Welcome to First Grade! Reminders Students are allowed to enter the classroom at 8:40 a.m. School starts at 8:55 a.m. Students are tardy after 8:55 a.m. If your child is going to be absent, please call the office at (508) to let us know. Please try to arrange your vacation during designated vacation days.

Home-School Communication I welcome your notes and phone calls. Please send in the communication folder every day. Put notes in the communication folder. The school phone number is My extension is If you leave a message, I check my voice mail at 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. My address is I check my in the I will get back to you as soon as possible. Please contact me before coming in for a conference.

Birthdays We celebrate birthdays in the classroom. However, this year we are trying something new. Rather than have the children bring in a special snack for their birthdays, we will have a special birthday snack for all the birthdays at the end of each month. The birthday snack will be provided. We will have a summer birthdays celebration in June.

September U.S. Symbols All About Me Autumnal Equinox Kevin Henkes October Apples Pumpkins Fire Safety Autumn Columbus Day Halloween Norman Bridwell November Farms Thanksgiving Election Day Veterans Day Marc Brown December Map Skills Hanukkah Christmas Kwanzaa Winter Solstice Jan Brett January Polar Animals Winter New Year’s Day Martin Luther King Ezra Jack Keats February States of Matter Magnets Groundhog’s Day 100 th Day Presidents Day Abraham Lincoln George Washington Valentine’s Day Frank Asch March Weather St. Patrick’s Day Vernal Equinox Read Across America Dr. Seuss April Plants Earth Day Easter Spring Patriots Day Mercer Mayer May Human Body Animals Mother’s Day Memorial Day Gail Gibbons June Ocean Animals Father’s Day Flag Day Summer Solstice Eric Carle First Grade Themes

Goals for First Grade Language ArtsMathematics Contribute relevant ideas to classroom discussionsCorrectly name and write numerals 1 – 100 Recognize common high-frequency wordsDemonstrate an understanding of place value (10s, 1s) Use strategies to read unknown wordsKnow addition and subtraction facts to 10 Read aloud fluently, accurately, and with expressionUnderstand and use mathematical symbols (+,-,=, ) Comprehend what is readSolve addition and subtraction number stories Identify story elements of character, setting, and plotSkip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s, starting at any number Identify the main idea and supporting details in non-fictionIdentify and describe the attributes of 2- and 3-dimensional shapes Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabularyIdentify odd and even numbers Print upper and lower case letters and numbers legibly and neatlyTell time on an analog and digital clock to the hour and half-hour Write a logical sequence of sentences related by topicName the days of the week, months of the year, and the seasons Use capitalization, punctuation, and spacing appropriatelyMeasure objects using standard and non-standard units of measurement Spell assigned words correctly in testsIdentify, calculate, and exchange U.S. coin combinations of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters Apply spelling knowledge and skills in daily writingUse dollar and cent notation to show money amounts Create and interpret graphs, charts, and tallies

Grading First graders do not receive a report card for the first quarter. As the children transition from kindergarten to first grade, they need time to adjust to the increased responsibilities. Therefore, parent conferences take the place of the first quarter grade. Corrected practice pages (worksheets) have a fraction at the top, indicating how many correct out of the total number of answers. Papers completed without any teacher’s support will be stamped, “Independent Work.” Please keep in mind that practice pages and tests are not the only factors in assessment. Board work, oral discussions, individual, and whole group activities are also important components in grading.