2. Graduate of Illinois State and Aurora University This is my 6th year teaching. This is my second year teaching first grade. I’ve been married my husband Deric for 5 years and we have a 19 month old son named Nolan.

3.  Each day we all start with our clips on Super Star  Students will move their clip for each warning.  There are two green spots, two orange and two red.  Green is my expectation; super star exceeds my expectation.  Your child’s behavior for the day will be marked in their daily folder.  A star indicates super star, regardless of the color.  Stallion Stars –Whole Class Reward  Table Points/Treasure Bag-Group Reward

4.  Comprehension Strategies: synthesizing, predicting, visualizing, making inferences, making connections, questions  Decoding Strategies: chunking, picture cues, looking at the first and last sound, does it make sense, reading on and coming back.  Mini Lesson, Independent Reading, Share Out  Reading Response Journals  Guided Groups (Book Bags go home.)  DRA-Reading Assessment  TPRI- Phonics Assessment

5.  Students working at their own pace  Sounding out words independently with use of word wall and dictionary.  Moving their clip to confer with the teacher when they feel they have revised and edited and are ready to publish.  Writing on a topic of their choosing. Mini Lesson, Independent Writing, Author’s Chair  Spelling Folder:  will contain each spelling test and will need to be signed and sent back to school after each test.  Words Their Way- To Start in the 2 nd 9 weeks

6. Use of math tools to solve the given problem and write how they solved the problem in words. Students are encouraged to find more than one way to solve the problem.  Fluency for Addition and Subtraction Facts to 18  You can access weekly problem solving examples from our website for additional practice at home.  Three number sets so that students are Working on a problem that best Fits their needs.

7.  Science Notebook: Students will be coming up with their own investigable questions and procedures as well as recording observations and sharing out during science. These notebooks belong to the students and they will be encouraged to utilize them at any time to record an observation.  Social Studies Notebook: these will contain Class work, thoughts, diagrams and graphic organizers.

8.  Problem Solving: Students will have a problem solving assessment folder. This will be sent home with the report card for you to view. Please return to school.  Writing Assessments: These will also go home with report cards. Please return to school.  Student’s published work that is not assessed will be sent home once shared.  You can always request to see any notebooks/folder  Graded spelling tests will go home in the spelling folder to be signed.  Benchmarks  Writing (4 evaluations scored by the report card rubric)  Math (unit tests, problem solving)  Science Unit Assessments  Social Studies Unit Assessments  District Report Cards  Scores of 1, 2, 3, 4 You will always know if you child is not meeting minimum expectations. You will know this well before report cards. Attendance is super important!! !

9.  Nightly Reading for 15 minutes  Book Bags (Log Reading and return to school)  Weekly Problem Solving Examples from my webpage. Can be printed and done at home. These will not be collected.

10.   Let’s Find Out!!!  Thank you to all that volunteered for folders, scholastic and room mom.  More volunteer opportunities will be requested through our room mom.  In-class opportunities will be shared once we get into the swing of things.

11.  Loose leaf paper- For spelling tests, problem solving assessments  Sticky Notes- Reader’s workshop  Rulers- Math  Colored Pencils- Science technical Drawings.

12. Gina Picha Room: A119 Urgent matters: Please call the office E-Mail: gina_picha@roundrockisd.org@roundrockisd.org This is the best way to contact me. http://www.teacherweb.com/TX/PatsySommerElementary/ginapi cha/newsflash.aspx Let’s explore the website…