Mrs. Martinez’s
First Grade Class
Handbook
2025-2026
Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative School
9601 Tierra Pintada NW
Albuqueruqe, NM 87120
(505) 253-0200
Ext:23646
elizabeth.martinez@aps.edu
School Hours
Monday-Friday 8:05am-2:50pm
- First Bell- 8:00 am
- Drop-off allowed no earlier than 7:50 due to supervision
- Tardy Bell- 8:05 am
- Dismissal- 2:50 pm
Weather Delay Schedule
- Arrival- 10:05 am
- Dismissal- 2:50 pm
Attendance
A successful school experience is the responsibility of the children, the parents and the school. Your child’s progress, both academically and socially, is influenced to a great extent by daily participation. Regular attendance without tardiness is important.
- Please make sure your child comes to school, unless they are ill (no vomiting, diarrhea, or fever without medication for 24 hours).
- Please report your student’s absence no later than 7:15am by calling the attendance line at (505) 253-0200.
- Students who come to school late will need to check in at the front office before coming to class.
Drop-Off & Pick-Up
- For the first day of school, parents are able to walk their child to their classroom.
- After the first day of school, students can be dropped off at the Parent Pick-Up Loop no earlier than 7:45am, then enter the front doors, and head straight to the playground.
- Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria before school for those interested.
- Students can be picked-up at the Parent Pick-Up Loop or at the front doors.
- Students who ride the bus or attend RGEC will be walked there by an adult the first week of school so students learn where they need to go.
- If your child will be walking home with older siblings, please make sure to discuss a meeting place for your children to meet up before the first day of school.
- Students will only be released to those individuals whose names you have indicated on the emergency contact forms on ParentVue. If there is a change in plans or someone different than usual will be picking up your child, please send a message on Class Dojo by 7:30am the day of, otherwise your child will not be released. *PLEASE REMEMBER STUDENTS WILL ONLY BE RELEASED TO INDIVIDUALS LISTED IN PARENTVUE.*
- There is no parking in the pick-up/drop-off area. Please do not leave your car unsupervised.
Breakfast / Lunch
- Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria before school at 7:45am.
- Lunch is served in the cafeteria daily. Students may get lunch from the cafeteria, or bring their own from home. Please label all lunch boxes, ice packs, thermos’ etc with your child’s name.
- There are links available on our school’s website to view the lunch and breakfast menus and prices as well as information on how to apply for Free and Reduced Meals. Click link to view school menus: Menus
Snacks
- We will have an opportunity for students to eat a quick snack in the afternoons.
- Students will be in charge of bringing their own snack daily.
- It will not be necessary to send a drink, we will have our water bottles.
- Snack ideas:
- cheese sticks with: crackers, pretzels, fresh fruit, or veggies
- yogurt & graham crackers
- hummus or guacamole with: fresh veggies or corn chips
- peanut butter or cheese crackers
- plain fresh fruit or veggies
- Granola bars
- Applesauce
- Popcorn (already popped) or Pirate’s Booty
- Please avoid sending:
- cookies
- cakes (think Little Debbie) or cupcakes
- candy or other sugary treats
Birthdays and Treats
- Simple treats may be sent to school with your child in the morning on their birthday, the office will not be taking drop offs.
- Sending a birthday treat is optional.
- Please don’t forget to send any utensils that might be needed(plates, napkins, etc.)
- Birthday treats will be given at the end of the day.
Communication
- Class Dojo, email and classroom website will be the primary way in which I communicate with families.
- Here is the link to our class website: https://sites.google.com/aps.edu/tvccs2019-2020mrsmartinez/home?authuser=0
*Please add our class website shortcut to your homescreen on your phone for easy access. Here are videos to help you add our website to your homescreen:
iPhone:https://youtu.be/B7fKs4dTeu0
Android:https://youtu.be/kaXWohkYy0A
- I will create a monthly newsletter to inform you of classroom activities, along with important dates to let you know about events for the month and learning goals. Which will all be found on the classroom website.
- Students will have a folder to keep in their backpack with completed classwork, homework, and any hard copy information from the school.
- I plan on keeping correspondence digital, but please check your child’s folder daily and take out all work or information from the side that says, “Left at Home”.
- The Communication Folder can also be utilized to send correspondence to the teacher, but please remember that ClassDojo will be the best way to send me a quick message.
- School news can be followed through the school website or on Facebook.
School Work and Homework
Please look in your child’s backpack and check their Communication Folder daily.
Be positive and value the work your child has done in school.
Students will have Nightly Reading, Nightly Math Fact Practice, and Nightly Sentence Dictations that should take no more than 30 minutes every night.
Any work that students do not complete in class will be sent home as homework and expected back the following day completed.
Nightly Reading
Reading at home for just 20 minutes each night is one of the best ways to help your First Grader become a strong, confident reader! The best and easiest way to get nightly reading minutes in, is by adding it to your child’s bedtime routine.
Here’s why it’s so important:
- 📖 Builds Reading Fluency: The more kids read, the smoother and faster their reading becomes.
- 🧠 Strengthens Comprehension: Regular reading helps children understand stories, make connections, and think critically.
- 📚 Expands Vocabulary: Hearing and seeing new words in books boosts language development and word knowledge.
- ❤️ Develops a Love of Reading: Reading together makes it a fun, positive experience and helps build a lifelong love of books.
- 🎯 Boosts School Success: Kids who read regularly do better in all subjects—not just reading!
Whether your child is reading to you, with you, or listening to you read—those 20 minutes each night really add up and make a big difference!
Nightly Math Fact Practice
Practicing math facts at home each night helps your child build strong number sense and confidence with math!
Here’s why it matters:
- 🔢 Builds Speed and Accuracy: Repeated practice helps students quickly recall basic addition and subtraction facts, which frees up brainpower for solving more complex problems.
- 🧠 Strengthens Mental Math Skills: When kids know their facts by heart, they can solve problems in their head with ease and confidence.
- 🎯 Supports Classroom Learning: Math moves quickly in First Grade! Daily practice at home helps reinforce what we’re learning at school.
- 💪 Boosts Confidence: Mastering math facts helps children feel more successful and capable during math time.
- 🚀 Sets a Strong Foundation: Fact fluency is the building block for more advanced math skills in later grades.
Just 5 minutes of practice each night—through flashcards, games, or apps—can make a big difference in your child’s math success!
Nightly Sentence Dictation
Nightly sentence dictation is a simple but powerful way to support your child’s reading and writing growth at home. Just 5 minutes each evening can make a big difference!
Here’s why it matters:
- 🧠 Builds Stronger Listening and Memory Skills: Your child learns to carefully listen to each word and remember the sentence as they write it.
- ✏️ Reinforces Spelling Patterns and Sight Words: Practicing words in complete sentences helps children apply what they’re learning in phonics and spelling.
- 📝 Improves Writing Habits: It gives daily practice with capital letters, punctuation, finger spacing, and neat handwriting.
- 📚 Supports Reading Fluency: Writing and rereading the sentence helps strengthen reading skills, too.
With regular practice, your child becomes more confident and accurate in their writing. Just one sentence a night can go a long way!
Assessments
- Students will be periodically assessed in order to monitor their progress towards end of First Grade goals
- My goal is to keep families as up to date as possible in terms of their child meeting his or her goals
- Assessments will include daily teacher monitoring, reading & math end of unit assessments. As well as several district, and state mandated assessments that will be given throughout the year.
These include:
- iStation Early Reading Assessment [Fall, Winter, Spring, monthly progress monitoring]
- i-Ready Math Assessment (Fall, Winter, Spring, monthly progress monitoring)
- More information on state assessments can be found on the PED’s website: webnew.ped.state.nm.us
- Always feel free to ask me if you have any questions!
Discipline
- The goal of discipline is to help children learn to moderate their own behavior, learn the rules of society, and learn how to solve problems and develop conflict resolution skills. I want children to feel safe and protected in school. I use “positive discipline” in our classroom, incorporating natural consequences, making sure to take the developmental level of the child into consideration.
- I teach, and emphasize the importance of the student’s having “3 Personal Standards” wherever they are, both in and outside of school. These standards include:
- Showing Respect
- Solving Problems
- Making good choices
- I rely on Positive Reinforcement as my behavior management system
- Whole group: Marble Jar
- Small group: G.L.A.D. (Guided Language Acquisition Development) T-graph for social skills.
- Individuals: Tickets
- When a problem occurs:
- I talk to the child/children involved using modeling and descriptions of feelings, choices, and redirection. Children are taught the logical and natural consequences of their actions. They are not punished or humiliated.
- If the child is upset to the point that she/he has lost control, or the disruptive behavior continues, I will remove the child from the situation. This is to give the child a chance to calm down, and prepare to rejoin the group. Any separation from the group is always within sight and hearing of the teachers.
- In the case of children who engage in repeated behavior that is harmful to other children (as in the case of hitting, scratching, kicking, biting, punching, pushing, etc.) the family will be asked to participate in a Health & Wellness meeting that can include the teachers, administration, nurse, & counselor who will work together to resolve the situation.
Items to Send to Class
- First Grade School Supply List can be found on our school website: https://tvcc.aps.edu/
- Please label all supplies with your child’s name
- Over the ear headphones
- Water bottle labeled with student name
- We will be washing our hands and using hand sanitizer a lot throughout the day. As a result, students' hands become very dry and chapped. We would greatly appreciate any lotion(fragrance free/sensitive skin) donations for our class. I will be donating the first bottle of Lubriderm!
Volunteering on Field Trips & In the Classroom
- Per APS district policy, any family member who wishes to volunteer in any capacity that puts them in direct contact with students for any period of time must have a receipt of a completed background check in the office.
- If you are interested in chaperoning a field trip you will need a completed background check.
PTO
- Keep an eye out for more information regarding upcoming parent meetings and opportunities to help our school:tresvolcanespto@gmail.com
** Please also refer to the APS handbook info. on the school website! **
Please let me know if you have any questions. I am excited to be your child’s teacher and I plan to provide a safe and fun learning environment for him/her. Thank you for sharing your little one with me.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Martinez
- Class Dojo
- Email: elizabeth.martinez@aps.edu
- Phone: 505-253-0200
*Please send me a Thumbs up on ClassDojo acknowledging that:
- You have read and understand the First Grade handbook.
- You understand that you are responsible for the information in this handbook, as well as the policies in the main Tres Volcanes student handbook(located on the 3V website).
- You understand that you can contact Mrs. Martinez if you have any questions or concerns.
*If I receive a thumbs up on ClassDojo by August 9th, your child will earn 3 tickets. If I receive thumbs up from every parent, the entire class will earn 20 marbles for the Marble Jar. Thank you!!!