Welcome to the Wonderful World of First Grade!
Mrs. Stragier’s Class
Room G101
Monday 8:20 am-1:35 pm
Tuesday- Friday 8:20 am-2:35 pm
You may contact me by e-mail at
(951)304-1881 ext. 3471
Welcome to the new school year at Lisa J. MailsElementary School. My name is Sherry Stragier (rhymes with pager) and I am thrilled to be your child’s teacher this year. With your help and encouragement, your child will take part in many exciting and rewarding experiences throughout the school year. I believe it takes a team effort to make the most out of the educational experience. I am looking forward to working with you and your child as the year unfolds. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your child’s success. Remember we are all members of a team with a shared goal in mind.
Your child deserves the most positive environment possible. In order to ensure that all students in my class have the proper educational climate they deserve, certain behaviors cannot be tolerated. No one in the class may take away my right to teach or a student’s right to learn by disruptive behavior. The plan I have developed will encourage every student to make good positive choices about his/her behavior. If they choose an inappropriate behavior a consequence will be enforced.
Rules
- Listen carefully.
- Follow directions the first time given.
- Work quietly. Do not disturb others who are working.
- Respect others. Be kind with your words and actions.
- Respect school and personal property.
- Work and play safely.
- Raise your hand and wait to be called on.
Discipline
I use a "clip system" for behavior. Each student has a clip with their number on it, which represents their daily behavior. Everyone starts the day on green. If your child shows exceptional behavior he/she will be asked to move his/her clip up, if your child breaks a rule he/she will be asked to move his/her clip down and be given the appropriate consequence. The wonderful aspect about this system is that each child has the opportunity to move his/her clip back up in the positive area if they were in the negative area earlier in the day. Good choices and good behavior result in a positive learning environment for everyone!
Purple~ awesome- 2 respect checks and 1 raffle ticket
Blue~ terrific- 2respect checks
Green~ good day- 1 respect check
Yellow~ warning- think about your choices
Orange~ time-out
Red~ OH-NO- phone call/note home and/or go to the principal
Each child will go to the treasure chest when they return 20 respect checks to me. The green respect checks count as 1 and the blue ones count as 2 (these have a “2” on them).
Goals for my class this year:
- To encourage strong self-esteem in the students concerning themselves and their work.
- To build the love of learning through special projects and social interaction.
- To build a strong network of communications between child, parent, and teacher.
- To strengthen skills in all areas.
- To encourage the love of reading.
- To have a fantastic year in first grade!
Daily Schedule (subject to change)
8:20-8:35- Journals/independent activity
8:35-9:55 Language Arts
9:55-10:15 recess
10:15-10:25Calendar/Math Board
10:25-11:15 Math
11:15-11:55Lunch
11:55-12:05Share
12:05-12:15 Read aloud
12:15-12:45 Science/Social studies/writing
12:45-1:15 Arts enrichment
1:15-2:20 Centers
2:20-2:35 clean-up/dismissal
Attendance:
Consistent attendance is essential for your child to obtain the maximum benefit from school. Everyday at school new concepts are taught and those already taught are reinforced. Learning skills and concepts build from day to day like building blocks-each one is important to making a strong foundation and structure. Try to make it a goal to have your child in school each day he/she is not sick enough to stay indoors and rest. If your child is absent, please call the school or send a note the day your child returns, explaining the reason for the absence.
Dress:
Please be sure to label all coats, jackets, sweaters, lunch boxes, backpacks, etc. Have your child wear clothes and shoes appropriate for the classroom and playground. Remember…we move our bodies a lot throughout the day in class, we play actively at recess, and some days we cut, glue, paint, and even spill! OOPS!
Backpacks and Homework Folders:
I would appreciate it if your child could bring a backpack to school each day and his/her homework folder. He/she will be bringing home weekly & daily homework to and from school as well as classroom notes, projects, crafts, important information from the office, etc. Please check your child’s folder and backpack daily.
Spirit Day:
Every Friday is Spirit Day. We all try to wear our school colors (royal blue and orange) or school t-shirt. PTA should be sending home information soon on purchasing a school t-shirt.
Star of the Week:
Each Friday one student will be randomly chosen to be “Star of the Week” for the following week. When your child is chosen, he/she will complete a poster at home and bring it to school on Monday to share. The poster will stay at school and be displayed on the “Star of the Week” board all week.
Sharing:
When it is your child’s turn to share he/she may bring an item that will fit into his/her backpack. Please help them come up with three clues, so that the other students can guess what it is. Each student will share about once a month. There are no live animals allowed.
Reading/Share Calendar:
The reading/share calendar will be posted on the website. Please print out the calendar, initial each day that your child reads to you, and return it to class at the end of the month. The calendar will also have the share days on it.
Homework:
I encourage all of my students to do the best work they possibly can. This includes completing assignments neatly and on time. Class assignments that are incomplete may be sent home as homework in addition to the regularly scheduled homework. A homework packet will be sent home on Monday and returned on Friday. Writing directions will be on the website along with the writing paper that will need to be downloaded. Reading is assigned daily. Please initial the calendar each day that your child reads.
Homework is sent for three reasons:
1) to teach responsibility
2) to build on skills that have already been taught in class
3) to help you gauge how well your child is doing in class
If your child is constantly struggling with homework, please let me know so that we can make some modifications.
Please check the 1st grade website for spelling words and other activities.
Spelling testswill be given almost every Friday. Students will practice the words in class during the week but should also study at home. Spelling is based on the phonics rules taught in class. Learning of the individual words is not as important as learning the phonics rule or rules that are being taught.
Core Books:
We read a lot in first grade. Your child will be bringing home books often. Your student will be making a book box to store their books in at home. Please keep your child’s books in this box. Students should read these books to you often. By the end of the year your child will have over 100 books that they can read all by themselves.
Library Books:
Every Monday we will be going to our school library. Each child will have the opportunity to check out one library book per week. The checked out book must be returned the following Monday in order to check out a new book. If the book becomes lost or damaged, then you will have to purchase that book or pay its cost to replace it. All progress and report cards will be held if any outstanding books are under your child’s name.
Birthdays:
If you would like to bring in something for your child’s birthday- it needs to be store bought.
Book Orders:
Throughout the year your child will bring home book order forms. This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase quality books at reasonable prices. You are not under any obligation to buy books; ordering books is completely voluntary. If you wish to order complete the order form, place it in an envelope with a check made out to Scholastic and return to me by the due date. Orders take about 2 weeks to get in.
Snack Time:
It is a long day for the little ones and they get hungry. Snack time is 9:55-10:15 am. Please provide your child with a healthy snack and drink (even if your child is getting hot lunch). Your child may bring a water bottle to keep on their desk. A sports top works best to minimize spilling and getting work wet.
Lunch:
Please make sure your child has a packed lunch or prepaid lunch account to buy in the cafeteria. Make sure your child knows if he/she is getting lunch at school so when I do a lunch count in the morning, I can give an accurate number to the cafeteria. On minimum and modified days, lunch will be served at morning recess (9:55-10:15am).
Report Cards:The report cards are standards driven and based on benchmarks. During the year I am asking that you will be an active participant in your child’s education to help your child meet all grade level standards by the end of the year! Researchers have shown that success in first grade is critical to success in future grade levels. Invest your time now in your child’s education and it will pay off in the years to come.
Curriculum:
All curriculums are based on the State Standards. We use different programs to help your child meet the standards for this grade level. Below is a list of the programs I will use this year to help your child meet these standards.
Language Arts:
Reading and Language Arts are a big part of our day. Please read to your child and encourage your child to read to you. In class, along with our reading books, we will be using Phonics Pathways, phonics games, Circle My Word, and Making Words. In Language Arts, we will primarily be using the Open Court program. It is a program that strongly emphasizes phonetic awareness and phonics. We will also study many sight words. These are words that are commonly used in print e.g. the, look, to, go. Many of these words don’t follow general phonics rules. Therefore, these words need to be learned by sight. It is a good idea to put them on flashcards and review them daily, it will only take a few minutes. A fun way to review them is to make two sets and play games such as Concentration or Go Fish. To be at grade level by the end of the year your child is expected to know the 100 words on the attached list. Social Studies:
History/Social Science for California- Time and PlaceScott Foresman
Social Skills and Responsibilities
Changes Over Time
Awareness of Cultural Diversity: Now and Long Ago
Community/Goods and Services
Science:
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill CaliforniaScience
Life Science
Earth Science
Physical Science
Math:
Houghton Mifflin California Math
- Number Sense
- Algebra and Functions
- Measurement and Geometry
- Statistics and Probability
- Mathematical Reasoning
Arts Focus
Lisa J. Mails focuses on the arts. This focus is implemented through weekly arts rotations and through the integration of regular curriculum.
Physical Education
Sparks
Your child will also be part of 2 showcases during the school year- more information will be coming soon!
Volunteers:
Parent helpers are pricelessto me. Please be sure to sign up to help if you are able. I need parent helpers Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays afternoonsfrom 1:20-2:20pm,2 Moms to do Read Naturally with the students, Moms that are able to prep from home and a Room Mom.
At Home:
You are your child’s MOST important teacher and resource! Please review school concepts daily…in the car, in the tub, practice comprehension while watching TV, and read stories every night, play cards and board games as a family. Encourage a love of learning that will last a LIFETIME!
Thank you for your trust and the opportunity to teach your precious child!
Mrs. Stragier