FEBRUARY 2020

Ten tips

to make February the best month ever for Grade 1:

10. Provide your child with a reusable water bottle and teach him or her how to secure the lid to prevent spills.

9. Provide your child with a lunch bag (for daily Cold Lunch, Snack Time or Trips) that can hold food and a water bottle in one container. Many First Graders struggle to carry a lunch bag, water bottle or thermos, and winter coats while walking up and down stairs, or through the hallways. Consider a shoulder bag that will leave their hands free.

8. Place snacks in labeled (first and last name), reusable snack bags. Many students bring the same snacks to school and sometimes snacks become lost or misidentified. One Mint Melano Individual Cookie pack or tangerine looks exactly like another!

7. Check that your child writes his or her name on his homework packet, and all pages and attachments are stapled together.

6. Read with and to your child daily/nightly/often. Remember to log the number of times you read on the Homework Reading Log.

5. Check the Homework Folders daily. Remove printed matter that is meant to stay home, or is no longer relevant. Feel free to periodically leave notes of encouragement, love or jokes as a surprise for your child. Such treasures will make your child feel appreciated, and will encourage your child to also check their own folders daily.

4. If your dismissal plans or contact information changes, please send this information immediately to your child’s teacher(s) by Dojo, email, handwritten note or by a call to the school office (if this is a last minute change). Also, make your child aware of the change, as well.

3. Encourage your child to understand and make acts of kindness, generosity and tolerance a goal for their school life. Such acts will raise the level of their own sense of happiness, security and belonging.

2. Send your child to school daily (unless, of course, if he or she is unwell).

1. Send your child to school on time.

Tips 1 and 2, are related because there is loss of valuable instruction time (and fun) if students are not in the classroom.

While these ten tips are being posted for a great February, they are evergreen true for any month of the year.

The Grade shares these tips in the spirit of being helpful to students and their families.