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Our Classroom:
Room 212 is a safe place for all and is where we will spend our year learning and growing. Throughout the year, I will be in touch with families about joining our classroom for conferences, meetings, and other special activities. I would like you to feel part of your students' first grade year as much as possible.
Room 212 Rules:
During the first weeks of school, our class will develop a list of rules. We work together to create individual Hopes and Dreams for the year and we establish rules that would help everyone reach those goals. After the creation of the rules, everyone signs the rules to indicate that he/she agrees with the rules and will try their best to follow our rules. Our classroom rules are aligned with the Franklin Core Values.
We continue to work on these rules throughout the year to establish and maintain classroom expectations. But everyone makes mistakes. They will forget, become unsure, and test limits. Logical consequences are a way to help fix problems that result from children’s words and actions when they break or forget rules. They help children regain self-control, reflect on their mistakes, and make amends for them. Logical consequences should be respectful of the child, relevant to the situation, and reasonable in scale. Here are 3 types of Logical Consequences that will help maintain a safe, respectful, and caring learning environment:
“You break it, you fix it” can be used to mend emotional messes as well as physical messes. A child can rebuild a block tower after accidentally knocking it over. A child can repair hurt feelings with an “apology of action” by doing something to soothe the injury, such as drawing a picture or playing a game.
Temporary loss of privilege is a simple way to help a child remember to use that privilege (art materials, group time) responsibly. Losing a privilege for a class period or a day can help a child pause to remember or relearn a rule.
“Take a Break to Reset” is a strategy to help children learn self-control. A child who is disrupting the work of the group is asked to leave for a few minutes. This gives the child a chance to regain composure and rejoin the group when he/she is ready.
Time & Schedule:
Children may enter school and go to their classrooms when the bell rings at 8:10am. Students will begin morning work promptly and at 8:20 our Morning Meeting will begin. It is important to be on time, so children can carry out their morning responsibilities and get ready for the day ahead!
Specials Schedule:
Monday: Library *Remember your books
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: PEHW *Remember to wear your sneakers
Friday: PEHW *Remember to wear your sneakers
Snack:
We will have a snack time each day, and students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks that support them in being the best learners they can be. Healthy snacks could include: fruit, goldfish crackers, pretzels, vegetables, humus, popcorn, etc. Please refrain from sending in sweets like: cookies, brownies or candy. Our school is a nut safe zone. Please check all items you send to ensure that no food items contain ANY type of nut. Students should be able to independently open their own snacks. Your child may also bring in a water bottle each day and will be allowed to keep it at their desk to drink throughout the day. Water bottles should be spill-proof and ONLY contain water.
Birthday Celebrations:
We love to celebrate! Please note that Franklin has a "no food" policy for celebrating birthdays. There are, however, lots of other ways we can celebrate. We will sing "Happy Birthday” at morning meeting. Other optional birthday ideas could include:
* You may choose to bring in your child's favorite book to be read aloud to the class (15 min.) either by a family member (when fully vaccinated volunteers are allowed) or by Mrs. Downing.
* You may donate a favorite book, jump ropes, building kits or games to the classroom.
Other ideas are welcome and open for discussion.
Communication:
I believe that communication is essential and will keep you updated on what we are doing in the classroom. Most of my communication home will be in the form of emails and notices in your child's take home folder. You can also visit our class website for weekly updates, pictures, and helpful resources to guide you through first grade. To get in touch with me you can:
send a note in with your child.
email me at: downinga@newton.k12.ma.us. I check email before and after school. During the school day I am teaching or in meetings, so I will not be able to check messages. I will reply within 24 hours during the week. I do not usually check email on the weekends in order to be present for my family.
call the school to leave a message and I will return the call after the students have gone home for the day.
If there is an emergency or a change in the dismissal plans for that day, please call the main office directly and they will alert me: 617-559-9500
If there is another type of issue that you feel needs a phone call or Zoom conversation, please set up a conference time with me outside of instructional hours.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with questions, comments, or concerns. I am looking forward to working together to make first grade a successful year!
-Homework
It is expected that first graders will engage with books for 20 minutes every night, reading to a proficient reader or listening to books read aloud.
As for written homework, research shows that homework has little impact on primary aged children. It is more beneficial for your child to have experiences that will help develop background knowledge, build social & emotional skills, as well as physical health.
This year, instead of written homework, we ask that your child do things that will allow them to develop background knowledge, be creative, and feel close to their friends and family. Play outside, ride bikes, build with Legos, play a card or board game, play with friends, cook and eat dinner as a family, snuggle up together with a book. Your children do plenty of work at school all day and we keep them BUSY. For now, we would just like them to be kids.
Interest based research is always a great way to enrich your child's learning at home. If your child is interested or passionate about a topic, please encourage and support them in their quest to learn more about the topic. If they would like to present their learning to the class, we can set up a time to share their presentation during Morning Meeting. Please let me know when your child is ready to teach the class!
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