The
s
of First Grade
Back to School Night
September 9, 2015
All about Miss Cook
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Born and raised in Cypress,TX
Graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in
Academic Studies/Early Childhood
Certified to teach PreK-8th grade
Taught for 9 years: This is my 10th in first grade.
I have 1 nephews (Zachary)
Being an aunt is one of my favorite things!
I enjoy reading, shopping, teaching, gardening and eating!
All about Mrs. Shiyou
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Born and raised in Tupelo, MS (home of Elvis Presley)
Graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in
Elementary Education
Certified to teach K-6th grade
First year to teach in Texas! I taught one year in Louisiana.
I have been married for a little over a year. My husband is my
best friend !
I have one PRECIOUS little boy named Parks! He is 11 weeks
old.
I LOVE shopping, teaching, baking, and decorating!
Behavior
I believe that it is all about setting high expectations for everyone,
showing respect to one another, caring for everyone, and helping
each other whenever possible. It is a community working together
to establish mutual respect, build self-esteem, and celebrating
success. We will focus on the positive behaviors rather than
negative.
The Take Home Folder is our daily communication and report of
behavior. Your child will receive a conduct grade every 3 weeks
and the final conduct grade is on the report card.
Conduct Grading Scale
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E = Exceeds Expectations (0-5 marks)
S = Satisfactory (6-10 marks)
N = Needs Improvement (11-15 marks)
U = Unsatisfactory (16+ marks)
Curriculum
• Reading
• Word Work
• Writing
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Reading is taught through Read
Alouds (comprehension skills),
Shared Reading (whole class reads
a familiar text to build fluency) and
Guided Reading (individualized
instructions)
• Focus on story elements,
sequencing, types of sentences,
nouns & verbs, fiction and non
fiction, vocabulary development,
main idea… and so much more!
• Students need to
read independently
at a level J by the
end of First Grade.
• Teachers take
records of students
reading and
determine when to
move students to a
new level. This is
an ongoing process.
Word Work
• This is when we teach students about how
words work. Some examples of things we
learn are long and short vowels,
contractions, blends, and patterns in
words.
• At home, you can practice spelling words,
talk about the pattern in words, and make
lists of other words that do and do not fit
the pattern.
Writing
• Writing is taught during Writing Workshop
• High frequency words are expected to be
spelled correctly.
• Students are encouraged to stretch the
words and write the sounds they hear.
• At home:
– Encourage students to write stories about things they
are excited about (birthday parties, loosing a tooth,
vacation, etc.).
– Work on penmanship, and stretching words then
moving on. Every word does not need to be spelled
correctly. Writing should be fun!
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Addition and Subtraction Facts
Geometry
Counting Money
Telling Time
Graphing
Problem solving
Fractional Parts (half and fourth)
Place Value
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Science Safety
Observing and recording properties
Five Senses
Four Seasons
Living vs Nonliving
Animal Characteristics
Force and Motion
Life Cycles
Plants
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Rules and laws
Citizenship
Needs vs Wants
Customs
Map skills
Communities
Timelines
Calendars
Holidays
Emergencies
Please make sure that we have the
correct emergency phone numbers on file
and keep them updated.
Grades
You can access your child’s grades online through the
school website. Information will be sent home from the
office explaining how to go about viewing student
grades.
Please take the time to look over any graded papers
sent home each week and review any skills or areas of
weakness with your child.
Homework
The most important thing you can do for your
child at home is READ! We recommend 20
minutes every single night. Use the reading log!
Math: Math homework will vary.
Homework is not graded. It is for your information and practice.
Important Information
• If you have important papers or notes that
need to come to school, please send them in
your child’s Take Home Folder. I will be
checking these each morning.
Keeping Informed
• Visit our classroom website frequently.
The Posts will let you know what we
are learning about each week, and our
calendar will keep you up-to-date,
reminding you about upcoming due
dates and events.
• Watch for emails
Lunch
• Our lunchtime is from 11:20-11:50 AM.
• If you would like to come and have lunch with your child,
please check-in with the front office (you will be required
to show picture ID). There is a designated table in the
cafeteria where you and your child may sit and eat. It is a
school policy that parents allow only their child to sit with
them, and not friends of their child from their class/other
classes.
• Parents may not accompany students to the recess field
for safety reasons.
Other Items
•Red Wednesday Folders- these folders will contain
any notes from the office as well as the students’ weekly
progress reports
•Birthdays- only store bought cupcakes at lunchtime
are allowed
•Class Parties- Christmas and Valentines Day.
•Snack – Snacks are eaten in class and must be
nutritional finger foods. Snacks are not provided by the
teacher or school.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Parent/Teacher conferences will be held as
soon as testing is completed. During this
conference, we will be discussing your
child's strengths and weaknesses,
assessment results, behavior and any
additional concerns you may have.
• I will be contacting you soon to set up a
conference.
Questions
Please feel free to contact me anytime you
have questions. You can do this in a variety of
ways:
•Write a note
•Send an email- melissawalker@tomballisd.net
•Call me at school: 281-357-3134 x3049
•Make an appointment for a conference: 1:40-2:40
Reading
Transportation
Your child will return from school in the same manner
he/she arrived unless we have a signed note
changing the method of transportation. The note
stating the transportation change must be given to the
front office the day of the transportation change.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
United
We will work together to help your child
succeed!!
Volunteers
• This year the district is requiring every volunteer to
apply before entering the classroom. The application
can be found at this link:
https://tomball.cloud.talentedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=717
• I will be contacting parents who signed up to
volunteer in the next few weeks.
• Thank you for your help!
Website
• If you haven’t already become a visited our
classroom website, please make sure you do
so soon.
• This will be my primary means of
communicating with you throughout the year.
You
• You are your child’s first and most
important teacher.
• I hope that we can work together this
year to make your child’s 1st grade
school year a huge success!
Zzzzz…
• Please make sure your child gets plenty of
sleep each night, so that he/she is well
rested and ready for the challenges of first
grade.
• This year will ZOOM by, so let’s make the
most of it.
Thank you for
Coming!