Congratulations! You are the parent of a first grader.  This is a hard job, but if we work together, it’ll become easier.  Below is a list of helpful hints and information that may help you during this year in specific areas.  Because your child has excelled in their academics and is in the first grade, they will need a lot of support and responsibility.   You may choose for them to help set the table at home, sweep the floor, and/or allow them to help pack their bookbag at night to get ready for the coming day.   When it comes to being in the classroom, please allow your child to take the responsibility of unpacking their bag and turning in their own homework.

Being a first grade parent is difficult, so I have taken the liberty of jotting down a  some things that may help this year go smoother for you as well as your child.  Be sure to keep all of your child’s tests and important papers in a safe place.  You may need to refer back to them later in the year.  Always check your child’s homework for errors.  Make flash cards for reading and spelling words each week.  This will help them with word recognition.  Do not throw them away!  Date all notes, etc. that are sent to school.  Please! Please! send a note for your child when his/her mode of transportation has changed.  We cannot put your child on a bus or in a car unless a note is sent with them.

Behavior Management
You should be aware of the class rules.  In our class, we have what is known as a Behavior Board.  On this board each child begins the day on green.  Each time he/she disobeys a rule, his/her name is moved up.  When he/she is caught being good, his/her name may be moved back down.  Your child could end up on green at the end of the day even if he or she was on another color during the course of the day.  These are the color coded consequences that will be applied if these rules are not followed:
green= S excellent behavior,
yellow= S- Warning and 5 min. time out,
black=N needs improvement 10min. time out and note home,
red=U unsatisfactory 15 min. time out, call parent(s) and sent to principal's office.  Ms. Teachey and I will be doing our best to stay on top of all students.

Snack/Lunch
1. Send a light snack for snacktime.  For example, crackers, and chips. If there is too much to eat during snack, they will not eat lunch when the time comes.  Do not send drink to go with snack.  We have a water fountain.  This makes it easier in case of spills in the classroom.
2. For lunch, do not send anything in a can such as fruit cocktail.  The can is dangerous and the child could cut him/herself.  IDEA:  put the fruit in a small tupperware container with a screw on lid.
 

Math
1. Always practice counting, writing and recognizing numbers
2. Review concepts that your child has already learned in school.  For example: money (identifying coins, how many pennies each coin is worth), ordinal positions (first, second, third: top, middle, bottom: front, back), counting to 100, most,some, few, size (big, little, small: longest, second longest), shapes (have them identify shapes that are in the house).

Reading
1. Use flash cards with each week's words DAILY!
2. When reviewing words, sound out all letters and use in sentences so they understand how to use the words themselves.
3. Review consonants and vowels each day. After Thanksgiving I'll begin assigning them to write a list of words that either begin or end with certain consonants and vowels. Game: When riding in the car ask your child which words begin with certain letters or sounds, play I spy with the environment (things that are surrounding them).
4. Game: Vocabulary Bingo!  It's just like playing tic-tac toe and bingo.  Have them draw the grid (tic-tac toe grid), then choose a word to go in each space leaving the middle space as a free space.  Call out a word.  The object is for the child to practice reading the word(s) and recognizing them.  When they find it, they should cover it with a small piece of paper.  You can opt to play the whole board, 4 corners, diagonal, etc.
5. Make sure that your child reads each night to an adult and it is documented on a reading record.  It is recommended that you read to him/her also. Reading records should be turned in just about every other Friday.  6. Model to children how to read with expression when reading to them.
7. Allow the child to sound out words before giving them the answers.
8. Children should be studying and practicing words each night.

Writing
1. Each child should be writing at the emergent stage.  Writing one or two sentences about the topic.
2. At the end of first grade he/she should be at the developing stage.  This means that the child can write three to five sentences on topic.
3. Children should try to use thinking maps to help them think about what they are to write about if they can not come up with anything to write.  We will teach you and your child how to use these later in the year.

Spelling
1. Always practice words each night
2. Make sure they can read as well as spell
3. Review words DAILY! (reading and writing them)
4. When reviewing words, go over the vowel for the week.  As they read and learn to write them sound out each letter so they can hear it.
5. Game:  Have your child write the words on construction paper or plain writing paper fairly large, then have them cut each letter out. Put all the letters in an envelope. These letters could be used for review during the week.  First call out a word instruct the child to spell out the word with his/her letters. Then call out each word until the spelling test is over!  To make it more fun you could tally each time a word is spelled correctly, then award a prize at the end.
6. Administer a good old fashion spelling test by folding a sheet of paper in half and allowing the child to number the paper.  Then call out each word.
tests

 Overall
1. Review all of these skills each night and YOU and your child should be ready for bed.
2. Some children will have these skills down pat, but they still need to be reviewed.  If you or someone else can't do this every night ( I am aware that there are other things to do) then there is always the option of buying workbooks (great gifts and stocking stuffers) for your child to work in, and giving them extra work at home.

Report Cards/Interim Reports
1.They are sent 4 times a year
2. Interim reports are sent in the middle of each nine week period.
3. The purpose of these is to inform  you of your child’s progress.
4. Go over these reports with your child so they are aware of how they are doing.  Explain each part and what it means.  This allows the child to understand that they have the responsibility of learning and making good grades.
5. A progress report with a behavior chart  and weekly papers are sent home each week.  It informs you of your child’s conduct grade(s) received within that week.  Please sign and return the progress report.  Keep the papers..

Other
 Library books should be turned in on Monday.  If the book is finished before Monday, bring it in and it can be exchanged for another one.  If your child is struggling with the book that he/she chooses, do not give up.  Have the child to bring the book back to exchange it.  To check the reading level of the book look on the back cover, there two numbers, a reading level and the point value.  Look at the reading level number.  Here is an example:  If the book reads 1.1, it means first grade first month.  Some children may still not be able to read this book yet, but if it makes him/her happy to have this book, so be it.   You could read it to them and ask questions afterward.  When a child does read to you make sure to ask questions in order to check his/her comprehension of the story.