Welcome to
Back to School Night!!!
THE FIRST GRADE TEAM
Melanie Curl
Kylee Ginn
Jessica Mazzoni
Anna Singleton
Nicole Valentine
Daily Schedule
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
8:05-8:10 – Homeroom/Uniform Check
8:13-9:08 – Math (Flex Grouping)
9:11-9:55 – Lit Block 1 (Writing) (Flex Grouping)
9:58-10:42 – Science
10:45-11:29 – Lunch/Recess
11:32-1:05 – Lit Block 2 (Reading) (Flex)
1:08-1:56 – Specials
1:56-2:24 – Recess/Afternoon Snack
2:27-3:12 – History
3:12-3:35 – Clean up/Pack up
Behavior Chart/Calendar
• Purple = Going above and beyond, WOW!
• Green = Great day, keep up the good work!
• Yellow = Slow down and make better choices.
• Orange = Continues to make poor choices.
• Red = Office referral and e-mail/call home.
*Check red homework folder for the calendar.
Please keep calendar in red folder every day.
Graded/Completed Returned
work
• Comes home when graded/completed in red folders
• Left side of red folders. Right side is work to be
returned back to school (ie: homework).
• “Left at home” and “Right back to school”
• Important info from the office, PTO, after school
programs, etc.
• Please empty Left side often and return back to school
the next day.
Homework Folder (Red)
• Comes home daily with homework assignments, including Friday!
• Homework will begin next Tuesday, September 8th. No folder sent
home until then.
• Red folders still come home even if there is no homework.
• Please return the homework folder to school the next day.
• Homework: Math, Language Arts, Science, or History
• Math homework must have one parent’s initials so that the teacher
knows homework has been checked.
• Forms that need to be returned to school go here.
Flexible Grouping
●
Math/Language Arts
• Formal and informal assessments are given
throughout the year.
• Students are placed in groups according to
their academic ability and skill set.
Language Arts
• Open Court-Reading
• Spalding-Phonics and Handwriting
• Shurley Grammar
• Core Knowledge Stories, Poems, Sayings and Phrases
• Step Up to Writing
All are integrated during Language Arts
and throughout the day.
How Can I Help?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Practice, practice, practice!!!
Sight Words
Spalding Phonograms-First Grade Website
Star Fall
Comprehension – Discuss and ask about main characters, setting,
problem, resolution, connections, inferences, purpose of the story
Play games in the car - look for sight words, what words can you read,
books on tape
Model good reading by reading to your child
Never tell your child to sound it out… (Three)
Use the 5 Finger Rule when choosing books
Reading support at home is critical to your child’s success in reading!
Reading Strategies to Use at Home
• Look at the pictures
• Get your mouth ready. Say the
beginning sound.
• Stretch out the word.
• Think about it. What would make
sense?
• Look for parts you know.
(Phonograms)
• Go back. Read it again.
Saxon Math
The year will begin with review material.
Homework might be easy for some for a few weeks.
• Focus:
- Developing computation skills
- Proper number formation
- Problem solving skills, concepts, ability to explain math
• Homework:
- Parents read instructions as necessary
- Check homework and assist child as necessary in correcting any
errors. Feel free to write what they are struggling with.
- Please initial or sign homework – communication that you know what
they are learning.
- Homework will not be returned home.
-Every five lessons there will be a written assessment. Homework will
not come home on assessment days.
- No homework over the weekends! 
Saxon Math
• Points earned for homework turned in on time:
- 10 points per day - on time
- 10% deducted – one day late
- 20% deducted – two days late
- 50% deducted after two days and before next assessment
- After the assessment, all previous missing HW is a 0
• Assessments: Every 5-10 lessons (100 pts.)
- No longer sent home:
It is important to note that we cannot send completed math tests home
due to our agreement with Saxon Math; they consider their tests
proprietary and they do not allow any schools to share the tests with
parents.
Final Grade Weighted: 80% Assessments/20% Homework
History
• History – What Your First Grader Needs to Know
(WYFGNTK)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Brain Pop User: aacp Pass: 123
Maps and Globes
Ice Age
Ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia
World Religions
Mayans, Aztecs, Incas
Christopher Columbus
Here Comes England
American Symbols
Westward Expansion
Mexico
Science
• Science – FOSS
•
•
•
•
•
•
FOSS is a research-based curriculum that’s been around for more than
20 years allowing students to appreciate the scientific enterprise,
learn important scientific concepts, and develop the ability to think
critically. They’re able to do so by actively constructing ideas through
their own inquiries, investigations, and analyses. The FOSS program
was created to engage students in these processes as they explore the
natural world.
• Solids, Liquids, and Gases
• Pebbles, Sand, and Silt
• Plants and Animals
Next Gen - New concepts covered in Science
Light, Sound and Electricity
Universe (planets and stars)
Heredity (traits)
Growth and Development of organisms
STEM
• Chemical Engineering:
-Mr. Todd
-September 21 – October 8
• Marine Biology:
-Mrs. Weiss
-May 9-13
Infinite Campus
• Update all information through the front
office.
• Check regularly.
• Subjects are weighted based on
percentages.
Communication
• American Academy Website-First Grade Page
• A weekly newsletter will be emailed every Friday.
• Also check individual teacher pages for Language
Arts updates (weekly phonograms and spelling
words).
Volunteers
• Room moms assist with coordinating volunteers
for events and class parties.
• Classroom Volunteer Opportunities
- Will send emails out as needed
• School-Library, Cafeteria, Recess, Carpool
• Volunteer Badges
Birthdays
•
•
•
•
•
All birthdays will be celebrated.
For Summer birthdays, contact teacher
All 1st grade classrooms are NUT FREE
No food treats
Welcome to bring in a “birthday prize”
- Pencils, small toys, bubbles, stickers, etc.
• Will be passed out at the end of the day
First Grade IA (Instructional Assistant)
• Jill Carrier and Fran Patrick
- Lunch and recess
- Very valuable to First Grade!
- Students and adults are asked to
respect all IA’s
Lunch with your child
• Welcome to come have lunch with your child!
• Student may choose 2 other students to join you
• Students can be from another First Grade
homeroom
• Parents and students chosen are responsible for
cleaning their table
Homerooms
• Please join us in our homeroom classes
to review individual information.