Welcome to

Back to School Night in Room 2

Mrs. KnauerMrs. McClellan

• Our Day: starts at 8:25 AM through 2:35 PM

• ARRIVAL:• Breakfast Program starts at 7:30 AM!• Children are expected to arrive at school by 8:20 AM each day.• Attendance, Lunch Counts and Announcements begin at 8:25 AM.• Remember to arrive on time for school every day!!!• Reminder: WE Policy on Lateness's: after 4 events, children will serve

detention. After the 4th lateness, children will serve detention for each lateness.

• DISMISSA• Good G Good Weather Days Dismissal

• Meet us at the WEST END SIGN --- middle of the lawn• Children need to say “I am ready to Go” and we respond “It’s okay to Go! • We will ONLY dismiss/release your child when we have connected with

you or the designated pick up person. • Please make sure you tell every authorized person who picks up your

child, they cannot just “take and go” without telling either Mrs. McClellan or Mrs. Knauer. The children know this, but get very confused when an adult tells them to leave…

BAD WEATHER DAY DISMISSAL:• Children are dismissed from the main entrance at Greenbrook Road.• Mrs. Knauer stands at the doors and looks for you!• Please DO NOT STAND ON THE STAIRS, if you wait down the walkway, I will see you

and send your child outside.• We will send your children out 1 and 2 at a time, when we have seen and made

“eye” contact with you.• We want to keep the children dry as long as possible, keep them safe and make it

easier for them and you to “get together”!

Room 2 Web Page• All our “Happenings” in

Room 2 and at West End School can be found on our Web Page.

• Go to www.nplainfield.org web page and follow links to West End School, then to Staff directory to Theresa Knauer.

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATIONContact: Best Ways…

• Email: – We check email every morning before school

(usually before 7:00 AM).– We “try” to periodically check email during the

day, but it is not always possible. So, if something is very important, please leave a message with the Office.

– We check email after school in the evening up until 10:00 PM.

• Phone:– We will call you in the afternoon/evening after

school.– EMERGENCIES: call the office and they will give us

the message. We will call you back as soon as possible.

• FORMAL CONFERENCES:– We are always happy to set up an appointment at

a convenient time for both of us!• NOTE:

– Please know, we would love to chat with you anytime! But unfortunately the morning arrival time is very busy time taking care of the children, so, please, please keep your conversation brief.

– Of course, you can always use the old-fashioned way: drop a note into your child’s backpack, reminding them to take it out and give it to me in the morning.

WEEKLY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT & INFORMATION SHEETS

Name_________________________________________________________________________Mail Box #_____ Room 2 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS & INFORMATION SHEET

Week of September 15th through September 19th 2014 Please bring your homework assignment sheet to school everyday!

***************************************************************************************************************************** Monday, Math: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Language Arts: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Other:_______________________________________________________________________________________________ I read ______________________________________________________________with my ____________tonight.

Parent’s Initials:________________

Tuesday, is tonight!

No Written Homework Tonight! Please join us for Back To School Night!______ I read ______________________________________________________________with my ____________tonight.

Parent’s Initials:________________

Wednesday, Constitution Day Math: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Language Arts: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Other:_______________________________________________________________________________________________ I read ______________________________________________________________with my ____________tonight.

Parent’s Initials:________________ Thursday,

Math: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Language Arts: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Other:_______________________________________________________________________________________________ I read ______________________________________________________________with my ____________tonight.

Parent’s Initials:________________

Friday, No Written Homework! Read to someone or ask someone to read to you!

Upcoming Events & Information

A utumn begins on Tuesday, September 23rd Thursday, September 25th – West End Is C losed for the Rosh Hashanah Holiday. Friday, September 26th – PTA sponsored “Family Fun N ight” at West End. The Summer Reading Celebration Party is on M onday, September 29th (for those students

who returned their Summer Reading L ogs.) Tuesday, October 7th --- 1st M arking period, M id M arking Period Reports will be

distributed

HAPPY

DAILY SNACK & LUNCH :• Recess begins at 12:15 – 12:37• Lunch is immediately following Recess.• If you send in money for lunch,

• please place it in an envelope or ZipLoc bag.• Clearly labeled; child’s name, Room 2.• Of course the easiest way to pay for lunch is to go online to the Food Service Page.

Each day we have a QUICK HEALTHY Snack every morning around 10:15:• Please send healthy snack items, in a separate bag; labeled snack!• Suggested healthy snack choices can be found on our web page!• One “small” snack item is permitted and/or a drink.• It is recommended that the snack is easy and convenient to open and eat.• If a spoon/fork is needed, please include in the snack bag.• Beverages should be placed in a plastic bag or have a very tight closure/seal. Liquid

containers are sometimes not closed tightly and it could cause very wet lunchbox/backpack, etc.

Birthday Celebrations

• Children: 27 total (15 boys and 12 girls)• Birthday Celebrations:

• Celebrated during Snack time.

• Please send in a “small” individual treats for each child.• Items cannot contain NUTS.

• Small cupcakes, brownies, munchkins, or cookies are GREAT SPECIAL CELEBRATION CHOICES!

• Napkins, too please!• No candles!• Please do not send in anything that needs cutting.

• http://www.corestandards.org/

• http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know/

• http://www.corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/FAQs.pdf

Video about the Common Core:

http://vimeo.com/51933492

Language Arts Program

Daily 5 Literacy ProgramThe Daily 5™ is a management system or a

curriculum framework - it is a structure that helps students develop the daily habits of

reading, writing, and working independently that will lead to a lifetime of literacy independence.

Daily The Daily 5 – Five Choices

1. Read to Self - Students will get their book bags (full of good-fit books of their choice) or choose from our classroom library, find a comfortable spot in the classroom, and will read to themselves

2. Read to Someone - Students will pair up with a partner. They will both get their book bags, find a comfortable spot in the classroom, and will take turns reading to each other.  One student will act as the "reader" and the other student will act as the "Checker" and will re-tell what was read by the "reader" - this skill is called "check for understanding". "Reading with someone helps readers, especially developing readers, become more self-sufficient and less reliant on the teacher for assistance.

3. Work on Writing - Students will get their Daily 5 journal and write about different topics (some of their choice and some of mine).  "The writing component of the Daily Five provides additional support children require to become effective writers. Its purpose is to provide daily writing practice."

4. Listen to Reading - Students will sit at a listening center and hear a book read to them while they follow along. Listening to Reading is valuable for developing fluency and vocabulary.

5. Listen to Reading - Students will sit at a listening center and hear a book read to them while they follow along. Listening to Reading is valuable for developing fluency and vocabulary.

OUR MATH CURRICULUM

• Everyday Mathematics third-edition Grade Level Goals have been revised to align with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M), which were widely adopted in 2010.

• Everyday Mathematics is a comprehensive mathematics program engineered for the Common Core State Standards.

• Developed by The University of Chicago, School Mathematics Project, Everyday Mathematics helps students achieve true mastery of the CCSS by continually reinforcing math concepts through concrete real-world applications and reinforces math concepts across carefully constructed learning progressions.

Science and Social Studies are integrated across our the curriculum; literacy basedcomprised of Thematic type Units with technology integration.

Technology Computer Lab, Smart Board and Lap Tops

!

DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS

• DRA reading assessments• Fall & Spring

• Writing Prompts

• Math– Fall Assessment– Spring Assessment

Whole Brain Teaching ConceptTeaching and Learning Together

Whole Brain Teaching, a research based system that utilizes all areas of the brain, keeps children engaged throughout their lessons, and helps them retain much more information than the standard lecture-discussion model.Whole Brain Teaching is a highly interactive form of instruction that delivers information to students in short “chunks.” Kids then teach what they have just learned to their partners, using hand-gestures to help remember specific vocabulary. While students teach each other, the teacher walks around the room to discover who understands the lesson and who needs more instruction.Research shows that children retain more information when they have an opportunity to put it into their own words and use gestures to emphasize key instructional units …plus, it’s amazingly fun! For more information about Whole Brain Teaching please contact me, come by for a classroom visit and/or go towww.WholeBrainTeaching.com.

Excerpted from: Miss Freundlich’s web pagehttp://www.teachingandlearningtogether.com/miss-freundlich.html

Clip Chart for tracking Individual Student Behavior!

A plan for promoting individual student behavior, positively.

Rick Morrishttp://

www.newmanagement.com/ebooks/pdf/clip_chart_ebook.pdf

SOME GENERAL INFORMATION:

• Stretching/Relaxation Techniques

• West End – A service learning school --- COMMUNITY!

Demo of the pages on our Room 2 Web Page

• http://www.nplainfield.org//Domain/713

• Acts as a reinforcement and a good practice tool for concepts learned in school!

• It is important to complete homework on a regular basis.• In 1st grade homework should be completed by your child,

independently or with assistance from you!• Homework Policy is on our Web Site!• PLUS:

READ every night aloud for at least 15 minutesdiscussing the book is great for increasing comprehension!

Two simple words….but we truly mean it! Thank you for you lending us your beautiful children to learn and grow together in Room 2!