Welcome to First Grade! Mrs. Powell

1. Welcome to First Grade!Mrs. Powell Catoctin Elementary School 2012

2. School Climate • Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) • Catoctin is a PBIS school. We are working as a school to be respectful, ready, and responsible. When the children are seen exhibiting these behaviors they are recognized with golden tickets. The children will be able to save up their golden tickets and then “purchase” items from a prize store. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

3. Classroom Climate Respectful: • Use polite and kind words • Stay in your personal space • Raise your hands • Work quietly • Listen to others Responsible: • Follow directions and class routines • Complete work given • Make good choices • Clean up after yourself  Ready: • Have materials ready • Give your best effort • Stop, Look, and Listen (FREEZE!) Catoctin Elementary School 2012

4. Classroom Climate (cont.) • Rewards • Class prizes • Golden tickets • Consequences • Color Model: blue=exceeds, green=meets, yellow=progressing, and red=below expectations for behavior • Each day the children will start on yellow. As the day progresses each child will have the opportunity to move to green or blue if s/he exhibits appropriate behavior. If there is a problem s/he will be asked to move to red. If the child ends the day on red, a red note will come home. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

5. Classroom Climate (cont.) • Think papers will be used at times. • Please, review any documentation (red notes or think papers) with your child, sign, and return to school the following day. • If anyone harms another child on purpose s/he will be asked to speak with an administrator. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

6. Toys/ “Look-Alikes” • LCPS policy is no weapon of any kind may be on school property. • This does include “look-alikes”. For example: toy guns, butter knives etc. • Please, help to enforce this policy with your child. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

7. Planners • Thanks to all the money that was earned through Box Tops for Education, each child was provided a planner. • Each day your child will record the color s/he ended the day on and a picture, word, or picture about his/her day. • Planners will come home daily. Please, initial that you saw your child’s planner. • In the front of the planner you will find the Catoctin handbook. Please, take time to review this information with your child. There are changes to it from last year. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

8. Attendance • The tardy bell rings at 7:50 a.m. • If a child arrives after this time (not by bus) s/he will have to go to the office to get a tardy pass. • If the child was in breakfast s/he will not be marked tardy. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

9. Tuesday Folders • Tuesday Folders will go home on Tuesday. • Catoctin will be sending home all paperwork on Tuesdays in this folder. • Please, take time to review the work and sign the folder. • Please, return the folder the next school day. • If you have any comments or questions about your child’s work simply write it in the folder. • I will send all work, papers from me, and anything that is NOT time sensitive in the Tuesday Folder. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

10. Take Home Folders • Take home folders will remain in the children’s book bags. • If there is something that needs to go home on a particular day (not a Tuesday) I will have the children place it in the take home folder. • If you have a note for me please attach it in your child’s planner. • I do not check book bags so please remind your child to check his/her folder. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

11. Homework • Homework will start in late September or early October. • It will be a weekly packet that will contain a reading log, word study log, math, and sentence writing practice. • Homework packets will be handed out on Mondays and be due the following Monday. • The children should engage in 20 minutes of reading a night. The only way to become a better reader is to read. It is also important for parents to model reading for their children. • More information will follow. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

12. Sunshine Math • Sunshine Math will be offered to first grade students if there is enough parent interest. • This will be a combination of home and school work. • More information to follow. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

13. Pathways • Catoctin is a Pathways school. • Pathways is a balanced approach to literacy. • The daily components are word study, shared reading, guided reading, centers, read aloud, independent reading, and writers’ workshop. • The sound charts are used as a reference tool. It would be great to practice these at home. • Poems, passages, and big books are used to promote fluency, sight words, and skills. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

14. Responsive Instruction (RI) • RI will take place daily from 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. • Each student will participate in a short assessment focusing on fluency in early September • RI will focus on fluency instruction Catoctin Elementary School 2012

15. Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) • The DRA is a reading assessment that is administered at the beginning and end of first grade. • The DRA is an assessment that is used to find the child’s independent reading level. • The DRA provides essential information about the child’s decoding skills, comprehension skills, and fluency. • At conference time we will go over your child’s testing in detail. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

16. Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) • The PALS is administered at the beginning and end of first grade. • The PALS provides information about the child’s knowledge of letter sounds, spelling, and instructional reading level. • We will discuss your child’s PALS at conference time as well. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

17. First Quarter Conferences • Please, sign up on the front table before you leave. Clarity • The Clarity parent portal is coming in January to grades K-2. • More information to follow. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

18. Accelerated Reading (AR) • When a child is able to read and comprehend on a DRA level 16 s/he will be invited to try the AR program. • This is an independent, enrichment program. • The child must be able to read the book on his/her own and take the test on his/her own. • When a child is ready to take a test s/he should notify the teacher first thing in the morning. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

19. Communication • The first grade team will send out a monthly newsletter to keep you informed. • Newsletters will be emailed if you have provided your email address. • If necessary I will send home a note specific to your child. • Notes and email are the best ways to contact me for general things. • My email address is christina.w.powell@lcps.org. If you have a question that is child specific please, email me so we can set up a time to conference via phone or in person. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

20. Visitation • All visitors must sign in at the office. • Volunteers are welcome (please sign up) • If you would like to visit the classroom (aside from volunteer work and special events) please, contact the administration and set up a time to come in and observe. • Parents may attend lunch without notification but please sign in at the office and meet your child in the cafeteria. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

21. Daily Schedule • Refrigerator Reminder • Monday: Music • Tuesday: Library & P.E. • Wednesday: P.E. and Art • Thursday: Computer & P.E. • Friday: Music Catoctin Elementary School 2012

22. Lunch Money • Please make sure that your child has lunch money on his/her account. • If your child has a check please, have him/her tell me first thing in the morning. • Ice cream and cookies can be purchased in the cafeteria. • Your child will have to select his/her lunch choice in the morning. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

23. Snack/Water bottles • The cafeteria is currently offering milk. Please, have your child tell me first thing in the morning if they would like to purchase white milk for snack. • The children may bring in a water bottle to keep at their desk. I would prefer a bottle with a push top or straw rather than a cap. • The children may bring a small healthy snack. • Juice is only allowed in the cafeteria. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

24. Birthdays • Children/Families may not bring in any type of treats (edible or nonedible) in celebration of a birthday. This is a LCPS policy. We can provide a list of other means of recognizing birthdays in school. • Birthday party invitations may not be distributed in school. Please, join the PTA and submit your family’s information to be included in the Catoctin Directory. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

25. Report Cards • Please, review the brochure about the first grade report card. • Progress Indicators for Academic Subject Areas will be: • E=exceeds standards • M=meets standards • P=progressing towards standard • B=performing below standard Catoctin Elementary School 2012

26. Report Card Example Catoctin Elementary School 2012

27. Report Card Example Catoctin Elementary School 2012

28. Curriculum • The curriculum that is being covered will be listed in our newsletters. • Each grading period’s curriculum will be posted as a link on the First Grade Webpage. • Please, see hand out for first quarter curriculum. • The Virginia SOLs can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

29. Grading • Work that was done at centers will be marked with a “C”. Centers work is a formative assessment used to guide instruction. It will not be graded. • If the child did well on an assignment it will have a star on it. • If the child completed the work with just a few errors it will have a check mark on it. • If the child had difficulty there will be a note on the paper. Please, review and talk with your child about the work. • If a child has difficulty completing an assignment due to behavior it will be sent home to be completed at home. • Graded assignments will be marked in a 1(below), 2(progressing), 3 (meets), or a 4 (exceeds). • Most tests and assessments I will hold onto until the end of the quarter. Catoctin Elementary School 2012

30. Thank you for coming to Back to School Night! Catoctin Elementary School 2012