Parent Handbook
Mrs. Lewis
Grade 1
Room E-6
Vinland Elementary
Welcome!
Mrs. Lewis’s Classroom Information
Room E-6
VINLAND ELEMENTARY
Dear Families,
Welcome to a new year at Vinland Elementary! This packet is full of useful information to
help you and your child have a great year. Please keep this packet in your child’s Take
Home Folder so you can refer to it when needed.
Meet the Teacher
My name is Mrs. Susan Lewis and I am excited to be your child’s
teacher. I have been teaching for 25+ years, the majority of this
time in the primary grades, and I look forward to working with you
and your child this year!
I earned my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from
Northwest Nazarene University. I earned a Master’s Degree in
Reading/Language Arts from Seattle Pacific University and, in 2012,
completed a Special Education Endorsement.
I enjoy spending time with my husband Ron, our extended family and friends. Ron
and I have fun participating in half marathons together and try to get several in each year.
They keep us moving for sure. Music is a big part of my life; I come from a musical family
and we still love to sing together. I am one of 6 siblings so we make quite the joyful noise
around a campfire. You will learn more about me as the year progresses. I am excited to
meet your family and share a wonderful year together with your child!
Contacting Me
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Email: [email protected] – This is the easiest way to contact me. I usually
check it before and after school. If you have an immediate need, please send a
written note, as I have been known to go a day without checking email.
Written Note: When you send a note, please include your child’s name. Put the
note inside your child’s Take-Home Folder.
Phone: School number:
360-396-3600 I do have voicemail (396-3656) but
sometimes I am not able to check it right away because of meetings.
Please call before or after school or during my prep (12:45-1:25).
In other words, just not during class time. 
Daily Schedule (subject to change)
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9:10 Students may come to the classroom.
9:20 Tardy Bell, Students must be unpacked and ready to learn.
9:25-11:05 Literacy Café
o Meet and Greet at the carpet
o Word Study (Phonics, Sight Words, Vocabulary)
o Comprehension Lesson
o Small groups, mini lessons and individual conferences
11:05-11:45 Lunch and Recess
11:45-12:45 Literacy Café Cont’d/Content: Science, Art, Social Studies
12:45-1:25 Specials
1:25-3:05 Math Café
o Calendar/Daily Routines/Problem of the Day
o Math Lesson
o Small groups, mini lessons and individual conferences
3:05-3:25 Recess/Snack
3:30-3:45 Science/Social Studies
3:50 Dismissal
Daily Communication
Communication between school and home is a very important part
of your child’s education.
Take Home Folder: Your child has a Take Home Folder. It will
be sent home EVERYDAY. Please be sure your child returns
the folder each day as it plays an important role in our
behavior plan, homework routine, and keeping you informed
about school activities. One side of the folder says “Return to
School.” These items need your attention and should be sent back to school. The
other side of the folder says “Leave at Home.” These are papers that do not need
to be returned to school. Please empty this side each day to ease wear and tear on
the folder.  This folder will also contain homework and information provided by
the school. Please look in the “Return” pocket each night.
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Homework: Your child will bring home a Daily Reading/Homework Log. This tool is
a way for your student to share what he/she is learning at school each day and
provides a place to record homework. It includes: 1) a daily sentence - “I
learned…” 2) the title/s of books or stories and minutes read; 3) sight words
for reading/spelling practice; 4) daily math fluency activity ideas; 5) math
review assignments (2-4 days/week); and 6) an occasional assignment for other
subjects. Students must bring the log to school daily and turn it in on
Thursday. A new log goes home each Thursday (or Friday) so that weekends
can be used for homework if that fits your weekly schedule better. 
Attendance
 Students may enter the classroom at 9:10 each day. Students arriving
after 9:20 are tardy and must check in at the office before coming to the
classroom. Thank you for making the effort to get your child to school every
day, on time.
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If your child is ill, please call the office to excuse his/her absence or send a note
upon his/her return. If you are dropping your child off late or picking your child up
early, please sign in at the office. The office will then call for the child to be
dismissed to the office. Please do not come to the classroom to pick up your child
as it can interrupt the flow of instruction. Thank you!
Breakfast/Lunch
Your child has the opportunity to eat a school breakfast each morning and
lunch each day. If you choose for your child to eat a school lunch, we
encourage parents to prepay for their child’s meals. This prevents lost
money and helps the lunch line run smoothly. Please send lunch money in a
sealed envelope with your child’s name and teacher name on it.
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Breakfast: $1.75
Lunch: $2.75
Milk or Juice Only: $0.75
Applications for free and reduced lunches are in the office
Safety
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If you are visiting the school during school hours, you need to sign in at the
office and get a visitor badge.
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If there is a change to your child’s regular home routine, please let me know in
writing and call the office to report the change.
Classroom Volunteers
I strongly support and encourage parent involvement in a child’s education! I
encourage parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles to volunteer either from home or in the
classroom. If you are interested in helping out, please complete and return the
volunteer questionnaire. You will also need to complete a background check. The
paperwork is located in the office. Just FYI, it can take 2-3 weeks for the background
check to clear so the sooner you get the paperwork in, the sooner we can schedule you in
class.
Transportation
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At the back to school social, you completed a form letting us know how
your child gets home each afternoon. This is the way I expect your
child to get home each day.
 If there is a change to your child’s regular routine please let me know
in writing.
I cannot send your child home a different way unless I hear from you or you
contact the office. This is for your child’s safety. If your child is to ride a
different bus home, we will need to have a written note to give to the driver. Also,
if your child is being picked up by somebody different, we will need a written note.
Please DO NOT email me. I am not on email regularly enough to ensure the
message will get read in a timely manner. Thank you for attending to this necessity.
School Supplies
Thank you for sending in the requested supplies. We use the community supply
system, sharing the same pool of supplies between all first grade classrooms. Of course, if
your child brings in a special folder or notebook, he/she gets first dibs on
the item/s. 
Classroom Expectations
Your child deserves an optimum learning environment, along with a
positive atmosphere for academic growth. At the beginning of the school
year, we will spend time introducing, modeling, and practicing the many
routines and behavior expectations that help our classroom run smoothly.
Vinland Expectations:
Be Kind
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Ready to Learn
Classroom Rules:
Rule #1- Follow directions quickly.
Rule #2- Make smart choices.
Rule #3- Keep the dear teacher happy.
(Rules 4 and 5 are saved for more formal discussion times. For example, students
will use them during class discussions and when we have special speakers, including
the teacher and other students.)
Rule #4- Raise your hand for permission to speak.
Rule #5- Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.
I positively reinforce students for making responsible choices in many different ways:
verbal praise, notes, Best Fin Forward tickets, and the Dolphin Award are some examples
Discipline Plan There are natural consequences for students who choose not to follow
school rules. Since we do a lot of practice and modeling of expectations and routines as
well as teaching the Second Steps Program, we typically have few serious behavior
problems. However, mistakes happen and I will talk with your child as issues arise to
problem solve together, figure out next steps and try again. Our motto: Tomorrow is a new
day!  If the behavior has become chronic, something very unusual has happened, or
inhibits others’ ability to learn, I will contact parents to inform and problem solve.
Handwriting – Handwriting (printing) is a very important skill in 1st grade. Already, many
students have developed poor habits, making their printing very difficult for themselves 
and others to decipher. Attached is the letter and number formation guide that I use; it
may help as you support your child during homework time.
Homework
Homework helps your child practice concepts he/she is learning in class. Please
commit to daily homework time with your child. All homework is due on
Thursday. This allows for busy schedules to fit homework into more
convenient times.
Math Homework: 1) Math review homework is usually sent home 2-4 days a week. The
assignment should not take more than about 5 - 10 minutes to complete. Please reinforce
neatness and completeness. 2) Math Fluency at Home activities take just 5 minutes a day!
Reading/Sight Word Homework: It is expected that your child will read for at least 20
minutes 5 days or more each week. This does not need to be all at one time. While your
child is learning the first grade sight words, I suggest 5-10 minutes of this time be spent
working with these words. Early in the school year, reading minutes can also be a
combination of you reading to your child and your child reading to you. As the year
progresses, however, your child needs to take on the whole 20 minutes of reading aloud.
Homework Trouble? Homework can be a difficult routine. If your child is struggling to do
their homework please let me know as soon as possible, so we can problem solve and get
your child the support they need, whether for academic or behavior reasons.
Birthdays*
Birthdays are a special time for many students. I understand that some
students will want to celebrate their birthday with the class and ask that you
follow the guidelines below so that disruptions to instruction are limited.
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We sing a Happy Birthday song to the student in the classroom and the
student receives a small non-food treat* from me.
The first grade team does NOT celebrate with food items at school. We would like
you to save the food treats for home due to food allergies and health concerns.
Some alternatives to a treat are stickers, toys, or other little mini items to share.
You can find inexpensive items at the dollar store. Also donating a book or game to
the school or classroom can be a fun way to celebrate.
Please understand: Treats are neither expected nor encouraged.
* If your family does not celebrate birthdays, I’d love to save a random day to
celebrate your child. Please let me know your preference in this area.
Toys
Toys are to be kept at home. We do not want toys to get lost or broken. Please
check your child’s backpack regularly. ‘Toys’ also include special collector cards,
electronics, and anything of value. This includes most of what students buy at the school
store. If a child has a toy (aka distraction) in class, I will collect the item and return it
to him/her by the end of the day to take home. If toys become a regular issue with any
student, I will collect the toy, put it in the “June Box,” and you may pick it up at your
leisure or your student can have it back in June.