‘s

ofFirst Grade

Meet your First Grade TEAM!

Mrs. Black

lblack@nisdtx.org 817-215-0581 Mrs. Chidester

mchidester@nisdtx.org 817-215-0564 Mrs. Morgan

mmorgan@nisdtx.org 817-698-1561 Mrs. Whorton

gwhorton@nisdtx.org 817-215-0592

PVEVision

With the collective effort of staff, parents and community, Prairie View Elementary will prepare students to be

successful in Middle School by achieving at or above grade level standards which will lead them on a path of college and

career readiness.  

MissionThe mission of Prairie View Elementary is to prepare students

for success by teaching the intended curriculum with rigor, assessing student progress and adjusting instruction accordingly, providing appropriate safety nets, and measuring student achievement in preparation for a

successful Middle School experience. 

Prairie View PrinciplesPrairie View Hawks are Respectful, Responsible, Cooperative,

Honest and Appreciative of Others.

Attendance- Students are required to attend school and to be on time. School day hours are: 7:45-2:45.

Absences- Please e-mail or send a note for reason of absence to the office to keep accurate records.

Awards Assembly- At the end of each six weeks we will have an awards assembly.

Assessments DRA2: administered at the beginning, middle, and end

of the year to measure accuracy, fluency, and comprehension in reading

Math Benchmarks: administered at the beginning, middle and end of the year to measure math skills

Writing Rubric: used to assess students’ weekly writing expectations

DRA:

Beginning of the Year- Level 3 to 4 Goal is a Level 6

Middle of the Year- Level 10

End of the Year- Level 16 Goal is Level 20

Writing:

Beginning of the Year- Level 4

End of the Year- Level 6 or higher

Awards

Top Hawk: all E’s in conduct, less than 3 tardies and no late work

Honor Roll: A Honor Roll-All A’s A/B Honor Roll- A’s & B’s Perfect Attendance

Behavior- each teacher will send home a behavior plan that is used in the classroom.

Birthdays- Cupcakes or cookies (as long as they are store bought) can be brought to school for birthday celebrations and will be served the last 15 minutes of the school day. We do not allow cameras or pictures to be taken due to privacy laws.

Conferences- Conference time is 12:55-1:50

Please contact your child’s teacher to set up an appointment.

DRA2-This stands for Developmental Reading Assessment. This is given to first graders at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to determine their progress and goals for reading.

EventsSept 9-13 Book Fair

Sept. 17 Watch Dogs Pizza Party

Oct. 8-10 Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 11 Early Release

Oct. 14 No School

Field Trips- permission slips with information specific to each event will be sent home prior to each trip. Please send them

back signed as quickly as possible.

Grades-

100-90 A 89-80 B 79-70 C 69 or below Failing

First Grade will NOT have a report card sent home the first six weeks.

We will be having parent/teacher conference in place of them.

HAWK BinderThis binder is sent home daily with your child. Please check it

nightly and remove notes, papers and other school related items.

Nightly Homework Reading: Leveled book or passage to read Word Work: Sight word list Math: Activity sheet

We encourage children to become independent learners!

Here at Prairie View we want to create a positive reward system!

*Choice Celebration- for making good choices

*Character Lessons

•Extra Incentives: taking your shoes off, lunch in the classroom, treasure box

•School wide Expectations

Lunch- our lunch time is 11:00-11:30, you may come eat lunch with your child (except during STARR testing days). However please be aware that no other student can join them. There will be tables sit up off to the side for you to sit.

Language Arts

Phonics: phonograms (sounds), phonemic awareness and handwriting focus

Reading: accuracy with sight words and sounding out, fluency, comprehension and stamina; Readers Workshop

Writing: consistently generating ideas, composing, editing, and using conventions and correct spelling; Writers Workshop

Spelling: phonetic spelling is readable, correct spelling of sight words and checking spelling

Morning Meeting -Every day students will go to the carpet and share joys and celebrations.

Math Concepts

Number: 0-99, fractions, money, addition/subtraction to 18

Patterns: in objects and numbers (skip counting, odd/even, etc.)

Geometry: shapes and solids Measurement: estimating, nonstandard units, time Probability/Statistics: graphing,

certain/impossible Problem Solving: pattern, picture, guess and

check

Newsletter- emailed every Monday with important information about upcoming events, curriculum, school news and other grade level information about the coming week. (if you need a paper copy please request with your child’s teacher).

Open House- A note will be sent home announcing time and date. Open house is usually in March.

Parent Volunteers- we always need parent volunteers. If you have any interest in becoming a parent volunteer please let your child’s teacher know. Here are some examples of things you can help out with:

Room mothers/fathers Chaperones on field trips File papers Copy papers Help out with projects Reading with small groups

Recess- First graders have recess daily. However, the district has guidelines about weather that prevent us from going out at times.

Report Cards- First graders receive report cards each six weeks except for the first six weeks. The report card contains numerical grades and letter grades. When the report card is sent home, parents keep the report card, sign the envelope, and return only the envelope to school.

1st grade schedule7:15-7:45 Morning Work7:45-8:00 Morning Meeting8:00-9:00 Writer’s Workshop9:00-9:15 Phonics9:15-10:25 Reader’s Workshop10:25-11:00 Math11:00-11:30 Lunch11:30-12:00 Recess12:00-12:55 Math12:55-1:50 Specials1:50-2:35 Science 2:35-2:45 pack up and dismissal

SPECIALS CLASSES

MUSIC-Mrs. Nassiff

ART-Mr. Brown

P.E.-Coach Gage

Curriculum Overview and Grading Guidelines

We no longer offer after school piano and guitar lessons. If you are interested in either email Mrs. Nassiff for opportunities in our area or check the

Community Folder on the district website.

P.E.

Please make sure your child wears or brings tennis shoes that tie or have velcro to school everyday.

For safety reasons, your child will have an alternate P.E. assignment if they do not wear tennis shoes that tie or velcro.

Some music activities require tennis shoes as well. The Specials schedule may change unexpectedly at the

last minute and therefore students need to be prepared for physical activity everyday.

Medical Problems/ Excuses for Physical Education Some students have chronic or long term problems with

limited participation. For the safety of the child and the teacher’s protection,

records will be kept in the school nurses office. Notes or phone calls from parents are accepted for

excuses on a short term basis. Non-participation for 5 or more consecutive days requires

a physician’s written excuse. Parents will be contacted when students are habitually

excused.

Prairie View is one of 2 schools in Northwest ISD that received a Grant from the Northwest ISD Education Foundation for the use of Quaver’s Marvelous World of Music, which includes an awesome website for kids!

• This website is a great tool for extending music learning at school and at home. K-5 students will be using the Quaver program at varying levels throughout the year.

• All students must have parent’s permission to use the Quaver website and must be signed up to be able to save their work.

• Go to Mrs. Nassiff’s website @ http://www.nisdtx.org/Page/42736 or www.quavermusic.com for more information about the program and how to sign up your child.

• Class Dojo will be used this year to help track student behavior and success throughout the year.

• Students will have the opportunity to earn points for various behaviors and successes.

• Parents may check their student’s points online with a code.

• More information will be sent home soon with directions on how to access your student’s progress.

NEW in ART!

You can now follow Art class on twitter @MrBrownPVE for classroom updates, special announcements and important art happenings at PVE and around the DFW community.

Please visit the PVE Art website for information about scheduling, grading, and to learn about contest that we will offer this year.Thanks, Mr. Brown

Science

Scientific Process Matter Weather Seasons Living and Nonliving Seed to Plant Life Cycles Magnets Water Cycle

Standard Based Bulletin Boards Here at Prairie View, we love to showcase

great student work. The purpose of the board is to address standards and show how students met those standards. This gives you a mirror of what is exactly going on in the classroom.

This encourages quality work and dedication to a finished product.

We encourage you to come check out the quality work your child is doing!

Tardies- students are counted tardy at 7:50, they must receive a tardy slip from the office before they come to class.

Toys- are not allowed at school and will be collected and arrangements will be made for parents to come and pick them up from the office.

Transportation changes- If you have any questions or concerns regarding transportation at Northwest, please contact Chris Sisk, Durham Routing Coordinator, or Charlotte Shanks, General Manager, at 940-242-3900 or 817-698-1287; Dennis McCreary, NISD Assistant Superintendent for Facilities, Planning, and Construction, at 817-215-0136; or send an email to transportation@nisdtx.org. NOTE: Any changes in transportation must be done in writing or call the office directly. Please make sure that you call 30 minutes prior to school being dismissed.

TechnologyStart and exit programs

Create, name, and save files

Use a mouse and keyboard

Learn the location of letters on the keyboard and the correct finger to use for each

Proofread and correct errors

Use an Internet browser to search for and acquire information.

Use on-line help

Use appropriate software, including the use of word processing and multimedia, to express ideas and solve

problems

Print a document

Practice responsible digital citizenship

Follow copyright guidelines

Visitors Badge-You will be required to sign in at the office and get a visitors badge any time that you enter the school.

Websites- To access the district website, go to www.nisdtx.org. Each teacher has a webpage. To find it, choose Prairie View from the “Schools” menu at the top. Then click on the teacher’s name. To find more important information about first grade, please look at the 1st grade team webpage. Look under “Grade Level Teams 1st.”

Workshop Model

Opening Meeting:

Teacher is teaching Work Session:

Students are reading and/or working Closing Meeting:

Teacher and students are sharing what they

have learned

This model is used for reading, writing and math

What does it mean to be a Title I School?

Being a Title I school means receiving federal funding (Title I dollars) to supplement the school’s existing programs. These dollars are used for… Identifying students experiencing academic difficulties and

providing timely assistance to help these student’s meet the State’s challenging content standards.

Purchasing supplemental staff/programs/materials/supplies Conducting parental Involvement

meetings/trainings/activities Recruiting/Hiring/Retaining Highly Qualified Teachers

What is the School-Parent Compact?

The compact is a commitment from the school, the parent, and the student to share in the responsibility for improved academic achievement.

You, as Title I Parents, have the right to be involved in the development of the School-Parent Compact.

Distribution of the Compact.

Dress/Medical excuses for P.E. Please have students wear or bring tennis shoes that tie or velcro

everyday to ensure student’s safety during physical activities. Our schedule is subject to change at any time and students need to be prepared for physical activity everyday. Girls need to also wear shorts under their dresses/skirts at all times. A doctor’s note is required for non-participation in P.E. for 5 or more consecutive days. Likewise, a doctor’s note is needed in order for student’s to resume normal physical activity. Notes are accepted from parents for short periods of time as needed.

Grades During each 6 weeks, K-5th students will receive a minimum of 3

Academic grades from Music, Art and Physical Education classes. The Academic grades will reflect a student's progress on curriculum

goals (TEKS). A conduct grade will also be given.

Academic Grades will be recorded as follows: 3 = E *performs above standard consistently 2 = S *performs at standard expectations consistently 1 = N *performs slightly below standard expectations, but with continuous progress 0 = U *performs consistently at beginning or below standard expectation * A "U" will not be given without contacting the parent about the unsatisfactory

performanceConduct Grades will be recorded as follows: E-No warnings S-Warnings during class and/or 1 note home N-2 notes home U-3 notes homePlease see Coach Gage, Mrs. Nassiff or Mr. Brown for further clarification.

Thank you forComing!

PVE; where we grow learners differently!!!