Classroom Procedures
	This page contains many of my classroom procedures. If there are other procedures that you do not see listed here and would like information about, please email me and let me know what I have left out.
	MORNING ARRIVAL
	The school building opens at 7:30 a.m. After the first day of registration, ALL students should go to the cafeteria if they arrive at school before 8:00 a.m. Students will remain there until 8:00 , at that time they will be escorted to their classroom. The school day will begin at 8:30 a.m. It is important that all students are in their classrooms ready to begin work at this time. Students arriving after 8:30 will need to stop at the office and get a tardy slip to be admitted to class. (See procedure regarding tardy arrival)
	DISMISSAL
	The school day ends at 3:30 p.m. Car riders will be dismissed at 3:15 . Parents waiting for students to be released are asked to wait at the cafeteria where students will be sent when they are dismissed. This will help with congestion in the hallway. At the beginning of the school year you will be asked to select a regular dismissal routine for your child specifying how he/she is to go home each day. A written note is required to permanently change the dismissal routine. To temporarily change your child's dismissal for the day, see the procedure for dismissal change.
	EARLY DISMISSAL
	An excuse is necessary for early dismissal and the student must be signed out by a parent in the office. In addition, students must be called for from the office to be dismissed. Please send a note if you know in advance that your child will be leaving early so that work can be prepared and I can have your child ready for dismissal.
	CHANGE DISMISSAL ROUTINE
	To permanently change your child's dismissal routine please send a written request specifying the change. If you need to change your child's transportation home for a particular day, please send a note notifying me. Relying on your child to tell me this information is not sufficient notification because children often become confused and can relay the message incorrectly. If you forget to send a note, or have a change of plans for the day, please call the office and leave a message for me about the change. Please understand that I can not, and will not, release a child to anyone other than a parent or those you have authorized on your child's Emergency Information Sheet (See Authorized Pick-up) unless I have a note from you. A student is not allowed to go home with another student unless each child has permission from their respective parents by note or phone message at the office. *Just to emphasize the point: If a note or message from the office is not received, your child will be sent home according to his/her regular dismissal routine. I hold very strictly to this policy. It is for the safety of the students. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
	AUTHORIZED to PICK-UP
	On the first day of school you will receive a Student Data Form. On this form you will list your child's emergency information including a list of people who are authorized to pick up your child. Anyone who is not on this authorized list will require a note from you to pick up your child.
	TARDY ARRIVAL
	If a student arrives after 8:30 he/she must stop at the office to receive a tardy slip to be admitted to class. For a tardy to be excused the student must have a written note (by a parent, doctor, dentist, etc...). If a student does not have an excuse the tardy will be unexcused. Three unexcused tardies equal an unexcused absence. Per school board attendance policy, two points will be deducted from the final grade of any subject a student misses with 3 unexcused tardies.
	ABSENCES
	Please know that first grade is fast-paced and filled with new things each day. It is in your child's best interest to be in school as much as possible. When a child is frequently absent, or regularly being picked up early and/or coming in late, he/she is missing out on valuable instructional time and it disrupts the flow of his/her education. Students can quickly become overwhelmed, confused and often feel disconnected from the group when they return to school. Most of our learning experiences are based on prior knowledge or involve interaction with other students. It is difficult to make-up the learning at home by only completing missed work pages. Therefore, routine doctor's appointments, hair cuts, dental appointments, etc... are best handled outside the school day.
	ABSENT EXCUSE POLICY
	A written note is required explaining any student absence. These excuses will go to and be kept on file in the office. Students are allowed 3 parent written notes (home notes) per semester to excuse absences. After 3 home notes a doctor's note is required to excuse an absence. School board attendance policy also states that two points are to be deducted from all academic subjects for each unexcused absence occurring during a nine weeks period as a penalty for the unexcused absences.
	MAKE-UP WORK
	Students may make-up work for all absences. Student make-up work will be sent home in a make-up work folder. Any make-up work for a grade that is not completed and returned will be given a zero. Students have 5 school days to complete and return make-up work as per school board policy.
	WEEKLY NOTE
	Each Monday I will send our class weekly newsletter, the Paw Print Post. You can look to this newsletter to update you on the skills we will be covering in class that week for each subject. It will include a reminder list of the spelling words for the week as well as announcements, up coming events and school and classroom news.
	NOTE FOLDER
	The first week I give each student a green folder labeled Note Folder that they are to take home each night and bring back to school each day. This folder is to be used to transport notes to and from school. It will also be used to send and return the weekly homework packet. Also use this folder to send absent excuses. If you send a note with your child that you need me to see first thing in the morning, please tell your child before they leave that there is a note for me in the folder. Otherwise, I check the folders and homework each afternoon and pass them back out to the students when we are packing up to go home.
	FRIDAY FOLDERS
	Each student is given a red folder labeled Take-Home Work Folder. This folder will be sent home each Friday. I do not send any work home during the week. The reason for this is that I want you to see, all at once, the work that your child has done for a week. I feel that if pieces come home randomly throughout the week, and you are looking at them in isolation, it is hard to get a clear picture of how they are doing academically. If the entire week's work is reviewed all together, you are able to get a better feel for the objectives that were covered, the progression in which the were taught and how your child performed overall during the week. Every piece of work that comes home should be looked over carefully and review pages in which students had many errors. This folder should come back empty on Monday.
	BEHAVIOR REPORT
	Inside the left hand pocket of the take-home work folder will be a behavior report sheet for the nine weeks. Each week I will record the number of color changes your child received and the reasons for the change. Students with no color changes will receive a smiley face. I will also record absences, tardies and early dismissals and whether they are excused or unexcused. To the right of each weekly report, you will see a place for you to sign the report. After going over your child's work and review his/her behavior, please sign for the week and return the folder to school.
	HOMEWORK
	When we begin our reading series, we will also begin our weekly homework. The homework packet related to the work with the weekly story will go home on the Friday previous to the work week. It is to be worked on through Thursday night and returned to school on the following Friday. Each page in the packet has the day the page is to be completed marked at the top. After completing the page have you child practice the reading story, then check the box that the story was read and sign the homework page. For more details, go to the homework section on the parent page.
	ACCELERATED READING
	The Accelerated Reader(AR) program is a computerized program that tests reading comprehension that our school uses to enrich our reading program and foster a love of reading. At the beginning of the school year my first graders only take test on the stories and leveled books from our reading series. Each of these tests consist of five multiple-choice comprehension questions. After the test has been scored, points are awarded to students based upon the number of correct answers given and the point value of the story. These points may be accumulated until the student has enough to receive a prize. After Christmas students are allowed to go to the AR Lab to check out additional books on their reading level. They read these books independently and take the comprehension test on the computer. Accelerated Reader is designed to inspire students to read more and better books. It motivates children to read, thereby raising their comprehension, raising their reading levels and improving test scores.
	STUDENT TEXTBOOKS
	Students are only allowed to bring home their reading textbook. It should come home every night and be returned the next day for use in class. Students who forget to bring their reading book back to school for two days in a row will receive a color change.
	LIBRARY BOOKS
	Each first grader is allowed and encouraged to check out one library book at a time. Books are due one week from the day students check them out. If students want more time with a book, they can just renew it after a week for additional time. If your child loses a book, he/she will need to reimburse the library for the cost of the book. If a balance is outstanding, report cards will be held until payments are made.
	CLOTHING
	First grade is MESSY! We often will be painting, coloring, experimenting and just plain having fun. Please send children in appropriate clothing for these activities. Children also go outside for recess every day. It is very important that they dress for the weather. If it is cold out and they are not dressed appropriately, they may be kept inside for recess. Also, clogs and other slip-on shoes are very difficult to run and play in on the playground.
	LUNCH
	Our lunch will be from 11:15-11:40. The cost of lunch is $1.50 and a separate milk is 35¢. Children are responsible for their own lunch money. I do have a bank box where children can keep their money in their own box until lunch time. Students can also keep a balance on their lunch account. I highly encourage you to do this since students often lose lunch money if it is handed to them daily. Any money sent to school should be in a sealed envelope or baggy with your child's name, the amount and the purpose of the money clearly written on it. You may also send a check to pay on your child's lunch account. Make checks payable to Central Elementary School for only the amount to be placed on the account. No change will be given. The best time to pay on lunch accounts is before the 8:30 bell.
	SNACKS
	We will have snack daily each afternoon. You may send a HEALTHY snack with your child or your child may buy from the cafeteria. Our snack time has been limited to 10-15 minutes. Please send only one thing to eat and one thing to drink as the students will have just this short time to eat it. For a list of snack suggestions, please see the snack section on the parent page of this site.
	TOYS
	Please remind your child that we are very busy in first grade. Students are only allowed to bring toys on Fridays to play with at recess. If a child brings a toy on any other day it will taken away and not returned until Friday. On Friday, if a child has a toy out before recess, the toy will be taken and the child will not be allowed to play with it at recess. Children bring toys at their own risk. It is their own responsibility. Personal CD players, Gameboys, IPODs, etc...are not considered toys and are not permitted.
	SHOW AND TELL
	Instructional time in first grade is very important, therefore I do not have a designated "show and tell" time. If your child has something special they would like to share with their class, he/she can let me know in the morning and we will try to make time for it during the day. Kindly understand that this is a "once in a while" treat, and students should not be bringing things in daily for show and tell. In addition, just as with toys, I cannot be responsible for lost or mishandled show and tell items.
	BIRTHDAYS
	If you wish to bring a special treat to celebrate you child's birthday at snack time, you may do so. Just give me a couple of days notice in case there is a conflict. For more information about birthdays, see our parent page.
	SCHOOL VISITORS
	State law requires that visitors must enter and exit through the main lobby doors. The side doors will be locked at all times. By law no one is allowed to open them for visitors. Please check in at the office before visiting a classroom. All visitors are required to sign in at the office and obtain a visitors pass to wear. These procedures are for the safety of all students and staff. If you need to speak with me briefly in the morning before the 8:30 bell, this is fine. However, when the 8:30 bell rings, I belong to the students. I expect them to be ready to work on time and I intend to be also. Please schedule conferences in advance so as not to interrupt instruction time.
	PARENT VOLUNTEERS
	Parents who would like to help with classroom tasks, activities and working with students are much appreciated. Just let me know when you would like to come so we can arrange a time. I am anxious to work with you and I would like to welcome you to take part in your child's First Grade learning experience.
	CONTACTING MS. DAWN
	Communication is the key to a successful parent-teacher relationship. If you have questions, concerns, funny stories or happy thoughts about your child I would love to hear them! Please write me a note or call me at school. I try to return phone calls the same day I receive them. Our special class times are my planning periods and they are the best time to reach me by phone. Please understand that my evenings are devoted to my family and I do not take calls at home. If you have a quick question or comment, feel free to email me at msdawn@msdawnsclassroom.com. I try to check my email every evening. You may also send a note to school and I will get a response back to you as soon as possible. If you need to speak with me briefly during morning arrival, or afternoon at dismissal, this is fine. However, I can not get into any lengthy discussions during those times as my students deserve to have my attention.
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