Welcome First Grade Families!

St. Augustine Cathedral School 2015 – 2016

We would like to welcome you to our First Grade meeting and a year of learning and fun!

St. Augustine Cathedral School,in partnership with parents and the Catholic Church,welcomes and shapes young people as they grow in

faith, knowledge, and stewardship.

Come celebrate our school community Friday, November 6, 6pm in the Crowley Center!

• We’re inviting you for hors d’oeuvres, drinks and dinner. • Our keynote speaker is Paco Gavrilides of Sacred Heart Seminary.

• We always round out the evening with music and dancing.

Stakzoo.org•Make sure you are registered on our website, stakzoo.org. E-Alerts are sent every Monday with general school information. Teachers may also send e-alerts via the website.•The website also has a monthly calendar with events posted.•Our classroom website can be accessed by clicking on “School Staff” and then clicking on the classroom teacher’s name. You will find helpful information to be used during the school year.

Acronyms• TRIP – Tuition Incentive Reimbursement Program: We sell gift certificates to our parents to use at well over 200 vendors. In turn, you will receive a percentage back to be applied to your tuition.• LAC – Local Advisory Council: This group of parents meets monthly to address school needs and issues, as well as plan our yearly event, the Legacy Celebration.•PTO – Parent-Teacher Organization: This group of parents meets monthly to organize school events intended to build community. They host their yearly fundraiser, The Blue Moon Sale, in April.•NWEA MAP – Measures of Academic Progress: The First Grade students will take this assessment on-line three times during the school year. Teachers use this data to set individual goals for students and to drive their instruction to ensure that students make growth each year.

Illness

• Please keep your child at home when he/she is ill. Students must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

Medication

• All medication is dispensed from the school office. You must have the physician sign an authorization form for any medication to be given at school.

• This includes cough drops. Also, teachers are instructed not to put sunscreen on students.

Absences• Contact the school office to report that your child is ill, has an appointment, or will be traveling. The office must account for all absences and Mrs. DeHaan will make phone calls home for any absence not reported to the office. A note to the teacher is helpful for a planned absence.

More on Absences

• A student is marked tardy in the younger grades if they arrive after announcements begin. It is helpful for students to arrive on time and hear the news of the school day. If a student arrives late, it is important that he/she enters quietly without disruptions to the group.

• Please stop in the office to pick up your child if he/she is leaving early for the day to minimize classroom interruptions.

Transportation

• The safety of your child is important to us. If your child’s normal method of transportation will vary, please advise us in writing. These notes can be referred to during the day for confirmation.

• E-mails work well, as do written notes, or you can contact the office (who will put it in writing.)

Uniform Policy

• We rely on our parents to help students adhere to the uniform guidelines. We will send home notes with reminders if we see students wearing non-uniform items regularly. The most common problems with the uniform policy at this grade level include:

• Colorful hair accessories – should only be colors found in the plaid or black, brown, or white

• Tattoos – should not be visible• Extra jewelry – only a cross/religious-type necklace, simple

earrings• Untucked shirts – Belts are not required, but helpful with this

problem. Wearing a vest is also helpful.• Flip-flops – Sandals are part of the dress code, but flip flops for

children are not one of the options.

Uniform Holidays

• Loaves and Fishes Day is scheduled on the first Friday every month, unless otherwise noted. Students are free to take a “uniform holiday” on these days and are asked to bring a donation to the Loaves and Fishes food pantry.

• Special uniform holidays will pop up throughout the school year. Watch the calendar and e-alerts for these days.

Identification of items and Managing Winter Wear

• Please mark all clothing, lunch boxes, and back packs with your child’s name. This would include boots and snow pants.

• Please send in a second bag for winter wear. We suggest a durable, cloth reusable bag like the grocery bags that are often used. This avoids damaging school work with wet items. It also provides for an easy visual check by the teacher to ensure that the student has their belongings.

Homework• Homework will begin just before the first set of parent-teacher conferences. Language Arts work will be sent home on Monday in the Take-Home folder and should be returned on Friday. Math homework will be sent home daily in the Take-Home folder and should be returned the following school day. Homework should average 15 minutes a day. If you ever have any questions or problems, please don’t worry! Just jot me a note. We can work out the situation.

Curriculum Snapshot

• Our Language Arts program (ELA) and Math program are adapted from the Common Core State Standards. The standards are the framework of our curriculums and different resources are used to meet those standards.

• The Science and Social Studies curriculums are based on the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations.

• Our Theology curriculum is based on the standards adopted by the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

• Weekly Curriculum Snapshots will be sent home for your review.

At-Home Reading

• There will be a school Book Fair in the Fall and again in the Spring. Come and shop for a book with your child or send money and instructions in a closed envelope. It is also an opportunity to donate a book to our classroom.

• We will send home book orders periodically. Make checks payable to Scholastic, or you may order online. The access code will be provided to you with the first book order.

• First grade students fully participate in the A.R. program offered by our school. We ask that students achieve four points per quarter, starting in the third quarter.

• First grade students also participate in the on-line RAZ-kids program offered here.

Scholastic Weekly Reader

• We use Scholastic Weekly Reader as an important resource in our classroom. Please send in $5.00 as soon as possible to cover the cost of this program.

Service ProjectEach grade in our school focuses on an age appropriate service project. The First Grade students will perform simple songs and poems for the retired Sisters of Saint Joseph located at Nazareth on Gull Road. We will visit three times in this school year.

Mass Celebrations

• You are welcome to join us for Mass on Thursdays, at 8:45 a.m. We will have Mass on other occasions, as well.

• Parents are welcome to sit within our group with their student or off to the side as a family, which usually works best due to spacing issues.

• Please note that students may not wear shorts and should not take uniform holidays on Mass days.

Snack Time

• Each family is responsible for the snack of their own student. We do not share snacks because of various diet restrictions and to avoid unwanted classroom critters. We encourage healthy snacks that follow the safety guidelines for our students with allergies.

• Small water bottles work well. Please send in water bottles that have a small opening for drinking to avoid large spills. Please make sure the water bottle is labeled with your student’s name.

Birthdays

• Your child may bring in a birthday treat to share with the class. We will celebrate the birthday in the afternoon. Individual treats work well because it allows for students to practice their independent skills in passing items out to their friends.

• Please send birthday invitations and thank you notes through the mail, unless you are inviting the whole class. Please note that this includes parents putting invitations in folders or lockers without the assistance of the teacher.

Classroom Parties

• The First Grade celebrates a number of class events: Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. We will also have an end-of-the-year picnic with our final field trip.

• We also celebrate the 100th day of school and reading month (Green Eggs and Ham breakfast) with special learning activities that will require additional parent support.

Special Persons’ Day

• One afternoon in the spring there is a school wide Special Persons’ Day. Your child should choose an adult that is special to them to bring in to the classroom. The afternoon includes touring the school, special exhibits and the spring program.

Volunteer Opportunities

•Please help our school by volunteering. It is a great way to meet friends, get to know the families and build community.•To volunteer in the classroom, help with class parties, chaperone field trips, and celebrate Mass with students regularly you must be VIRTUS trained. For training opportunities, please go to https://www.virtusonline.org/mytraining/live registration.cfm.

Field Trips

• Throughout the school year we will take walking field trips, as well as field trips by bus. Remember that chaperones must be Virtus trained.

CommunicationCommunication is key! E-mail and notes via the student are great ways to communicate between home and school. Remind your student if he/she is carrying a note for the teacher. And, please check folders daily for communications from the teacher. Please note that the morning is a busy time. The teacher’s responsibility is to get the students settled. Please ask to schedule a meeting, if you need to have a longer conversation with us.

Thank you for being part of our school community! It is a blessing to serve the many families!