Welcome Parents Please begin by completing ALL of

Welcome, Parents! *Please begin by completing ALL of the orange pages on the left side of the folder (sign and return side). I’d like to have this information before you leave tonight. * Put the forms in the tray on the table in the back of the room when done! *Please be sure to add your child to my transportation sign up sheet in the back of the room. I need to know how your child will be getting home each day. *You can sign up to volunteer for the first week of school and for conferences at the back table.

§ I grew up in Westchester County, New York. Go Yankees §I moved down to Virginia to attend the University of Richmond. I graduated in 2009 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Elementary Education. I have my Master’s of Education degree with a concentration in Literacy from George Mason University. §This will be my seventh year teaching first grade at Lowes Island. I strive to make each year my best one yet! §Your children come first! One of my favorite quotes and motto for our classroom is “Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars. ”

• Blue Homework Folder: Please check this daily. It is divided into “Leave Home” (left side) and “Return to School” (right side) for your convenience. • Monday Folder: Coming home every Monday with letters from the school and student work. Please review all contents on Monday, sign and date the outside of the folder, and return the empty folder to school on Tuesday. *Volunteer will be needed to come in and file papers in the students’ Monday Folders. • Monday Memo: Will be posted on my webpage every Monday (under Staff on the Lowes Island page). I will also e-mail it to you.

See what we are learning about in each of the subject areas Find out important information and get reminders Check here for the weekly homework Find out the dates of important events at Lowes Island

• If your child is absent you must call the office absence line or send an e-mail to the address found in your folder. • All changes in dismissal need to be sent in writing. If there is a last minute change, please call the office. • Please feel free to email me at Cheyenne. Steuer@lcps. org • Any visitors to the school must show the office an ID.

VOLUNTEERS • I am in need of immediate volunteers the first week of school to help with the children at lunch and dismissal. Please see sign-up sheets in the back of the room for these opportunities. • Please see volunteer survey on “Sign and Return” section of folder for all other volunteer opportunities. *Children love having their parents involved in the classroom and I am thankful for the support

Our Specials Each week our class will have library, art, computer lab, music, P. E. , and guidance. Please be sure your child is wearing proper athletic shoes/clothes for P. E. days. Also, please help your child remember to bring back his/her library books Monday Library, P. E. Tuesday P. E. , Music Wednesday Art Thursday Music, Guidance Friday Computer Lab, P. E. Search (every other week)

LUNCH • We have lunch from 10: 50 - 11: 20 daily. If you choose to come in to have lunch with your child, please meet them at the cafeteria and say good-bye before we return to class. • Please help your child to memorize their 6 digit student ID. This is used to purchase all items in the cafeteria. You will find this on a green sheet in your folder that has picture of what looks like a calculator. If your child is buying lunch, they will need to type their student ID into something that looks like this. • If you want to pay for lunch tomorrow at Open House, stop by the cafeteria. During the year, you can send checks in the blue home folder with your child’s student ID in the memo section. You can also put money in your child’s lunch account online. • Please remind your child what he/she will be having for lunch before they get to school, particularly for the first day. Students will be expected to make a lunch choice each morning (see board). • Please put your child’s name on their lunchbox.

SNACK AND WATER • We will have a “working snack” each afternoon. Please send your child with one easy to eat, healthy snack each day. Please do not send any snack containing nuts. • Please put snack in a separate container or section of the backpack than lunch to avoid confusion. • Your child may bring a water bottle with a top to drink during the day. They can fill them during snack if needed. Please make sure they know how to open and close it. • Put your child’s name on their water bottle if you choose to send one.

Birthdays Due to a policy throughout Loudoun County, parents are not allowed to send in birthday treats for the class. You are welcome to send in nonfood items such as a favorite book for our classroom library, pencils, stickers, bookmarks etc.

Grading • Students will receive grades for effort, behavior, and work habits: O = Outstanding S = Satisfactory, N = Needs Improvement • Students will receive grades for their progress in specific academic areas: E (4)= Exceeds Standard M (3)= Meets Standard P(2) = Progressing Towards Standard B (1)= Performing Below Standard • It is perfectly okay to be getting S’s or P’s on things. I don’t expect students to be exceeding in everything. If a student gets an N or a B, this means your child needs more practice in this area. • I will only be using the above scale on report cards and on papers that I am assessing. Everything else will either be given a , a comment, or a sticker. • Papers we have checked as a class will go home in blue folder and can stay at home. Papers that I have checked and assessments will come home in the Monday folder.

Conferences I will go over the report card format in detail with each of you during our first quarter conferences at the end of October. These last for 15 minutes. Please sign up for a conference at the back table tonight or during Open House tomorrow.

Math In First Grade we use a blended approach for math. Students work in math books, do hands-on activities, and use technology. Students will take part in differentiated math stations based on their level. The topics we will be working on this quarter include: • Calendar • Patterns/Sorting • Counting, Writing, Recognizing Numbers to 100 • Understanding addition • Addition facts to 10 Each week, students will be given a 30 question math test on math facts. Please see my website for more information on this.

Language Arts • Language arts is a large component of our class. We work in whole group, small group, independently, at literacy stations, and one-on-one with a teacher. • Students will be in reading groups based on their performance on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). This will be given in September. Comprehension is key in first grade. • Please visit my website for information about helping your child with reading at home. • Information regarding “book baggies” will be sent home a few weeks into school.

Word Study • Word Study is studied in small groups based on students’ performance on the Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA). This is given three times during the year. • Each week your child will study a list of words. They will have homework based on their word study list. They will have a word study assessment every Friday. *A parent volunteer will help administer. • Your child may change groups based on their phonological development and their results on the DSA. • Don’t panic if you see easier words coming home, especially in the beginning when we are working on HOW to sort our words and carry out specific tasks. Please see handout in folder for FAQs about word study and a sample word study test.

Social Studies • Citizenship • Rules • Pledge of Allegiance • Community • Past, Present, Future • Family • Safety • Timelines • Columbus Day Science • Autumn (plants, animals, people) • Sun and Earth (Day and Night) • Animal coverings

Each student will have nightly homework that should take no more than 30 minutes. Please complete all homework in pencil. • Word Study: Please follow the homework chart glued on the inside of the word study notebook. This will be checked DAILY. • Reading: Please read with your child for 10 minutes a night and log the reading in their reading log found in their blue folder. This log will be checked every FRIDAY. • Math: There will be weekly math homework due each Friday. More information will be sent home about this. • Poetry: Students will bring home their poetry notebook every Friday to share their weekly poem. FIRST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Help your child memorize their student ID. You will find this number on a green handout in your folder.

Star of the Week Your child will be “Star of the Week” one week this year. It will go alphabetically. The schedule will be available on my website. You will receive the “Star of the Week” folder the week before your child is the “Star. ” You will complete a poster and send in their favorite book for me to read to the class.

Classroom Rules Listen when your teacher is talking. Follow directions quickly. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. Raise your hand. Be safe, be kind, be honest.

BEHAVIOR PLAN Individual: Clip Chart method

*All students will bring home a behavior calendar every day. It will stay on the “Return to School” side of folder. The oval for the day will indicate what color your child was on that day. Please remember to look at your child’s calendar every night. You must sign it nightly.

INCENTIVES INDIVIDUAL: Students can receive a ticket when they do something that shows they are following the rules and going above and beyond the expectations. At the end of the week, students may choose to trade their tickets in exchange for something from the class store. Students may also lose tickets for inappropriate behavior. SMALL GROUP: Table points are awarded to groups for following directions, staying on task, or exhibiting good teamwork. At the end of the week, the team with the most points will receive special reward. WHOLE CLASS: Each time the class follows a certain rule, expectation, or procedure in an exceptional way, I will put a marble in the marble jar. When the jar is filled, the entire class will receive a reward! Last year we celebrated filling the marble jar by having “Stuffed Animal Day” and a “Game Day. ”

Scholastic News We use Scholastic News magazines to supplement our curriculum. We have already placed an order for these materials so we can have them available immediately. Please send a check made payable to “Scholastic ” for $6. 05 to school by Friday, September 11 th. Please be sure to include your child’s name in the memo. NO CASH will be accepted.

Please be sure to fill in the dismissal form on the back table. It is very important that your child knows how he/she will be getting home each day. If you ever need to make a dismissal change, please send in a handwritten note. Your child will be given a “Dismissal Tag” on the first day of school. This will include your child’s name, lunch number, and dismissal information. It is for us here at school, just as much as it is for your child. PLEASE BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR CHILD WEAR THEIR TAG BACK TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY FOR THE FIRST TWO WEEKS!

OPEN Tomorrow is open house from 8: 30 am- 10: 00 HOUSE am. You and your child will have the opportunity to really get to know our classroom as you go on a “Scavenger Hunt” to put their school supplies into the correct spots. You will need to stop by the school store near the office to pick up a first grade pack of 5 notebooks, even if you ordered supplies through the PTO. I look forward to meeting all my new first graders tomorrow

Let’s go through your folder

Final Reminders • Please be sure your child knows exactly how he/she will be getting home. It’s a good idea to have your child go home their normal way on the first day. Make sure I am aware of any dismissal changes. • Remind your child what he/she will be having for lunch and snack each day. • If you put notes in your child’s blue folder for me, make sure they are aware to hand them in. • Check your child’s bag EVERY day! Manilla Folder of IMPORTANT papers are coming home the first day. TRY TO GET IT ALL BACK ON TUESDAY. • Bring your child’s school supplies to Open House tomorrow.

What I need from you… • Everything on the left “sign and return” side of your green folder: Class directory form, parent questionnaire, and volunteer survey. • If you have not added your child to my transportation form, please do so before you leave today! • If interested, sign up to volunteer for the first week in the back of the room. It is greatly appreciated! • Make sure to sign up for a first quarter conference today or tomorrow. THANKS FOR COMING AND FOR SHARING YOUR CHILD WITH ME THIS YEAR! I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU!