child to score a 3, which is meeting the standard. A score of 4 means the child has gone above and beyond the first grade requirement for that standard. A list of the standards your child will learn this year is available online in a document called The Parent Supplement. Proficiency Scales for each standard are also available. This tells what a child must do to score a 3 for that skill. Your child will also have a portfolio where we will track student progress towards reading and math goals. These portfolios will be shared at home periodically. Please DO NOT remove the papers from this portfolio. Please send it back to school after looking over it. We will add to this portfolio all year. If you will be moving, please let myself and the office know ahead of time so we can get your child’s report card and permanent records ready.

Lunch Information Our class eats lunch from 10:36 – 11:01 in the cafeteria. If your child does not like the main course on the menu, please send their lunch that day. Please do not send glass of any kind in your child’s lunch box! I also ask that you only send caffeine-free soda, juice, or water in your child’s lunch box. Please send your child’s breakfast and lunch money in an envelope with their name, teacher, and the amount on the outside. Students are not allowed to charge more than $10.00. When the account goes above this amount, students receive a sandwich and milk only. The office will send out a notice when your child is in need of money. There is a form to fill out to qualify for free/reduced meals. If you are interested, please fill this out and return it as soon as possible.

Classroom Parties We will be having a Winter/Christmas Party and a Valentine Party. I will let you know the day and time of each party when that time comes. I will be sending home reminders to those of you who signed up at Meet the Teacher Night as we get closer to each party. Other special activities may be scheduled during the year.

Box Tops & Recycling: East Elementary collects Box Top Labels to raise money for our school. We also have a recycling program throughout the school. In addition, we can earn money for our school by recycling but we need your help. Please send in any of the following recyclable items in a baggie labeled “For Recycling”: Inkjet Cartridges, Toner Cartridges, I-Pods/MP3 Players, Digital Cameras, & GPS Devices.

Other Helpful Hints *Please put your child’s name on all their belongings. (Ex. lunch boxes, coats, hats, gloves, book bags, etc.) *Please keep an extra change of clothes in your child’s backpack. This will help if ever your child spills their breakfast or lunch on their clothes, gets muddy at recess, or has an accident. Thank you in advance. *Please do not allow your child to bring toys, stuffed animals, a cell phone, or electronics from home. Students are not allowed to bring toys on the playground or for inside recess. We have things for them to play with at school. There may be certain days I will ask children to bring an item from home (ex. hat day, stuffed animal day, or show and tell day), but I will always send a note home beforehand or notify you on the weekly calendar. *Please check the weather each morning and make sure your child is wearing appropriate clothing. During cold weather, please make sure your child has a coat and gloves. *On days your child has P.E., please have them wear tennis shoes and appropriate clothing. *Your child may bring a water bottle from home. Please do not send your child to school with soda or juice in their water bottle. Each night, I will have your child bring the water bottle home so you can wash it. *Please be sure your child knows their after school routine, especially if there is a change in their schedule. However, remember to send a note about any changes. I will follow the normal schedule if I do not have a note from you.

I am looking forward to a great year of learning and getting to know your child and family. I will do my best to make sure your child has a fantastic time in first grade. Below is the Waynesville District Curriculum Information and our updated schedule. Thank you for all of your support! Sincerely, Mrs. Cole

1st Grade Curriculum & Assessment Information

1 st Grade Benchmark Assessments At least 4 times throughout the year, students take the STAR Reading and the STAR Math Assessments. These tests are given on the computer. For the STAR Reading, students read passages and either find a word to complete a sentence or answer comprehension questions about a passage. This test is NOT read to the child. This test will show your student’s strengths and weaknesses in reading and also their current reading level. I will send home a report with your child’s score after each test. Students who struggle with this test will be progress monitored and additional instruction will be given during Tiger Time. We use this test as well as the grade card standards to place kids in groups for Tiger Time. For the STAR Math, students answer a variety of math questions on the computer. The questions are read to the student. This test will show your student’s strengths and weaknesses in math. Reading Instruction in First Grade At East Elementary, we use a reading series called “Treasures.” Students are introduced to short vowel and long vowel spelling patterns, new sight words, reading strategies, and comprehension strategies while reading weekly stories from their red reading book. Students will also read mini-books as well. Each quarter, students will have a list of sight words to practice. The goal is that every student will be able to read the words with 100% accuracy by the end of that quarter. In addition to whole group instruction with the reading series, we also have a small group reading instruction time. During this time, students meet in small groups with the teacher to read books on their reading level. The teacher works on reading strategies and comprehension skills. This leveled book will go home in a zip-lock bag so the student can practice it at home. The bag and book MUST be returned each day. Students not working with the teacher are involved in literacy centers like reading books to themselves, reading to others, listening to books on tape, working with words, working on writing, reading games, and the computer center. In first grade, we focus on reading with accuracy, comprehending what we read, reading with fluency, and expanding our vocabulary.

Reading Incentive Programs for 1 st Grade In 1st grade, students are introduced to a computer-based reading incentive program called “Accelerated Reader.” The student reads a book and takes a comprehension test over the story on the computer. The student must pass the test with 80% or better. Students will earn points for each book they read within their reading range. Rewards will be given as students progress toward their end of the year reading goal. This program is also in 2nd grade. Another reading incentive is the Pizza Hut Book-It program. This program runs from the beginning of October to the end of March. Students who read 10 books at home will receive a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut! Now that’s a great reward! Lastly, the East Library has a reading incentive program called “The Missouri Reading Circle.” Students who fill in their reading log receive recognition at the end of the month PBS award ceremony. To encourage reading and to show how fun reading can be, we will do a variety of activities throughout the year. Every Friday, we will have our Reading Rocks Book of the Week. The teacher or a guest reader will read the book aloud. We will discuss the book, do an activity or craft, and have a snack. We will also partner up with another classroom to do buddy reading. Each month there will be fun activities where kids can share their favorite books in creative, exciting ways.

Writing Instruction in First Grade In first grade, students will be writing every day. Students will start by learning how to write a sentence and will eventually be writing an 8 sentence paragraph on their own. We will begin by teaching a 5 star sentence which means the sentence has correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling, neatness & spacing, and a complete thought. Then, students will be taught to write paragraphs with a topic sentence, 3 details, and a concluding sentence. We will be writing personal narrative stories, animal reports, opinion writing, and creative writing. I use a writer’s workshop approach that begins with a short mini-lesson and modeling to teach an aspect of writing. This is followed by a writing time where students write independently and meet with their teacher about their writing. Then, students share their work with the class. In first grade, we also introduce students to the 6 Traits of Writing. These include Ideas (developing the topic and including rich details), Organization (creating a message that is easy to follow), Voice (making the writing come alive and sound like the author), Word Choice (using rich, colorful, precise language in the writing), Sentence Fluency (creating writing that has rhythm and flows together smoothly), and Conventions (writing with correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling). Our goal is to get students to enjoy writing and be able to put their thoughts down on paper for others to enjoy as well.

Math Instruction in First Grade

At East Elementary, we use a math program called Math Expressions. This is a program that introduces a variety of math concepts. Students will learn about number sense, solving addition and subtraction facts and story problems, geometric shapes, graphing, measurement, telling time, identify money and counting like coins, fractions, and place value. Assessments will be given over the different grade card standards and daily practice with occasional homework will be given.

Mrs. Cole’s Daily Schedule

8:10 – 8:45 Prepare for Learning & Morning Work

8:45 – 9:10 Calendar Math

9:10 - 10:30 Reading

10:36 – 11:01 Lunch

11:01– 11:10 DEAR Time (Drop Everything and Read) 11:10– 11:25 Spelling/Grammar

11:30 – 12:20 Specials 12:20 – 12:30 Restroom Break

12:30 – 1:00 Recess

1:00 – 1:10 Teacher Read Aloud

1:10 – 1:45 Writing

1:45 – 2:30 Math

2:30 – 3:00 Tiger Time (Wednesday = Science/Social Studies Focus)

3:00 – 3:10 Pack-Up

3:10 – 3:25 Smart Board Game or Video/Announcements/Parent Pick-Up Dismissed

3:35 Dismiss First Wave Bus Riders

3:50 Dismiss Second Wave Bus Riders ______Please Sign and Return

Dear Parents, Please sign and return the form below to show you have read the attached handbook. If you are reading this handbook via email, please just email me back telling me you have read this handbook. Thank you for your support! If you have any questions, feel free to call me at school, email me, or send in a note. I look forward to working with you and your child this year! Sincerely, Mrs. Cole

Parent Signature: ______Child’s Name: ______

Date: ______