The ABC's of Mrs. Fleming and Mrs. Thomas' Class

A If your child is absent, please call the health office (631-266-5478) to let the nurse know.

The children will have Art once a week. Please remember to dress your child appropriately on art days – first graders can get messy when working with markers, paint, clay, etc.

B We will encourage good behavior and making good choices throughout the day (being kind, ready to learn; following directions, keeping our hands and feet to ourselves, not leaving the room without permission, etc.).

Birthdays are non-food celebrations. We will celebrate in our classroom by singing Happy Birthday, adding a “cupcake” to our birthday graph. Parents are invited to be a Guest Reader in our classroom in honor of your child’s birthday. Please let us know if you’d like to come in and read to the class. We will arrange a date and time with you. No goodie bags, please. If you would like to donate the book you read to our classroom library, we will take a picture of you and your child to put in the book to recognize your generosity. We can celebrate summer birthdays in June. Please do not send birthday party invitations to be distributed at school unless all children receive an invitation.

We will send home book order forms for you and your child to look over every month. Book clubs offer books at reduced prices. It's a great way to build your child's home library! You can place your order online or send it school in an envelope. If you choose to send your order to school, please pay by check only. You may combine orders from different catalogs and pay with one check made payable to Scholastic, Inc. If you’d like to order online, please go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs As you register for the first time, enter the one-time activation code: GJMFL. This ensures your order is sent to us.

C Please volunteer to assist our Class Parents this year by signing up to send in food and supplies for celebrations. The district Wellness Policy requires food for classroom celebrations must be approved on a permission slip, be store bought, individually wrapped and have the ingredients on the packaging.

A class list of student addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for play dates and mailing birthday party invitations home will be compiled and distributed by the class parents. You must sign the waiver for your child to be included on this class list.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held in December after the first trimester is completed. You will be invited by the teachers to sign up for a conference. Conferences will be held on an evening and and afternoon in December. Spring conferences will be held at the discretion of the teacher on an as needed basis in March. We can also accommodate parents for a before school morning conference (9:00 AM), if that is better for your schedule. Conference Days are early dismissal days (12:20 PM).

Communication is important. Feel free to contact us whenever you have a question, comment, or concern. You can reach us by phone (631.266.5445 ), by note or email. A note in your child’s Home Folder is the quickest and easiest way to contact us. We will communicate reminders and other important information on our Google Classroom Stream.

D- Dismissal- Change in Dismissal should be communicated on the building Google Form. The link can be found here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyxZMy0k2i0gSmri51vZ68uTr9IIaMjdvTo233xeOtC5t9oA/viewform

E Our school email addresses are dfleming@elwood.k12.ny.us and kthomas@elwood.k12.ny.us We check email once a day, but not always at the same time. Please use email for non-urgent notes only.

If you have an email address that you’d like us to be aware of, please let us know.

Please complete and return the blue emergency card promptly. If your home or work phone number change, please inform the office and us.

Early Dismissal Days will take place in December, March, and June. On Early Release days, students eat snack only in school and are dismissed at 12:20 PM.

F Information about field trips will come home in your child’s Home Folder and will be detailed in the field trip permission slip. First grade usually has two field trips during the year.

First Grade Field Day is scheduled for early June. There are 2 rain dates reserved just in case we have bad weather.

Flag Day performances will be June 14. More information to come.

G Google Classroom - We will use the Google Classroom to post resources and to communicate with you.

Our class will have two 40 minute classes in the gym each week. The children are asked to wear sneakers on gym days. We have Physical Education with Mr. Brocking and Mr. Schiraldi each week.

H - Health- Students will have Health and Wellness instruction once a week for an 8 week period.

Homework in 1^st Grade: Worksheets will be sent home in the Home Folder (Right back to school pocket). Your child will bring home a good fit book each night. Written homework will not be given on Fridays. Try to check all homework and give guidance.

Home Reading : A book of your child's choice will come home in the in the Read and Return book baggie each night. It is very important that your child reads 15-20 minutes each night. Your child will be borrowing books from my classroom library. We would appreciate it if you would remind your child to take care of the books they borrow. They will practice choosing a just right book to read to self, read to someone or listen to for homework. We will provide the first zip-top bag for these books to travel home in. We would appreciate it if you would replace this bag when it gets worn out.

Harley will celebrate Halloween and Harvest Festival at the end of October. Information to follow.

Independence is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. 1^st Graders are very capable of doing many things on their own and we encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. Please work on the following self-help skills at home with your child: zipping, tying, dressing, opening snack packages, keeping a neat folder, etc.

J We will be working on reading just right books as we practice independent and partner reading. Each child will keep a book bag filled with just right books. We will book shop once a week for just right books to keep close at hand. Your child will be permitted to borrow 1 book from our classroom library for their home reading practice.

Keep updated by reading notes and information that come home each day in the Home Folder and on the Google Classroom.

http://elwood.k12.ny.us/schools/harley_avenue_primary

L We will visit the labs for special hands on lessons. Our class will visit the Science Lab and the Maker Space on a rotating schedule.

Late arrival to school: Your child must stop at the Health Office to be marked present before he or she walks down to our classroom.

Our class will visit the library once a week. Our librarian is Mrs. Kossowsky. Your child will check out a book when we visit the library on Tuesday and return it the following Tuesday. If your child forgets to return the book, they will not be allowed to check out a new book until it is returned.

Our class eats lunch at 12:35 PM. Lunch is free again for 2021 school year.

M The children will have music classes every Monday and Wednesday with Mrs. Long.

Magazines- As a part of our Social Studies and Literacy curriculums we will be using Scholastic News magazine. If you have not already done so, please send in $7.00 cash to pay for your child’s subscription.

The 1^st Grade math curriculum provides students with mathematical experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics that will continue throughout their school career and lives. Math concepts are covered through our calendar meeting and Engage NY Math lessons. We will play many math games! Math homework sheets will be a review of a topic we are studying.

N...Notes to the Teacher...Please make sure all notes are addressed to Mrs. Thomas or Mrs. Fleming. Please label all envelopes with the purpose, your child’s full name and the teacher’s name to make sure all messages get delivered to the correct parties.

Open House at Harley Avenue is Back to School Night.

P When picking up your first grader at regular dismissal time, please go to the doors on the kindergarten pplayground. Don't forget your pick up pass!

Please become a member of the Harley Parent Teacher Association (PTA) . Your membership supports field trips, cultural events and other enrichment for the children.

Questions? Please feel free to call, email, or send a note.

Report cards will be given EVERY trimester. The December, April and June report cards will be available on the Parent Portal. Please set up an account through the district website http://www.elwood.k12.ny.us/district/parent_portal

Recess...1^st Graders have recess after lunch from around 12:53 – 1:13 PM.

S We will have a working snack each morning. Please send a healthy snack that your child can open and eat during our brief snack time. Please make sure your child knows what to each for snack and what to eat for lunch. This can be confusing for some children.

Science... The focus of the 1^st Grade science curriculum is on developing an awareness of the world in which we live. Some of the topics we will study are plants and animals, sound and light, and space. Science concepts and skills will be explored utilizing a literacy based, hands-on approach.

Social Studies... The 1^st Grade social studies curriculum focuses on the students and how they relate to others in their families, classroom, school, and community. Social Studies concepts and skills will be explored utilizing a literacy based approach.

T and U If your child has any changes in their transportation please let us know in writing via the Google Form on the day of the transportation change.

V Please check Harley's Virtual Backpack weekly for flyers and notes. http://www.elwood.k12.ny.us/backpack/default.aspx

W It is essential that your child bring a water bottle to school each day. The children may refill their water bottle at the filtered filling stations. The water in our classroom is NOT for drinking.

Your support is always appreciated!

ZZzzzzzz - Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Adjusting to a full day of working and learning is difficult for some children after a long summer break. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child.