Parent Information Event Welcome to Parent Information Event

Our Daily Schedule Students need to be in class before 8:45 Our Daily Schedule Students need to be in class before 8:45. Students are considered tardy at 8:45. M, T, TH, F Wednesdays 8:45-8:55 Morning Math 8:45-8:55 Morning Math 8:55-10:25 Reading 8:55-10:15 Reading 10:25-11:45 Math 10:15-11:30 Math 11:45-12:15 Lunch 11:30-12:00 Lunch 12:15-1:15 ELA 12:00-12:30 ELA/Class council 1:20-2:10 SPAMM 12:35- 1:25 Wellness Wednesday 2:15-3:00 Science/Social Studies 1:30- 2:00 Science/Social Studies 3:00 Dismissal 2:00 Dismissal *The students will have recess 2 times/week (the days they do not have PE).

Classroom Rules

Behavior Colors Purple – Excellent Day Blue – Great Day Green – Good Day Yellow – Warning Red – Note Home

Student names will be announced for saving OVER 20 Cheetah Prides. Cheetah prides are given by adults in the school. When 20 are collected, the students bring their Cheetah Prides to the office for a reward. Student names will be announced for saving OVER 20 Cheetah Prides.

What is Cooperative learning? Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. Examples of Cooperative Learning Strategies used in our classrooms: Peanut Butter and Jelly Partners Team Huddles Team Jobs (Team Leader, Go-getter, Point Keeper, Organizer)

Team Cooperation Goals

Absent/Tardy Please send in a note every time your child is absent. You can e-mail or write a note to the teacher. If your child has been to the doctor, please send in a doctor’s note. If your child arrives after 8:45, you must check in with the office before sending your child to class. If your child comes to school after 8:45, they are responsible to bring their lunch from home unless you call prior to 8:45 and order them a lunch through the school. (School lunch orders are placed at 8:45)

Monday Folder (Communication Envelope) Monday folder must be signed each Monday after you have seen and removed everything. This is where you will find important information from teachers and the school. Please return the folder each Tuesday.

Planners Planners are used as a communication tool for teachers and parents. This is where you can find info about the school, homework, calendar, etc. It must be initialed in the Reading section and signed at the bottom every night. Please return the planner to school each day.

Take Home Folders Take Home Folders are used to transfer papers between school and home. The pages in the clear protectors are very helpful study resources to be used throughout the school year.

Interactive Notebooks Interactive notebooks are used in Science, Social Studies, and Math. They will come home to be used as a study resource and need to be returned the next day to add more information. They are taken for a grade in Science and Social Studies.

Homework Students will have: 30 minutes of Reading- fluency as well as reading class homework should be done during this 30 minutes. Students may read from Interactive Notebooks as well. 1 Math page Writing (2nd semester) Fluency homework will start in October. Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression. Students should be timed for 1 minute. Count how many words your child reads in 1 minute and subtract any words missed from total. This is their WCPM score.

Go Math Go Math is a program that goes along with the Florida Standards for Mathematics. The areas we cover are: addition and subtraction concepts counting and modeling numbers comparing numbers measurement, data, and time two and three dimensional geometry money We complete a lesson each day in class and a page of homework is sent home to reinforce the skills taught during class.

Think Central Think Central is an online resource to review math concepts. Your child will be assigned lessons you can complete at home. You can identify the appropriate lessons to complete in math through our first grade website. You can also find Animated Math Models on the Choices in Learning website under the Educational Links Tab and click on Online Math Interventions.

Language Arts Language Arts consists of skill work (grammar, parts of speech, participation)- 30% and writing- 70%. We use the ‘6 Traits of Writing’ to teach writing (ideas, organization, voice, conventions, word choice, and sentence fluency). To help encourage writing at home, keeping a journal is a fun way get kids excited about writing. Consider keeping a personal whiteboard/chalkboard to practice writing words. Share with your child all the ways you write everyday as an adult!

Homework Students will have: 30 minutes of Reading- fluency as well as reading class homework should be done during this 30 minutes. Students may read from Interactive Notebooks as well. 1 Math page Writing (2nd semester) Students should not be spending more than 45 min. on homework total. Try setting a timer to keep from working too long. If you find that there is still work to complete, your child can complete the incomplete portion of homework for morning work.

Sight Words You can find three pages of sight words in your child’s Take Home Folder. It is important for students to know these words by the end of first grade to be successful in reading. Sight words should be able to be read at a quick pace. You can also find our sight words on our website via www.choicesinlearning.org and clicking on Educational Links.

Fluency Fluency passages will be sent home in your child’s Monday folder. There will be one copy for you, and one for your child. Please have your child read the same passage nightly and set a timer for 1 minute. When the timer stops, have your child stop reading and record the words read correctly per minute. Your child should read from the beginning of the passage each night to increase fluency. WCPM: Words Correct Per Minute

Science/Social Studies Units Getting Along Together Traditions and Holidays Maps Animal Needs How Scientists Work Famous Americans Community Helpers Plants Objects in the Sky Economics Then & Now (Timelines) Engineering Matter Technology Harvest Earth’s Resources Force and Motion Presidents & U.S. Symbols Grades will consist of quizzes, tests, science experiments, and interactive notebook work. Please visit Think Central to view the Science Fusion lessons.

Tests/ Quizzes We are currently reading all of the tests and quizzes (except Reading tests) to the students. When we return from winter break in January, students are expected to read all tests on their own.

Community Helpers Week On September 25th and 26th,we will have community helpers come speak to the students. If you are interested in volunteering to speak, please email your child’s teacher.

Dividend (Volunteer) Please go to the Seminole County website to sign up to volunteer (www.scps.k12.fl.us) then click the tab on the left that says “Dividends/School Volunteer”. You need to sign up every year. Once you sign up it may take at least 3 weeks to be approved. You must be an approved dividend to come in and volunteer in the classroom and eat lunch with your child. For field trips, you must be approved at least 3 weeks prior to the day of the trip.

Field Trips There will be 2 Field Trips (one in Fall and one in Spring). Chaperones are chosen by random selection.

Lunch Lunch is at 11:45-12:15 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesdays it is 11:30-12:00. Birthday treats need to be store bought and eaten at lunchtime. The treats should be prepared ahead of time with necessary supplies (napkins or plates). Please do not send in a cake or cookie cake that has not been PRE-SLICED. Cupcakes or cookies/brownies are better. Siblings are not permitted to attend lunch.

Celebrations The students will have three parties a year (before Winter Break, Valentine’s Day, and one at the End of the Year). You will be contacted by your child’s teacher/room parent for treats, help, etc. Three volunteers are allowed at each party.

Report Cards/Progress Reports In 1st grade, the students will receive an “S” (70% or higher) or “N” (below 70%) as their grade for each subject. Students receive a report card and a progress report each quarter.

Skyward This is our grading system school wide. Please be sure to visit the office if you do not have your login and password yet. Communication for the school will come through Skyward. Please be sure we have an updated e-mail address on file.

First Grade Website http://firstgradecil.weebly.com/ Please visit our first grade website which can be accessed through the CIL website under the Educational Links tab (on the right side of the homepage). You can find lots of useful information for each subject on our site.  It will be updated throughout the year as we begin new subject area units, so please refer to the website regularly.   http://firstgradecil.weebly.com/