*Please begin by completing ALL of the orange pages on the left side of the folder (sign and return side). I’d like to have this information before you leave today. * Put the forms in the tray on the circle table in the back of the room when done!

*Please be sure to add your child to my transportation sign up sheet in the back of the room. I need to know how your child will be getting home each day.

Welcome, Parents!

I grew up in Westchester County, New York . Go Yankees

I moved down to Virginia to attend the University of Richmond. I graduated in 2009 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Elementary Education. I am in the process of getting my Master’s degree in Literacy from George Mason University.

I have always loved working with children and have wanted to be a teacher since I was little. I am looking forward to my fourth year teaching first grade.

One of my favorite quotes and motto for our classroom is “Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.”

Your children come first!

•Blue Homework Folder: Please check this daily. It is divided into “Leave Home” (left side) and “Return to School” (right side) for your convenience.

•Monday Folder: Coming home every Monday with letters from the school and student work. Please review all contents on Monday, sign and date the outside of the folder, and return the empty folder to school on Tuesday.

*Volunteer will be needed to come in and file papers in the students’ Monday Folders.

•Monday Memo: Will be posted on my web page every Monday by 3:00 and will be e-mailed to you. This will contain our homework for the week, as well as other important information.

•If your child is absent—you must call the absence line in the office and send in a written note the day that they return to school.

•All changes in dismissal need to be sent in writing . If there is a last minute change, please call the office.

•Please feel free to email me any questions or concerns at Cheyenne.Steuer@lcps.org

•Any time that you have to volunteer in our class is greatly appreciated.•I am in need of immediate volunteers the first week of school to help with the children at lunch and dismissal. Please see sign-up sheets in the back of the room for these opportunities. •Please see volunteer survey on “Sign and Return” section of folder for all other volunteer opportunities. Children love having their parents involved in the classroom and I am thankful for the support.

I am always looking for fun and interactive ways to get parents involved in what is happening in our classroom. Starting second quarter, you will have the opportunity to sign up to be a “Mystery Reader” in our classroom. The twist is, the reader is a “mystery” until they walk through the door. Students LOVE having their family, friends, and relatives visit our classroom to share in our learning by reading a favorite story aloud to our class. It is a very exciting moment for a first grader when their parent comes in to read, especially when it is a surprise (so don’t tell them).

Our SpecialsEach week our class will have library, art, computer lab, music, PE, and either search or guidance (alternating every week). Please be sure your child is wearing proper athletic shoes/clothes for PE days. Sneakers are

required in order to participate in PE! Also, please help your child remember to bring back his/her library books every Thursday.

Monday Music, Computer Lab

Tuesday PE, Guidance (every other week)

Wednesday Music, PE

Thursday Art, Library

Friday PE, Search (every other week)

SNACK AND LUNCH•We will have a “working snack” each afternoon. Please send your child with a “healthy snack” each day. Some suggestions: Fruit, granola bars, dry cereal, vegetables. Please do not send chips, candy, or any snack containing nuts.

•You may send water in for snack time. Your child may also bring a water bottle with a top to drink while working during the day. DO NOT send in juice.

•We have lunch from 10:30- 11:00 daily. If you choose to come in to have lunch with your child, please meet them at the cafeteria and say good-bye before we return to class.

•Please help your child to memorize their 6 digit student ID. This is used to purchase all items in the cafeteria (and to log-on to our computers.) You will find a sheet in your folder that has your child’s ID and a picture of what looks like a calculator that your child will use if buying lunch in the cafeteria.

•Please remind your child what he/she will be having for lunch before they get to school, particularly on Monday. Students will be expected to make a lunch choice each morning (see board).

Due to a policy throughout Loudoun County, parents are not allowed to send in birthday treats for the class. I understand that birthdays are a special day for children and you are welcome to send in nonfood items such as a favorite book for our classroom library, pencils, stickers, bookmarks etc.

Report Cards & Grading•Students will receive grades for effort, behavior, and work habits:

O = OutstandingS = Satisfactory,N = Needs Improvement

•Students will receive grades for their progress in specific academic areas:E (4)= Exceeds StandardM (3)= Meets StandardP(2) = Progressing Towards StandardB (1)= Performing Below Standard

•It is perfectly okay to be getting S’s or P’s on things. I don’t expect students to be exceeding in everything. If a student gets an N or a B, this means your child needs more practice in this area. •I will only be using the above scale on report cards and on papers that I am assessing. Everything else will either be (checked) , given a comment, or a sticker. Some papers may not have markings on them, your child may have done them on their own time. Papers we have checked as a class will go home in blue folder and can stay at home. Papers that I have checked and assessments will come home in the Monday folder.

•I will go over the report card format in detail with each of you during our first quarter conferences at the end of October. Please sign up for a conference at the back table tonight or during Open House tomorrow.

Report Cards & Grading

•Beginning in January, you will have access to the parent portal of our online grading system known as Clarity. You will be able to see your child’s progress over the course of a grading period. This is an additional tool for teachers to keep parents informed of your child’s academic growth and development. You will be receiving a form from the office to give you directions on how to set this up. More information will be coming in January. This is a new system for teachers and parents so it will be a learning process for us to experience together.

Math•In First Grade we use a Blended Approach for math. Students work in our math books and do Hands-on Activities (“Investigations”). Students will take part in differentiated math stations based on their level.

•The topics we will be working on this quarter include:•Calendar•Patterns/Sorting•Counting, Writing, Recognizing Numbers to 100•Understanding addition •Addition facts to 10

•Each Thursday, students will be given a 30 question math test on math facts. Please see handout in folder for more information on this.

Language Arts•Language arts is a large component of our class. We work in whole group, small group, independently, at literacy stations, and one-on-one with a teacher. First grade is a year for your child to blossom as a reader and writer.

•Students will be put in reading groups based on their performance on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). Please see handout in folder for more information about this assessment. Please visit my website for information about helping your child with reading at home.

•Information regarding “book baggies” will be sent home a few weeks into school.

Word Study•Word Study is studied in small groups based on students’ performance on the Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA) which is given each quarter.•Each week your child will study a list of words. They will have homework based on their word study list. They will have a word study test every Friday. *A parent volunteer will help administer.•Your child may change groups based on their phonological development. •Don’t panic if you see easier words coming home, especially in the beginning when we are working on HOW to sort our words and carry out specific tasks. Your child’s words will get harder as the year goes on based on their phonological development. •Please see handout in folder for FAQs about word study and a sample word study test.

•Citizenship•Rules•Pledge of Allegiance•Community•Past, Present, Future•Family•Safety•Transportation•Timelines•Columbus Day

Social Studies•Autumn (plants, animals, people)•Sun and Earth (Day and Night)•Animal coverings

Science

Each student will have nightly homework that should take no more than 30 minutes. Please complete all homework in pencil.

•Word Study: Please follow the homework chart glued on the inside of the word study notebook. This will be checked DAILY.

•Reading: Please read with your child for 10 minutes a night and log the reading in their reading log found in their blue folder. This log will be checked every FRIDAY.

• Math: There will be 4 weekly math pages found in the green SOL math book. Pages will be posted on the Monday Memo. Please staple the pages together and turn in by FRIDAY.

•Poetry: Students will bring home their poetry notebook every Friday to share their weekly poem.

FIRST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Help your child memorize their student ID. You will find this number on a handout in your folder.

Star of the WeekYour child will be “Star of the Week” one week this year. A

schedule is in your folder. You will receive the “Star of the

Week” folder the week before your child is the “Star.” You will complete a poster and

send in their favorite book to read to the class.

Classroom RulesListen when your teacher is talking.Follow directions quickly.Keep your hands and feet to yourself.Raise your hand.Be safe, be kind, be honest.

BEHAVIOR PLANBEHAVIOR PLANIndividual: Clip Chart method.

*All students will bring home a behavior calendar every day. It will stay on the “Return to School” side of folder. The oval for the day will indicate what color your child was on that day. Please remember to look at your child’s calendar every night. You must sign it nightly.

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INCENTIVESINCENTIVESINDIVIDUAL: Students can receive a ticket when they do something that shows they are following the rules and going above and beyond the expectations. At the end of the week, students may choose to trade their tickets in exchange for something from the class store. Students may also lose tickets for inappropriate behavior.

SMALL GROUP: Table points are awarded to groups for following directions, staying on task, or exhibiting good teamwork. At the end of the week, the team with the most points will receive special reward.

WHOLE CLASS: Each time the class follows a certain rule, expectation, or procedure in an exceptional way, I will put a marble in the marble jar. When the jar is filled, the entire class will receive a reward! Last year we celebrated filling the marble jar by having “Stuffed Animal Day” and a movie lunch.

The 1st grade classes wear Tie-Dyed T-Shirts for field trips and other school activities. Our class color is GREEN! Please send in a plain white t-shirt with your child’s name written on the tag in black permanent marker. Please rubber band the shirt in advance.

All t-shirts are due in by Friday, September 14th. It is best to send in a shirt that is a bit larger than your child would normally wear to allow for shrinkage.

**Please fill out Volunteer Survey on left of folder if interested in volunteering to tie dye

We use Scholastic News to supplement our curriculum. These are magazines which go along with our curriculum. We have already placed an order for these materials so we can have them available immediately . Please send a check

made payable to “Scholastic ” for $5.00 to school by

Friday, September 14th. Please be sure to include your child’s name in the memo. NO CASH will be accepted.

Your child will be given a “Dismissal Tag” on the first day of school. This will include your child’s name, lunch number, and dismissal information. It is for us here at school, just as much as it is for your child. PLEASE BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR CHILD WEAR THEIR TAG BACK TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY!

OPEN HOUSETomorrow is open house from 8:30 am- 10:00 am. You

and your child will have the opportunity to really get to know our classroom as you go on a “Scavenger Hunt” to put their school supplies into the correct spots. You will need to stop by the school store near the office to pick up certain notebooks.

If you are paying for lunch tomorrow, stop by the cafeteria and write your check for your child. During the year, you can send checks with your child in the blue home folder and I will take them down to the cafeteria to put on your child’s lunch account. You can also put money in your child’s lunch account online.

I look forward to meeting all my new first graders tomorrow

Let’s go through your folder

Final Reminders•Please be sure your child knows exactly how he/she will be getting home. It’s a good idea to have your child go home their normal way on the first day.

•Please have your child bring a healthy snack to eat every day.

•Remind your child what he/she will be having for lunch and snack each day. You may consider packing the snack in a separate container for the first few weeks.

•Check your child’s bag EVERY day! Manilla Folder of IMPORTANT papers are coming home the first day. TRY TO GET IT ALL BACK ON TUESDAY.

Class directory form.

If you have not added your child to my transportation form, please do so before you leave today!

Parent Questionnaire. This will help me get to know your child!

Want to volunteer? Sign up to volunteer for the first week in the back of the room and/or fill out the volunteer survey to help out during the year It is greatly appreciated!

Remember to bring your child’s school supplies to Open House tomorrow.

Make sure to sign up for a first quarter conference today or tomorrow.

THANKS FOR COMING AND FOR SHARING YOUR CHILD WITH ME THIS YEAR! I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND YOUR CHILD!