1. Welcome to First Grade Teachers: Ms. Catotti Mrs. Gardner
Miss McWaters
Mrs. Peteet
Mrs. Tindall
Mrs. Walp

2. Agenda Policy Please check and sign your child’s agenda daily.
The teacher will mark what kind of day your child had in class and may write you a note or comment.
If your child loses the agenda, a new one must be purchased.

3. Homework Policy
Your child is expected to complete homework assignments daily.
A list of weekly homework has been sent home in the agenda. Please keep the sheet in the provided page protector so your child will know what the assignment is for each day of the week.
Students should read every night. Your child’s reading book will come home Monday-Thursday and must be brought back to school each day.

4. Graded Papers Folder
Your child will bring home a folder with his/her graded work on Wednesdays.
Please take the work out of the folder and review with your child.
The folder needs to be signed and returned to school the next day.
Papers which are not graded will come home in your child’s daily folder for you to keep at home.
Each night, please check the “Return to School” side of your child’s folder and sign and return any papers that are there.

5. Grading Policy
Students receive numerical grades in Reading and Math. In ELA, Handwriting, Science, and Social Studies, students receive a grade of MS( Meeting Standards), MPS (Making Progress towards Standards), or NMP (Not Making Progress towards Standards).
(MS: 85%-100%, MPS: 70%-84%, NMP: Below 70%)
The following percentages are used in calculating final grades for each nine weeks.
Reading and Math: 40% daily grades/60% test grades
ELA: 20% Spelling, 40% Grammar, 40% Composition (Writing)
Handwriting and Social Studies: All grades are weighted equally.
Science: 80% Science/20% Health

6. Classroom Visits, Observations, And Volunteering
Classroom volunteers are an important part of our school. A short training session is required. Please let me know if you can be a volunteer!
Parent observations and classroom visits should be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
Please arrange visits ahead of time with the teacher.
Remember that your child may behave differently when a parent is present in the room. Specific concerns may not be observed during a visit.
Siblings are not permitted while visiting, observing, or volunteering.

7. Transportation
Please remember that all transportation changes must be made in writing through a handwritten note or a fax. Changes will not be taken over the phone or by .
Car riders should not be dropped off before 7:00. The school doors are locked until then and no one is on duty to supervise children.
In the morning, please drop off only on the sidewalk side.

8. Dismissal Procedures
The official East Aiken car line tag has the East Aiken logo. When you come through afternoon carline, please display this tag in your windshield or clip it to your visor. Any person not displaying an official East Aiken tag may be asked to park and go into the office to pick up the student. Replacement tags are available in the office.
During dismissal, parents must remain in their cars- you cannot come inside to get students.
Students may not be signed out after 2:00 p.m.

9. Bus Transportation
Only students registered with the transportation department with assigned bus stops will be permitted to ride the bus.
Students are not allowed to ride with friends or to unassigned bus stops.
Any changes regarding bus transportation must be approved by the Area I transportation office.
Students in grades K-2nd are only released from the supervision of the bus driver to a parent, adult guardian, or older sibling.

10. Dress Code
Please remember that students may not wear flip flops, short shorts, or spaghetti strap shirts to school.
Colored hair is not permitted at school.
Students must wear tennis shoes and shorts or loose pants on P.E. and dance days (no dresses or skirts).
Head-wear may not be worn
Clothing with offensive messages or inappropriate pictures may not be worn.
Parents will be called to pick up students or bring a change of clothing for those who are not appropriately dressed.

11. Bathroom Issues
If your child has bathroom issues, please send a doctor’s note and make sure your child has a change of clothes in his/her bookbag.

12. Classroom Expectations and Discipline Plan
Control your body.
Control your voice.
Show cooperation.
The school uses a drama-based behavior management system called Acting Right.

13. Classroom Behavior Blocks
In my classroom, I use Behavior Blocks to help monitor the behavior of the students. Students will begin the day with all 5 colored blocks (green, blue, yellow, orange, and red). The students will keep a stack of these blocks at their desk. Throughout the day, students will have to give up their blocks based on their behaviors. Here is a model of the Behavior Blocks and what each color means.
Green: If a student has a Great Day they are on green. This means they kept all the blocks and did not have to have any warnings about their behavior. They will receive two tickets toward the reward box.
Blue: If a student has a Good Day they are on blue. This means they had a warning for their behavior and had to give me their green cube. I consider this a good day because the student fixed their behavior and didn’t have to give up any more blocks. They will receive one ticket toward the reward box.
Yellow: If a student is on yellow, they had to give me their green and blue cubes for not controlling their behaviors. I consider this the Think about it cube. It is a reminder that students need to make smart choices, and follow the classroom expectations. Students will have to fill out a refocus sheet at the end of the day to get signed and returned by their parent.

14. Classroom Behavior Blocks
Orange: If a student is on orange, they had to give me their green, blue, and yellow cubes for not controlling their behaviors. I consider this the Teacher’s choice cube. The teacher will choose an appropriate consequence for their behavior. (i.e. silent lunch, time out in other classroom, etc.) They will receive an explanation of why they are on orange in their agenda to be signed by their parent.
Red: If a student is on red, they had to give me their green, blue, yellow, and orange cubes. Parents will be contacted and/or the student will be sent to the office if they are on this cube.
*The reward box is where students can trade in their tickets to receive various prizes every other week. I teach students the importance of keeping track of their own tickets and spending them wisely.
Each week the students will glue down a behavior strip in their agenda. This strip is where students are responsible for coloring in which cube they were on. Please make sure you sign your child’s agenda each night so you are aware of how they are doing in the classroom. Please keep this paper posted somewhere in your home so that you can refer back to it when needed.

15. Classroom Expectations
If a student chooses not to follow classroom expectations, the following may be necessary:
-Silent lunch
-Loss of station time
-Time-out in another classroom
-Parent contact
Daily notations will be sent home in the agenda to inform parents of the child’s behavior.

16. Positive Reinforcement
Positive behavior will be rewarded accordingly:
Praise
Good notes home
Earn incentives (given at random)-stickers, pencils, and etc.
Prize box

17. Snacks We do not have a snack time, since our lunch is around 11:00.
Occasionally, a special snack may be planned for our class. You might be asked to send in items to help with these snacks.

18. Birthdays
If you would like to send mini cupcakes for your child’s birthday, please make sure they are store-bought and in the original packaging (with ingredient label). Please send enough for each child in the class
The box should be labeled and placed in the office. We will eat them at lunchtime in the cafeteria.

19. Birthday Invitations
If you send birthday invitations, there must be an invitation for each child in the class. If you only wish to invite specific children, the invitations must be mailed. (This includes children in other classrooms.) The school can’t provide you with student addresses.

20. If you need to discuss your child’s behavior or progress, please sign up for a conference. My planning time is 12:40- 1:20.