Welcome to K-1
2017-2018
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the wonderful world of K-1. We look forward to working with you and your child this year. We would like to share the following information to familiarize you with K-1. This year, we have two multi-age classes. Teachers work as a team to ensure your child has the best possible school experience. Many of these suggestions help our day run smoothly and also help us optimize instructional time. Please save this memo for future reference.
Classroom arrival time for children who are dropped off by parents is
8:15-8:30 a.m. Teachers and assistants are not available to take students earlier than 8:15 a.m. If you need to drop off your child earlier than
8:15 a.m., please contact Debbie Watson, morning care coordinator, at
434-392-4131 ext. 243. Students may not be left alone prior to 8:15 a.m.
Dismissal of K-1 students will be at 2:55 p.m. Teachers and assistants walk your child to the Commons if they are being picked up from school. Parents should pick up their child from the Commons using the drive through procedure rather than picking him/her up from the classroom or bus lot. This eliminates confusion and disruptions during the closing of the school day. Should your child need to be dismissed early, they will be sent to the lower school office to wait for you. Parents are required to sign out their child when leaving school early.
Any emergency change in your child’s afternoon pick-up routine should be communicated to the lower school secretary, Mrs. Debbie Watson at
434-392-4131 ext. 243. Please do not leave a voice mail message or send an
e-mail message to your child’s teacher at the end of the school day, as we may not be able to retrieve the message immediately.
We have a morning snack time each day. Please send a nutritional snack/drink with your child daily. Juice and milk are good drink choices. We also have water available from our water fountain. Occasionally, a parent will send in a special snack for all the children. Please note that we may have several children with food allergies or other dietary restrictions. Therefore, please check with your child’s teacher before sending any food items for special snacks and parties. This will allow time for the teacher to contact parents so they can make any needed substitutions for their child.
Our classrooms are well equipped for work and play. Therefore, we ask that all personal toys and other playthings be left at home. All student belongings should be labeled with your child’s name including coats, backpacks, lunch boxes, snacks, lunch money, extra clothing, etc.
Please check your child’s backpack and folder daily for important notes, papers and homework. First graders usually have homework each day. Kindergarten students will have small assignments here and there at the beginning. As they begin to read this may pick up a bit. Homework, any money payments for field trips/orders and notes to the teacher should be returned in the folder the next day. This includes any changes in afternoon dismissal and pick up for your child. We must have parental permission to make any changes in your child’s routine. This is to ensure the safety of your child.
Students will be assessed during the first two weeks of school in the areas of reading, spelling and math, to determine their current individual learning level. Children will be grouped based on strengths and needs in these subject areas.
Our teaching team includes Mrs. Carilli and Mrs. Johnson. Both of us will teach several levels of reading through team effort. Your child may go to the other teacher on our team to meet his/her reading level. Whenever possible we teach our own students. This allows your child to progress naturally and developmentally in reading. We will team teach for math as well. Your child may switch reading/math teachers throughout the year if needed to meet his/her learning level. You will be notified of any changes in reading/math.
We will be studying four habitats/biomes during the year for our social studies and science themes. Please let your teacher know if you have supplemental items or know a guest speaker who has visited any of these habitats. Field trip ideas are also welcomed. We especially like floor puzzles, pictures, books and souvenirs related to our habitats. Items may be brought to school and added to our science center.
Our themes run approximately nine weeks and are listed in the order they are taught as follows:
- Desert
- Grasslands/Rain Forest
- Endangered/Extinct
- Farms and Pets
In addition to these themes, we will also focus on seasons and holidays and an “All About Me” unit throughout the school year. Students will have an opportunity to be the “Star Student” as well. So start scrapbooking your favorite pictures of your child.
A weekly reading chart will be sent to you on Monday of each weekbeginning in September. It will be taped in your child’s folder so it is easily accessible. Your child’s reading homework is to read or be read to 20 minutes each night, Monday-Thursday (and more if you like). Reading assignments from class count on the chart, too. Please sign each day you read and return the chart on Monday each week. Also, signed weekly behavior charts should be returned on Monday as well.
We would love to have your help in the classroom. Please sign up for seasonal parties and field trips if you are interested. Also, we can use extra help in reading. Please let us know your schedule if you, or a family member are available to help on a regular basis with reading. Let us know if you, or a family member, have a special talent with crafts, sewing, playing a musical instrument or just reading a book during story time. It is fine if you can help only once in a while too.
If you are looking for up to date information on our class, you may receive an email from your child’s teacher or assistant teacher, use our class web page at fuquaschool.com, or use the monthly calendar sent to you at the beginning of each month. It’s best to always receive direct information from your child’s teacher or assistant teacher rather than parents in the class. Please feel free to email us with any questions. (Mrs. Johnson) or (Mrs. Carilli)
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please send a note or call your teacher at school. You can leave a message on teacher voice mail or with the lower school secretary, Mrs. Debbie Watson. Your call will be returned as soon as possible.
Thank you for your attention to all of these matters. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us. We are excited about the new school year and look forward to teaching your child.
Sincerely,
The K-1 team