The ABC’S of 1 st Grade!

The ABC’S of 1st Grade! Mrs. Worley Wallburg Elementary School

A is for... Attendance • School begins at 8:00. Please be sure your child is at school by 8:00 each morning. • If your child arrives at schools after 8:00, he/she will need to go by the office to pick up a tardy slip and be signed in before coming to the classroom. • School dismisses at 2:30. Teachers will walk bus riders to their buses. Car riders will be dismissed at the front of the building and you will need to pick up your child there. Please be sure to have your child’s car rider sign.

B is for...Birthdays! • If you would like to provide refreshments for your child’s birthday, please let me know. • All birthday treats NEED to be nut free. • We will celebrate all summer birthdays during the month of June. I will send a notice out in May as a reminder. It is up to YOU if you would like to schedule a day to send in treats.

C is for... Communication • I will communicate with you weekly via our classroom newsletter. • You can communicate with me by writing a note and putting it into your child’s take home folder, sending an email, or calling the school. • I also use the REMIND app to text. Don’t forget to sign up! • The best way to get in touch with me quickly is through e-mail as I am able to check this several time a day.

D is for... Discipline Behavior Plan – This year at Wallburg Elementary School, we will be following the P.A.W.S behavior policy. Students will always be reminded to show PAWS behavior everywhere in the building. “PAWS” behavior: Positive, Accountable and Working towards Success Classroom Behavior Management • Clip Chart • Punch cards • Reward coupons **If a student needs an individualized behavior plan to be successful, I will work with the parents to come up with a plan that best suits their child.

E is for... Enrichment We will have Enrichment every week, which consists of a rotation of Art, Music, P.E., Computer, and Library. • Monday – Music, Art, Computer • Wednesday – Media, Makerspace, P.E. **Please make sure you have sent in headphones for your child to use during computer lab.

F is for... Field Trips • Fall field trip – Whitaker Farms (October 24) • Spring field trip – Greensboro Natural Science Center - TBA

G is for... Grading System Our grading system in first grade is based on 1, 2, and 3. This also represents the way that it is organized on the first grade report card. We have assigned each number with a grading scale. Grading Scale: 3 – Excellent Progress 2 – Satisfactory Progress 1 – Unsatisfactory Progress

H is for... Healthy Snack • We will have snack time at the end of the day after we are packed up around 2:15. If you choose to do so, you may pack a healthy snack for your child. • Snack time is approx. 10 minutes, so a small, easy to eat snack is appreciated. • Please be aware of peanut allergies and keep snacks as "mess free" as possible.

H is for... Homework • I will be sending homework home every night Monday – Thursday. • Mondays and Wednesdays will be a math practice sheet. • Tuesdays and Thursdays will be a grade level reading passage with comprehension questions. • Each night your child will need to study and practice their weekly spelling words.

H is for... High Frequency Words • There will be 40 words each quarter • Students will be assessed on their ability of reading these words

I is for... Ice Cream and Extras • Your child will have the opportunity to buy ice cream along with a variety of other treats in the cafeteria including brownies, cookies, chips, bottled water, etc. • The price varies depending on what kind of ice cream or snack they choose. • Please speak with your child about your individual expectations for buying “extras” because this can deplete their lunch accounts quickly.

I is for... Invented Spelling

J is for...Jobs • Each child will have a part in keeping our classroom community running smoothly each day. • Each day, the helpers are rotated in order to give every student the opportunity to be a helper.

L is for... Lunch • 3 meal selections including a hot lunch, a sandwich lunch, and a salad lunch • Parents can send money to the cafeteria or access their student’s account via the Wallburg website. • Menus are sent home on a monthly basis or they can be viewed on-line

M is for... Medication • A note MUST be sent and medicine must be brought to school and picked up by a parent/guardian in the original container (prescription or over-the-counter) specifying the child’s name, name of medication, date filled, and directions clearly marked. • If your child takes the medicine on a regular basis, a form from the office must be filled out by your child’s doctor and returned to the school to put on file in your child’s folder. • No medicine will be given without a note.

M is for... mClass • This is an assessment tool that we use 3 times a year to assess your student’s growth. • Written comprehension is not a key factor in this years assessment grade. However, we will still assess them on writing to see how they do with writing the answer to a question.

N is for... Newsletter • Every Monday a weekly newsletter will be located the clear sleeve of your student’s purple homework folder. • It is there to let you know of any classroom announcements, skills and concepts being taught, and upcoming events.

O is for... Outerwear • We will go outside for recess everyday, weather permitting, so please make sure your child is wearing appropriate outerwear as the weather begins to cool down.

P is for...Parties We are allowed to have 2 classroom parties per school year. • Holiday Party (December) • End of the Year Party/Field Day (late May or June)

Q is for...Questions Sometimes when asked about their days at school, younger students do not provide the most insightful information. To find out more about your child's school day, ask more specific questions. Below are just a few examples: • "What stories did your read today? What were they about?” • "What enrichments did you have today? What did you do there?” • "What is your job this week?” • "What did your write about in Writer's Workshop?”

R is for... Report Card • Report cards are issued 4 times a year. • Various first grade skills will be assessed and progress monitored at these times.

S is for... School Fees • School fees are $7.00 for this school year. • Checks should be made payable to Wallburg Elementary School. Please send this in as soon as possible.

T is for... Transportation • Please send a note or call the school as soon as possible to let me know of any transportation changes. • I cannot assume your child is going home a different way because he/she told me so. • I would like dismissal to run as smooth as possible each day. This can be done with your help!

U is for...Understand If you do not understand something that I have sent home, please feel free to ask!

V is for... Voice Level • Student’s voice levels are numbered 0 - 3. • We practice this often so they will learn when to use the appropriate level for various activities and locations.

W is for... Writing • We will be doing a lot of writing in First Grade. • Daily writing folders, math journals, reading journals, and small group written comprehension questions are just some of the ways the first graders will be practicing this very important skill. • I encourage you to practice writing at home with your child working on the basic conventions of using a capital letter and appropriate punctuation.

X is for... eXtreme Thirst • Children are encouraged to bring water bottles to school to keep in the classroom. • These water bottles should be taken home to be cleaned each day. • Please label your child's water bottle, as some will look the same. • Please be sure the water bottle has a sports top because the bottles with a screw lid spills to easily.

Y is for... YOU • Please remember that YOU are your child's first and most important teacher. • No one can influence your child's life in the way you can! • I look forward to becoming a partner with you focusing on the best interests of your child.

Z is for... ZZZZZ’s • Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest in order to preform their best every day! • This year will zoom by so let’s make the best of it!

Questions, Comments, Concerns? Thank you for taking the time to take an in-depth look at your child’s first grade classroom! Contact Information: School phone: 336-769-2921 School email: amandawatson@davidson.k12.nc.us

The ABC’S of 1 st Grade!