Our Classroom Handbook

2015-16

Mrs. Heads Class

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to our classroom! As we all look forward to many firsts this
year, it is my hope that this handbook will provide useful information regarding our
classroom procedures, behavior expectations and opportunities for learning. Please
feel free to contact me if you have any concerns or questions that are not addressed in
this handbook. My contact information is as follows:
Karyn Head
School Phone: (517) 486-2811, ext. 125
Home Phone: (517) 467-6468
E-mail address: khead@blissfieldschools.us
Completed School Work
Completed school work will be sent home daily in your childs take-home folder. It
will be very beneficial for your child if you take a few minutes to go over his or her
work. It is important to focus on the positive aspects of what your child has
accomplished and to provide support as new skills are practiced. This class will focus
on many small group and large group activities, which may or may not involve written
work. An important aspect of learning is to allow children time to explore concepts
by completing hands-on activities; therefore, some days may have more written work
than others. If you ever have questions about your childs daily activities, please let
me know.
Math Homework
Work that is sent home for completion will be placed your childs take-home folder.
Your child may have some type of math homework several times during the week. It
is important to make homework a priority ~ it not only helps your child practice for
our written assessments, but also gives you an opportunity to see successes and
challenges first-hand. Because this is a first-grade curriculum, written math tests will
be used to assess your childs progress.
I understand that some evenings are busy for families. If you are unable to help your
child that night, please help complete it the next night and return it the following day.
If you are unsure about how to explain something to your child, check on the Guided
Practice side (A) that we completed in class as it is similar to the Homework side (B).
I do not expect the children to read the directions to themselves, but many students
will be able to read and complete the work on their own by the end of the year.

Extra Clothes
Because your child is still growing and adjusting to our school schedule,
I encourage each family to send a change of clothing that we can keep at
school (for those just in case accidents). Please put them in a Ziploc bag with your
childs name. Also, as the weather changes I will send a reminder to send clothes that
are appropriate for the temperature.
Gym Shoes
Our special service schedule is designed so that physical education will be offered on
Tuesday and Wednesday each week. If your child does not wear sneakers/gym shoes
to school each day, please send a pair of gym shoes for him/her to change into on the
days we have phys ed. Students can keep them in the hallway on the shelf with their
backpacks. Please write your childs name inside the shoes to avoid mix-ups.
Baggie Books
Your child will be reading every day in either a small group, large group or individual
setting. We will be completing guided reading activities at various reading levels, but
your child will also have books to read at his or her specific instructional level. If your
child brings books home, please be sure to listen to him or her read these books and
send them back within two or three days.
Snacks
The children will have a designated snack time each day. Please send a small snack
each day for your child to enjoy. As we try to encourage healthy eating habits,
please provide a snack that encourages children to make positive snack choices.
Snack suggestions may include crackers, cheese sticks, fruits and vegetables.
Book Orders
During the year, I will send home catalogs for Scholastic book orders. These books
have been selected especially for young readers and provide excellent opportunities
for enjoying and improving reading. Scholastic is making the ordering process even
easier this year by offering online catalogs geared toward each grade level. I will
provide an online code when school gets underway. Whenever books are ordered,
our class also receives free books to add to our classroom library.

Birthdays
Birthdays are a special time for us to celebrate the uniqueness of each
child. We will celebrate your childs special day on or as near as possible
to his or her actual birth date. Children with summer birthdays may celebrate on their
half-birthday, or on a date you choose in the spring. Birthday snacks such as
cupcakes, cookies and brownies are welcome, and I will incorporate these snacks into
our daily schedule.
If you are having a party at home, please do not send invitations to be passed out in
the classroom unless you are inviting every child. Feelings are easily hurt if a child is
openly excluded by not receiving an invitation.
A Special Note for Parents
As tempting as it is to bring your child to school the first day or week, it is much
easier for children to separate from you at home. It is also very difficult for our bus
drivers to know where children go after school when they did not pick them up in the
morning. Our bus drivers have a lot of responsibility and we can make it easier for
them if children ride the bus on a regular basis. I will put bus tags on each childs
backpack and will take the children to their buses at dismissal time until they learn
their bus numbers, drivers and location of their bus in the lineup.
Thank you for taking the time to read over this handbook and for returning the
necessary school forms so promptly! I will be sending updates regarding our learning
activities. Please remember to stay in touch regarding any questions and/or concerns
you may have. It is my hope that we will be able to work together to provide a great
educational experience for your child this year!

General Information
Mrs. Heads Class ~ 2015-16
* We will be going to our school library to check out books on a regular basis, but
that time has not been determined yet. I will let you know as soon as I know.
Special Service Teachers are as follows:
Our special service schedule includes physical education, music, art and technology
classes. Our schedule for the year will be as follows:
Monday: Technology (1:00 - 1:25)
Tuesday: Physical Education (1:00 - 1:25)
Wednesday: Physical Education (1:30 - 1:55)
Thursday: Art (10:00 - 10:25) and Music (1:00 - 1:25)
Friday: Music (1:00 - 1:25)
** Because our special services classes are the first activity of the day, please have your
child arrive on time. If they are late, they will miss one of the best parts of their day!
School Hours: 7:45 a.m. to 2:52 p.m.
Students should not arrive before 7:35 a.m. and should leave the building by 2:52 p.m.
each day. We encourage you to have your child ride the bus to and from school. If
you do bring your child and it is later than 7:45 a.m., remember to sign in first at the
office and they will receive a tardy slip to give to me. If you need to pick your child
up earlier than 2:52 p.m., please sign them out at the office first. If your child is NOT
going to ride the bus as usual, I must have a note from you. If I do not have a note, I
am required to put your child on his/her regular bus home.
Behavior Expectations
This is a very important year for children to learn to make good choices. In the first
few days of school, we will be discussing what kinds of things we need to remember
in order to make good choices while in school. The following are some of the major
expectations regarding behavior in school, on the playground and on the bus:

Be quiet and orderly when moving from place to place.

Be safe while you work and play.
Be quiet while you work so you dont disturb your neighbors.
Be respectful toward everyone.
Be proud of what you do both inside and outside the classroom.
5

 Be cooperative when working with your teacher or in a group.

Be in your assigned seat or work area at all times.
To help children learn to be responsible for their own behavior and for making good
choices, a card system is in place for our classroom. Each day the children will all
start out with a green card. Everyone will be reminded to do his/her best and to
make good behavior choices. If your child is not making good choices, he/she will be
asked to change his/her card to the next color.
A monthly behavior calendar is located in the back sleeve of your childs take-home
folder. The color marked that day will indicate whether your child had a Green Card,
Yellow Card or Red Card day.
The order of the cards and the consequences are as follows:
Green: You are making great choices!
Yellow: Warning ~ you need to think about your choices
Red:
Stop! ~ time to contact parents in order to work on a solution together
In order for this behavior system to work effectively, it is important that parents
remember to praise success and reinforce the concept of making good choices. This
is a time that is full of many learning opportunities, and better classroom behavior will
create a more productive learning environment. In fact, when students learn to follow
classroom and school rules, we spend less time on discipline and more time is left for
extra fun learning activities. I am confident that this group of children is going to
be one of my BEST classes yet. I look forward to teaching and growing with them,
and I appreciate your support and encouragement!