- Parent Information
- August 20, 2009
- Dear 1st 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 - 8:10: 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: OPENING EXERCISES - 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. Students need
to be in the room and at their seats at this time! Remember, tardiness
is disruptive to our morning routines.
8:30 to 11:00: LESSONS (Math, Writing,
Language Arts)
Midmorning: SPECIAL AREA CLASS & SNACK/playtime, usually outside. (15-20 minutes) We generally
have 2 to 3 special area classes each day. PE (4 days a week) is consistently held each day at
2:00, except Wednesday. Since our special class schedules are
planned for different times, check the individual class schedules from the
main web page.
11:00 - 12:00: READING/SPELLING LESSON
12:00-12:40: Lunch & playtime. We usually eat
outside on the picnic tables and then play.
12:45-2:00: Storytime, Language Arts, Social Studies,
Science, 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
DISMISSAL: If you are picking your child up at 2:45,
please stay in your car, proceed forward through the front
circle, and your child will be escorted to your vehicle. You will
receive a Name Tag for your windshield. Please display it
prominently for the teacher to see.
AFTERCARE: Please let us know your child's afterschool plans.
Complete the Afterschool Plans letter sent home on the first day and return
ASAP. Please note that there is now a charge for Aftercare.
UNIFORMS: Only school uniform sweaters may
be worn in the classroom. Jackets of any label may be worn
outside. LABEL your childs outer wear with a Sharpie Marker:
sweaters, jackets, and personal items with his/her first and last name,
not just initials. Belts are required with belt-looped clothing.
No nail polish is allowed. Boys hair must be above the
collar.
PLEASE SAVE: Campbell's Soup Labels and Boxtops
for Education. Thank you!
NO RED JUICE OR PEANUTS ALLOWED IN SCHOOL.
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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 to determine their
approximate reading level. This allows the teachers to recommend books in a particular
reading range for each student. |
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Assemblies |
We have one assembly each week in the ECLC Multi-purpose Room
with the Kindergarten classes on Friday morning. It is held from 8:30-9:00 emphasizing character education, recognizing students for good achievement, behavior,
and birthdays, and sharing one class's performance.
In addition, special first grade assemblies include
Halloween (school-wide) 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 9th at 6:30. It is a
time for the parents to meet the teacher and learn about our year together in
1st grade. This is a parent-only event. See you then! |
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Birthdays |
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Your childs birthday is a special day. We will recognize
each student on his/her day by singing "Happy Birthday" and the student will
receive some birthday items. This year, instead of parents sending in a
treat as we have done in the past, we will celebrate all the birthdays of that
month at one time with a healthy treat. 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/Communication |
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Communication is very important to us.
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
webpage from the main page for the class schedule. Also, if you have any
questions or concerns and wish to schedule a conference, please call the main office for an
appointment. For daily communication, you can reach us through email (see
bottom of this page) and by phone (332-1452). We have a new telephone
system this year that has voicemail, and you may leave a message for us. |
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| Library Program |
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Library class will be held once a week in the school library
with Mrs. Freeman. Students may check 2 books out from the
library as long as the "checked-out" ones have been returned.
Also, each first grade classroom has a class library for
students to use. |
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Lunch Program |
| Our lunchtime is at noon.
Students may bring their lunch or order lunch from our lunch
program, catered from Beef O'Bradey's. Students must prepay, as no
money is collected for individual lunch orders. Lunch costs $4.00 and the
system for payment will be sent home at the beginning of the
year. If your child forgets to order and it is too late to
place the extra order, they will be given a healthy school lunch
of macaroni and cheese, fruit, and drink. |
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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-wide newsletter is
emailed home
weekly.
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Parties |
We have 3 scheduled parties during the year:
1. Halloween
Party on Friday, October 30th at 1:30
2.
Winter Holiday Party on Friday, December 18th at
11:00
3.
Valentine's Day Party on Friday, February 11th at
1:30 |
If you would like to help with them, you
may sign up at Back-to-School Night. |
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| P.E. |
| P.E. is held at 2:00 everyday except Wednesday with Mrs.
Green, Coach Mac, and Mrs. Oliver. Friday is "lap day" and
students work towards their goal of earning a Bronze Medal at
our Olympic Ceremony in May. Students are required to have
good quality athletic shoes and socks for this class. No
special P.E. uniforms are required. |
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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 everyday 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, 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 and a special item 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 through
the school. You will not need to buy any supplies on your
own. |
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Toys |
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Toys are not allowed in the classroom and 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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