The ABC's of First Grade

Attendance and Absences: The students can enter the classrooms at 7:30 a.m.

Please try and have your child arrive at school each day before the first bell rings

at 7:55 a.m. Your child is tardy after 8:00 a.m. If you know your child is going to

be out, notify me in advance if possible. Otherwise, please send a note stating why

your child was out when they return to school.

Agenda: To facilitate better communication with you, a daily personal agenda and folder

will be provided for your child. You will be asked to support your child by reviewing his/her

personal agenda and folder each evening. Please initial the agenda each day to indicate you

have reviewed the day with your student and have checked for homework completion. It is

suggested this not be initialed until you have reviewed the homework for neatness, following

directions, and accuracy where possible. You are not expected to do your student’s homework!

Remind them that homework is for their personal growth.

Breakfast: A good breakfast will start your child’s day out right. Breakfast is served in the lunchroom from 7:30 until 7:50 a.m.

Behavior: Please reinforce good manners and behavior with your child at home. Good behavior is expected each day to allow each child the chance to learn our great first grade standards.

Birthdays: If you would like to bring a treat in for your child’s birthday, please let me know ahead of time. Small cupcakes, Little Debbie cakes or cookies work best for students. All treats will be served in the lunchroom following lunch. Please no cakes or punch! PLEASE NOTE: Due to county policy, we are unable to serve the students homemade items. Any treats you bring in must be store bought and still in the original package. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Conferences: Parent/teacher conferences will take place in October and March. Children will be dismissed at 1:30 during those weeks.

Check-out: Your child may only be checked out from the main office, not from our classroom.

Communication: It’s important. Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment, or concern. The best way to communicate with me is through a note or email. ([email protected])

Donations: We are always in need of classroom supplies and other various materials. Please contact me if you are interested in assisting with donations.

Envelopes: Please be sure to send any money inside an envelope with your child’s name, student number, and what the money is for on the envelope. This will ensure the money gets sent to the appropriate place.

Field Trips: Notification of field trips will come home prior to each trip.

Gym Class: Please make sure your child wears appropriate shoes and clothing on days we will have gym.

Homework: Homework must be completed and returned in order to reinforce the skills learned at school.

Involvement: Your involvement in your child’s education is critical to their success.

Journals: Each student will keep a Math journal that we will work in each week to reinforce the math skills we are learning.

Keep Up: Keep up with your child's nightly reading on his/her reading log every night.

Learning Bridge: Your child must already be registered to attend each day. This service is available from 2:15 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. If your child will be attending Learning Bridge, please make sure that you have filled out all of the necessary paperwork, advanced payment has been made and that you have notified Learning Bridge that your child will be staying. Teachers cannot notify Learning Bridge for you and teachers cannot accept money to give to Learning Bridge. You must pay them directly or you can pay online at the Learning Bridge website. Please note that it takes 24 hours to register the paperwork for Learning Bridge so you cannot sign your up on the day you expect him/her to stay. IMPORTANT: Notes of transportation changes still come to teachers. Learning Bridge will not give notes to teachers.

Lunch: There are tables outside the lunch room for the times you would like to eat with your child. This will allow you to spend quality time with your child. If your child will be eating school lunches most of the time, you may pay ahead of time for the entire week or month.

Media Center: Please be sure they bring their library book to school daily. If your child does not have his/her book when we visit the library, your child will be unable to check out a new book.

Medication: If your child needs to take any form of medication at school, we must have written permission to dispense. You (the parent) must turn the medication in to the office. Students are not allowed to transport medication on the school bus. The medication will be stored and given in our clinic.

Newsletter: A weekly class newsletter will be coming home in your child’s blue folder to update you on events taking place. This will also inform you of the units of study, nightly homework assignments, and behavior.  

Open: Please open and look through your child’s communication notebook/book bag daily. This is the only way to remain aware of what is going on at school.

P.T.A.: We encourage you to join our P.T.A. The cost is $ 5.00. The P.T.A. does many great activities for our students and they are a great support to the Russom staff.  

Questions: If you ever have a question or concern, please send a note if possible, email me, or leave a message with our office staff for me to return your call.

Read: Read to/with your child daily. This is a wonderful activity to do with your child each day to encourage good reading habits.

Sign-in: If you decide to visit the school for any reason, please sign-in at the front office upon arrival and get a visitor sticker.

Snack: Your child is encouraged to bring a healthy snack to school that is easy to eat. We will eat snacks after Specials eat day while we are doing class work.

Sickness: If your child comes to school on a day when they have not been feeling well, please do not tell them to call you if needed. This usually results in a call around 8:30 a.m. Instead, please send me a note stating that your child may not be feeling well, and to call you if needed.

Specials: You will be provided with a calendar of your child’s specials each month.  Please keep this in the back pocket of your child’s blue folder so you and your child can refer to it on a daily/weekly basis and be prepared as needed.

Transportation: Please send a note if your child’s transportation will be changing at any time. If we do not have a note, we will send your child home the way they usually go. Also, be sure to discuss the type of transportation with your child so they will feel confident about how they are getting to and from school. I must have a note as we are unable to make changes based on what a student verbally tells us. Please make sure the note is in your child’s blue folder.

Testing: First Grade will not take a standardized test but we will take the RI and MI (District Benchmark Assessment) three times this year.

Unnecessary Items: Please do not allow your child to bring toys, notepads, and play jewelry to school unless requested in a note for special activities. These items tend to be a distraction in the classroom and will be taken up.  If taken, they will have to be picked up by you.

Volunteers: If you are able, please volunteer to help out with various things in our class or within the school. I will notify you in advance when I am in need of volunteers.

Weapons Policy: To be safe, please do not allow your child to bring anything to school that is or even looks like a weapon (toys included). There is a very strict policy within our county. Also, be aware that repeated “threats” upon others, even those meant to be taken as a joke, will result in immediate action. (Ex. saying “I’ll kill you.”)

Website: This is a great tool to help you stay involved in your child’s education.  Please visit our class website often for updates and resources to use at home to reinforce skills learned in the classroom.

Extra Special: Each child is extra special in his/her own way and will be treated that way.

You: You, the parents are the MOST important factor in your child’s learning process and attitude. Please be as involved as possible.

ZZZ’s: A good night’s sleep is needed in order for your child to learn and feel great each day! Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child.