Welcome to Ms. Harper’s 1st
Grade Class!
Alabama Elementary School, Room 25
School Phone Number: 999-9999
My email: kharper@aeschool.edu
Class website:
www.aeschool.edu/kharper
Our Class Schedule
Specials:
Music
Art
Counselor
Library
Computer Lab
7:30-7:45
7:45-8:00
8:00-9:00
9:00-10:00
10:00-11:00
11:00-11:05
11:05-11:35
11:35-11:40
11:40-12:00
12:00-12:45
12:45-1:20
1:20-2:10
2:10-2:20
2:20-2:45
2:45-2:55
Arrival
Morning Work
Reading/Reading Intervention
Math/Math Intervention
Language Arts
Restroom/Wash Hands/Water
Lunch
Restroom/Wash Hands/Water
Recess
Science
P.E.
Social Studies
Snack
Specials
Clean-up/Dismissal
Our Morning
Routine
o Every morning when you come into our classroom, you
will quietly remove any notes, lunch boxes, and your 1
inch white binder and then zip your backpack up and
place it in the backpack bucket that is in the closet.
o Place your binder in the binder basket in the back of
the room.
o Go to the smart board in the front of the room and drag
your name from the “I’m Absent!” circle to the “I’m Here!”
circle.
Our Morning
Routines
o Go to the lunch chart on the back wall and
place your name card under “choice #1”,
“choice #2”, or “brought my lunch.”
o Place any notes to me or lunch money in
the “IN” basket that is located on my desk.
o Take two pencils from the “SHARP”
bucket, and take them to your seat. Return
any pencils that need to be sharpened to
the “SHARPEN ME!” bucket.
Our Morning
Routine!
Sit down at
your seat and
quietly begin
working on
your morning
work!
Bringing Something
Important from Home?
o Please
have your parent send any
money in an envelope with your name
and the purpose of the money on the
front of the envelope!
o Make sure you bring the money in
your daily binder and place it in the “IN”
basket on my desk when you get to
class.
Attendance
o Please make sure you move your name every morning!
This is the only way that I’ll know you are here!
I’m
DanielAbsent!
Lauren
I’m Here!
Anna
Jenifer
Robert
Jaime
Ava
Mark
Joseph
Lisa
Derek
Alex
Darius
Sara
Lunch Count
o After you move your name to the “I’m Here!” circle on the smart
board, you will go to the chart in the back of the room.
o Take your name card from the stack on the bookshelf, and place it
under “Choice #1,” “Choice #2”, or “Brought from Home.”
o The cafeteria menu will be posted on the wall above the lunch
chart. Find today’s date and read the choices before placing your
card in the chart.
Choice
#1
Choice
#2
Broug
ht from
Home
Oh No! I’m Late!
o If you come to school after 7:50am, you must be
signed into the front office by a parent or legal guardian
before you come to class!
o Don’t be late! If you get 3 tardies, it will count as one
unexcused absence.
o Make sure you are in the classroom before 7:50 in
order to not be counted tardy.
o We want you here with us!
Missed School
Lately?
o What does “absent” mean? Absent simply means that
you are not in school.
o There are two types of absences:
Excused and Unexcused
o Absences are excused when you bring a doctor’s
excuse, note from a parent, or you are missing school for a
school-related function. You will be allowed to make up
any work you miss if you have a written excuse.
o Absences are not excused without a written excuse. You
will be allowed to make-up missed work, but you will only
get half credit.
End of the Day Routine
o Every day at 2:45, we will clean up our classroom.
Everyone will participate in cleaning up your
specific area to make sure that our class is ready
for the next day.
o After our classroom is clean, I will call you and
other students by table, and you will quietly go get
your backpack, binder, lunchbox, and jacket/coat.
o You will take your backpack to your seat and put
any homework, textbooks, and your binder into your
backpack.
End of the Day Routine
o After every student has gotten their
backpacks, I will call you by tables to line
up at the door. The students who are
sitting quietly, and have a clean area will
get to line up first.
o I will go over which students are the
bus riders, afterschool care, and car
riders to make sure every one knows
where they will be going.
o When the bell rings at 2:50, we will walk
quietly down the hall to the lobby of the
school.
End of the Day
Routine
o If you are a car rider, you will go to the
gymnasium and wait to be called to the carpool
line by a teacher or faculty member
o If you are a bus rider, you will go to the
lunchroom and wait to be called to the bus line by
a teacher or faculty member.
o If you are in after school care, you will go to the
computer lab and wait for instruction from a
teacher or faculty member.
Early Dismissal
o Sometimes we will have to leave
school early because of things like
bad weather. Don’t worry! I will make
sure that your parents know what is
going on!
o I will call and email your parents,
and unless your parents ask me to do
anything differently, we will still follow
our normal end of the day routine!
Hungry for
Homework!
o You will get the homework assignment for the week
in the left front pocket of your daily binder every
Monday.
o After you complete your homework, make sure that
it is in your binder and a parent has signed it.
o I will check homework on Friday every week so
make sure you bring your binder to class!
o Make sure your binder is in the binder basket in the
back of the room every day during class.
Hungry for Homework!
o In addition to the weekly homework
assignment, you are expected to
complete 15 minutes of reading in
your AR book every day! There will
be a sheet in the front of your binder
clipped into the rings for your parents
to sign showing that you did this
reading every day!
o I will check for parent signatures
for the week on Friday!
Forgot To Turn In Your
Homework?
o You must have a written excuse to receive full credit on late
homework.
o Late homework must be turned in no later than a week after
the day it was due to receive credit.
o You can get homework and class work that you may have
missed in the “Catch-Up” bucket in the back corner of our
classroom. Only take the sheets with your name written on it.
o Always do your homework so you can make good grades!
It’s Your Birthday!
o Every time you or another
student has a birthday, you will
be recognized!
o On your birthday, you will get a
birthday hat to wear all day!
o You will also receive a special
treat from me, and get a birthday
certificate!
Smart Cookie Award!
o Every Monday during lunch, I will award a student with a
“Smart Cookie Award!”
o You will receive a Smart Cookie Certificate and a delicious
chocolate chip cookie from the lunchroom!
o When we return to the classroom, you have the opportunity
to move your things to the desk located next to my desk!
o Every student will get the opportunity to earn the Smart
Cookie Award!
End of the Year
Party!
o On our last day of school, we will celebrate by
having a end of the year class party!
o We want to celebrate all of your
accomplishments and growth during our time
together!
o We will take a class picture, play games, eat
food, and a lot more!
o Your parents are welcome to come and take
pictures!
Holiday Bash!
o Before we leave school for winter break,
we will have a holiday celebration! We will
have snacks and listen to holiday music.
Each of you will draw another students
name out of a bucket and write that person
a card.
o For Valentine’s day, you will each draw a
name out of a bucket and write/draw that
person a valentine’s day card. We will give
our cards out during snack time, and I will
provide a special snack for everyone!
Medicine!
o You are not allowed to bring any
medicine with you to school! This
includes prescription medicine, nonprescription medicine, cough drops,
Advil, etc.
o Medicine must be taken to the nurse
and signed in by a parent.
o Your parents will also need to notify
the nurse of any allergies you may have,
or changes in medication.
Visitors!
o Your parents are allowed to come eat lunch with
you when they have time, but they cannot bring
restaurant food into the school. Lunch starts at
11:05 and ends at 11:35.
o Please tell your parents that they MUST sign in at
the front office and get a visitor’s sticker before
going anywhere in the school! This is very
important. Visitor’s also need to sign out in the
office when they leave.
Want to Volunteer?
o Ask your parents or grandparents if they are
interested in volunteering at Alabama
Elementary School!
We need volunteers for:
o Room Parent/Grandparent-party planning,
bulletin board making etc.)
o Book Fairs-money exchange, set-up
o Field Trip Chaperones
o PTO events-carnival booth, concession stand
o Please have your parents or grandparents
contact me, or the school if they would like to
volunteer at our wonderful elementary school!
Our Classroom
Rules!
o
o
o
o
o
Keep your hands, feet, and other
objects to yourselves.
Follow all directions the first
time they are given.
Clean up after yourself
Raise your hand and wait to
speak
Have a positive attitude and
make things fun!
Clothespins!
o In our class, every student will have a
clothespin with their name written on it. The
clothespins will go on a chart on the wall near my
desk.
o The chart has three different levels: Excellent
Job, Ready to Learn, and Needs to Work Harder.
o Every student starts the day off on “Ready to
Learn!”
o Students clothespins will move up or down the
chart depending on their behavior.
Excellent
Job!
Ready to
Learn!
Needs to
Work
Harder!
Consequences
o First offense: Warning
o Second offense: Move clothespin to “Needs More
Work”
o Third offense: Note and phone call home to parents.
o Fourth offense: A referral will be written and you will be
sent to the Principal’s office.
o Everyone has the opportunity to make the right choices
and move back up to the “Excellent Job!” section of the
chart! Work hard and make good choices every day!
Rewards!
o I love to give out rewards and prizes to students who
are working hard and making good decisions!
o I will give out different types of rewards such as:
o Free time (to read, play on the computer, and
even talk to me!)
o Receive a coupon from the coupon machine!
o Verbal Praise
o Stickers
Every student has the opportunity to earn a
reward, as long as they are doing what you are
supposed to be doing!
Let’s Talk!
o Please ask your parents to regularly check their emails
and their voicemails.
o If anything happens, I need to be able to get in touch
with your parents or grandparents, so please ask them to
make sure that I have up-to-date contact information.
o I will also send notes home in folders to communicate
with your parents as well.
Group Work!
o Each of you will be put into one of 4 different groups: the
Blue Group, Yellow Group, Green Group, and Purple Group.
o We will use groups during our Reading/Reading
Intervention time every day. This will be called Centers.
o When you are in your groups, you need to quietly and
kindly work with others. This is not playtime, and I expect the
noise level to stay at a quiet whisper.
o During centers, I will play music when it is time to change
into a different center. This needs to be done quietly!
Group Work!
o Help your group members stay on task and
complete the assignment that you were given.
o Ask 3 before me! If you have a question, politely and
quietly ask 3 of your group members before leaving
your seat and asking me.
o Do not bother, distract, or talk to other groups! This
is a time for you to work with your group members
only!
o Remember our class rules! Respect everyone and
treat others the way you would want to be treated!
So, What Are
Centers?
o During our reading time we
will rotate in our groups
between these centers:
o EEKK Partner Reading
o Listening to Reading
o Word Study
o Silent Reading
o Computer Games
o And many more!
Centers Are Fun!
o When centers begin, each student will get into their
assigned group and I will tell you which color will be at
which center.
o When the music comes on to change centers,
students will stop what you are doing, tidy up your
center and quietly walk to the center chart on the wall.
o Then, you will find the center that has your group
color underneath it, and quietly walk to that center.
Independent Work!
o Now that it’s time to work on our own, what do we do?
Each of you will sit at your table in your assigned seat and
quietly get started on your assignment!
o This is not the time to talk to friends or work with others!
You are expected to do this task on your own! This means
that there should be NO talking from anyone in the room!
We don’t want to distract our friends!
o Stay in your seat! This is not the time to walk around, get
water, or anything else.
Independent Work!
o What if I have a question? If you don’t understand
something, raise your hand and I will come help you.
o When you are finished, look at the “What do I do
now?” poster on the wall in the front of the room to
get ideas of things you should do when you finish
early. This could be things like Silent Reading, or
Finish Other Assignments from your “Work in
Progress” folder.
o Should you talk to your friends when you finish?
No, No, and No! Let’s give our friends the courtesy
and time they deserve to finish their assignments.
Where Do We Find Our
Materials?
o Each table will have a materials bucket that will have
extra pencils, crayons, markers, and colored pencils.
o These materials are a privilege to have in our
classroom and we need to take good care of them.
o Do not break crayons, pull erasers off of pencils, bend
or tear books, or play with rulers. Let’s set an example for
the rest of the school!
o I will sharpen pencils every morning and place them
into the “Sharp” bucket in the corner of the room.
Materials!
o We need to be very careful with our computers!
They should be used appropriately. Do not bring
food or water near them, and be gentle with the
keyboard and mouse!
o I will pass out glue, scissors, play-doh, paint,
and other messy materials before we need to use
them for specific activities.
o Clean up materials after you use them and
make sure that you put them back in the
appropriate spots.
Can I borrow your…
o If you would like to borrow something that another
student has, you must ask them politely. I do not allow
students to take things from other people, so you need
permission before using anyone else’s materials.
o After you are done using the item you borrowed, politely
return it to the friend who allowed you to borrow it and tell
them thank you!
o Treat other people’s property just like it is yours!
My Desk!
o Please do not go behind my desk. I
have important materials behind it.
o Please do not move or take anything out
of or off of my desk!
o My desk is my place to keep all of my
important things, so please respect my
property.
Restroom Break!
o Every student may use the restroom before
entering our classroom in the morning, but
you must be in our classroom when the bell
rings at 7:50!
o Students will be allowed to leave my
classroom to use the restroom only 2 times
during the day. (Unless medical reasons
require more trips or it is an emergency.)
o WALK to the restrooms. Be an example for
the rest of the school!
Restroom Break!
o Students will be allowed to “Sign Out” in the
Restroom book by the door. You must write your
name, the time you left the classroom, and the
time you returned. There will be a digital clock
located on the wall if you need extra help with
telling time.
o Please do not take advantage of the sign out
book. If we start having problems with students
not using the book, or leaving class to use the
restroom more than 2 times, I will change the
procedure.
Water Break!
o Water breaks will be allowed before and after
P.E. and Lunch. You will also be allowed to get
water during snack time if needed.
o If you need extra water, ask me and I will try
to accommodate.
o I don’t allow water bottles in the classroom
because of the possibility of spilling and
sharing germs, so please do not bring water
bottles to class with you. (Unless you have a
medical reason.)
White Binder!
o Each of you will have a white binder that you will bring to school
everyday, and take home every night.
o This binder will contain important things such as notes from me,
monthly grade reports, notes or flyers from the school.
o There will be a spot on the grade report for your parents to initial
each month. Signing this grade report tells me that your parents
have reviewed your grades, and your parents know what is going
on.
White Binder!
o This binder will also contain graded worksheets that you have
completed in class. I will have copies for my records already filed.
o Your reading log will be clipped into the front of your white binder
and will have a place for your parents to sign each week.
o Make sure you bring your white binder to class with you everyday
and take it home every night!
Work in Progress Folder
o Your “Work in Progress” folder is
clipped into your daily white binder.
oThis red folder will contain work that
you did not get time to finish during class
time.
o You may take this red folder out and
work on incomplete work when you have
free time, during snack, or if you finish
another assignment early. You may also
work on these assignments at home if
you would like to!
Talk to Me!
Weekly Newsletters:
o Each week, I will send out a newsletter telling you and your parents what is
going on in our classroom! It will contain important dates in both the class and
the school, what we’re learning in class, and any information that your parents
may need to know!
Monthly Progress Reports:
o I think it is important for your parents to know how each of you are doing in
class, so your parents will sign a grade sheet in your white binder.
Conferences:
o Your parents and I will have 1 conference each semester. I will post the
conference days and times on the back of the each weekly newsletter, and on
our class website.
Honorable Mentions
o I would like to thank Dr. Jenifer Moore, Dr. Tarsha
Bluiett, Ms. JiJi Lawley, Ms. Angela Binkerd, and Ms.
Karen Morrison for their positive ideas and helpful
instruction.
THANK YOU!!!
o I am so excited to have each and every one of you in
my class! I think that we are going to have a wonderful
school year and I cannot wait to get to know each of
you!
o Thank you for being a wonderful audience and paying
attention!
o I hope you all are excited about the first day of school!
I know I am!
Sincerely,
Ms. Harper