The photo that you see above was taken in the last few weeks of school last year, when students in the Katherine Dunham class had a chance to reflect on their favorite memories of the year through writing and photographs. Students, through mostly independent work, chose photos, used scissors and glue, wrote captions and, on the back, some paragraph-long reflections, worked as a team (Please pass me that glue stick!), and communicated with their teachers about what they liked about their work or how they could make it better. Why start a post about about the first week of school by talking about the end of the last school year? Well, while, on the surface this may just look like a simple art project, the success of these posters was built upon a foundation of systems and routines that we used consistently all year around to help maximize student's learning time and their ability to work well both independently and as a group. And believe it or not, that foundation starts right away-- in the very first week, even on the very first DAY of school.
Routines at School
Here is a sampling of some of the classroom routines your child will be learning in the first week or two of school:
(a) Morning Routine (unpacking, closet, attendance, morning poll, daily share)
(b) Pack-up Routine (getting things from mailboxes, packing up backpacks)
(c) Bathroom Routine (best times to go, how to be quick & clean, bathroom signal)
(d) Hallways and Stairwells (walking safely, silently and using signals)
We want your child to feel very successful and very happy throughout her first grade year. We also want her to love learning-- and there are some crucial ways that you can help solidify that foundation at home.
Routines at Home
Routines are not just for the classroom. To whatever extent possible, having a reliable routine at home will help your child be a more successful student. Some routines that we recommend for students at the elementary age are:
(a) Early, consistent bedtime
(b) Reading every night (15-20 minutes at the start of the year)
(c) Breakfast every morning
(d) No more than 30 minutes of television a night
(e) Consistent family interest (at least one caretaker daily asking about school in a specific way- i.e: What did you learn in math? What routine did you learn? What book did the teacher read?)
School Policies/Class Rules
Understanding the school policies and class rules will help you and your child make a smooth transition back into the school year. Just as a reminder, here are some of the key policies that we follow at Girls Prep:
(a) Breakfast is served starting at 7:20, and students must be IN the door of the building by 7:50, or they are considered LATE. Three tardies are equal to one absence. Attendance is taken very seriously.
(b) If you send your child to school with home-packed lunch, please remember that students may only have 100% juice, water or milk. There is no candy or gum permitted in school.
(c) Students must be sent to school in the appropriate uniform.
(d) In the Katherine Dunham class, we do not allow any toys (unless the student has permission for a special share), or distracting jewelry. While students are permitted to wear small, safe jewelry, precious items should be kept at home and if students play with or are distracted by their jewelry or hair accessories, they will be taken away and returned only directly to a parent.
Academic Support
In the first few weeks of school, you may notice that much of what your child is learning may seem simplistic or 'easy.' This is a time for your child's teachers to really get to know the students, to assess them to discover all the different ways they learn and what their varying strengths are, and also, to review what they learned in the last few months of Kindergarten. The work in first grade does get increasingly challenging, and we ask for your patience as the year makes that natural progression.
The best ways for you to support your child academically is to:
(a) Ask questions. Let your child know how interested you are in their day.
(b) Read with your child a little every day.
(c) Read your own books/magazines/newspapers/etc. where your child can see you, so they understand how important reading is. Remember- they want to be like you!
(d) If your child is confused about something in their homework, please ask them to explain their thinking/confusion with words. It is important to show that you will help, but you will not just give them the answers.
(e) Whenever possible, attend a field trip, family event or just come and pay a visit to our classroom! The door is always open.
We are looking forward to a wonderful year! Thank you all in advance to your commitment to making your child's first grade year an excellent one! Before you know it, they'll be making their own memory posters.
