- Parent Information
- Dear First Grade Families:
Welcome to First Grade at Oak Hall School! On this page you will find some
important information for a smooth school year. We hope it will answer
some of the questions you may have about First Grade and Oak Hall School.
The First Grade Teachers
OUR TYPICAL DAY
8:00 - 8:15: Classrooms open and students begin entering the
classroom. You will see the morning
routine of turning in homework folder, putting away backpacks, ordering lunch if needed, and beginning morning work.
Your child will learn and practice morning procedures on the first day.
Once comfortable, please allow them to come in on their own to establish
independence and a sense of accomplishment.
8:15: Our day begins with Opening Exercises. We sing "The
Star-Spangled Banner", say the pledge to the flag and the OHLS pledge,
and listen to morning announcements. All children should be
in the room and ready to start by 8:15! Remember, tardiness
is disruptive to our morning routines.
8:30 to 12:00: Reading/spelling block and math block.
Around 10:00: Mid-morning
snack/playtime usually outside unless raining. (15-20 minutes)
A morning special area class may be scheduled. We generally
have 3-4 special area classes each day, sometimes in the morning and
sometimes in the afternoon. PE is consistently held each day at
2:00, except Wednesday. Since our special class schedules are
planned for different times, check the individual schedules from the
main web page.
12:00-12:30: Lunch & playtime. We usually eat
outside on the picnic tables and then play.
12:45-2:00: Storytime, Language Arts, Social Studies,
and Character Ed are usually planned at this time of day.
2:00-2:30 P.E. except Wednesday.
2:45: Our school day ends. Students who leave at
this time will be escorted to the picnic area between the ECLC and the
Lower School for car pick-up. Please stay in your car and your
child will be brought to you. Aftercare begins for those students
staying after school.
HOMEWORK
Homework is used to practiced the skills that are already
taught in the classroom. There are no new concepts that parents
are expected to teach or children are expected to learn. Your help
at home is important and greatly appreciated. Please check over
your child's homework. Write a note if you see your child having
difficulty in some area.
Nightly homework will not be posted on the web site.
All homework and important notes will be sent home in an
envelope every night Monday-Thursday. They are to be returned the
following day with the completed homework enclosed. Nightly reading and
math fact practice are also considered homework.
First graders must read or be read to nightly.
Addition and subtraction facts must be practiced each night
for 10 minutes.
Sight words may be sent home to practice also.
OTHER NOTES
Please let us know your child's afterschool plans.
Complete the Afterschool Plans letter from the first day and return
ASAP.
LABEL your childs outer wear with a Sharpie Marker: sweaters, jackets, and personal items with
his/her first and last name, not just initials. Wearing uniforms makes
it difficult to
identify sweaters and jackets left on the playground.
PLEASE SAVE Campbell's Soup Labels and Boxtops
for Education. Thank you!
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THE
ABCs
of FIRST GRADE
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Absences |
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If your child is sick with a fever, he/she must be
fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. You may call the school and
get the homework for the day, and it will be left in the office.
If you plan on being out of town, it is the school policy
that students make up work upon return. I will do my best to get some work
together for you to take, if given a few days notice. |
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Accelerated Reader (AR)
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The Accelerated Reader Program is part of our reading program.
The AR program is web-based and you may access your child's
student record from home from the
Reading Practice Page.
Students read
books from a selected list and then take a short computer quiz to test
comprehension. Students earn points based on the difficulty of the book and
their performance on the quiz. Most books in first grade are 1/2 point. Each quarter, students are required to earn a
specific amount of points which will be discussed in class. This year the
requirement is 2 points for the 1st quarter, 4 points
for the 2nd quarter, 5 points for the 3rd quarter, and
6 points for the 4th quarter.
Students will take the S.T.A.R. Reading Assessment test mid-year to determine their
approximate reading level. This allows me to recommend books in a particular
reading range for each student. |
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Assemblies |
We have 2 regularly-scheduled assemblies each week. Our Monday Assembly (12:30-1:00) is a short
school-wide assembly emphasizing character education and
recognizing students for good achievement, behavior, and birthdays.
On Friday afternoons at 12:30 we have assemblies that include classroom
performances and award ceremonies. The first grade assemblies include
Halloween (school-wide), 2 grade level assemblies, and our Mother's Day Tea. Watch your
newsletters for the times and dates of each one. |
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Back-to-School Night |
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Our Back-to-School Night is held at the beginning of the year. This
year it will be held on September 3rd at 6:30 P.M. It is a
time for the parents to meet the teacher and learn about our year together in
1st grade. See you then! |
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Birthdays |
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Your childs birthday is a special day, and we enjoy becoming part of the
celebration. Feel free to send in a treat. We
will celebrate during our snack or lunchtime. It would be best to send
in a snack that is easy for your child to serve, such as cupcakes,
cookies, or cookie cakes.
Please, no balloons! Summer birthdays will be celebrated in May. |
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Book Club Orders |
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Students may order books through Scholastic Book Clubs.
The
order form is sent home monthly in the Wednesday Folder. Classrooms receive bonus
points for free books for our class library when you order. Please make checks payable to
"Scholastic Book Club."
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Character Education |
We, at Oak Hall School, firmly believe in the importance of teaching children
to become people of good character. We have 4 virtues posted in all classrooms,
Honesty, Kindness, Respect, and Responsibility. Values are interwoven into
all class subjects. Activities we use in the classroom to
emphasize cooperation among students and a peaceful classroom are:
Class meetings
Cooperative learning activities
Class and team building activities |
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Conferences |
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We will have at least two planned conferences during the year (fall and spring). Conferences
are held during our special area class period. Check your child's classroom web
site for the class schedule. Please call the main office for an
appointment. |
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Lunch Program |
| Our lunch time is at noon.
Students may bring their lunch or order lunch from our lunch
program. (No fast food please!) You may check the
main Oak Hall School Site
for the monthly menu. Students must prepay, as no
money is collected for individual lunch orders. To prepay, you must write a check
for $52.50 and send it in, receiving 3 lunch ticket coupon
books, which is 3 weeks of lunch ($3.50 per lunch X 5 days =
$17.50). The coupon book will be kept in the classroom with the
teacher. Each time your child orders, a lunch ticket will
be removed. You will be reminded when your
child's account is running low. Your child will learn how to place an
order in the classroom on the first day. Since there is
one meal to choose from, they will only write their drink choice
on a small piece of paper, attach their clip to it, and place it
in the lunch basket that morning. All
lunches include a choice of white milk, chocolate milk, or water. If
your child wants to order only a drink, they must send in the
cash for it (50 cents). |
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Math Facts |
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Fluency in addition and subtraction math facts is important in our math program. Practice daily! Use the Math Practice Page
on the web site to find fun games. |
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Newsletter for 1st Grade |
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We send home a first grade class newsletter every 2 weeks,
and it will be posted on the home page our 1st grade web site. A school newsletter is sent home
weekly.
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Parties |
We have 3 parties during the year:
Halloween
Party on Friday, October 31st at 1:30
Winter Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 17th at
11:00
Valentine's Day Party on Thursday, February 12th at
1:30 |
If you would like to help with them, you
may sign up at Back-to-School Night. |
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SMART Board |
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A SMART Board is an interactive white board that
displays the information that is on a computer monitor. Every classroom in
K-5 has a Smart Board. We use ours every day in our lessons. |
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Snack Time |
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We have a mid-morning snack every day. Please send in a healthy
snack and drink for your child. Also, if your child is attending
After-Care, a snack is provided. |
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Special Area Classes |
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We love our special area classes! Each week students have Art, Music,
Computers, Spanish, Library, Science, and P.E. |
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| Star Student of the Week |
| Each week one student will be highlighted. Students
will bring in photos of friends and family, along with his/her
favorite book to share with the class. He/she will be our
line leader and teacher assistant for the week. |
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Supplies |
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This year all supplies will be purchased as a kit through
the school. |
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Toys |
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Toys are not allowed in the classroom. Toys that are used by students during
class hours will be taken away. This also includes items that are not
necessarily toys but that distract the students' attention from their work.
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Wednesday
Folders |
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Every Wednesday your child will bring home his/her work packet. It will contain
our weekly school newsletter, bi-monthly grade-level newsletter, notices,
your
child's work, and a behavior report. Please KEEP ALL WORK AND NOTICES.
Return the folder to school on Thursday. |
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Any questions:
Call us at 332-1452 or
email us at
jwright@oakhall.org or
namyers@oakhall.org or
tdatar@oakhall.org . |
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