Welcome to
1st Grade

Mrs. Ogden
Room 7
vistaverdefirstgrade.weebly.com
Back to School Night
 1st Graders
 Vista Verde Program
 STAR
 Curriculum overview
Sound familiar?
1st graders go through many behavioral changes
throughout the year…all of these are normal!
 Want to be “best” and “first”
 Have boundless energy
 May be oppositional, critical, and silly
 May have difficulty being flexible
 Cry easily
*From the American School Counselor Association
They learn to…
 Develop positive, realistic self-concepts
 Respect themselves
 Gain awareness of their feelings
 Express feelings
 Participate in groups
 Learn from their mistakes
*From the American School Counselor Association
Vista Verde 1st Grade
Information on following topics will be discussed at Back to
School night

Philosophy
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Parent-teacher partnership
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Success and growth for all students

Daily schedule

Snack and lunch

Dress code & Birthdays

Homework

Volunteers
STAR Program
 Safety first
 There and Ready
 Act Responsibly
 Respect self and others
Curriculum- Common Core
 First grade is implementing Common Core
Standards
 This is a national movement in education, designed
to establish a clear and consistent curricular
framework to prepare students for college and the
workforce.
 Real world relevance is the essence of Common
Core instruction.

Newly revised report cards will reflect achievement
in Common Core Standards
Reading Groups (GROW)
 Targets the learning needs of each student in reading
 Based on reading assessments done 5 times during the
year
 Flexible groups which allow for movement, as indicated
by assessments
*Please consider volunteering for this time if you are
comfortable leading a small group. Commitments are weekly
for one hour 15 minutes.
Curriculum - Writing

Daily writing, many purposes

Letter names and sounds

Penmanship, pencil grip

Writing fluency

Writer’s Workshop:

Students will learn the formal writing process for three
genres (narrative, opinion, persuasive)
Curriculum - Spelling

High frequency word lists and “words to know” from our literature series

Proper spelling of these and accountable for their use in daily writing

Students taught to be resourceful, using dictionaries, room environment,
and other resources

Phonetic spelling helps flow of ideas for writing. Please encourage your
child to write the sounds they hear rather than spell words correctly for
them.

Conventional spelling develops by the end of first grade.

Spelling tests will be given weekly beginning in the fall.
Curriculum - Math
 Balanced, challenging, and fast paced based on




Common Core curriculum
Hands-on learning
Problem solving strategies
Marcy Cook Math Tiles (volunteers needed)
Concepts include:




number sense,
algebra and functions
measurement and geometry
statistics, data analysis, and
probability
 mathematical reasoning
Curriculum – Health & PE
 Health
 The Great Body Shop
 Physical Education
 Coach: hand-eye coordination, ball
skills, aerobic movement, and games
that encourage cooperation
 Club Viking: additional program taught
by selected middle school students
 Jogathon, Spring
 Field Day, June
Curriculum-Other special activities
 Computers & Library
 Weekly
 Music
 Choral taught by a music specialist
(provided by your generous
donations to PTA)
 Every other Wednesday morning.
 Art
 Meet the Masters: The life and
style of art masters (provided by
your generous donations to PTA)
 Arts Advantage: Artistic
composition,
use of space and color (district
program)
Curriculum – Reinforcement & Challenge
 All students are offered a challenging program that
will help them achieve their full potential
 Variety of activities and strategies
 Small group and individual assignments that either
reinforce or engage the learner in higher level
thinking
Homework
 Homework will be available each Monday through
our 1st grade website
(vistaverdefirstgrade.weebly.com). Pages should be
printed and returned to your teacher on Friday in
the provided folders.
 Homework is intended to be a review of lessons
taught in class, daily. Please complete pages of
homework according to the weekly pacing guide.
 Homework will consist of math review, spelling
practice, and reading.
We can’t forget…

Absences

Attendance line

Excused/unexcused absences
 Excused: illness, Dr. appointment, death in immediate
family, religious holiday

Volunteers always welcome!

Sign-ups will be available at Back to School Night

Please register with Help Desk in the front office before you
begin volunteering. You will be required to check in and out
each time you come to school.
 New volunteers will need to submit a copy of their drivers
license.
Thank you!
 We look forward to meeting you at Back to School
Night. We will be available to answer any questions
you may have about our program. Sign-ups for
volunteering and donation opportunities will be
available in each of our classrooms. You will also be
provided with additional print resources to take
home.
 Please remember that Back to School Night is to
discuss our curriculum and school program. We will
have the opportunity to discuss your child’s
progress at parent conferences in September.
See you soon!

Back to School Night: Wednesday, August 6th @ 6:00pm with a welcome
from Mr. Vlasic in the MPR. Classroom sessions begin at 6:20pm

Ms. Farquhar: Room 1
 patriciafarquhar@iusd.org

Mrs. Quillin/Mrs. Reynolds: Room 2
 cindyquillin@iusd.org anniereynolds@iusd.org

Mrs. Scofield: Room 7
 amyscofield@iusd.org

Ms. Gornbein: Room 8
 elisagornbein@iusd.org