Back to School 2015

Ms. Clark1st Grade

About Ms. Clark

• Grew up in Pittsburgh!• Steelers Fan!• Graduate of Saint Francis University

and George Mason University• 4th year at Arcola teaching 1st grade

and 9th year in Loudoun County• 2 kids—Hannah (8th grade) &

Adam(6th grade)

Let’s have a little fun…

• Learning should be fun, active, and engaging for all children.

• Students will investigate, explore, problem solve, and learn together.

• Students will justify their answers to help others learn and gain a deeper understanding.

• Students in my class will explore and learn in a variety of ways. They will spend very little time on worksheets!

• Your child’s work will have positive comments or engaging questions.(Even if it is all incorrect)

• Did you know…most 6 year olds are only able to sit still for 6 minutes!

Literacy

Pathways Components: Shared Reading, Word Study, Read Aloud, Guided Reading, Independent Reading, and Writer’s Workshop

Two reading assessments during first quarter:

• DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)

• PALS (Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening)

**We will discuss results during first quarter

parent-teacher conferences.**

3 Ways to Spell

• Word Study-focus on a featurePl fl blPlas flag blakPlat fli• Sight Words—Need to be spelled corectly and

are listed by quarter on my webpage.• Magic Spelling—spelling words phonectically

First Quarter Overview

Math• Number Sense(tens/ones, skip counting)• Calendar• Patterns• Data Collection• Geometry and Fractions

Science• Changes in Autumn• Sun & Earth

First Quarter Overview Cont.

Social Studies• Citizenship• Rules (ROAR)• Safety• “Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow”

Specials

• Art (50 minutes)

• Music (30 minutes, twice each week)

• PE (30 minutes, three times each week) (M, W, Th)

• Library (30 minutes each Friday)

• Guidance (30minutes every other week)

• SEARCH (45 minutes every other week)

• Computer Lab (50 minutes each week)

• Dreambox Lab (30 minutes)

Running Club Monday Mornings 7:35-7:50

Homework• Beginning in October. (first one will be sent

home 10/2)

• Will be sent home every Friday and needs to be returned the following Friday

• Will focus on reading and comprehension skills(math facts later in the year)

• Extra practice can be completed using Raz-kids, IXL, Dreambox, journals, etc.

Attendance and After-School Plans

• Please make sure that your child eats a healthy breakfast and arrives on time each day. Instruction begins at 7:50.

• Your child must bring a note in the morning in order to change after-school dismissal arrangements.

• If there are last minute (during the school day) changes to your child’s after-school transportation plans, please contact the office (DO NOT RELY ON EMAIL!)

Classroom Citizenship and ROAR

Link on my webpage to buy a shirt**School wide iROAR t-shirts for purchase

online**

• Responsible

• On task

• Acting safely

• Respectful

Classroom Behavior

• 1. The student is given warnings to change a behavior and is redirected to a better choice.

• 2. If the same behavior continues, the student will move his or her clip from green to yellow. The student will have a conference with the teacher to think and talk about how we can make better choices.

• 3. If the same behavior continues in the same day the student will move his or her clip from yellow to red and A note will be sent home to the student’s parents.

• 4. If a student continues to break the rule after his or her clip is on red, the student’s parents will be called. In addition, the student may be sent to the principal’s office.

Snacks

Your child will have time to eat a healthy snack each day.

• Must be something that your child is able to open independently and eat within five to ten minutes

• Non-messy snacks, please!• Water ONLY• NO NUTS or nut products!

Lunch• If you wish to eat lunch with your child,

please sign in at the office and meet us in the cafeteria at 11:35.

• Menus are available online.• Ice cream may be purchased on Fridays.

(please discuss this choice with your child)• You may send lunch money to school with

your child or use Myschoolbucks online.

Parties and Birthdays

Class Parties• Fall Harvest (October), Friendship (February), End of

Year (June) • Specific dates TBA• **Need a room parent to plan the parties.Birthdays(optional)• Donation to the class(book, game, etc) small item

for the class(pencil, eraser, etc.) • Lunch with your child• No class treats

**If you are going to pass out invitations at school, you MUST pass them out to everyone.**

Special ActivitiesStar Student Begins in October and goes in lucky number

order• Star Student will bring home favorites

papers and a mystery jar the week before to complete for his/her special week.

Field Trip• Spring (TBD)

One to the World

• Establishing Real-World Connections in Projects

• Building Rigorous Projects Based on Curriculum

• Structuring Collaboration for Student Success • Facilitating Learning in a Student-Driven

Environment • Projects connecting to “real life”

The Goal: To publish student created digital content.

Why? Students will learn from other students.

10 tablets for our classroom dedicated to create movies to help us learn

Book reviews, interviewing famous Americans, how to be healthy, how to Skip count, etc.

Media Release Forms Allow your child to:

• Be in the videos• Be the voice over for a book review• Act out a famous American• Teach a lesson to our class• Create pictures for comic strips• Facetime and send videos to our NLE buddies

Please let me know if you have any questions

Conferences/Volunteer

• Sign up for a conference using the link on my webpage for signup genius

• First quarter progress report will be discussed during these conferences.

• We need a room parent for planning parties.

Communication

• **Most things can be found on my webpage or

Arcola’s homepage

• Monthly School Newsletter• Monthly Classroom Newsletter

• Thursday Folder(PTA, school activities)

• Daily Blue Take Home Folder(daily work, notes from

home)

• E-mail: Jen.clark@lcps.org