- What is a S.M.I.L.E. Book?
- Why is my child bringing home homework in first grade?
- Can I volunteer in the classroom?
- Do you celebrate birthdays in your classroom?
- How can I help my child become a better reader?
- Do you serve snacks?
- What do I do if I need to change my child's going-home routine?
- How do I know what special my child has each day?
- What is Daily 5?
- Where did you get the M-F cart with drawers?
- Where do you get your storage containers?
- How did you get the banner on your pages?
What is a S.M.I.L.E. Book?
S.M.I.L.E. stands for Students Managing Independently and
Learning Every day and is your child's take home binder. It
houses information about what we're doing in our classroom and
school. Please check your child's S.M.I.L.E. Book each night for
homework and information and send it back the next day.
Why is my child bringing home homework in first grade?
There are so many skills first graders are expected to master
that continual practice of these skills is essential, especially
reading.
Can I volunteer in the classroom?
YES! I LOVE to have parents and grandparents help in the
classroom. You will first need to go to the office and fill out a
volunteer application. All volunteers have to be approved in
order to work in the classrooms. This is district policy.
Volunteers can:
listen to students read
help with class projects
go on field trips
make copies
help with class parties
create bulletin boards
Do you celebrate birthdays in your classroom?
ABSOLUTELY! Birthdays are very important celebrations and are
meant to be shared. Each student will be honored on or around
their birthday with a special time in our classroom. Students are
also welcome to bring birthday treats to share.
How can I help my child become a better reader?
The best way for a child to learn to read is to READ!
So.....please set aside a time and place each night to listen to
your child read to you. It will only take about 10 minutes, but
it is time well spent. If your child stumbles on a word, please
help them go through their reading strategies to figure it out
before giving them the word.
Do you serve snacks?
YES! Each day we have a snack time to help boost our brains and
energy levels. If you are able, please send enough healthy snacks
for 20 students. Refrigeration is available for small perishable
items. Some healthy snacks include:
string cheese
Go-Gurt (squeezable yogurt tubes)
yogurt cups
peanut butter crackers
fresh fruit (apples, bananas, grapes)
trail mix
dry cereal
granola bars
frozen fruit bars (Dole Fruit and Juice bars are yummy!)
applesauce cups
fruit cups
pretzels
Chex Mix
What do I do if I need to change my child's going-home routine?
You can send a note in your child's B.E.E. book pouch or call the
office at 573-365-5341.
How do I know what special my child has each day?
Our specials schedule for 2010-2011 is on a 4-day rotation.
Our rotation is as follows:
Day 1 - Art
Day 2 - Music
Day 3 - P.E.
Day 4 - Media
I will send home a calendar prior to the beginning of each month
indicating our specials schedule for each day, and the weekly
schedule will be on our newsletter for that week.
What is Daily 5?
We do Daily 5 activities in our room instead of "centers". The
term "centers" implies playing to many kids and Daily 5 involves
reading and writing activities designed to give students the
practice they need to become proficient readers and writers.
While most of the class works at Daily 5 activities, I meet with
small guided reading groups. Find out more about this on my Daily
5 page!
Where did you get the M-F cart with drawers?
I bought this at Lowe's during the summer of 2009 in the storage
and closet organization section.
Where do you get your storage containers?
I buy from Wal Mart, walmart.com, and Target. I've also found
some neat things at Dollar General sometimes.
How did you get the banner on your pages?
Please go to my "How to's with html coding" page for all kinds of
good stuff! I will continue to add to that page as I learn to do
more things.
