Dear Abbott Loop Families,

Greetings!  I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to First Grade at Abbott Loop Elementary.  I hope you are as excited about this school year as I am!  First Grade is a time for children to explore and get turned on to a lifetime of learning. 

I would like to share with you a little about myself.  My name is Samantha Farmer and I was born Anchorage and have lived in Alaska the majority of my life.  I also lived in Reno, Nevada for my elementary school years, after which, I returned to Alaska.  I graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with my Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and from Walden University with my Master of Education in Elementary Literacy & Reading.  I am looking forward to a wonderful year with your child! 

The following information will answer many questions that you may have about this school year.

About Our Curriculum

We have a very exciting school year planned.  A wide array of language and literacy activities are woven in with reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  We use the Houghton Mifflin reading curriculum which is presented within themes we are studying.  We use Handwriting Without Tears curriculum to help the children learn to form letters and numbers correctly.  The Go Math! curriculum will introduce your child to basic math concepts.  Our science curriculum has three themes: Light & Sound and Alaskan Animals.  In addition, the children will have music, and gym twice a week and library & computer lab once a week.

Toys & Stuffed Animals

STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BRING TOYS TO SCHOOL.  There is no way to monitor what becomes of them once they arrive.  They are also a distraction to the learning process. 

Friday Folder

Your child will be given a Friday Folder.  The folder will be taken home every Friday and should be returned to school on Monday morning.  Please look at your child’s folder to see class work that they have completed, letters from school, permission slips, and important paperwork.  Homework is included in the Friday folders each week and is due back the following Friday.  THIS FOLDER IS TO BE RETURNED EACH WEEK BY TUESDAY!

Parent Participation

Throughout the school year there will be a variety of special classroom activities and celebrations.  I encourage you to attend these functions when possible and to support them by sending needed supplies or treats.  Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school.

School Attendance

Your child’s regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial to his or her success.  I can’t emphasize this point enough!!!  Most first grade learning activities are group oriented and involve interaction with classmates.  Therefore, it is next to impossible to make up work at home.  Please view school as a priority, and see to it that your child attends every day except in cases of illness or emergency.  School district policy excuses absences only in the event of illness, death or serious illness in the immediate family, participation in a school function, extenuating circumstances approved by the principal, and attendance at a religious service.  In the event a child will be absent from school due to one of these reasons, parents are expected to call the school by 9:30 on the day of the absence to excuse the absence.

School Hours

Students attend school from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Please do not bring your child to school any earlier than 8:40 a.m., as there are not teachers on duty outside and students are not permitted in the building until 8:50.  If you need to pick up your child during the school day, you must sign him/her out in the office.  One of the secretaries will call your child over the intercom to come to the office.

Changes in Transportation

If you plan to pick up a child who normally rides the bus, or you wish for your child to ride a different bus than usual, or go home with someone else, you must send a written note.  Do not rely on your child to tell me this information, because children often become confused and relay messages incorrectly.  If no written note is received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation.

Snack

We have snack every day in the afternoon.  Two-three times per week we receive fresh fruit and vegetable snacks through a government program.  As we begin the school year I have non-perishable snacks on hand for the other two-three days of the week.  When our supply of non-perishable snacks is depleted, I will notify you via our weekly newsletter and request parents send in snacks to re-supply the cupboard.   Please do not bring in sweets for snack; the school district has a no-sweets policy.

Health Concerns

We have students with the following food allergies:  ALL KINDS OF NUTS.  Please do not send in snacks containing these foods. If I learn of any other health concerns that affect what can come into the classroom, I will let you know.

School Clothing

Please be sure to label all mittens, hats, snow pants, coats, and boots with your child’s name. Many families shop at the same stores and it is common for several children to have identical items.  Labels help ensure that your child brings home the items you purchased.

Outdoor Recess

The children will be going out for recess every day unless it is raining or extremely cold.  Please keep this in mind when helping your child to select clothing for the day.  Also, we are fortunate to have a variety of playground equipment, including several pieces for climbing.  Please keep this in mind when selecting shoes.  Cowboy boots, sandals, and little girls’ dress shoes are less than ideal if your child chooses to play on this equipment.  For the most part, if your child is well enough to be at school, he/she is well enough to participate in outdoor recess. 

Gym

Students must have a pair of shoes with non-marking soles to use for gym.  They should be marked with the student’s name, and may be stored in the cubbies in our closet area when not in use.  We can keep the gym floor in good shape if we avoid tracking dirt and grit from outside onto it.  I also recommend that girls wear pants (or shorts under their skirts) on gym days.

Money

On occasion it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school.  Always send money in a sealed envelope with the following information written on it:

1. Your child’s first and last name
   

2. The amount of money
   

3. The purpose for the money (book order, lunch money, field trip, etc.
   

4. My name (Mrs. Farmer) and room 3
   

With so many students to keep track of, this helps me out tremendously and reduces the chance of errors, particularly when many students are handing me money at once.  Also, if the envelope is dropped on the bus or in the hallway, this information will help the finder to return it to my classroom.

Book Orders

Each month (for as long as there is sufficient parent interest) I will be sending home Scholastic book order forms.  This is a great way to inexpensively build your child’s library with good books.  You are under no obligation to order, but should you choose to do so, please send your completed order form with a check in the correct amount made payable to Scholastic.  There is also an option to place your order on-line.  As mentioned in the paragraph on money, if you are sending the money and order form to the classroom instead of ordering on-line, it is a good idea to send them in a labeled envelope.  For each dollar spent on orders to Scholastic I earn bonus points with which I can buy books for our classroom library, or other classroom supplies.

Birthdays

Birthdays are special occasions for young children.  While we do not have birthday parties at school, if your child wishes, he/she may bring non-sugared treats to be shared with the class at snack time on his/her birthday.  Please send a note a day or two in advance, so I can give you an exact number of children in the class.  Please do not send birthday party invitations to school unless the entire class has been invited. Although it may seem convenient to distribute invitations this way, it can result in hurt feelings for those not invited.  If you have a child that has a summer birthday, they may celebrate it at the halfway mark (example: birthday is in June.  They can celebrate in December) OR they can celebrate in the month of May before school gets out.

Discipline

Establishing good classroom discipline is essential to each child’s success, confidence and well-being.  Every child should feel that the classroom environment is safe and secure, free from all threats of physical or emotional harm.  In addition, it is important that each child learn to develop self-discipline and good work habits, to resolve conflicts peacefully, and to think independently.

The discipline plan includes the logical consequences that will occur when class rules are broken.  Examples of logical consequences include time-out away from class for class disruptions or bothering other children, spending recess time walking the track, cleaning or repairing damaged property, or written and/or verbal apologies for aggressive behavior, name-calling, or ridiculing other children.  This list is not inclusive since it is impossible to predict all incidents of misbehavior that will occur during the year.  The idea is for the consequence to be related to the misbehavior and act as a solution or restitution for the problem.  If classroom rules are severely or persistently broken, parents will be contacted by note (to be signed and returned) or by telephone.  A visit to the principal’s office is a rarely used last resort.

During the first few weeks, we will be learning routines and procedures that will make our classroom run smoothly and provide maximum learning time.  Our class uses a clip chart system to help children monitor their behaviors.  Each day, all children begin on “Ready to Learn”.  If a child shows exceptionally good behavior, they will move their clip up to “Good Choices”, then to “Great Choices”, and at the top is “Outstanding”.  If they are having difficulty following expectations they will move their clip down to “Warning”, and if necessary, to “Consequence” followed by “Office/Parent Contact”.  If students move their clip to “Office/Parent Contact” then they will take home a paper that needs to be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to school.

Communication

A weekly newsletter will go home each Friday in the Friday Folders.  Please feel free to call me at school.  The best times are from 8:30-8:45am and from 3:45-4:00pm.  Also, you may contact me via email and I will respond during the day as time allows.  My email is farmer_samantha@asdk12.org.  Please send me and email if you have any questions or concerns.  We are a team and communication is important!  Thank you in advance for being involved in your child’s education.  I look forward to a wonderful school year!

Your Partner in Education,

Samantha Farmer

farmer_samantha@asdk12.org

907-742-5400