Welcome to 1st Grade!-Please sign up for a conference time-Please read over the PTA proposed budget and cast your vote-Please be sure and check out our volunteer opportunities if you did not get a chance to at open house
About Mrs. Newton..• Educational background• 5th year• First Grade learning:– Explorative– Independence– Home-to-School Connection
Pathways to Literacy
*Consistency in K-26 components:1)Shared Reading: daily routine, big poem, sight words2)Daily Literacy Centers: Students work in small
groups on independent activities to reinforce reading and writing skills
3)Writer’s Workshop: Students work on the elements of writing. They also learn about a variety of texts
4)Daily Read Alouds: listening to a story5) Word Study (spelling)6) Independent Reading: reading on level books
Word Study
• Word Study is Loudoun County’s spelling program. Words are sorted into groups based upon their features.
gr br plgreen brush placegrape broom playgrade breakfast plate
Mathematics• Continued spiral from K• Investigations• Student Discovery; Hands-on• Daily Math session, math games/ centers• Topics covered include:• Patterns -Addition• Money -Subtraction• Fractions -Place Value• Geometry -Probability and Statistics• Time• Measurement• Graphs/Charts• Problem Solving
Science
• Alternates with Social Studies• Units
Weather Seasons Matter Force, Energy, and Motion Habitats Cycles
• Scientific Process Asking Questions Communicating Gathering Data Making Sense of Data
Social Studies
Units1. Map and Globe Skills2. Communities/Citizenship3. Virginia4. Famous Americans5. Economics6. Australia 7. Alaska8. Hawaii9. Symbols
Assessments
• Frequently – more than what you may see coming home
• End of unit tests/ projects• In-class work• Please use them as information and to
target any work you may do at home• CLARITY
Grading Policies• The report card will have the following letters as indicators of development:
• 1/B Below• *With assistance, student struggles to demonstrate partial mastery of • current grade level expectations
• 2/P Progressing • *With assistance, student demonstrates partial mastery of • current grade level expectations
• 3/M Meets• *Student consistently meets and demonstrates mastery of • current grade level expectations
• 4/E Exceeds• *In addition to meeting the standard, the student makes application • beyond grade level expectations
• *If a • is placed in an area of the report card, • this means that the skill was not assessed during that particular quarter.
HomeworkHomework will be sent home every Monday and should be returned on Friday.
Homework is a nightly process– Reading is expected every night, it is part of your nightly routine.
Reading…Silently/Read Aloud- 10/15 minutes How can I help at home? – Flash cards
• +1,+0• Doubles• Then everything else• Sight words
– Asking questions while reading…• What is your favorite part?• What does this remind you of, or any connections you might have?• Tell me what happened in the story (Retelling with charters names and in
order)
*Starts in October
Behavior Management
All students start here!
Purple: King of the Jungle Reward jar!Light Blue: Flying High.1 round of OperationPink: Showing Pride. Earn a sticker!Ready to Learn!Yellow: I need to SLOW DOWN and focus on my workOrange: Logical Consequence/ kindness jarRed: Parent Contact-note home, sign and return the next day
*What if this doesn’t work for my child?
Food
• Breakfast: students may eat breakfast at school in the morning when they first arrive
• Snack : Quick, HEALTHY and clean 5 minute snack– LOVE bananas, cereal, apple slices! – NO PEANUTS please!
• Lunch begins at 11:00 each day. *joining your child for lunch*adding money to their account*icecream on Thursdays
Housekeeping • Class celebrations
*three each year: winter, Valentine’s, EOY• Birthdays
*No food *Birthday ‘balloon’, sticker, pencil, singing, and read their favorite book (please no chapter books ;) !) *Can donate a book to class or to the library
• Field Trip * T-Shirts• Medication
*Nurse
Attendance
• I want to see your child’s smiling face!• Full day with LOTS of curriculum • Come every day!• Send a note, email, or call about absences– Absentee Number: 703.957.4391
Ellen Austin: [email protected] (She needs to know too )
Specials
• Monday: Computer Lab, Music, P.E.• Tuesday: Library & Dreambox• Wednesday: Guidance & P.E.• Thursday: SEARCH & Art• Friday: P.E. & Music
**Please have your child wear tennis shoes on days that we have P.E.!!
Communication
• Email • Arcola Website• Monthly Newsletters; Weekly reminders in Thursday
folders– Paperless
• Take home folder• Black Thursday folder• Conferences • Phone calls and notes as necessary
Contacting Mrs. Newton
• Email: [email protected] *Please be patient with emails. I will reply to you
as soon as possible, but I rarely have an opportunity, if any, to check my email during the school day.
• Send in notes• School Phone:703-957-4390 Absentee Line: 703-957-4391