Below is a selection of questions commonly asked by parents of first 
graders.  
These are certainly only a few of the many that come my way.  If you don't 
find 
an answer here, please get in touch with me.  I'm always happy to answer 
any 
questions you might have.

1. Do first graders get snack?
2. Can my child keep a change of clothes at school?
3. Do you give homework over the weekend?
4. My child's homework came back with no indication that the teacher saw it. Should I assume it was handed in at school?
5. We were busy and couldn't get the homework done. Can my child just hand it in tomorrow?
6. Can I send in a birthday treat for my child's birthday?
7. I'd love to volunteer to help out in the classroom, but can't. Is there any other way I can help the class?
8. What are your classroom rules?
9. How do I know if my child is behaving appropriately in class?

Do first graders get snack?

Yes.  Our class will have one 15 minute snack daily.  Your child 
is responsible for bringing in his/her own snack from home.  
Students are NOT allowed to share snacks.

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Can my child keep a change of clothes at school?

Yes.  In fact, we ask that you send in a change of clothes for 
your child to keep in his/her cubby until needed or you want it 
returned home.

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Do you give homework over the weekend?

I do not give weekend homework often, but it does happen on 
occasion.  Also, it is expected that students will spend some 
time reading every day!

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My child's homework came back with no indication that the teacher saw it. Should I assume it was handed in at school?

Please don't assume I've seen it.  I always put a stamp, sticker, 
or mark of some sort on the papers I've seen and corrected.  If a 
homework assignment goes home without one of these on it, it was 
probably not handed in.  Please return it to school so that I can 
properly check it and your child can get credit for the work 
he/she has done.

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We were busy and couldn't get the homework done. Can my child just hand it in tomorrow?

Yes...but any time homework is handed in late it is 
noted.  "Better late than never" does apply, but please keep in 
mind that at this stage in your child's learning, we are also 
working to foster good habits and responsibility.  As such, it is 
important that handing homework in late does not become routine.

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Can I send in a birthday treat for my child's birthday?

We do not celebrate birthdays at school with food items.  We will 
make a Book of Birthday Wishes for each child at school, and you 
can help your child choose a favorite book from home to bring to 
school to share with the class for the day.  The kids really 
enjoy celebrating this way and it fosters a greater love of 
reading and learning.  What could be better!

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I'd love to volunteer to help out in the classroom, but can't. Is there any other way I can help the class?

Of course!  We are often in need of craft or classroom supplies 
for projects and routines.  Check out the section of our class 
website called WISH LIST.  Here you'll find some suggestions for 
materials we could use, and you may even have some of these 
materials laying around the house.  It also helps the class if 
you purchase items from the Book Club because each time you do, 
we earn bonus points that I use to purchase books and other 
materials for the classroom.

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What are your classroom rules?

 We focus on 4 main rules in our classroom.  They are listed below.
 If you'd like more information about these rules and all they encompass, please let me know.
1)Own your choices.
2)Take care of yourself.
3)Take care of others.
4)Take care of this school.

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How do I know if my child is behaving appropriately in class?

In our classroom we utilize different behavior management 
techniques throughout the year.  They vary based on the needs of 
the students and as they are different, the plans utilized each 
year can change.  Currently, we are focusing on using a modified stoplight
chart where students remain on green (indicating appropriate behavior
and good choices).  If I need to speak with them about appropriate behaviore,
a behavior, they must move to the yellow light (a concrete 
reminder that they need to use caution and monitor themselves more
closely to get back on track.  They will each get another chance at yellow
as we are using 2 yellow spaces.  Yellow also means the student must 
miss half of their choice time.  If this caution is not followed,
the students must then move to red.  If a student gets to red,
they lose choice time and a note will go home to the parents that
requires their signature indicating they received notification of
their child's behavior choices.  Staying on green for the morning
and afternoon earns your child two stars.  Once a child has 10 stars,
they have earned a prize from my prize bag.  Getting on yellow or red
means the loss of their star for either the morning or afternoon.
Beyond this, parents are encouraged to contact the teacher to 
"check in" or set up a conference call or meeting to discuss their concerns.

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