First Grade Handbook

Room #202 – Mrs. Wetzel

Selinsgrove Elementary School 2017-2018

1 Dear Parents:

Hello! Welcome to a new school year! I am incredibly excited for all of the adventures that are headed our way! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to spend each day with your precious child. I will do my utmost to ensure that your little one has a fantastic year filled with valuable learning, hard work, unforgettable fun, and personal growth.

I know there is a great deal of paperwork associated with the beginning of a new school year! I don’t want to overwhelm you, but unfortunately the beginning of each new year brings with it a whole list of forms that need to be reviewed and signed. Thank you so much for bearing with us!

I have put together a classroom handbook that contains important information regarding the school year and classroom procedures and expectations. Please review this book, sign and return the agreement at the end by Thursday August 31st, and keep this book in a safe place to reference throughout the year. If you would like a second copy, please let me know and I will send one home. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I greatly look forward to working with you this school year! Thank you so much!

Yours,

Mrs. Wetzel

Contact Information:

(570) 372-2230 x1202

*** [email protected] *** Email is the fastest, most reliable way to get ahold of me

2 Table of Contents

Title page…………………………………………………………… …………………….………1 Introduction Letter…………………………………………………………… …….……2 Table of Contents………………………………………………………… ……….…….3 SAES school rules ………………………………………………………………… …... 4 Rules of room 202 …………………………………………………………….5 & 6 Homework information……………………………………………………… ………. 7 Classroom snack and Shoelace expectations…………………….8 Birthday celebrations……………………………………………………… …………….9

3 Special area schedule………………………………………………………… ……….10 Materials Policy and Lunch money…………………………………….……11 Handwriting ………………………………………………………………… …….…12 & 13 Scholastic Book Club Information ………………………………………… 14 Sign and Return ………………………………………………………………… …………15

4 Selinsgrove Area Elementary School Rules

1. Show Respect

2. Exercise Safety

3. Act Responsibly

4. Listen to Learn

5 Rules of Room 202

Below is the list of rules that will be enforced in our classroom this school year. Please read and discuss them with your child.

Our Class Rules

- Listen when your teacher is talking

- Follow directions quickly

- Keep your hands and feet to yourself

- Raise your hand to speak or stand

- Be safe, be kind, be honest We will use a program called Class Dojo to help enforce positive behavior and rule following in our classroom. It is an online tracking tool for behavior based on points. This is how it works: during the day I will award students points for good behavior/good choices/rule following, or take them away if they are not making good choices. I will award points for following the rules and routines in our class and making good choices including being a good friend, acting in a responsible and respectful manner, looking for opportunities to help, etc. I will take away points for disobeying the rules, including such behaviors as disrupting, talking out of turn, bossing or bullying, acting disrespectfully, not trying, not being prepared for class, being off task, having hands on others, goofing around during learning time, etc. Please note that I will be doing this frequently throughout the day, so your child may be losing points at one part of the day, and earning points at another. This is one of the elements of the program that I really like – the opportunity for students to redeem themselves from poor behavior choices.

6 Another aspect of the program that I love is the positive affirmation for students who are consistently making good choices. Students will have the opportunity to spend their points on coupons for special privileges or jobs. These include things like being first in the bus line, leading the class in the pledge, reading to the class, extra recess, lunch parties, etc. Some of the coupons will allow students to bring or wear special things to class. If your child earns one of these coupons, I will send home a note with that coupon. The last important thing to note is that parents can get this program on their computers or phones (as an app) and log in to see how their child is doing. Parents and teachers can communicate with each other through this system in a format similar to texting. Children can also log in at home to change their avatar/character. If you would like to use this at home, please follow the directions on the letter I have provided. There is a code specific to you and your child. It is not necessary for you to sign up, but many parents like to see how their children are doing throughout the day. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns about this. Thank you!

First Grade Homework Information

Homework in first grade is intended for practice, reinforcement, and enrichment of skills and concepts being taught in first grade. All first grade students are expected to complete assigned homework in the subject areas of Math and Reading on a regular basis throughout the week. If your child is consistently spending more than 15 minutes on homework, or if you would like me to know about a particular problem area, always jot a note or send an email, and I'll respond as soon as possible.

7 Reading: Children will have a weekly reading homework menu. Most weeks, students will have several consistent choices for reading homework to practice such things as vocabulary, phonics, spelling, reading comprehension, etc. Please supervise your child during his or her reading homework time and sign the appropriate line to indicate that they have completed it. This homework menu will stay in your child’s folder from Monday-Friday. I will check it each morning, and then remove it on Friday.

Math: Students will have one sheet of math homework most nights (Monday-Thursday). I rarely assign homework over the weekend. You may need to assist your child with parts of his or her math homework, and your student may be able to complete parts of it independently. Either way, please check over your child’s homework with him or her when it is finished.

Parents often wonder, "Should I correct my child's mistakes? How will the teacher know he/she is having a problem?" My advice is YES! Please point out the mistakes to your child in a gentle way, and use that opportunity to re-teach and clarify the skill. You can jot a note next to any problems so that I am aware. I will collect math homework each morning and address any issues in math class that day.

Unless otherwise specified, homework is due the following school day. Students will finish incomplete or forgotten homework assignments at home the following evening. If students begin to develop a pattern of incomplete or forgotten homework, they will complete it at recess. Projects or special reports may be assigned at various times during the year with specific directions attached to explain the assignment.

CLASSROOM SNACK

Our class will not eat lunch until 11:50 a.m., so it’s only fair to have a morning snack to hold us over! If you would be willing to donate snacks for our class, we would greatly appreciate it. I will send a note home when we are getting low on snacks if you would like to donate again.

8 SNACKS MUST BE NUTRITIOUS AND DRY!

Snack Examples: Cheerios, Pretzels, Animal Crackers, Goldfish, Cereal, etc.

Not So Healthy Snack Examples: Candy Bars, Pudding, Cookies, Tasty Cakes…

Thank you for being willing to donate snacks for our class!!! ______SHOELACES Please take a few minutes to teach your child how to tie his or her shoes. With 40 shoes in our class every day, it would be a huge help if each student knew how to tie his or her own laces. With a few minutes of practice each night, your child will be able to join the shoe-tying club in no time! Thanks!

Let’s Celebrate Our Birthdays!!

Is there any more exciting word for a first-grader than “Birthday?” A whole day… all about them!! Birthdays are fun, so let’s celebrate them! 

Sometimes, parents wish to send in a birthday treat for the birthday kid to share with the entire class. This is appreciated, but certainly not required. If you wish to send in a treat with your child, please call, email, or send in a note ahead of time to give me a heads up. We have several dietary concerns and allergies in our class, and I will need to know at least a week ahead of time in order to make preparations. Thank you.

9 PLEASE SEND ALL THE SAME KIND AND COLOR OF TREAT! PLEASE DO NOT SEND HALF CHOCOLATE/HALF VANILLA, HALF PINK/HALF BLUE… ETC.

There is nothing quite as disappointing to a child as waiting patiently for a chocolate cupcake only to watch the last chocolate one go to the child sitting next to him/her. If you choose to send in a birthday treat, please make sure that all children will receive the same treat. This includes cake flavor/color, icing flavor/color, decorations, decorative rings, etc. Thank you.

If your child has a summer birthday, we will celebrate those birthdays during the last week of school. Thanks so much!

10 Special Area Schedule

Please follow the specials schedule below. Thanks!

Cycle Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 Special art music gym guidance/library music gym

11 MATERIALS POLICY Pencils

In our class, students are expected to begin each day with five sharp pencils. Please provide your child with pencils. They seem to go fast, so sending them in with your child a pack at a time (PRE-SHARPENED if possible) might be a more efficient solution. Please take a few moments to write your child’s name, initials, or number on their pencils with a pen or Sharpie near the eraser. That way dropped and borrowed pencils can easily be returned to their proper owner without any arguments or disagreements. Thank you.

Folders, Markers, Pencil Boxes

The school is generous enough to provide students with all of the folders, paper, notebooks, and crayons that they need throughout the year. A pencil box is also provided for your child. There is no need to send in folders, pencil boxes, notebooks, etc. Our class runs on a color coded system, so any additional folders that you have purchased will not be needed. We will use school provided markers for special occasion projects, so you will not need to send in markers either. Thanks! LUNCH MONEY

When sending lunch money (or any money) to school, please use a sealed envelope with student’s name and teacher on the front. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY TO SCHOOL IN POCKETS WITHOUT AN ENVELOPE!  Thank you!

Handwriting

12 As you may know, there are numerous handwriting styles out there for students to learn to write letters and numbers. Some are very similar to one another, while others vary greatly. We will be using the Zaner-Bloser alphabet in handwriting. To begin handwriting, we will review various strokes used in forming numbers and letters. These strokes include: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, parts of a circle, and circles. Then, we will jump into reviewing letters and words using the proper strokes and stroke descriptions. In order for our students to learn to form letters correctly, I am including a copy for you to refer to while working with your child. Keep it handy so that you and your child can reference it while practicing number and letter writing. It is not only important that the students are using the Zaner-Bloser alphabet to write their numbers and letters correctly, but it is equally important that they are using the appropriate strokes to form the letters. Thank you in advance for helping your child develop into a neat writer. Handwriting takes time and practice. You may add some fun by practicing with shaving cream, pudding, or salt in a cake pan! Have fun and happy writing!

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14 Mrs. Wetzel

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub One-Time Class Activation Code: H7RH4 Dear Families,

Children read more when they choose their own books, so I encourage you to look at the Scholastic Book Club flyers that will come home each month together. Each flyer is filled with grade-specific, affordable titles and Storia® eBooks.

Place your order online at scholastic.com/readingclub or return the order form and payment to me. Ordering online is the easiest way to ensure I get your order on time. Also, there are more books from which you can choose.

For every book you order, our class earns FREE Books and supplies...and we have our eye on some new additions.

Thank you for your support!

PS: Books make wonderful gifts! Please let me know if your order includes a gift, and I will contact you when it arrives.

Ordering online is fast and easy: • VISIT scholastic.com/readingclub

• ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code (top of this letter)

• SHOP from a carefully curated selection of the best books, value packs, and Storia eBooks

• SUBMIT your order and earn FREE Books for our classroom

• All book orders will be shipped to our classroom so we can celebrate the joy of reading together! Thank you, Mrs. Wetzel Sign and Return

Please sign and return the bottom portion of this page to indicate that

15 you have read and understand the contents of our class handbook. Please return the bottom portion of this page by Thursday, August 31st. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask. Thanks!

Mrs. Wetzel

Student Name: ______

Parent Name: ______

I have read and understand this class handbook.

______Parent Signature Date

______Student Signature Date

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