Mrs. Hamrick’s ABC's of Frequently Asked Questions Attendance – Daily attendance is necessary to have a successful first grade experience. Our day begins promptly at 8:30 and the dismissal time is 3:00. Please make sure you have your child at school on time every day, unless he/she is sick. If your child is going to be out, please call to let me know why your child is out. Upon returning to school, your child still must bring in a signed excuse for each absence. I have to keep all of these excuses on file for documentation. Please refer to your school handbook if there are any questions. Backpack – Your child needs a book bag for transporting folder, books, etc. to and from school. Please do not send rolling book bags. They are a safety hazard and we don’t have room for them in our lockers. Book Orders – I will be sending home monthly book orders from Scholastic Book Club. If you would like to order any of these, please mark your selection on the order form and send it back with a check for the correct amount. Please make your checks out to Scholastic. I am sorry we cannot take cash. Curriculum –Our reading curriculum is SRA Open Court. The Math curriculum is from Sadlier-Oxford. Both Social Studies and Science will be integrated with the Language Arts and Reading curriculum. Cookies/Cupcakes – If you would like to send in cookies or cupcakes for your child’s birthday, we ask that you do this during our lunch time so that we don’t disrupt our instructional time. Discipline – Good “Bee”havior is vital for optimal learning in first grade! We begin to learn the classroom rules on the very first day of school. After the first week, we implement our behavior plan. E-mail – If you need to reach me at school, you may e-mail me at Dhamrick@saintraphael.org. I check my e-mail periodically throughout the day. If you call, please leave a message and I will get back with you as soon as possible. My phone number at school is 865-5750 Ext. 102. Field Trips – We try to take a few educational field trips each year. In the past, we have gone to plays at N.C. State and had some very interesting in school science adventures. Please keep an eye out for information on trips for this school year. First Grade – IS THE BEST! Folders – Please return your child’s red folder each day. God- God is with us in everything we learn and do each day. Homework – We have homework almost every night. This homework is meant to reinforce what your child is learning in the classroom. Please check your child’s red homework folder and our website for a new homework assignment sheet every Monday. Illnesses – If your child is sick, please keep him/her home. We love to share in first grade, but we don’t want to share our germs. Please don’t forget to send in a written excuse on your child’s first day back at school. Journals – We will begin journal writing on the first day of school. We will start with a review of our names and sentences with sight words learned in kindergarten. By the end of the year, you will be amazed at the stories your child will be able to write on his/her own. At the end of the year, we will send these journals home with your child, so you will have a journal of their writing skills from first grade. Library (Media Center) – We will visit the library every Tuesday. Math- We will begin each day with our morning meeting which will review many math skills such as, calendar, skip counting, tally marks, graphing, and so much more. Medicine – If your child requires medicine to be taken at school, it must be taken to the office. Newsletter – A monthly newsletter will be available on our classroom connection page each month. This will let you know of any upcoming events, and it will also inform you of the skills and themes we will be working at that time. Outside time (Recess) – Your child will get thirty minutes each day for outdoor recess (weather permitting), throughout the year. Please make sure you dress your child appropriately, as the weather changes. Parties –Our wonderful homeroom parents will help to organize our classroom celebrations. Questions- If you ever have any questions, please feel free to either call me or e-mail me. I will get back with you as soon as possible. If I can’t get to the phone, it may be necessary for Mrs.Gasper to call you. We will always try to respond in a timely manner. Email is the best way to contact me! Reading – It is my goal for every child to leave my class reading and writing fluently this year. We may be at different levels- but we should all be reading and writing independently! We will be working hard every day, and you can help so much by reading to your child every night. Report Cards – Report cards will be available on Renweb every nine weeks. Skills – Please take time to practice skills and concepts we are working on so you are aware of what your child knows and can do. First Grade is a joy to teach! Supplies – Please refer to our suggested first grade list of supplies. If your child runs out of something, we will notify you so that you can send in a replacement. If you would like to donate something to our classroom, please check our wish list on our classroom connection page. Snacks Please try to send healthy snacks that are convenient for your child to eat. Fresh fruits and vegetables are encouraged. Please do not send drinks. Units – We teach many of our skills and concepts through thematic units. We will inform you of the units we will be teaching each month. If you have something to contribute to our classroom regarding these themes, please let us know! Uniforms- First grade will attend mass every Friday and will need to wear the proper dress uniforms. Girls will wear a jumper and boys should wear pants or shorts with a belt. Volunteers – We love to have volunteers to help us at SRCS. Please be sure to fill out any necessary forms so that you can attend field trips and help us out in our classroom. We appreciate your support! Word Lists- New word bank words will be printed on the back side of our weekly homework sheet. Please be sure to practice these words at home until they become easy to read without hesitation or sounding out. If your child has difficulty with the words you may want to make a collection of flash cards to practice. Excitement – It doesn’t actually begin with an x, but there is definitely plenty of excitement in first grade!!!! Year – Your child’s first grade year should be a year they will always remember fondly and one that makes them love to learn. Please remember to always contact us if you ever need anything. ZZZ’s – Please make sure your child goes to bed early each night. We have such a busy day!! The End