WELCOME TO MEET YOUR TEACHER NIGHT

                   Our class consists of 23 children this year.  They are a special group.  Our first few days have been a lot of fun!

                   I’m beginning year number eighteen of teaching in District 86, beginning at Armstrong School, moving to Wilson for one year, and teaching the rest here at Shute School.  I completed my master’s degree through St. Xavier University in December 2010.  I live in Pekin with my husband and two sons, Nicholas and Nathan.

                   This handout is divided into subheadings so that any future questions that arise may be answered quickly and easily for you.

PLEASE SAVE THIS AS A REFERENCE.

ACADEMICS

Reading- We will continue with our new reading series from Harcourt this year.  Your child will progress through a group of five books.  The books will come home at least once a week for homework, which consists of reading the weekly story to you.  Reading will be taught within the classroom, as opposed to switching reading groups.  Because I am fortunate to have Mrs. Dibler and Mrs. Miller (a grandmother of a former student) helping me, we will be able to individual instruction through smaller groups three days a week.

Envision Math- We begin our second year with our new math series.  This is a “unit” approach, so your child will spend various amounts of time on one topic and then move onto the next one.  I am a big believer in continuing to review content, so that knowledge is not lost.  I will do my best to include review sessions into my math lessons, and I may suggest some home review from time to time on my weekly newsletters.

Spelling- The reading series encompasses spelling as well.  The following is a detailed explanation of my daily spelling routine, using Harcourt word lists. 

On Monday, we take a pretest.  The children simply spell the words the best that they can.  I do not intend for them to spell each word correctly.  It is only an introduction, and it shows you which words really need to be studied hard.  The children then write the words correctly, and a master copy of the list is stapled to the pretest for you convenience.  Some children are naturally good spellers.  For these children, I will add a challenge list later in the year.  If any child passes the pretest, he/she will do the challenge words for the week instead.  This is entirely optional.  I’ve had parents who welcome the challenge and others who feel that a more difficult list is a punishment for doing well.  Therefore, I give the parent and child the option to discuss this and choose what works best for them.  There will also be one or more dictation sentences.  I follow a very slow dictation format, so most children master it with ease.....1.  Listen, I  read.  2.  I  read, you write.  3.  I count, you count.  4.  Listen hard, touch each word.  The dictation sentence is allows shown at the bottom of the spelling list that comes home each Monday.  I encourage you to practice it using these steps so the children are prepared for the test on Friday.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are reserved for a variety of practice activities.  Please expect to study the word list with your child at home as well.  I encourage nightly studying of the words with an emphasis on Thursday night to prepare the test the following day.

DOL/DOM- We will practice many grammar lessons, such as beginning capitals, ending marks, apostrophes, commas, capitals on names, addresses, etc. through our DOL or daily oral language program. It involves writing a sentence with grammatical errors for the children to correct.  The DOM program also has a daily math problem to stretch our critical thinking.

Handwriting without Tears- A portion of our day will be devoted to improving handwriting through this program.  We will focus on proper pencil gripping, line spacing and placement, and the correct formation of letters.

Writing- The first grade teachers will be using some ideas from a program called “The Six Traits of Writing” to help students learned to write good, complete sentences and paragraphs.  We also do a lot of journal writing, some poetry, and some writing that is edited and re-written for a polished final product.

Grading-  Your child will receive letter grades for the following subjects: reading, math, spelling, conduct, and effort.  An “S+”, “S”, or “S-“ will be given for handwriting, language, art, PE, and music.

Out-of-class subjects- Our class has gym on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Ms. Davis.  Gym shoes may be left at school, or you may also just send your child to school in tennis shoes on those days.  We have music with Mr. Whitman on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Interventions-  Mr. Wood has scheduled a block of time each afternoon, which will be used to help students with specific academic needs.  We began to use interventions in the building last year.  They proved to be beneficial in targeting areas of need and focusing more intensely on those needs than a classroom of twenty or so would allow us to do.  Your child may be staying with me or attending an intervention session during this time.

EXTRA INFORMATION

School Dismissal Procedure- If your child is a bus rider, but will need to be picked up instead, you will need to send a note to school.  If we do not receive a note, your child will be placed on the bus.  Also, if you must schedule doctor or dentist appointments during school hours, it is best to do so as close to the end of the school day as possible.  This will lessen the amount of material that your child is missing in the core areas of reading and math.

Beary Special Person- Each child will have his/her own week to shine.  You will receive a detailed note when your child’s name is drawn. Please visit our bulletin board featuring this before you leave.

Birthdays- All birthdays will be celebrated in our room.  If your child has a summer birthday, he/she will be given a special day in May to celebrate.  The birthday child will get to pick a birthday bag from the bulletin.  We sing to the child, and the child may bring a treat for the class if you wish.  Please make the treats store-bought only.  I will allow your child to pass out invitations to a party only if all girls are invited to a girl’s party or all boys are invited to a boy’s party.  I try very hard to avoid hurt feelings in my classroom.

Homework- Your child will have homework a few nights a week, which will generally be math or reading.  The children will also be expected to master the week’s reading story/vocabulary, and learn the week’s spelling list.  Spelling and fluency homework is given on Monday, but is not due until Friday.  I do not send any homework on Friday with the exception of the behavior chart, which will require a parent signature.  I believe that homework encourages responsibility and shows effort.  Therefore, the effort portion of the report card grade comes largely from homework that is either returned or not returned.  While I never grade homework with a letter grade, I do mark it as being returned or not returned each day.  Homework also allows me as the teacher, and you as the parent, to see more clearly any areas that need to touched on more carefully with your child.  I do give one “freebie” day in which to get homework returned, and then the child will lose five minutes recess each day until I receive the homework or a note of explanation.  If the work is lost or something unusual comes up in your family that interferes with the completion of homework, please let me know right away.  I am very flexible and will work with you or adjust my grade book.   I am a working mother of two, and I do understand how busy family life can be.  Homework will generally take only fifteen minutes, often much less time.

Behavior charts- I am a firm believer in motivation, a positive atmosphere, developing a relationship of mutual respect with the children, and praise for good behavior.  It has been my experience that these things really do help to ward off behavior problems.  When a behavior is continually exhibited during the course of a day or if a particularly serious behavior occurs, I will record it on the monthly behavior chart that goes home EACH Friday.  In class, I use the stoplight on the chalkboard to visually show a child how his/her behavior stands.  I stress that mistakes are okay, and there is always the opportunity to do better and to then move back up the stoplight.  If the behaviors do not improve, the child will also have a time out and possible loss of recess minutes as a result.  On the behavior charts, a good day will be indicated with a sticker or stamp.  Good classroom behavior is rewarded with kind words, praise, free time, or a small treat.

THE BEHAVIOR CHART IS MY COMMUNICATION WITH YOU.  OF COURSE, I WILL ALSO CALL IF NECESSARY.  PLEASE LOOK FOR THE CHART EACH FRIDAY.  DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR CHILD.  SIGN AND RETURN IT TO ME THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL DAY (USUALLY ON MONDAY).  I WILL USE THE SAME CHART FOR THE MONTH.  I KEEP THEM AT THE END OF THE MONTH FOR MY RECORDS, BUT I DO RETURN THEM ALL TO YOU AT THE END OF THE YEAR.  YOU MAY ALSO REQUEST A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS EACH MONTH.

Supply notes- Unfortunately, children sometimes lose materials or use up their supplies.  When this occurs, I will send a note letting you know that an item or items is needed.   Please respond in a timely fashion, as success depends on having necessary materials.  Also, special projects might require other materials that weren’t on the original supply list.  Please keep your eyes open for notes that ask for other things, often household items.

Show and tell- I will assign each child to a certain day of the week for show and tell.  I will not force a shy child to participate, but most of them love the chance to be the center of our attention.  If you wish to bring a pet, younger sibling, or anything of value, I will make arrangements with you.  I can be very flexible to find a special time that fits your schedule.  All other show and tells may be sent in your child’s book bag on the scheduled day.

Book-it- We will continue to use the Pizza Hut Book-It program for incentives to read.  The goal will be twenty books each month, beginning in October and running through March.  In addition, we will have a school-wide theme for reading with additional incentives.  More information will be given on these programs at a later date.

Book clubs- I also send home order forms from the Scholastic book company every few weeks.  There is NEVER any obligation to buy, yet it is an inexpensive way to build a home library for your child.  When ordering with a check, please make it directly to the company.

Other companies-  I might also send home an order form from certain companies like Highlights magazine a few times a year.  This company gives us supplies just for getting a parent response.  Both yes and no responses count.  I truly do not encourage you one way or the other on these, but I do really appreciate your time in filling out the forms for me.

Weekly newsletters-  You will receive a newsletter from me each Friday.  On this, you find the weekly reading story, homework, library, gym, and music days, spelling test reminder, and other important bits of information for that particular week.  I hope that this is helpful in providing timely information to supplement the monthly school newsletters.

Please feel comfortable in calling me or stopping by at any time.  I am here early most mornings and can stay after school with advance notice so I can arrange a sitter for my own children.  Your questions, comments, and concerns are important to me, and they ultimately help me to become a better teacher for your child.  Your child is truly special to me.  My priority is to provide them with a sound education in an enjoyable and upbeat atmosphere.  I need to know what is working for your child and what isn’t.  My own children have really opened my eyes to the worries and concerns of parenthood.  Please stay involved.  You are welcome to come visit, help out in the room or behind the scenes with preparation, go on field trips, etc.  I am here for both you and your child.  Let’s have a great year!!!!!!

                                                           Sincerely,

                                                           Mrs. Wernowsky

                                                          Work 427-5519

                                                          E-mail wernowsr@epd86.org