I know that this will be a positive year for your child as we build on past successes and learn new things in first grade.  With home and school working together, your child's academic and social skills will become even stronger throughout the year.  Below is some important information about our class:

The Parent and Student Handbook is full of very important information.  You should review this with your child.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 

Our school hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Please notify me and the office as soon as you know your child will be absent or tardy.  Work will be sent home with your child when they return to school.  They are not expected to complete all of the work in one day, but I do expect to have it back within a week.  Students are counted tardy at 8:30 a.m.

How to Find Information About Our Class

There are many ways to get information about what we are doing in our class each week.  Every Monday you will receive a class newsletter (First Grade News) and Monday notes. These will have very important information on them.  The First Grade News is information specific to our classroom and Monday Notes are for the entire school.  Both newsletters are available through email. To sign up for First Grade News through email, you can go to our class website (http://mrsherdsfirstgrade.villateresaschool.com) or give me your email address and I will send you a link to sign up. To sign up for Monday Notes through email, please contact the school office and provide them with your email address.  
Our class website is also a wonderful way to get information.  I will post news and announcements regularly to keep you up to date.  You can see our class video projects and what we are currently working on.  Also, be sure to visit the Parent’s Corner to get information on our curriculum and how to help your child at home.  Spelling lists are posted each week and there is a link to spellingcity.com where your child can practice their spelling words.  Our website is http://mrsherdsfirstgrade.villateresaschool.com. Also look outside our classroom door for important information to be posted.  The easiest way to reach me is through email cherd@villateresaschool.com, but you can also reach me by leaving a message at the office.  I am also available before and after school, if I'm not on duty.

Student Take-Home Folder and Work Sent Home

Everyday your child will bring home a take-home folder.  This folder is very important.  It will have all important notes and letters that you need to read including First Grade News and Monday Notes, if you are not receiving them through email.  It will also be where the you will find your child's graded papers and any homework they may have.  Please take out all papers and look at them daily.  This folder needs to be returned the next day.  Help your child to make a habit of keeping the folder in their backpack.

Homework Policy

Homework in our class is usually math, reading or spelling.  Homework will be given most days, except Friday.  The spelling test is on Friday and your child should study throughout the week.  Your child should read every night, usually a book of their choice and record it on their reading log.  Homework for the week will be listed in the newsletter.
For more information look at Parent’s Guide to Homework Success on page 4.

Grading, Progress Reports, and Report Cards

Our class uses the grading scale provide by the Archdioceses of Oklahoma City.  Your child's grade is based on their class work, homework, effort, and tests and quizzes.  Here is our grading scale:

Conduct/Study Habits
E- Excellent
G-Good
√-Needs Improvement
I-Improving
U-Unsatisfactory

 Academic Areas
A- Excellent (93%-100%)
B- Above Average (85%-92%)
C- Average (75%-84%)
D-Below Average (69%-74%)
F- Failure (Below 69%)

Progress reports will be sent home in the middle of each nine weeks.  Report cards will be available for pick-up from the office every nine weeks.  With both progress and report cards, you should look them over, sign them, and return them.  Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Test Retake Policy

Tests missed can always be retaken.  If your child has failed a test, they are able to retake the test in one week. I must receive a note from the parent letting me know that they want their child to retake the test and they have helped their child study.

Missing Work Policy

I will sent home reports of any missing work often throughout the year.  The student must complete the work before the end of the quarter to receive credit, that also include work from absences.  Work not received will be given 0 points.  Students can request new copies of assignments if they do not have one.

Behavior Management and Behavior Folder

Students are expected to follow the eight expectations and procedures of our classroom.  When children come in the morning, everybody starts out at the green light because they’re doing the right thing.  Like the traffic light, green stands for “go, keep doing what you’re doing.”  If a kid does something that goes against one of our rules, we’ll say, “You need to change to yellow so that you remember to slow down and thing about what you’re doing.” The child then has to switch to the yellow light.  They will be given three warning before they change to yellow.   If the misbehavior continues, we’ll say, “You really didn’t change what you were doing.  Now you need to stop.  You need to change what you’re doing and you need to make a different choice.”  And then the child has to change to the red light.  If a student stays on green all day, we give them a mile.  When a students collects 25 miles, they are able to pick a treasure from our treasure basket.  If a student is on yellow or red they do not get a mile.  There is an incentive to stay on yellow.  At the end of the day, we count how many students have green and yellow.  Then we tally it up in our “weekly goal.”  If most students stay on green and yellow all week, I will give the class some free time at the end of the week.

Each day the students will color in a chart with the color they were on for the day.  I will initial by it and I ask that the parents sign it each week.  This chart is in their behavior folder.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences are held once a year in October.  Please look for a sign up sheet at the school office about a week before.  I will also make other arrangements if you are unable to attend.  Please feel free to contact me if you feel the need for more conferences.  I will also contact you if I feel that a conference is necessary.

Mass Days

Students should wear their full uniform on Mass days.  Girls should wear their green jumper and white blouse.  Boys should wear their red polo shirt and tan or blue pants. (See Parent and Student Handbook for more details) Mass is about once a month.

Student of the Month

On the last Friday of the month, students who are showing the gospel value for the year are chosen as students of the month.  Information will come home early if you child is chosen.

Popcorn/Snowcone Money

On Fridays, students may bring money for snowcones or popcorn.  They are usually $1.  This is completely optional.  The money raised will go to the classrooms.  Our class will sell popcorn or snowcones twice a year.  Parents are welcome to volunteer to help serve on our class days.

Parties/ Birthdays

We will celebrate many fun holidays throughout the year.  We are always needing parents to volunteer to come to the parties or send something to school to help.  Look for information to come home close to the holiday.  Birthdays are always a huge celebration at Villa Teresa.  If you would like to bring treats or something else just let me know when it gets close to your child's birthday.  It is completely optional and please know we will still have a celebration for your child even if they do not bring anything.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many opportunities to volunteer in our classroom.  Each year we need one or two room parents to help organize parties and act as a PTO representative for our class.  We also need a parent to volunteer each month on the last Monday to watch the children after school on the playground while the teachers are in a staff meeting.  We also will need volunteers for field trips and popcorn/snowcone days.  Parents need Safe Environment training to volunteer with the children.

Field Trips

We will be taking one or two field trips this year.  We will need many parents to volunteer to drive students to the destination.  Parents must have Safe Environment training to attend. 

Snacks

Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.  We will have snack in the morning at 10:10.  The afternoon snack is provided by the school.  

Lunch

Our lunch time is 11:50 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  It is at 11:30 on Tuesday and Thursday due to P.E.  Your child may eat a school lunch or bring a lunch from home.

P.E.

P.E. is on Tuesday and Thursday at 12:15.  P.E. is 45 minutes long.  Please see that your child is dressed in their Physical Education Uniform. (See Parent and Student Handbook for details)

Library

We go to the library on Thursday for a half hour.  Library books are due the next week.  For each day a book is overdue, students are asked to bring a canned food item.  (See Parent and Student Handbook for details)

Spanish/Art/Music

Students have Spanish twice a week for 30 minutes, art once a week for 30 minutes, and music once a week for 30 minutes. 

Spelling

Spelling lists will go home on Friday for the coming week.  The students will be given a pre-test to determine if they are on the regular spelling list or the challenge list.  All of the students will have the same four sight words on their list.  We will work with the words throughout the week, but it is very important that they study them at home.  Our tests will be on Friday.  We will not usually have a spelling test on weeks that are not a full five days. We will begin spelling a couple weeks after school starts.
This year, we will be using SpellingCity.com in our classroom. SpellingCity is a website that helps students learn their weekly spelling words while having fun at the same time. As a teacher, I will put up my weekly spelling lists on SpellingCity and your children can review the words, and play spelling games with their words to reinforce the learning process. Here’s how to help your child master his or her spelling words:
Simply go to www.spellingcity.com to see how the site works. To get started, click on “Sample Lists” and choose any list you like. Then try the Teach Me, Test Me, or Play A Game link. You can find our class spelling lists by simply clicking on “Find a List” and typing in my name, Cassie Herd. The lists will appear and your child can immediately start using it to practice his or her words. Many kids enjoy building their spelling skills with Spelling City. Please encourage your children to study before their weekly test. Let’s work together as a team to ensure that your child becomes an independent, lifelong learner.