FIRST GRADE PROCEDURES The following is an overview of special procedures in your child’s first grade classroom. Please keep this as a reference throughout the year. Read over the procedures carefully. I can be reached by phone 763-497- 3887 ext 513 or email bbecker@stmcatholicschool.org
with questions or concerns. I am looking forward to an exciting year with you and your child!
BIRTHDAYS
We will celebrate each child’s birthday in our classroom. Children with summer birthdays will celebrate on their half birthday (For example, if your birthday was July 12th, then we would celebrate January 12th). Your child will be recognized in special ways on their special day within the classroom, at morning meeting and throughout the day. Your child is also welcome to bring a non-edible treat to share with the class if they wish. This is optional and not required.
Suggestions for possible
items to share can be
found in the Birthday letter
on our classroom Webpage.
It will also be sent home the
first week of school in the
Friday Folder.
SNACK
Children are asked to bring their own healthy snack each day. Some healthy snacks include fruit, granola bars, graham crackers, etc. No sugar, beverages, chips or candy please. Water bottles are allowed. First grade is also a PEANUT and TREE-NUT FREE zone due to allergies.
BOOK ORDERS
Book order flyers from Scholastic Books will come home monthly throughout the year. All book orders are done online You can also order any books of your choice not in the flyers from Scholastic online. I will send a detailed letter home, explaining how to order books on-line with the first flyer. A copy of the instructions can also be found on our classroom webpage. Our class activation code is: 32VXNP. Book orders will be due online the 15th of every month.
FRIDAY FOLDERS
Every Friday (or last day of the week) your child will bring home a blue folder with completed assignments and important notes. Please read through all paperwork carefully and return the folder EMPTY the following Monday (or school day).
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
We have three school rules: Be Respectful, Be Safe, and Be Welcoming. We discuss what each of these rules looks like, sounds like and feels like. Each child will also set “Hopes and Dreams” for first grade. We then create our classroom rules together. The students and teacher brainstorm what our jobs are at school and then come up with a few classroom rules that sum up these jobs. Each of us signs our rules chart to show we agree to follow them throughout the school year. It encourages children to take responsibility for their actions and to also have a say in what our classroom guidelines and expectations should be. Students will get a copy of the classroom rules to take home after everyone signs them. In a case where students are not showing what our contract says, they are given a reminder to help them make a better choice. If a reminder is not enough then a verbal warning is given. If necessary a consequence might be given.
DEFINITIONS
Give Me Five: a strategy used to help us, as a group, know when to stop what we’re doing, pay attention, and be ready to listen. When a teacher or adult raises their hand to show five the student is to remember 5 things: 1. Eyes on speaker, 2. Hands are free (put things down), 3. Ears are listening, 4. Mouths are closed, and 5. Be still.
Take a Break: a child is asked to leave the group and recompose him/herself before being asked to return to the group.
Apology of Action: We discuss ways we hurt others feelings and ways we can fix those hurt feelings (something more than a quick apology).
Logical Consequence: Students are involved in deciding what this might be that correlates with his or her action.
PRAYERS
Your child will be asked to learn the following prayers this year. Please assist your child in learning these prayers:
1st Trimester: The Sign of the Cross
2nd Trimester: The Hail Mary
3rd Trimester:The Glory Be and The Our Father
MORNING MEETING/WEEKLY WELCOME AND WORSHIP
At the start of each school day your child will participate in a morning meeting. Students will learn different ways to greet each other, share news, hear announcements, and participate in a group activity. This format allows us to build a classroom community of caring and respectful learners. At the start of each school week we meet as a whole school to sing, pray, do birthday blessings and school wide announcements. This is called Weekly Welcome and Worship.
CLASS COLOR DAY
Once a month each classroom wears their class color.. This day is a non-dress code day for students as long as they wear their class color. The first grade color is BLUE. Your child can wear anything blue. Jeans are acceptable clothing on these days.
SCHOOL MASS
Every Wednesday or Holy Day of Obligation will be an all school Mass beginning at 7:45. Parents are welcome to join us for Mass. and will be encouraged to sit in certain sections of the church with their child. Children who ride the bus to school will be dropped off at church on Wednesday mornings instead of at school. Students that are a car rider will need to be dropped off at church on Wednesday morning by 7:30 a.m. Teachers will discuss appropriate Mass behavior in class, but please review at home and practice them at Sunday Masses. Our class will be planning 2 class Masses. Everyone will be able to participate in one of our class Masses. Dates are Wednesday, Dec. 7th and Wednesday, March 22nd.
TAKE HOME FOLDER/PLANNERS
Purple folders will be used as take home folders. Take home folders will go to and from school daily along with planners. Homework that is assigned is due the following day will be put in the Bring Right Back side of the folder. Homework that is corrected and completed will be put in the Keep at Home side. Students will check in with the teacher daily to show their completed homework and planner. Homework may consist of a language arts practice or a math practice, and daily reading. First graders will write daily homework assignments in their planners. Please assist and check over your child’s homework and then initial the planner and send back to school the following day unless a due date is otherwise noted.
PEEK OF THE WEEK
Each week I will be posting a peek of the week on the classroom webpage. This will highlight the upcoming week’s events, such as specials and birthdays. In addition to posting the Peek of the Week on our classroom webpage you will receive an email with the Peek of the Week attached on Fridays. Please read the information to be aware each week.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES/ART First grade students are assigned specific teachers for science and social studies. Mrs. Miller will be teaching all first graders science, and Mrs. Becker will be teaching all first graders social studies. For any questions or concerns regarding any of these subjects please contact the appropriate teacher. Art is taught by your child’s homeroom teacher.
SCIENCE- Mrs. Miller
(Days 1 & 2)
SOCIAL STUDIES - Mrs. Becker
(Days 3 & 4)
ART – Mrs. Becker
(Days 5 & 6)
ASSESSMENTS
Many assignments are completed together in class, and are considered a step in learning, not an assessment of a child’s skill. When I assess your child, I will use classroom observations, formal testing and individual assessments of your child’s skills. If you ever have questions or concerns about your child’s progress please reach out to me.
SHARING
Students will be invited to share important news and information daily as part of our morning meeting routine during News and Announcements. Students will also have a turn to be the “Starfish” of the week during the year. Your child will receive a poster to decorate and a detailed explanation of what items they can bring in when it is their turn.
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteers are welcome in our classroom for various tasks. A detailed note will be sent home the first week of school in the Friday folder explaining opportunities and times for volunteering in our classroom.
Please note that at other times during the year when we have special first grade events or field trips, other sign ups will go home. If you can’t volunteer in the classroom at this time, you will have other opportunities throughout the year to sign up for things. Please also note that all Virtus training must be completed before you sign up to volunteer. Contact the school office for Virtus information.
DISMISSAL
Dismissal is at 2:00
Bus Riders and Car Riders will exit using door B. Walkers exit using door E.
Kid’s Club is dismissed to the cafeteria.
If there is any change in your child’s dismissal procedure please notify the school with a written note. If there is a change to your child’s end of the day routine during the school day, it is helpful to notify the office no later than 1:00 on that day. Please don’t only send me an e-mail or voice mail, as I may not get the message until after school.