Transcript Welcome!! 1. Inclement Weather/Emergency Release 2. Mt. Bethel Sibling Info

Welcome!!
Before we start please take a minute to fill out the forms
on the RIGHT side of your child’s desk:
1. Inclement Weather/Emergency Release
2. Mt. Bethel Sibling Info
(Please leave BOTH of these in the basket
on the reading table before you leave)
3. Love Note-write your child a special
note and leave it on their desk for them!
Welcome
to
First Grade
The ABC’s of
Mrs. Mullins’ Class
A
Absences:
If a student should miss school because of illness or a death
in the immediate family, please send in a note excusing the absence upon
the return of the student to school.
In the note please include your child’s first and last name and dates he/she
was absent. Please send in a note, not an email so I can turn it in.
If your child goes to the doctor or dentist please get a note from them when
you are there.
UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:
3 Absences—The teacher will contact parent through email or telephone.
5 Absences—A letter/email/call will be sent from a school administrator
regarding absences.
7 Absences—A referral will be made to the School Social Worker.
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.
Announcements: Announcements begin at 7:45.
Please help your child start his/her day off right
and help them to be at school on time
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. Cupcakes or cookies are an easy option. If
you send a cookie cake, please have it cut ahead of time
as we do not have access to cutting tools here!!! Juice
boxes are allowed if you wish as long as they are clear.
Napkins/plates are always 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 11 am. This is a special time
for your child to share with his/her classmates!
**Allergies**
B
Book Buddies:
Our book buddies will be Mrs. Cabral’s second
grade class. We will meet with our book buddies every other
Friday and your child will be able to be read too and have the
opportunity to read to his/her book buddy. We will also
incorporate some writing activities.
BLOG:
Our class will have a BLOG this year dedicated to providing
information on what is happening in our classroom! I will be posting
newsletters weekly along with anything important that you should
be aware of and lots of pictures of our fun days in first grade!!
Please be sure to check this often!
Our class BLOG is:
http://cobblearning.net/hmullins/
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 is on your child’s desk
with a letter on top with all the instructions and
directions!!
C
CoGAT: (Cognitive Abilities Test) Students will take
this September 18-September 20. This test CAN
NOT be studied for and consists of puzzles,
analogies, patterns, etc.
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!
C
Common Core: We continue to implement the
nationwide Common Core Curriculum! We feel the
curriculum standards provide healthy challenges
with their depth of knowledge and rigor, while still
being very developmentally appropriate for first
graders! The county has provided us with great
resources and training throughout the past year and
will continue to do so in the coming years. Please
continue to check my blog for information on what
skills we’re learning on a weekly basis!
C
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
Dress Code:
Please refer to the Mt. Bethel Dress Code policy
in your Mt. Bethel PTA calendar. Tennis shoes
are to be worn on all PE days. Please refer to
the SPECIALS calendar each day so your child is
wearing appropriate footwear.
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 :
[email protected]
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.
Eminder:
PTA sends weekly Eminders with important
information, dates, and upcoming events. You can sign
up for these when you complete the online parent
contact form.
F
Field Trips: Please stay tuned for upcoming field
trip permission forms and chaperone
opportunities! Field trip money will be collected
using the white money collection envelopes. You
will receive an overview of the money you’ve sent
in from our book keeper throughout the year.
Students need to wear their purple class t-shirts
on field trip days. Class shirts are ordered
through the PTA.
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
Each child needs to purchase a handwriting book from PTA.
Please do this asap if you have not already done so. 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.
Homework:
H
I will begin to send home 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, students should also be reading every night.
Monday—Comprehension
Tuesday—Word Work
Wednesday—Math
Thursday—Poetry Journals for fluency
I
Items Left at Home: If you child leaves something
at home, and you bring it to school for them,
please leave it in the office. Do not bring it to
the classroom. Items will be delivered twice at
day by office volunteers at 10:00 am and 12:00.
Items Left at School: Please LABEL your child’s
personal belongings such as coats, backpacks,
lunch bags, water bottles, etc. I will label any
class supplies that will be kept separately from
our communal supplies. The LOST AND FOUND
is located in the first hall across from the
office!!!!
L
Lunch: Our lunch time is 11:44-12:14.
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.
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.
M
Media Center: We will visit the Media Center once a week
as a class, however, your child may exchange books as often
as needed. We will visit the media center every
WEDNESDAY.
Mystery Reader: We will have a Mystery Reader each
Friday beginning at 8:00. Mystery Readers are a secret, so
please don’t tell your child when you are coming to visit. You
should plan on bringing books with you to read. These can be
your child’s favorite books or seasonal books. You will be
able to read from 8:00-8:30. Reminders will be posted
weekly in the newsletter on the blog.
Medication: The clinic will administer any should your child
need to take medication while at school. Please note that no
medication can be transported on the bus. You will need to
bring the medication to the clinic. Also please let of know of
any medical concerns or allergies.
N, O
Newsletter:
A weekly newsletter will posted to our BLOG each
Thursday. An email notice will be sent to your email
when the newsletter is ready to be viewed. Please
make sure you take time to read over this as it is
always filled with lots of important information.
On Line Resources:
Our class BLOG will be full of on line resources. Please refer to
our BLOG for help in reading, math, and language arts.
http://cobblearning.net/hmullins
The Mt. Bethel BLOG homepage is also full of resources for you.
http://www.cobbk12.org/MtBethel
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 21stOctober 25th. However, if you need to schedule
additional conferences, I am always available to you
throughout the year.
Parent Volunteers:
Once a month 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 20th: 9:00 am
August 26th: 1:00 pm
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
Reading is So So Important!:
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!
Reading Logs: Reading logs will come home each month.
They are very easy to fill out. Please help your child
develop the responsibility for these and keep them
somewhere safe. At the end of each month please
total students minutes and return these.
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 12:20-1:05. 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
Sight Words: Some words students cannot really sound out and
must learn to read them by recognition. We call these sight
words. In First Grade we will work all year with the words towards
a goal of knowing 200+ by the end of first grade. Please look in
your Open House packet for the complete list of 200 words
expected to be mastered by May!
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 red juice, sports drinks, tea, or sodas.
Students have lunch earlier then when in kindergarten; therefore
a small, healthy snack is all that is necessary. We will have snack
between 9:00 and 9:30 daily. Having chips or chocolate at 9:00am
does not make for a very productive afternoon for first graders!
Please remember this as you plan your child’s snacks! Thank you so
much for your support of this as it makes your child’s time with me
at school as effective as possible!
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.
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 full page
change of dismissal bus pass and send it in with your child. This can
be found on Mt. Bethel’s main blog page. I also have included one
copy for you on your child’s desk tonight.
If a change needs to occur later in the day or you forgot
to send a note, PLEASE CALL or FAX a note to the
front office!
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.
XYZ
Your Support:
Thank you so much for your support. I
could not do what I do without you. 
I look forward to a wonderful
year with all of you!
(Please turn your in your forms on the
reading table and don’t forget to leave
your child’s love note on their desk )