Mrs. VanLaecken's
First Grade
Plankinton School
Mrs. VanLaecken's |
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| Parent Information | My Classroom | ||
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| First Grade is an exciting time as children embark upon new adventures in the world of learning. This is a year of important transitions, as well as one in which acquisition of new skills is accelerated. Parents as well as children may have some apprehensions about what will happen. It is extremely important to keep in mind that we all build on small successes. Each child will progress at his/her own individual rate, acquiring skills as he/she is developmentally ready. Maintaining each child's self-esteem and building a secure foundation for future growth will always remain a priority in my classroom. In this I ask for your help and cooperation--applaud every accomplishment, no matter how small it may seem. This will keep the enthusiasm for learning alive and growing. Please read to and with your child every day, if possible. The more your child is exposed to language, the easier it will be for him/her to incorporate new skills in reading and writing in the classroom. Please stay in touch. If you have any concerns about your child's progress, or wish to discuss anything which you feel may affect your child's ability to learn, please call me. You can expect to hear from me on a regular basis, with news of successes, as well as concerns. |
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We will be having three parties this year:
Halloween
Christmas
Valentine's Day
Please send $5.00 to school with your child to help cover the expenses of the parties (food, prizes, cups, napkins, etc.) You may send cash or a check. Please make checks payable to "Mrs. VanLaecken." Thank you!
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Follow directions.
No teasing.
Keep feet, hands, and other objects to yourself.
No talking when the teacher is talking.
In my experience I have found that generally first graders only need a reminder as to what the rules are. However, if your child continues to have difficulty following the classroom rules, he/she may lose some or all of a recess. If the need arises I will call and discuss your child's behavior with you. I believe school needs to be a safe and happy place to be--no child has the right to make it unsafe or unhappy for anyone else. Thank you.
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In my grade book I keep TOTAL POINTS. For example, if a math paper has 25 points and the student got 5 wrong I would enter "20" in the grade book. At the end of the 9 weeks I add up all the points a child has gotten and divide it by the total number of points possible. For example--your child may have gotten 560 total points out of a possible 620. This would be 90%.
On daily work papers in first grade, students receive an S, S-, or a U. These are based on percents. 100-77% is an "S"; 76-70% is an "S-"; and 69% and below is a "U".
I do not take grades on every paper we do. Sometimes you will just see "O.K.", "Good",a smiley face or some other remark. Those are the papers I do not take grades from. On others you will see something like this +18/20 (90%/S). These are the papers I have taken grades from. These scores will be entered in the grade book.
When doing my final grades for the 9 weeks I also take into consideration things such as oral reading and how much (or how little) I have helped a student with their independent work. For example, one student may have gotten 80% with only a little help while another may have gotten 85% with a lot of help. I see a big difference in these two grades and will grade accordingly.
About half way through each 9 weeks I will send home a narrative explaining what we have been working on. In this I will also include comments on how your child is doing a suggestions for help you may be able to give them at home. This report may also include information about your child's behavior.
I hope this will help you understand my grading system. Please call me with questions or concerns.
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We will be celebrating each child's birthday here at school. The children are really excited to have their special day. We will celebrate your child's birthday on the school day closest to the actual day. For summer birthdays we will us this schedule:
June birthdays will be celebrated in September.
July birthdays will be celebrated in October.
If your child wants to bring treats on their special day that is OK--but please do not feel obligated to do so.
