Welcome to First Grade!

School Climate Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) ◦ Catoctin is a PBIS school. We are working as school to be respectful, ready, and responsible. When the children are seen exhibiting these behaviors they are recognized with golden tickets. The children will be able to save up their golden tickets and then “purchase” items from a prize store.

Classroom Climate Respectful: Use polite and kind words Stay in your personal space Raise your hands Work quietly Listen to others Responsible: Follow directions and class routines Complete work given Make good choices Clean up after yourself Ready: Have materials ready Give your best effort Stop, Look, and Listen (FREEZE!)

Classroom Climate (cont.) Rewards ◦ Class prizes ◦ Golden tickets Consequences ◦ Color Model: blue=exceeds, green=meets, yellow=progressing, and red=below expectations for behavior ◦ Each day the children will start on yellow. As the day progresses each child will have the opportunity to move to green or blue if he/she exhibits appropriate behavior. If there is a problem he/she will be asked to move to red. If the child ends the day on red, a red note will come home.

Classroom Climate (cont.) ◦ Classroom and office referrals will be used. If your child receives a referral you will receive a phone call. ◦ Think papers will be used at times. ◦ Please, review any documentation (red notes, referrals, or think papers) with your child, sign, and return to school the following day. ◦ If anyone harms another child on purpose he/she will be asked to speak with an administrator.

Toys/ “Look-Alikes” LCPS policy is no weapon of any kind may be on school property. This does include “look-alikes”. For example: toy guns, etc. Please, help to enforce this policy with your child.

Planners Thanks to all the money that was earned through Box Tops for Education, each child was provided a planner. Each day your child will record the color he/she ended the day on and a picture, word, or picture about his/her day. Planners will come home daily. Please, initial that you saw your child’s planner. In the front of the planner you will find the Catoctin handbook. Please, take time to review this information with your child.

Attendance The tardy bell rings at 7:50 a.m. Students must be in the classroom by 7:50 a.m. If a child arrives after this time (not by bus) he/she will have to go to the office to get a tardy pass. Please keep in mind that the car drop off is a distance from our classroom. If the child was in breakfast he/she will not be marked tardy.

Tuesday Folders Tuesday Folders will go home on Tuesday. Catoctin will be sending home all paperwork on Tuesdays in this folder. Please, take time to review the work and sign the folder. Please, return the folder the next school day. If you have any comments or questions about your child’s work simply write it in the folder. I will send all work, papers from me, and anything that is NOT time sensitive in the Tuesday Folder.

Take Home Folders Take home folders will remain in the children’s book bags. If there is something that needs to go home on a particular day (not a Tuesday) I will have the children place it in the take home folder. If you have a note for me please, do the same. It is the children’s responsibility to check the folder daily and put things for me in my box. I do not check book bags so please remind your child to check his/her folder.

Homework Homework will start in late September or early October. It will be a weekly packet that will contain a reading log, word study log, math, and sentence writing practice. Homework packets will be handed out on Mondays and be due the following Monday. The children should engage in 20 minutes of reading a night. More information will follow.

Sunshine Math Sunshine Math will be offered to first grade students if there is enough parent interest. This will be a combination of home and school work. More information to follow.

Pathways Catoctin is a Pathways school. Pathways is a balanced approach to literacy. The daily components are word study, shared reading, guided reading, centers, read aloud, independent reading, and writers’ workshop. The sound charts are used as a reference tool. It would be great to practice these at home. Poems, passages, and big books are used to promote fluency, sight words, and skills.

Responsive Instruction (RI) (Power-Up) RI will take place daily from 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Each student will participate in a short assessment focusing on fluency in early September RI instruction will begin in the end of September RI will focus on fluency instruction

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) The DRA is a reading assessment that is administered at the beginning and end of first grade. The DRA is an assessment that is used to find the child’s independent reading level. The DRA provides essential information about the child’s decoding skills, comprehension skills, and fluency. At conference time we will go over your child’s testing in detail.

Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) The PALS is administered at the beginning and end of first grade. The PALS provides information about the child’s knowledge of letter sounds, spelling, and instructional reading level. We will discuss your child’s PALS at conference time as well.

First Quarter Conferences I would like to meet with each family at the end of first quarter for a conference. Please sign up for a conference before leaving tonight. If there is not a time that works with your schedule please indicate that and we can schedule a conference that works with both of our schedules.

Accelerated Reading (AR) When a child is able to read and comprehend on a DRA level 16 he/she will be invited to try the AR program. This is an independent, enrichment program. The child must be able to read the book on his/her own and take the test on his/her own. When a child is ready to take a test he/she should notify the teacher first thing in the morning.

Communication The first grade team will send out a monthly newsletter to keep you informed. Newsletters will be ed if you have provided your address. (see sign up) If necessary I will send home a note specific to your child. Notes and are the best ways to contact me for general things. My address is If you have a question that is child specific please, me so we can set up a time to conference via phone or in

Visitation All visitors must sign in at the office. Volunteers are welcome (please sign up) If you would like to visit the classroom (aside from volunteer work and special events) please, contact the administration and set up a time to come in and observe. Parents may attend lunch without notification but please sign in at the office and meet your child in the cafeteria.

Daily Schedule Refrigerator Reminder Monday: Library Tuesday: PE and Music Wednesday: PE and Music Thursday: Art Friday: Computer Lab and PE **Search and Guidance schedules have not been determined

Lunch Money Please make sure that your child has lunch money on his/her account. If your child has a check please, have him/her tell me first thing in the morning. Ice cream and cookies can be purchased in the cafeteria. Your child will have to select his/her lunch choice in the morning.

Snack/Water bottles The cafeteria is currently offering milk for 50 cents. Please, have your child tell me first thing in the morning if they would like to purchase white milk for snack. The children may bring in a water bottle to keep at their desk. I would prefer a bottle with a push top or straw rather than a cap. The children may bring a small healthy snack. Juice is only allowed in the cafeteria.

Birthdays Children/Families may not bring in any type of treats (edible) in celebration of a birthday. This is a LCPS policy. We can provide a list of other means of recognizing birthdays in school. Birthday party invitations may not be distributed in school. Please, join the PTA and submit your family’s information to be included in the Catoctin Directory.

Book Clubs Please, complete the letter regarding book orders if you would like to receive Scholastic orders forms. This is an opportunity to purchase books at a discounted rate that is purely optional.

Report Cards Please, review the brochure about the first grade report card. Progress Indicators for Academic Subject Areas will be: ◦ E (4)=exceeds standards ◦ M (3)=meets standards ◦ P (2)=progressing towards standard ◦ B (1)=performing below standard

Report Card Example

Curriculum The curriculum that is being covered will be listed in our newsletters. Each grading period’s curriculum will be posted as a link on the First Grade Webpage. Please, see website for first quarter curriculum. The Virginia SOLs can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website.

Grading Work that was done at centers will be marked with a “C”. Centers work is a formative assessment used to guide instruction. It will not be graded. If the child did well on an assignment it will have a star on it. If the child completed the work with just a few errors it will have a check mark on it. If the child had difficulty there will be a note on the paper. Please, review and talk with your child about the work. If a child has difficulty completing an assignment due to behavior it will be sent home to be completed at home. Graded assignments will be marked in a B(below), P(progressing), M (meets), or a E (exceeds). Some assessments will need to be returned to school after you have had a chance to review them.

Clarity Parent Portal Coming in January to first grade!! Parents will be able to access each child’s ongoing grades More information will follow

Thank you for coming to Back to School Night!