Welcome to First Grade at Catoctin Elementary! Mrs. Rita Welsh

Welcome message from Mrs. Rueckert and Mr. Heironimus Welcome message from Mrs. Rueckert and Mr. Heironimus

School Climate Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) ◦ Catoctin is a PBIS school. We are working as school to be respectful, ready, and responsible. When the children are seen exhibiting these behaviors they are recognized with golden tickets. They will be able to save up their golden tickets and then “purchase” items from a prize store.

Classroom Climate Respectful: Use polite and kind words Stay in your personal space Raise your hands Work quietly Listen to others Responsible: Follow directions and class routines Complete work given Make good choices Clean up after yourself Ready: Have materials ready Give your best effort Stop, Look, and Listen

Classroom Climate (cont.) Rewards ◦ Class prizes / Marble Jar ◦ Golden tickets Consequences ◦ Color Model: blue=exceeds, green=meets, yellow=progressing, and red=below expectations for behavior (work in progress) ◦ Each day the children will start on yellow. As the day progresses each child will have the opportunity to move to green or blue if he/she exhibits appropriate behavior. If there is a problem he/she will be asked to move to red. If the child ends the day on red, a red note will be sent home.

Classroom Climate (cont.) ◦ Think papers will be used at times. ◦ Please review any documentation (red notes or think papers) with your child, sign and return to school the following day. ◦ If anyone harms another child on purpose he/she will be asked to speak with an administrator.

Toys/ “Look-Alikes” LCPS policy is no weapon of any kind may be on school property. This does include “look-alikes”. For example: toy guns, etc. Please help to enforce this policy with your child.

Planners Thanks to all the money that was earned through Box Tops for Education, each child will be provided a planner. Each day your child will record the color he/she ended the day on and a word or picture about his/her day. Planners will be sent home daily. Please initial that you reviewed it with your child. The Catoctin handbook can be found in the front of the planner. Please take time to review this information with your child.

Attendance The tardy bell rings at 7:50 a.m. Students arriving after the bell will be marked as tardy unless he/she was at breakfast.

Tuesday Folders Tuesday Folders will be sent home on Tuesday. Catoctin will be sending home all paperwork (including PTA information) on Tuesdays in this folder. Please take time to review the work, sign the folder and return it the next school day. If you have any comments or questions about your child’s work simply write it in the folder. I will send all work and anything that is NOT time sensitive in the Tuesday Folder.

Daily Communication Folders Daily Communication folders will remain in students’ book bags. If there is something that needs to go home on a particular day (not a Tuesday) I will have the students place it in the Communication folder. If you have a note for me, please do the same. It is the students responsibility to check the folder daily and put things for me in my box. I do not check book bags so please remind your child to check his/her folder.

Homework Homework will start in late September or early October. It will be a weekly packet that will contain a reading log, word study log, math, and sentence writing practice. Homework packets will be handed out on Mondays and be due the following Monday. The children should engage in 20 minutes of reading a night. More information will follow.

Sunshine Math Sunshine Math will be offered to first grade students if there is enough parent interest. Sunshine Math is an enrichment program and will not be graded. I will need 1-2 volunteers to help with this program. More information to follow.

Pathways Catoctin is a Pathways school. Pathways is a balanced approach to literacy. The daily components are word study, shared reading, guided reading, centers, read aloud, independent reading, and writers’ workshop. Poems, passages, and big books are used to promote fluency, sight words, and skills.

Responsive Instruction (RI) RI will take place daily from 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Each student will participate in a short assessment focusing on fluency in early September RI will focus on fluency instruction

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) The DRA is a reading assessment that is administered at the beginning and end of first grade. It is an assessment that is used to find the child’s independent reading level. The DRA provides essential information about the child’s decoding skills, comprehension skills, and fluency. At conference time we will review your child’s testing in detail.

Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) The PALS is administered at the beginning and end of first grade. This assessment provides information about the child’s knowledge of letter sounds, spelling, and instructional reading level. We will discuss your child’s PALS assessment at conference time as well.

First Quarter Conferences I would like to meet with each family to review student progress during the first quarter. We will be discussing PALS and DRA results as well as all other academic areas. Please sign up before you leave this evening.

Accelerated Reading (AR) When a child is able to read and comprehend on a DRA level 16 he/she will be invited to try the AR program. This is an independent, enrichment program. The child must be able to read the book on his/her own and take the test on his/her own. AR tests are completed upon arrival in the morning.

Communication The first grade team will send out a monthly newsletter to keep you informed. Newsletters will be ed if you have provided your address. is the most efficient form of communication to contact me, but notes will be fine also. Phone calls are welcome but I will not be able to return calls until the end of the school day. My address is If you have a question that is child specific, please me so we can set up a time to conference via phone or in

Visitation All visitors must sign in at the office to receive a visitor pass. Volunteers are welcome (please sign up). If you would like to visit the classroom (aside from volunteer work and special events), please contact the administration and set up a time to come in and observe. Parents may attend lunch without notification but please sign in at the office and meet your child in the cafeteria.

Daily Schedule Refrigerator Reminder ◦ Monday: PE and Library ◦ Tuesday: Art ◦ Wednesday: Music and Computer Lab ◦ Thursday: PE ◦ Friday: PE and Music ◦ Guidance and Search - TBD

Lunch Money Please make sure that your child has lunch money in his/her account. Ice cream and cookies can be purchased in the cafeteria.

Snack/Water bottles The cafeteria is currently offering a mid- morning snack of white milk for 50 cents. Your child should notify me first thing in the morning if he/she would like to purchase a container of milk for that day. Students may keep water bottles at their desks. I would prefer a bottle with a push top or straw rather than a cap. Students may bring a small healthy mid- morning snack. Juice is only allowed in the cafeteria.

Birthdays Children/Families may not bring in any type of edible treats in celebration of a birthday. This is a LCPS policy. We can provide a list of other ideas to recognize birthdays in school. Birthday party invitations may not be distributed in school. Please join the PTA and submit your family’s information to be included in the Catoctin Directory.

Book Clubs Please complete the letter regarding book orders if you would like to receive Scholastic orders forms. This is an opportunity to purchase books at a discounted rate and is optional.

Curriculum The curriculum that is being covered will be listed in our newsletters. Each grading period’s curriculum will be posted as a link on the First Grade Webpage. The Virginia SOLs can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website.

Grading Work completed at literacy centers will be marked with a “C” (for center work). Centers work is a formative assessment used to guide instruction and will not be graded. Classroom assignments completed accurately and independently will have a check plus. Work completed with minimal errors and with teacher assistance will have a check. Work completed with difficulty will be marked with a check minus and a note on the paper. Please review and talk with your child about the work. If a child has difficulty completing an assignment due to behavior it will be sent home to be completed at home. Graded assignments will be marked with a: E (exceeds the standard), M (meets the standard), P (progressing towards the standard), B (below the standard)

Clarity Parent Portal Available for grades K-2 in January Parents will be able to access student progress/grades online. More information to follow.

Report Cards Please review the brochure about the first grade report card. Progress Indicators for Academic Subject Areas will be: ◦ E/4 = exceeds standards ◦ M/3 = meets standards ◦ P/2 = progressing towards standard ◦ B/1 = performing below standard

Report Card Example

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