First Grade
Assumption Catholic School
Liberty Sponek
2007-2008
HOMEWORK
Typically there will be daily homework. The daily planners and homework folders will go home every school day and must come back to school every school day. Homework assignments are written in the agenda. Please look at your child's agenda each evening and sign in the space for that date. I will check each day to make sure you have looked at the agenda and will give students a stamp if their homework is completed and it is signed or initialed. If homework is not completed, or there is not an adult signature, students will not receive a stamp. If for some unusual reason homework is turned in late, please write a note in his or her planner. If homework is not assigned your signature is still important because it tells me you checked their agenda and received any notes or materials I enclosed. Daily reading is part of every student's homework assignment.
TARDINESS
Students should be in line to enter the building at 8:10 , as we will begin class work immediately. Being on time is also important because hot lunch and milk orders need to be sent to the office by 8:20 so they can be called into the public school. If students are later than 8:20 I will follow the procedures in the handbook. These habits of punctuality will create a more stable classroom environment, and will help the students as they progress through their lives.
PARENT ENVELOPES
The Wednesday envelopes contain important information. Please read the contents and return them each Thursday. I will try to remind you of the important events in my Friday newsletter, but please don't count on one or the other exclusively. Both methods of communication are important.
MONEY
Anytime you send money for lunch, book orders, fees, donations, etc. it should be in a sealed envelope with your child's name, the amount, and the purpose written on the outside. Please make out book order checks to the company from which you are ordering.
BIRTHDAY
If you want to send treats for your child's birthday we will typically have them during snack or lunch. If you are sending treats, please notify me ahead of time. You may celebrate summer birthdays on their half birthday. We also celebrate all summer birthdays at our end of the year picnic. Please remember the request to make healthy choices for snacks or treats this year. Fun pencils are always a hit in first grade!!!
FOOD
Please make sure your child has his or her own utensils, napkins, and straws if bringing lunch from home. Please send healthy morning snacks, not chips or desserts. Although we don't have specific known food allergies this year, students should not share food.
Check your Dial…
In conjunction with the school-wide discipline plan that is in the parent/student handbook, I will be using the “Dial,” explained below, to help students become responsible for their own behavior. Once the expectations have been established in the classroom, the students will be in charge of setting the class Dial and regulating their own energy levels and behaviors.
WHAT IS THE DIAL?
The objective of the Dial is to determine, and then control, personal energy levels during learning tasks and in social situations. Since personal energy level is often a determinant of behavior, the Dial helps to regulate behavior during learning tasks and social situations as well. A “Dial Procedure” will be taught to the students and then, as a class, we will set the classroom Dial to an appropriate level for the activities that are taking place, and children will be asked to “check your dial” when it appears that their energy level is not on track with the class Dial.
Dial Procedure:
Close your eyes. Get focused. Nod your head when you are focused. Imagine your Dial. Now put the Dial somewhere in front of you to your right or left side, not directly in front of you. Using your fingers, show me what number your Dial is set at. Put your Dial on 5. That is a good place for the Dial to be set in the classroom.
1=You are asleep in your bed.
2=You are starting to wake up. You can open your eyes, but you are too sleepy to lift your head.
3=Your eyes are opened. You are sitting up in bed.
4=You are sitting and quietly eating breakfast.
5=You are sitting in your desk at school and your teacher is saying that you are one of the best behaved students in the class.
6=Your class is singing songs together. You are happy and singing aloud.
7=You are excited about recess. Your teacher reminds you that you are in class and should have your dial set at 5.
8=You are on the playground bouncing a ball or jumping rope.
9=You are winning the race so you run as hard as you can.
The class Dial will be regulated by the students, with the teacher's guidance, when we are transitioning to a new activity that requires a different Dial setting. Examples are provided below:
During a math lesson-Dial set at 5
During snack and lunch-Dial set at 4
During recess-Dial set at 8
Music class-Dial set at 6
P.E.-Dial set at 8 or 9
During Mass-Dial set at 4 or 5
WHAT IF THE DIAL DOESN'T WORK?
Fortunately, children have tremendous imaginations that allow them to visualize things in great detail. All students will most likely be able to visualize their own dial and manipulate its controls. However, if a child is not able to visualize the Dial or if the Dial is not effective for a particular child and behavior problems persist as a result of either of those two things, then the teacher will schedule a meeting with the parents so that we can work together to develop an individualized behavior plan that suits that child's needs.
It is my hope that by teaching children to be in control of their personal energy level and behavior, there will be minimal discipline issues in the classroom. However, if issues do arise, I feel that they can be effectively dealt with through an ongoing partnership between the teacher, student, and parents.