Welcome to First Grade at EDUPRIZE! My name is Maria Russo, and I look forward to having your
child in my First Grade, PM TOPS class. I want to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about
myself. I am originally from New York but have lived in Gilbert, Arizona for the last 14 years with
my husband and two children. We are HUGE baseball fans! I enjoy watching my son play baseball
and my daughter play volleyball. In December of 2012, I graduated from Arizona State University
with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. I love teaching at EDUPRIZE and find it to be the
most rewarding job!
Our classroom is unique in that we have the opportunity to incorporate technology into the
student’s daily learning. I love technology and truly believe it can reinforce and expand a child’s
education. My goal is to seamlessly integrate it into our daily lessons and routines. Also, this year
we will study four different cottage thematic units. They are Sweet Shop, Plymouth Plantation,
Mineral Market, and Birdhouse. We will be using the iPads and Chromebooks to enhance the
learning that will take place during these cottages.
We will journey back in time as we enter our Plymouth Plantation cottage. We will learn about
the Pilgrims who left Plymouth, England and sailed a long and arduous journey aboard the
Mayflower to the New World.
We will test our taste buds during our Sweet Shop cottage. In this cottage, we will learn about My
Plate and the different types of foods your body needs to keep you growing strong and healthy.
During our Mineral Market cottage, we will delve deep inside our planet Earth to learn what it is
made of, as well as the different layers of the Earth. We will also learn about the rock cycle and
the three different kinds of rocks, igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.
Finally, we will be taking flight into our Bird House cottage. Here we will take to the sky and
immerse ourselves in the study of birds! Did you know that a hummingbird’s heart can beat over
1000 times in one minute? That is over ten times faster than a human heart!
Our Open House is planned for Monday, July 24, 2017. Our scheduled time to meet is from
2:30-p.m. - 3:15 p.m. in room 23. Prior to Open House, please click on the OPEN HOUSE FORM, to
fill out important information about your child. Please bring your supplies to school with you that
day. You will be able to meet me, see our classroom and pick up important papers, including
carpool and dismissal information. I will be available throughout the day if you have any
questions. I can’t wait to meet you!
Our first day of school is Wednesday, July 26, 2017. Our PM TOPS class starts at 11:00 a.m., and
the students should be in line outside by 10:55 a.m. You must be prompt and present the first
day to be considered enrolled at EDUPRIZE.
Parents, you are a very important part of our classroom and one of the keys to making our year
successful. TOGETHER we can make your child’s first grade year a memorable one! I look forward
to meeting you and your child! If you have any questions or concerns about the school year,
please do not hesitate to let me know. A great way to contact me is through email. My email
address is [email protected]. Thank you in advance for all you will do to make this
a wonderful and productive school year for your child.
Smiles,
Mrs. Russo
EDUPRIZE School
2017-2018 Mrs. Russo’s Supply List
Please bring the following school supplies to the Open House on Monday, July 18th. This will allow me
to store the supplies and have a smooth start on the first day of school. Some items will be used as a
classroom set, so please do not write the students’ names on the supplies unless it is
indicated.Thank you very much for contributing to our classroom.
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Headphones (children tend to prefer headphones). Be sure to open your child’s headphones
from the packaging. Also, please speak to your child about the importance of taking good
care of them, so they will last the year.)
1 regular-sized pencil box. (Please write your child’s name on it.)
1 pointed pair of scissors. (Please write your child’s name on it.)
1-2 box(es) of Crayola Crayons 24 pack
1 box of sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga pencils (All other brands are frustratingly inadequate)
2 erasers (white, Hi-Polymer)
1 clean sock for your child to use as a white board eraser
1-1inch, solid colored 3-ring binder with inside pockets and a clear sheet on the outside to
hold a cover sheet (This will be used as a Homework/Communication Book.) Please write
your child’s name on the inside upper right-hand corner.
1 hard cover wide-ruled composition notebook
6 solid colored, ALL plastic pocket folders must have brass fasteners (2 red, 2 blue, 1 yellow, 1
green)
2 jumbo-sized glue sticks
2 or more reams of white copy paper
1 ream of colored copy paper
2 packages of black, thin Expo white board markers
1 package of sheet protectors
2 rolls of paper towels
1 box of Kleenex
2 containers of Clorox antibacterial wipes for cleaning desks
1 Bottle of Antibacterial Hand Soap
1 Bottle of Hand Sanitizer
Scholastic News
We are excited to be using
Scholastic News once again this
year. It allows the children to not
only be exposed to interesting topics
but also non-fiction text.
Please bring $6 to open house for
your child’s subscription. Cash or
checks made out to EDUPRIZE
PTN are accepted.
Mrs. Russo’s Wish
List
iTunes Gift Card for Apps
Colored cardstock
Arts and Crafts supplies (feathers,
watercolors, etc.)
Napkins
Paper plates
Plastic spoons, forks and knives
White paper bags
Thick/thin Sharpie markers