Welcome Before we start please take a minute

Welcome!! *Before we start please take a minute to fill out the love note on the RIGHT side of your child’s desk. Please leave this special note on your child’s desk when you leave. *Everything on the LEFT side of the desk is yours to take and keep. THANK YOU so very much again to everyone who has sent in their child’s extra supplies and items from our wishing stars. I REALLY appreciate it all!

Welcome to First Grade The ABC’s of Mrs. Mullins’ Class

A Absences: If your child should miss school PLEASE send in a note with them upon their return, not an email, so I can turn it in. You will receive an email from me when your child reaches 3 unexcused absences. If your child goes to the doctor or dentist please get a note from them when you are there. There is a copy of the school note included in your packet for you to take home tonight. Please copy and use as needed.

A Accelerated Reader. This program is used as a supplement to our reading curriculum. AR helps to make reading fun and exciting for every student. It is also used to personalize instruction so every student achieves maximum success.

B Birthdays: We love to celebrate special days. Please let me know ahead of time if you would like to bring a treat for your child's birthday. If you send a cookie cake, please have it cut ahead of time as we do not have access to cutting tools here!!! ***A treat that is all the same always works best and is greatly appreciated! We will have our celebrations as our daily schedule allows- I ask that treats be sent with the child in the morning or dropped off in the office by 10 am. This is a special time for your child to share with his/her classmates! **ALLERGIES? ? ?

B Book Orders: Scholastic Book Orders will be sent home monthly. This is a great way to encourage and excite your child about reading! Reading as a reward is an incredible way to communicate the importance of and instill the joy of reading in young children. The first order for the year will be coming home in a couple of weeks. All ordering can be done online.

C Co. GAT: (Cognitive Abilities Test) September 6 th, 7 th and 8 th ***Listening, focus, and attention are critical!!! The test consists of puzzles, analogies, patterns, etc. It is nationally normed and will tell you how your child performed compared to children in same age group across country. You will receive percentile scores with 50 th being average. These scores are used to begin further testing for the Target program.

C Counselor: Mrs. Oakes will be our counselor this year. *Professional School counselors work with all students in the classroom through bi-weekly lessons. Topics covered include: academic success, career exploration, and personal/social concerns. *A teacher or administrator may ask the counselor to talk with a student. *Parents may ask the counselor to talk to their child. *Students can ask for a conference by filling out a counselor pass and placing it in their counselor’s mailbox.

C Comprehension: Comprehension is a key element in a child’s reading development. Reading without true understanding is simply word calling. Reading comprehension is a MAJOR part of our Reader’s Workshop and will be addressed in many new and interesting ways each day! Communication: I believe communication between the teacher, school, and parents is absolutely essential in order for each student to be successful. PLEASE let me know any concerns, questions or comments you have!

D Deliveries: The only items that will be delivered to classrooms are forgotten glasses and lunches if they are brought to the office by 10: 00.

D Discipline Level E – Excellent (BLUE) I am a Model Citizen. I do the right thing no matter who is watching. I am a role model for my classmates. I go out of my way to be helpful. Level S – Satisfactory (GREEN) I am on the Right Track. I am following rules and directions. I know how to behave in the hall, cafeteria and playground. My teacher can rely on me to make good choices. Level N – Needs Improvement (YELLOW) I need to make Better Choices. I need to think about my behavior. I need to show my teacher that I can make good choices. I need to treat others with respect. Level U – Unsatisfactory (RED) My behavior is Unacceptable. I need to follow rules and directions. I need to respect others. I need to accept responsibility for my choices.

E Email Procedures: The best way to get in touch with me is via email. I check my email throughout the day and will be able to respond quickly to any questions or concerns. It is easier for me to make phone calls after school, so if you need me to call you, send me an email and I will call you as soon as I can after dismissal. My email address is : Heather. Mullins@cobbk 12. org

E Early Checkout: If you need to pick your child up early for any reason PLEASE make sure you do so by 1: 45 at the latest. The front office is a very busy place at the end of the day and they will not check out students to parents after 1: 45. E-Blast: PTA sends weekly E-Blasts with important information, dates, and upcoming events. Please make sure you sign up for these if you have not already done so.

Building YOUR Child’s Foundation! Click Here for Video

G Grading: Measures progress toward the standard. Students will receive the following : – 3+ In addition to the 3, makes applications and inferences beyond expectations – 3 - Consistently meeting the standard – 2 - Progressing toward meeting the standard – 1 – Limited or minimum progress toward meeting the standard Please keep in mind first grade is a developmental year and students learn at different rates. Therefore, it is the expectation students will be progressing towards the standard.

H Handwriting: Zaner-Bloser Handwriting We will practice this daily. If your child is struggling additional practice at home will greatly help! There is a sample handwriting page in your packet tonight for you to keep at home and reference as needed.

H Homework: I will begin to send homework for the students in October. The assignments will come home nightly; however, I do not expect the students to spend more than about 10 minutes each night on their homework. In addition to homework, READING FOR 15 MINUTES EACH NIGHT IS AN EXPECTATION. Monday—Comprehension Tuesday—Word Work and Phonics Journals Wednesday—Math Thursday—Poetry Journals for fluency

L Lunch: Our lunch time is 12: 46 -1: 16. Lunch Visitors: We welcome parents and grandparents to join us for lunch. However, the school asks that you not bring lunch from an outside restaurant for your child. When visiting your child for lunch, make sure to sign in as a visitor, and then wait for us at the entrance to the Dining Room. I also ask that you tell your child Good-Bye in the Dining Room so that we can get right back to work when we return to our classroom. ***No lunchroom guests until after Labor Day***

L Listening: One of the most important work habits in first grade is listening. I stress the importance of this from day one! Students HAVE to be able to listen in order to be as successful as possible in first grade. Lunch Extras: Students have a choice at lunch to buy EXTRA items-some of these include ice cream, canned drinks, and chips. Each of these cost the student additional money. PLEASE talk with your child and let them know if it is ok for them to purchase these things. In the past some students have drained their accounts very quickly and parents have come to find out they are buying ice cream everyday in addition to their regular lunch.

L Learning Commons: We will visit the Learning Commons each week on WEDNESDAY! Labeling: Please LABEL your child’s personal belongings such as coats, backpacks, lunch bags, water bottles, etc. The LOST AND FOUND is now located outside the front doors. It is now two deck boxes.

M Math Workshop: *Mini Lesson with hands on modeling *Guided practice with work mats *Independent practice *Problem solving with written explanations *Partner games reinforcing skills learned *Closing review and sharing of days learning Morning Work: Regular morning work began yesterday. Please make sure you are checking over these to see how your child is doing. A great activity is to have them reread the back to you again at home and then keep these in a binder and have them revisit and reread them.

M Mystery Reader: Mystery reader time will be on Fridays from 8: 00 -8: 30. Mystery Readers are a secret, so please don’t tell your child when you are coming to visit. You will have from 8: 00 -8: 30 to read, so please bring a couple books with you-they can be your child’s favorites, seasonal books, etc. Medication: The clinic will administer any medication should your child need to take medication while at school. No medication can be transported on the bus. You will need to bring the medication to the clinic. ***Cough drops may not be sent to school without a signed paper from the parent in the clinic. Also, please let me know of any medical concerns or allergies.

N Newsletter and Blog: A weekly newsletter will posted to our BLOG each Thursday. Please make sure you subscribe to our class blog if you have not already done so. This will enable reminders so you know when new information is posted. PLEASE make sure you take time to read over this as it is always filled with lots of important information including: what we are learning, reminders and updates, important vocabulary and ways to extend learning at home. http: //cobblearning. net/hmullins

Orton-Gillingham: A Methodology for Teaching Reading & Spelling to ALL Students! • Whole class & small group lessons • Differentiation in reading and spelling based on student ability • No “spelling tests. ” As we teach a phonics rule or pattern, students will read & spell words with that rule or pattern. Your donations at work. • Assessment through dictation and application of phonics rule/pattern. (ex. –ck rule) These words do not need to be memorized. • Trick words: words that do not follow a rule or pattern. MUST BE MEMORIZED for reading and spelling. 3 Trick words will be introduced at a time and will be memorized for spelling and reading. (ex: said)

P Parent/Teacher Conferences: Parent/Teacher Conferences are an opportunity for us to discuss your child’s progress both socially and academically. Conferences will be held October 17 th 21 st. However, if you need to schedule additional conferences, I am always available to you throughout the year. Parent Volunteers: Throughout the year First Grade Teachers will meet as a grade level in order to plan collaboratively for two hours. During our absence, we will ask parents to volunteer in our classrooms. You must be trained through Mt. Bethel in order to be a parent sub. There are two training sessions planned: August 11 th: 9: 30 -10: 00 am August 21 st: 1: 00 -1: 30 pm

What does the PTA do? • • $25, 000 in stipends to teachers/year 3, 000 volunteer hours/year 4 Family Engagement Nights Community Outreach Character Education Visiting Author Reflections and MUCH MORE!!!!! What can I do for the PTA? • Volunteer • Participate in Read-a-Thon (August 21 st – August 25 th) • Visit us at www. mtbethelpta. org

Q Questions: If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime. Remember the quickest response is through EMAIL. No question is silly, please don’t hesitate to ask!

R Reader’s Workshop: *Mini lesson *Independent reading time, small guided reading groups, individual student conferencing, goal setting *Partner/buddy reading *Closing review and sharing of days learning You are a great model for your child. Children love to snuggle up with a parent and listen to a story. Please Look for your child’s BAG OF BOOKS to come home shortly-this reading bag will contain books from our Reading group. Look for a more detailed letter about this special bag when it first comes home!

R Reflections: At the end of each day, as a class, we will discuss our day and then the students will write a short reflection of what they did or they will write about something they enjoyed. This promotes oral language and conversation at home. Please review this with your child at night and initial.

S Specials: We have specials each day from 11: 55 -12: 40. Please refer to the schedule I send home in your child’s folder monthly to know which special your child will be going to. Tennis shoes are required for PE. Star Polisher Poem: I included this poem in your packet of information on your child’s desk. It is my favorite poem and reminds me everyday why I do what I do! (and it adds to my love of stars that I'm sure you can tell by the amount of them around the room )

S Snack: We will have snack daily. Students are responsible for bringing in their own snack. Please provide your child with a healthy snack. Students may also bring water if they like. Students may not bring juice, sports drinks, tea, or sodas. We will have snack between 9: 30 and 10: 00 daily. Having chips or chocolate at 9: 30 am does not make for a very productive afternoon for first graders! Please remember this as you plan your child’s snacks! PLEASE make sure students snacks are packed SEPARATE from their lunches. Thank you so much for your support of this as it makes your child’s time with me at school as effective as possible!

• August 21, 2017 • Safety is top priority. • School extended by 45 minutes. Specifics on dismissal will be communicated. • Not going outside to view live. • Parents may check out students early up until 1: 30. • Watching NASA Broadcast.

T Transportation Changes: Your child's safety is important to me so please let me know if he or she will go home a different way than usual by sending a note. If your child is going home with a friend on a different slot please make sure you fill out the ENTIRE change of dismissal bus pass-even the bottom portion- from school and send it in with your child. I have included one copy for you on your child’s desk tonight. Please make copies as needed. All transportation changes must be made in writing. We do not accept FAXED, EMAILED, or phone changes to dismissal. Changes must be made in writing through the front office by 10 am. The only exception is that we will accept a phone call through the front office to keep a child in ASP. *** No bus passes will be approved until after Labor Day***

T Take Home Folders: Your child will bring home a RED folder each night. Important papers and your child’s classwork will be in there. Sometimes there will be items in the folder and some days it may be empty. I sign these daily, so if you need to send in a note, this is a safe place to store it. Trick Words: Included in your packet are the 75 Kindergarten trick words and the new First Grade words. The expectation by the end of the year is that students are able to READ, SPELL, and APPLY all of these words correctly.

W Writer’s Workshop: *Mini Lesson *Independent writing time with individual student conferences *Share Time (Author’s Chair, buddy share, group share) with author compliments *Closing review and sharing of the days learnings

W Work Habits: A huge part of first grade is developing positive work habits. We work really hard on this from putting our name on all of our papers, to keeping our room neat, to keeping up with our materials. It is an on going process, but we set the stage in first grade. Water: Research shows students are able to attend to a task longer if well-hydrated! Please pack a REUSABLE water bottle each day! Please make sure they are labeled with your child’s name.