Ronald Reagan Elementary School
Miss Oatman, Room 305
First Grade B Track
Dear Parents and Families,
It is with great excitement that I welcome you and your first grader to our
beautiful new school! With the start of the new school year, I would like to take a
moment to introduce myself to you. My name is Miss Oatman, and I am very
excited to have the privilege of sharing this school year with your child. This
letter contains information that I hope will be useful to you. At our Back to School
Night on Thursday, August 6th, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room,
we will go over our classroom behavior program, curriculum (Common Core State
Standards), new homework procedures, grading, parent volunteers, District testing
and other topics in greater detail. When you sign in on Thursday night, please
write in your e-mail address so that I may establish an e-mail newsletter to help
keep you informed of anything going on in our classroom or school.
School Schedule:
School begins promptly at 7:45 a.m., and a two-minute warning bell rings at
7:43. Any child arriving at school after 7:45 a.m. is considered tardy. The school
day ends at 2:10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Every
Wednesday will be Early Release days, meaning that dismissal time is 1:10 p.m.
(early release is to allow for Professional Collaboration Time). Please help your
child get a good start on the day by making sure that your child arrives to school
on time! Students are not permitted on the playground until morning supervision
starts at 7:30 a.m. Minimum day dismissal time is 11:40 a.m. Minimum days occur
during parent-teacher conference time and those days when we are going off
track. School office hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Volunteer/Appointment Policy
In an effort to ensure the safety of our students and staff only registered
volunteers and those with an appointment will be allowed back to the classroom.
Classroom volunteers must fill out an application for the school year and will be
placed on a schedule with the school office. We request any parent wishing to
meet with a teacher also make an appointment in advance so that our office will be
notified of your meeting time. Also, any parent volunteer who is helping in the
classroom must remain in the classroom for the time they are on campus. Parents
can only be on the playground if certificated personnel (teacher) accompany them.
Parent helpers and volunteers are very important to our classroom communities –
thank you for your help in implementing our District policies and procedures.
Supplies:
Due to ongoing budget concerns, the First Grade Team needs your help in
providing supplies that our classroom needs throughout the year. Initially, most
necessary supplies (scissors, glue stick, crayons, pencils) will be provided; however,
your help in sending supplies throughout the year is appreciated (especially glue
sticks). Also, your child should have a small (please!) backpack to carry papers and
homework folder to and from school. (It is very difficult to fit large rolling
backpacks into our cubbies.)
Walking Wednesdays
Every Wednesday we encourage our students to walk to school to help
promote fitness and decrease traffic. There will even be a coffee truck at our
school for anyone who might want a fresh cup of coffee after walking to school
with your child!
Snack Recess:
The first recess of the day (9:45-10:00) is designated as a "snack recess."
Please consider sending a small, nutritious snack (no sugary items or "junk" food,
please!) with your child to eat at this time. It seems especially important for first
graders at the beginning of the school year to have a snack at this time of the day
to help them from getting extra hungry as lunch time approaches. Remember, your
child is trying to get used to full day at school – this is a big adjustment!
IMPORTANT: For the safety of your child, please remind your child that it is
important NOT to share food with others! We want to avoid any possible food
allergies.
Lunch:
A good, nutritious lunch is an important part of your child's day. Lunch
begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 11:45 a.m. on regular school days. School lunches,
which include milk, are sold for $2.75 each. Children have an account with their
own number (their 6-digit student identification number) set up with the cafeteria.
There are two options for placing money in your child's account. Option One: You
may send cash or check (payable to Child Nutrition Services) to school with your
child by placing the money in an envelope with your child's name, 6-digit
identification number, and teacher's name. Option Two: There is an online service
that allows parents to prepay for student meals using a credit or debit card.
MySchoolBucks is a complete service that is designed to meet the parental need to
check account balances and see their child's food purchases. This service also
helps parents by eliminating worries about lost or stolen lunch money. Payments
can be made at the parent's convenience, anytime of the day or night. Parents can
access this service by going to www.myschoolbucks.com.
The money on your child's account may be used any day throughout the
school year. This allows your child to purchase a lunch without having to bring cash
to school, or in the event your child has forgotten his/her lunch at home. If your
child brings a lunch, please have his/her full name as well as grade and track
written on the lunch box or bag.
Restrooms:
Please work with your child in reminding him or her to use the restroom
before school, during each recess, and after they have finished eating lunch. Your
child will be allowed to leave the instructional setting to use the restroom if
necessary. If there is a medical necessity for your child to use the restroom
frequently, please let me know as soon as possible. It is always very important
to keep the distractions in the classroom to a minimum in order to encourage
student learning.
Medical Issues:
If your child has any medical problems or health issues that I should be
aware of (including any food allergies), please forward this information to me as
soon as possible. Again, for the safety of your child, please remind your child
never to share food with others.
Homework Folder:
This letter is included in your child's homework/communication folder. This
folder is used as an organizational strategy for your child. Your child will bring
home this homework folder each Friday containing flyers, letters or any other
communication from school. I will post the homework assignment each Friday on
my website (www.cnusd.k12.ca.us, go to Ronald Reagan Elementary, go to teacher
sites) which are to then be printed, completed, and returned the following Friday
morning. The homework pages consist primarily of fluency reading pages and
assigned math pages from the math practice workbook (which you will receive at
Back to School Night on Thursday). Please assist your child in reading nightly for
at least 15 minutes. Your child will also be expected to give an oral presentation
each week. Please see the topics and rubric on my website. Also included in the
homework folder will be a parent/teacher communication form (a copy is attached).
It is my hope to keep communication open between home and school.
Sight Words:
Sight words are an important part of your child's reading success. Your
child will be provided with a sight word booklet containing lists F through N. Please
review these lists with your child for at least 10 minutes each day. As your child
learns a list, please sign the bottom portion of that list and return it to me.
Ongoing review and tests will be given to ensure that your child is studying and
working to learn the first grade sight words. Your child's success in reading can
depend greatly upon how often he or she practices and learns these sight words.
Classroom Rules:
All students have a right to learn and no student has a right to disrupt the
learning process. In order to foster a positive learning environment for all
students in my classroom, please be aware that all students are expected to follow
these classroom rules:
1.
Respect yourself and others.
2. Raise your hand before speaking.
3. Listen and follow directions.
4. Always try to do your very best.
5. Follow all safety rules.
6. Work quietly, be polite … and smile!
Online Behavior System (Class Dojo):
“Class Dojo” (www.classdojo.com) is an online behavior system that will be
used this year in my classroom. An invitation to join Miss Oatman’s Class will be
sent home with you at our Back to School Night on Thursday. Class Dojo allows for
immediate feedback (whether positive or negative) regarding your child’s behavior.
Please plan to sign up as soon as possible in order to receive feedback about your
child’s behavior. Class Dojo also has a messaging feature between home and school
that is very convenient and easy to use.
Classroom Rewards:
Positive reinforcement is the main focus in my classroom. There are positive
consequences for those children who are "caught being good" and who choose to
follow the rules. These positive consequences include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Verbal praise is given ALWAYS and OFTEN!
15 Class Dojo points will entitle the student to an item from the
Treasure Box.
15 Class Dojo points will entitle the student to receive other
classroom rewards, such as eating lunch ("Lunch Bunch") in the
classroom with the teacher and friends, sitting at the teacher's desk
for the morning, or choosing a P.E. activity.
Positive note, postcard or phone call home.
Classroom Consequences:
Possible negative consequences for choosing not to follow the rules are as
follows:
1.
Verbal warning.
2. Notification to parent via Class Dojo.
3. Loss of recess.
4. Citation.
5. Conference with the principal or assistant principal.
I am excited to share this school year with your child! I know that we can
work together to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn. Although
I have already discussed this discipline plan with your child, please review it with
them before signing and returning the bottom portion of this page. Thank you in
advance for completing the many forms coming home to you this week!
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (951) 736-7737,
ext. 83226. My e-mail address is joatman@cnusd.k12.ca.us. I will be formatting an
e-mail distribution list so that we may easily stay in touch by e-mail. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Miss Oatman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(cut along the dotted line, sign and return this portion)
I have received and reviewed a copy of the classroom's discipline plan and
homework procedure, and have discussed it with my child.
Dated: _________________
Parent Signature
Child's Name: