Dear Families,
Welcome to the First Grade class at Naperville Christian Academy. I am so thrilled to be working with your child this year. I will strive to make this year a memorable year in their education. In our classroom, students will have the opportunity to discover, explore, sing, chant, color, draw, build, use tactile materials, use their bodies to create or retell stories, and listen to and read stories. Students will be learning about Ancient Egypt and other ancient civilizations, vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and United States geography and facts. We will be using Saxon programs for Math, Phonics, Spelling, and Handwriting. This year your child will also learn about the Patriarchs and the Biblical stories from Genesis through Ruth. I am looking forward to a productive, inspiring, and fun-filled year!
I want to take this opportunity to provide you with expectations, procedures, and information for our classroom.
Homework: Please check your child’s take-home folder daily for information, graded work, redo work and homework assignments. Each Friday, I will post the homework that is due for the upcoming week on our classroom website. You may access this at http://1stgradeNCA.weebly.com or by login at www.ncaclassical.org. Please check your child’s homework or redo work and place in the take-home folder to be brought back to school. The folder should be brought to and from school everyday. Homework should not take more than 30 minutes each night. If there becomes an issue with your child completing homework in that time frame, please let me know.
Classroom Rules, Rewards, and Consequences: Students are expected to follow the school and classroom rules at all times. Our classroom rules are:
1.) Obey Cheerfully and Immediately (Hebrews 13:17)
2.) Be Kind to Others and Yourself (Ephesians 4:32)
3.) Speak Honestly (Exodus 20:16)
4.) Do your BEST work at ALL times. (Colossians 3:23)
I will keep track of student’s behavior by using the Green-Yellow-Red light method. Students will begin each day on green. I will send home positive notes and give rewards such as extra recess and free-play for students who maintain green. The consequence for disobeying our classroom rules are:
1.) Verbal Warning
2.) Move to Yellow – 5 minutes off recess and discussion with me.
3.) Move to Red – 15 minutes off recess, discussion with me, and communication with parents.
Classroom News: I will post our classroom news each week on our classroom website(http://1stgradeNCA.weebly.com). Please check the Classroom News page so you are aware of the concepts and lessons that will be presented to your child each week.
Snack: Each morning, the students will have a snack time. Please send in a healthy snack for your child to eat. Additionally, we have at least one student at school with an allergy to peanuts and all nuts; therefore any foods that contain peanuts, raw nuts, or peanut butter will not be allowed during snack. Students are encouraged to drink water throughout the day and may keep a small water bottle at their table. (Other beverage choices are acceptable at lunch.)
D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read): Every afternoon the students will have 15 minutes for silent and independent reading. Please send a book that your child can read that they may use at this time.
Math Facts: Throughout the year, students will be working on math facts. As they master their facts, we will record their success. Students will need extra practice at home to memorize the facts. At school we will learn and test the facts through a flash card method and pencil/paper writing method. It is important that your child practice at home using both methods. Throughout the year they will be expected to be accurate and fluent with the math facts that are presented.
Phonics: Throughout the week we will learn many phonics rules, coding patterns, and spelling rules. It will be important that your child practice and review the concepts and rules at home at various times throughout the week. The phonics pages that will be sent home are a great resource for reviewing the recent concepts. Additionally, please review the high-frequency and sight word lists with your child regularly. They should be able to read and spell each word on these lists. You can also access these lists on the website. There will also be a coding packet sent home that will demonstrate the coding that is expected on phonics related work.
Spelling Homework: Each week, students will put the spelling words in alphabetical order and use the spelling words in sentences. Students should be attempting to complete this independently, but your assistance and review is appreciated. Please download the Spelling Homework Sheet each week for your child to use and turn in by the end of the week.
Spelling Test: Spelling tests will be given at the end of each week. At the beginning of each week, students will be given a practice test which includes the spelling words, sight words (noted with a *) and sentences. Please review both words and sentences (located on the back of the spelling practice test) to help them prepare for the upcoming test. The words and sentences will be posted on the website as well.
Birthday Celebrations: Birthdays are a wonderful time to celebrate each child. I will contact you to set up a day to celebrate your child's birthday with our class. Celebrations will occur at 2:30pm with the students in 1st grade only.
First Day of School: Please send all supplies with your child on the first day of school. Please do not label any supplies. I will collect the supplies and distribute throughout the year as needed.
Please find the Student Information Sheet file on the Classroom Forms page. This should be printed out, filled in, and brought in on the first day of school. You may also email me a filled in copy of the form.
I am looking forward to working together with you and your child. If you need to speak to me please contact me by email, telephone, or send me a note through your child's take-home folder.
Warmly,
Sarah Hummel
(630) 819-9299
hummel.sarah@gmail.com
