Ms. Winpigler’s Beginning of the Year Newsletter
Hello, families! Welcome to another exciting year for your child! I like to send out a newsletter every month to keep you updated on what’s going on in your child’s classroom. J We strive to be a “green classroom” and I love post all of my newsletters!
Important Dates:
- September 6- BTSN
- September 12- Professional Development Day-No school for srudents
This is an overview of some of our classroom information. Some of this information was discussed at Back-To-School Night.
ROUTINES
We work hard each day to practice our routines. Most of our routines are the same each day, as to provide the children with consistency, as well as responsibility. Each day, they are to go to their lockers, take out their homework folder, homework journal and their snack. THEIR SNACK SHOULD BE PACKED SEPARATELY FROM THEIR LUNCH EACH DAY. The children come in, answer the question of the day, take down their chair, sharpen any pencils, and get started writing in their Time Tracker Journal. Can you believe they know how to do this already? They do this every morning.
We have Wonders Phonics instruction almost every morning, as well as handwriting practice each day. I try to use many tactile writing instruments (paint bags, shaving cream, fun pencils, dry erase board, water…), so our work is not always on pencil and paper. Even for fluent readers, review and extension of phonics instruction is helpful in learning to be a better speller and writer. Please ask your child each day about what sounds they talked about today. At home, you can exaggerate the daily sound (count ten teeth, set the t-t-timer, etc.) to help your child hear the sound easier. If they can’t remember the sound from the day, review another one we’ve done.
MATH
Math is in the afternoon. This month, we are/will be learning about attributes, patterns, more than/less than, number recognition and correspondence, and comparing quantities. At home, you can make patterns with cereal, blocks, paint, etc. You can point out math in their environment and practice counting and writing numbers.
Our Class Moto
In our classroom, we place a strong emphasis on being respectful, being kind to others and being safe. We discuss safety in our room by walking, always pushing in our chair (surprisingly, not an easy task to remember), tying our shoes, picking up after ourselves and even others sometimes, etc. These are safety things that can be emphasized at home, as well. Please review Our Class Constitution with your child.
Homework
Each week, your child will receive 2-3 homeworks (Reading/Spelling/ and a Math). Please be sure to sign this EACH NIGHT. I check homework every Friday. IF A PARTICULAR ASSIGNMENT SEEMS VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOUR CHILD, JOT ME A NOTE (cursive is great)! I CAN THEN GIVE THEM EXTRA HELP. Your child is responsible for his/her own homework, as well as taking home/returning papers each day. Unlike kindergarten, we do not stuff folders in first grade. We remind the children every day to check folders, glue in homework and take home homework journals and folders, but ultimately they are responsible for following the directions. Please emphasize this sense of responsibility at home, as well.
Jobs
We have many different jobs in our classroom. Your child will have the opportunity to be in charge of a particular task. Due to our class size, they do not have a job every week, but that’s not to say I don’t give them jobs doing other things. We work really hard on being responsible and the children LOVE having jobs.
Star Student of the Week
Each week, a new student is selected randomly to be our Star Student. You will get a specific packet with directions when it’s your child’s turn
Birthdays
We do celebrate birthdays in our class. If it is your child’s birthday and you would like to send in a small snack to celebrate, please send me a note in advance so we can arrange a time. I have birthday crowns for the birthday student to wear, and we sing. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT WE DO HAVE PEANUT ALLERGIES IN FIRST GRADE. Please be mindful of these children and their safety by providing peanut-free snacks/foods.
It is Baltimore County policy now that all baked goods brought in must be packaged with the ingredients listed. We can no longer have home-baked goods. This policy is to protect the safety of our little ones.
Behavior Management
On the second day of school, the children created their class constitution—their rules for their class. They made their own rules, so I feel they need to be responsible for them. Each child’s goal is to always be on green. If the student starts to make poor choices, he/she gets moved to yellow (stop and think time). If the behavior is not improved, he/she gets moved to red. The first time, this means 5 minutes taken away from recess. If the behavior continues, there will either be a note or phone call home. Many times, however, behavior stops at yellow. Please initial your child’s behavior calendar each night..
We also operate on a ticket system. When I “catch” a friend doing their work, or being kind to others, etc., I give them a ticket. The child writes his/her name on the ticket, places it in a designated basket, and each Friday, if they have earned at least 5 tickets that week, they may pick a prize from the treasure box. Sometimes, I also reward non-chosen friends if they have demonstrated exceptional behavior. We start from scratch each week. I also love to make positive phone calls home, so don’t worry if you hear me calling!
Please feel free to contact me via e-mail if you ever have any questions or concerns. My e-mail is awinpigler@bcps.org
I look forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Amanda Winpigler
