Welcome to
Mrs. Kuehl’s
First Grade
First Grade!
2007-2008
2010-2011
Breakfast—Please make sure that your child has a good
breakfast before coming to school. Our brains need
energy to work well!
Arrival—Luther School asks that you drop off your child
between 7:50 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. All students arriving
before 8:00 a.m. are to go outside on the playground
with their backpacks until the bell rings. Please do
not come to the classroom first. If your child is
having breakfast at school, he/she should go directly
outside after eating until the bell rings. I
appreciate your help in reminding your child about this
rule. It is especially important during the winter
months. The office will make a morning announcement if
the children are to wait in the cafeteria until 8:00.
Thank you for your help. I will be very busy until
8:00 preparing for our day.
Dismissal—The bus riders will exit through the back
doors of the school. Children who are walking home or
being picked up will exit through the front doors of
the school. There is adult supervision at each exit.
Please wait in the designated hallway areas until 3:00.
Notes for Changes—PLEASE write a note concerning any
changes in your child’s normal pick up schedule.
Library Book Checkout—About once a week (Days 3 and 9)
your child will have the opportunity to check out two
books from the school library. Please read the books
at home and return before our next book checkout day so
that your child may choose two new books on our next
visit to the library. Library books are chosen by your
child and are often meant for you to read TO your
child. Watch for a note to be sent home that lists our
check out days for the year!
Book Orders—About once a month, I will send home a
Scholastic book order. If you choose to order, please
make sure that your child’s name is on the order form
and that you make your check payable to SCHOLASTIC, not
the school. You may also order online. Watch the order
form note for more details. It is a great company that
offers books at a reasonable price. Whether you decide
to order or not, I want to encourage you to read, read,
read with your child. Does your child have a public
library card? I would encourage you to make regular
trips to the library. Reading every day for at least
20 minutes will help your child become a wonderful
reader.
Homework— Please read a variety of books together for
at least 20 minutes every day. Also, soon after school
begins, your child will be bringing home a math page
for review at home. Please have your child complete
the work, check it over with him/her and return the
following day. Homework should be returned on time
Monday through Thursday. There is no homework on the
weekend. Later in the year, your child will also bring
home a book to read and return the following day for a
new book. This is also Monday through Thursday.
Weekly Newsletter—About once a week I will be sending
home a newsletter to tell you about what has been
happening in our classroom. Mr. Geiger will also be
sending home a monthly newsletter.
Handwriting—Please see the attached sheet for a copy of
the Zaner-Bloser Alphabet that we will be using in
first grade. Help your child practice writing from top
to bottom when forming letters. You will also find the
“verbal pathways” that describe how to form the
letters. Thanks for your extra practice at home!
Daily Schedule—Please check the schedule for gym days.
Your child should wear appropriate shoes for working in
the gym. We have gym at the very end of our day. Your
child will probably be very hungry and thirsty when
he/she arrives home on gym days. We also have art and
music at the end of our day.
Discipline—In order to provide students with a safe,
pleasant learning environment, we will use the
following plan in our room. The main goal will be to
foster respect for self, others, and the environment.
Children will practice self-control, empathy, and an
awareness of using common sense to make good choices.
All children in our classroom will have the right to
learn in the most positive environment. No child will
have the right to stop others from learning by
disrupting the class.
Classroom rules—during the first day of school we will
develop our rules together. The children will have
ownership because they will be helping define the rules
for our first grade family. We will also use our
school wide policy of “Living Above the Line.”
Positive Guidance Techniques—
1. Modeling, encouraging and praising expected
behavior
2. Redirecting children to more acceptable activities
3. Being firm and fair with the classroom/school rules
that we have developed
4. Helping children understand how their behavior
affects others
5. Providing opportunities to develop social skills
for cooperation
6. Teaching children how to solve conflicts
independently
Consequences for Unacceptable Behavior—
1. Reminder
2. Removal from group—followed by one-on-one
discussion with the teacher
3. Minutes taken from recess
4. Fill out a “Fix It Plan”
5. If a child exhibits severe behavior, he/she will be
sent immediately to the office
Mrs. Kuehl’s First Grade
Mya Alexander
Rebeca Dominguez
Gavin Gwaltney
Logan Keinonen
Katharina Kessler
Marco Massie
Chloe Miller
Aleca Camarena-Straight
Drew Peterson
Ryan Rector
Brady Riggs
Alyssa Rostollan
Rachael Simkins
Sianava Simmons
Marco Torres
Braden Traxler
Jennifer Tumbarello
Owen Vogel
Lainie Volquardsen
Spencer Whitcomb
Avery Winkelman