1. Welcome to 1st Grade Miss Almond Ms. Caswell Ms. Farquhar Ms. Gornbein
vistaverde1stgrade.weebly.com

2. Vista Verde 1st Grade Tonight we will discuss… Philosophy Curriculum
Parent-teacher partnership
Success and growth for all students
Curriculum
Snack and lunch
Dress code
Homework
Volunteers

3. Sound familiar?
1st graders go through many behavioral changes throughout the year…all of these are normal!
Want to be “best” and “first”
Have boundless energy
May be oppositional, critical, and silly
May have difficulty being flexible
Cry easily
*From the American School Counselor Association

4. They learn to… Develop positive, realistic self-concepts
Respect themselves
Gain awareness of their feelings
Express feelings
Participate in groups
Learn from their mistakes
*From the American School Counselor Association

5. STAR Program Safety First There and Ready Act Responsibly
Respect Self and Others

6. Thinking Maps
To enhance our thinking and learning in all curricular areas we use Thinking Maps school wide.
Provides a visual representation of a student’s knowledge of a concept.

7. Reading Groups (GROW)
Differentiated reading instruction will be provided based on reading assessments completed 5 times throughout the year. Students will be grouped according to the level of support or enrichment they need.
Flexible groups remain fluid throughout the year, allowing children to participate in activities focusing on the skills they need.
Please consider volunteering for this time if you are comfortable leading a small group.
Commitments are weekly for 1 hour 15 minutes.

8. Curriculum - Writing Daily exposure to writing strategies
Letter names and sounds
Penmanship and proper pencil grip
Writing fluency
Ability to write a complete sentence with a naming part and an action part.
Writer’s Workshop:
Students will learn the formal writing process
for three genres
1. Narrative
2. Informative
3. Opinion

9. Curriculum - Spelling
Phonetic spelling helps the flow of ideas for writing. Please encourage your child to write the sounds they hear rather than spelling the words correctly for them.
Students are taught to be resourceful by using dictionaries, room environment, and other resources to spell grade level appropriate word.
Conventional spelling develops by the end of first grade.
Spelling tests will be given weekly beginning in the fall.

10. Curriculum - Math
McGraw Hill My Math Curriculum is a rigorous program based on developing conceptual understanding, learning procedural skills, and developing mathematical fluency
Concepts include:
number sense
algebra and functions
measurement and geometry
statistics, data analysis, and probability
mathematical reasoning
Hands-on learning
Problem solving strategies
Enrichment
Marcy Cook Math Tiles (volunteers needed)
ST Math
IXL math

11. Curriculum – P.E. Physical Education
Coach: hand-eye coordination, ball skills, aerobic movement, and games that encourage cooperation
Club Viking: additional program taught by selected middle school students
Jogathon, Spring
Field Day, June

12. Curriculum – Science, Social Studies, Health
Solids and Liquids
Air and Weather
Plants
Social Studies
Citizenship
Times Long Ago
American Symbols
Health
The Great Body Shop
Technology/Computers
Digital Citizenship
Username & password
Keyboarding skills
Sending a pair of headphones with your child, although optional, would be highly beneficial. 

13. Curriculum-Other special activities
Computers & Library
Weekly
Music
Choral taught by a music specialist (provided by IPSF)
Every other Friday morning.
Art
Meet the Masters: The life and style of art masters (provided by your generous donations to PTA)
Arts Advantage: Artistic composition, use of space and color (district program)

14. Procedures Snack and Lunch
Please put your snack in a separate bag and label it.
Label all items with your child’s name
Water bottle
Emergency account lunch money
Dress Code
Close toed shoes
Please no spaghetti straps
Label all removable clothing items with your child’s name
Please keep an extra sweater in backpack

15. Homework
Homework will be sent home each Monday. It will also be available on our 1st grade website: vistaverde1stgrade.weebly.com
Completed homework should be returned to your teacher on Friday in the provided Homework Folders.
Homework is intended to be a review of lessons taught in class, daily. Please complete pages of homework according to the weekly pacing guide.
Homework will consist of math review, spelling practice, and reading.

16. Home Communication Remind
Quick, easy way, to send real time messages from school to home.
Grade Level:
to the number 81010
Individual Teacher:
Ms. Almond the number 81010
Ms. Caswell to the number 81010
Ms. Farquhar to the number 81010
Ms. Gornbein to the number 81010

17. We can’t forget… Absences Volunteers always welcome! Attendance line
Excused/unexcused absences
Excused: illness, Dr. appointment, death in immediate family, religious holiday
Volunteers always welcome!
Sign-ups will be available at Back to School Night
Please register with Help Desk in the front office before you begin volunteering. You will be required to check in and out each time you come to school.
New volunteers will need to submit a copy of their drivers license.