Welcome Parents! Please find your child’s desk. Please complete this evening : 1. Please write a special “Love Note” for your child to find in the morning and leave this on your child’s desk. 2. Please complete the Inclement Weather Sheet and leave this on your child’s desk.

Welcome to First Grade The ABC’s of Mrs. Greenwald’s Class

A Absences – If a student should miss school because of illness or a death in the immediate family, please send in a note excusing the absence upon the return of the student to school. AN OFFICIAL NOTE FROM THE DOCTOR OR DENTIST OFFICE IS REQUIRED! In the note please include your child’s first and last name and dates he/she were absent. Please send in a note, no s! A copy of the new official absentee form is in your packet this evening. Check the Bugle for the updated numbers of unexcused absences. 3 Unexcused Absences—The teacher will contact parent by telephone. 5 Unexcused Absences—A letter will be sent from a school administrator regarding absences. 7 Unexcused Absences—A referral shall be made to the School Social Worker.

A (continued) Announcements – Morning announcements begin at 7:45. Please help your child arrive to school on time. ART PARENT- If interested in volunteering in this capacity a few times a year (simple, fun lessons/projects)

B Birthdays – We love to celebrate special days. Please let me know ahead of time if you would like to bring a treat for your child's birthday. If you send a treat that requires cutting, please have it cut ahead of time as we do not have access to cutting tools here!!! Please be sure to send napkins and plates as needed. We are a peanut free classroom this year. We will have our celebrations as our daily schedule allows- I ask that treats be sent with the child in the morning or dropped off in the office by 10 am. This is a special time for your child to share with his/her classmates! Blog – My newsletter is on my blog site every Thursday. It is very important that you read this each week. It is very informative.

B (continued) Weekly Behavior Folders- These will be sent home each Thursday. A form (see handout) will be marked noting any areas of concern. Please sign and return the Behavior Folder each Friday. 3 minuses in any one area results in a “P” (progressing) 4 or more minuses in any one area results in an “N” (needs improvement) Book Orders- Scholastic Book Orders will be sent home monthly. This is a great way to encourage and excite your child about reading! Reading as a reward is an incredible way to communicate the importance of and instill the joy of reading in young children. Orders will be placed online by you the parent. The Scholastic web site is: Our Class Activation Code is: GLLZJ. Click on the Parent Page to get started.

C CogAt - Stands for CogAt. This is a mental abilities test given September 29 – October 1 st. Comprehension- Comprehension is a key element in a child’s reading development. Reading without true understanding is simply word calling. Reading comprehension is a MAJOR part of our Reader’s Workshop and will be addressed in many new and interesting ways!

D Dress Code Please refer to the Mt. Bethel Dress Code policy in your Mt. Bethel PTA calendar. Tennis shoes are to be worn on all PE days. Please refer to the SPECIALS calendar each day so your child is wearing appropriate footwear. Dismissal - If you need to check your child out at the end of the school day please do so prior to 1:45. The office will not call children after this time. The phones will not be answered between 1:45 and 2:20. All dismissal changes must be made in writing by 9:00am.

First Grade Discipline: “Raising Responsibility” Level E – Excellent (BLUE) I am a Model Citizen. I do the right thing no matter who is watching. I am a role model for my classmates. I go out of my way to be helpful. Level S – Satisfactory (GREEN) I am on the Right Track. I am following rules and directions. I know how to behave in the hall, cafeteria and playground. My teacher can rely on me to make good choices..

Discipline “Raising Responsibility” continued Level N – Needs Improvement (YELLOW) I need to make Better Choices. I need to think about my behavior. I need to show my teacher that I can make good choices. I need to treat others with respect. Level U – Unsatisfactory (RED) My behavior is Unacceptable. I need to follow rules and directions. I need to respect others. I need to accept responsibility for my choices

E Procedures The best way to get in touch with me is via . Please do NOT send s about changes in dismissal- those must be delivered or FAXED to the front office. If you have not filled out the form from Meet and Greet, please do so at this time. A class distribution list will be set up as the primary form of school-home communication. My address is:

F Field Trips Please stay tuned for upcoming field trip permission forms and chaperone opportunities! Field trip monies will be collected using the white money collection envelopes. You will receive an overview of the money you’ve sent in from our book keeper throughout the year. We will have several trips and in-school field trip/curriculum extension opportunities! We will be going to the Roswell Cultural Arts Center to see Junie B. Jones on November the 13 th. More information will follow.

G Grading The first grade report card is similar to that of Kindergarten’s report card. Your child’s grades are not a mathematical calculation, but rather a reflection of learned and applied knowledge from a first grade summative assessment. Grades will measure progress toward the given standard. Students will receive the following : –3+ In addition to the 3, makes applications and inferences beyond expectations –3- Consistently meeting the standard –2- Progressing toward meeting the standard –1 – Limited or minimum progress toward meeting the standard Please keep in mind first grade is a developmental year and students learn at different rates. Therefore, it is the expectation students will be progressing towards the standard.

H Handwriting Our new handwriting style is Zaner-Bloser. This style is also known as “ball and stick” because of the letter shapes as shown below: Zaner-Bloser Handwriting The student handwriting goal is not conformity, but rather legibility. We will practice Zaner-Bloser this year. High Frequency Words – Please practice these words with your child to help strengthen his/her reading.

H (continued) Homework- Reading is an expectation every evening after school. Additional home practices will show up periodically in your child’s Take-Home Folder. These practices will involve a skill or concept already introduced and practiced whole group and/or independently. If you notice your child having significant difficulty, please send a note or to me so I may then re-teach and work with your child further. Occasionally, I send home unfinished work to be completed and returned the following day. Homework is not a part of your child’s grade, but rather as reinforcement and practice.

I, J Items Left at Home - If you child leaves something at home, and you bring it to school for them, please leave it in the office. Do not bring it to the classroom. Classroom deliveries will be made at 10:00. The only items that will be delivered are items such as glasses and lunches. Items Left at School- Please LABEL your child’s personal belongings such as coats, backpacks, lunch bags, water bottles, etc. I will label any class supplies that will be kept separately from our communal supplies. The LOST AND FOUND located in the first hall across from the office!!!! Just water! Hydration is important to your child’s learning! Please only send water for snack. Other drinks can cause sticky spills, ants, etc. Thanks for your understanding!

K Keep – Be sure to keep this at your fingertips to help you answer questions you many have.

L Lunch – Our lunch time is 11: :36 Lunch Visitors – We welcome parents and grandparents to join us for lunch. However, the school asks that you not bring lunch from outside restaurant for your child. When visiting your child for lunch, make sure to sign as a visitor, and then wait for us at the entrance to the Dining Room. I also ask that you tell your child Good-Bye in the Dining Room. This way we can get right back to work when we return to class. There will be a special table in the lunchroom for visitors. Only your child may join you at this table due to limited space. Listening: In First Grade we are working on becoming good listeners. We are learning to listen with our eyes and our ears.

M Media Center Thursday morning – Your child will be visiting the Media Center each week. Books that are checked out from the Media Center will be due after two weeks. Please help your child remember his/her return date. New books will not be available for check out until old books are returned We will visit the Media Center once a week as a class. However, your child may exchange books as often as needed. Mystery Reader: Do you need to sign up?! We will have a Mystery Reader each Friday beginning at 8:00. Mystery Readers are a secret, so please don’t tell your child when you are coming to visit. Please plan to bring multiple books from home to read. These can be your child’s favorite books, seasonal books, or new books! MUSIC PARENT: If interested in volunteering in this capacity a few times a year (simple, fun lessons/projects) SIGN UP TONIGHT!!!!!!! MEDICATION: Do not send medication to school with your child. Please take it to the clinic.

N, O Newsletter A weekly newsletter will posted to our BLOG each Thursday. You may sign up on feedblitz to have notice sent to your when the newsletter is ready to be viewed. BLOGS are very important and should be viewed weekly. On Line Resources Online resources will become available in the near future. The children will have access to wonderful programs such as RAZ-Kids.

PP Parent/Teacher Conferences Parent/Teacher Conferences are an opportunity for us to discuss your child’s progress both socially and academically. Conferences will be held October 19th – 23 rd. Parent/Teacher Conferences are an opportunity for us to discuss your child’s progress both socially and academically. Conferences will be held October 19th – 23 rd. Parent Volunteers Once a month First Grade Teachers will meet as a grade level in order to plan collaboratively for two hours. During our absence, we will ask parents to volunteer in our classrooms. You must be trained through Mt. Bethel in order to be do this. Please stay tuned for TRAINED PARENT VOLUNTEER SIGN UPS! Once a month First Grade Teachers will meet as a grade level in order to plan collaboratively for two hours. During our absence, we will ask parents to volunteer in our classrooms. You must be trained through Mt. Bethel in order to be do this. Please stay tuned for TRAINED PARENT VOLUNTEER SIGN UPS! Payment Envelopes Please be sure to write your child’s name and my name on any payment envelopes sent to school for ASP, field trips etc. Peanut Allergies We do have peanut allergies in our class and will keep you posted on special snacks. Please never send snack or lunch items containing peanuts!!!

Q Questions If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime. Remember the quickest response is through .

R Reading is So So Important! You are a great model for your child. Children love to snuggle up with a parent and listen to a story. Please look for your child’s READING BAG to come home shortly- this reading bag will contain books from our reading group. Practice makes perfect! The reading log in the reading bag should go from school to home each day. Report Cards Report cards are issued four times a year, every nine weeks. As teachers, we are required to report how your child is progressing towards the Standards and these will reflect this.

S Specials We have specials each day from 1:10-1:55. Please refer to the schedule given to you at Meet and Greet. An e-version will be sent via the blog at the end of each month!

T Thursday Folders Please see the example in your Open House Packet. Please discuss and review your child’s folder each week and return it to school the next day signed. We have a ticket system in place to reinforce good behavior. Transportation Changes Your child's safety is important to me so please let me know if he or she will go home a different way than usual by sending a note. A copy of the new official bus pass will be posted on the new school web site: DO NOT me transportation changes you must send a note with your child or to the office by 9:00am. The only transportation changes that can be made over the phone are for a child to stay in ASP.

U, V Understand Understand that First Graders are very busy during the day and need to get a good nights sleep each night. Vowels The vowels in our alphabet are : a, e, i, o, u. Remember they have both long and short sounds and first graders need lots of help recognizing the correct sound these when reading.

W Work Habits A huge part of first grade is developing positive work habits. We work really hard on this from putting our name on all of our papers, to keeping our room neat, to keeping up with our materials. It is an on going process, but we set the stage in first grade. Water- Research shows students are able to attend to a task longer if well-hydrated! Please pack a REUSABLE water bottle each day!

XYZ Your Support Thank you so much for your support. This will be an amazing year of growth and development!