Parent Information

If your child is absent, please send a WRITTEN NOTE when he/she returns explaining why he/she was absent. This is very important even if you have notified us by phone or in person because we must have a written note in order for the office to excuse your child.

Feel free to send in a treat for the class on your child’s birthday. All treats must be store packaged according to food safety rules. Please let us know ahead of time if you would like to send in something. Also, according to school policy, we are unable to have the treats in the cafeteria or hand out birthday invitations unless everyone in the class is invited. Thank you for your cooperation.

We will be working on lots of projects this year that require additional materials. If you would like and are able to contribute any of the needed materials to the classroom we will greatly appreciate it. I will send home a list of the needed materials in a newsletter. Thank you in advance for your support.

Students will receive a “School Stuff” Folder daily. It will contain important papers, a classroom newsletter, student work, and work that your child may have as homework. Students are required to take the folder home every night. Please review the contents with your child. Family support and interest are essential to student success. Please sign up for "Remind" to receive important messages. Text the number 81010 and type the following as a message: @minshew5 and follow the instructions.

Some of your child's work will stay at school in a data notebook or in a journal. This helps us see the progression of your child from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Please feel free to email or call to set up a conference to view your child's work at any time. I will also be glad to talk with you on the telephone if you cannot come to our school for a conference. Your child will have the opportunity to share their Data Notebook with you during our Student-Led Conferences.

Homework is very important and helps reinforce concepts we are teaching at school. However, I am trying something new. Homework will only consist of reading every night and any work that your child did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year in my classroom. Students are required to write down their homework for the night as well as test dates and important information. Part of your child's responsibility is to show you their School Stuff Folder every day.

Our class will eat lunch at 11:40. The price of lunch for an adult will be "a la carte" this year. You may prepay for student meals by the week or month in the cafeteria. Checks may be made payable to the College Park Cafeteria. Please send cash or checks in a labeled envelope. Please note breakfast is served daily from 7:15-7:45.

Please send any money, including lunch money, in an envelope marked with your child’s name, teacher’s name, and the purpose for which it is intended in case it is lost. It is much easier for us, as well as your child, to keep up with an envelope.

Classroom newsletters will go home in your child’s School Stuff Folder every Monday. I use the newsletters to communicate the curriculum, projects, programs, schedules, important dates, and expectations. This is an excellent form of communication to keep you in touch with what is going on in our classroom. Please be sure to take the time to read it with your child. It is also posted on my webpage.

You can access your child's grades on a regular basis using the New Hanover County School's Parent Portal. To access the Parent Portal, go to www.nhcs.net and click on the "Parents" tab or click here. In order to access the Parent Portal you must first create an account. Click here to learn how to create a user account in Parent Portal. Click here to watch a You-Tube video about accessing your child's grades and viewing their missing work on the Parent Portal. You can also download the app.

Your child will be able to visit the library on a regular basis to check out books on their independent reading level. I have many books in my classroom library that are accessible to them as well. Students will set reading goals and have the opportunity to participate in reading celebrations. Your child's homework will be to read nightly. We encourage you to make this a special time to spend together sharing a book. Feel free to have your child read to you or take turns reading. We strive to build a love for reading and we appreciate your support at home.

Your child will receive recess every day. If you child has a medical / physical issue and cannot participate in our physical activity please send a note stating so. My students participate in physical activities that promote developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills, and knowledge. If the weather does not permit an outside recess, then we will have one inside.

This folder will contain school-wide information as well as classroom information. The right side will contain items that you need to KEEP AT HOME. The left side will contain items that you need to sign and/or review and RETURN TO SCHOOL. Each day your child will bring home a folder containing his/her work. This folder is a wonderful tool for us to keep in close contact on a daily basis.

Please make sure your child eats a good breakfast. The first meal of the day is very important to help your child perform well in school. Students are allowed to have a nutritional snack and a bottle of water in class. Because of our busy morning schedule, we will not have a specified time for snack break. Students will be allowed to have their snack while working in a station.

School policy indicates we must have a WRITTEN NOTE on any transportation changes. Children sometimes misunderstand what they are told in the morning, and we want to be sure that your child arrives home safely. We will not allow any child’s afternoon dismissal routine to change without a written note from you.

We love to have volunteers come in to help! We love to get you involved with your child’s education! Please let us know if you can cut things out, color, or draw, etc. at school or at home to help out our class. We would love to see lots of you come into our room to share about your careers or to read books to our class. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering!