ABC's of First Grade

Agenda

Students will be writing in their agenda each morning, as they arrive in class. This agenda will be used to communicate important messages and homework; therefore, it is essential that it be brought to and from school every day. Please take the time to check the agenda every night and to sign each day’s message.

Allergies

Due to the number of students with severe nut allergies, some of which are life threatening, our school is a NUT-SAFE SCHOOL. This means that students must refrain from bringing any products that contain nuts to school, including peanut butter. This ensures a safe environment for all students.

Attendance

Daily attendance, when feeling well, is necessary to have a successful first grade experience. Our day begins promptly at 8:20 am. Please be sure that your child arrives to school on time every day. If your child is unable to attend, for any reason, please use the Safe Arrival (School Messenger App) to notify us. If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please call the office at 780-458-1112 to report the absence. When leaving a message, be sure to say your child’s full name and grade.

Birthdays

Birthdays are special and will certainly be acknowledged in class. Students may bring in a birthday treat to share with their classmates, if they would like; however, I would ask that you do not send any treats to school unless you have made prior arrangements with me. This is important so that we can find a convenient time and so that we can ensure that the treat is something that all children will be able to enjoy. Please remember that all treats must be nut-free.

If you would like to send out birthday invitations, please contact me. Please do not allow your child to hand them out at school, as it often results in hurt feelings for those who are not invited. They may, however, give the invitations to me and I will discretely distribute them.

Communication

I value open communication between home and school, and I encourage you to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns. You may write a note in your child’s agenda, send me an email or call me at school. Although I may not be able to speak with you immediately, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Phone: 780-458-1112

Email: elemoine@gsacrd.ab.ca

Curriculum

All subjects will be taught in French, with the exception of English and Religion. If you are interested in seeing an overview of what we will be learning in each subject this year, please visit the following website: https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/grade1.html

Continuous Reporting

Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools has moved away from the traditional 3 report cards per year and has instead moved to a continuous reporting system. This means that you will  receive real-time updates throughout the year about how your child is doing in class. Many of these updates will simply be a 'progress check' regarding your child's currently level of functioning; these are NOT final marks. Students will continue to work on learning objectives throughout the year and will have many opportunities to demonstrate their understanding before a final mark is given. A final report card will be generated at the end of the school year with your child's final marks in all subjects. Your child's progress can be viewed online through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. 

Drop off & Dismissal

Students may be dropped off between 8:05-8:15 am and may be picked up between 3:00-3:10 pm. **Please note that there is no supervision prior to 8:05 am or after 3:10 pm.**

If your child arrives at school after 8:20 am, they will have to enter through the front doors and report to the office, before proceeding to class.  Please note that all doors, except for those at the front entrance, are locked after 8:20 am.

Early Dismissal

Please note that students will be dismissed at 11:20 am on any early dismissal days throughout the year. 

Email

elemoine@gsacrd.ab.ca

Field Trips

We will be going on field trips throughout the year. In order for these trips to take place, I may need some volunteers to assist me in supervising the children. If you are interested in helping with any of our field trips, please indicate so on the permission slip and ensure that you have all the proper documentation required in order to volunteer. Please note that only children who have written permission, signed by either a parent or a guardian, will be able to participate in our field trips. Oral permission given by phone will not be accepted.

French Flashcards

For every French theme, flashcards will be sent home so that your child can review the vocabulary that we are learning in class.  Please keep the flashcards together in a safe place and practice them for 5-10 minutes each night.  The goal is for your child to be able to recognize and name the picture, and eventually, read the words. If you do not speak French, you can find videos with the proper pronunciation of each word under the French section of our classroom website.

H-R-T-S

This acronym is used throughout the school as a reminder of our values, here at École Sacré Coeur.

H- Honesty

R- Responsibility

T- Tolerance

S- Safety

These terms are consistently used when discussing behavioural expectations at school. The intent of this school-wide approach is to promote a safe, caring and predictable environment for learning and teaching. Throughout the year, our HRTS values will be clearly communicated and reinforced.

Illness

If your child is ill, we kindly ask that you keep them home until they are feeling better. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Late Arrivals

If your child arrives to school after 8:20 am, they will have to enter the front doors and report to the office, before proceeding to class. Please note that all doors, except for those at the front entrance, are locked after 8:20 am.

Library

We will be visiting the library weekly, starting mid-September. Students will have the chance to choose two library books to take home to share with their family; one in English and one in French. Please remember to return your child's books every Monday, so that they can choose some new books to bring home.

Medical Concerns

If your child has any medical concerns or medical history that we should be aware of, please be sure to fill out a medical concerns form. These forms are available at the school office.

Parent Portal

If you have not yet created a Parent Portal account, please contact Francine at the office for assistance. The Parent Portal will be used throughout the year to pay fees, to access bussing information and to receive information about your child's academic progress, including their report card. I would encourage you to download the app on your phone for easy access. Please note that certain features can only be accessed from a desktop computer.

Payments

Payments of school fees, as well as most school activities, can be paid online through the Parent Portal. This offers a convenient way to make secure payments from your home, thus avoiding having to send your child to school with cash or cheques. 

Pochette

Students will continue to use their 'pochette' from kindergarten to bring home their work, their classroom reading books, as well as important papers, such as permission slips.  Please be sure to check your child’s pochette daily.

Printing

When practicing printing with your child, please be sure that they always print their letters from top to bottom. If you would like more information about how you can help your child with their printing at home, please let me know.

Reading Program

Our reading program will officially begin later this month. Stay tuned for more details regarding exactly how it will work.... In the meantime, please take the time to read with your child each day. Enjoy the chance to talk and share ideas about stories, words and sounds. By reading stories and talking about words and sounds in print, you are helping your child learn to read.

Schedule

Here are the scheduled times for Physical Education, Daily Physical Activity and Library. Please be sure that your child is adequately prepared for these courses on the appropriate days.

Physical Education – Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

Daily Physical Activity – Monday & Friday

Library – Monday

Sight Words

Please note that we longer do a sight word program, as we have done in previous years. The decision to end the program is supported by research that indicates that children should be decoding words rather than memorizing them by sight. The majority of the words that were on our sight word lists can be decoded, if students know their sounds and the rules of the English language. Therefore, instead of encouraging the students to memorize a list of words out of context, we will continue to work on phonics, as well as learn the English rules that will help them to decode most of these words. These words will become sight words as the students see them over and over again, in context, while reading.

Volunteers

Volunteers are once again welcome and appreciated in our class. Please note that all volunteers must sign the appropriate forms and complete a Criminal Record & Child Welfare check before being able to volunteer in our class and/or on field trips. Volunteers must also sign in at the office before each visit.

Water bottles

To help stay hydrated, the students are strongly encouraged to bring a full water bottle to school each day. When sending a water bottle to school, please be sure that it is clearly marked with your child’s name and that it only contains water! Please avoid sending water bottles with twist off caps, as they tend to increase the number of spills in the class. Students will be encouraged to bring their water bottle home daily to be cleaned.

Week at a Glance

Check your inbox every Sunday evening for the latest Week at a Glance! This snapshot will give you an overview of what your child is learning in class. If you are not receiving these emails, please contact me right away.

Zzzzz

Young children need plenty of rest each night to prepare for a full day of learning. It's important to set and stick to a nightly bedtime so that your child is ready to go when morning comes.