The ABC’s of Mrs. Salazar’s First Grade Class!
A
Absences: If your child is sick and will not be at school, you must call the office at 847-740-5320 to let them know. Also, if your child will be leaving early for any reason, you must let the office know via phone or e-mail.
B
Birthdays: Students may bring in non-food treats for the class to celebrate their birthday. If you wish, you may send in non-food treats such as pencils, stickers, bookmarks, or any other small toy because of various food allergies. Another great option is to have your child donate a book to the classroom. They will get to read/share the book with the class on their birthday. Birthday treats will be shared at the end of the day. If your child's birthday falls during the summer, treats can be brought on the half birthday, or at the beginning or end of the school year. If your child wishes to pass out invitations at school, then everyone must be invited. If all children are not invited, I encourage invitations to be sent through the mail or given outside of school. This is a school rule! School directories can be purchased at the beginning of the year with family contact information. I will not be able to provide any information regarding phone numbers or addresses.
Behavior Policy:
In our classroom I expect STAR behavior
S stands for being safe (keeping hands and feet to self, walking, sitting correctly)
T stands for take responsibility
A stands for have a positive attitude
R stands for be respectful
Students who demonstrate STAR behavior will earn starbucks, which can be used for daily classroom raffles, monthly school raffles, and other fun stuff!
The desks in our classroom are set up into "tables," and students work together as a team to show good behavior. When good behavior is shown (working quietly, following directions, staying on task, etc.) their table can earn tally marks. Once a table earns 20 tally marks, everyone at the table will earn a reward. This could be a pencil, a sticker, or any other small prize.
The class can earn bingo pieces by working quietly, transitioning quickly, walking quietly, etc. When they get a “Bingo” they will earn a party or reward of their choice!
If students are not following STAR expectations a note or email home will be sent
C
Conferences/Communication: There are two times throughout the year designated for parent/teacher conferences. Fall conferences will be on Thursday, November 1st, and winter conferences will be on Tuesday, February 19th. However, a conference can be requested with me at any time. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. Whenever you feel the need to speak to me, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail. If you call during the day and I am teaching, I will not be able to answer the phone, but I will return the call the same day, if not, within 24 hours. E-mail is a quicker way as I can check it during specials and also when I’m at home. It's important for your child that we work together! I want to know your concerns so I can be more responsive and helpful to your child. If you are wondering...should I or shouldn't I...you SHOULD! The more we work together, the better it will be for your child. Any time you have a question or concern please call me or e-mail to discuss any issues. Another quick and easy way to communicate with each other is through your child’s school planner. I check these daily, and it is important you check this daily as well. At the end of each day, your child will write one thing they did or learned at school each day. My contact information is:
[email protected]
847-740-5320 ext. 3050
D
Dismissal: School gets out at 3:30 every day. If your child normally rides the bus and is going to be a pick-up, a phone call must be made to the office by 2:00 pm.
E
Extra Clothes: I encourage sending in an extra pair of clothes in a Ziploc bag for your child to keep in their cubby or backpack in case of an accident (bathroom, lunch, recess). In addition, socks may also be kept in your child’s cubby, especially in the beginning and end of the school year during sandal season. Kids usually like to wear socks with their gym shoes when going to gym. The temperature in our classroom can also fluctuate from warm to cold, so your child can keep an extra sweater in their cubby.
F
Folders: Your child will have 1 folder that will be taken to and from school every day. They will also take their binder home every day and must bring it back to school. One of the folders will be labeled “Home.” In their take home folder you will find work/tests that are passed back, important papers from me, or handouts from the office. Please make sure to check this folder daily.
G
Gym: Students will have gym class every day from 9:50-10:15. Students will need to keep a pair of gym shoes at school.
H
Homework: Your child will be expected to read or be read to every single night, and the monthly reading log that is sent home should be completed each month and sent back to school.
I
Illness: If your child is truly sick please keep them at home to rest and get better. It is so easy for germs to spread in a classroom. Also, I cannot allow any type of cough drops or medicine to be taken by your child. Anything like that MUST be given to the nurse with a letter/note, and your child has to go the nurse to take it.
J
Juice Boxes: I allow juice boxes at snack time only. Students may keep a water bottle in their cubby to drink from throughout the day.
K
Kindness: Kindness is always encouraged in our classroom!!
L
Lunch: We have lunch/recess from 11:30-12:10. If you will be sending your child with a cold lunch (meaning lunch from home in a bag or lunch box) please make sure their bag or box is labeled with their name. Also, please explain to them that cold lunch means lunch from home. There is no need to communicate with me if your child is having hot/cold lunch. Parents can pay lunch tickets online (which is probably the easiest way). The school offers a free and reduced lunch program, so please fill out the paperwork in the office if you think you may qualify. Paperwork for this must be filled out every year.
M
Mystery Reader: Would you like to come in our classroom and read a story to the class? If the answer is yes, then please sign up to be a mystery reader. We call it mystery reader because only I know who will be coming in to read. If you would like to be a mystery reader, please e-mail me some days and times that will work for you, and I will let you know when you may come in. Grandparents are also welcome to be mystery readers. You can bring in your own book to read, or I have books for you to choose from.
N
Newsletters: There will be a monthly newsletter and calendar sent at the beginning of every month.
O
Ordering Books: I will be sending home Scholastic book orders every month. Book orders are a great way to build your at-home library, and I have found that the books are very affordable. They often have books for only $1.00! There is also an option to order books online, and for every online purchase, our class receives one free book! If you would like to order online, the activation code for our class is GTKZ6. We also have a few different school book fairs throughout the year.
P
Parties: Volunteers will be needed to plan and organize our holiday parties. We will have a Halloween, Holiday, and Valentine's Day party! Parents will be in charge of and coordinate the activities during the parties. Sign-up sheets will be posted at Meet and Greet.
Q
Questions: Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions! Your child’s daily planner is a great place to write down any questions you may have for me, and I will write back the same day.
R
Reading expectations: Please read “Why my child should read 20 minutes every night.” This can be found on my website. Reading every night is very crucial for first graders, and yes, reading to your child counts. Other activities that count as reading include listening to reading on a computer or CD player, or telling a story with a wordless picture book. Monthly reading logs must be turned in to get credit for reading the required number of minutes. These reading logs count towards your child’s homework grade on their report card.
S
Star Student: Every Friday a star student will be chosen. When your child is chosen he/she will bring home a bag with a poster to be completed at home. Each day the star student will be treated like a "star" as we have daily star student activities.
Monday- Students will bring in and share the star student poster that was completed at home.
Tuesday- Please fill the bag with 5 items or pictures that are special to your child. Please do not send anything expensive or that is easily breakable. This could be a book, cd/game cover, toys, stuffed animal, etc. These five items will be shared with the class.
Wednesday- Students will share their favorite book with the class. The book can be brought from home or it could be one from school.
Thursday- The star student may choose one of my stuffed animals or they can bring one from home to keep on their desk for the day.
Friday- Each student in the class will write a letter or draw a picture to the star student while the star student decorates the cover to their book.
Snack: We will have snack every afternoon. Please provide healthy snacks for your child such as fresh fruit, veggies, yogurt, granola bars, pretzels, or string cheese. Please keep in mind that we will be working and learning during snack time, so please keep that in mind. Snacks that require utensils make it hard to eat and work at the same time. Remember, we are fueling young minds and bodies, and healthy snacks will keep them fuller for longer. Snack donations (a bag of pretzels or crackers) would be greatly appreciated to give to students who forget a snack for the day.
T
Technology: Students will go to computer class two days a week. I encourage you to go to Mrs. Kellman’s website (the computer teacher), as she has many links to various learning websites.
U
Understanding: I understand that things occasionally come up, homework is sometimes forgotten, and things happen. Please let me know if your homework is going to be late, or if something happens that may affect your child.
V
Volunteering: If you would like to volunteer, I will need helpers to plan the holiday parties. Parents will also be needed during field trips and other activities throughout the year. I will have a sign-up sheet at Meet and Greet if you would be interested in volunteering. You will need to fill out the volunteer agreement and turn it in to me if you would like to volunteer in any way.
W
Wish List: I appreciate any donations made to the classroom. Some things we use on a regular basis for crafts/projects/activities include: googley eyes, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, play-doh, sidewalk chalk, stickers, shaving cream (for spelling on our desk), pom poms and glitter glue. Other appreciated donations include band-aids, dry erase markers, gift cards to Walgreens (for pictures), healthy snacks, small prizes for our prize bin, board games, and tissue paper.
X
Exciting Things!: Besides some of the wonderful things we are going to learn about, there are a lot of exciting things that happen in first grade. Some of them include pumpkin fun, holidays around the world, Thanksgiving feast, field trips, watching the life cycle of a chick, RIF (Reading is Fundamental) program, and much more!
Y
Your Child: Please be sure to fill out the parent survey. I look forward to being your child’s teacher, and also working with you to provide your child with the most positive learning experience. I can’t wait to get to know your child and have a terrific school year!
Z
Zzzz: Please make sure your child gets enough sleep, especially in the beginning of the year. The school day can seem long to a tired child!