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Mrs. Anderson is an experienced 1st-grade teacher who is passionate about helping her students excel. Learn about her background, teaching philosophy, and communication methods in this informative guide.
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All About Mrs. Anderson • I grew up in Westchester County, New York . • I moved to VA to attend the University of Richmond. I graduated in 2009 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Elementary Education. I have my Master’s of Education degree with a concentration in Literacy from George Mason University. • This will be my 11th year teaching first grade at Lowes Island. I strive to make each year my best one yet! • I live in Ashburn with my husband and daughter, Sophie. • Your children come first! One of my favorite quotes and motto for our classroom is “Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.”
PARENT/TEACHER COMMUNICATION •Purple Homework Folder: Please check this daily. Please make sure any notes or money for the school is placed in this folder. •Monday Folder: Coming home every Monday with letters from the school and student work. Please review all contents on Monday, sign and date the outside of the folder, and return the empty folder to school on Tuesday. •WeeklyE-mail: I will send you an e-mail every Friday. This will contain announcements and information such as the homework.
PARENT/TEACHER COMMUNICATION •If your child is absent—you must call the absentee line or e-mail the school’s absentee email. • My e-mail address is cheyenne.anderson@lcps.org. You can follow our class on Twitter @MrsAndersonLCPS •Please do NOT e-mail me anything time sensitive. If I am absent or if my e-mail is down, I may not get your message. All changes in dismissal need to be sent in writing. If there is a last minute change, please call the office. •Any visitors to the school must show the office an ID.
Specials Please be sure your child is wearing proper shoes/clothes for P.E. days. Also, please help your child remember to bring back his/her library books each Tuesday.
Promoting Positive Behavior Whole Class: Star Chart Each time the class follows a certain rule, expectation, or procedure in an exceptional way, I will put a star on the “Star Chart.” When the goal is met, the entire class will receive a reward! Small Group: Table Points Awarded to groups for following directions, staying on task, or exhibiting good teamwork. At the end of the week, the team with the most points will receive special reward. Individual: Personal clip chart, behavior calendar, tickets.
Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) PBIS is a county-wide behavioral framework to support students and staff so ALL students can achieve success. Students are expected to be ready, respectful, and responsible at all times. Individuals can earn Awesome Pawsome recognition stickers and classes can get rewarded for positive behavior in the cafeteria. Each month, every class will have one Leading Leopard based on the character trait of the month.
Reading in First Grade • We work in whole group, small group, independently, in a reading workshop, and one-on-one with a teacher. We will learn through interactive read alouds, shared reading, and guided reading groups. Language arts is a large component of our class. First grade is a year for your child to blossom as a reader and writer. • Students will be put in reading groups based on their performance on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) and Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS). Students take the DRA in September, January, and April. PALS is given at the beginning and end of the year. • More information regarding “book baggies” will be sent home in a few weeks. Please visit my website for more information about helping your child with reading.
Writing in First Grade • We will be working as a whole group, small group, and in individual conferences to help your child with their writing skills. • We will be learning many different writing genres and at times we will integrate our social studies and science units into our writing. • We will follow the writing process of drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. • The students will be writing in D’Nealian form and will also be working on letter formation using a handwriting book.
Word Study in First Grade • Word Study is studied in small groups based on students’ performance on the Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA) which is given 3 times throughout the year. • Your child will study lists of words based on the developmental level they are working on in spelling. They will have homework based on their word study list. They will have a word study assessment every two weeks. • Your child may change groups based on their phonological development throughout the year and their results on the DSA. Don’t panic if you see easier words coming home in the beginning when we are working on HOW to sort words and carry out specific tasks.
MathEMatiCS In First GrADE • We use a blended approach in first grade utilize GO Math and Investigations. We also incorporate math stations and technology into our math curriculum. • Additional curriculum for the year will be posted on the first grade website. First Quarter Topics Include: • Writing numbers to 110 • Counting groups of objects to 110 • Sorting, patterns • Skip counting by 10s, 5s and 2s to 110 • Counting backward from 30 to 0. • Counting like groups of coins (pennies, nickels, dimes)
Science Day and night Animals (needs and classification) Fall (how seasonal changes impact weather, animals and people) Content Topics in First Grade Social Studies • Citizenship at school, home and our community • Bus Safety • Communities in the past, present and future • American symbols • American holidays **9 week quarterly plans will be available on the first grade website**
Grading Scale and Report Cards • All assignments, grades, interims, and report cards will be available for parents in ParentVue On Report Cards….. • Students will receive grades for effort, behavior, and work habits: O = Outstanding S = Satisfactory N = Needs Improvement • Students will receive grades for their progress in specific academic areas: E (4)= Exceeds Standard (can extend ABOVE 1st grade standards) M (3)= Meets Standard (meets 1st grade expectations) P (2)= Progressing Towards Standard (requires frequent teacher support) B (1)= Performing Below Standard (requires significant teacher support)
Grading Scale and Report Cards • We use the grading scale for all worksheets and tests that we are formally assessing for the report card. These will come home in Monday Folders. Papers we have checked together will come home in purple folders. • Not all worksheets/papers that come home will be formally graded. Some will come home with a sticker, check, or smiley instead. • It is perfectly ok to be getting S’s or P’s on things. If a student gets an N or a B, this means your child needs more practice in this area. • Do not get discouraged if your child isn’t receiving E’s consistently
Conferences This year, all students at Lowes Island will take part in a student-led conference in October. Each conference will last about 15 minutes. Students will reflect on their progress and share goals with you. Please sign up for a conference at the back table tonight.
Homework *We will have nightly homework Monday-Thursday that should take no more than 30 minutes. Please complete all homework in pencil. Word Study: See the homework chart glued into your child’s Word Study book. This will be checked daily. Reading: Please read with your child for 10 minutes a night and log the reading on their reading log. This reading log is to stay in your child’s purple folder for me to check every Friday. If your child has read every day that week, they get homework credit for reading for the week. Math: There will be 2 pages of math practice each week. These pages will come home in the Monday folder or will be found in your child’s math book (on your child’s desk). Homework will be due on Friday. Students will also use online programs to practice math skills. More information will be sent home about this.
TEchnology Here are some of the reading and math programs we use in first grade. You were asked to fill out an online permission slip to allow your child to use these online tools.
Star of The Week Your child will be “Star of the Week” one week this year. You will receive the “Star of the Week” folder the week before your child is the “Star.” Your child will complete a poster and bring in their favorite book.
Scholastic News We use Scholastic News magazines to supplement our curriculum. We have already placed an order for these materials so we can have them available immediately . Please send a check made payable to “Scholastic ” for $7.00 to school by Friday, September 20th. Please be sure to include your child’s name in the memo. NO CASH will be accepted.
Thank you for coming! • Please make sure you have signed up for a conference at the back table before you leave! • Take your child’s math homework book. • Feel free to write your child a note and leave it on their desk to brighten their morning
