Welcome to Mrs. Lambeth’s 1st Grade! We will have a fantastic year and will learn and grow so much. First grade is a year of many changes and I am so excited to be on this journey with your student. I will be sharing information with you every Friday via email or on our class blog, mrslambeths1stgradeclassroom.blogspot.com. So check both. I may be changing my classroom website so I will keep you updated.
Discipline:
Our classroom rules are simple; do our very best, listen to each other, show kindness, do what is asked the first time, and respect each other, our supplies and materials. Our classroom motto is stop and think, good choice, bad choice, what are our choices, pick one and do it, then say good job. For my classroom management I like to use the Clip Chart and the money system in my classroom. The money is fake but it helps bring economic and real world situations into the classroom and ties perfectly into our IB units. The Clip Chart is an easy way for me to keep track of student behavior. All students’ start on ready to learn at the beginning of the day. When students are making good choices they will be asked to move up. When students are making bad choices they will be asked to move their clip down. When a student reaches Great job they will receive a dollar. If a student reaches the top to Super Student they will get two dollars. Once they have ten dollars they may choose from the prize box on Fridays. If a student has to move their clip down and they reach Teachers Choice then I will decide a consequence for them. If the student reaches the very bottom on Parent Contact then I will notify you of the child's behavior. If I contact you several times about behavior we will set up a behavior plan for the student. I also give out dollars periodically throughout the day for good behavior or a job well done. I also take away dollars as well.
Classroom Procedures:
Homework: Sent home Monday, due Friday.
20 minutes of reading is assigned each night. All reading will be recorded on the Road to Success Website and Reading Calendar. On the Road to Success Website students will have the opportunity to earn fun prizes while completing their assignments. The Road to success website is not based on a grade and is an extra thing through the school. The Reading Calendar will be graded it is located on the back of the homework folder please initial each day and write how many minutes your child has read. This will come back on Friday with the rest of the homework. I will be recording this weekly and grading monthly. At the end of the month I will be collecting calendars. Please do not forget to sign and send homework folders. If the calendar is not turned in at the end of the month it will not be graded and your student will receive a zero for reading homework. If you have not filled it out it will also count as a zero. There will also be a weekly math packet sent home, as well as a 15 word spelling list and sometimes a literacy review page. After Christmas your child will be sent home a small book report every week that they must compete by themselves. All homework will be sent home Monday to come back Friday. If homework is not turned in on Friday it counts as a zero. I do not have extra copies so if it is lost we may be able to work something out the first few times. If it becomes a habit your child will just have to take a zero. If your child is absent you may turn it in before or at a later date. For spelling, your child is able to pick how they would like to practice their spelling words. All of our large I.B projects will be done in class.
Absences: First grade is full of hands on learning experiences, and interactive lessons, which often cannot be replicated through a sent home worksheet, thus attendance is critical. Please make every effort to be at school, and on time each day. Please let the office know if your child will not be at school. If you would like to let me know as well that is great I would like to know but I can not excuse your child from school so it is crucial you must excuse it with the front office. If your child is ill, I will send home makeup work for them to do, though as mentioned, some of our hands on experiences cannot be replicated at home. If you are going on vacation, you must let the front office know and you must complete a vacation release form a minimum of one week before the students will be gone. This are located at the front office and then given to me the teacher.
Tardies: Please make sure you child is on time and in the classroom before the first bell rings. Students are marked tardy if they are late to class between the beginning of class, and up to 20 minutes after the start of class. After that the tardy is considered an absence. Parents must get their children to school on time. While students’ tardies are not always their fault it is reflected in their attendance and will affect academic performance. During snowy weather, please leave home earlier. Students are tardy if they are not prepared and in the assigned classroom by 8:20 a.m.) Students arriving after 8:20 a.m. must check in at the Front Office and get an admit slip.
Birthdays: As part of our school’s wellness policy, no treats are to be given out for a child’s birthday. Our class will celebrate and recognize your child on their special day. If you would still like to do something special, you are welcome to donate a book or game to our classroom library, or to send in a small favor, like a pencil or eraser, ect.
Volunteering: There will be many opportunities to volunteer this coming year! Volunteers will be organized by the room parents and myself to be used for centers, classroom celebrations, and sharing special talents. You are also welcome to email me if you have a certain day or time (even once) that you are available and I will put you to work! I will also need Volunteers for Star tutoring.
Grading: This year we will be using the SIS/Aspire program in first grade. Please be patient as we are learning the program! If you have children in 2nd-9th grade, you will have probably used it before!) I am planning to update them every 1-2 weeks. Our grading scale will be as follows:
Previous Progress Report
Grade
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New Grades using SIS/aspire
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Percentages Earned
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A=Accomplished (independent and accurate)
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A
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90-100
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P=Progressing (practicing towards independence and accuracy) THIS IS WHERE MOST STUDENTS ARE
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B
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60-90
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S=SUPPORTED (needs prompts and guidance)
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C
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30-60
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C=Challenged (difficulty grasping the concept and requires extra time and support to progress
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D
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10-30
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F
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0-10
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To Earn a Soaring Eagle Award (elementary equivalent of high honor roll, for academic excellence), your child will need to have an A in all areas of their report card and be reading at grade level or above. These awards are given each quarter.
To earn an IB Award, your child will need to complete 10 of the 12 projects listed on their leadership form. They have all year to work on this, as awards are given in May.
Classroom Grade Points
In class work: Usually all class work is worth ten points based on whether it is completed or not.
Centers: Most days I have a specific amount of centers for each child to compete. This number may change day to day. One day I may have 4 venters another day I may have 5 centers. Each center is worth 10 points. This grade will also be based on whether the center was completed or not. If a student only gets 3 out of the 4 centers done he/ she will receive a 30/40 points.
Participation: I take participation points throughout the day on different projects. This is also worth ten points if your student participated they will receive 10 points. For every time your child is not participating or goofing around I take away a point. If they have to be asked to sit out of the activity they will receive a zero.
IB Journals: 10 PTS for every entry.
IB projects: Graded based on rubric for that particular project.
Writing: Graded based on rubric for that specific writing.
Homework:
MATH: 10 PTS per math sheet. 30 PTS in all.
LITERACY PAGE: 10 PTS
READING MINUTES: 5 PTS per week 1 pt per day (must read 20 minutes every weekday. If you do not have the full 20 minutes it counts as a zero. Weekend minutes will be counted as extra credit.
BOOK REPORT: 10 PTS if completed 0 PTS if not (book reports will start after christmas)
Curriculum:
Math: In first grade, we use MY MATH, which is an excellent, inquiry based math program. Students will be taught that there are many “right” ways to solve a problem and they are welcome to use what works best for them. If you have questions about various ways to solve a problem, please refer to my website, or come meet with me to discuss it.
Literacy: Our school uses the Spalding Method for literacy instruction. Through a detailed study of phonograms, word patterns, conventions of writing, and being introduced to aspects of quality literature your child will learn the necessary skills to become a successful and confident reader, writer and speaker.
Unit: As part of the I.B. program, our science and social studies curriculum will be integrated into six, 5-8 weeks units. Each unit will have a culminating activity or project for the students to share and display what they have learned. If you would like to see what your child will be learning this coming year, you are welcome to log onto UEN.org which is the Utah Education Network website. From here, there will be a link to the 1st grade core curriculum.
Special Programs:
Scholastic book orders: I will provide an opportunity for you to purchase books from the Scholastic book club each month. This is a great way to buy well written, low cost books. However, it is not required! I do all of my scholastic ordering online. Our class code to order is “PC4BP ”. I will email when book order catalogs are being sent home. This is also a great way for me to build my classroom library. For every penny you spend I earn points towards free books for our classroom.
Box tops for education: By turning in 10 box tops each month, your child will earn a dress down day for the month. You may also purchase dress down days for HOPE at the beginning of the school year. .,.,.,.
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Contact Information:
You can contact me any time through email. My address is slambeth@hawthornacademy.org. You can also text or call me anytime if you have any questions my number is 435-592-1106. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to a wonderful year working with you and your child.
