Dear Parents/Guardians,
It is very important in the beginning of the school year to establish a strong parent teacher communication. During the first few weeks students have been learning the classroom rules and procedures. This will create a positive environment conducive to their learning. Parents as well as children should know the policies of first grade so that you know what to expect. Please read and get familiar with the following policy.
First Grade Policies:
Behavior:
No Tolerance Policy:
The following things will not be tolerated by first grade students:
· Physical violence (hitting, kicking, pushing, biting etc.)
· Bullying
· Teasing
Students are encouraged to report issues to a teacher so that an adult can take care of the situation. It is never o.k. to allow a child to be bullied verbally or physically and we have to work as a team to stop such behavior. Problems can not be fixed unless a teacher is aware of them.
Consequences to breaking these rules:
· Strike 1: A 5-15 minute timeout from the activity, a teacher student conversation about the behavior, and a note home to be signed or a phone call home.
· Strike 2: Lunch detention, spoken to by the principal, and a parent teacher conference either in class or via the phone.
· Strike 3: Sent home for the day with an after school detention upon return. (This is a last resort consequence and students are expected to never get to this point.)
Good Behavior:
There will be a reward system for good behavior. Rewards will be issued individually, by group, and whole class. Rewards should be as a positive and should not be expected. Rewards are not necessarily material things. They could include a positive note home, a good phone call, being aloud a special privilege in the classroom, and a verbal praise. There will be times when students will receive a special reward. We are trying to encourage students to keep good behavior all the time without expecting anything in return so the rewards will be issued randomly. The methods of issuing the rewards may change through out the year.
Academics:
Class work:
· Students will be expected to do their work neatly at all times during the school year. One consequence for sloppy work will be to take it home and to redo it. My expectations for neat work will be based on what I know the student is capable of doing. All students are expected to have neat printing (to the best of their ability), no wrinkled or folded papers, no doodling or pictures on papers that don’t require illustrations, to follow all the directions on the worksheet, and writing their first and last names.
· All class work, tests, and quizzes must be turned in with their full name. The consequences for a name missing will be first a warning then the student will lose 5 points off their paper from that point on. If a student forgets to put their name on their paper I will ask the students missing that assignment to come to my desk and claim theirs. Many times it becomes tricky to determine whose paper is whose if there are several assignments with no names.
· Students will be allowed to turn in assignments within the next two days if they forgot to turn it in. However, missing assignments will not be allowed to be turned in after that. If the work is not turned in within two days, it will result in a zero. I will remind students verbally of late/missing assignments. It is your child’s responsibility to turn in their work so that it is graded properly.
· Class work will be worth 20% of a child’s final grade.
· Class work will be graded as following:
Check= Student has completed the entire worksheet and it is neat
Check - = Work is not complete and/or sloppy
0= Not turned in
Homework:
· Homework counts as 15% of your child’s final grade. It is vital that homework is completed neatly, on time, and completed to the best of your child’s ability.
· Your child’s name is expected on each homework assignment. The consequences for forgetting are as stated in the classroom section.
· Homework will be expected to be turned in neatly with the child’s best handwriting and no food or drink stains. If I receive a paper that is sloppy the consequence will be for it to be redone for the following night’s homework or it will not be counted as being turned in and resulted in a zero.
· Sports, scouts, and any other extra curricular are great but homework should be your child’s first responsibility. I will not accept any late homework due to extra curricular.
· Students are expected to have all materials for homework before they leave the classroom at the end of the day and will not be allowed back into the classroom to collect missing materials. Consequences for forgetting things will include a warning for coming back to the classroom for the first offence and the next time it happens students will not be allowed back into the classroom. This school rule is strictly enforced.
Homework Grading:
Check= Student has completed the entire worksheet and neatly
Check - = Work is not complete and/or sloppy
0= Not turned in
Late Homework:
· Homework will be aloud to be turned in late the next day but it will not be accepted anytime after that.
· I will write a note on your child’s homework log stating that I did not receive your child’s homework.
Home much homework will be issued and what will be assigned:
· Students in first grade are expected to do no more that 30 minutes a night. If you find that your child is consistently taking longer than 30 minutes on a subject I would like to be informed through a note or by phone.
· Math, spelling, and reading will be issued every night
· The more a child reads, the better they become as readers. Students are expected to read for 15 minutes every night Monday through Thursday. Parents are expected to sign their child’s homework log to indicate that they read for their 15 minutes. This is how I know that your child did his or her reading homework. Your child will receive a check if their log is signed the next day. If it is not signed, they will receive a zero.
· Midway through the year, students will begin weekly book reports. Their book report will be based on a leveled reader the children will be bringing home. The children will be given the book on Friday with the book report paper and is expected to be turned in the following Friday. Book reports can be turned in early if it is completed early. Book reports will be counted as a quiz grade and be corrected using percentages.
· Religion, Grammar, Science, and Social Studies will be issued once a week as needed.
· Prayers (Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and Glory Be) should be studied on a nightly basis.
· Math facts are should be reviewed nightly when we begin math facts.
Absences:
· It is vital to your child to maintain good attendance and to arrive on time each morning (before the 7:45 bell). A student has a hard time keeping up with class work if they are not in attendance. This causes your child to struggle in class and affects their grade.
Absent Work:
· Students will be allotted one day to make up their work for every day that they are absent. (example: A student who is absent for one day will have one day to complete their make up work and a student who is absent for three days will have three days to make up their work)
· No assignment will be accepted after the allotted amount of time unless a parent writes a note stating the reason why the work was not completed. More time will be allowed with a parent note.
· Work is not given ahead of time for vacation absences. It is highly recommended that your child not miss school for a vacation. Your child will miss important learning time and this can greatly affect your child’s grade. Children who miss school due to vacations will make up their work upon returning.
Tests/Quizzes
· Students will have a weekly spelling test and weekly math facts (when we start math facts) quiz every Friday unless otherwise stated.
· A weekly reading comprehension test will be given on Fridays to check your child’s understanding of the story that we covered that week in class.
· Students will have a weekly grammar quiz on Thursdays. This will cover what we learned that week.
· Book reports are graded as quizzes.
· Quizzes are worth 25% of your child’s final grade and Tests will be worth 40% of your child’s final grade.
· Test Alerts will be sent out for end of a unit tests with the date that the test will be given to allow proper time to studying.
· Students are reminded that they are not allowed to speak, go through their desks, or get up unless they have permission to do so while a test is being given. If a student forgets this rule they will be warned once. If a child chooses to disregard the rule a second time, the teacher will take their paper away and they will complete the test during lunch recess and a total of five points will be deducted from the students test. Along with the test a note will be sent home stating the child’s offence.
· Students will be receiving a grade by percentage for tests and quizzes.
Daily Communication/Home Folder
· I will be communicating with you through the yellow home folder. Any notes or notices will be sent home in the yellow folder.
· Papers that need to be returned to school will be in the Return to School side of the folder. Papers that are to be kept at home will be put in the Keep at home pocket. Any notes or papers that you send to school with your child should be put in the return to school pocket, so your child knows to take it out of his or her folder in the morning to give to the teachers.
· Your child’s homework log will be in the outside clear front pocket so both you and your child can see what they have for homework.
Other:
Birthdays:
· Students are allowed to bring in a special snack to share with the class for their birthday for morning snack. Please write a note the day before you send something in so that I check to make sure that all children will be able to share it due to certain allergies. We will celebrate summer birthdays the last week of school so that all children have a special birthday time in class.
Snack:
· We encourage students to bring in healthier snacks for snack time. All though students love to eat sugary items the sugar tends to build energy and breaks their concentration. Healthier snacks will allow students to focus better.
· Milk can be purchased for $.35. Please send in the money for the following week’s snack milk on Friday. On the envelope. Please write your child’s name, what days they will be getting milk, and what kind of milk (white or chocolate).
Lunch:
· Tokens are to be bought on Fridays. The cost of lunch is $2.00. Money for tokens should be put into an envelope with your child’s name, the amount of money, and how many tokens you are purchasing.
· Tokens purchased will be sent home with your child. The day that your child is ordering hot lunch, they are to bring their token in to school and give to the teacher. We take the children’s order on a daily basis, not on a monthly basis like in Kindergarten. You do not have to tell us in advance what your child will like. They can tell us that morning.
· Children can order lunch milk if they are having cold lunch. Lunch milk is $.35 and can be ordered the day of. You don’t have to send in the money till that morning.
Parties:
· Students will be celebrating a few parties through out the year and further notices will go home when these special times near.
Money:
· Please place any money that you send to school in an envelope or plastic baggie labeled with the following information:
Child’s first and last name
Amount enclosed
Purpose of money (field trip, book order, fund raiser, etc.)
Transportation:
· Please make sure your child knows which mode of transportation he or she is taking home.
· For your child’s safety, a written notice is necessary for any changes in transportation.
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Please Cut and Return
I have read and understood the school and classroom procedures explained in this handout. I will do my best to help my child be a responsible and accountable student.
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Parent Signature
I will do my best to make good choices. I will do my best to learn and have fun in Miss Grondin’s class!
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Student’s signature
Comments and/or Concerns: