First Grade Information

Ms. Christie Stadler

Room 401

Introduction

Welcome to First Grade!  I am really excited about this year and looking forward to getting to know each one of your children.

The Student Handbook and the school’s website fbcseagles.com are your reference guides to school policies, but I want to highlight some info for you here.

Communication

Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, concern, or suggestion.  You may enclose a note in your child’s Take Home folder or e-mail me at [email protected]  If you want to schedule a conference, you can email me and we can schedule a meeting before or after school, whatever is more convenient for you.  Your child’s Take Home folder is used to transport notices, homework, money, etc. back and forth.  Please check this folder daily and help your child return it each day in his/her backpack.  The Test folder is sent home weekly with tests inside for you to review.  Your child must return the Test Folder each week with the tests.  You may not keep the tests.

FBCS sends many notices and information home via email.  Our First Baptist Christian School web site is fbcseagles.com.  Please read my class webpage weekly for info that pertains to my class, including announcements, test schedule, homework, and snack schedule.  I will update my class webpage at least once a week.  It is very important that you read my class webpage each week because it contains specific information about our class, as well as how you can help your child study for each week’s tests.

Headmaster (Grades)

You may see your child’s grades on Headmaster.  This allows you to keep up-to-date on your child’s progress.  You will receive a user name and password from the office.  We will have each week’s grades posted on Headmaster by Monday morning at 8:00 a.m.  You can also see the test papers each week in your child’s Test folder.  Please return the test papers in the Test folder promptly.

FBCS policy states that First Graders must earn at least 80% in Math, Reading, AND Phonics by the end of the year to be promoted to 2^nd Grade.  If your child is having difficulty in any subject, I will do everything I can to help him/her.  We will work together as a team to help your child succeed in First Grade.  Tutoring is available upon request.  Selected high school students (Beta Club members) tutor younger students after school for a nominal fee.  This is a great program, so let me know if you want more info about this.

School Hours/Attendance

Elementary school hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Only on the first day of school are you allowed to walk your child to class.  After the first day, you need to drive through the carpool line and drop off your child at the covered breezeway.  The principal and aides will open car doors and supervise students.  Students arriving after 8:00 a.m. are tardy and will report to Student Services, room 405, for a tardy slip before entering the classroom.  If you need to check your child out of school for an appointment, you must go to Student Services first.  Attendance is very important, so please try to schedule appointments after school hours.

Carpool

You should use the entrance across from Walgreen’s to drop off your child in the morning.  Except for the first day of school, you should drop off your child by the breezeway and continue to the exit with the stoplight.  Staff and volunteers are on duty to open car doors and help kids walk to their classes.  After the 3:00 bell rings, you may pick your child up at his/her classroom.  You may park in the lot by the side door next to our room after school.  That door is kept locked for security, but we will open it after school for pick-up.

Lunch/Snacks/Recess

Our lunch is 10:50 to 11:20.  We have a pavilion and playground for recess (students are not allowed to bring toys to school).  Students may bring their lunch, purchase hot lunch (beverage included), or just a beverage (bottled water or milk).  We have a snack in the afternoon.  I will send home a monthly Snack Calendar, and you will only have to provide snacks for the class about once a month.  Please provide 15 individually-wrapped snacks on your designated snack day (no drinks needed).

If your child wants to bring a special snack, such as cake or cupcakes, for his/her birthday, that is perfectly fine.

Behavior Management

In First Grade, students are learning how to follow classroom rules and work independently.  The classroom rules are:

1. Be kind to others.
2. Raise your hand to speak.
3. Stay in your seat.
4. Respect others’ property.
5. Obey your teacher.

Your child will earn a daily conduct grade (A=20 points, B=16 points, etc.), which will be posted on the Conduct Calendar in the Take Home folder.  Each child who earns an A in conduct all week (100 points) will get to pick a prize from the Treasure Box on Friday!

The consequences for misbehavior are:

1st offense — Verbal warning (no pin moved, no consequence)

2^nd offense – Student moves pin to B spot; loses 4 conduct points

3^rd offense – Student moves pin to C spot; loses 4 more conduct points; loses half of recess

4^th offense – Student moves pin to D spot; loses 4 more conduct points; note/email sent to parents; recess or after-school detention the following day

5^th offense – Student moves pin to F spot; loses 4 more conduct points; write-up sent to principal; student sent to office

I will call or email you if there are problems or concerns we need to address as a team.  See the Student Handbook for the school policies about discipline.

Chapel

As of now, we are resuming our weekly chapel in the sanctuary (Wednesdays at 8:15).  Parents are welcomed to come to chapel.

Field Trips

We have several field trips planned, and permission slips will be sent home in advance.  PLEASE RETURN PERMISSION SLIPS ASAP.  Parents are NOT REQUIRED to attend field trips, but you are welcomed to chaperone if you are able.

Reading

I will be dividing the class into reading groups, and two groups will meet with me daily.  Students will have Reading homework also.  As you listen to your child read, encourage fluency, expression, and accuracy.  I also suggest you order Scholastic books – they have a good selection and are cheaper than Wal-mart.  I will send home order forms monthly.  You can order online using our class code HDL7R, or send in the order form and the money to me.

FBCS has an outstanding Accelerated Reading (AR) program to encourage reading and build reading comprehension skills.  We will begin AR at the 2^nd 9-weeks, and your child will receive an AR reading grade for the 3^rd and 4^th 9-week periods.  Your child will complete a computerized Star Reader test each 9-week grading period to determine his/her reading level (range).  He/she can then choose books to read and take computerized Reading Comprehension quizzes for points.

Each day we have D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read).  I have a huge class library for the kids.  Kids read on their own, and I circulate around the room to help them choose books on their level and listen to them read.  When we begin AR, students will take quizzes on books they read during D.E.A.R. time.

Seatwork

I will give each student a worksheet packet for the week.  Your child will work on assigned worksheets and writing practice while other Reading groups are meeting.  We will go over instructions beforehand, and each child will work independently.  A teacher aide will circulate around the room to help students while I work with the reading group.  Any unfinished seatwork will be sent home on Friday for homework.  Return the finished pages in the Take Home folder for me to check.

Homework

Your child should review each week’s spelling list every day.  I will put the current spelling list on our class page on the school website and in your child’s Take Home folder.  I will also list the concepts your child should review at home each week for tests.  Your child will memorize a Bible verse each week.  Also, I will send home any unfinished seatwork as homework.  HOMEWORK PACKETS DO NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLETED IN ONE NIGHT.  You may want to buy or make addition, subtraction, and sight word flashcards to practice with your child at home or in the car.

I think it’s helpful to have a designated homework time each day to review concepts your child is learning, practice Math facts with flashcards, complete reading homework, review special sounds/clue words, and study spelling words.  Of course, reading aloud to your child is also beneficial.

What I don’t want is for your child to be burdened with hours of homework, become stressed, and begin to dislike school.  Any extra work not assigned by me and completed at home may be sent to me in the Take Home folder, and I will give your child a coupon for doing extra work (10 coupons = prize from treasure box).

Phonics

Phonics is a tool to help your child learn to read and be able to sound out new words.  The Handbook for Reading (apple book) is very useful to review.  It progresses through basic letter sounds, long and short vowel rules, and Charts 6 through 13 of special sounds and clue words.  Again, see our class info page on the FBCS website where I will list the skills we are learning each week to help you review and study with your child.  If you need extra resources, a cd of the Phonics charts is available to help you and your child pronounce the clue words and special sounds (and online).

Spelling

We will have a new spelling list each week.  There will be a weekly spelling test, and some of the spelling words will also appear on the weekly Phonics tests.  Please review the spelling words with your child daily.  He/she may write the words (which would also be good penmanship practice) or spell them to you aloud.  I will send home a “Stuck on Spelling” worksheet each week which will list the spelling words, and I will also put them on our class webpage.

Bible

We will have weekly memory verses that your child will recite to me for a grade.   Please help your child memorize each verse by Friday.  Also, we will have a written test on the week’s Bible stories and verse.

Writing

We will practice printing in First Grade using the Manuscript Guide in our curriculum, and I am attaching a copy for you.  Cursive writing begins in Second Grade.   Your child may need extra practice at home to improve.  I expect students to do their best on all their work, so I may send home a poorly-written page to be rewritten neatly and returned.  Again, if your child does extra practice at home, send the page(s) in to me in the Take Home folder, and I will reward with a coupon.

Science and Social Studies

The Science and Social Studies textbooks stay at school, and most work is done in class.  We will have vocabulary tests, and I will send home the words and definitions for you to help your child learn.

Math

See our class webpage for skills that we are working on and will be on the weekly test.  I suggest you purchase or make addition and subtraction flashcards for your child to review at home.  I am attaching a sheet of the “Math Families”.  You can start by pulling out math facts up to five, and then you can additional “families” as we introduce them in class.

Language

Your child will be learning about parts of speech, sentence structure, classifying sentences, and correct punctuation/capitalization.  I will send home a “Chapter Check-up” review page before each test for your review with your child.  The tests are the same format as the review pages.

Special Subjects

We have a daily “special subject” class with our special subject teachers.  Special subjects include Music, Physical Education, Computer, Art, and Library.

Test Schedule

We will not test during the first week of school.  The second week we will start our first Bible verse memorization.  When we begin testing on week 3, we will follow this test schedule unless we tell you otherwise:

Monday – Writing

Tuesday – Reading Comprehension

Wednesday – Math

Thursday – Phonics and Spelling

Friday – Bible memory verse and Bible story

**Science, Social Studies, and Language test days will vary.

Uniforms

Uniforms must be worn daily and will be strictly enforced.  See the Student Handbook for details.  We also have monthly Christian t-shirt and Spirit t-shirt days, which are worn with long jeans or uniform pants/skirts.  Spirit t-shirts may be purchased in the Eagle Store or Student Services.  There will also be some fun dress-up days throughout the year.  Try to encourage your child to participate.

First Grade Kids’ Club

We have a special club called Kids’ Club that is for First Graders only.  It meets on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month after school, and we do crafts, have fun activities (scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, etc.), and have a big water slide party at the end of the year.  We will send home permission slips.  We need some parent help with this, so please sign up to help for at least one meeting.

I am committed to be the best teacher I can be and to help your child learn in a positive, encouraging, and nurturing environment.  Let’s work together!  If you need help with anything, please feel free to contact me.

July 12, 2021

I hope you are all enjoying your summer!  I look forward to meeting my new class on August 4th.  You will be receiving a postcard in the mail with Meet and Greet info soon.  Please bring all school supplies to the Meet and Greet!  I will give you an information packet at Meet and Greet which I hope will answer most of your questions about how my classroom works:  subjects, classroom rules, grading, etc.  Also, email me ASAP if your child has a nickname that I should use when labelling books, desks, etc.  When our class list is finalized, I will compile all parents’ email addresses on a “master list” and send you a test email.  Get back to me as soon as you receive it so I can make sure I have everyone’s correct email addresses.

First Baptist School is a great school, and we are going to have a super year!