1. Curriculum Night August 12, 2015 Template created by Debbie Candau of First Grade The s

2. Attendance Unless your child is ill, please make every attempt to have your child present at school and on time. Our day begins promptly at 7:35 and the dismissal time is 2:35. Students that arrive late are a disruption and waste valuable instruction time for the rest of the class. If your child is going to be out, please call before 9:00 A.M. on the day of absence. Please include date, duration and specific reason for absence.

3. Behavior Every student is expected to follow the 3 BEEs BEE Respectful BEE Responsible BEE Safe Students that choose to follow the rules will earn coupons and get “ B ” bucks for rewards. Likewise, there will be consequences for students that CHOOSE to break the rules (color card change, time outs, parent contact, or in extreme cases a visit to the principal ’ s office, etc. )

6. Curriculum Following the Common Core Standards Reading and Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies and Health Physical Education Art, Music, and Library

7. In 1st grade, we will focus on developing phonemic awareness, decoding skills, word recognition, comprehension and oral reading fluency. The more sight words a student knows, the more fluently he/she will read. Practice reading the anchor words nightly. 1. Read to self. 2. Read to others. 3. Listen to Reading. 4. Work with Words. 5. Work on Writing.

8. Reading whole group to improve reading fluency. Write, edit, rewrite, and publish to improve sentence fluency. Share and discuss in small groups and pairs to learn cooperatively. Classroom structure and organization to promote a successful learning environment.

9. A variety of grouping strategies will be utilized to deliver our reading and language arts curriculum. Whole class and small group lessons will be delivered to ensure mastery of skills. We will focus on the following throughout the year: Reading Strategies Comprehension Skills Reading Fluency Vocabulary and Word Analysis Spelling, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Writing Listening and Speaking

10. We do lots of writing in first grade. Children are encouraged to use phonetic spelling when they first start. Our goal is to encourage risk taking and independence in writing. Part of this process is to stress to children that phonetic spelling is acceptable, and to build their confidence in their ability to communicate in writing even if they can ’ t spell the word with “ dictionary spelling. ” However, as high frequency words and spelling rules are introduced children will gradually move toward more conventional spelling.

11. By the end of first grade, students will… Understand and use the concept of “ ones ” and “ tens ” Add and subtract numbers to 20 with ease Tell time to the half hour Count, write and order numbers to 100 Measure with simple units Identify and locate shapes in their environment Describe data, analyze, and solve simple problem situations Each day begins with students solving real-world math problems and recording their “ mathematical-thinking ” and solutions in Math Journals. Math instruction continues with a lesson from the Investigations Math Curriculum.

12. 1st grade students will learn about: Rocks and Earth Sky and Weather Living things and Non-living things Movement and Balance People and Careers in Science Health Topics

13. 1st grade students will learn about: Families People from other cultures People today and long ago Holiday origins and traditions Responsibility of citizenship in a free society Symbols, icons, and traditions of the United States Maps and globes Life skills

14. 1st grade students will learn… The meaning of “ physical fitness ” Coordination and movement skills Sportsmanship Group cooperation Prerequisite skills for sports Please make sure your child comes to school each PE day with proper shoes and clothes for running, jumping, climbing, and participating in physical education activities. **PE is on Mondays

15. First grade students will receive: A comprehensive curriculum infused with the Arts. Students will learn about and develop skills in music, dance, drama, poetry, and fine art. Instruction will be delivered by Ms. Kilgard, our Music instructor and Mrs. Maki-Tiede, our Art instructor, as well as included in their regular classroom experiences throughout the year.

16. Differentiated Instruction In order to provide the best possible instruction to each child… Not all children will be on the same page, in the same book, at the same time. Please let me know if your child is really struggling or if he/she is not being challenged.

17. Email ** Most information and updates will be sent home via email. I am usually with the students away from the computer unless there is a special. I usually stay late after school and will answer email at that time.

18. Field Trips We will have 1 field trip this year. Our goal is to provide students with “ real life ” connections to our curriculum.

19. Grades Students will not receive letter grades in 1st grade. However, much of their work will be scored using a percentage scale in order to determine level of mastery. Every week the children will be assessed in reading, spelling, and mathematics. I will let you know which days assessments will be given. Spelling lists can be found on our website and tests will be given on Tuesdays. Please take the time to look them over each week and review any skills or areas of weakness with your child.

20. Homework Every month, students are expected to complete the homework calendar and reading log. It is important that 1st graders read for a minimum of 15 minutes EACH night. This may include practicing their decodables, shared reading with an adult or older sibling, and reading and decoding good fit books on their own. In addition, skill practice packets will be sent home on Thursdays and will be due on the following Wednesdays., starting in September.

21. Oh, the places we will go and the things we will learn this year as we sail through 1st grade! I will try to keep you updated when our routine or schedule changes and with any news from Sierra. Due to unforeseen circumstances, our itinerary does change often. Itinerary

22. Just Right Books Studies have shown that those children whose parents are actively involved in the reading process will become the best readers. Reading to your child and listening to them read to you, taking them to the library and providing quality just right books at home is of the highest importance.

23. Keeping Informed Visit our classroom website frequently. The itinerary will let you know what we are learning about each week, and our calendar will keep you up-to-date, reminding you about upcoming projects, due dates, and events. Watch for emails

24. Learning Environment I feel that the best way to help children learn is to make learning fun. Our classroom will be an active environment where all students are expected to engage in the learning process.

25. Mystery Readers I would like to invite all parents, older siblings, grandparents, or other special people to surprise your child by being a “ Mystery Reader ” this year in our classroom. Mystery Readers will visit us every other Friday afternoon at 2:15 for approximately 20 minutes. If you can ’ t make it in person, you could also send in a film or voice recording of you reading the story.

26. Move on When Reading What is Move on When Reading? Arizona State statute requires screening of the reading ability of all students in kindergarten through third grade. The law, (A.R.S. 15-701) passed in 2010, states that when a third grade student scores far below the third grade level on AzMerit, they will not be promoted to fourth grade. Requires additional instruction or retention for students who are not meeting minimum requirements by the end of third grade. Exempt students include: – ELL or LEP students who have received less than two years of English Instruction. – Students with an IEP in Reading or Language and the student ’ s parent or guardian agrees that promotion is appropriate.

27. What is the identification process and timeline? – All students are screened using DIBELS by the end of August. Parents of students identified for intervention are contacted by their child ’ s teacher prior to Fall Parent-Teacher conferences. – A parent-teacher conference is requested by the school to create an intervention plan. Mid-year progress – Students reading progress is closely monitored and check-in points are identified. Interventions are updated as needed. End of Year – Notification of 3 rd grade promotion or retention occurs upon receiving results of AzMerit.

28. Notes or Email Please send a note with your child or send an email if: You know your child will be missing school for an extended period of time. An independent study can be arranged if a student will be out for 5 or more consecutive days. A change in pick-up or after school care will be occurring. You would like to schedule a conference or have concerns. Watch for notes and emails from the office and me, and don ’ t forget to check the Sierra Folder nightly. This will be our primary way to send information home to you.

29. Other Items Sierra Folders Birthdays Class Parties Scholastic Book Orders Daily Snacks

30. Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Monday, October 21-28 and February 24-March 2. During these conferences, we will be discussing your child's strengths and weaknesses, homework, behavior and any additional concerns you may have. Additional conferences scheduled as needed.

31. Questions Please feel free to contact me anytime you have questions. You can do this in a variety of ways: Write a note Send an email Make an appointment for a conference

32. Report Cards Report cards will be distributed once each quarter. October 19 January 11 March 21 May 19

33. Student of the Week Each child will have a special time during the school year to be the Student of the Week, starting in September. Students will be asked to bring in pictures and items from home for a special bulletin board and to lead us in special class activities during that week. Every child will have a turn! A list of assigned dates will be sent home shortly.

34. Tests Tuesdays Spelling Test Reading Test Fridays Math Assessment Other Assessments Reading Fluency Core Phonics Sight Word Reading Rubric-Scored Writing

35. Unique Every child is unique and learns in his/her own way and at his/her own speed.

36. Visitors and Volunteers Our school policy requires all visitors/volunteers to check in at the school office. Visitor Badges are required if you will be in the school hallways or entering a classroom. Also, anyone that wishes to help in the classroom more than twice a month, excluding parents, will need to be fingerprinted. Information is available in the office.

37. Website If you haven ’ t already taken a look at our classroom website, make sure you do so. *Communication is usually via email, but information can be found on our website as well.

38. EXtra Supplies Often the supplies collected at the beginning of the year are sufficient to last until the end of first grade. Please take the time to look at my Wish List. I will update it on our website as needed. All donations are truly appreciated!

39. You You are your child ’ s first and most important teacher. I hope that we can work together this year to make your child ’ s 1st grade school year a huge success!

40. Zzzzz… Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep each night, so that he/she is well rested and ready for the challenges of first grade. It is recommended that 5 and 6 year olds get 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night. This year will ZOOM by, so let ’ s make the most of it.

41. Thank You for Coming! Thank you for coming this evening and for showing an interest in your child ’ s education. If you should have any questions or would like to speak with me further about your child, please contact me by email at swhite@Kyrene.org or call the school to schedule a time for us to meet. WELCOME ABOARD!