Dear First Grade Families,
Welcome to a new school year! I am Mrs. Melissa Wandel and this is my fourth year teaching first grade. I am a former student of FGS and taught third grade for 10 years. I am excited to be teaching first grade and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone. I am married and have 2 boys. My oldest son Robby is 8 and is in third grade. My youngest son Christian is 4 years old and is in our preschool program. I am really looking forward to having your child in my class this year where we will learn and grow together!
I have included some important information below regarding classroom policies and procedures as well as some general information that will help the school year run smoother. I encourage you to read through the following material carefully and if you have any questions we can discuss them at Back-to-School Night.
I look forward to getting to know you and your family and forming a strong parent/teacher partnership as we work together to ensure success for both you and your child.
God’s richest blessings on this new school year,
Mrs. Melissa Wandel
First Grade Policies and Procedures:
Classroom Expectations:
1. Ask permission to leave your seat
2. Raise your hand and wait patiently before speaking or asking a question
3. Keep hands, feet, and other objects to yourself
4. Walk quietly inside school buildings
5. Walk quietly down school hallways
6. Work quietly and respectfully in your assigned work area
7. Speak kindly to others
“Froggy”tastic Classroom Management Plan:
The theme for the first grade classroom is “FROGS.” I have developed a classroom discipline plan which focuses on this theme. This plan allows each child the opportunity to be rewarded for making good decisions both in and out of the classroom. The boys and girls will earn lily pads throughout the day for their good behavior. They can also lose their lily pads for negative behavior. At the end of each day, the boys and girls will receive “Juicy Fly” tickets based off of how many lily pads they earned in the day. Once a month, the boys and girls will be rewarded for their good behavior at the Juicy Fly Party. I will set up a store where they will spend their “Juicy Fly” tickets on prizes.
The ultimate goal is to receive four or more lily pads in the school day. Four or more lily pads indicate that your son/daughter had a “Froggy”tastic Day. They worked hard, followed directions, followed the classroom rules, and listened carefully. Your son/daughter had a good day and Listened well if they earned two or more lily pads. Your son/daughter will earn a Y for You need to work harder tomorrow if they earned one lily pad during the school day. This means that he/she needs to work harder in the classroom by being a better listener and following classroom rules. If your son/daughter lost all of his/her lily pads, he/she will be bringing home a Sticky Tongue Report explaining what happened during his/her day.
Below, you will find the outline for both positive rewards and consequences for inappropriate behavior. To encourage students to follow my classroom expectations, I recognize their good behavior with praise as well as notes home. However, if a student chooses to break a classroom rule, the following consequences will be taken:
First Time: Warning
Second Time: The student will erase one lily pad
Third Time: The student may have no more lily pads to erase, and will need to bring home a “sticky tongue report” that needs to be filled out and signed by the student, parent, and teacher.
Fourth Time: Leave the classroom and taken to the principal and a pink slip may be given
I also utilize a second positive reinforcement procedure in the classroom. The class will work towards filling the class button jar. When the boys and girls have filled the button jar, the class will be rewarded with a party. The students earn buttons by following both classroom and school rules. The class will take a vote on what they would like their reward to be (for example: classroom movie with popcorn, ice cream party, etc).
“Froggy”tastic Behavior Log”
Each Friday your son/daughter will bring home their green “Froggy”tastic Behavior Log. This log allows you to see how many lily pads your son/daughter is earning each day. The ultimate goal is to earn four or more each day. However, two or three lily pads still means that your son/daughter had a good day and listened well. On Friday, please take some time to read over the “Froggy”tastic Behavior Log with your son/daughter, sign in the Saturday box, and return their behavior log on Monday.
Homework:
If your child was in our school last year, they were given homework packets, I do daily homework. I understand this is new to them and it will take some getting used to, but I feel that doing homework nightly and returning it to school the next day will teach and reinforce skills needed later. Homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday and is to be completed and returned the following day to avoid an incomplete. As stated in the handbook, 5 incompletes result in a pink slip and any child who receives a pink slip may not attend the skating party at the end of the quarter. I will start counting incompletes in the second quarter. This first quarter will be about learning the homework routine. There will be both Spelling and Math work every night. Memory assignments will also be given every Thursday and the children will be tested on the assignment the following Wednesday. There will be weekly tests in both reading and spelling starting the second week of school. Social Studies and Science tests will be given approximately every 3 weeks depending on the length of the chapter. I will always send home a detailed study guide for both science and social studies tests. All homework is due the following morning or due date given. Inside your son/daughter’s homework binder, I will always include a weekly homework sheet that will detail all assignments, tests, and projects as well as their due dates. It is very important that you review the homework sheet nightly and sign each night showing that all work has been completed, checked by the parent, and is back in the homework binder. A new homework sheet will be put in the homework binder each Monday. Homework is not work that is not finished in class. Homework is designed to reinforce what we are learning in the classroom. Part of our clean up routine will be reviewing all homework in the binder. Please make sure that you review your son/daughter’s homework and check for any mistakes.
Absence:
Students who are absent are required to bring a note from home explaining why the student was absent that day. I will have the student’s homework ready by the end of the school day to be picked up by a parent or a sibling. Please review the Parent/Student Handbook to know how many days your student has to make up their class work.
Book Orders:
Throughout the school year, your child will be bringing home a Scholastic book order form. This is strictly optional, if you choose to make a purchase, please send a check made out to the book company (please do not make the check out to me, FGS, or send in cash) and your child’s completed order form by the due date given.
Money:
Anytime money is sent to school with your child, please make sure that the money is sealed in an envelope with your child’s name, grade, and what the money is for on the front of the envelope.
Lunch:
First grade eats lunch from 11:35-12:05. Every week your son/daughter will come home with a lunch order form for the following week. Please make sure that you return the lunch order form and money in an envelope on Wednesday. You can order lunch for one day, several days, or for the entire week! If your son/daughter happens to forget their lunch at home, the school kitchen will provide your child with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for $5.00. If your child will be bringing their lunch from home, please make sure to pack healthy foods, a napkin, and a fork or spoon if needed.
P.E.:
Every Tuesday and Thursday we will have physical education. Please make sure that your son/daughter wears socks and tennis shoes on these two days.
Water Bottles:
Your son/daughter is allowed to bring a water bottle to class each day. Please make sure that your son/daughter’s name is clearly marked on the bottle.
Library Time:
On Thursday we go to library. Your son/daughter may check out a book that he/she may keep for up to two weeks. Please make sure that your son/daughter returns their library book each week in order to check out a new book.
Snack Time:
We will have daily recess and afternoon snack breaks. If you would be willing to contribute a healthy snack for the children to share, please let me know on the “Calling All Snack Helpers” information sheet.
Graded Papers and Teacher newsletter:
On Monday I will email a copy of the weekly newsletter to you as well as put it on our school website . Please get into the habit of reading the classroom newsletter as a family. The newsletter will include the memory verse, spelling list, as well as important information from me to you. Please make sure that you keep the newsletter in a safe place so you can practice the spelling list and memory verse with your son/daughter. You will also need to use the spelling list for the nightly homework. Each day I will send home your child’s graded class work, homework, and tests that were taken during the week. Please make sure that you take all graded work out of the homework binder and review it with your son/daughter. If there is ever a mistake made in grading, please just send it back to school and I will fix any mistake. Miss Jaster and I grade many papers during the week and mistakes may occur.
Teacher Communication:
I am a firm believer in parent/teacher communication. You can always reach me through my school email at (I check this daily). You can also reach me at home (269-9540) or my cell (499-0401).
I hope that all of this information has helped you to understand how the first grade classroom will operate. If you ever have any questions please feel free to contact me at school or we can make an appointment to talk before or after school.
Blessings on this new and exciting school year!
Mrs. Wandel