Dear Parents,
July 2014
Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year!
I am very excited to be teaching 1st grade again this year at MGE! I have also taught
third grade, fourth grade, and kindergarten! This is my 17th year of teaching! I
graduated from Indiana State University in 1990! I have been married to my husband,
Dustin, for 22 years! We have five children: Kenzie - 19, Maddie - 17, Gracie - 15, Luke 13, and Lanie - 10! Kenzie is a sophomore at Ball State! All four of my other kids attend
Center Grove Schools. We moved to the Greenwood area five years ago from West
Lafayette, Indiana! My favorite things to do outside of school are baking, traveling,
reading, photography, and shopping! I am very busy with my five kids and all their
activities!
I am looking forward to working with your child and making his/her first grade year a
positive and rewarding experience. One thing that will help this is good parent/teacher
communication. Please feel free to call me at anytime, even if you think your concern or
question is small. Please don’t hesitate to call. I hope this packet will answer some
questions you may have. Please keep and refer to it throughout the year or refer to it
on my teacher website.
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Goals for Our Classroom
I will nurture your child’s positive self-concept to encourage independence.
I will provide a safe learning environment for your child.
I will value and respect each child’s different personality and experiences in our
classroom community.
I will work to develop teamwork and communication between home and school.
I will encourage good attendance to ensure that your child fully benefits from
our learning environment.
I will encourage Maple Grove Rock Star Behavior.
First grade will be a very exciting time for your child! They will learn to become more
responsible in a lot of ways! First grade is quite a bit different than Kindergarten and
will take some time to get used to the routine and rigor, but I hope to work with you to
help this experience be a memorable and successful one for your child. In this letter, I
hope to explain some of our classroom procedures in order to make you aware of what
is expected of your child this school year.
We will begin the year by getting to know each other and building a strong classroom
community, yet encouraging independence and responsibility. I am a firm believer in
being respectful, honorable, and accountable for all actions. I will work hard to create
a classroom environment where students know what is expected of them and can feel
safe to explore, ask questions, and learn.
Book Bags/Backpacks
A book bag is a daily need for 1st grade. Please see that your child brings one to school
each day. A habit we start at the beginning of the school year is to unload the bag
upon arrival in the classroom. To help with parent/teacher communication, I am asking
that you have your child unload his/her bag at home each day. Often there are notes
from me, completed projects, etc. I may occasionally write you a note at the top of a
paper if your child is having a problem with a certain skill. This will help you to know
what you can help your child with at home. There will also be occasional notes if your
child has had an exceptional day! Look forward to these! Please encourage your child
to leave unnecessary items at home. Valuable items or special treasures that could get
lost or broken can create problems.
Personal Belongings
Thank you for labeling all your child’s personal belongings, including clothing such as
sweaters, sweatshirts, gloves, hats, etc. When searching for a lost item, it is much
easier to locate when the item has a name on it. Thank you for not sending toys to
school as they are unnecessary and may become lost or broken.
Homework and Green Communication Folder
Homework is not graded in first grade. Your child’s homework will consist of daily
activities/tasks, which you and your child will do together. Homework logs will list the
activity/task for each night of the week. (See sample of homework log attached to this
email/note) You will work on these activities/tasks together and sign the homework log,
which will be kept in their green communication folder. This is the only folder your
child will be using to take back and forth from school to home. The homework log has
a spot for a parent signature and comments. Please sign this Monday-Thursday of each
week. There will never be homework on weekends or holidays.
Just-Right Reading & B.E.A.R. Book Baggies
First graders are required to read at least 20 minutes each day, in addition to their
homework activity/task. This needs to be 20 minutes of reading to or with an adult.
The importance of reading and sharing books is a fundamental part of your child’s early
literacy development and is the basis of B.E.A.R. In a few weeks, we will be starting a
classroom-reading project, called B.E.A.R. (Be Excellent At Reading). Each child will
have the opportunity to choose three just-right books and take them home along with
an information sheet. This reading is meant to be completed with a family member.
Once you have read the books with your child, please return the entire B.E.A.R. baggie
to school. Your child will be able to exchange books on a daily basis as needed!
***We always gladly accept donations to our B.E.A.R. library***
Rock Star Behavior
Maple Grove has five characteristics that we deem “Rock Star” attributes. They are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
S – Make Safe Choices
T – Take Responsibility
A – Have a Positive Attitude
R – Show Respect
5.
S – Solve Problems Peacefully
Students can also be awarded a Golden Star at any time, from anyone in the school.
They can receive this if they are showing outstanding Rock Star Behavior. Those
Golden Star awards are put in a bucket drawing. If their name is chosen on Friday, they
will receive a small token or get to participate in a special activity with the other
winners. Your child will be recognized in the School Newsletter.
Behavior Chart in Classroom
Each student starts out each day on green, which is Ready to Learn. They have the
chance to move up the chart to Scary Good, Wildly Great, and Monstrous Behavior by
making good choices. They can also move down the chart to Stop and Think (warning),
Teacher’s Choice (lose a privilege/consequence), or Parent Contact (note or phone call
from school by teacher or principal) by making poor choices. Your child has a behavior
calendar in their Green Communication Folder to inform you of their behavior for each
day. Their citizenship grade will be based upon their calendar color for the week.
DeHaven Dollars
Students can earn DeHaven Dollars in the classroom by making good choices. These
DeHaven Dollars can be saved or spent in our PayDay Store at mid-term & at the end of
each 9-week grading period. They will be able to purchase toys and trinkets with these
DeHaven Dollars.
Gumball Celebrations
The whole class can earn gumballs in the jar if the entire class is making good choices.
If we earn all the gumballs, then we can vote on a celebration. Some examples from
past years are: movie celebration, pajama day, popsicle party, etc.
Communication
Each Friday, I will send an email titled Room 10 News. It will include classroom
reminders, important events, a summary of what we will be covering for the week ahead,
and dates of tests, quizzes, and projects. Please let me know what email addresses you
would like the Room 10 News sent to, or if you do not have email access, let me know so
I can send home a paper copy.
Volunteers
There will be many opportunities for parents or family members to volunteer in our
classroom. Some opportunities may include: working with students, office-type work,
computer lab aides, project helpers, cooking assistants, study trip chaperones, party
helpers, etc. For parents who may not be able to come in during the day, but may still
want to volunteer, there will be opportunities help prepare materials for projects. If
you are interested, please email me and let me know. Volunteers enhance our first
grade program in many ways! I will set up an online sign-up through Volunteer Spot. Be
looking for an email from them and sign up for a time to work in the classroom! Thank
you in advance!
Parties
We celebrate a few holidays with parties in the classroom. It would be helpful to have
three to four volunteers for each party and provide games and activities for the
children. If you would like to help coordinate parties, please email me or indicate this
on the volunteer sheet! Thank you for your participation!
Portfolio
Selected projects and/or papers will be kept at school in your child’s portfolio in order
to document and track growth and progress throughout the school year. Contents of
this portfolio will be shared with the parents at parent/teacher conferences.
Marvelous Monster
The “Marvelous Monster” will be the student of the week. During the 1st semester,
he/she will be asked to make a poster about himself/herself. This poster may include
anything that will allow us to get to know him/her better, for example, pictures of
favorites, photographs of important people in his/her life, etc. Please try to have the
poster at school on Monday of your child’s week so it can hang up for the entire week.
During this week, your child will take home our traveling monster/journal bag. During
this week, your child will also be allowed to bring in one of his/her favorite toy or
personal belongings. Please allow him/her to do so only during the designated week to
lessen the chance of it getting broken or lost. During the 2 nd semester, the Marvelous
Monster will be allowed to invite someone special to him/her into our classroom for
about a half an hour. You will receive a Marvelous Monster schedule in your child's
Folder sometime soon. I will also post this on my classroom website.
Our Traveling Monster
We have a traveling monster that we will name as a class. Our monster has a journal
that goes with him/her. The monster and journal will be sent home with each child
during the week he/she is Marvelous Monster. This is also a project that is meant to be
done together. In the journal, you will describe what your child did with the monster
during his/her stay. This should be written in the 1st person (written from the
perspective of the monster). For example, if your child took the monster to his/her
soccer game, you could write, “I went to ____’s soccer game tonight and I had a blast!
She was so good!” Don’t forget to date the page! Remember, these are your child’s own
words! You are only there to write and help remember what your child did with the
monster if necessary. Eventually, your child will be able to write his/her own journal
entry! This monster should be sent back to school the following week with your child.
At the end of the week (on Friday) we will read what the monster did and send it home
with the next student who will be the Marvelous Monster. We will soon name him/her!
Specials
Specials are on a five-day rotation schedule instead of corresponding with a day of the
week like in Kindergarten. Your child will receive his/her team color on the first day of
school and will travel with that color group to specials class daily. The five rotations are
P.E., Art, Music, Technology Lab, and Library. The schedule is included in this packet
and is also posted on our class website. Please keep this schedule handy so you can help
remind your child about gym shoes and library books. There is room in the classroom to
store an extra pair of shoes for recess or gym.
Red Team: Day 1-Music, Day 2-Library, Day 3-Tech. Lab, Day 4-P.E., Day 5-Art
White Team: Day 1-Art, Day 2-Music, Day 3-Library, Day 4-Tech. Lab, Day 5-P.E.
Blue Team: Day 1-P.E., Day 2-Art, Day 3-Music, Day 4-Library, Day 5-Tech. Lab
Gold Team: Day 1-Tech. Lab, Day 2-P.E., Day 3-Art, Day 4-Music, Day 5-Library
Purple Team: Day 1-Library, Day 2-Tech. Lab, Day 3-P.E., Day 4-Art, Day 5-Music
Tuesday, July 29th is day 0 because they met to get assigned their team color.
Wednesday, July 30th is day 1,
Thursday, July 31st is day 2,
Friday, August 1st is day 3, and so on.
School Contact Information
Maple Grove Office: 317-881-0561
Maple Grove Attendance Line: 317-881-0561, extension 8018
Lunch Count Information Line: Connie Kraemer 317-881-0561, extension 8096 or email
kraemerc@centergrove.k12.in.us
Birthday Treats
Birthdays are a special day to a first grader. Maple Grove is now a food free school for
both birthdays and holiday parties but we would still love to make this day special for
your child. Each teacher celebrates each child in some way (pencils, stickers, coloring
page, etc.). Here are some ways you can celebrate your child at school:
 Donating a book in honor of your child. Upon receiving the book, Maple Grove
will place a special nameplate inside the front cover to honor and recognize your
child’s special day. The book will be housed in your child’s classroom for the
duration of the school year, and then will become part of the media center
collection at the end of the year.
 Donate a game to school for use during inside recess or equipment to be used
on the playground during outside recess.
 Have another idea? Please contact me.
Snacks
Research has proven that students do not learn well on an empty stomach. I provide a
short time in the afternoon for students to eat a small snack and booster their energy
for the remainder of the day. In order to help with dietary restrictions, we ask that you
send in a daily snack for your child only. We do not share snacks. I ask that you would
consider sending in healthier snacks which could include: pretzels, crackers, fruit,
granola bars, etc. Do not send in chips, cookies, or sugary snacks. They must be able to
open this snack on their own. They may keep a refillable water bottle at school as long
as it has a secure lid so it will not spill. They will bring these water bottles home to wash
on Fridays.
Recess Safety
First graders use school equipment for recess. Your child should not bring toys from
home. Please make sure your child comes appropriately dressed for outdoor recess.
Look at the forecast for 2:00PM…this is when we go to recess. We go outside if it is
above 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Please have your child wear tennis shoes or shoes with
straps, enclosed toes/backs, and non-slippery soles as they are required to play on the
equipment. You may send tennis shoes to be stored in their locker at school.
Teacher Contact Information
Voicemail: 317-881-0561, extension 8010
Email: dehavenp@centergrove.k12.in.us This is the best way to contact me.
Website: http://www.centergrove.k12.in.us/mges/site/default.asp Click on “Teacher
Webs” and then “Mrs. DeHaven.”
Please read through this and share with your child the expectations of this school year.
After you have read through this, please sign the back page and return to me as soon as
possible. Also, please provide up to two email addresses for communication.
I know that this cannot begin to cover everything, but hopefully it will answer many of
the questions you may have. If I have not answered something, please ask me and I will
try to answer it. Please tell me if there is anything you think I should know about your
child. I am planning a fun, exciting, learning-packed year for your child! With us
communicating and working together, I know it will be a fantastic year! Again, please
don't hesitate to call me or schedule a time to meet if there is a concern you have.
Thank you for your support; it is greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Mrs. DeHaven