Dear Mrs. Blaine’s Class, School Day: School begins at 7:50 a.m. we will have the flag ceremony and head to class. It is so important that your child is at school on time. Any Scholar arriving at school after 8:00 a.m. must be walked into the office for a tardy slip prior to coming to the classroom. Excessive tardiness does have a direct impact on academic achievement. Dismissal: is at 2:50 p.m., please be on time! Younger First Grade siblings will be with placed with your older scholar(s) for ease of pick up unless we have discussed an alternative. For the first few weeks they will remain with me until all procedures are in place. Please have a sign in your window with your scholar(s) name(s) on it so they can announce your arrival. My first priority is to keep all the scholars safe. Please respect this. If you wish to speak to me after school, I will not be available to talk until 3:20. You can me and we can set-up an appointment. This way I can you give you my attention and the scholars get to where they need to go safely. Thank you in advance for understanding! Forms/Money: Please send in all forms or money clearly labeled with your scholar’s name on it by the assigned due date. Remind your scholar to practice their Core Values. We practice personal responsibility by turning in all paperwork on time. Classroom Management: Following rules is expected and not suggested. My job is to teach and it is the scholars job to work and learn. Any behavior that disrupts the learning environment will not be tolerated. Remember, your child’s behavior whether positive or negative impacts all of the other scholars in the classroom. I work hard at developing a culture of greatness. We have a school wide behavior system that is further explained on an attached piece of paper. We are committed to following the 10 Core Values and we expect our families to support them as well. Website: Please check our classroom website on a weekly basis for all important weekly information and updates. You can access the website under the staff link on the JAA school website.

Homework: Homework folders are to be at school every single day except Friday. Scholars will also have an agenda for you to read each day and sign. Scholars will have nightly math homework to complete in their “return to school” side of the homework folder and it is due the following day. Thursday’s math is the only exception. It is due on Monday. Please let scholars work on it on their own however if they need assistance feel free to help, then walk away. We are working towards independence. Tell them that I expect excellent handwriting or they will redo the assignment the following morning during recess. Graded/Completed Work: Graded work will come home in their homework folder in the “keep at home” side. If an assignment is incomplete it will need to be completed at home and turned in once it is finished. If I send incomplete work home please know that your scholar was given plenty of time to complete the task in class. If your scholar does not complete classwork during the time allowed then we need to help him/her in acting towards Self Governance and Personal Responsibility. Assessments/Progress Reports/Conferences: Your scholar will be assessed in a variety of ways such as tests, quizzes, performance tasks with rubrics, student/teacher conferencing, informal and formal observations. Please review the school calendar for progress reporting and conferences. We will be conducting parent/teacher conferences the last week of October (see school calendar). Please plan accordingly. I will be setting up conference dates very soon. More information to come at Back to School Night. Snack/Lunch/Water Bottles: Your scholar is to bring a healthy snack for the morning recess. They are to take out their snack and place it in the snack basket every morning. PLEASE LABLE YOUR CHILD’S SNACK EACH DAY WITH THEIR NAME! They are to have a healthy lunch in a sealed bag or container so nothing leaks, please label lunch sacks & containers also. Your scholar will need a water bottle with their name on it everyday. Please remind them to take it home for washing.

Snacks: We will have a snack time every morning around 9:30. Please pack a non-messy snack for your child to have each day. If you are sending a snack that requires utensils such as a spoon you need to provide that along with the snack. If you could send in extra snacks for the afternoon recess for your scholar, that will help tide them over until they get home. Uniforms & Extra Clothing: The school uniform guidelines are outlined in the student handbook, please follow all of the uniform rules, if you have questions about clothing please check with the office. Please send a change of pant, socks & underclothing to keep in their cubbie in case of an accident. Your scholar will need a top layer that follows uniform guidelines as the A/C blows pretty cold in our room. Please send in a large t-shirt to cover clothes during messy art projects. Birthday Treats: We will celebrate and share birthdays by singing a special song and your scholar gets to wear a crown for the day. I would like to ask that you do not send in food items for birthdays. If you want to have your scholar give the class a treat have them make individual book marks or bring in new pencils. Volunteers: Opportunities to volunteer will be posted on my website through a Sign-Up Genius link. During the year, I will send out requests for help. It is up to you to make sure you have everything on file with the front office: TB test, forms and Livescan. All parents keep track of their own volunteer hours. If you are planning on driving on any field trip you must have all necessary paperwork on file even if you are only bringing your own child. Our class is in need of music, art, P.E. and science docents, mentors, and event volunteers. Other ways to volunteer is to be a Copy Cat, Reading Group Volunteer, or Grading Papers More information at Back to School Night! If you have any questions, please feel free to me at It’s going to be a fantastic year!