Class+Procedures

**Student Planner, Folder, and Envelope Procedures **

 * Student Agenda ** – A student agenda will be sent home nightly with your child. This Agenda is our main source of communication between school and home. A weekly assignment sheet, as well as spelling words, will be stapled inside to the corresponding calendar page every Monday. We will also track your child’s behavior daily inside of the student agenda with a stamp, as well as write short notes to you regarding their behavior. **We ask the parents to sign beside the behavior stamp each night.** This ensures we are all on the same page with the in-class behavior of your child.


 * Homework Folder ** – Each night your child will take home a plastic two-pocket homework folder. The inside left pocket is labeled “keep at home”. This pocket will contain student work, informational letters, etc that need to be taken out each night and kept at home. The inside right pocket is labeled “return to school”. This pocket will contain your child’s homework for the evening and any correspondence that needs your attention such as permission forms, book orders, etc. The completed homework should be placed back in the “return to school” pocket. Please check this folder nightly, even Friday evenings, because we may send home information pertinent to the following week. **The plastic two-pocket homework folder should be returned to school every day.**


 * Book in a bag - ** This will be a plastic envelope style folder. It will be sent home at least once a week. In this folder you will find a reading assignment for your child. The assignment will be for your child to read the book or booklet enclosed that goes along with our reading story for that week. You will also find a stapled set of three pages which include book titles. **You are to locate the book title that is highlighted, read this story several times with your child, and sign that your child has completed his/her assignment.** Please note it may be necessary for your child to read the book or booklet several times in order to have a clear understanding of its content, as well as to practice unknown words. The folder, and its contents, should be returned to school **the next day** as it is part of your child’s homework assignment and I will be looking for your signature.


 * Accelerated Reading Folder – ** This folder is essential for tracking the student’s progress in the Accelerated Reading program**. When your child is ready to test on an AR book they have read at home, please fill out the information in the folder (book name, author, etc) and send the folder back to school**. This is their “ticket” to test on AR books and they will not be allowed to test without the book information being filled out by you.


 * Assessment Folder – ** Each Wednesday, your child will bring home an assessment folder. In this folder, you will find all of the graded assignments from the previous week, as well as a parent log attached to the left side of the folder and an Accelerated Reading progress report. This will keep you informed about your child’s progress. **Please sign and date the folder and send it back, along with test papers, to school on Thursday. We will return your child’s tests to you at the end of the school year.** If you have any questions about a grade, please call me or send me a note.

to school. We will also use the same procedure when sending money and receipts home. Please check this envelope daily.
 * Brown Clasp Envelope ** – This envelope should be used to send money

**Academic Procedures **

 * Saxon Phonics ** - First grade is implementing a brand new program this year. Saxon Phonics is an explicit, systematic phonics program for kindergarten and first grade that provides continuous review and incremental development of reading skills, each building on previously learned information. This program is new to all of us… so we will be learning as we go.

Once you feel your child is ready to test on their book, simply fill out the information in their AR folder and send it to school with your child. I will be assessing each student individually during the first two weeks of school in order to assign an AR book level to each child. Periodically, we will re-assess and adjust their book levels as needed. We will set individual goals, as well as class goals for our AR points and percentages. We will also track our points in class using our AR bulletin board. **In order for your child to attend our End of the Year School AR Celebration, they must meet their goals EACH 9 weeks of school.**
 * Accelerated Reader Program – ** Becoming fluent readers is a major goal of ours in first grade. Our AR program is a great tool in helping us reach our goal. Your child will be reading library books on their individual reading level, and taking tests on these books to gauge their reading comprehension. **The first half of the year, we will assist the children in reading the questions from the AR tests. By Christmas, the children are expected to take the AR test independently, only asking for help with a few words.**
 * We require at least 2 tests a week in first grade ** . While we will have some designated class time for AR reading, it is imperative that your child reads at home for at least 15 minutes a night. This can be time that you read to your child, you read with your child, or your child reads independently.


 * Accelerated Math ** - In this program, students practice and test on math objectives as a way of reviewing previously taught material. If your child needs more practice, the program generates a practice booklet for your child to work in until the objective has been mastered. All material your child has worked on within the Accelerated Math program will be sent home weekly. Please take time to look over and review any missed items and make sure your child has a clear understanding of why he/she missed a particular problem. These problems will not count towards their math grade. We usually do not begin this program until January unless we feel your child needs enrichment in math at an earlier time.

On Thursday and Friday mornings, your child will be involved in Math Fundamentals. Again, your child will be grouped according to their area of weaknesses in math and they will be working with skill building activities.
 * FUNdamentals (DIBELS) ** - Your child will be involved in DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). This is an assessment tool used to locate, monitor, and provide intervention for your child at their particular level. Your child will be placed in appropriate groups to work on skills that he/she may need more practice with. We will be grouping and working with K-5 students weekly on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. We are very excited about this intervention tool and know you will see results! For our students who do not need intervention, this is a fantastic way to enrich their reading development and push them even further.


 * Homework ** - Math and spelling homework will be given out Monday through Thursday. Each student is expected to bring back their homework folder daily. In addition to their homework folder, they will be receiving an Accelerated Reading folder, which they must also return when ready to test, and Book in a Bag assignments.

==== Ipods – We will be using Ipods to enhance our learning this year! We will use them to work on all subject area skills and to learn how to research. Look for a permission form to come home soon allowing your child to use the Ipods in the classroom.====

**General Classroom Procedures **

 * Class Wiki site – ** What in the world is a wiki? Just visit our class wiki at www.thebeehive.wikispaces.com and you will discover the wonderful world of wikis! A wiki is simply a website that is easily managed and updated. Please visit this site weekly to view your child’s assignments and spelling words. Also we will post pictures and other online media as it becomes available. The wiki is full of internet resources for your child to enjoy at home. Also, view our school website at [|www.lenoir.k12.nc.us/mosshill/] for important school dates and information. You can also access our school web link directly from our class wiki.


 * Class Blog ** – Our class will also use a blog to enhance our writing and thinking. Periodically, we will have blog posts to respond to and we welcome your comments as well. Our blog is linked on our wiki site. Please visit and comment on our thinking!


 * Birthdays - ** Your child’s special day is important to us. You are welcome to bring or send special treats for your child’s birthday. **Just let me know what day that you would like to celebrate**. Unfortunately, treats cannot be homemade. All snacks need to be purchased from the store and in the original package. If you are having a birthday party and want to send birthday invitations home with classmates, please send an invitation to each student in the class or invite all girls or all boys.


 * Lunch and Resource Schedule ** – Our class will go to lunch every day from 11:35 pm - 12:05 pm. We will have resource classes each day from 10:25 am – 11:10 am on a 4 day rotation schedule. We will try to let you know in your agenda when our class is scheduled to have PE for the week. Your child cannot participate in PE without tennis shoes. It is probably best to have your child wear his/her tennis shoes every day.


 * Snacks/Recess ** – We will have a time each day for snack and recess. We will go outside each day, weather permitting. Please send an individual, **healthy** snack to school with your child each day. Remember, “A healthy body creates a healthy mind.” We do not allow drinks, but will visit the water fountain after recess.

==== **Volunteers** - We welcome to volunteer in our classroom this year! I do ask that you let me know ahead of time if you wish to volunteer so that we can have materials ready for you and prepare the students for your visit. Please know that we spend the first few weeks in first grade getting to know each other and establishing routines and procedures; therefore, I do not allow volunteers during the first 4 weeks of school. Thank you for your cooperation!====


 * Transportation ** – We need to know the method in which your child will arrive and depart from school (bus, car, etc). **If this method changes, a note is necessary to ensure your child will get home safely.** Moss Hill School has a transportation change note and policy letter that is sent home with your orientation packet. Please understand that I cannot, and will not, release a child to anyone other than a parent unless I have a note from you. If you have someone that will pick up your child on a regular basis, you may write me a note for the year so that I may release your child to this person __at any time__. All others, please send a note on that morning. If you forget to send a note, or have a change of plans for the day, please call the office and let them know that someone other than yourself will be picking up your child. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.


 * Absences ** : Whenever your child is absent for any reason, __you must call or send a note to school with the reason for the absence__. Kindly understand that __because much of their work is directly related to what is being taught in class, I am unable to create "work packets" for students to take on vacations__. Please know that first grade is fast-paced and filled with new things each day. **It is in your child's best interest to be in school as much as possible.** When a child is frequently absent, or regularly being picked up early and/or coming in late, it disrupts the flow of their first grade experience. They quickly becoming overwhelmed, confused, and feel disconnected from the group when they return to school. Therefore, routine doctors' appointments, hair cuts, dental appointments, etc. __are best handled outside of the school day__. Similarly, family vacations, long ski weekends and visits with relatives are fun, exciting and worthwhile experiences- __once in a while__. If your child is regularly missing school for these things, you will most likely hear from me about their school attendance.


 * Contacting Mrs. Lynch ** - Please know that open communication between us is essential to a happy and productive experience for your child. If you have questions, concerns, funny stories or happy thoughts about your child I would love to hear them! Please write me a note or email, or give me a call at school. I try to return phone calls the same day I receive them. If you call me after 3:30pm, chances are you will not hear from me until the following day, as I check all of my messages at that time. Please understand that my evenings are devoted to my family and I do not take calls at home unless it is an emergency. If you have a quick question or comment, feel free to email me at **mlynch@lenoir.k12.nc.us**. I try to check my email every evening. __Kindly understand that during arrival and dismissal times my main concern is my students and their well-being. They need and deserve my undivided attention; therefore I cannot get into lengthy discussions during those times.__