Back to School Night September 2014

of First Grade

The

s

Attendance• Unless your child is ill please make every attempt to

have your child at school and on time.

• School starts at 8:25 and is dismissed at 2:00 on Monday and Tuesday and 3:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Students that arrive late are a disruption to the class and waste valuable instruction time.

• Students arriving late must sign in at the office to receive a tardy ticket. Students leaving early must be signed out in the office and the student will be called to the office.

Behavior• Every student is expected to follow all classroom rules

and all school and playground rules.

• In our classroom we are: Polite Respectful to ourselves, each other, and property Kind Always trying our best Safe Treating others the way we want to be treated

CurriculumLanguage Arts- Houghton Mifflin Reading Series

Mathematics- enVision Math

Social Studies- Scott Foresman

Science- Harcourt Publishers

• In first grade, we will focus on developing phonemic awareness, decoding skills, word recognition, comprehension and oral fluency.

• The more sight words a student knows the more fluently they will read.

• Practice reading nightly.

1. Read to Self

2. Read to Others

3. Listen to Reading

4. Work with Words

5. Work on Writing

• Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.

• Fluent readers can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and their background knowledge.

• Less fluent readers must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the meaning of text.

• A variety of grouping strategies will be untilized to deliver our reading program and language arts curriculum. Whole class and small group lessons will be delivered to ensure mastery of skills.

• We will focus on the following throughout the year:• Reading strategies• Comprehension skills• Reading fluency• Vocabulary and Word Analysis• Spelling, Grammar, Usage and Mechanics• Writing• Listening and Speaking

• We do lots of writing in first grade. Students are encouraged to use phonetic spelling (best guess spelling) when they first start. Our goal is to encourage risk taking and independence in writing. Part of this process is to stress to children that phonemic spelling in acceptable, and to build their confidence in their ability to communicate in writing even if they can’t spell the word with “dictionary spelling”.

• As high frequency words and spelling rules are introduced students will gradually move toward more conventional spelling. These spelling rules/patterns are the cornerstone of our spelling program.

By the end of first grade, student…..• Understand the concept of “ones” and “tens”• Add and subtract numbers to 20 with ease• Tell time to the half hour• Count, write and order numbers to 100• Measure with simple units• Identify and locate shapes in their environment• Describe data and analyze and solve simple problem situations

• Each day students will solve real world math problems and record their mathematical thinking and solutions and they study numbers and the different ways numbers can be represented.

• Math instruction includes centers and lessons using our envision work pages.

• First grade students will learn that:

• Weather can be observed, measured and described

• Matter exists in three forms

• Plants and animals meet their needs in different

ways.

• They will participate in science rotations where they

rotate between classrooms and engage in hands-on

science instruction from each of our first grade

teachers.

First grade students will learn about:

• Families• People from other cultures• People today and long ago• Holiday origins and traditions• Responsibility of citizenship in a free society• Symbols, icons and traditions of the United States• Maps and globes• Life skills

• We will have Physical Education once per week with the P.E. specialist and once per week with classrooms teacher for game day.

• Skills that will be covered include sportsmanship, ball skills (bouncing, kicking, batting), locomotor skills (running, jumping, skipping), and games.

• Our day for P.E. is Tuesday.

• Students are to wear comfortable clothes and sneakers on P.E. day. No open toed shoes, sandals, boots etc.

First grade students will receive:

• Students will learn about and develop skills in music, dance, drama, poetry, and fine arts.

• Mrs. Perez is our fine arts teacher and they will see her once each week on Fridays. These fine arts skills will be reinforced in the classroom.

• There will be opportunities for the students to perform at assemblies and at the District office. One of our grade level field trips is to a theater production in support of the students learning about, and experiencing the arts.

Differentiated Instruction• In order to provide the best possible instruction to each

child…..

• Not all children will be on the same page, in the same book and the same time.

• Please let me know if your child is really struggling or if they are not being challenged.

EnrichmentOften we think that enrichment means additional worksheets. If your child needs some extra challenges at home…..• Teach them to play board games (Monopoly, Go Fish

etc.), put together a puzzle, let them make books, ask them to help you make dinner.

• There are lots of challenging things for children to do that do not include worksheets. If you need ideas please let me know.• Additional enrichment/extension ideas and computer

sites can be found on my website.

Field TripsOur goal is to have one major field trip to give them a theater experience which usually relates to a book or author we have been studying. The cost is a $25.00 donation per student and chaperone to pay for the busses and the theater tickets. Chaperones must be cleared by the office prior to the trip. Forms are available in the office. The date is TBD.

Tentatively we will have three other walking field trips to:• the District office to sing just before the winter holiday• Wells Middle School to watch their drama student

perform• Kolb park for a year end party.

Goals and Grades• Students will not receive letter grades. Much of their

work will be scored using a number correct out of the total possible.

• Each week the children will have a spelling Pre-test on Thursday to determine the spelling words they will be practicing the following week for homework. Final spelling tests will also be given on Thursdays for the words they have been studying as part of their homework.

• Math drills, reading assessments and skills tests will be given on an ongoing basis to determine mastery. Please review any assessments that come home with your student.

Homework• The purpose of homework is to reinforce skills taught in the

classroom and to teach responsibility.• Weekly packets are sent home every Friday, due back on

Thursday.• Spelling Activity sheets for spelling words change each month and

they are to remain in the homework folder throughout that month.• Math workbook will remain at home – pages are torn out and

returned to school for homework each week. Pages may be skipped.

• It is important that first graders read for a minimum of 15 minutes EACH night. This may include the green readers, reading with and adult or older sibling or reading on their own.

• Help them with their homework. Have a set area to work in with the necessary supplies. Have a regular time to do homework and help them complete the assignments. They will need help all year to learn how to manage this.

Itinerary 8:25-10:15 Language Arts, and Reading Groups10:15-10:30 Recess – please send healthy snacks

10:30-11:25 Math, Calendar, Problem Solving11:30-12:10 Lunch12:10-12:30 Writing12:30- 1:45 Thematic Units, Art, P.E., Science 1:45-3:00 Game Day, Chapter Book read aloud,

Social Studies, Free Choice time*2:00 dismissal on Mondays & Tuesdays*3:00 dismissal on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays

*Fine Arts on Friday *P.E. on Tuesday (sneakers needed)

*School library on Thursday * Buddies – Wed. - 4th grade class

~All are subject to change

Just Right Books• Studies have shown that those children whose parents

are actively involved in the reading process become the best readers.

• Reading to your child and listening to them read to you, taking them to the library and providing quality just right books at home is the highest importance.

Keeping Informed• Visit our classroom website frequently.

• Make sure you are signed up for emails from me, from the school, from the PFC (Parent Faculty Club) and the district.

• Make sure you read the Monday Messages

• Please email me at browncatherine@dublinusd.net with questions or concerns.

• I have a Shutterfly account for you to see photos. Simply go to www.shutterfly.com. You will need an account to see them, this is free. http://mrsbrowns1stgradeclassroom201011.shutterfly.com

Library• We will be visiting our school library weekly. Our

librarian is Mrs. Sevilla.

• Our library day is Thursday. Students may sign out two books each week and they must be returned or renewed each week. Please keep them in the library book bag when not being read.

• When books are returned they may sign out another book.

• There is a fine for lost or damaged books which must be paid before children are allowed to sign out more books.

Management• We strive to establish consistent and fair expectations for all

students.

• Positive Reinforcement includes a marble jar for whole class

rewards, panther coupons for individuals and table points for

groups. Consequences are clearly outlined.

• Our school focuses on the Dublin Integrity in Action character

traits - being respectful, responsible, caring, giving,

trustworthy, cooperative, honest, and fair.

NotesPlease send a note to school if:

• You know your child will be missing school for an extended period of time. An independent study can be arranged if a student is out for 5 or more consecutive days.

• There is a change in pick-up or after school care.

• Please check the red folder each week for notices from the office, the PFC or me. Please remove everything from the “leave at home” side of the folder each week.

Other Items• Birthdays – We acknowledge each child’s birthday with a song

and a special badge. If you would like to send in treats please send in enough for 28 students. Treats should be things that are easy to hand out – cupcakes, rice krispie treats, cookies, etc.

• Class parties – There are 4 designated class parties; Halloween, Holiday, Valentine’s Day and year end. Students can earn a marble party as a class reward at various times. Room parents will contact you to help at the party or donate a food item.

• Scholastic News – Every Friday we read our Scholastic News. These usually fit in with a unit of study. We are asking for a $5.00 donation from each family to support this program. These come home each week. Please read them with your child.

• Scholastic book orders – once a month flyers come home and orders may be placed online.

Parent-Teacher Conferences• Parent teacher conference will be held in November.

• During this conference we will be discussing your child’s strengths and weaknesses, homework, behavior and any additional concerns you may have.

• I will be using sign-up Genius to schedule conferences so please watch for that email.

Questions• Please feel free to contact me at anytime if you have questions.

You can do this in a number of ways:• Write me a note• Send me an email (preferred method)

browncatherine@dublinusd.net • Call me at school – (925)828-1037 x 5240 (before and after

school)• Make an appointment for a conference.• Please resist the urge to grab me at the door in the morning

or after school as I am busy trying to help students at that time.

Report Cards• Report cards will be distributed once each trimester.

o November 21st, 2014o March 27th, 2015o June 12th, 2015

• Progress reports go home once each trimester only for those students experiencing difficulty.

Stars of the Week• Starting in December we will start our Star Student

Activities. • Two students will be picked each week to be the Star

Student. They will be asked to bring in pictures and items from home for a special bulletin board and they will lead us in class activities that week.

• Every child will have a turn. When it is their turn they do not do the regular weekly homework that week.

• The class makes them a special book to commemorate their special week which they will get to take home at the end of the year.

Tests• Spelling pre and post tests

• Sight word tests

• Reading fluency tests

• Rubric scored Writing tests

• Math chapter tests

• Timed math drills

Understanding Common Core• The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are new English

Language Arts and mathematics standards for kindergarten to 12th grade.

• The goal of the CCSS is to set clear, consistent benchmarks for what students are expected to learn in each grade to prepare them for college and career.

• Up until now, individual states developed their own standards. The CCSS are the first attempt at national standards created by a coalition of states. The goal is to create consistent, rigorous education expectations for every child, no matter where they live.

• The CCSS are based on the most effective and rigorous education standards in the U.S. and around the world.

Visitors and Volunteers• If you have time or talents to share with us please

complete the volunteer form for my classroom.

• Our school policy requires that all visitors/volunteers are screened BEFORE they can help in the classroom. These forms are available in the office.

• All visitors/volunteers must check in and out of the school office each time they volunteer. Visitor badges are required if you will be in the school hallways or visiting a classroom.

Website• You can check out the district website at:

www.dublinusd.org

• You can check out the Frederiksen website by clicking on the select a school tab at the top.

• When on the Frederiksen website click on

teacher sites

• Click on Catherine Brown

eXtra Information – Collaboration Days: dismissal is at 2:00• September – 10th, 17th,

24th • October – 8th, 15th, 22nd • November – 5th, 19th • December – 10th • January – 7th, 28th • February – 11th, 18th, 25th • March – 11th, 18th, 25th • April – 15th • May – 13th, 27th

• Thanksgiving Break - Nov.24, 2014 - 28, 2014

• Winter Break - Dec. 22, 2014 - Jan. 2, 2015

• Spring Break - March 30, 2015 - April 3, 2015

You are your child’s first and most important teacher.

• 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.

• Talk to them about school. Ask them what Mrs. Brown has taught them each day. Participate in the school community and be supportive of the school.

• Give them the message that school is important. It is their job and they must get to school on time and take it seriously.

You

Zzzzz…• Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep each

night so that they are well rested and ready for the challenges of first grade. It is recommended that 5 and 6 year olds get 10 – 11 hours of sleep each night.

• The year will ZOOM by, so let’s work together to make it a great year!

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. “

Martin Luther King, Jr.