First Grade Overview: Building a Strong Foundation for Success

1. Welcome to 1st Grade!

2. First grade is a time of growth and change. It is an exciting time for both child and parent. As we begin our year together, the 1st grade teachers would like to present an overview of the year ahead.

3. Attendance • Good attendance is the key to ensuring your child’s success in 1st grade. • * Class begins promptly at 7:30 & students are tardy at 7:40. • * 3 tardies remove a student from receiving Perfect Attendance recognition. • All absences and tardies require a parent note/doctor note. Students have the number of days absent plus one day to turn in make-up work after an absence. • Our district now has a truant officer. Excessive absences or tardies may result in a letter or visit from the officer and may result in a court appearance!

4. Birthdays Birthdays are a special time for each student. The children are celebrated in each class in various ways. Our school feels that class recognition is sufficient. Therefore, we do not allow snacks to be sent for a celebration, nor do we allow birthday invitations to be distributed in class. The only exception will be if the entire class is invited or if everyone of the same gender is invited. This prevents hurt feelings for all.

5. Breakfast Students are welcome to eat breakfast in the cafeteria each morning. However, the cafeteria will stop serving at 7:30 each morning – when the bell rings. We have specials each morning from 9:10 to 10:00, then we do not eat lunch until 11:20 each day. Please make sure that your child has a good breakfast each morning so he or she will be ready to learn.

6. Classroom Discipline Our classrooms, as well as the entire school, follow the same 3 rules: students are expected to be respectful, responsible, and safe. Failure to follow these rules may result in a note in the home folder and discipline folder.

7. Communication The student’s Gator Folder is the prime source of communication between parents and teachers. Important papers and notes are sent home and back to the teacher in the folder; therefore, the folder should be checked and the calendar signed nightly. The folder is to be returned with your child EACH day in the backpack. If it is lost or destroyed, the parent will need to replace the supplies for the next one. E-mail is a primary source of contact and the teacher. You may access our e-mails through www.emsisd.com, then choosing Greenfield from the drop-down menu.

8. Dismissal • 1st grade is dismissed at 2:40. • Car riders are brought to parents outside – cars must have their visor tag showing when they are in line. For the safety of everyone at parent pickup, NO child will be released to a parent that walks up from the drive. If your child is not being placed into a car, they must be signed out in the office and taken back through the school. • Walkers – those students walking all the way home, not to a car - will be dismissed through the gym. • Early dismissal must be signed out through the office. No students will be dismissed after 2:10 p.m. • No changes in dismissal will be made without a note or a phone call. Phone calls must be received by 1:45.

9. Grading First Grade will have a standards based report card this year, much like you saw in Kindergarten. This means that, although we may at times put a “grade” on a paper, we will be looking at your student’s work to be sure that he/she understands completely and has mastered the objectives.

10. Gym Students will attend gym class 3 times each week. The children MUST wear tennis shoes for their safety and the safety of others. Points will be deducted from the Gym grade if the student comes unprepared for class. Check your child’s folder for the scheduled gym days.

11. Homework Reading homework will be assigned beginning next week. Your student will bring home a book on their reading level in a plastic envelope each day. Students should read each night for at least 15 minutes – reading homework is not optional. In addition to reading, we will be sending home a “Tic-Tac-Toe” board/calendar with various homework assignments. We are asking that you help your student complete one row each week. These will be activities to reinforce math, spelling and writing. Students will be earning classroom rewards for completing the homework, but they will not be punished for not completing the activities. This calendar will be in the plastic envelope with the reading.

13. Reading Reading is the heart of 1st grade. The skills acquired form the foundation for a successful school career. We use guided reading (reading on a student’s individual level) as the basis for our reading program. Parents need to set aside time each night to listen to their child read and help with homework. Students are tested on sight words and story vocabulary regularly.

14. Reading Goals • Many tests will be used to determine your child’s reading level and fluency rate. By the end of First Grade, the minimum goal is 60 words read correctly per minute. • Please be advised that the minimum expectation of 60 wpm groups a student in the 50th percentile – meaning, out of a hundred students, 50 are reading at a higher rate than your student.

15. Illness A student must be free of fever for 24 hours before returning to school. If your child is sick, staying home will keep him/her comfortable and prevent other children from getting sick as well. If your child goes to the doctor, please send the admit slip to school.

16. Independence We continually work with our First Grade students to help them gain independence. One way you can help with this is by dropping your student off in front of the school and letting them come into the building, cafeteria, and classroom alone.

17. Join PTA Our school has a wonderful PTA, and we would love for you to join in and participate. Your membership fee helps fund many exciting things for the children, school, and teachers. Please consider joining and ask friends and family to join as well.

18. Jackets Our classrooms are sometimes more cool than many students like. In addition, the weather often changes and is cooler than we expect. If you would like, you may send a jacket or sweater to leave at school. Students may leave these in their lockers for the times when they are needed. Please make sure you label all jackets before sending them.

19. Lunch • All classes have 30 minutes for lunch. You are always welcome to join us for lunch after signing in at the office. • Label all lunch sacks and lunch boxes • Do not send sodas in a thermos • Send all lunch money in a sealed envelope with the child’s name, teacher’s name and grade • No microwaves will be available for student use in the cafeteria this year, due to several accidents in the past.

20. Money Throughout the year, money will be sent for many reasons: lunches, book orders, field trips, projects, supplies, etc… It is very important that all money sent to school is in a sealed envelope with the student’s name, the teacher’s name & the purpose clearly written on the front. This helps us know how to handle it. Money not labeled will be returned.

21. Newsletter On Friday, we will send an e-mail with the week’s newsletter to those parents who have given us their e-mail address. If you have chosen to receive the newsletter on paper, those will be sent home in the Gator folder. In addition, the newsletter is posted on our class websites. Spelling patterns for the upcoming week will always be in the newsletter. In addition, any upcoming events or announcements will also be in the news.

22. School Supplies It is very important for students to have all supplies on hand each day. Some will need to be replaced as they are used throughout the year and we will let you know what needs to be replaced. It is also helpful to keep supplies at home for homework assignments. You will need pencil, eraser, glue, scissors, and crayons at home for various homework assignments.

23. Shoes One very important lesson you can teach your student is to tie his shoes You may be asked once or twice a day to tie a pair of shoes. Multiply that by 24 and you can easily see how much time can be taken away from our instruction. Please help us to have everyone tying their own shoes within the next month.

24. Scholastic Book Orders Having plenty of interesting books at home to read is very important for your student. One great way to build a library for your student is through Scholastic Books orders. These offer books for your student at their own reading levels on a variety of topics. And the best thing about Scholastic is the price! These books are often less than you would find them in other places. We encourage you to order online – we get free books for our classrooms with each online order.

25. Understanding First graders are famous for telling wonderful stories. The problem lies in the fact that many important details may be left out in the sharing of these stories. The teachers ask that if you have any questions or concerns about anything occurring at school, please contact them so we can discuss the matter. You may call, email, or write a quick note in the Gator Folder.

26. Visitors Greenfield Elementary has a policy that EVERY visitor to the campus must sign in at the office and wear a guest badge. We welcome parent involvement and this badge helps staff and faculty recognize a visitor. This may seem inconvenient to frequent visitors, but it is the goal and responsibility of the school to maintain a safe learning environment. Please be sure to bring your Driver’s License in with you to make the sign-in process more speedy!

27. Younger Siblings It is in your child’s and the class’ best interest to have parent volunteers available without younger children. This not only allows for your full attention to be focused on the students, but also gives you special time to share with your 1st grader. This will apply to events such as field trips and parties as well. Thank you for making arrangements for younger siblings.

28. We hope that this has been informative and that many questions have been answered. If not, please feel free to reach us one of the following ways: Phone – (817) 237-0357 Email – cparsons@ems-isd.net mread@ems-isd.net bjohnson@ems-isd.net labeyta@ems-isd.net cmorrison@ems-isd.net bcarroll@ems-isd.net A note in the Take-Home Folder

30. Website Greenfield, as well as each teacher, has a website which can be accessed at www.emsisd.com. Check in regularly to find information about curriculum, special events and school news. The school also has a Facebook account, where Mrs. Bragg often posts important information. On Facebook, we are Greenfield Elementary School.