Dear Parents,

First of all, I want to welcome you and your child/children back to school! My name is Ms. Fouani and I am truly lucky to be back at Henry Ford Elementary School. The beginning of the year is always an exciting time and I can‘t wait to get to know each of my students.

During the first week, we will get to know, review, and practice our daily schedule, rules, policies and procedures, while getting to know your child. We will also start our specials and get into our curriculum.

Attached to this letter you will find some information on rules, a recommended supply list, and a healthy snack list. As our specials class schedule is finalized, I will also send a copy of that schedule home. As a class we will determine what makes a good teacher, as well as, what makes a good student, so that we can both be as successful as possible.

I have attached a healthy snack list to provide some ideas about what snacks are acceptable to bring. Snacks are not provided from the school, but students will be given a short snack time in the morning. The students are not limited to the list, but the list is intended to give ideas about what can be brought. If there are any questions about what is or is not acceptable, feel free to contact me prior to sending the snack to school.

Please read through all attached papers. If there are any questions, feel free to contact me via email at fouanil@dearbornschools.org. This is the best way to reach me. I will also provide a messenger option that you can find in the section that refers to behavior.

Thank you,

Ms. Fouani

Healthy SnackStudies have proven that when chosen properly,

snacks can provide children with an extra boost to their mental skills. For this reason, your child will have a daily snack time in the morning in which he/she will be able to eat a healthy snack. I encourage you to send a small snack every day that can be eaten in approx. 10-15 minutes. Also, please keep in mind that we will be eating in the classroom. Therefore, healthy snacks that have minimal clean up are best! Also, students are allowed and are recommended to bring in a reusable water bottle (preferably not a used, clear plastic water bottle that is empty, as they are not permitted during gym). This will allow your child to have water even if they cannot get up to use the drinking fountain. The water bottle must be filled with water, and will not allow juices or any other liquids in the classroom. If the student brings a different beverage, it will be allowed at lunch time only.

Acceptable morning snacks include: CrackersPretzelsCereal

string cheeseRaisins

Fruits/veggiesVeggie straws

Please note that items such as candy, soda, cakes, and chips are not permitted.

Thank you for your continued assistance!

BehaviorAt Henry Ford Elementary, we have a behavior program

called PBIS. In our classroom, each student is assigned a set of colored cards. Each student begins the day on green and

can move down if their behavior is not safe, not responsible, or not respectful. Each day your child should record their end of

the day color in their planners, which parents should be checking daily, along with what homework they had for that day, including their signature after it has all been checked.

We have monthly PBIS celebrations for students who meet the criteria. A student is allowed only ONE yellow per week to be able to participate in the PBIS monthly celebrations. I have provided a chart with the levels of behavior and the colors of the cards. As a teacher, I do understand that we sometimes make mistakes, so I will be allowing students to move back up, only up to ONE time per day, so that they have a chance to correct that negative behavior or mistake. However, if students end up on yellow, orange, or red, they may not be able to participate in, not only PBIS, but possibly lose time during recess or from field trips. I do believe that all of my students have the capability to work hard and succeed, especially with support from home, as well as from me.

In addition to our PBIS card system, our class will be using an application called CLASSDOJO. Shortly after beginning the school year, I will send home both student codes, as well as parent codes to be able to sign up. This website allows you to track your child’s positive/negative behaviors in the class. Each student has an assigned icon and can earn points and lose points based on the choices that they make at school.

Not only does this application allow you to track your child’s behaviors, it also allows us to communicate. I am able to send messages to all parents with reminders and information, as well as photos if necessary. The great thing is that it allows me to send private messages in a “chat like” format with you at any time of the day. It is quick and easily accessible.

Classdojo can be accessed through the website classdojo.com, as well as by downloading the app for free on any tablet, i-pad, or smart phone!

ReadingReading is an essential part of your child’s success. Please

make sure your child is reading daily! To encourage students to read daily and to save paper, I have set up an online reading log. The website is www.biblionasium.com. I will send home the login information for your child.

On Biblionasium, your child can enter the date that they read, the amount of minutes, and include a couple sentences about what they read. I will review this with your child so that they know what is expected.

On this site, they are also able to write reviews on books for other students in their class to see, and to rate them. I can also send the whole class, or individual students messages, but they cannot respond. This was a success last year, and I hope that it can really encourage students to read on a daily basis and be responsible enough to keep up with this reading log.

Materials

The list below are all recommended and not required materials. I will ensure that your child has the necessary materials to use as we go along. However, any materials that your child provides for the class or brings in for themselves will be greatly appreciated!

Recommended Materials for your child: • Lined paper• 1 – 1inch 3 ring binder• Pencils (if mechanical, extra lead and if

regular, a small sharpener)• Erasers• Highlighter• Red pen• Spiral notebooks• Folders • Ruler• Pair of scissors• Glue stick• Box of crayons and/or colored pencils

Recommended Materials for the classroom:• Tissues• Disinfecting wipes• Hand soap• Sanitizer • Loose leaf paper

Many things we do in the classroom, such as biblionasium, or classdojo, involve having a parent email on file. If you are willing and able to provide that to me, please fill out the bottom and have your child return this back to school with them, so that you can be as up to date as possible! THANK YOU!

Students Full Name:_______________________

Parent First Name:________________________

Parent Last Name:________________________

Parent email address:______________________

As a reminder, if you are not on the approved volunteer list and plan to volunteer for any field trips, or any classroom activities, you must see the main office. Background checks may take up to 14 days!