*Please begin by completing ALL of the pages on
the orange paper. I’d like to have this information
before you leave tonight. Please put completed
forms in the bin on my table.
*Please be sure to add your child to my
transportation sign up sheet at the back table I
need to know how your child will be getting home
each day.
*Also there is a sign up sheet at the back table to
volunteer for the first week of school.
Welcome to
Miss Hotz’s
Class!
• This is my 6th year teaching first grade at
Lowes Island.
• I am originally from Massachusetts and I am a
big Red Sox and Patriots Fan.
• I went to college at the University of Mary
Washington. I received my education
certification and my masters in elementary
education with a specialization in arts
integration.
• I love the arts and enjoy integrating singing,
dancing and signing into our daily routine.
Parent/Teacher Communication
•Blue Homework Folder: Please check this daily.
Be sure to initial your child’s reading log.
•Monday Folder: Please review all contents on
Monday, sign and date the outside of the folder
and return the empty folder to school on
Tuesday.
•Monday Memo: Will be posted on my web page
every Monday by 3:00. This will contain our
homework for the week, as well as other
important information. If you do not have
computer access please be sure to let me know.
Parent/Teacher Communication
•If your child is absent—you must call the absence line
in the office or use the absentee email on the magnet.
•Please do NOT e-mail me anything time sensitive. If I
am absent or if my e-mail is down, I may not get your
message.
•All changes in dismissal need to be sent in writing . If
there is a last minute change, please call the office.
•Please feel free to email me any questions or concerns
at: Ashley.Hotz@lcps.org
•Any visitors to the school must show the office an id.
Homework
Each student will have nightly homework that should take no more than 30
minutes. Word study will be checked DAILY, math will be checked
WEEKLY on Friday and reading logs will be checked MONTHLY. Please
complete all homework in pencil. A homework grade will be reflected on the
report card.
•Word Study: Please follow the homework chart glued on the inside of
the word study notebook. Please write the date at the top of each
assignment.
•Reading: Please read with your child 10 minutes a night and initial their
reading log found in their blue folder.
•Math: There will be weekly math homework due each Friday
FIRST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Help your child memorize their
lunch number and make sure your child wears their name tag daily to
school.
Birthdays
Due to policy changes throughout Loudoun County,
parents are no longer allowed to send in birthday treats
for the class. I understand that birthdays are a special
day for children and you are welcome to send in nonfood
items such as a favorite book for our classroom library,
pencils, stickers, bookmarks etc.
Snack and Lunch
• Students may bring in a small snack to enjoy during snack
time and it should be of nutritional value.(fruit, veggies,
granola bars)
•Juice should not be sent in during snack time but
students may have a water bottle with a top to enjoy
during class.
•Our lunch time is from 10:45-11:15. If you would like to join
your child for lunch please meet us in the cafeteria and say
goodbye before we go back to the classroom.
•Talk with your child about what they are having for lunch.
Star Student
I will be sending home a
schedule soon and the Monday
before your child’s week you
will be sent home a bag with
instructions on how to fill it.
Our Specials
PE: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
MUSIC: Tuesday and Thursday
GUIDANCE: Monday
SEARCH: alternating Fridays
COMPUTER LAB:-Wednesday
ART: Friday
LIBRARY: Monday
(make sure to send in library books)
Our Classroom Rules
1. We raise our hand when we want to share.
2. We listen when others are talking.
3. We use inside voices and walking feet in
school.
4. We take care of our things.
5. We take care of each other.
Classroom Management Plan
•Group: Class compliment chain
•Individual: School Store
Report Cards & Grading Scale
•I will go over the report card format in detail with each of you during
our first quarter conferences at the end of October.
•Students will receive grades for effort, behavior, and work habits:
O = Outstanding, S = Satisfactory, N = Needs Improvement
•Students will receive grades for their progress in specific academic
areas:
E = Exceeds Standard
M = Independently and Consistently Meets Standard
P = Progressing Towards Standard
B = Performing Below Standard
*It is perfectly ok to be getting S’s or P’s on
things. I don’t expect students to be exceeding
in everything. If a student gets an N or a B, this
means your child needs more practice in this
area.
*I will only be using the above scale on report
cards and on papers that I am assessing.
Everything else will either be  (checked) or
given a comment. Some papers may not have
markings on them. Your child may have done them
at a center or perhaps on their own time.
Reading & Writing
Get my mouth
ready to
make
the first
sound.
•Your child will participate in many reading and
writing activities throughout their school day.
•DRA used as a midyear and end of the year
assessment
Use
picture
clues.
Blend the
sounds or
chunks.
Find a little
word in a
big word.
•Please refer to the reading strategies hand-out
on my website when helping your child read at
home.
•Please be on the look out for book baggie
memo coming in the next few weeks.
Fill in
a word
that
makes
sense.
Skip the
word,
read
on a bit,
think, and then
go back to it.
In sect
Word Study
•Word Study is studied in small groups with a test
each Friday.
• Your child may change groups based on their
phonological development and they will be reassessed
quarterly.
•If you see easier words coming home, we are working
on HOW to sort our words and apply their phonetic
principles to student writing.
•If your child finds their words too easy challenge
them to apply their word study skills to new words so
they internalize the phonological feature.
Math
•In First Grade we use a Blended
Approach for Math.
•Student work in our Math books and
do hands-on activities “Investigations”.
•Math timed tests (each Wednesday)
•Calendar
•Patterns
•Counting, Writing,
Recognizing Numbers
to 100
•Graphing
•Understanding
addition
•Addition facts to 10
Social Studies:
•Citizenship
•Rules
•Pledge of Allegiance, Safety
•Community
•Past and Present
•Family
•Schools
•Transportation
•Columbus Day
Science:
•Autumn (plants, animals, people
•Sun and Earth (Day and Night)
•Animal coverings
The 1st grade classes wear Tie-Dyed T-Shirts for field trips
and other school activities. Please send in a plain white tshirt with your child’s name written on the tag with
permanent marker. Please rubber band the shirt in
advance, so that it’s ready to be dyed.
All t-shirts are due in by September 12th.
It is best to send in a shirt that is a bit larger than your
child would normally wear to allow for shrinkage.
We use Scholastic News to supplement our
curriculum. Please send a check made
payable to “Scholastic Magazine” for $5.50 to
school by September 12th. Please be sure to
include your child’s name in the memo. NO
CASH will be accepted.
Volunteers Needed!
• I need volunteers to come in to help the first
week of school. If you are interested please
sign up on the sheet at my back table.
• If you are interested in volunteering
throughout the school year please complete
and return my volunteer interest survey in
your folder.
Open House
*Tomorrow is open house from
8:30 am- 10:00 am.
*Please make sure you bring your child’s
school supplies with you.
*You will need to stop by the school store
near the office to get a few notebooks.
*The cafeteria staff will be available to put
money on your child’s account.
*I look forward to meeting all my new first
graders tomorrow!
Let’s go
through our
folder…….
Final Reminders
Please be sure your child knows exactly how he/she will be getting
home. If you have not added your child to my transportation form,
please do so before you leave today.
Remind your child what he/she will be having for lunch. Sometimes
children aren’t sure what they are supposed to buy and packers often
confuse their lunch for snack. You may consider packing the snack in
a separate container for the first few weeks.
Please check your child’s backpack when he/she comes home. There
will be many important papers that need to be completed by you and
returned to school as soon as possible.
Remember to send your child in their special tag EVERY DAY until I
let you know otherwise.
Thank you for sharing your child with me this year. It is
going to be a wonderful year and I can not do it
without your help and support! I look forward to
meeting your children tomorrow. If you have any
questions for me please write them on the sheet and
leave it on your child’s desk.