Welcome to the 1st Grade at Southport Elementary! I am looking forward to an exciting and meaningful year. Read the following information to learn more about our classroom and how things work.
Preparing for school
School Supplies You do not need to purchase any supplies for school, I will provide all that they need in class. You will need basic school supplies (pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, crayons, etc.) though to complete homework at home, so if you do not already have this please get it before school starts. If you are unable to do this please reach out and I can sent a "homework kit" home with your child on the first day of school.
Toys Students may not bring toys to school unless instructed by the teacher for a special event. A toy is an item that does not relate to school, or any item that is being played with during inappropriate times. Toys will be taken away and returned on the last day of school.
Snacks and Drinks Please provide your child with a small, healthy snack for our morning break. The children use their recess time to snack so the item should be quick and easy to eat. It is a very intense morning of academics, and a snack is fuel for the brain!
Labeling Please label all of your child’s items with their first and last name. These items include jackets, sweaters, backpacks, etc.
Bathroom & Drinks of Water Recess is the time to use the bathroom and to get a drink of water. If your child has an emergency need to use the bathroom during teaching time then they may go to the restroom. If this becomes excessive or disruptive it will result in a 5 minute recess penalty. If it is independent work time and I am not teaching, then drinks of water in class or trips to the bathroom are permitted, as long as it does not prove distracting to the class.
Homework I will provide a weekly newsletter and the lessons your child should practice at home. It is important that you read the newsletter each week to keep up with what we are doing in class. We also have a First Grade Resources websitehttps://sites.google.com/wusd.k12.ca.us/southport-1st-grade-resources/home That has videos and resources that go along with the lessons taught in class – please bookmark this page and use it as needed.
Doing neat and thoughtful work is essential for building responsibility and good study habits. To ensure success throughout your child’s academic career please set time aside each night to complete and review homework. It is assumed that your child comes to class having read and practiced the previous day’s lesson at home that night.
As an incentive to study at home, if homework is turned in on Friday morning, complete and with good effort, the student will be able to choose a prize from the prize bowl at the end of the day.
Please support your child in the following ways during homework:
First Trimester: Plan to work with your child on their lessons each night. You may need to read directions and explain how to complete the assignment. This is the time when your child will be building good study habits. Remember students should always do their own work. Second Trimester: Your child should be able to do their lessons with more independence, though you often will need to explain directions and look over work for accuracy. Third Trimester: Students should be able to do their lessons more independently with less help from adults. Please always review their work for completeness, understanding and accuracy.
Academics
Weekly Spelling Test: A spelling test will be given each week. These words come from the Language Arts program and tie in with the lessons being taught that week in class. Please practice these words each night with your child. Weekly spelling words will be listed on our class newsletter, which in attached to the homework.
Math Drill: We will be developing addition and subtraction math fact fluency in a variety of ways this year. One of these ways will be with a “Math Drill” in class weekly to chart your child’s progress through the facts. Your child will start with addition (+1) and when they can complete 50 facts (for example 4+1, 7+1, 2+1, etc.) correctly in 5 minutes then they will move on to the next fact (+2). This will continue through addition facts and then move to subtraction facts in the same way. The best way to practice these facts at home is through flash cards or reviewing previous math drills.
High Frequency Words: There are 195 High Frequency (Sight) Words that 1st graders need to know to help them become successful readers. We will have opportunities to practice these words in class but a bulk of the practice needs to happen at home. At the end of each unit your child will be tested on that unit’s sight words to ensure that they are making progress. To download this year’s words please visit our classroom website and click on the “Information” link at the top. I will also be sending a home a complete list on the first day of school.
Technology in the Classroom: We will be utilizing a variety of programs in class this year, including iReady, Lexia, and Reading A-Z (RAZ Kids) for academics, research, and learning games. It is expected that your child uses the classroom technology respectfully and responsibly. Your child will be assigned a Chromebook that will stay in the classroom. These programs will be done in class and may be assigned to students who are on independent study as needed.
Research Projects: We will be doing various research projects to enhance our Science and Social Studies curriculum. There will be elements (such as research, presentation practice…etc.) that will take place at home. Please see the “Projects” link on our classroom website for some previous projects.
Reading: We will be reading a wide variety of stories in class, both whole class and individually. Students will also be expected to read nightly with an adult.
Assessing Development: Washington Unified School District and Southport Elementary use a Common Core Academics based report card. Your child is assessed on how they are meeting the Common Core standards designated for the 1st grade. You may look at and/or download a copy of the Math and Language Arts standards from the “Information” link on the top of the page of our classroom website. Report cards go home three times a year on a trimester basis. During the first and second trimester we will also have parent conferences. The first conference is for all students and the second conference is for students who are still struggling academically.
Class Procedures
Absences When students miss school, they miss out on instruction. This is difficult to recapture. I suggest making doctor appointments after school hours if possible. When your child is ill, or you know they will be absent for more than one day, please request class work to be sent home. I can drop it off at the office for you to pick up. I will not make up instruction that your child misses when they are absent, so please connect with me on how to get resources so you can assist at home.
Fun Friday As an incentive, students who finish their classwork on time, complete & with best effort by the end of the week, can participate in "Fun Friday" activities (games, toys, etc. at the end of the day on Friday). If a student’s work is not done or done with little effort they will need to finish/fix it before they enjoy “Fun Friday”.
Birthdays Birthdays are very exciting for 1st graders! We are happy to celebrate your child's birthday in class as long as these guidelines are followed:
Small, easy to eat treats only (cupcakes, cookies, pre-sliced fruits or vegetable, snack bars, or bagged treats for example) No cakes (or "cupcake cakes"), or anything that requires plates, utensils, or to be sliced.
Have treats delivered in the morning before school starts. I will pick them up from the office and decide the best time to pass them out.
Your child may not pass out birthday party invitations at school unless they have an invitation for every student in class. Please mail invitations or discreetly pass them out before or after school if you are not inviting the whole class. There have been times that a child has come to me in tears due to not getting an invitation to a friend's party - I'd like to avoid this in the future.
Class to Home Communication Parents, it is very important to have good “class to home” and "home to class" communication. Good communication ensures that strengths and successes can be celebrated and weaknesses and concerns can be supported. Here are some great ways to stay connected with us in class:
Come to Back To School Night, Parent Conferences, and Open House
Check out and bookmark our classroom website
Read all notes and information sent home
Review graded work and turned in assignments that are sent home
Parent Volunteers in the Class If you would like to volunteer in the classroom please let me know, and we can schedule a time that is good for you and good for the class. Because of the busy school day we can accommodate no more than 1 volunteer a day and only at a pre-arranged time. A few of the needed volunteer activities in the past have been: fluency practice, sight word drill, math review, phonics tutor, spelling practice, and reading buddy. Volunteers are also needed to chaperone field trips as they come up. Parent Volunteers will need to be finger printed and cleared through the district office to help out.
Field Trips We take a few field trips throughout the year. I will send home permission slips for these trips 1 or 2 weeks in advance of the trip. Please make sure to sign and return these slips as soon as you can to help me with planning. Also, if you would like to chaperone please let me know in advance – as sometimes we are limited in the number of adults that can attend.
High Expectations I believe every child can achieve greatness and I pledge to you that I will work very hard to help your child reach his/her full potential in the first grade. I believe in hard work and I expect all students to do their best all the time. I also believe that a student cannot learn without a well-managed class. My expectations for behavior, respect, and good manners are equally high. I look forward to your support in these areas as well.
Classroom Rules All school rules apply. Listen when your teacher is talking Follow directions quickly Respect others, respect yourself, respect your school Raise your hand to speak Be safe, be kind, and be honest
I know this will be the best year ever and I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you!