Welcome to First

Grade!
I want to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child back to
West Hollywood Elementary School. We are looking forward to
working with you throughout this year to make your childs year a
success. First Grade is a time of ecitement! wonder! eploration! and
disco"ery. #hrough fun! de"elopmentally appropriate learning
acti"ities! your child will work hard to academically prepare for Second
Grade. I hope this handbook will pro"ide you a helpful o"er"iew of our
First Grade procedures and epectations.
We look forward to the opportunity of building a learning community at
West Hollywood Elementary School with the students! parents! and
staff.
Sincerely!
$s. Salgado
Curriculum Overview
Social Studies
We will be using the district curriculum. #he following units will be co"ered%
&iti'enship
(eople and places
)ur &ountry
&hanges o"er time
&elebrate &ultures
Good * Ser"ices
Health
We will be studying%
#he Human +ody
,utrition
-ental &are
Feelings and Emotions
Science
Foss is the district adopted science curriculum. We will be learning about%
.ir and Weather
(lants and animals
Solids and /i0uids
Literacy
)ur school has adopted 1eaders Workshop and Writers Workshop as our /anguage .rts program.
It is comprised of the following components%
1ead .loud
Shared 1eading
Guided 1eading
Independent 1eading
Word Study2Spelling
Independent Writing
Shared Writing
Math
3sing the Engage,4 $athematics program! our students are eposed to a wealth of mathematics
acti"ities including counting! measurements! geometry! patterns! data collecting! addition *
subtraction facts! time! money! and place "alue.
Project Based Learning (PBL)
(+/ is a large cross5curricular! meaningful pro6ect that engages students in critical thinking and
problem sol"ing. It is centered on a dri"ing 0uestion2scenario and students work toward a final
product! which they will then present to an audience. #he (+/ will be about the &ommunity and
thinking about what they could add to make our community better.
Communication
4our child will take home a HW folder on $onday. Inside you will find important notices! homework
information! and other important information. (lease re"iew your childs folder! remo"e papers
weekly.
(lease check out our school website at http%22westhollywoodelementary.net2
.nd our classroom website% http%22mssalgado.weebly.com
If you need to contact us please dont hesitate to send a note in your childs folder! e5mail! or lea"e
a phone message. )ur email and classroom phone numbers are listed below%
7895:;<5=787
ms.salgado>westhollywoodelementary.net
Report Cards and Grading
4our child will recei"e a report card three times in First Grade. #he first report card will be
coming home at the end of the first trimester in ,o"ember. #he second report card will come home
at the end of the second trimester in $arch. #he final report card will come home the last day of
school in ?une. )n the report card! you can epect the following grades%
15 /imited (rogress
25 $aking (rogress toward Standard
35 $eets Standards
45 Eceeds Standards
Students are epected to meet or to eceed the district and state standards by the end of the
year. It is appropriate on the first report card for your child to recei"e a :! with the goal being a 7
on the final report card. 3pdates will be coming home throughout the year to keep you posted on
your childs progress. .s well as you will ha"e access to their grades through our online grade book.
,ot all acti"ities are formally graded! as some are for practice and reinforcement. Howe"er! we
are formally obser"ing children each day and documenting our obser"ations as to how the children
are progressing toward the standards.
Conferences
(arent2#eacher conferences are held in the fall and the spring. .t the fall conference! we will
discuss your childs progress on the assessments. We will be happy to answer any 0uestions you may
ha"e.
Homework
.s children enter First Grade they are eager and ready to learn. First Grade homework lays the
foundation for good work habits in later years. Furthermore! positi"e homework helps establish the
home2school connection and in"ol"es parents as partners in their childs daily learning eperiences.
#he homework acti"ities your child will do this year are%
-aily reading
7 Weekly spelling .cti"ities
$ath (ages
Writing (rompts
Volunteers
We en6oy ha"ing parent "olunteers come to school to help our students learn. We need support with
clerical work! party planning! classroom pro6ects! cleaning the classroom! and fieldtrips. 4our help is
greatly appreciated. (arent "olunteers make a huge difference in the education of our little ones@@
(lease get a #+ shot and fill out forms in the main office before you "olunteer.
Field trips
#hroughout the year we will schedule field trips into the community to enhance our curriculum.
(ermission slips and cost information will be sent home prior to each trip. 4ou will ha"e the
opportunity to ser"e as a chaperone for a field trip if you desire but due to space re0uirements! the
number of chaperones may be limited for each trip. -ue to liability! siblings will not be able to 6oin
us on field trips. If we ha"e more "olunteers than spaces! we will take out names of parents who
ha"e already chaperoned a trip and then draw names. (lease understand that we will make e"ery
attempt to gi"e each parent the opportunity to go on at least one trip. &haperones will be
responsible for helping the teacher monitor and keep track of students while we are away from
school. Since not all parents can go on e"ery trip! please do not purchase sou"enirs! etra acti"ities!
or food for your child or any other child in your group. E"erything will be pro"ided. #hank you for
your cooperation.
Water Bottles
4ou are encouraged to send a water bottle with a lid to school with your child. (lease ),/4 water
will be a"ailable for children to drink in the classroom. It should be taken home at the end of each
day or it may be thrown away after a few days.
Book Orders
+ook orders will be sent home periodically. #hese orders help us earn free books for the classroom.
(lease send a check made out to Scholastic or the eact amount of cash in a sealed en"elope with
the childs name on it or if possible place orders online. )ur class code is H+17F
unch !one"
(lease send your childs lunch money AB:C with your child or if they are unable to keep track of it! in
a sealed en"elope or Diploc! labeled with your childs nae! )r you may add money to their
account online.
Birthda"s
We lo"e birthdays@ We ha"e a simple routine celebration for students whose birthdays fall during
the school year. If your child has a summer birthday! you may choose to ha"e an EunbirthdayF
celebration sometime during the last few weeks of school. )n your childs birthday! you may pro"ide
simple birthday treats for the class. &ookies! cupcakes! and wrapped treats work best. .gain! no
treats containing nuts or nut "roducts will be allowed. (lease do not plan to send a cake.
3nfortunately! they are too difficult to manage. (lease try to gi"e prior notice so we can be
prepared to celebrate! usually during the last 8=5:9 minutes of class.
#ail" Behavior
.s you know! positi"e beha"ior and learning go hand in hand. Simple class rules ha"e been
established to ensure your child eperiences a positi"e and safe learning en"ironment.
&onse0uences include warnings! loss of recess time! and note2call home. In the class! students will
recei"e -o6o points for their positi"e beha"iors and they will be able to trade in their points for
small pri'es. (arents can keep track of -o6o points and daily beha"ior with the -)?) class .((.
&hildren need to learn the importance of accepting responsibility for their actions. West Hollywood
Elementary has adopted the +est +eha"ior model. #hrough this model! we philosophically belie"e
that by teaching the beha"iors we want children to use in our school! and recogni'ing those
beha"iors on a regular basis! we can etinguish undesirable beha"iors and replace them with positi"e
ones. Students are rewarded for positi"e beha"ior Awhen they are 1espectful! 1esponsible! and
SafeC with +ee +ucks! which can be entered in a weekly raffle e"ery Friday.
$pecials Classes

#he children will be attending special classes% (E A$C! /ibrary A#+.C! $usic AWC! and Gisual .rts
A#+.C! and -ance A#+.C. (lease ha"e your child wear running shoes on (E days@@
Finall"%%%
)ur First Grade team is "ery ecited about our new year. If you ha"e any 0uestions! please do not
hesitate to contact us. Were looking forward to a great year@