welcome to first grade!€¦ · curriculum the first grade curriculum is based on the va sol and...

Welcome to

First Grade!Rosemary Malayil

rosemary.malayil@lcps.org571.252.2940

Curriculum

The first grade curriculum is based on the VA SOL and the LCPS Curriculum Guide.

Each month’s upcoming curriculum will be listed in our monthly newsletters.

The LCPS Curriculum Guide is posted as a link on the First Grade Webpage.

The Virginia SOL can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website.

Pathways

Pathways is a balanced approach to literacy.

The daily components are guided reading, independent reading, word study, shared reading, literacy centers, writing workshop, and read aloud.

Poems, passages, and big books are used to promote fluency, sight words, and skills.

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) The DRA is a reading assessment that is

administered at the beginning and end of first grade.

The DRA is used to find a child’s independent reading level.

The DRA provides essential information about a child’s decoding, comprehension, and fluency skills.

At our conference we will go over your child’s testing in detail.

Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) The PALS is administered at the beginning

and end of first grade. The PALS provides information about

each child’s knowledge of letter sounds and spelling, as well as information about his/her instructional reading level.

We will discuss your child’s PALS at conference time as well.

Grading Please review the work sent home in the

Tuesday Folders. Formal and informal assessments will be used

to determine report card grades. Student work will be marked in the following

manner:

4E : Exceeds expectations

3M : Meets expectations

2P : Progressing towards expectations

1B : Performing below expectations

Phoenix – ParentVUE

Parents are able to sign up for access to the ParentVUE.

The ParentVUE allows parents the ability to monitor student’s on-going progress and work completion.

More information to follow.

Report Cards

Progress Indicators for Academic Subject Areas will be:◦ E = exceeds standards◦ M = meets standards◦ P = progressing towards standard◦ B = performing below standard

We will review the report card format in depth during our fall conference.

District Policy: Attendance

The bell rings at 7:50 a.m. If a child arrives in class after this time

(not by bus), he/she will have to go to the office to get a tardy pass.

Please keep in mind that car drop-off is a distance from our classroom.

If a child was in the cafeteria for breakfast, he/she will not be marked tardy.

District Policy: Visitation All visitors must present a photo ID at the

outside entrance AND sign in at the office before each visit.

Volunteers are welcome! (Please sign up!) When not purchasing an adult school lunch, parents

may attend lunch without notification. However, please sign in at the office and meet your child in the cafeteria.

If you would like to formally visit the classroom (aside from volunteer work and special events), please contact the administration to set up a time to come in and observe.

District Policy: Birthdays Children/Families may not bring in any type

of edible treats in celebration of a birthday. This is a LCPS policy. Birthdays may be celebrated with other non-edible treats if you so wish (ie: pencils, stickers, etc.)

Birthday party invitations may not be distributed in school unless every child in the classroom is invited. Please join the PTA and submit your family’s information to be included in the Classroom Directory.

District Policy: Toys/“look-alikes” It is LCPS policy that no weapon of any

kind may be on school property. This includes “look-alikes”. For example:

toy guns, etc. (Detailed policy info is included in the first day packets.)

Please help to enforce this policy with your child.

Students are strongly discouraged from bringing any toys to school.

School Climate

Catoctin Student Handbook◦ The student handbook is located at the front

of each student’s Planner.◦ The Student Handbook can be found on the

Catoctin webpage.◦ Please look over and review the information

in the handbook with your child.

School Climate

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)◦ Catoctin is a PBIS school. Thus, we are

working as a school to be Respectful,Responsible, and Ready. ◦ When the children are seen exhibiting these

behaviors, they are recognized with Cardinal Cash. ◦ The students will be using their Cardinal Cash

to earn class rewards.

Classroom Climate Class Rules◦Our rules cover the same three areas as

the school’s PBIS focus – Being respectful, responsible, and ready.

Recognitions◦ Cardinal Cash◦ Earning a Green or Blue color for the

day

Classroom Climate Classroom Management Plan◦ We are using a modified stoplight to support the

classroom rules.◦ Each student will record his/her color for the day

in his/her Planner. Please check and discuss the color with your child each night.

Blue: Exceeds expectations

Green: Meets expectations

Yellow: Progressing towards expectations

Red: Performing below expectations

Classroom Climate Classroom Management Plan◦ Students begin the day on Yellow and must

earn a move to Green by being Respectful, Responsible and/or Ready. ◦ When on Green, if a student is not displaying

Respectful, Responsible or Ready behavior, he/she will have to move back to Yellow. ◦ Students who EXCEED expectations and have

already earned Green will be asked to change to Blue.

Classroom Climate Classroom Management Plan ◦ If a student on Yellow is not being Respectful,

Responsible or Ready, he/she will be asked to move to Red. ◦ A student on Red may move back to Yellow

(and even to Green) if he/she improves his/her behavior choices.◦ Classroom infractions and office referrals will

be used when necessary.

Lunch: 10:55-11:25 daily

Please make sure that your child has lunch money in his/her account.

You may send in money for your child’s lunch account or make a deposit online.

Ice cream and cookies can be purchased in the cafeteria.

Your child will select his/her lunch choice in the morning.

Snack/Water bottles We will have snack time every morning. Please pack a HEALTHY snack with your

child (ex: fruit, cheese, yogurt, pretzels, etc). In addition, your child may purchase white

milk from the cafeteria for snack. The cost is 50 cents each.

The children may bring in a water bottle to keep at their desks. Bottles with a push top or straw rather than a cap are preferred.

Please do not send juice or any unhealthy snacks for snack time.

Daily Specials Schedule

Yet to be scheduled: Guidance/SEARCH –every other week

Monday 12:05-12:35 P.E.

Tuesday 12:05-12:55 Art

Wednesday 12:05-12:35 P.E. 12:35-1:05 Music

Thursday 12:05-12:50 Library

Friday 12:05-12:35 P.E. 12:35-1:05 Music

Communication: Tuesday Folders I will send all class work and anything that is

NOT time sensitive home in the Tuesday Folder. Please take time to review the work and sign

the folder. Please return the folder the next school day. If you have any comments or questions about

your child’s work, simply write it in the folder. I will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Communication: Take Home Folders Take Home Folders will go back and forth between

home and school nightly. If there is something time sensitive that needs to go

home on a particular day, I will have the children place it in the Take Home Folder.

If you have a note for me, please do the same. It is the children’s responsibility to unpack their Take

Home Folders and put notes or forms from home in my box.

I do not check book bags so please remind your child to check his/her folder.

Communication: Newsletters/email

The first grade team will email out a monthly newsletter to keep you informed. Each newsletter will have a section specific to my classroom.

If necessary, I will send home a note specific to your child in the Take Home Folder.

Written notes and email are the best ways to contact me for general things.

If you have a question that is child specific, please email me so we can set up a time to conference via phone or in person.

My email: rosemary.malayil@lcps.org

Communication: Remind.com At times throughout the year I will send

out last minute notifications and reminders through a service called Remind.com.

This is a one way text service from me to you. You are not able to text a reply.

If you would like to receive the notifications: Enter this number: 81010 With this message: @malayi

Homework

Homework will begin during the second quarter.

More information will follow. The children should engage in 15-20

minutes of reading each evening. In addition, students are welcome to

complete sessions on DreamBox at home each week.

Opportunities: Book Clubs

Scholastic Book Club provides an opportunity to purchase books at a discounted rate.

Participation in the Book Club is optional.

Opportunities: Box Tops

Sending in Box Tops with your child is an easy way for Catoctin to raise money.

The money collected has been used to purchase additional technology for student use.

Please continue to support this valuable program!

Thanks in advance!

Final thoughts… Always feel free to share any stories or

experiences you have had with our curriculum with your child. Sharing your anecdotes will increase your child’s interest AND better help your child store what he/she has learned into long-term memory. A win-win situation!

I look forward to working with you and your child to make sure that he/she has a fabulous first grade experience!

Thank you for coming to

Back to School Night!