Welcome to
First Grade!
Danebo Elementary
Mrs. Johnson
Room 3
2014-2015
Our Room 3 Daily Schedule
Subject to change as needed 
8:20 am – 8:35
8:35 am – 8:45
8:45 am
8:45 am
10:15 am
10:30 am
11:40 am
11:55 pm
12:15 pm
12:45 pm
1:15 pm
1:45 pm
2:30 pm
2:45 pm
Breakfast served in cafeteria
Class opening and check-in
School begins!
Reading
Snack and Recess
Math
Lunch
Recess
PE/Music
Calendar/Read-Aloud
Writing
Science/Social Studies/Art
Compliments and Clean up
Dismissal
“Danebo students take care of ourselves, we take care of each
other, and we take care of the environment.”
The Seven Virtues at Danebo Elementary
* respect * responsibility *honesty * perseverance * kindness * giving * self-discipline
September 2014
Dear First Grade Families,
Welcome to first grade at Danebo Elementary! I am very excited to work with
you and your child as we begin this exciting learning adventure. Together we
are going to have a fantastic year full of fun, friendships, adventures, and great
learning. This handbook offers helpful information on many things you’ll need to
know about your child’s time here at Danebo. Please feel free to call or email
me any time if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me before
or after school at (541)688-8735 ext. 2241 or by email at
[email protected] .
The School Day Begins!
The cafeteria opens at 8:20 AM and offers all students a nutritional free breakfast
to start their day. Our classroom doors open at 8:35 AM and class begins at 8:45
AM sharp! A good night’s sleep, healthy breakfast, and arriving to class on time
help insure a happy, productive day!
If your child will be late or absent, please call the office at (541)688-8735 and let
them know as soon as possible. If arriving late, always check in with the office
when you arrive so we can keep track of all children during the school day.
Students will be given a Tardy Pass to let me know they have checked in with
the office. Please be aware that all late arrivals and absences are recorded.
Lunch and Snacks
Lunchtime is at 11:40 AM and is followed by recess at 11:55 AM. We are
fortunate to have healthy daily snacks delivered to our classrooms through the
USDA-funded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program. This program is designed to
encourage students to promote healthy eating habits and the chance to try a
wide variety of produce. Many of these items are grown locally
Dismissal
Students are dismissed at 2:45 PM. Please let the office and I know of any
changes to your child’s normal transportation arrangements as soon as you can.
Visiting and Volunteering at Danebo
We love to have families visit and volunteer in our classroom! Visitors must
check-in with the office and pick up a visitor’s badge before coming to the
classroom. If you arrive to our class without a badge, I will ask that you return to
the office to take care of that before you come in. Thank you for your
understanding and cooperation with these school policies, as they are in place
to keep everyone on our campus safe. I invite you to come by any time and
see what we are doing in first grade. 
There are many volunteer opportunities at Danebo. Check out our Parent
Teacher Organization (PTO) and consider becoming involved in the important
and fun activities that they organize throughout the year to support our students.
They meet once a month - check the school newsletter for dates. I love to have
volunteers in the classroom as well! Whether you prefer helping with special
projects, paperwork, field trips, or working with students, we have something for
everyone.  Whether you want to volunteer just once in a while or on a regular
basis, your participation and help is greatly appreciated!! Contact me any time
about how to get started.
P.E.
We have Physical Education on Mondays and Fridays each week. Please have
your child wear tennis shoes on these days (preferably not black-soled shoes
because these mark up the gym floor). Open-toed shoes, sandals, boots, and
flip flops can be dangerous for P.E. activities and are not allowed.
Library Day
Your child will be checking out books every Thursday to bring home to enjoy.
This is a wonderful opportunity to practice reading at home and sharing their
reading skills with you! We ask that students take extra good care of their library
books and return them to class on time so they can continue to check out more
books all year long!
Birthdays
Birthdays are an exciting time for children and we love to help them celebrate
these important milestones. Students will receive a special birthday treat from
Mrs. Johnson (birthday pencil, card, paper bracelet, and sticker to wear). If you
would like to send a special treat for the class to celebrate your child’s birthday,
please contact me ahead of time so I can plan our day accordingly. In
accordance with Bethel’s Wellness Policy, we ask that families send only healthy
snacks (fruit, veggies, or popcorn) or non-food items to celebrate student
birthdays. Also, please be aware that due to children’s allergies, we are a nutaware building. Also, please do not send party invitations to be passed out at
school unless all students in our class are invited. We try to avoid hurt feelings.
Thank you for your understanding.
Star Student of the Week!
Your child will be honored as our “Star Student” for one week during the school
year. A special poster for the “Star Student Bulletin Board” and detailed
instructions will be sent home the Friday before your child’s special week.
Honorees will be the center of attention and are invited to share their poster,
pictures, and a special item from home (a book, small toy, or stuffed animal, for
example). We conclude this time with a “compliment book” and Friendship
Bracelet created for each Star Student to take home as a special keepsake.
We invite you to join us for this special activity!
Homework
Homework is an important part of your child’s learning experience. It reinforces
the skills they learn each day, boosts academic success, and teaches personal
responsibility. Students are assigned math homework Monday through Thursday.
Math homework is due the day after it is assigned. Beginning in the next couple
weeks, there will also be assigned weekly reading homework, with books,
passages, or practice word cards provided. We will also have weekly spelling
tests on Fridays. The week’s spelling list will be sent home in Tuesday Folders
each week to help your child study throughout the week. Throughout the year
there will be writing and special assignments assigned as their skills develop.
Each student will be given a special homework folder to manage homework
materials. We appreciate your help in making sure homework materials are
returned on time. Check our classroom blog and newsletter for links to
additional skills practice and a current list of the week’s homework assignments.
Reading at home is another vital part of your child’s reading development. It’s
very important that your child read every day for at least 15 - 20 minutes.
Reading with your child, talking about the stories, and interacting together
through reading is truly a gift you can give your child. It builds their reading skills,
their confidence, and their knowledge of the world. Have fun with it!
Tuesday Folders
Each student has a green “Tuesday Folder” that goes home every Tuesday.
Please remember to check it promptly for important information about schoolwide events, classroom happenings, and newsletters. Thanks for making this a
priority each week and for helping your student to return it to class each
Monday.
Curriculum
We are excited to begin a new Common Core-aligned reading and language
arts curriculum called Journeys. Students will be reading, writing, and
developing their language skills using top-quality materials, lots of skills practice,
and working collaboratively with peers. Bethel has also adopted a new
Common Core-aligned math curriculum called Engage New York. Students will
be developing their understanding of patterns, place value, addition and
subtraction, time, money, measurement, geometry, and problem solving.
Students will work extensively with hands-on materials and have daily timed
math-fact fluency practice. This math curriculum presents concepts in new and
exciting ways that will lead students to a deep understanding of these important
math concepts. While some of the structures and formats may be unfamiliar at
first, we believe this comprehensive and rigorous curriculum will provide your
child with a solid foundation of understanding of number concepts. Along with
the homework each day, the day’s in-class math work (“Problem Set” and
“Sprints”) will be sent home so your child has a reference and reminder of the
skills they learned in class. These practice pages do not need to be returned to
class, but should be kept at home for practice! Only the homework should be
returned to class.
Tips for Reading with Your Child
Helping your child become a reader is easy! Parents often worry that they are
not doing the right thing. However, chances are, you are doing everything right!
Just to reassure you, we’ve created a list of tips below.
Encourage your children to use the pictures! This is not cheating; it’s what
good readers do!
Children learning to read should be encouraged to look at the beginning
letters. Not all words can be sounded out but the first letter is a good clue to
help children understand what will and will not make sense.
Have your child break the words into parts. They should look for little words
they know inside of big words.
Read on. Have children skip the word they are stuck on and read to the end
of the sentence. When they finish the sentence, ask them what would make
sense.
Give your children vocabulary clues. If they are trying to read a new word,
help them make a guess by telling them about the word.
Make sure you are giving your child just right books. Matching a book with
your child is important. A child who is reading a book that is too hard will easily
become frustrated and stop trying.
Most importantly….read with your child every day. Reading to your child is just
as important as having your child read to you!
© www.thecurriculumcorner.com
“I Can” Statements and Common Core State Standards
Along with thousands of districts across the country, Bethel has implemented the
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for all reading, language arts, and math
instruction. These standards have been summarized into simple “I Can”
statements to describe specific skills your child will be learning. Here are the “I
Can” statements for each subject followed by the CCSS standard.
Reading:
I can understand how text is supposed to be read.
in a sentence.
I can understand the sounds that letters and words make.
er to speak words.
I can look at words and figure them out by using what I know about letters and
sounds.
vowel sounds. (silent e or vowel teams)
are in words.
hem.
I can stop when I am reading and fix words that I mess up or that I am not sure of.
I can read, understand and tell about fiction.
portant details and show that I know the author is
trying to teach me.
ween fiction and nonfiction.
© www.thecurriculumcorner.com
I can read, understand and tell about nonfiction.
RI.1.1 I can ask and answer questions about important details in nonfiction books.
RI.1.2 I can tell the main topic and important details in nonfiction books.
RI.1.3 I can tell how people, events or ideas are connected in nonfiction books.
RI.1.4 I can ask and answer questions to help me understand new words.
RI.1.5 I can understand and use all the helpful parts of nonfiction books to help me find
important facts and details.
RI.1.6 I can find some information from pictures and some information from the words in
nonfiction books.
RI.1.7 I can use the pictures and words in nonfiction books to help me tell about the main ideas.
RI.1.8 I can find the reasons that an author gives to help teach about the main idea.
RI.1.9 I can find things that are the same and different in two nonfiction books that teach about
the same topic.
RI.1.10 I can read and understand first grade nonfiction books.
Writing:
I can write different types of writing for different reasons.
ls to my stories.
somewhere else.
Speaking and Listening:
I can have and understand conversations with all kinds of people.
ions with my friends and teachers.
about what to say.
ing conversations to help me understand what is being shared.
person better.
© www.thecurriculumcorner.com
I can share my ideas and what I have learned.
them better.
stand what I am talking
about.
I can use proper English when I write and speak.
their, anyone, everything)
, the, this, that, my, many, few)
exclamations)
when I write people's names.
p me spell words correctly.
I can figure out what words mean and use them in different situations.
ies I know and thinking about what
I have read.
mean.
find root words with lots of different endings.
alike.
them better. (colors, clothing)
-life. (places in my house that are cozy)
are almost alike.
(look, peek, glance, stare, glare, scowl)
alike. (big, large, gigantic)
hat I know what they mean.
© www.thecurriculumcorner.com
Math:
I can write and solve problems using addition and subtraction.
different strategies for subtraction to solve word problems. (within 20)
I can understand and use what I know about addition and subtraction.
o help me solve addition problems. (commutative)
than two numbers. (associative)
ction fact
problems.
I can add and subtract any numbers from 0 to 20.
subtracting.
I can work with addition and subtraction number sentences.
what an equal sign means.
btraction problem.
I can count up.
120)
I can understand place value.
I can tell how many tens and how many ones are in a number.
number of ones.
certain number of tens and 0 ones.
-digit numbers using <, =, and > because I understand tens and
ones.
I can use what I know about place value to help me add and subtract.
s
within 100.
-digit numbers means I add the ones and then the
tens.
group of ten from the ones. (regroup)
-digit numbers, sometimes I have to make a
© www.thecurriculumcorner.com
-90) from numbers under
100, write the matching number sentence and explain my strategy.
I can understand length.
ler object as
a measurement tool.
I can tell time.
-hours using any kind of clock.
I can understand how information is shared using numbers.
rmation in a way that makes sense.
I can understand shapes better by using what I notice about them.
ferent shapes unique.
-dimensional shapes. (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, halfcircles and quarter-circles)
-dimensional shapes. (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular
cones and right circular cylinders)
- and three-dimensional shapes to create new shapes.
four equal parts.
fourths, and quarters to talk about them.
1.G.A.3 I can understand that breaking circles or rectangles into more equal parts means that
the parts will be smaller.
© www.thecurriculumcorner.com