Welcome to First Grade!

1. Welcome to First Grade! Mrs. Benstead 2009-2010

2. Communication… • is essential to a successful year • Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns or feedback • You may contact me by phone, through email or by writing a note in your child’s B. E. E. book • All of my contact information is located in the front of the B.E.E book • includes the use of the B. E. E. books (Bring Everything Everyday) • An organizational folder for students, parents and teachers too • Three ring folder that houses everything students and parents need to keep up to date with everything going on at school • Sent home everyday and needs to be returned every morning • Should be looked at and emptied out every night

3. Help me stay informed • Important family information • Relevant to your child’s wellbeing at school • Personal injury, a sick relative, or loss of a pet can impact a child’s day in school • Every time your child goes home a different way, a note needs to be sent in stating whom they will be going with • Bus passes are used for this, even for walkers going to a different house • In case of an absence, please write a dated note explaining the reason for the time out of school. This helps ensure that your child can have the best day possible!

4. Morning Checklist • Each morning when the children arrive at school they are responsible for a number of tasks to get ready for the day. These tasks help build responsibility and independence. When the morning tasks are complete, the students may play a math game, write/draw an entry in their journal, read or participate in a word study activity.

5. What we learn in writing… • learn mastery on how to appropriately write all the upper and lower case letters • to write for a purpose, as a response to listening & reading activities and for personal response. • learn how to compose various types of writing (friendly letter, paragraphs, news article, etc). • strengthen and develop good writing habits and sentence structure. • We will write everyday!

6. What we learn in reading • Reading instruction is done in shared, partner, small group, and independent reading • The children will learn and develop mastery of the Big 5 reading skills-phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Each group of readers has different needs and skills that are addressed appropriately. • First graders are developing proficiency in reading and are building their experience with the surface structures of reading • letter/sound knowledge, alphabetic principals, phonemic awareness, decoding (Grapho-phonics) • visual word recognition based on frequent exposure, visual memory works for all words not just sight words (Lexica)l • auditory understanding of language structure at the word, sentence and text level-grammar, word choice (Syntactic) • Strategies are taught to increase student understanding • Schema (background knowledge), Sensory/emotional images, Asking questions, Determine importance, Inference, Synthesizing

7. Literature • Each day, the students will enjoy snack and listen to a short story or chapter book. During this time they practice good listening skills and develop more complex comprehension skills. Students can listen to and understand material that is much more difficult than that which they can read themselves. The students really look forward to this part of the day (and so do I!)

8. Book in a Bag • Books in a Bag are a series of leveled books that the children read from independently. It is very important that these books are returned every day so that everyone has access to them. Longer books such as chapter books may take a stay home for a few days. To move to the next book level, a student needs to have a conference with me. During that conference, the child reads to me and answers questions about what was read. I check for fluency (Does it sound like talking?) and comprehension. If the child is proficient at both, I move him/her to the next book level. • Accelerated Reader books are also utilized starting in January. They are leveled books which are signed out form the library primarily. The student reads the story independently and then takes a test on the computer to assess their understanding of the story.

9. What we learn in math • We will have calendar at the beginning of math time every day to discuss and explore the months, days, math vocabulary, patterns, etc. • Our math units will extend upon the student’s understanding of number sense, patterning, graphing, place value, money, time, geometry and measurement. • Addition and subtraction facts are introduced and encouraged to be practiced in the second half of the year.

10. What we learn in science… • characteristics of living and non-living things • How animals grow and change, life cycle • Fire prevention • Nutrition & Wellness • Seasons and Weather • Matter • Plants • Environments, Conservation and Energy • Zoo animals

11. What We Learn in Social Studies… • Cultural focus-Africa • Character Education • Families • Communities Now and Then • Needs and Wants • Ethnic Diversity • Historical Leaders • Geography • Patriotic Symbols

12. Homework • It is important for students to build skills of responsibility by doing homework each week. • Reading should be a regular part of your child’s day. They should read at least 15 minutes most nights. • Math facts and concepts will be reinforced with some at home practice later in the year. • Set a regular time everyday for homework, make sure your child has the supplies necessary to complete the assignment and stay in touch with me if you have any questions.

13. Classroom information • Special area classes • Art- Mrs. Debbie Pytlak • Art smocks will be needed • Gym- Mr. John Hochmuth, Mrs. Leah King • Sneakers are a necessity • Music- Mr. Jeremy Wilton • Library- Mrs. Phoebe Nicely • Reminders may be needed to bring books back weekly • Snacks • A snack calendar will be located in the BEE Book by the end of the previous month. Please send in a healthy snack and drink for the class (19 students). A healthy snack consists of fresh fruit, vegetables, crackers, pretzels, cheese, etc. Be sure to send in all of the supplies needed to serve your child’s snack (napkins, cups, spoons, plates, etc.) • Pop, and sugar snacks like cake, candy and cookies are only allowed as a birthday or party snack.

14. Birthdays & Other Special Events • We love to celebrate! • All students (even those with summer birthdays) may bring in a snack to celebrate, the birthday snack days are marked on the calendar • Please provide all necessary items to serve the treat such as cups, napkins, can openers, forks, etc. • Other celebrations are the Fall Party on Oct. 29th, Winter Party Dec. 22nd, Valentine’s Day on Feb. 11th, Spring on March 31st, Wellness Days in June date to be announced. • Volunteer to help, sign up on the round table • Holiday parties • Be an in school or at home volunteer

15. Fieldtrips • Fall: Beaver Meadow Audubon Center • October 16th • To explore and reinforce the student’s understanding about animal life in our surrounding woodland areas • Spring: Buffalo Zoo • May 27th • To discuss with the students what different zoo animals look like, what they eat, how they live and what makes them interesting

16. Book Orders • Each month, I will send home a book order. If you are interested in purchasing books please return your order and payment by the date indicated. You may send in cash or checks. If you write a check the totals may be combined if ordering from both flyers because the money goes to the same company.