1. Welcome Parents! Thank you for coming! Miss Birckholtz

2. Nuts and Bolts Change of Dismissal: If your child will be going home in a way that is different than usual, please write a note informing the office of the change. Lunch Money: If your child is buying lunch with money, please send the money to school in a labeled envelope or wallet. Pin-Number: If your child is buying lunch (with money or with the pre-paid account), they will need to give their 5- digit pin number. *See inside of folder for pin. Birthdays: Birthdays are now celebrated with non-food items only. –Alternative Ideas: distributing a small gift such as pencils or stickers to the class, bringing in a favorite song to play, bringing in a favorite book to share Invitations: If your child is distributing party invitations in school, please make sure that there is one for each person in the class.

3. Nuts and Bolts (cont.) Water Bottles: Your child may bring a water bottle to school to keep in their backpacks. This prevents from frequent trips to the water fountain. Snack: We have snack every afternoon. We do not have any food allergies in the classroom. Please do not send any glass containers to school. Gym: We have gym on Thursdays and Fridays. Please help your child choose appropriate footwear. Home Folder: Please check your child’s home folder each night, as important documents will be sent home on a regular basis. Classroom Website: Please visit our classroom website to see what we are learning each week, and to find special announcements. –*See sticker on folder for website address! http://teacherweb.com/NJ/FrostElementarySchool/Birckholtz/apt1.aspx

4. Scholastic 2 ways of ordering: by catalogue or online Catalogue: Select books and return order form to me by the due date below. Online: Order online by the due date below and our class receives a free book! (See letter for details on how to order online. Due Date For Month of September: 9/30

5. Reader’s Workshop My Goals/Goals of the Curriculum: –To help your child become a confident, fluent, and active reader. –To provide differentiated instruction so that every child, regardless of his or her reading level, can be successful and reach his/her fullest potential. –To provide children with “just right” books that are on their independent reading levels.

6. Reader’s Workshop “Just Right” Books: –Your child will be “shopping” for just right books from the classroom library each week. –Our classroom library is leveled. As independent reading levels change, your child will shop in different bins. Bag of Books: –Your child will bring home their “just right” books in a bag that will go back-and-forth to school each day. –We use these books in reader’s workshop every day. Sight Words: Your child’s sight word rings will also be kept in his/her bag of books. New words will be added to the word ring each week. Reading Log: –This log will come home every Monday. Children are required to read for 10-15 minutes each night, and record their reading on the log. Logs are turned in on Fridays. *Reading and rereading “just right” books at home and at school is the key to helping your child grow as a reader!*

7. Writer’s Workshop Children will be writing both fiction and non-fiction pieces this year. –Small Moment Stories –How-To Books –All-About Books –Poetry

8. Everyday Math Program Spiral Program Differentiated instruction allows students of all levels to achieve success Centers: Teacher center, partner center, independent center Home Links will come home almost every night. Practice fact fluency at home.*

9. Science We study: Weather Organisms: guppies, pill bugs, millipedes, bess beetles Plants

10. Social Studies Text Book - People and Places We study: We study: FamiliesFamilies Our WorldOur World All Kinds of Jobs All Kinds of Jobs Good Citizens Good Citizens

11. Health Text Book – Your Health We study: our body and how it works, our body and how it works, how to stay healthy, how to stay healthy, feelings and emotions feelings and emotions

12. Character Education Tickets for positive behavior Teamwork board Character ed. Lessons taught school- wide in the beginning of the year

13. Grading Tests that come home will no longer have a letter grade or a numeric grade.

14. Thank you for coming! Please don’t forget to sign up for October conferences on your way out!