General Information s23

General Information: School begins at 7:45 a.m. and dismissal time is at 2:35 p.m. In the mornings, children are to go to the playground until the bell rings or whistle blows. Parent pickup is in the library.

Lunch:  If you are sending money/check to school, please put it in a zip lock bag labeled “lunch money”. You can also pay online at www.kyrene.org.

Extra Clothes  A bag has been provided for you to fill with an extra change of clothes for your child.  If and when your child uses the clothes from their bag please refill and send back to school the next day.

Schedules: For any additional activities, such as open house, conferences, book fairs, and parties, a notice will be sent home as the information comes in. Our weekly specials are Art, Library, Music and P.E. Please look at the schedule for the days of each special.

Birthdays: Birthdays are special occasions for young children. Your child will be recognized on morning announcements and will receive a birthday card. Any special birthday treats are NOT allowed. This is district policy.

Newsletters/Communication folder : Communication folder will go home every day. I will include information on what we have learned that day. Please return the Communication folders every day so that new information can be sent home.

Homework: Homework will go home weekly. Homework will be sent home on Friday and will need to be returned the following Friday. Additional reading homework will be sent home in a few weeks.

Snacks  If your child brings a lunch please send a separate snack that your child could keep in their backpack or a labeled ‘snack’ in their lunchbox.  Please pack a healthy snack, such as fruit, veggies, crackers, granola bars, etc for their morning snack. Please avoid any snacks with chocolate in them because the chocolate melts and creates messes!  Please make sure that your child can eat their snack in 5 minutes or less.  The children get really hot when they are outside playing. You’re welcome to have your child bring in a water bottle, with their name on it, to bring on the playground to drink if they desire.  Please put names on snack, water bottles and other belongings! Classroom Management: We will be going over class/school rules and procedures on an ongoing basis in our classroom. I encourage students to help establish classroom rules. By having students establish rules, they take responsibility for their behaviors. I like to reward well behaved students, good citizens and hard workers. However, misbehavior cannot always be ignored. I try to talk to children who may have some difficulties and when necessary remove children from uncomfortable situations. Misbehavior that interrupts learning for others can result in time out, loss of privileges, spending time in another classroom or in some cases being sent to the Principal’s office. I do my best to resolve most problems at school. When necessary, I will notify parents.

I have a treasure chest filled with goodies that I use for rewarding students. I accept donations for the treasure chest and don’t mind used small toys if they are in good condition

Discipline This year we are using a love and logic approach to our classroom. Students will learn how to handle peer situations and personal responsibility. Students will earn sand dollars for role model behaviors and going above and beyond. Students can also loose sand dollars if they are showing inappropriate behaviors. Sand dollar will be cashed in once a month for goodies at our class store. (Parents if you would like to donate items to the class store, please do! We accept pencils, happy meal toys, stickers, candy…)

Child’s Personal Belongings All children’s belongings should be marked with his/her name and our room number. Items that must be marked are: lunch boxes, food and snack containers, water bottles, backpacks, hats, jackets and sweaters. Please make sure that your child always wears comfortable, manageable and appropriate clothing/shoes. If you think it is necessary to keep a change of clothing in your child’s cubby in the event of an accident, spill or other reason, that is up to you. We do have spare clothing in the Nurse’s office that can be borrowed, laundered and returned if needed. Please keep track of what your child brings to school each day. Toys are NOT allowed at school. On occasion the sharing theme may allow a certain toy to be brought for that reason only.

Parent-Teacher Communication It is most important that we work together to provide a successful school experience for your child. I will try to keep communication with you in my letters home, email and when necessary I will call you. My email address is [email protected]. I will check my email a few times a day and if there is an emergency and you need to reach me sooner, please call the front office and they will contact me.

Class webpage: All newsletters and important information will go on our class webpage which is. Please check the webpage at least once a week to be kept in the loop! http://www.kyrene.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=25762

Parent Helpers: I would love parent helpers starting in September. If you have time to come in to the class I will have you help with centers. If you are a parent that would like to help but cannot come into the room, there are always projects that could be worked on at home. If you have any questions, please let me know and more information will be sent home later. FIRST GRADE Information Packet

From Ms. DeFazio room 3 WELCOME TO FIRST GRADE!

I would like to welcome you and your child to first grade. My name is Holly DeFazio and I am very excited to start this school year. This week your child will complete one of the most important milestones of his or her life – the first day of school! I am looking forward to working with you and your child in reaching their full potential. We will have many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn and grow in the days ahead. My teaching will be filled with creativity and energetic material to get students engaged in the curriculum. As a teacher I am here to nurture, support and guide my students so they will be successful throughout their academic career. As a teacher it is important to know that there is much diversity that comes into a classroom.

All students are unique and can contribute many things to the class. Also as the teacher, communication with the parents is vital. Parent – teacher interaction is necessary to help the students and it informs the parents of what I expected from their children. I believe that communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can send me a note or email me at [email protected]. I will also do my part by posting a newsletter each week to update you on what we have been doing in class as well as things that are coming up on our class webpage, http://www.kyrene.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=25762. For individual concerns, I will contact you by phone, send a note home, or email you.

Helping hands are always needed. Whether it is reading a story to the class, helping with field trips, class parties, or any other participation, your child will be greatly impacted. I will be sending a parent helper request home in a few weeks; if you can help I am happy to work with you.

I am looking forward to a wonderful & exciting year with you & your child.

Your First Grade Teacher,

Ms. DeFazio