Redding School of the ArtsKindergarten – First Grade

Welcome Students and Parents toRedding School of the Arts

Mrs. NewhamRoom 12

School HoursSchool begins at 8:00

The morning recess bell will ring at 7:55. Students need to be in the classroom at 8:00. All doors except the main door will be locked after 8:00. The only way your child can enter the building is the main door. At that point, Mrs. Katie will see your child as they walk in the main lobby and deem them tardy. We encourage you to come ten to fifteen minutes early each morning so that your child has time to play on the playground and meet new friends.

LunchLunch will be from 10:55 -11:35. School lunches need to be paid in advance or sent in the same day with their name and homeroom teacher. Please label your child’s lunch bag with their first and last name. Please send your child with enough snacks to make it to the last recess which is at 1:50. Please send in 1-2 snacks for those students eating school lunch.Snack cart will be available for students to purchase snack items for 25 cents each. It will be made available soon after school has started. Snack cart days are usually Tuesday’s and Thursday’s.In addition, Jamba Juice will be at RSA on a designated day. The cost is $2.00.

Mrs. Newham’s Schedule8-8:07 Greetings/AttendanceLunch count/flag salute 8:07-8:45 Music/Reading8:45-9:20 Music/Reading9:20- 9:35 Recess9:40- 10:40 Envision Math10:40-10:55 Calendar/Carpet Time1o:55 -11:35 Lunch11:35 -12:00 Read Aloud12:00-12:45Social Studies/Science

12:45-1:20 Art/P.E.1:20-1:30 Clean –Up/Transition1:30 Kindergarten Dismissal1:30-1:50 Language Arts/Writing1:50-2:05 Recess2:05-2:30Language Arts/WritingP.E. 1X/week- Monday’sArt 1x/week – Friday’s

AcademicsSocial Studies Themes

The theme for this year is Westward Expansion, Shasta County History and California HistoryTheme Days this year are planned November 7th and May 15th. These are also minimum days.

AcademicsScience

Life Science: Sustainability (The three R’s); animals and animal kingdoms; animal and plant life cycles; Ecosystems/Environments; human body and health and nutritionEarth Science: volcanoes and land forms; seasons; weather; and water cycle

Physical Science: Scientific Method; sun-heat energy; magnetism; sound

AcademicsMath

RSA has adopted Envision Math as the math program and was chosen because it aligns well with the Common Core Standards that have been implemented fall of 2014. Kindergarten students will be doing kindergarten math. First graders will do first grade math. The content is broken down into domains and then it is broken down into clusters. There are 5 domains; Counting and Cardinality; Operations and Algebraic Thinking; Number and Operations in Base Ten; Measurement and Data; and Geometry. Each student will be given a letter with a password to access the website for future games and activities.https://play.dreambox.com/login/42m9/reddingsotaihttps://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp

AcademicsReading (Mrs. Newham’s class)

There will be a reading log that will need to be turned in weekly. Reading homework will be assigned Monday-Thursday. For kindergarten students, I ask that you read to your child. As they progress with reading, they may read to you. First graders will have different reading expectations. All first grade students will at some point be assigned to A.R. books and tests. Students will also be expected to log on to Lexia, a computer program to assist with reading, a couple of times a week.http://www.lexialearning.com/

Homework

The homework given to the students from the English portion will be a homework packet that will be given out on Monday’s and will be due on Friday’s. Kindergarten Homework packets will include math sheets from the Envision Workbook and possibly other math sheets; language arts work/writing sheets; and a reading log.

School FoldersStudents will be given their own homework folders. . It is important to set up a consistent time and place to do homework. For example, homework may be completed as soon as you arrive home from school and it is done at the kitchen table. Having your child designate a specific spot in the house to keep their folder where they remember is good in teaching them responsibility. It is never too early to teach them responsibility and good study habits. We will also be putting in important papers in their folders so please be sure to check their folders when they are sent home. I will send them home on Monday’s and Thursday’s. Please return the folders on Friday.

Behavior ManagementPositive reinforcement – sticker chart and character counts awards (lead to School wide recognition; weekly awards; and treasure chest awards.Consequence Green =first warning Yellow= Sign “the book”Behavior occurs again;Red = Sign the book and do a rethinking letter(parent may be sent home rethinking letter to read and be signed)Further offenses = office referral/Mrs. Wahl contacts the parent

VolunteersOur classroom policy is that you wait three weeks before volunteering in the classroom. This allows the teachers and the students’ time to get accustomed to the rules and routines of the classroom and the school. In addition to the volunteer sign up sheet, there is also a guideline sheet that needs to be read, signed, and returned before working in the classroom. This information is placed on my webpage but I have made copies available tonight. Volunteers will be filled on a first come basis. I will be in contact with you to confirm days and times.

Field TripsThere will be some annual field trips we will attend. One of which is a pumpkin patch field trip to learn about the harvest season. If you are interested in driving students on field trips, you must fill out a driver’s application, provide insurance coverage, and provide a copy of your driver’s license and driver printout. This can take some time so please do this right away if you are interested.

BirthdaysIf you would like to send in treats for your child’s birthday please let me know in advance so that I can save time at the end of the day. I encourage things that are simple. Healthy snacks are good too! The bite sized cupcakes are perfect size for this age group. Please do not send your child to school with party invitations to distribute unless you are inviting the entire class. If you are not inviting the whole class, you may give them to me so I may discreetly place them in the folders.

Assemblies

Assemblies will take place on Mondays in the amphitheater. They will start at 8:10. As the colder weather approaches, our school assemblies will start at 10:00. Parents are welcome to attend. Assemblies can consist of singing school songs, character traits skits and watching performances.

Label jackets and sweaters and personal

itemsIt is important you label outer wear with your child’s name or initials. It is also a good idea to label lunch boxes, backpacks and water bottles. You would be amazed at how much clothing is donated to good will due to clothing not being labeled.

Conference

Conferences will be held the week of October 7 -14th. This will be a minimum week with dismissal at 12:30. This will be a time where we will discuss your child’s academic and behavior progress. This is also a time to ask questions you may have. Families will be limited to 20 minutes of conference time. I will be posting the conference schedule on my website and also post it outside my classroom door . If there are time slots that conflict with your work schedule, please let me know and we will work something out.

Minimum Days

Dismissal for minimum days are 12:30. Minimum days will occur on almost every Monday.

Newsletters

I will be posting monthly newsletters on our webpage. Newsletters will consist of educational activities for the month and any school or classroom news. When other important information arises, I will send out a class group e-mail. Since we are a green school, we will not be sending out paper copies of the newsletters.

Our Lassen trip is quickly approaching. Please be sure to send in your confirmation sheet. Homework packets will be given out for those students that are not attending. The packet will need to be turned in the following week to be given attendance credit.

Families that are attending, please be sure to print out your entrance pass to the park and print out a copy of the park rules and a schedule of events.

Lassen School Camp Out

RSA’s annual school auction is quickly approaching. This year it is a month earlier – Saturday, October 18.

This event is a huge fundraiser for the school. It helps the school and the classroom’s obtain needed or wanted items.

A classroom project needs to be completed to help raise money.

Parent coordinators are needed along with other parent volunteers.

Sign up sheet is provided today for interested parents.

RSA School Auction

Parents/Teacher Communications

The best way to communicate with me is via e-mail and telephone. The RSA phone number is 247-6933. My e-mail is pnewham@rsarts.org. If you would like to meet with me in person, please try to set up a time using the above-mentioned ways. Although you will often see me out in the pick-up area, these are not convenient times for us to talk since I am on duty watching students and I cannot fully give you my attention. Thank you for understanding. http://www.rsarts.org/teachers