August 10, 2014
Dear Parents of First Grade Students,
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Whitney Sperry. I will be your child’s first grade teacher. This is my first year teaching at Springfield Elementary and I am looking forward to a productive and enjoyable year. I am a graduate of Bethel University in Saint Paul and am originally from Cambridge, Minnesota. I am looking forward to this coming school year and the enthusiasm and curiosity that first graders bring to school. Since your child will be spending a large part of his/her day with me, I feel that it’s important for you to know the types of activities that we will be doing and what I expect from your child. Attached you will find our daily class schedule.
A large part of our first grade curriculum is learning to read and write. This is a very exciting time for first graders. Periodically, your child will bring stories or word lists home that they have learned to read or that they need to practice reading. They will also bring home things that they have written. Please take the time to go through your child’s backpack each night and listen to your child read these stories and word lists. You will be amazed at what a difference ten minutes a day can make!
We will be using the McGraw/Hill series for reading and language arts. As part of this series, first graders will be able to start taking accelerated reader tests in September. If you are not familiar with this program, students are able to take computerized comprehension tests on the trade books that they read at home as well as on stories we read in class. Through these tests students can accumulate points which can be redeemed for prizes later in the year.
The daily discipline policy that we will be using is a ticket system. Each day every student will begin with a yellow ticket in our class’ ticket chart. If each student follows directions and meets school/classroom expectations, at the end of the day he/she may take their ticket home for you to initial. Once the ticket has been initialed students may bring it back to school to put in our ticket basket. At the end of the week we will have a ticket drawing and student’s names that are drawn will get to choose a prize from the “treasure chest”. If, however, a student shows a repeated behavior problem I will ask him/her to change their ticket to green and they will not be able to participate in that week’s ticket drawing. If students required repeated reminders about a discipline problem or if their behavior is dangerous to others, they may be sent to discuss the problem with Mr. Kuehn, our Elementary Principal.
Our classroom has a Star of the Week board. Each week a different child will be featured on this board. When it is your child’s turn, they will have special privileges such as choosing our morning meeting game or bringing in something special to show the class. You will receive notice at least one week before it’s your child’s turn.
Each day our class will be having a milk break. Snacks will also be provided at this time. If you wish for your child to have milk and a snack each day payment can be made at open house or at the elementary office.
We will be having recess outside on most days. Please dress your child for the weather. It’s a good idea to wear layers of clothing since the outside and indoor temperatures often vary. Flip flops are not a good idea for recess time because it’s easy to trip and fall when running and climbing on the equipment. Students will also need a separate pair of tennis shoes to wear to gym.
My goal this year is not only to teach your child, but to teach him/her to enjoy learning! It is my intention that our activities and daily routines will help us meet this goal. I expect my students to always do their best both academically and behaviorally, and to respect themselves, each other, and me. In turn, I will do all I can to help them to reach their full potential.
I am looking forward to an exciting and productive school year! Your support and involvement are important to your child and to me. If you have any questions or concerns, please call, email, or stop in. My email address is
Sincerely,
Whitney Sperry