Welcome to our 1 st grade Open House September 4, 2014

The front doors open at 7:15 AM. Breakfast is served from 7:20 – 7:45 AM Staff on car duty starting at 7:30 AM A student entering the building anytime after 8:00 AM will be counted tardy. If tardy, parents are asked to escort students into the building and sign them in at the front reception desk. Please limit tardies as they interrupt instructional time.

Texas has a compulsory attendance law which requires students to be in attendance the full instructional time class is offered unless a valid excuse is presented. If your child has a doctor/dentist appointment and returns to school the same day, he/she will be counted present as long as an excuse from the doctor/dentist is provided. If your child is absent, you need to send a note to the school within three days of when he/she returns. Please include your child’s name, teacher’s name, date of absence, and the reason for the absence. Excessive absences/tardies means that your child will be missing out on important instructional time. 3 or more tardies will also prevent perfect attendance awards.

Anyone entering the building or picking up a child will need to present their Driver’s License to the front desk clerk. This is a district policy and is in place for the safety of the students and staff at Shadycrest. Anyone other than the parent/guardian must be indicated on the emergency card in order to pick up your child. This year we will have some 4 th grade Owl Patrol students that will help us in assisting our lower level students during arrival and dismissal periods. For their safety, while out at car rider duty we will ask these students not to step off the curb.

Tuesday Folders: A “Peek of the Week” will be attached to the weekly Skyward highlighting skills that will be studied for the week as well as other important reminders. Please let the teacher know if you do not have an and they will send home a paper copy. These are also posted online. Conduct Folders: Conduct folders are sent home weekly to inform you of conduct and work habit grades as well as inform you of minor redirections noted throughout the week. Anything serious will be discussed personally at the time of the incident or through parent conferences. Phone Calls/ s: If you leave a phone message for a teacher or send them an , they will respond within 24 hours. Emergency Communication Procedures: Blackboard Connect is a call notification system that will be utilized to provide information and inform you of emergency situations. Please keep your emergency contact numbers updated so the system can contact you about any situations. This system will also be used sparingly to notify you of upcoming campus events.

Show respect Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself Follow classroom directions (talking) Walk slowly and quietly Raise your hand and wait to be recognized

Conference Time: 8:15- 9:00 Monday – Friday (except Wednesdays ) Please call for an appointment (281) Homework Expectations: Starting October first, we will have homereaders. Instructions will go home then explaining the routine. We will have several optional projects throughout the year. We also have few “themed’ backpacks that will go home with your child. Discipline Plan: Each Conduct and Work Habit mark: E, S, N, U 0-1 Conduct Marks = E 2-3 Conduct Marks = S 4-6 Conduct Marks = N 7+ Conduct Marks = U

Grading Procedures: Instead of grades on the report card the students will have an NS (Needs Support), SD (Steadily Developing), or AI (Academically Independent) Progress Reports: Progress reports will be sent home two times in between each report card. Report Cards: For conduct and work habits students can receive E, S, N, or U. For music, PE, and art students will receive a grade of S, N, or U.

First Grade Report Card Parent Information Power- Point A PowerPoint has been developed for Parents to introduce the new non-numerical First Grade Report Card. It is located as a Quick Link on the PISD Curriculum & Instruction Department home page. Upon opening, the PowerPoint plays automatically with narration. The link below will take you directly to the Curriculum & Instruction home page:

Promotion from grade 1 to the next grade level shall be based on proficiency in reading, language arts, and mathematics, as demonstrated by earning a grade of at least Steadily Developing (SD) for a majority of the grades in each of those subjects on the final report card of grade 1. In grade 2, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on an average of 70 or above on a scale of 100 based upon course-level, grade-level standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) in each of the following areas: mathematics, reading, and language arts. In grades 3-6, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on an overall average of 70 on a scale of 100 based upon course-level, grade-level standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) in each of the following areas: mathematics, reading, language arts, science, and social studies. In addition, students must have a grade of 70 or above in each of the following areas: mathematics, reading, and language arts.

For information on the general grade level skills your child will cover this year, please visit the following website: (then click on grade level)

Pearland ISD has established a standardized dress code for students. Please be advised that at each occurrence of dress code violation, the students will be issued a consequence. A copy of the dress code is available on page 97 of the Pearland ISD Student Code of Conduct handbook as well as on the district website. Additional copies can also be obtained from the front office as needed. Common Violations: cargo shorts, white pants, ripped jeans, light up shoes, etc… Please label sweaters, hoodies, lunch kits and jackets. Shadycrest spirit shirts as well as district spirit shirts from our feeder campuses (Alexander, East, Pearland High School) can be worn daily. College shirts may be worn on Fridays only. We appreciate you working with us to ensure your child is in compliance.

Your child will rotate through PE, Music, and Library each week. Your child will also attend art once a week at a separate time. They will attend library, music, and art once a week and PE three times a week. So that your child can come prepared with proper shoes or their library book, our class rotation will be as follows… Monday: Music Tuesday: PE Wednesday: Library Thursday: PE Friday: PE

Children need healthy meals to learn. Pearland ISD offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $1.25 and lunch costs $2.25. Your children may qualify for free or significantly reduced priced meals. Applications are available online. Paper copies of this application can also be obtained upon request. Please note that you must re-apply for this each year and that you will need to cover the cost of meals until the application is approved.

Parents can eat at the table across from their child or choose to enjoy our outdoor picnic sitting area. We kindly ask that your child not bring a friend outside. When lunch is over, we ask that you refrain from walking down the hall with the class. Information on how to access student lunch accounts is located on the Pearland Food Service website. There is a link for Parent Online meal payments. Restrictions can also be set to limit snacks or indicate allergies, etc… There is no fee for this service. The Texas Department of Agriculture has created nutrition guidelines for Texas Public Schools. Schools may not provide foods of minimal nutritional value to students at any time during the school day. Therefore, birthday treats may not be given during lunch. Store bought cupcakes will be allowed for student birthdays and ½birthday celebrations. Please drop them off at the front desk with your child’s name and their teacher’s name. The teacher will distribute treats to the students the last fifteen minutes of the instructional day. **(No favors, paper products, or balloons please.)

A positive incentive plan is set up in the cafeteria to promote good behavior. We recognize that their social time at school is limited. While we want all children to be able to enjoy talking to their friends at lunch, we need the volume to be reasonable for student safety. A variety of different incentives are set in place to reward safe lunchtime conversation. In order to prevent the entire class from being penalized in anyway for the actions of a few, students will be redirected individually. Students are given an individual warning and then if they choose not to redirect, they will be asked to move to an assigned seat at the end of the table. If a student continues to not comply they will be moved to an isolated desk. Further non- compliance results in lunch detention in the office and parent contact.

If you have a kindergarten student that is a bus rider, an adult must be at the bus stop upon arrival. The driver will not leave these students unattended. Students are not allowed to ride the bus home with other students at any time. Concerns regarding transportation or changes to the bus registration paperwork should be directed to the transportation department directly at

If you are going to walk up to pick up your child, your child needs to be designated as a cafeteria walk up. These students will be dismissed out of the cafeteria. Please do not block driveways while parking. IDs are not checked for adults picking up students designated as cafeteria walk-up. If you prefer the enhanced security you will want to designate your child as a car rider. For safety reasons, please do not park in the school parking lots and walk in if your child is designated cafeteria walk up.

Car riders are picked up at the front of the building. For safety reasons, we ask that parents do not walk up to pick up students designated as car riders. Please make certain that a dashboard placard is visible with student name and grade level. Students will be called to a column with a teacher on duty to be waiting for you to pull around. Without a placard, we will ask that you pull to the front for us to check driver’s license and ensure the driver is an approved emergency contact. Feel free to have multiple Shadycrest dashboard placards if you have different individuals picking up your child. Students need to load on the right side of the vehicle. If your child needs help buckling their seat belt, please pull out of line and into a parking spot to buckle students in. Auction spots Your child’s safety is our #1 priority! Although slow in the beginning of the year, this process will improve drastically as we get into a routine. Your cooperation and patience with beginning of the year dismissal is appreciated.

Only students living in the neighborhood can be designated as walkers. If you do not live in the neighborhood your child will need to be a car rider or cafeteria walk up. Kindergarten students will not be allowed to walk home without a parent or designated adult. If you have a kindergarten students that you want to walk home, they must be designated as a cafeteria walk-up.

Fire: A fire drill is required each month of the school year. Students are expected to exit the building quietly with their class through the nearest exit. Teachers use class rosters to make sure we have accounted for all students. Once everyone is clear, two bells signal reentry into the building. Tornado: Tornado drills occur two times a year. During these drill, classes with windows relocate to an interior room with no windows and review duck and cover with their students. Lockdown: We are required to have 2 lockdown drills each year. During a lockdown drill, teachers turn out the lights, lock their doors, and hide their class from view. These drills occur so that students and teachers are better prepared in the unlikely event that there is an intruder in the building.

Any time a teacher has a concern or needs additional ideas on how to support a student in the classroom, the teacher can schedule an RtI meeting with a group of colleagues. This committee addresses instructional, behavioral or social/emotional needs. Parents are invited to be a part of this process and are also given paperwork to complete so that your input is involved.

We are a cluster class. We will do several lessons each grading period with the focus on patterns. The goal at the end of the year is to learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and the patterns in his work. We will also dive deeper into the content that is taught.

Teachers will send a Skyward Family Access to let parents know when they will be having a BYOD day. When students come in to class on a BYOD day, the teacher will collect the labeled devices in a plastic tub and distribute them to the correct student when it is time for the BYOD part of the lesson. When teachers leave the room for any reason on a BYOD day, they will lock their classroom doors. Please download a QR code reader and pic collage. We will be using those apps many times throughout the year.

Students do not need a device to participate in the lesson. Device and protective case should be clearly labeled with the child’s full name. (use a label maker, masking tape, etc.. to label the devices) Device should be charged prior to bringing it to school. A protective case that the students can’t remove easily is highly recommended for the device. Devices are only allowed on BYOD days. Devices will be used for teacher led instruction only. Students are responsible for their personal property. The school cannot be responsible for lost/stolen/damaged personal property. Students may not physically share devices. Students must be able to operate their device, including knowing how to connect to Wi-Fi. (PARENTS: make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled on the device) If an app will be used in a lesson, it must be downloaded prior to bringing the device to school. (PARENTS: Make sure that the app works and that there is enough storage on the device before sending it to school) It is recommended that the device be Wi-Fi capable, have a camera, and be able to open PDF files. (Devices that have worked well: iPhone, iPad, etc…; Devices that have had difficulties: Kindle)

We love parent volunteers! Volunteering can mean joining the PTA and assisting with a carnival booth shift on a Saturday, helping coordinate our classroom parties, assisting regularly in the cafeteria or library, taking off a day of work to attend the field trip, or cutting out things at home for a class project. This year our PTA is continuing the ‘Watch Dog’ ( D ads O f G reat S tudents) program to encourage Dad’s to take a stand in supporting the school. There is not a standard mold for a volunteer here at Shadycrest. If you want to help—we want you! If you are interested in volunteering, please let us or the PTA know. Volunteers should also complete a criminal background check online. Tonight we also have a sign up sheet for you to be able to give your contact info to the room mom.

Checks should have driver’s license and phone number on them. As teachers we are not to collect and hold money in our classrooms overnight. Therefore, it is safest to send picture money, PTA fundraiser money, etc. to school as close as possible to the collection date and not too far in advance. Please also place it in a sealed envelope in your child’s backpack with your child’s name, phone number and what the money is for. Students can then take the money to the PTA, café, etc.

Any questions I can help answer this evening?

We look forward to teaching your child and working together to make this a truly successful year! for taking the time to attend this evening!