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Back To School Night:

Grade 1 Information

Grade 1 2017 - 2018

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Your Grade 1 Team

From left to right:

Heba Ezz El Din, Charlie Saunders, Taryn Carr, Sarah Hafez, Ranya ElKhafif & Gaby Morales.

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CAC Mission Statement

Why

CAC inspires all students to learn, explore, and have fun.�We build character and motivate our students to positively�contribute to their communities.

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CAC Mission Statement

How

CAC ensures that each student achieves her or his�educational and personal potential in a safe environment.�We collaborate through a partnership of motivated�students, exemplary and caring staff, and involved families�within a dynamic American educational model, enriched by�our multicultural and diverse student body and the school's unique location in Egypt.

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CAC Mission Statement

What

�CAC is an international independent day school dedicated�to preparing pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students to succeed in schools and universities of their choice.

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Core Values

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Readers

Readers Workshop

Mini lesson, which involves direct teaching of key ideas
Independent reading, where children are reading books at their level
During this time the teacher may conference with children about what they are reading or take a small group for guided reading.

During Guided reading the teacher supports a small group of children at a similar level. They focus on fluency, decoding and reading comprehension strategies.

Some of our units this year include:

Building good habits as readers
Readers meet characters
Non-fiction readers
Dramatizing characters

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Readers

Reading Workshop

https://vimeo.com/album/2776933/video/85853419

Reading Conference

In first grade one of our goals is building stamina and independence in our readers.

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Writers

Workshop Genres

Narrative (Small Moment writing)
Information books
Fiction stories
Opinion
Science experiments

Writers Workshop

Mini lesson, which involves direct teaching of key ideas
Independent writing, where children are using checklists to meet criteria and practicing their writing stamina
During this time the teacher may conference with children about what they are writing or take a small group for a guided strategy lesson.

Anchor charts help children to be independent.

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Writers Workshop

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Scientists

In first grade students participate in two science units:

How does my garden grow

- students study plants and explore the process of plant growth (and the plant life cycle)by planting their own flowers or vegetables in a class garden.

Solids and liquids

-Students analyze, compare and mix substances that are solids and liquids through various experiments

- students practice recording the steps in the scientific process (forming and testing a hypothesis, conducting an experiment and recording and interpreting results)

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Social Scientists

In social studies, first grade social scientists will participate in two units

Culture and the family
Families, past and present

During these two units, students will have the opportunity to:

Explain why people live in families and communities.
Describe the influence that families have on each others’ lives in terms of language, heritage and customs.
Understand how families are diverse in where they live and how they live.
Differentiate between people, places, and events in the past, present and future.
Explain how family structures grow and change over time and how families lived in the past is different to how they live now.
Compare families now and then and explain how families record their family histories in different ways by creating timelines and family trees.

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Mathematicians

In first grade students explore the following math units:

Addition and subtraction of number to 20 and 40
Words problems involving part-whole relationships
Place value for two digit numbers
Comparing and ordering two digit numbers
Ordering and comparing length measurements
Identifying and describing attributes of two dimensional and three dimensional shapes
Composing and decomposing shapes

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CAC Developmental Expectations

As students progress through the elementary years at CAC they will be exposed to several systems in place (Circle Solutions, Second Step, Positive Behavior Support) which encourage positive personal, social, and academic development.

At each grade level expectations for personal responsibility increase. Kindergarten students should feel comfortable carrying their own backpack and 5th grade students should be able to keep up with their homework independently. Appropriate development has a positive impact on independence, resilience and becoming life long learners.

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Grade 1 Personal and Social Development

Understanding Self:

Can identify a variety of feelings

Is able to identify personal roles within school and the family

Can identify character traits needed for different situations

Interactions with Others:

Can demonstrate how to be a good friend to others

Can identify similarities and differences between self and others

Personal Safety Skills and Coping Strategies

Can determine safe and healthy choices at home and school

Is able to identify safe and unsafe situations

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Counseling Resources

To learn more about Positive Discipline.

Positive Discipline

Provides information on the health of children including developmental and emotional issues.

Kids Health

To find out more information on how to combat bullying behaviors.

Bully Prevention

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Curriculum

Click the link below to get access to the:

Curriculum Calendars and Scope and Sequences

The curriculum has been carefully and collaboratively prepared by grade level teams and the curriculum office. It has been refined to reflect our CAC mission and standards and our commitment to providing a dynamic and enriching education for our students.

2. Curriculum

This year as our BTSN we can proudly share our curriculum maps which includes all learning areas other than Arabic and Counseling curriculum. We will be working on these this year to be included next year. We also have the scope and sequences, field trips and activities for parents in one place. A huge thank you to Penny and the teachers for the work you did last year with curriculum development. We are making great progress and you should be proud of your efforts.

Be sure to show parents how to:

hover over notes - go to Halloween and the times parents are invited are on the notes. We will continue to update throughout the year as this will be reflected for them as the links are live.
access the scope and sequence
access Eureka Math for parents

Inform parents that we continue to review curriculum so it will be updated as we continue to drill deeper, assessments will be our focus and we will be having parent curriculum sessions throughout the year.

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Arabic Team

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Arabic - اللغة العربية

	Elementary إبتدائي							Middle إعدادي			High ثانوي
	PreK	KG	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
AWL Arabic World Language	A R A B I C	KG	Level A - B - C - D - E					MS A - B - C			HS A - B - C - D & IB (AFL 1,2,3,4)
ALA Arabic Language Art	A R A B I C	KG	1	2	3	4	5	6 (D)	7 (E)	8 (F)	9	10	11 & IB	12 & IB

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Arabic Language Arts (LA)	Arabic World Language (WL)
Follows the same teaching strategies and methods used in the reading and writing workshops in the regular Language Arts sessions in the students’ classrooms. Uses World Language Initiative (ISS) and other supplementary curriculum materials and resources. Provides a variety of reading materials and engaging literature in Arabic. Promotes rich language experiences through dialogues, presentations, and practical scenarios. Includes developmentally appropriate homework for practice and reading - requires partnership between home and school.	In this course students develop the four skills of speaking, listening and understanding, reading and writing through a variety of oral and written activities related to daily life situations. Meaningful, daily life contexts are used to develop practical vocabulary and grammatical structures. A variety of resources are used to promote and motivate student learning. Includes developmentally appropriate homework for practice and reading - requires partnership between home and school.

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ES Specialist Teachers

Physical Education teachers Music teacher

Mr. Mayfield and Mr. Greene Mrs. Nerenhausen

Art teachers Drama teacher

Ms. Margaret and Ms. Badr Ms. Dolly

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Library

PreK-grade 2 weekly lesson and checkout
Library focus for grade 1

reading for enjoyment
caring for books
exploring non-fiction

Please remember your library bag!
Library catalog: http://library.cacegypt.org
Library blog: http://caceslib.blogspot.com

The ES library at CAC supports classroom teaching and learning, and promotes reading for information and enjoyment.

ES librarian - Josianne Fitzgerald

Library teaching assistants - Enas Thabet & Wafaa Atta

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Information Technology

Technology integration at CAC is achieved by supporting curricular goals throughout all subjects taught in the ES. The focus is:

- active engagement

- personalized learning & feedback

- collaboration

- problem solving by using real world application of technology

Mr. Sherif

Ms. Hebba

2. Curriculum

This year as our BTSN we can proudly share our curriculum maps which includes all learning areas other than Arabic and Counseling curriculum. We will be working on these this year to be included next year. We also have the scope and sequences, field trips and activities for parents in one place. A huge thank you to Penny and the teachers for the work you did last year with curriculum development. We are making great progress and you should be proud of your efforts.

Be sure to show parents how to:

hover over notes - go to Halloween and the times parents are invited are on the notes. We will continue to update throughout the year as this will be reflected for them as the links are live.
access the scope and sequence
access Eureka Math for parents

Inform parents that we continue to review curriculum so it will be updated as we continue to drill deeper, assessments will be our focus and we will be having parent curriculum sessions throughout the year.

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ES Services

Student Support Services Team provides direct and indirect assistance for students who need additional support.

● English Language Learner (ELL) teachers assist students with limited English Proficiency

Chandra Claussen, Juana Nolasco, Jacqueline Redhage

● Learning Support Services (LSS) teachers aim to meet the individual needs of students with academic learning challenges. Gill Penney, Rihab Rayes, Ragia Sebaei

● Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) teacher provides interventions in the areas of speech and language with the aim of acquiring effective communication skills. Jill Tshekunow

● Counseling Services support social, emotional and behavioral needs.

Dana Purpura (School Counselor and Guidance), Carey Harris (3-5 Guidance)

2. Curriculum

This year as our BTSN we can proudly share our curriculum maps which includes all learning areas other than Arabic and Counseling curriculum. We will be working on these this year to be included next year. We also have the scope and sequences, field trips and activities for parents in one place. A huge thank you to Penny and the teachers for the work you did last year with curriculum development. We are making great progress and you should be proud of your efforts.

Be sure to show parents how to:

hover over notes - go to Halloween and the times parents are invited are on the notes. We will continue to update throughout the year as this will be reflected for them as the links are live.
access the scope and sequence
access Eureka Math for parents

Inform parents that we continue to review curriculum so it will be updated as we continue to drill deeper, assessments will be our focus and we will be having parent curriculum sessions throughout the year.

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ES Services

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ES Student-Parent Handbook

Policies and key information about the elementary school
Linked to the CAC website, on the “Elementary School” drop-down menu and blogs
Read online https://www.cacegypt.org/index.php/es-handbook

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Reporting/Conferences

Tri1 Reports (Nov. 22) & Parent–Teacher Conferences (Nov. 27)

Parents only attend in PreK-Grade 1
Students in Grades 2-5 attend part or all to report on academic/social goals

Tri2 Reports (Mar. 7) & Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences (Mar. 14)

Students in K-Grade 5 attend part or all of conference to report on goals

Tri3 Student-Led Conferences/Portfolios (May 21) & Reports (June 5)

Students reflect on portfolio of personal learning evidence
Students in PreK- Grade 5 share their portfolios and communicate about their progress for the year

There is no school for students on conference days. They come only during their scheduled conference time.

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Homework

Developmentally appropriate and differentiated to meet individual student needs
Meaningful tasks that are possible for the student to complete independently
Balanced in with time for family, unstructured play, and hobbies
Includes daily reading at home of at least 10 minutes per day (including independent and shared reading, as well as reading in English or mother tongue)
May sometimes include project-based research
Provides important practice and feedback opportunities, but is not given an academic grade; it will be considered in responsibility marks
If parents have any concerns about their child’s homework please direct these to the class teacher
If parents have any questions regarding our school wide homework policy please speak with the Principal

2. Curriculum

This year as our BTSN we can proudly share our curriculum maps which includes all learning areas other than Arabic and Counseling curriculum. We will be working on these this year to be included next year. We also have the scope and sequences, field trips and activities for parents in one place. A huge thank you to Penny and the teachers for the work you did last year with curriculum development. We are making great progress and you should be proud of your efforts.

Be sure to show parents how to:

hover over notes - go to Halloween and the times parents are invited are on the notes. We will continue to update throughout the year as this will be reflected for them as the links are live.
access the scope and sequence
access Eureka Math for parents

Inform parents that we continue to review curriculum so it will be updated as we continue to drill deeper, assessments will be our focus and we will be having parent curriculum sessions throughout the year.

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Communications

Link to the First Grade Blog

The Elementary School newsletter, Eagle Eye, is published on the main CAC website every Thursday
CACN, daily news from students, for students (will be emailed to participating students parents)
Superintendent’s newsletter (found on the CAC main page)

Grade-level blogs will be updated on Sunday afternoons to include the curriculum focus and recommended school/home connections for the week

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Celebrations

Classroom parties are held for certain U.S. & international holidays.
Care is taken to avoid incorporating religious beliefs or personal values into these activities.
Teachers may ask for your assistance in providing refreshments for celebrations.
Student birthdays are recognized in the classroom, but are not celebrated during instructional time. Please do not send treats to school.
Private party invitations should include all members of the class or should be distributed outside of school.
The principals have celebratory birthday lunches with groups of students throughout the year.

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Field Trips

We believe in taking the learning beyond the walls of CAC. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 will experience field trips that support our curriculum.

First Grade will visit:

Pyramids
Maadi Monastery
Mohamed Ali Mosque

2. Curriculum

This year as our BTSN we can proudly share our curriculum maps which includes all learning areas other than Arabic and Counseling curriculum. We will be working on these this year to be included next year. We also have the scope and sequences, field trips and activities for parents in one place. A huge thank you to Penny and the teachers for the work you did last year with curriculum development. We are making great progress and you should be proud of your efforts.

Be sure to show parents how to:

hover over notes - go to Halloween and the times parents are invited are on the notes. We will continue to update throughout the year as this will be reflected for them as the links are live.
access the scope and sequence
access Eureka Math for parents

Inform parents that we continue to review curriculum so it will be updated as we continue to drill deeper, assessments will be our focus and we will be having parent curriculum sessions throughout the year.

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Profile of a CAC Parent

CAC parents and caregivers are critical role models of our core values.

CAC adults collaborate to support students’ development through:

Modeling respectful, responsible communication
Consistently demonstrating the CAC core values of respect, responsibility, and integrity
Demonstrating caring, forgiveness, and compassion for self, community, and the world
Demonstrating global citizenship by showing cultural awareness, respect, and empathy; social responsibility and service; and environmental integrity and action
Demonstrating positive habits of mind, such as:

perseverance,
planning and organization,
initiative,
Leadership,
self-discipline,
teaming and cooperation,
sense of humor,
and healthy lifestyle choices.

CAC parents and caregivers also:

Contribute to and participate in activities and programs throughout the school
Support their children’s development as responsible, independent learners
Allow children to learn from their mistakes and to accept reasonable, appropriate consequences

- See ES Student-Parent Handbook for parent visitor policy

- See ES Student-Parent Handbook for the Profile of a CAC Parent/Caregiver

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Parent Representative

Room parents - please see a teacher is you are interested in volunteering for this role.

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Thank you

We look forward to a successful year working together in partnership to educate your child.