First Grade Handbook

1. First Grade Handbook 2013-2014 School Year

2. Organizational skills • Each child has a McAuliffe folder. It is their Student Handbook and their daily take home folder. Students are responsible for bringing their folder to school every day. • Homework, graded work, incomplete work, and notes will be sent home in this folder. • Their citizenship report will be in this folder. • If you have any notes or forms to be given to the teacher, you may also place them in this folder. • Please check and remove any papers from the folders daily.

3. Discipline • A discipline form called a Responsibility Sheet will be sent home every day in your child’s McAuliffe Folder. Please acknowledge you have seen it by initialing it daily in their folder. • The Responsibility Sheet will keep you informed on a weekly basis of your child’s citizenship in the classroom.

4. Student of the Week • Every child will have a chance to be the Student of the Week in our classroom. • When your child is chosen for Student of the Week, we will send home a poster to decorate that tells all about them! • The Star Student presents this poster to the class, and it is hung in the hallway for the duration of the week.

5. Lunch • We have lunch from 10:30-11:00 each day. • The cost for students is $2.20 • The cost for adults is $3.00 • However, ice cream may only be purchased on Friday.

6. Conferences • We will begin scheduling parent conferences after we complete our beginning of the year testing. • We use a program called Sign Up Genius. You will get the link in an email, and you go on and sign up for a time. It will send you and me a reminder.  • We are looking forward to meeting with you and sharing your child’s accomplishments!

7. Recess • If for some reason your child can not go outside for recess, please send a note explaining the circumstances. • During the winter months please be sure to send a coat to school. • We try to take the children outside every day if at all possible. • Due to our school policy, no parents or visitors are allowed on the playground.

8. Playground Rules • No fighting • No throwing dangerous objects • Use appropriate language • Stay within assigned area • Practice good sportsmanship • Use equipment safely

9. Snack • We eat snack everyday after Specials at about 1:00 • We encourage healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, cheese, pretzels, etc. • They may also bring a water bottle to keep at their desks. Please make sure it has a pop top lid that can be tightly closed. We no longer have carpeted floors, so spills can become a safety issue. • Be sure names are on water bottles.

10. Attendance • The bell to release students to classroom will ring at 7:40. If students arrive before then they will be directed to the cafeteria. Please remind students to head there when they are dropped off in the morning. • Students must be in class before 7:45 because announcements will begin at this time. • The late bell will ring at 7:50. If students are not in class at this time, they are tardy! • Attendance is taken at 9:00. If are not at school then you are counted absent.

11. But it’s only 7:52?? • It may not seem like it, but two minutes makes a big difference in our morning routine. Please do what you can to get your students here at 7:40!! • Also, as a school we have instituted a consequence of having time out of recess if being tardy becomes an issue.

12. Requesting an absence • If for some reason you have to be out of school, you will need to contact Mrs. Mattingly to approve the absence as excused or unexcused.

13. Specials • The Specials your child will be attending are Music, P.E., Art and Library • The students attend Specials daily from 12:05-1:00. We encourage your child to wear or bring tennis shoes as they do attend P.E. daily. If they can not participate in P.E. please send a note of explanation. • We also have weekly computer lab time.

14. Library • Students will have a weekly library time where they find and check out books. Please return those promptly. If he/she does not bring back that book on or before the day we check out, he/she will not be allowed to check out that week.

15. Birthdays • Birthday invitations are not to be passed out at school unless every child in the class is invited. (Addresses can be found in the PTA directory) • Birthday treats can be sent to school as long as the treats are store bought and easy to serve. • We usually do this in the last part of the day, around 2:30.

16. Report Cards • Your child will receive a progress report after the third week of each nine weeks. • Your child will then receive a report card at the end of each nine weeks. • Please sign both the progress report and report card when you receive them and return them to your child’s teacher. • You may check your child’s grades online through the LISD website on Skyward.

17. Dismissal • We will be dismissed at 2:50 this year. • If there is a change in the way your child is getting home, please let the teacher know. • Car riders: May exit in the front loop (front of the building) May exit in the south loop (south of the building) • Day Care: Meet in the cafeteria • Bus Riders: Meet in the cafeteria and are dismissed to buses

18. Curriculum • Integrated Language Arts/ Social Studies • Reading/Guided Reading Groups • Words Their Way (Spelling) • Math (Investigations/Excel) • Science

19. Homework • Your child will have homework on a weekly basis. • Monday will be math homework. • Your child will have word wall words and spelling words weekly to study. • Guided Reading book bags and reader’s responses will begin coming home in October after our beginning of the year reading assessment. • Monthly Homework Menu-it will go home at the beginning of the month. Please choose one item a week (4 total) and return it at the end of the month. *We will send reminders 

20. Communication • Communication is vital to the success of each child’s school experience. Our websites on the McAuliffe Homepage is how we will be communicating with you about what is going on in the classroom. Here you will be able to find: • Schedules • Calendars • Grades • Classroom happenings • Edmodo is geared more towards the students.

21. Parent Volunteers • Our room mom will be contacting you about volunteering in the classroom. • Some of the things we need help with are: • Assisting in the cafeteria for lunch • Preparing art/classroom projects to help the teacher out • Copying • Parent Reader on Fridays • All volunteers must have a background check!

22. Field Trips • First grade takes two field trips this year. • On one of our field trips we will be going to LISDOLA, an outdoor learning field trip for our children. • We will announce our other field trip at a later time. • These two field trips require bus transportation. We do ask for parent volunteers for these field trips. The number of volunteers needed depends on the number of students going and the space available. • These volunteers also require background checks!

23. Dropping off Items for your child during school hours • A table will be set up in the cafeteria each day for you to drop off items for your child. • Look for their grade level and place the items accordingly. • Coats, lunches, etc. must be dropped off in the cafeteria after you check in at the office and get your Visitor sticker. Please do not interrupt your child’s classroom for these deliveries.

24. We are looking forward to working with you and your children this year!!! Sincerely, The First Grade Teachers