The ABCs of 1st Grade
(A Guide to Classroom Policies and Procedures)
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(A Guide to Classroom Policies and Procedures)
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A
Attendance Learning and fun take place every day! Please make sure your child gets to school every day on time (unless your child is exhibiting any signs of illness).
Absences If your child is absent, please call the Absentee Line at 480-844-4481. Student work will be available to pick up the following day. Except for long-term projects (which are assigned in advance), a child will have the amount of days he or she was absent to turn in work upon returning to school.
Agenda Your child's agenda is an important link between school and home. Please check for notes from me and what the homework for the day was. Please sign it every night!! I will check agendas each day for a signature and to look for any notes from you.
B
Birthdays If you wish to send in a treat for your child's birthday, please remember that the school follows a Wellness Policy outlined by the state to keep our students healthy. I will inform you if we have any food allergies in our room. Donations to the Library are always a great alternative that the whole school can enjoy!
Box Tops Our school is collecting Box Tops for Education. Each label is worth 10 cents. They add up quickly, so please clip them for us!!
C
Communication Communication between home and school is very important for your first grader. Feel free to contact the school or send a note in your child's agenda as I am checking it every day. You may also email me anytime and I will reply as soon as I can.
Curriculum Our curriculum is set by the Diocese of Phoenix. Please visit their website for specific information.
D
Dismissal School ends at 3:00 pm on full school days and at 1:30 pm on Fridays. If your child is to go home by a different way than is his or her normal manner, please send in a written note.
E
Emergencies The school may need to contact you in case of an emergency. If your phone number or address changes, please notify the school. This is very important.
F
Family The students and I spend a lot of time together and consider one another part of our school family. Please encourage your child to tell you something about their day at school.
Field Trips During the year, we will go on several field trips. A permission slip must be signed and returned for your child to go. Children under the age of eight are required by law to sit in a booster seat unless they are 4'9" or taller. All parents chaperoning must be in compliance with Called to Protect guidelines and fill out an Adult Waiver form.
G
Grades At this age, my focus is on academic growth for your child, not mastery of every concept. We will continue to use P, AP and N (Proficient, Approaching Proficiency and Novice) on report cards. Some tests and class assignments will be kept in your child's portfolio to monitor progress throughout the year.
H
Homework Your child will have homework Monday through Thursday. Homework is reinforcement of skills learned in class. Please check your child's homework and help only if they ask for it. In addition to their homework, your child should also be reading at least 20 minutes every night. Don't forget, our Cougar Challenge is always there as an extra goal! When a long term project has been assigned, some weekend work may be necessary.
I
Important Papers Please check your child's Home and School folder for important papers every night. Friday Folders with work from the week will be sent home on Fridays. Those need to be emptied and sent back on Monday.
J
Jesus Jesus is the center of all we do!!
K
Kindness I have a Zero Tolerance rule for unkind behavior. This includes actions and words. Kindness is expected out of everyone.
L
Lunch Lunch is from 12:25 to 12:50. Please see the school website for the lunch menu.
M
Mass School Mass is on Wednesdays at 8 AM. You are more than welcome to join us. I am pretty strict about Mass behavior: talking should be kept to a minimum; students should kneel properly - no leaning back on the pew; when kneeling, students should keep elbows off of the back of pew in front of them to keep from putting heads down; the restroom is for emergencies only; and students are expected to PARTICIPATE! Students do receive a grade for Mass behavior.
Money If you are sending money to school, please put it in a labeled envelope. Often times a student comes to school with money and does not remember what it is for.
More Money Students get "paid" $3 for coming to "work" each day. Students can earn extra money for good behavior, but can also lose money for various infractions. We go to the "bank" on Fridays. When a student has saved $30, he or she will get a token to use at our prize box.
N
Newsletters I will email a Classroom Newsletter each week. It will also be posted on my website along with previous newsletters.
O
Organization Good organizational habits begin to form in first grade. Please help by checking your child's Home and School folder each night and by signing his or her agenda each night.
P
Practice Just like any other thing you expect to be good at, the skills learned in school need to be practiced. Please provide time at home after school for your child to practice their math facts and reading.
Q
Questions or Concerns Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. The best way to contact me is through your child's agenda. I do check my email daily, but some days that may not be until the end of the day. If an emergency comes up, please call the school and Mrs. Filler will get the message to me.
R
Reading We will be doing lots of reading in first grade. Please allow time for your child to read to you. Read books to them that are more advanced than their reading level. Share with them your love for reading. We also use AR (Accelerated Reader) throughout the school.
S
Scholastic Book Clubs Your child will be bringing home book order forms during this year. This is a great way to purchase books inexpensively, while helping our class earn points towards other items! I encourage you to place your orders online.
Snacks In order to more fully comply with Christ the King's Wellness Policy, we will be using a community snack system. At the beginning of the year, I will have a sign-up sheet for the snack schedule. The schedule will be posted on my school webpage. The Friday before your week to provide snacks, I will send home a snack bag with your child. Please refer to the acceptable snack guidelines on the snack bag. I will let families know of any allergies.
T
Talking Talking to friends about feelings and ideas is an important part of learning. There are, however, appropriate and inappropriate times to talk, and appropriate and inappropriate levels to use in a classroom. I expect all students to be a respectful listener when another person is speaking and I expect voice volume to be at a level that supports a working and learning environment.
U
Unique I believe that each child has unique learning differences; therefore, I may provide instruction to your child that is different than his or her peers.
V
Volunteers Our class and school rely on volunteers. We especially need help with Art Masterpiece and Atrium. I will let you know of any volunteer help I need in the classroom or for special projects/field trips during the year. All volunteers must be compliant with Called to Protect guidelines.
W
Writing Reading and writing are closely linked. This year your child will be writing in a wide variety of styles. We will be working hard to learn about the correct uses of punctuation and grammar, as well.
X Y Z
I am eXcited to work with you and your child this year! Make sure he/she gets plenty of Zzzzzs each night as we have eXciting days planned for this year.
Blessings,
Mrs. Stevason