Hawkins' Hedgehogs Classroom
Hi! I'm Mrs. Nancy Hawkins. I am your child's first grade teacher at Copper Creek Elementary School.
Welcome to the wonderful world of first grade!
Your child is about to enter a very exciting time is his or her life!
Written below is my Philosphy of Education, as well as, a Classroom Handbook for Students and Parents:
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
I believe children learn best when they are ensconced in a positive, nurturing environment that allows them to make choices and encourages them to accept both the benefits and consequences of those choices. I believe children should be provided opportunities to learn via risk taking, individual exploration, and cooperative grouping.
As a teacher, I envision my role first as a model, then as a facilitator who respects her students and strives to enhance their self-esteem. I plan to exhibit a positive attitude toward learning and will maintain high expectations for my students. I will discipline my students with warmth, consistency, and honesty.
My classroom will furnish a safe, secure climate conducive to learning. Materials, resources, and lessons will be developmentally appropriate and offer students of all learning levels the opportunity to participate and succeed.
POSITIVE INCENTIVES
I believe in positive incentives and discipline, therefore, I have designed my classroom discipline around the word "STAR" an acronym for "Stop, Think, Act Responsibly!" STAR encourages mutual respect and revolves around the lifelong guidelines of:
· Be Trustworthy
· Be Truthful
· Listen Attentively
· No Put-Downs
· Do Your Personal Best
As an example of a positive incentive, I will maintain a classroom STAR Chart. Children will earn stars on their STAR Charts for a variety of reasons such as exhibiting lifeskills or completing book forms (sample attached). When they accumulate five stars, they will have the opportunity to choose an item from our class Treasure Tub.
I also intend to stress cooperation among classmates. The word COOPERATION will be displayed on the white board each Monday morning. During the week, letters are removed or added, based on the general behavior of the class as a whole. If any letters still remain at the end of the school day on Friday, I will reward the class with a Preferred Activity Time.
CLASSROOM RULES
1. Respect and be kind to others.
2. Listen to and follow directions the first time.
3. Raise your hand and wait politely to speak.
4. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
5. Stay on task and complete work.
6. Use appropriate tone of voice.
DISCIPLINE PLAN
Behavior goals and expectations help create a classroom community where children feel comfortable in expressing themselves positively and responsibly. All students are expected to display behaviors that reflect character: trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
To achieve these goals, a behavior system based on clearly established choices and consequences will be used.
The behavior system is based on a three-step process:
1. One verbal warning defines the rule broken.
2. Second warning - student places goals folder at his/her seat as a reminder of the infraction. An "R" (for reminder) will be written in the corner of the date box. If only reminders have been received during the week, your child will still receive the weekly award.
3. Third warning results in student placing goals folder on teacher's desk and reflecting about and recording the goal that was not followed.
Time out will be served for repeat offences in one week; either during lunch in a buddy classroom or in another way within the classroom at the teacher's discretion. Parents will receive a written notice of time served and will need to sign a slip to acknowledge their receipt of the time out slip. Continued and persistent infractions of the rules may require a detention referral to the office.
EVERY THURSDAY your child will bring home the goals folder containing the behavior chart. THE GOALS FOLDER MUST BE SIGNED EVERY THURSDAY AND RETURNED TO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY. If your child forgets to return the folder, he/she may not be eligible to participate in Preferred Activity Time on Friday.
Goals folders are a key component in teaching responsibility for actions within the classroom. It is very important that you praise your child for a job well done in following classroom and school goals. Thank you for your support in this endeavor to help your child be the best that he/she can be!
GRADING
I am here to help your child perform to the best of his or her ability. Please do not hesitate to contact me about your child's progress at any time. We do not have to wait for a formal conference time to address needs and concerns. I am available to you by telephone or voicemail at 623-376-3936 or by email at Nancy.Hawkins@dvusd.org.
Children learn in a variety of ways (individual, cooperative groups, exploring in centers), and I plan to introduce them to a number of learning techniques this year.
Reading is a major milestone in the life of a first-grade student. A great deal of the curriculum will revolve around reading, letter sounds, and writing. Skills introduced in Kindergarten such as paper/pencil position, prewriting, organization of information, comparing/contrasting, identifying picture clues, predicting, vocabulary, and story retelling will be reinforced. New skills such as using beginning, middle, and end in a story, expanding/combining sentences, spelling/capitalization, use of apostrophes/prefixes/contractions, rhymes, letter sounds, and alphabetical order will be introduced.
HOMEWORK
The homework assigned in my class will consist of assignments that reinforce what has been learned in class and/or unfinished class work. Unless otherwise specified, homework assignments will be assigned in a packet distributed on Monday and are due every Friday. Since reading is such an important part of the first-grade curriculum, part of each week's homework will require that the children read aloud or be read to at least 15 minutes per day. Additionally, it is helpful if the children are given the opportunity to experience some silent reading time each day.
Students will have weekly spelling words included in their homework packets. They will be given math papers to complete three to four times weekly.
Now is the time to develop responsible homework practices. It is helpful if your child has a special place to do his/her work and perhaps a special pencil box or homework supplies.
SHOW AND TELL
Children may bring something from home to share with the class on Fridays. The item they choose to bring should be small enough to fit in a cubby. Show and tell is part of our oral language development. If we are studying a particular these (i.e., oceans, solar system) in class, students are always welcome to share related items at any time.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays will be celebrated in class by special recognition and singing. A simple treat may be shared that day. Please advise me ahead of time if you want to send a snack. Party invitations should NOT be given out at school unless they are given to the whole class.
SUPPLIES
Should you wish to donate supplies for the classroom, the following is a list of supplies we use on a regular basis. I do not allow the children to have individual pencil boxes since they are supplied with a supply basket that is easily accessed in their desk.
· Crayons (16 count)
· Pencils (#2)
· Pink Erasers
· Kleenex
· Washable Markers
· White School Glue or Glue Sticks
· Ziploc Storage Bags (all sizes)
. Baby Wipes or Clorox Clean Ups
Backpacks are optional. The children will store them in the cupboard upon arrival and will retrieve them at the end of the day. They will not keep them at their desks during the school day.
*Arizona law requires that public schools provide supplies required for academic success. This list represents optional, supplementary items which you may supply, at your discretion. If you have questions, feel free to contact the school.
CLASSROOM LIBRARY
I do have a classroom library for the children to use. All of the books are my personal property, but I will allow your child to borrow them. They may sign out one book at a time. When they return it, they may sign out another. Please take care of them!
VOLUNTEERS
I welcome volunteers in my classroom. Children benefit greatly by having positive role models and warm, loving adults around to provide added support.
Therefore, if you have a little extra time and would like to help with our classroom, please fill out the Volunteer Form included in this handbook and return it to me.
READING STRATEGIES:MONITOR: "Does this make sense?"
"Does this sound right?"
"Does this look right?"
PREDICT: "What would make sense here?"
REREAD: - from the beginning of the sentence.
SEARCH FOR CLUES:
- think of the story so far
- look at the picture
- read to the end of the sentence
LINKING:
- find known words within the word
- find word parts: -ed, -ing, un-, re-
THE WRITING PROCESS
We will be introducing our first graders to the process of writing. The following is a general outline of the writing process used at our grade level.
THINK AND PLAN: Whole Group
Story Planners
Graphic Organizers
Research
Buddy Talk
DRAFTING: Get your ideas down quickly
REVISE: Buddy or group check
Advice, suggestions, questions
EDIT: Alone, or with a partner, teacher, group, or parent
Use a checklist
PUBLISH: Create a final project such as a book, a report, a play, etc.
VOLUNTEER FORM
Yes, I am interested in volunteering in your classroom.
Name:_______________________________ Phone Number:_______________
Child's Name:_________________________
I would like to help in the following areas: (Please Check Interests)
____General Duties
____Clerical
____Creating Journals
____Classroom Parties
____Computer Lab
____Work at Home
____Creative Projects (Bulletin Boards etc.)
____Reading with Children
____Xeroxing
____Field Trips
____Other:_________________________________________
____Yes, I would be interested in being the HOMEROOM PARENT!!
I am available to work the following days and times on a regular basis:
Days:_____________________________
Times:____________________________
If you are unable to commit to a regular schedule but would still like to volunteer, please contact me in advance, and we can arrange a time that works into our schedules.
Thanks for taking the time to fill this slip out and return it with your child. Together we will be able to make your child's first grade year a huge success!
Comment On This Page
|
