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Elmwood Elementary School
September 2011
Welcome to First Grade!
We are very excited to begin a new school year! We are looking forward to sharing this wonderful year of learning and growth with your children. Below you will find some helpful general information. Throughout the school year we will be posting important first grade information on this First Grade website linked to the Elmwood site. We encourage you to check back here regularly! Each teacher will also email class information/announcements home as needed.
ATTENDANCE: The school opens at 8:25 AM and our day in the classroom begins at 8:35. The school day ends at 3:05 PM. Please call the school office as early as possible if your child will not be in school on any given day. The number is 262 789-6581. Please let us know in writing a week prior to any lengthy absence, such as a vacation. When your child returns to school after an absence, please send a note briefly explaining the reason for the absence (i.e. illness, vacation, funeral, appointment). Please try to schedule appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. If you drop your child off after 8:35 or pick him/her up before 3:05, you will need to come in to the school office to sign her/him in/out. Please notify us in writing if your child does not or will not be taking the bus home. (There is more attendance information in the Elmwood Parent Handbook.)
BIRTHDAYS: Children always enjoy celebrating their birthdays with their classmates, and the teachers do too! If you wish, you may send a treat on your child’s special day. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS NUTS. Summer birthdays can be celebrated as half-birthdays or at the end of the school year. Please contact your child’s teacher to make arrangements. Regarding birthday parties, to avoid hurt feelings we ask that unless you are inviting everyone in the class to your child’s party (or boys to boys’ parties and girls to girls’ parties), PLEASE do not have your child pass out invitations or thank you notes at school.
BOOK CLUBS: Throughout the year you will have an opportunity to order books from various Scholastic book clubs. We find the book club orders an inexpensive and easy way to provide a variety of literature choices for first graders. Ordering is, of course, optional. If you do decide to place an order, please fill out the individual order forms and make out a check to SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS for the total of your entire order. Please do not send cash. Send the order forms and check to your child’s teacher in an envelope marked with your child’s name, and please be sure your child’s name is on each order form as well.
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES: art projects, science experiments and math experiences, such as cooking, are an integral part of our curriculum. The children practice observation, reading, measuring, estimating, writing, creating, and following directions. The activities are usually coordinated with our units of study or special days we are celebrating. We ask that each family donate $10.00 to help cover the expense of the materials we use for these hands-on activities. You will be receiving this request in the next couple of weeks.
HOME FOLDERS: Your child will have a folder that will travel back and forth between home and school daily. Please check it for important notes or school work. Most newsletters, reminders, and other items will be emailed.
HOMEWORK: A First Grader should not be spending more than 20-30 minutes a night on homework, including 15 minutes of reading each school night. Throughout the school year, homework may also include the following (obviously not all on the same night): Math Home Links, Word Wall practice, handwriting practice, Math facts practice, spelling practice of 50 high frequency words and word sorts, and completing any unfinished class work.
LUNCH and SNACKS: Children may bring a cold lunch or purchase the lunch provided at school. We have time each morning for a snack break. If your child wishes to have a snack, please help her/him make healthy choices. We encourage fruits, vegetables, pretzels, crackers, cheese, yogurt, muffins, cereal, granola bars, etc. Please do not send salty chips (Fritos, Cheetos, etc.) or desserts, (candy) or sweetened drinks. PLEASE DO NO SEND ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS NUTS. PLEASE LET YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOUR CHILD HAS ANY SPECIAL HEALTH/EATING CONCERNS OR FOOD OR OTHER SIGNIFICANT ALLERGIES.
MONEY: When you send money or checks to school with your child for any reason, please put it in an envelope marked with the teacher’s name, the child’s name, and the purpose ( i.e. lunch money, book order, Cart Mart, Home & School, etc.) Other than Cart Mart, which is run by parents though Home & School, we may only accept checks.
VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers are always welcome in our classrooms. Let us know if you can come in to help or to share a special hobby or talent. We also need room parents to coordinate parties, parents trained in Reader’s and Writer’s Workshops, help with technology (taking digital pictures, monitoring students using computers, etc.) and clerical help with student projects: copying, collating, stapling, etc.) If you are able to help, please complete the REQUESTED INFORMATION form located on the left side of our first grade website. It will automatically be emailed to us once you click submit. This form also gives you an opportunity to share information that you may want us to know about your child. We would like everyone to fill this form out, if possible, so that we can gather information on each new first grader! We also hope to have Junior Achievement volunteers in each of our classrooms this year. Please consider that opportunity to lead our classes in some social studies topics.
We are very excited about this year! Together we can help your child have a successful First Grade experience. We see ourselves as a First Grade Teaching Team working closely together to meet the needs of all the children. Please feel free to call, stop in, or drop us a note if you ever have a question or concern, or just to chat. We are also available via e-mail.
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