Important Information

Here you will find a lot of helpful information about our classroom. Information can be added from time to time, so check back often for updates.

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new school year! Most parents ask how you can help your child at home. One of the most important things you can do is review your child’s school work each day. Let your child explain the papers from class each day, and have your child read to you every day. This provides much needed repetition of classwork.

School is important! Remind your child often that doing well in school is important. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me so that we can solve the issue together.

Listen to your child. Encourage your child to tell you about the school day. Praise your child for the good things that happen and discuss any problems that may have occurred.

Set a daily routine. A good night’s sleep, good breakfast, playtime, and study time are all important. Include family time when everyone can be together to do something fun. Be consistent with your rules and discipline at home.

I have put together a small packet of important information for you. Please read through this so that you will be familiar with school and classroom procedures. If you have any questions about any of the information, please contact me. I am eager to help you in any way. I look forward to working with your child in the coming year.

Thank you,

Mrs. Wright

Weekly Curriculum

Reading:

One of the most important tools for future reading success for any child, is exposure to books on a frequent basis. We will be using the Encore Reading program along with reading fiction and nonfiction stories on a regular basis. While reading, we will be introducing the children to book features (authur, illustrator, title page) and discussing different comprehension tools to help your child understand and remember what he/she reads. It is important that you and your child read at home as well. Set aside a few minutes each night to read with your child. Students will also work on a program called Pathblazers for Reading.

Phonics:

Building a child’s understanding of letters, sounds, and words is the basis for all reading in the future. We will be using Phonological Awareness Activities (PAST) to teach these skills to your child. There will be a new lesson each day, and we will spend a week focused on a letter, sound, or rule to increase the student’s reading knowledge. There will also be words for the students to memorize (sight words, CVC words - Consonant Vowel Consonant) that help them to increase their understanding of what we read. These sounds and words will be sent home in the pocked folder, and it will be important to review these at home with your child.

Writing/Grammar:

We will have writing activities each morning throughout the school year where we will focus on how to write words (such as months of the year, days of the week, color words, number words, sight words, spelling words, and sentences with the students in different forms of writing genres. If your child writes at home, we would love for them to share what they write with us here at school. Reading and writing activities work together to make your child successful in school.

Math:

We will be using the Numeracy Project consisting of math activities on particular math skills. At times, your child may have math homework . It is very important to help your child as the homework comes home. Students will also work on a program called Pathblazers for Math.

Science/Social Studies:

We will be discussing various science and social studies topics. At times we do conduct science experiments or do food projects.

School/Home Communication

Daily communication between parents and teachers is an important component in your child’s success in school. Students will be provided with a two-pocket folder that will be used EVERY day. All classwork, newsletters, homework, and school notes will be sent home in this folder. It will also be used to send any notes and money needed to your child’s teacher from home. There will be a behavior report for your child that will be completed by the teacher each day to keep you informed of your child’s behavior and school needs. It will be important for parents to check this folder DAILY. Be sure to discuss your child’s classwork with him/her, review and sign the daily behavior sheet, and check for any other school communication to be signed and returned. Then remove any classwork, flyers, or newsletters, and return the signed behavior sheet and any completed homework for your child. Your child’s teacher will look for this folder to be returned to school every day. There is also a communication notebook that goes home everyday for me to write notes to parents if needed or for parents to write notes to me. Please make sure this comes back to school everyday along with the pocket folder.

Discipline

Every child is expected to follow the school and classroom rules. When they do not, they could experience difficulty in learning. They may also make it very hard for their classmates to listen and learn. Alto Park emphasizes positive behavior and expectations throughout our building. We encourage the students to soar like an eagle by being Safe, Respectful, and Responsible.

Every teacher has a specific behavior plan for the students in the classroom that accompanies a schoolwide plan for all the areas of our building. There are rules that must be followed at all times for the good of EVERY student

CBI (Community Based Instruction) Trips

The class will be taking CBI trips twice a month over the course of the school year. You will receive a permission slip for you to sign. It is required for the slip to be signed and returned or your child will not be allowed to go on the trip. Each permission slip will have a deadline from the teacher, so make sure it is returned on time. The cost of the CBI trip is also on the form. It is very important that you send the money with the permission slip in a sealed labeled envelope.

The CBI trips are an extremely exciting part of the school year. However, the student must earn the privilege of participating. Please read the permission slip for more details on each trip.

Homework

Homework is meant to reinforce daily classwork and provide your child with the repeated practice required to master skills. It is extremely important that the STUDENT complete all of the homework and review it with a parent . Homework will be placed in the pocket folder and will be marked as homework. There will not always be homework everyday. Please return homework the next day when it is sent home.

Your child will also be bringing home library books to read with an adult each week. Read the books together, and let them review the books from time to time.

We will be focusing on a new set of letter sounds and sight words each week along with a list of spelling words. These words will be listed and placed in the pocket folder. These words will help build the student’s knowledge of sight words for reading.

Digital Learning

With the health and safety of our students being a top priority, it is important to be prepared for at home learning to take place if needed this school year. With this in mind, teachers will be preparing for alternative teaching models should the need arise. If there should be extended school closures for illness or weather, you and your child should be prepared to continue daily learning activities from home. Google Classroom will be used to send teaching assignments and resources to your child, and your child will be expected to complete these daily. To prevent the students from falling behind in their coursework, teachers will be checking for completion of any online and paper work assigned. Detailed instructions for students and parents will be provided should this occur, and all students will be expected to complete the work.

General Information

Illness: If your child becomes sick at school, you will be contacted so that you can take your child home. If your child shows signs of illness at home, your child should not be sent to school with a possible contagious illness. Should your child show any signs of fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash, your child should be kept at home, and you should seek medical attention. If your child runs a fever, he/she must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine before returning to school. Upon returning to school, a doctor’s note should be sent with your child.

Contact Information: It is important that your child’s teacher be able to reach you for medical needs or during school closures. Correct email addresses, home addresses, and phone numbers are important pieces of contact information that must be available to your child’s teacher. Any change in personal information, such as an address or phone number, must be reported to the school. All contact information must be kept current throughout the year. It is your responsibility to update the school with any changes to your personal contact information.

Money: Your child is responsible for any money brought to school. Many times money can be lost; therefore it should remain in a bookbag or envelope until it is needed. All money must be sent in a labeled envelope with your child’s name, the teacher’s name, the amount, and what the money's for.

Lunch: The cost of a student lunch is $2.25. This money must be paid in advance, and kept current in the school cafeteria account.

Toys (or items from home): Please do not let your child bring toys to school. They could get broken, lost, or cause a distraction in the classroom. If your child brings a toy into the room, the teacher will keep the toy until it can be returned to the parent. Please monitor the items that your child brings/wears to school. Many times jewelry and other accessories become a distraction during the school day.

Dress Code: As stated in the Alto Park Handbook, all shirts with spaghetti straps, or that are backless, are against school policy. Also, skirts and shorts must be of an appropriate length. For modesty purposes, please make sure your daughter wears appropriate length shorts (such as bike shorts) underneath her skirt or dress. All T-Shirts with graphics (writing or pictures) should be school and age appropriate. Also, please help your child to remember to wear tennis shoes on PE days.