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First
Grade -- Where You'll Watch Your Child Grow!
A Letter for Parents
Congratulations! You are the parent of a first-grader here at St. Edward School!
You will be amazed at just how much your child will grow this year. Most likely,
your child has had the seeds of reading and writing planted, and during first
grade, those seeds will grow and blossom, making your child an accomplished
reader and writer! You will see changes in your child's thinking, as he/she
becomes familiar with abstract concepts and symbols. The change will be dramatic
-- just compare a tiny seed with a full-grown sunflower! That's the kind of
growth you'll see this year!
 
Ways
to Help Your Child Bloom
The loveliest
flowers usually have the best gardener -- and that's you!
Staying involved
in your child's education is the key to a successful year. Engage your child in
conversation about his/her day, but know that children won't always give out
much information. Each Monday I will send home a link to our 1st
grade website detailing our activities for the week. You can use this as a
springboard for discussion.
Another way to
stay involved is to check your child's BEE Book EVERY evening. These notebooks
are due back at school THE NEXT DAY. Inside you will find the discipline sheet,
sight word lists to practice, a book and a reading log. Your child should read
the book to you and you can record the book on the reading log. Please make
every effort to read each night and return the book the next day.
It is so
important for your child’s reading progress to have the opportunity to read with
someone one-on-one and have immediate feedback. We have our books somewhat
leveled with colored dots on them. The blue dots are easiest, then yellow, then
red, then the green dots are the most difficult books. Since the students get to
pick their own books many times your child may bring home a book that is either
too easy or too hard. That’s OK. If the book is too easy, then just listen to
your child read. (Sometimes they pick easy books on purpose –it makes them feel
more confident to breeze through a book.) If the book is too hard, then just
read the book to your child. If they are consistently picking the wrong books
then send me a note and I’ll help them with the book check-out.
We will also
have small paper books that are required to be read THAT NIGHT. These are books
that we have made together and read in class. Your child will write “Read and
Sign” at the top of the book. They should read the book to you, then you sign
the book and return it the next day. We have reward charts that will fill up
with stickers each time a “Read and Sign” is returned.
Reading at Home
Your child will bring a book home each night in the BEE
book. I feel that reading a book each night is more important than “paper”
homework. Your involvement with this program will help to build a positive
attitude toward reading. Your child will learn to enjoy books in a personal,
loving atmosphere. Reading skills will improve too!
Remember to record each book on the reading log.
·
How long should we keep the book?
Return the book the next day. The
length of the book will influence the amount of time you keep it. Some longer
books will naturally take more than one night. If you want your child to bring
the same book home again he/she can tell me that they want to keep it and read
it again.
·
How long should we read each night?
Try to set aside 10 – 15 minutes.
You will find it easier to do if it becomes part of your routine. Sometimes
bedtime is not the best time for your child to read to you; it may be more
beneficial to have your child read when he/she is not so tired. Bedtime reading
is great for you to do. It’s a great time to introduce longer, chapter books
that you can continue each night.
·
To whom should the child read?
Parents, grandparents, or another
adult make the best listeners for emergent readers because they are more apt to
praise the child.
·
Have the children seen these books before?
Not necessarily. The students pick
their own books from a wide selection of books within their reading level.
·
What happens if the book is too hard for the child to read?
Read it to them! Don’t make
reading at home an unpleasant experience. If this becomes a habit send me a note
and I will monitor and make suggestions.
·
What about “teaching” during these sessions?
Your child will come across
unfamiliar words each night. I expect the students to apply the skills we’re
learning in school. You may say “Look at the picture” or “What would make sense
there?” or help your child to sound it out. Keep in mind that it will take all
year to learn all the phonics and reading skills that they will need to grow as
readers. Be patient, give hints, and if all else fails, tell them the word!
·
Can we read other books at home?
YES! Use books from your home
library, the school library, or the public library. Immerse your child in
literature.
Reading at home may be the most important reading your
child will do each day. They will be reading (one-on-one) books that are on
their level in a pleasant, comfortable environment. Enjoy it together.
BEE Book
Contents:
•
Your child’s discipline sheet
•
Sight words – practice every
night
•
Reading log - Every night you will record the name of the book that your
child reads to you. We will take this up at the end of the month and your child
will receive a reading grade.
•
Book to read each night (Read and bring back the next day.)
If your child loses one of my books there will be a $3 replacement
fee and your child will not be allowed to bring a book home until it is paid.
•
Back pocket – any work to be sent home
Any notes or important
information will be placed in the front pouch.
I want to
encourage you to continue reading aloud to your child every night. It is so
important for them to have a good reading role model, plus the time spent
together can never be replaced.
Parent-Teacher Communication
In addition to our four report cards, 4 interim reports, and our parent-teacher
conferences in October, I am always available to meet or speak with you. Please
jot a note or send an email and I will respond as soon as possible, usually at
the end of the day.
lrippy@stedward.org
mpuryear@stedward.org
plcurran@stedward.org
Children should be in the classroom by 7:50 each morning so they
will have time to do the morning routine (sharpen pencils, unpack their bag,
etc.) Parents are welcome to give their child a kiss at the door. It is your
child’s responsibility to perform the morning activities.
If your child
arrives after 8:00 they will be required to go to the office and get a tardy
slip. If your child is “in route” to the classroom when the bell rings they will
be checked in as tardy. 6 tardies will count as 1 day absent.
It is very
important for your child to be at school on time. It is disruptive to your child
and every other child in the classroom when we have to stop the learning process
to wait for a tardy student. Please make every effort to have your child at
school by 7:50am.
If it is
necessary to pick your child up for early dismissal, please go to the office and
the office staff will call the room for your child. If someone other than a
parent will be picking up your child, please let the office staff know the
person’s name and time of early dismissal.
Your child will need a small, healthy snack each day. Lunches should be
in a lunch box or bag.
Allergies – Please let us know if your child has any type of food allergy.
We need to know what procedures to take in case of an emergency.
If your child has any
type of food allergy we are asking you to send in a baggie full of snacks
that are appropriate for your child. These will be used instead of receiving
birthday treats from other children. (It is very difficult for us to read and
understand food labels for so many different types of allergies and we can’t
take a chance of giving children a food that would spark an allergy attack.)
Your child’s health and safety are our top priority.
The temperature in our room varies greatly, so dress your child in layers. I
often keep a window or two open for "fresh air" and the AC can get a bit chilly!
Please remember that only the school-approved sweaters and sweatshirts are
allowed to be worn in the building.
Please label EVERYTHING with your child's full name - particularly school
sweatshirts and lunchboxes, as these are frequently misplaced! Plus all the
sweatshirts look the same!
1st grade follows
the school dress code. (See handbook for details.)
Anyone visiting the school
between 8:00am and 3:00pm will be required to stop by the office, sign in, and
receive a visitor’s pass. If you do not have a pass, you will be asked to return
to the office. Please do not come to the classroom during school hours. If
you need to talk to me you can come by before 7:40am, see me at dismissal, or
set up an appointment.
We're asking that no toys be brought into school from home. Our classroom is
filled with items to keep us busy, and lost or broken toys result in very sad
feelings! Children often keep some "treasures" in their backpacks - these, too,
can get lost, so try to keep them at home!
Weekly folder – All
correspondence from the office and your child’s completed school work will be
sent home on Wednesday in a large manilla envelope. This is called the
“Wednesday folder”. Please look over everything and return the folder on
Thursday.
Dismissal – We will exit the
school from the cafeteria. The 1st grader’s designated spot is right
by the cafeteria doors. Your child will need to wait with the teachers until you
come up and get him/her. 1st graders are not allowed to wander
through the parking lot looking for their car. Please let us know if someone
different is picking up your child.
Aftercare – If your child is
enrolled in aftercare I will drop them off at the Carell Room on the way to
dismissal. If your child does not go to aftercare on a regular basis please
make arrangements with your child before coming to school that day. It can
become very disruptive to our school day if parents call in the middle of the
day to make aftercare arrangements.
If your child is not picked
up from dismissal by 3:20 he/she will be taken to aftercare. Children are not
permitted to remain outside waiting for pick-up.
Birthdays are a happy occasion in the lives of 1st
graders. This is an occasion to share and celebrate with your friends.
Due to new federal guidelines about child health
and wellness, your child may bring a healthy snack to share with classmates.
These should be individually packaged and easy to pass out.
Healthy snacks include:
Fruit (bananas, apples, grapes, etc.)
Veggies (carrots, celery, etc.)
Yogurt (please send spoons)
Cheese sticks
Packaged cheese and crackers
Pretzels
Raisins
Crackers (Cheese-its, Goldfish, Animal crackers)
Granola bars (non-chocolate)
Children with severe food
allergies will not be allowed to receive birthday treats. If your child has a
food allergy please send in a baggie full of special treats for your child to
eat.
Your child may come out of uniform for his/her
birthday, and they will receive free ice cream from the Home & School Assoc.
You may bring party invitations to pass out if
you bring one for every boy, every girl, or every child in the class. You may
not bring in 4 or 5 invitations to pass out in front of the other children.
If you choose to limit the number of children that you are inviting please use
the directory and mail them.
Summer birthdays can be
celebrated at any time during the year. We will issue a Summer Birthday Pass for
your child to redeem. Check with the teacher for a good day.
Books are So Mice!
(oops! I
mean...) So Nice!
Books are the big cheese in our classroom! Almost everything we do centers
around reading wonderful literature! And there's no better way to build up both
our classroom and your home libraries than with school book clubs! During the
year we will use the Scholastic and Trumpet Book Clubs, which offer wonderful,
current literature as well as a large selection of EASY and BEGINNING READER
books which are sometimes difficult to find, but so appropriate for the first
grade reader!
Each month I will
send home book club ordering forms. At any one time, there may be 3 or 4
different order forms for you to browse through and choose from! The more
choices I can offer, the better! PLEASE KNOW that participation in this is
PURELY OPTIONAL! Because the books are so reasonably priced I feel it is worth
offering them to those families who wish to participate!
Grades K-4
Code of Conduct
To keep our class happy and safe, we
need to follow our school rules.
Carefully
follow directions
Hands,
feet, objects, unkind words to yourself
Respect
people and property
I’ll
stay on task
Safety
first, last, and always
Talk
at appropriate times
To help us learn
to keep the rules, we have a behavior management system.
A child will be given a verbal
warning if they are misbehaving. This should trigger the child to stop the
behavior. If the behavior continues the child will be marked with a “tally”. If
the behavior continues the child will continue to receive “tally marks”. Once
they have received 3 tally marks we will write the infraction in the BEE book
and they will owe us time-out at recess.
They will sit in time-out 5 minutes
for every infraction written in the BEE book.
Your child’s weekly behavior chart
will be kept in the BEE book and the conduct grade will be posted on Friday.
The scale is:
No infractions – E
1 or 2 infractions – G
3 or 4 infractions – S
5 infractions – N
6 or more infractions - U
If a child receives 2 Unsatisfactory
grades in a row a meeting will be called with the parents to discuss the child’s
behavior.
The goal of a
discipline plan is not to punish the children, but to teach the children that
there are consequences to your actions. Our goal is to teach the children to
monitor their own behavior and exhibit self-control.
We will also participate in whole
class rewards – extra recess, movie time, popcorn parties – when the entire
class is working quietly, going down the hall quietly, following directions the
first time, etc.
Severe Behavior: hitting, profanity,
weapons, non-compliance, etc.
1st offense – teacher will
call parents
2nd offense – child will
go to the office and the principal will call parents
3rd offense – child will
go to the office and the principal will call parents and set up a conference
4th offense – child will
be sent home and a meeting with the teacher, parent, and principal will be set
up to establish a behavior contract.
1st Grade Supply List
1st Grade School Supplies
-
3 boxes of 24 crayons
-
24 plain yellow #2 pencils (already sharpened)
-
1 box of markers (8 or 10 pack)
-
1 pair of school scissors
-
1 watercolor paint set
-
1 large bottle of Elmer’s glue
-
24 glue sticks
-
1 package of small erasers to go on the end of pencils
-
1 ream of copy paper (accelerated math)
-
1 box of tissues
-
boys: 1 roll of paper towels
-
girls: 1 box of Clorox wipes
The remainder of the
supplies (book bag, BEE book, work box, folders, notebooks) will be purchased by
the teachers with the book bag fee.
1st Grade Curriculum
Religion
The students will realize
that each person is a unique creation of God. We will explore our faith through
prayers, songs, Bible stories, communion services, and Mass. Our textbook
emphasizes family and God’s presence in our lives.
Math
1st graders will
focus on numbers, number words, addition, subtraction, time, money, and
measurement. We’ll use a hands-on approach along with our textbook.
Social Studies
1st graders will
learn about the world around them.
A.
American symbols and customs
B.
Communities
C.
Maps
D.
Historical figures
Science
1st graders will
become “scientists” as they discover plants, space, rocks, soil, the human body,
and more!
Language Arts
Reading
We will utilize many reading
modes in 1st grade.
1.
Reading to children (also known as storytime) – this is a time for the
pure pleasure of listening to the language, the rhythms, and the patterns of
literature. Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry are included.
2.
Skills instruction - Stories are read to the whole group, then
instruction is given on various reading elements.
3.
Guided reading – Small groups of students meet with the teacher to read
and discuss a book.
4.
Partner reading – Students are paired with a classmate to read a book
aloud together.
5.
Individualized reading – Students will choose books to read during the
day. Students will be encouraged to read books on their own independent reading
level. Students will also bring a book home each night to read.
Handwriting
1st graders will
focus on correct letter formation and correct spacing.
Spelling
The ability to read or spell
an unknown word is a critical skill in becoming an independent reader. We will
look at spelling patterns and how to use the patterns in words we already know
to help figure out words we don’t know. We utilize a word wall to help with
spelling.
Phonics
Phonics is the relationship
between letters and sounds. It makes sense in English but only if you know to
look for patterns of letters rather than individual letters. We will do “Working
with Words” activities that allow the students to manipulate letter cards to
make words, find patterns in words, and to see how changing just one letter
changes the whole word. We also use phonics worksheets to reinforce the skills
we’ve learned.
Writing
For some children their own
writing provides their first successful reading experience. Even if no one else
can read it, they are using their own language and experience to become readers.
Regular writing experiences tend to increase readiness skills, communication
skills, and higher level thinking skills.
We will write every day.
Students will choose their own topics, so they will write about things that are
important to them.
Invented spelling is
developmentally appropriate at this age. Students are encouraged to put down the
letters they hear as they are writing. (This is phonics in action.) This will
also help them to become better at sounding out words when they are reading. As
they grow as readers and writers they will switch to more conventional spelling.
We will also provide instruction for grammar, punctuation, etc., as it becomes
appropriate for the students.
First Grade Routine
7:40- 8:00
Students come into the classroom and prepare for the school day. We recommend
that your child arrive around 7:45 so they will have plenty of time to come in,
unpack their bag, sharpen their pencil, chat with me and friends, and be ready
at 8:00 to begin the day. Children who arrive right at 8:00 (or later) don’t
have ample time to complete the morning activities. This is not a good way to
start the day.
If your
child arrives at school before 7:40 they should report to the gym. They are
supervised and have the opportunity to purchase breakfast.
8:00
School
begins. If your child walks into the classroom after the 8:00 bell they will be
counted tardy.
We
leave for church at 7:55 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
10:00
We will
take time to have a snack each day. The students may choose something from their
lunchbox, or just send a snack in their book bag. I will encourage the students
to choose healthy snacks (yogurt, cheese sticks, fresh fruit or fruit cups,
peanut butter crackers). We will not have juice or any type of drink at snack
time. But we will allow water bottles to keep on our desks during the day,
Morning
We will
do most of our academic activities during the morning. This is when 6 and 7 year
olds are the most alert and active. Math, reading, phonics, spelling, and
literacy centers will take place in the a.m.
Lunch
Your
child may choose to bring his lunch or purchase a lunch from the school
cafeteria. Each child has a special account in the cafeteria. You may send in a
$25 check to put into this account. When we go to lunch a scan card is used for
each child. You will receive an email when this account reaches $6 and you will
need to replenish this account. Milk, ice cream, and water may also be purchased
through this account. If your child is purchasing water or ice cream please send
a note so we know that you are aware that your child is making this purchase. We
don’t want you to be surprised when your child’s account is depleted.
Recess
Physical activity is very important for growing children. We will go outside
every day after lunch (unless it’s raining). During the fall and winter please
make sure your child has a jacket or coat.
Specials
Most of
our “specials” are in the afternoon. This includes PE, art, music, and library.
PE is on Monday and Wednesday, so make sure you always wear tennis shoes on
those days. Library is on Tuesday so be sure to return your books!
3:00 Dismissal every day (except the 1st Monday of the month)
The
1st Monday of the month is a 12:30 dismissal.
We will
dismiss behind the building by the cafeteria steps. If your child is in
After-Care I will leave them with the After-Care workers in the Carell Room.
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