Hand in Hand…Together We Can!
Dear Parents,
Welcome to First Grade at Chesterbrook Academy. We are delighted to have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with you and your child this year as we explore and learn together. This year the first graders will be split into two classrooms that follow the same teaching practices, policies, and schedules.
Mrs. Lauren Kipper will be teaching in room 9. She comes to us with experience teaching 1st and 3rd grade and running an Air Force extension program for children ranging in ages from 9-15 in the United Kingdom. She has her BA in Elementary and Exceptional Student Education from the University of South Florida. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her husband and shop for shoes.
Mrs. Jaime Finch will also be teaching first grade in room 10. This will be her 14th year teaching at Chesterbrook Academy ranging in grade levels from 3rd to Pre- Kindergarten. She holds a degree in Law and Legal Philosophy from North Carolina State University, and continued her coursework to receive her license in Elementary Education with a focus in Classroom Technology from North Carolina Central University. Mrs. Finch loves to travel and to spend time with her daughter who is currently in our Preschool program.
You are cordially invited to partner in your child’s education!!
Stay-Tuned: Ask your child what he or she is studying, and look in the homework folder every night.This folder is where you will find any homework that needs to be completed as well as your child’s agenda and “behavior dot” which will be used as a means of daily communication with you. The children will be learning to record their homework independently in their agendas daily, and a coded dot will be placed in there as well, along any notes from us. Please sign this dot nightly to show that you have seen it and reviewed your child’s homework.
The weekly bulletin will help you keep up with important happenings in our classrooms. This will be posted on the First Grade Website, and a link will be emailed to you as a reminder every Monday Afternoon. The website also contains other information, including a classroom calendar, which you will find helpful. In addition, be on the lookout for school-wide e-notifies to keep abreast with whole school activities. If at any time we feel that more communication is needed, you will be contacted by email or phone call.
Ask Questions: If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to call or email us at any time at , or contact us by phone at (919) 319-9622, and your call will be returned promptly. We are more than willing to discussany concerns, ideas, or feedback that affect your child or our classroom.
Understanding Homework:Written homework is given on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights usually in Spelling/Writing and in Math and is written on the whiteboard. In addition, the children are expected to read for 15minutes every weeknight and record this in their Reading Log.
You will always find the homework assignments written in your child’s agenda which will be kept with the daily homework folder. It will go home everyday. We encourage you to set up a scheduled time and routine for homework each day with your child. Students should be able to do the majority of their assignments independently, but do help if it is completely necessary. If you notice that your child is not able to do an assignment on his or her own, or that homework is taking over 45 minutes, please send us an email or just jot a note to us on the assignment. We will always contact you if your child is falling behind or turning in poor work.
Sending Snack: While school snack and juice are provided by the school daily, children are allowed to bring in their own bottle of water and/or a nutritious home snack. However, please help us prevent spills by not sending water bottles that have twist-off caps. Please also give us a heads up at least a day ahead of time if your child is planning to bring a breakfast treat to share for his or her birthday. Refer to the “Healthy Snack” policy in the parent handbook for approved snack ideas.
Parent Involvement: Learning is enriched when parents are actively engaged in their child’s education. Because we value the parent-teacher connection, there are many opportunities to be involved. There will be classroom events and field trips that you can attend to see learning in progress. We hope to see you in the classroom!
We look forward to meeting you and your child on August 22nd from5:00 to 7:00 pm for our Annual Meet the Teacher Event. Please remember to bring your supplies! You can find the supply list posted on our website. You will also be able to purchase pre-assembled supply packetsin the Gym for $75. Also, plan on attending our Parents-Only Back to School night on the evening of September 10th to learn more about our classroom.
Here’s to a Great Year!
Mrs. Kipper and Mrs. Finch