A Guide to Mrs. Phillips' Classroom

I am so excited to be your child’s first grade teacher. Together we will continue to expose your child to the wonders of learning in school. My goal is to create a safe and nurturing environment where your child will nurture a life-long love of learning. Thank you for sharing your child with me.

Newsletters

My monthly newsletters will be posted on this website and with you by email.   This is an excellent way for me to communicate with you about the things that your child has been doing in school. 

Teacher Communication

The best way to contact me is by email. My email address is:

cphillips1@dcsdk12.org

I will check my email during my conference period and at the end of each day. If you have important information to communicate to me about your child and it pertains to that day (e.g. Susie is going home with Sara today), please send this information with your child to school and have your child give me the note when he/she arrives at school. If your child is going to be absent for any reason, please contact the front office with that information. I am always open to meeting with you in person. Please contact me and we can schedule a meeting time. We will have two formal scheduled conferences throughout the year, but I am always open to more conferences when they are needed. 

Field Trips

We will take one/two field trips during the year. I will send home permission slips that need to be filled out and returned to school along with the payment. The payment will include the cost of the school bus and the cost of the field trip. Parent volunteers who attend the field trip will be asked to pay separately.

Snacks

We will have our snack time during recess each day. You may send a snack to school in your child’s backpack. Please send in finger foods only. We try to avoid things like yogurt, applesauce, pudding, etc. as they spill easily. Also, healthy snacks like carrots, apples, grapes, and granola bars are best.

Birthdays

We love to celebrate birthdays! I welcome any special snack or treat that your child would like to share with his/her classmates on this special day. We also encourage non-food items like pencils, bouncy balls, or stickers. We also encourage parents to participate in our birthday book celebration by purchasing a book for our library with a nameplate celebrating your child and his/her birthday. Please remember that birthday invitations need to be mailed to home addresses. This protects against hurt feelings or lost invitations.

Recess

We will have recess each day. We will play outside on the playground and it is important for your child to be dressed appropriately. You may apply sunscreen before school as needed. We will have indoor recess on the days it is too cold or rainy to go outside.

Specials

Your child will visit the library once a week.  Please help your child keep his/her book in a safe place at home and return it each week.  We will also attend art, music, technology and PE.  Please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate shoes for running on PE days. 

Volunteer Opportunities

I greatly need and appreciate parent volunteers. You are welcome to volunteer in the classroom, with field trips, planning parties, etc. I will have a sign up sheet at our first meeting. Our weekly classroom volunteers will not start for the first several weeks of school. This gives the children and I a chance to set routines and to get to know each other. If you would like to volunteer in other areas of our school, please contact the school volunteer coordinator through the front office.

Homework

Your child will be expected to do about 20 minutes of homework each night.  It is important for first graders to practice the new academic skills that they are learning each day to solidify the learning. Your child will be practicing spelling skills, reading skills, journaling and new math concepts. I believe, however, that family time, play, and rest are also very important for these young learners. If you find that your child is spending more than 20 minutes on average each night, please contact me so that we can discuss accommodations. The most important thing that you can do to help stimulate your child academically each night is to continue to read to them and with them on a regular basis.  This reinforces and introduces vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness, grammar and instills the love of literature. 

Behavior Expectations

My discipline approach in the classroom is based on positive reinforcement. I have clear and consistent expectations. Children are encouraged to help establish our classroom expectations at the beginning of the year, so that they can develop an ownership of the rules. Children are expected to:

1. Stay Safe

2.  Be Kind

3. Work Hard

At a young age children learn the importance of accepting the responsibility for their actions. In our classroom, we read books and discuss great choices, we role-play and we use restorative practice to communicate and problem solve.  We support great behavior in our classroom and throughout the school as well. If your child is consistently struggling with following the classroom expectations, I will contact you through a phone call or email and we can discuss the behaviors specifically.

Curriculum

Literacy: McGraw Hill reading program Wonders

Writing: SRSD                    

Math: Envision Math

Phonics: UFLI