Back to School Night: Room 20- Mrs. Brown

Welcome to a new school year! I look forward to an exciting year of learning. This letter contains lots of important information for the school year. Goals for the Year: Students become independent learners, critical thinkers and become excited about learning

Daily Schedule  8:25 am School Starts – Please be on time  10:15 – 10:30 am Recess – please provide a healthy snack  11:35 – 12:15 pm Lunch and lunch recess  Monday and Tuesday: Early Dismissal – 2:00 pm  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: Regular Dismissal – 3:00 pm  Collaboration Days: Dismissal – 2:00 pm The 21 collaboration days for DUSD elementary schools are all Wednesdays:

September 9 September 16 September 23 October 7 October 14

October 21 November 4 December 2 December 9 January 6

January 27 February 10 February 17 February 24 March 9

March 16 March 23 April 13 April 27 May 11

May 25

Special Activities  Tuesdays: P.E. - 12:30 – 1:15 p.m. (please make sure sneakers are worn)  Wednesdays: Buddies – Mrs. Vergara’s class – 1:00 - 1:25 p.m.  Thursdays: Library: 1:15 – 1:45 p.m. (please make sure books are returned)  Fridays: Fine Arts: 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.  Game Day – TBD on a weekly basis

First Grade Curriculum: Our curriculum is based on the common core. First grade teachers meet each week to discuss and plan units of study. Our lessons focus around themes which integrate the subject areas of Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, P.E. and Fine Arts.

Reading/Comprehension: We will be using the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series program into our teaching of reading. This includes comprehension strategies (scheme, inferring connections, questioning, determining importance, mental imagery, and synthesizing), phonics, and sight words. Each student will receive instruction at her or her own reading level through the use of small groups and an individualized reading plan.

Language Arts  Writing: the mechanics of grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.  Writer’s Workshop: sentences, paragraphs, stories, poems and letters.  Daily Oral Work: morning board work that reinforces lessons learned in class  Spelling and Dictation: Weekly spelling tests and dictation test – given on Friday.  Penmanship and speaking and listening skills.

Mathematics Our goal is to produce mathematically empowered thinkers and problem solvers who are confident and feel comfortable using math in their daily lives. Learning concepts through the hands-on use of concrete materials is an essential part of our program. Students will acquire skills as well as be involved in cooperative projects and explorations that link different math concepts together. We will be using the Envision math series. Addition and subtraction facts Counting to 120 Place Value – tens and ones Time – hour and half hour Problem Solving Shapes, Patterns,graphing Measurement, estimation Problem Solving

Social Studies: We will use the Scott Foresman Series and Common Core. Science: We will be using Harcourt Publishers and Common Core.

Homework The purpose of homework is to reinforce concepts and skills taught in class, to provide an opportunity for extra practice and to teach responsibility and organizational skills. It is not meant to challenge or teach your child. Please provide your child with:  A set study area to complete work  Homework supplies  A set time to do work  A place to put all completed assignments

We consider regular reading to be essential for all children. This includes independent reading as well as being read to by parents and siblings. Eighty minutes each week is the minimum students should be reading. One of the most important things you can do for your child is read to them and/or have them read every night of the week.

Homework will come home each Friday in a red homework folder. This folder will contain an outline of the work that needs to be completed that week. Homework folders are to be returned with completed homework each Thursday. Please help your child all year with homework. This is a valuable life-long skill.

Our Classroom Rules – The Three Rs Respect yourself – try your best, listen, be safe, take care of your things Respect others –treat others as you would like to be treated, take care of other people’s belongings, listen to others Be responsible for your actions –admit wrong doings and try to make things right – learn from your mistakes

Classroom Management  Positive reinforcement  Rewards and consequences at an individual, group and whole class level  Set consistent and fair expectations

Classroom Discipline Plan: The goal is to help children learn self-discipline, responsibility, problem-solving skills, and cooperation. Together, the students and I have developed classroom rules, or behaviors that are expected, to help us build a trusting and safe environment. When a child has difficulty following classroom agreements, I will work with the child to...  Determine why the problem is occurring.  Identify alternatives and strategies to prevent the behavior from occurring again.  Identify an appropriate consequence for the behavior.

Natural and Logical Consequences: I do not have predetermined consequences for problem behavior. I will be using the following criteria for determining consequences for specific behaviors: Related - The consequence is related to the problem behavior. Respectful - The consequence does not humiliate or embarrass the child. Reasonable - The consequence is reasonable in relationship to the behavior. I will make every effort to contact you when a behavior is persistent or serious. Working together is the key to success.

P.E.: The physical education program emphasizes fitness, motor skill development and cooperative games. Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes and is dressed for physical activity daily.

School Library: We will be visiting the Library weekly. Students will check books out each week and they can be taken home. Please keep these books in a safe place at home and be sure your children returns their books so they can check out a new one. The library book bag is to be used all year to protect the book as it travels in the backpack. There is a fine for lost or damaged books. We go to the library each Thursday so books are due back every Thursday with the homework.

Reading Buddies: We will be meeting with Mrs. Vergara’s 4th grade class each week to read or to be read to and occasionally work on a project.

Birthdays/Invitations: If your child would like to share a birthday treat with the class please check with me on the week of your child’s birthday. If you are looking for an alternative to a treat you could donate a book to our classroom library. If you would like to have your child pass out invitations at school please make sure that everyone in the class is invited. If you are only able to invite a few students please send them by mail or have your child pass them out after school – I would like to try to avoid having hurt feelings. We keep birthday celebrations small at school; it is not the place for the actual party.

Class Parties: During the school year there will be a few class parties. We will have seasonal parties in October, December, spring and at the end of the year. Our Room Parent will contact you to volunteer to help at the party or donate a food item. There will be other opportunities for students to earn small parties for the class. We do have serious nut allergies in our room this year so any food brought in must be in the original package so that I can check the label, or the food items must be things that clearly do not contain nuts (e.g. carrots, fruit etc.).

Scholastic Book Orders: Scholastic Book Club offers an excellent variety of books and software at very reasonable prices and ordering from the clubs is an easy way to support the classroom. Bonus points earned from each dollar spent are used to build our classroom library and to provide classroom materials. Once a month the flyer will be sent in the HOME side of the red folder, to be returned a week later. Orders arrive in 2 – 3 weeks.

Supplies: Thank you to those who donate materials to the classroom. It is always appreciated.

Backpacks: Backpacks are an important organizational tool for students. The children should bring their backpacks daily especially to protect the office notices, library books and their homework folders. There should be nothing else in the backpacks (i.e. toys, jewelry etc.)

Snacks: Please provide your student with a SMALL healthy snack for recess in a small bag or container, not in a lunchbox. Students need that mid-morning brain food to help them make it to lunchtime, however; there is only an hour between snack and lunch so the recess snack should be one, small item.

Parent Volunteers/Visitors: Parents are always welcome in the classroom. Please sign in and get a badge at the office prior to your visit so we can account for everyone on campus. Parents are welcome to come in and listen to students read, teach them a game or do a job for me. Volunteers must fill out a screening form in the office prior to volunteering in the classroom. I typically wait a couple of months before I invite parents in to help so that our routines can be firmly established first.

Conferences: Conferences will be in October this year and they are an opportunity to talk about your child’s progress. If you have questions or concerns at any time throughout the year please be sure to let me know. I am available to meet after school or I am happy to schedule an evening time if that works best for you.

Parents ask me what they can do to support their child’s education. Daily attendance is paramount to your child’s success. Please schedule vacations and appointments for non-school hours when possible. Classroom experiences cannot be replicated in independent study. Also, make sure your child goes to bed by 7:30-8:00 pm each night. The afternoons are long in first grade and I need your child to be ready to learn.

Please get your child to school on time. First graders are easily distracted when their classmates arrive late; this disrupts the learning of everyone. It also unwittingly communicates to your child that school is not important enough to arrive on time. I do understand that things can happen (e.g. the car would not start) so if your child is late they must sign in at the office to get a tardy ticket. This is a safety rule.

If you need to take your child out of school early you must go to the office to sign them out and then the child will be called to the office. This is a safety procedure. I cannot release a child from my classroom unless the campus security is there to do so.

It’s a school rule that NO toys should be brought to school. For the girls this includes bangles and headbands that do not stay on their arms or head. I take things away from children if they are brought to school and they play with them. These items get them returned at Christmas, Easter and at the end of the year. Also, for the girls - there are to be no open toed shoes (sandals, flip flops etc.) as toes are easily injured on the playground.

The last Friday of each month is Spirit Day and students are invited to wear their Fred red shirts (or another red t-shirt) to show their Panther Pride.

I look forward to an exciting year ahead. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. E-mail is the best ways to contact me. I check voice mail after school and email at various times throughout the day. Please put your child's name in the subject line as many families have different last names.

Sincerely, Catherine Brown Phone: 828-1037 x 5240 Email [email protected]