Check out signupgenius.com. Basically, it's a free website that allows me to create a group to sign-up for classroom volunteer opportunities. In this way, it is more organized, and you are able to volunteer easily by seeing what is available through the end of the year. You'll also get reminders.
Don't forget to pick up a volunteer packet in the office or online from the Ray School website so that you are cleared to volunteer with children (including chaperoning field trips) when the opportunity arises.
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I hope every family had a wonderful weekend! REMINDERS:
Key Events / Dates:
PTA Meeting, 9/24 Volunteer Day, 9/26 Open House, 10/8 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m Fall Picture Day, 10/9 Field Trip, 10/30 Dear Room 112 Families, September 21, 2015 We are in our third week of school together, and we have many exciting things planned so please read on! Classroom Responsibilities in full swing! This week, we will begin our classroom jobs. Your child will hold the job for the week. Jobs will be rotated weekly. Take Home Folders begin this week! Thank you for your patience as I put 23 Take Home folders. The folders will consist of our weekly newsletter (Woodbury Weekly), our class schedule, a monthly behavior calendar, individual academic goal tracking forms, and a first grade goals tracker. Please look through the folder daily for homework, notes from me, and/or letters from the school. Classroom library opens! The library is being organized on a daily basis but I am proud to announce that it is open for kids to take out books during class. We will discuss how books are treated, how the library is organized, when to take out books, etc. Homework begins this week! Reading Launching Daily 5 Reading Management (Reading Centers)! Starting with building our reading stamina by Reading to Self and working our way to buddy reading later this week. Writing Identifying strategies to write smarter, longer, and independently. In other words, stretching out the sounds in words, using an alphabet chart, using spelling patterns of known words to write new words. Math We will be discussing various ways to collect and organize data using tally marks, sorting, etc. Science Our investigation into weather and air will begin this week. Social Studies We are beginning a small unit on families and family history. It is going to be very exciting and fun. Your child will be learning more about his/her own family history. We will be focusing on the immediate family, family trees, 1. Family names of student, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. *If your child has more than one set of parents, you may want to send names for both sets of parents and grandparents. 2. Pictures of your family Thank You! Mrs. Woodbury Hello Parents!
As I reflect on our first week of school, I am pleased and impressed with how well the students are transitioning into a new grade and a new teacher! I will be providing you with a brief, daily email called “What Did You Do Today?” starting on Monday, September 14th. The purpose of this email is to share with you what your child has done in class that day. Most often, this question is posed to your child and the response is “nothing.” Well, I am here to tell you, 1st grade is bustling with activity and learning! This email will be the lengthiest one you receive from me since it contains what we did for this entire week. Again, a daily email highlighting the day’s learning will be sent starting next week. The focus of this week was learning classroom routines and building classroom community. It is important to structure their classroom so that they know what to expect—that’s reassuring to them. I guided them in creating our “Classroom Agreements” as well as our “Responsibilities.” We made a poster of the ideas children had for rules in our classroom. When children are involved in creating these guidelines they have a higher level of understanding, ownership and caring for them. They thought of many rules that fell into three broad areas: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. We call these our "Classroom Agreements" and everyone traced, decorated, and cut out their hand to glue on the agreements poster! Students came together to discuss roles and responsibilities in the classroom. They came up with the types of student responsibilities the class should have to be effective. Some responsibilities agreed upon include: Gardener, Door Holder, Lunch Helpers, Clean – Up Crew, Board Eraser, Table Captains, Attendance Keeper, Mailbox Monitor, Chair Managers, Paper Passer, Paper Collector, Pencil Sharpener, Meteorologist, Calendar Keeper, Scheduler…I’m sure I’m omitting a few! We read First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. It’s a story capturing first day of school fears from a teacher’s point of view. The author reveals a surprising ending showing that the reluctant character was the Teacher and not the students. I shared that this is how I felt the first day of school since I was new to the school, the faculty & staff, the parents, and the teachers. We then shared how we felt on the first day of school and how we feel now. Seat arrangements were fluid throughout this week while I got to know the children and the children got to know each other. The kids completed a fun “Get To Know You” activity. It required them to use a paper with pictures of fun activities and find someone who likes doing that activity. Students had to go around the room asking each other questions such as “Do you like to read?” “Do you like to go camping?” “Do you like to swim?” Seating arrangements will be more permanent in the future given what I learned about your child in the student information surveys and their interactions with one another in class. We also read A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia Cook. It is important that first grade students begin to see themselves as problem solvers and understand the difference between tattling and reporting. Basically, we stress that it is considered reporting if you or someone else is in danger. Tattling, on the other hand, does not address danger and instead occurs when you want to get someone in trouble or when the incident has nothing to do with you. Afterwards, we followed up with a drawing activity of what is a Tattle and what is Reporting. The students loved the book and really got the difference in these concepts! I intend to provide a series of engaging lessons while incorporating movement breaks (Brain Breaks is the phrase we will use) and being flexible to students’ needs to move and have unstructured play. I do not intend to spend longer than 15 minutes on any one thing, The goal is to have a basic structure to the day the children can follow. For instance, A typical class for us may be a 5 minute morning work, followed by a quick review, followed by a math game on the IPads, a 10 minute visually-engaging, kinetic activity, a short film clip…you get the idea. Next week will be a series of administering some baseline assessments so I have an idea of where your child is in terms of basic Math, Reading, and Writing skills. It was exactly a week ago last Friday that I entered Ray School and my classroom for the first time. To have been hired two days before the official start of school is nerve-racking but the Ray school faculty, staff, and parents welcomed me with open arms and have made the transition smoother than I ever imagined! I appreciate your patience and understanding as I set up systems to communicate with you all on daily basis. I will be in touch later this month with a Parent Volunteer Schedule based on feedback I got from the volunteer sheets I received. Your child will also be bringing a Take Home folder back and forth to school with pertinent information such as their behavior for the day, forms, homework, calendars, etc. Thank you for your support! Mrs. Woodbury Hello Room 112 Families!
I am very excited for this new school year! I am sure that your child’s experiences in 1st grade will be a year filled with learning and fun! I hope that the following information is helpful as we start the 2015-16 school year. Meet The Teacher I join Ray School this year as a First Grade Teacher. I proudly come from a long line of educators and have taught grades K-3 in CPS for the last six years. Prior to teaching, I was an Advertising Executive for over a decade in Chicago at Leo Burnett USA and DDB Chicago. I hold a Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts and a Masters degree in Elementary Teaching & Learning from DePaul University. I am excited to be a part of the Ray School community. I am fascinated by the idea of bringing students from many diverse backgrounds and levels of English together in my class to grow as learners. For me, teaching is the best job in the world. Every day brings something new to the classroom, which is filled with a unique energy and drive in my students to succeed and discover more. I teach in an environment that honors and welcomes each child’s contribution, celebrates success and uses mistakes to learn from, and values efforts and not just results. I strive to make each school day full of song, play, wonder, and creation. I find that, most importantly, my students must participate in their own learning and not merely receive an education. I am excited to see where my first graders’ questions and curiosity will take them. My time outside of school is spent with my husband, two children, Graysen (4yrs old) and Cora, (1yr. old), and cat, Jade. Communication Each student will receive a Take Home folder. Important papers will be sent home in this folder every night. In addition to notes and announcements, this folder is where you will find our weekly newsletter and your student’s homework. Please check your child’s folder every night. This folder is an essential part of our communication so it must return to school every morning. The folders will be checked every day at school. I will be checking for completed homework assignments, a parent signature (or initials) on the monthly calendar, and any notes or money you have submitted. Homework Once we get into our routines, the students will receive homework every night Monday - Thursday. The students will have math homework every night, usually a “Home Link”. The students will also have language arts homework (reading comprehension activity, vocabulary, phonics work, etc.). You will be notified of all homework assignments through our weekly newsletter. A Little More About Homework in Rm. 112 Homework is meant to be an extension of what your child is learning in the classroom. It is not meant to be laborious, arduous, or frustrating for your child. If it is causing distress at home in any way, please let me know so we can work together to adjust homework expectations. As you will see, the homework can be completed in several different ways. It can be as simple as integrating in your after school conversations with your child, or reading with your child, which I know you already doJ Homework will be discussed the following day as a class. Whether in writing or integrating into evening conversation, it would behoove parent / child to “do” the homework so that your child can participate in the follow-up conversation the next day. A monthly calendar (stapled to the inside of each Take Home folder) should be signed or initialed every night after homework is completed and you have reviewed it together. School Fees This year the school fee for all students is $85.00. This fee does not include field trips. Please let me know if you are interested in paying in installments. Snacks Our lunch period begins at 10:45 am. Children will have a small snack in the afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Please send your child with an individually wrapped healthy snack. Arrival and Dismissal Please drop off and pick up your child on the north playground. Students should line up at the class number at 8:40 am. I will dismiss students from the class number promptly at 3:45 pm. If any child is still with me at 3:50, I will walk them back inside the building and to rm. 306. You will proceed there to sign out / pick up your child. Please keep in mind I also have children that I need to pick up from school. Thank you for your cooperation! In inclement weather, students should be dropped off in the auditorium. Attendance It is important for the students to arrive at school every day on time. Any student who arrives after 8:45 must get a tardy slip before coming to the classroom. When you know your student will be absent, a parent/guardian should notify the main office. Please remember that when your child returns to school, after being absent, you must send a note so the absence can be marked as “excused.” Birthdays There is a new Ray School policy regarding birthday celebrations. All birthdays for the month will be celebrated on the last Friday of the month. This year we will not allow any sugary treats. Please consider donating a book, pencils, etc. in honor of your student’s birthday! Otherwise, they will be made to feel special on their day! Parent Volunteers There will be many opportunities to volunteer throughout the year. If you are interested in volunteering in the classroom or school, please complete a volunteer packet, which is available in the Main Office and at the Ray School website. PTA The Ray School PTA does so much to support children and teachers. Please donate. The yearly membership is $20 per family. Please complete the membership form found in your child’s folder. Supplies:
Contact Information / Conference Requests Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your comments, questions, or concerns! The best way to reach me is via email. I access email several times a day and am most responsive to it during the day as it is difficult for me to be on the phone for obvious reasonsJ I prefer to use email for simple, straightforward notifications of early dismissals, changes in your child’s pick-up, etc. For questions or concerns regarding your child’s social emotional and/or academic progress in class, I prefer a face-to-face conversation and encourage you to request a meeting. I honor meetings before school between 8:25 – 8:40 Monday through Friday and after school between 3:50 – 4:10 Monday through Friday. You can request a meeting by sending a note along with your child or via email. Please ensure you have an appointment before coming in to chat. As always, thank you for your support! I look forward to working with you! Mrs. Woodbury [email protected] Dear Room 112 Families,
This is Mrs. Woodbury, your child’s teacher. As you know by now, I am new to Ray Elementary. Previously, I taught 3rd grade at Patrick Henry Elementary School in Albany Park. Prior to that, I taught Kindergarten for 5 years at Courtenay Language Arts Center and the former Stockton Elementary School in the Uptown neighborhood. I also taught 1st grade my first year of teaching at Stockton and remember it fondly. I look forward to being back in 1st grade this year. We are in our second week of school together, and I am enjoying first grade very much! Thank you for completing all of the district paperwork, as well as, the various parent / student / technology inventories & surveys that went home this week. This gave me a lot of insight into how I can best communicate with you, as parents, and what expectations you have of your child in first grade. We are making adjustments to meet those needs. Classroom Responsibilities This week, we will begin our classroom jobs. Your child will hold the job for the week. Jobs will be rotated weekly. Take Home Folders Thank you for your patience as I put together your child's Take Home folders. The folders will consist of our weekly newsletter (Woodbury Weekly), our class schedule, a monthly behavior calendar, individual academic goal tracking forms, a first grade goals tracker, and a pencil pouch to store writing utensils. Please look through the folder daily for homework, notes from me, and/or letters from the school. Behavior, Rules and Consequences This week, we will continue to learn, reflect on and practice the rules at school. In order for us to have a positive learning experience we all have to follow the rules in class. If your child is struggling with any of these areas, please work on these rules at home. Appropriate behavior is expected at all times; in the classroom, hallways, lunchroom and everywhere else in the building. Below is a list of classroom rules that your child is expected to follow at all times: Be Respectful 1. Listen when the speaker is talking 2. Respect yourself and others. 3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself at all times. 4. Be kind, be honest, and use your best manners Be Responsible 1. Enter and exit the classroom prepared 2. Complete classroom activities in a timely manner. 3. Turn and take home all paperwork. Be Safe 1. Note personal space 2. Tuck in chairs at all times 3. Refrain from running in the classroom In the case that your child breaks a rule, they will be given chances to correct their behavior before consequences are given. In extreme situations (ex. child is harming themselves or others and/or are disrupting learning); they will be sent to the office with a discipline referral. GOT A MINUTE? BEHAVIOR MONITOR SYSTEM We started our “Got a Minute?” behavior management system. Student’s individual classroom behavior will be self-monitored by your child. In other words, your child will understand that their choices affect their classroom privileges. They will monitor their behavior using the “Got a minute?” plan. The plan consists of students beginning each week with 20 minutes. Students will remove a minute for every misbehavior they choose not to correct. By the end of the week, they will get to use their minutes for “FREE-CHOICE FRIDAY.” Students will get to use their minutes as they please. Choices include play-dough, dramatic play, board games, reading, puzzles, painting, block play, card games, etc. Students love this because they always want to have the most minutes to use at the end of the week. It’s like a game with themselves. I love it because everyone begins with the same number of minutes, it is teaching them math skills, and they have more chances during the day to correct their behavior. Also, it is not a direct reward or punishment system. Unfortunately, there may be times that we will have to contact you to come up with a behavior plan to monitor students who cannot comply with William Ray Elementary School’s Code of Conduct. Assessments I will be conducting assessments so I know where your child is beginning the year in Writing, Reading, and Math. I will share those results with you so you know where your child is beginning the year at and see how much they will grow as the year progresses. Donations for unstructured play activities I am looking for parents who are willing to be a “play dough parent”. A “play dough parent” would be in charge of making 2 bags of fresh play dough for the week. You can make it fun by adding glitter, lavender, peppermint, etc. There are LOTS of great ideas on pinterest. If you are interested, please send me an email. I am also looking for puzzles, board games, play cards (standard and UNO), and legos. I look forward to working with you and your child this year. In the meantime, please contact me with any questions or concerns. I am here to learn, as well. Also, thank you for your patience and support as we get into our classroom routines. I lSincerely, Mrs. Woodbury [email protected] |
Mrs. Woodbury's Firsties
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