Welcome To First Grade!
Ms. Nystrom's Class
Welcome Back First Graders!
First grade will be a year of tremendous growth for your child! We work hard but try to have fun as we are doing so. This flyer contains some class-specific notes to help parents out as we get started. You may wish to save this for your reference during the first weeks of school.
Information For All Resource Classes
- Your child will be bringing home an orange folder every day that will contain study materials, homework, and other communication from myself. This folder will be brought home each day and is to be returned every day so that study materials are available for students to use in class. Returning the folder daily is really important, so it is easiest to simply keep in the child's backpack when not in use.
- Resource reading, ELA, and math students will receive homework directly from me. It will often be different from what their homeroom teachers have assigned their classes. My homework is intended to replace what their homeroom teachers assign (since I am the one teaching them, not their homeroom teachers). For example, if a child is in my class for resource reading, look at my homework sheet for their reading homework, not their teacher's. I will put my students' homework sheets in the orange folder, and as a reminder, I will also list which students the homework pertains to.
- Homework is not optional and must be returned the next day unless otherwise indicated. Please help your child with homework as needed, but please do not do the work for your child. This hurts your child in the long run. If there is a problem getting homework done due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, please send a note to that effect. Also, if homework takes your child longer than 20 min. on a given night, please let me know so I can determine where the problem lies.
ELA- Reading Foundations and Math Class Notes
- ELA- Reading: Inside the orange folder is a yellow booklet with the Dolch sight words your child is required to learn this year. These words are divided into 11 lists. You child will be working on one list at a time. He/she is expected to practice his/her words at home for 10 minutes each night (Mon.-Thurs.). When a student reads a list with 90% accuracy two times, they will receive a prize from the treasure box and I will allow them to move onto the next list. Words are to be memorized, and any that are sounded out count as errors. Please do not write in the book, put check marks by words, etc. It is important that this book MUST come to school every day so that I can check the words.
- Math: The beginning of the year begins with a rather difficult unit on number sense. Please be aware that your child may struggle with the content at first, but know that we spend the entire first nine weeks on number sense, and then it is reviewed and revisited throughout the year. In kindergarten, your child was expected to learn to read numbers 0-100. If he/she is still unable to do this at this time, it would be very beneficial to immediately begin working with him/her on this skill. The first grade common core math curriculum is built upon the students having mastered their numbers. Thank you in advance for your help with this!
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact me any time you have questions or concerns. Email is an excellent way to reach me as I check my email multiple times a day. My email address is: mystrom@effingham.k12.ga.us. If you prefer, you may also call the school at 912-728-5112 and leave a message for me to return your call when I am free. Please understand this may not be until after school on the day you call or else early the next day.