Welcome to First Grade with Ms. Hernandez and Mrs. B!
- Absences/Attendance—It is important that your child attends school every day. In the event of illness, appointments, or vacation, please call our attendance line at 720-424-3168.
- Allergies—We have several students with allergies so it is important to remind your children to not share lunches and snacks. Also, if your child has allergies/asthma and requires medication you must notify our nurse.
- Arrival/Dismissal—The first bell rings at 8:55 and the tardy bell at 9:00. Unless we are in a meeting, we are there to pick up the kids on time. Attendance is taken as soon as the second bell rings so any latecomers must go to the office to get a tardy slip. Please do not wait by the door before or after school. Dismissal is at 3:45. Please do not pick up your child early for the sake of avoiding the rush. We often take our learning right up to the bell. If you must pick up your child before the bell, sign in at the office and they will call the classroom to page your child. Any students not picked up by 4:00 will go to the office.
- Behavior System—In our class we use a multi-tiered behavior chart. Students can move their clip up or down depending on the choices they make each day. Every morning all students begin at Green or Ready to Learn. Students can move their clip up by being on task, listening and following directions, doing something without being told, showing kindness to someone else and so on. Clips can be moved down when poor negative choices are made—opposite of the positives. Kids have the opportunity to reflect on and improve their behavior.
The consequences of moving a clip down:
Yellow—5 minute loss of afternoon recess.
Orange—10 minute loss of afternoon recess.
Red—Child will call parent to explain their behavior, letter home, OR, depending on the situation, a visit to an administrator with a call to a parent.
Rewards for moving a clip up to Purple or Pink.
Warm fuzzy feeling and admiration of peers because they earned the class an extra five minutes of PM recess time!
- Birthdays—School policy is that all birthday celebrations will be held on Fridays. In our class we celebrate at the end of the day around 3:15. Students may bring in a snack to share with classmates. Contact us at least a week or two ahead of time if you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday since some students have birthdays either the same day or week.
- Breakfast—Free breakfast is served every morning in the cafeteria for students beginning at 8:40. It is important to NOT send your child to school before then as there is no supervision and parents must accompany a student if they are eating breakfast.
- Classroom Rules—In our classroom there is only one rule:
Treat others the way you want to be treated. Simple and to the point.
- Clothing—Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and for PE. Mrs. B’s class has PE every Thursday and Ms. Hernandez’s class is every Friday. Students must wear tennis shoes for PE in order to participate.
- Communication—We will update our blog the first Thursday of each month, keeping you in the loop on anything we are working on in the classroom as well as what’s going on at school. You can reach us through our class emails which are posted on our blog under the ‘Contact’ tab. You may contact us via email with any questions or concerns. Understand that we may not always respond immediately to emails during the school day while we are teaching. Please make sure we have an updated email address and contact number for you.
Remind app: We will send a code via email for family members to register for the Remind app. This app will allow us to send quick messages via text (ex. Remember to bring Thursday folders back tomorrow). You can also send us a message (ex. please send Johnny home on the bus). It's great for last minute communication!
In the event of an emergency, call the office first at 720-424-3160.
- Conferences—Conferences are held twice a year in the fall and spring. Spring conferences are not scheduled for everyone. However, there will also be student-led conferences for everyone where your child will demonstrate to you what he/she has learned. We are also happy to meet with you outside of these times to talk about your child’s progress.
- Field Trips—We plan on taking at least three to four field trips throughout the year. Many of them require chaperones; however, keep in mind that if you volunteer to chaperone siblings may not accompany us since you will be in charge of a small group of students.
- Homework—Homework will go home the first Thursday of the month. We only send work that reinforces what students are currently working on or knowledge they are building upon. Homework is to be turned in the first Thursday of the following month. Homework will consist of a monthly tic-tac-toe board, 20 minutes of nightly reading and one hour a week of iReady (30 minutes of Reading & 30 minutes of Math). Student login codes for iReady are stapled in their Thursday folder.
- Illness—Please keep your child at home if he/she is ill. If a fever is present, your child should not return to school unless they are able to maintain a normal temperature for 24 hours after medicine has been administered.
- Inclement Weather—In the case of bad weather (rain, strong chilly wind, frigid temps below 22 degrees) you should drop off your child in the library unless they are eating breakfast. Bad weather dismissal will be directly from our classrooms.
- Lunch—Our lunch time is from 11:55-12:20. You may join your child for lunch, if you would like. Make sure to sign in at the main office. Due to allergies, sharing of lunches is not allowed. Please discourage your child from sharing lunch/snack items with others.
- Morning Meeting—Every day we have a Morning Meeting where we get to chat, connect with one another, and talk about our Personal Success factor of the month. It is imperative that your child is at school on time in order to partake in this essential learning time.
- Personal Belongings—All personal belongings, toys, jewelry, pokemon cards, and other distractions must be kept at home. If items are brought and students make the choice to play with them, we will hold onto them and then give them to you. If students continue to bring them, they will be kept by the classroom teacher until the end of the year.
- Questions—There will be a space on your child’s homework cover sheet for any questions or comments you have about homework. Please feel free to email us for any other questions you may have.
- Recess—All students are entitled to their lunch recess. Afternoon recess is earned through positive behavior choices. Students will go out for recess every day unless the weather is too wet or too cold.
- Snacks—Your child should bring a healthy snack to school for PM recess. We have a long afternoon and they need the fuel to keep them going. Students can put their name on their snack at home or there are Sharpies available in the classroom.
- Thursday Folders—Check your child’s Thursday folder for homework, returned graded papers, and school and classroom information. It should be returned the following Thursday.
- Visitors—Visitors are welcome, but for everyone’s safety all visitors must sign in at the main entrance and obtain a visitor’s pass.
- Volunteers—We welcome parent and family members to volunteer at school and in our classroom. We will email Slyreplys as needed, for family members to sign up. Volunteers must go through required background checks.
- Water Bottles—Each student should have a water bottle that is kept in the classroom during the week and sent home on Friday for washing—no soda, sports drinks, or juice is allowed. If your child needs a water bottle for lunch, please pack one separately. Remember, a hydrated brain is a happy, learning brain!
- Westerly Creek Website—Check out the WCE webpage for lots of important information. http://westerlycreek.dpsk12.org/
- Zzzzz!—Sleep is vital to your child’s success. A sleepy child does not have the capacity to pay attention, work with peers, or work to his/her best ability.
We think that just about covers it—it’s a lot, we know!
We look forward to a fun and rewarding school year together.
Ms. Hernandez and Mrs. Bryan-Doherty
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