Great
Expectations
Of First Graders
At Wichita Collegiate School
Parent Information Guide
2014-2015
Mrs. Alisa Lundstedt
Mrs. Renee Shofner
Mrs. Jena Simms
Parent Information Guide
2014-2015
WELCOME to what we promise will be an exciting and stimulating year for your child and for you! First
grade is a time for your child to learn to love school, increase personal responsibilities, find success in their
endeavors, and know that teachers and classmates are special friends. In addition to the curricular goals of
math, language, science, the arts, and physical education, we are committed to helping students find school
an emotionally and intellectually healthy atmosphere where they can strive to reach their full potential.
Arrival and Dismissal
The doors of our classrooms open at 7:50. This gives the students time to get organized for the day by
putting their backpacks away, placing their folders in the appropriate place, beginning their morning
activities. Classroom instruction begins at 8:00. Absences and tardies will be recorded for school records
beginning at 8:00. Please say good-bye to your child at the door or in the car so that your child can enter the
classroom by themselves. We hope you understand that we would love to have a chance to visit with you,
but our class will need us in the room to help get their day going smoothly.
Students are dismissed at the door and will need a special place where they meet you each day. Students
may wait in the hallway or at a designated place outside the building. Dismissal is at 3:00. Students who
have not been picked up by 3:15 will go to Kid’s Club, which is held in the lunchroom. When the faculty
member who is on crossing guard duty sees children unattended on the school grounds, they will direct
them to Kid’s Club when their duties have been completed at 3:15. We know how much you value the
safety of your child and would not want your child unattended in front of the school.
If your child is absent, please call Amanda Meyers at 771-2251 and she will let us know. Homework will
be available to pick up at 3:00 the day of your child’s absence.
Behavior
Behavior in the classroom is guided to help the child make decisions about actions before they occur,
understand consequences of their actions, and to take the responsibility for their actions. The child is also
encouraged to interact positively with those around them. First grade teachers have specific programs for
their classrooms that help your child attain these goals.
Birthdays
This is such a special time for students and you are welcome to contact your teacher about a time to send
birthday treats to celebrate the occasion. Please limit treats to one snack, and a drink if you wish, without
hats or treat bags. It is possible that there may be food allergies in your child’s individual classroom, so
please check with your child’s teacher for any specific information. Utensils and paper goods are not
available in the classroom, so they must accompany the student’s treats.
Enhancement Classes
Physical Education
Physical Education classes are held two to three times a week. Students must wear tennis shoes to class.
Music
Vocal music classes are held two to three times a week. Students are expected to attend all concerts.
Science
Physical, life, and earth science are explored in this class which meets twice a week.
French
Students are introduced to a variety of activities during French class once each week.
Art
First graders attend a weekly art class for 1 hour.
Positive Steps
This is a 30-minute class, every other week, which focuses on self-esteem and decision-making.
Library
Students visit the library for 30 minutes each week and are introduced to a variety of literature. They will get to check
out two books each week: one fiction and one non-fiction. They may check out another book(s) when the previous
one(s) have been returned.
Computer
Students go to the computer lab to work on typing and other computer skills once each week. First grade students have
access to computers and iPads in the classroom..
Folders
Each child has a take-home folder that has two pockets: one for homework and the other for news and notes
from the teacher and the school. Please work with your child to replace the homework in the folder upon
completion and bring it to school the following day. This is an important step in helping your child learn
life-long independent skills. If you have communications that are to be sent to school, you may place them
in your child’s folder.
Homework
First graders will have daily homework assignments on four days of the week—Monday through Thursday.
Please help your child establish a routine at home that will enable them to find an appropriate time to
complete the work. The assignment should be put in the homework portion of your child’s folder for school
the next morning. Students who don’t return homework may be asked to complete it during another activity
at school.
Homework assignments will include phonics, spelling, math Homelinks, and Junior Great Books. In
addition, a daily habit of reading at home is essential. This includes your child reading to you, and you
reading to them, regardless of the child’s reading ability. The comprehension level of students this age far
surpasses their reading ability and an adult reading to them introduces them to new vocabulary and models
good oral reading. There are read-aloud handbooks at bookstores that can help you choose appropriate
literature for students of all levels and interests.
The first grade teachers’ policy is not to provide work for students to take with them while they are
traveling. However, we will gather work for students when they are absent and will determine when the
make-up work is to be completed.
Library Books
Library books will be coming home with your child and may be returned to the classroom library basket
whenever your child has finished. This year, students may check out two books, if they wish, but they must
return one book during the following week in order to check out another book. Students are allowed to keep
their library books for two weeks at a time. In order to expose the students to a larger body of literature, it
is the library’s policy to check out one fiction and one nonfiction book. Again, establishment of routines for
this process will be a great benefit to your child. After reading, books should be returned to the backpack. If
you, as a parent, would like to go to the library to check out additional books for your child or for you,
please take advantage of this opportunity. Library books should stay in the student’s book bag unless they
are being read or placed in the basket at school.
Language Arts
Daily Five
The Daily Five is a literacy structure that teaches independence and gives children the skills needed to
create a lifetime love of reading and writing. It consists of five tasks that are introduced individually.
When introduced to each task, the children discuss what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to engage
in the task independently. Then, the children work on building their stamina until they are successful at
being independent while doing that task.
The five tasks include:
1. Read to self
2. Read to someone
3. Listen to reading
4. Work on writing
5. Word work (Words Their Way)
When all five tasks have been introduce and the children are fully engaged in reading and writing activities,
your child’s teacher will work with small groups and confer with children one on one.
Spelling
Words Their Way is a developmental word study program which allows students to work at an
individualized level. Students are given an initial spelling inventory which identifies where each student
needs to begin on their word study journey. Each week students will receive a list of words appropriate to
their level.
Junior Great Books
This is an interpretive reading and discussion program. Once a month, children will hear an outstanding
piece of literature in the classroom and have it read to them at home. This read-aloud program stresses the
enjoyment of literature for its own sake while developing comprehension, interpretive thinking, and oral
and written language skills.
Oral Language
At various times during the year, students will be asked to orally share an item brought from home or tell
about a favorite book they have read. This is beneficial in helping students learn to stand up before others
and express themselves. Early positive experience with oral language greatly increases a student’s
confidence in this area. Oral book reports, drama, and verbalizing literature are other ways that enhance
your child’s confidence in this area. Oral language is the basis for reading and writing.
Handwriting Without Tears
First grade students continue to practice and refine their handwriting skills throughout the year. It is
imperative that they correct unusual pencil grips that have become habitual. From first grade on there is a
great deal of writing that will be expected from students. An unusual pencil grip tightens muscles in the
hands, thus making it difficult for students to do extensive writing projects. Please use homework time as
an opportunity to reinforce proper pencil grip.
Handwriting Without Tears is the explicit, multisensory handwriting curriculum we use in first grade to
teach and develop handwriting skills which are crucial to writing fluency.
Daily Sentence Editing
Grammatical concepts, such as capitalization, punctuation, tense, etc., will be introduced to students
through daily sentence editing. Students will be encouraged to use these rules as they construct sentences
later in the year.
Poetry
We hope that our love of poetry will be contagious. Your child will be learning many poems throughout the
year and will be encouraged to share them with you.
Lunch
First grade students eat lunch at 10:50 A.M. They complete their lunchtime at 11:20 and must learn to
budget their time carefully. Monthly menus are posted online from Sage to help your child make
appropriate choices. This is the first year of “choices” for your child during lunch and you may want to
consistently stress the value of making good choices. Students may also bring their lunches from home and
microwave ovens are available for their use. These students will eat in the lunchroom, also, and need to
practice opening their own containers that are included in their lunchboxes. Recess follows lunch.
Math
Our math series is Everyday Math developed by the University of Chicago School of Mathematics Project.
The primary program has been developed to stress problem-solving strategies and mathematical concepts.
The following quote from Everyday Mathematics expresses our philosophy: “It is perhaps the single
greatest goal of Everyday Mathematics that children completing the program acquire number sense. People
with number sense have good mental skills, are flexible in thinking about numbers, can use their number
and arithmetic skills to solve problems in everyday situations, are familiar with a variety of ways to
communicate their strategies, and can recognize unreasonable results when they see them.” It is important
to remember that it does not help a child to memorize number facts unless they know how to manipulate
numbers in many math situations. The Homelinks that will be a part of your child’s homework are designed
to help the student “think” about math concepts, and it is our hope that you will enjoy doing these easy
activities with your child.
Partners
We are extremely honored that you have chosen first grade at Wichita Collegiate School to allow us to
share your responsibility for educating your child during this very special time in their lives. We are eager
to work with each of you to establish that all-important link between home and school. As we join hearts
and hands for this special year, please let us know your joys and concerns. Our numbers are listed here for
your convenience:
Jena Simms 634-0489 (ext. 452 (h) 789-5859
Renee Shofner 634-0489 (ext. 516) (h) 689-8150
Alisa Lundstedt 634-0489 (ext. 508) (c) 644-5433
Outdoor Education
Your child needs to bring appropriate clothing for outdoor activities. Also, first grade teachers will expect
students to tie their own shoes and complete the fastenings for their jackets. You may want to take your
child with you to the store to purchase their coats to make sure that they can zip, tie, and button. It is
recommended that girls and boys wear tennis shoes to school because of recess and PE activities. Please
avoid sandals such as flip flops and slides, as stated in our dress code, because of the potential for injury on
the playground with these types of footwear. Students in first grade have no need for umbrellas; therefore,
please do not bring this item to school. Please refer to the Lower School Handbook for more information.
Almost each day, the first graders will spend some time on the track. They are encouraged to walk, run, or
jog. A short recess is held after lunch, and (if time) another outside brain break is held in the afternoon.
Social Studies
Our social studies encompasses home, school, community and broader aspects of our world. Students are
encouraged to develop an appreciation for other countries and their cultures.
Mystery Reader
There will be a variety of special people that will come into the classroom to be the Mystery Reader. The
students will not know who this is until their arrival. If you would like to be a reader, we would love to
have you or a member of your family.