Welcome to
First Grade!
Starting
Room – 307
Meet the Teacher – June 19th
5:00pm-6:30pm
First Day of School – July 28th
Open House – August 2008 (specific
date coming soon)
Dear
Parents,
We would like to welcome your
child to first grade, Track 4!
This
year will be very exciting with lots of learning fun!
To make the first day of school run
smoothly, please send your child with a labeled book bag and lunch if not
purchasing from the cafeteria. A school
lunch costs $1.75. If you would like to
send in checks, please label them with your child’s name and lunch number, if
you know it.
The school supplies are listed at the
bottom of this sheet. Please try to send
the supplies in the first week of school with your child’s name on each supply. Please do not send any materials not
listed. If you are not able to obtain
these school supplies by that time, please let us know.
We are very excited to have your child
in our class!
Thank
you,
Leslie
van den Berg
Deborah
Sheerin
School Supplies:
PLEASE
WRITE YOUR CHILD’S
$4.50
for Scholastic News
Baby
wipes
Crayons
(no more than 24 please)
Pencils
Plastic
Pencil Box
1
Plastic 1/2” Binders with Rings
1
Primary Composition Notebook (without spirals please)
Tissues
Miss van den Berg’s
Classroom
and School Procedures
Dear Parents and Students,
I
am thrilled to be starting my fourth year of teaching at
This
letter will address and attempt to clarify frequently asked questions, making a
smooth transition into first grade. In
addition, please also be sure to read the Parent/Student Handbook for Wake
County Policies and Procedures. Any
additional questions you may have can be asked and answered at the Open House
night, sponsored by the PTA (specific date coming soon).
Thank
you again for being a part of this excellent year!
Parent-Teacher Communication:
To best serve each child, communication between parents and the teacher is vital. I will provide a binder that will be used for communication. A calendar for daily communication about your child’s behavior will be included, as well as weekly newsletters and homework, reading logs, and additional news.
My email address is lvan-den-berg@wcpss.net, and I
will check my email at least twice a day as time allows. I will do my best to respond to your email
within twenty-four (24) hours. If you
wish to speak with me by telephone, please call the school (919) 662-2300. The office will notify me; however, I may not
be able to return your call right away.
I will do my best to return your call on the same day. *If you have an immediate concern,
such as a change in your child’s transportation, please call the school.
Communication/Homework Folders:
Each day your child will bring home his/her binder,
which will serve as his/her Communication/Homework Folder. This binder will need to be returned
to school each day. Please help your
child remember to turn in his/her binder.
Communication/Homework Binders will contain important information, such as class newsletters, homework assignments, and any school-wide information. The class newsletter and homework assignments will be sent out on Mondays.
Friday Folders:
Every Friday, a folder will be sent home with your
child’s schoolwork from the week. Over
the weekend, please discuss the assignments with your child, allowing him/her
to share about his/her learning. Please
sign the Friday Folder and return the Friday Folder to school the following
Monday.
Classroom Arrival:
Class will start at 8:20am
every morning. Your child should be in
the classroom by 8:10am to allow him/her time to unpack and complete any
morning duties, such as eating breakfast, sharpening pencils, turning in
homework, and/or using the restroom.
This time also provides me with the chance to greet each child.J
The classrooms do not open to students until
7:50am. If your child arrives to school
before 7:50am, he/she will need to wait in the office.
AFTER the first day of school, please,
please, please, do not walk your child to the classroom,
unless you need to talk with me.
Classroom Departure:
Class ends at 2:45pm each
day. Car pool riders are dismissed at
2:40pm. Dismissal for bus riders will
begins at 2:45pm.
Once you have told us your child’s means of transportation in the afternoon, your child will go home through that method. If your child’s method of transportation changes for any reason, you must send a detailed note to the school or call the school office (919) 662-2300.
Please include this information in the note:
Your
child’s name
The
name of the child and/or adult with whom your child will be riding, if
going
to car pool (If your child goes home with another child in the
school,
that child must also have a note).
The bus number, if
he/she will be going home by bus (If your child goes
home
with another child in the school, that child must also have a
note).
Your
signature and current date
If you forget to send a note, or if something changes during the school day, call the office IMMEDIATELY and inform them of the changed route home. The office will contact me and Ms. Sheerin to insure that your child will get home safely.
Late Sign-In and Early Sign-Out:
If your child is late to school for ANY reason, he/she must sign in at the office. Students are not permitted to the classroom without a tardy slip.
If you need to sign your child out early, you must sign him/her out in the office, and the office will contact the classroom for your child. Students cannot and will not be released without notice from the office.
Parents may not sign out children after
1:50pm, due to the confusion and hassle. If you need to get your child around this
time, you must get him/her before 1:50pm.
Otherwise, school policy states that you must wait until car pool
dismisses at 2:40pm.
Classroom Management:
All children are expected to follow school and classroom rules. Our classroom management will focus on positive reinforcement of students who exhibit positive behaviors and who make good choices. The system will be called “Pebble Power.” Students can earn small pebbles each day for good choices, such as following directions, raising his/her hand to speak, sitting quietly during story sharing, etc. Pebbles can be earned individually or by table groups. At the end of the week, pebbles can be traded in for various rewards selected by the student.
The class as a whole will also have opportunities to earn rewards for positive behaviors and good choices. When the entire class earns a compliment from another faculty or staff member, the class earns a sailboat. A bulletin board will be set up for sailboats to be placed on. When all 26 sailboats are earned, the class can select an appropriate reward, such as extra recess, game day, pajama day, popcorn day, etc.
Positive reinforcement also includes providing consequences for making inappropriate choices. A large, paper stoplight with one green, one yellow, and one red seashell light is displayed in the classroom. All students will have their number on a fish. All fish will begin in the ocean each day. Students who remain in the ocean all day will earn two additional pebbles to trade at the end of the week.
If a student exhibits negative behavior or makes a negative choice, he/she will be asked to move his/her fish to the green seashell light. This move serves as a warning. If the student continues with his/her negative behavior and/or choices, he/she will move his/her fish to the yellow seashell light. Students on yellow will spend time in the “Think Tank,” considering his/her actions and writing a note home to his/her parents explaining what occurred. The note will be sent home and will need to be signed and returned to school the following day. If negative behavior persists, the student will move his/her fish to the red seashell light. Once a student reaches this point, he/she will loose a privilege in addition to completing the same consequences of a yellow seashell light.
A behavior calendar will come home daily for you to review. If negative behavior persists on a regular basis, I will contact you, the parent/guardian, to schedule a conference regarding your child. In this situation, we will need to work as a team to decrease the frequency and the quantity of negative behaviors and choices. Various options can be discussed to help your child succeed.
I believe each child has the potential to succeed in exhibiting positive behaviors and in making good choices; however, everyone has occasional bad days. Please be understanding, and please support your child to ensure his/her success.
Appropriate school behavior is essential to your child’s development and success in school. By working together, we can make this year enjoyable and successful for your child. Thank you in advance for your support!
Snacks:
We will eat a snack each day. Since children may have food allergies, please provide your child with his/her own snack each day. Please remember snacks should be healthy and small. Students should not have candy during snack time.
Special Snacks:
*We have been instructed NOT to send home any birthday party invitations. If your child wishes to invite classmates, you need to mail these invitations.
Outside Time:
Children need to exert energy and need to learn to communicate and to cooperate with their peers. Unless the weather (rain, snow, extreme heat) or special programs (field trips, assemblies) restrain us, our class will go outside for recess every day. Since we will be in school year-round, please dress your child appropriately for the weather conditions.
Illness:
Please do not send your child to school if she has vomited or has had a fever within a 24-hour period. Students are still contagious within this time period. Also, if your child has a rash anywhere on his/her body, you must have a doctor approve his/her return to school.
You will be contacted if your child is sick at school, so please make sure current emergency numbers for you are on-file. If a contact number for you changes at any time, please contact us ASAP. We need to be able to reach you if your child is sick or has an emergency and needs to go home.
Classroom Volunteers:
Classroom volunteers are always welcome! Once students and teachers have gotten to know each other and have become familiar with the classroom routine, classroom volunteers are invited! A calendar with sign up days and times will be sent home once this familiarization process has been completed. Please fill out the calendar sheet, and return it in your child’s Communication/Homework Binder. School policy states that parent volunteers CANNOT bring younger siblings with them. Please be mindful of this policy when signing up to volunteer.
*Lunch
Bunch volunteers will also be included on this sign-up.
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy
letter! If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! I am looking forward to an awesome school
year!
Thank you,
Miss Leslie van den Berg, Teacher
Ms. Deborah Sheerin, Teaching Assistant
** Please keep this letter as a reference
throughout the entire school year. **
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Please CUT, SIGN, AND RETURN this portion in your child’s Communication/Homework Folder by FRIDAY, August 1, 2008.
I have received and read the classroom
expectations for Miss van den Berg’s first grade class.
Date: _________________
Student’s Name: _________________________________________________
Parent’s Signature:
________________________________________________