Shine into 1st Grade @ Voyage Academy

Classroom Disclosure
I am so excited to have your child in my classroom this year. First grade is a very
fun year filled with new friends, fabulous discoveries, unforgettable experiences, and
adventures worth remembering!

Attendance
The first school bell rings at 8:20am and the tardy bell rings at 8:25 am. School is
dismissed at 3:00pm Monday through Thursday. Friday is our early out day and students are dismissed at
1:00pm.

Absences
Please make every effort to have your child at Voyage, on time, every day. When a child misses class, they are
missing essential learning activities that cannot be replicated. The worksheets and assignments well send
home to try to help the child learn the material they missed, just cannot lead to meaningful learning. Of
course, if your child is sick, keep them home so they can recover quickly (and not pass any germs)! However,
avoid unnecessary absences by doing things like scheduling family vacations during school breaks. We are a
crew and every member contributes. Your child is needed. Your child will be missed. Our crew is not the same
without them. I trust you will do your best to help your child be in class and ready to learn every day.

Classroom Management
My strategy for discipline is to promote positive behavior using a clip chart.
Students clothespins begin the day at Ready To Learn. As the day progresses,
their choices will determine the movement of their clip. Even though a student
may make a poor choice, the opportunity to move in a positive direction is
available. The chart gives the students an opportunity to make better choices and
move their clothespin back up the chart, as well as recognize hard-working,
responsible students. Negative behavior will result in a move to Think About It.
If the behavior continues, a move to Lose a Privilege will occur and will result in
loss of privileges and/or recess. Disruptive behavior that continues will result in a
move to Teachers Choice with a behavior note sent home and/or a phone call to
the parent. Positive behavior will be reinforced when their clothespin reaches
Great Choices with praises, and stickers on their clothespin. Once students reach
five stickers they will be rewarded with different behavior coupons such as, sit by
friend, sit in teachers chair, skip homework pass, etc. Even though most students
have outstanding days every day, landing on great choices is very random, which is
why it is so special. Only a couple of students will make it to great choices each
day. Please praise your child for their positive behavior even if they dont make it
to great choices every day.
I also have a class jar where everyone, as a whole, can help earn fuzzies. If the class
gets a certain amount of fuzzies then they earn a special prize. This helps them to learn the value of team work
and the concept that they are all in this together.
It is important that my classroom be a safe, comfortable, and happy place for your child to be each day.
Thank you for your support.


Homework
Homework in 1st grade is designed to teach students responsibility, good study habits and to practice the skills
learned in school at home. Your student will bring home their STAR homework folder each Monday and return
it every Friday. Please take time to go over their homework and help them when needed. This is a great
opportunity for you to show interest in what your child is learning and see how their skills are progressing in
various concepts.
Reading is our number one priority in 1st grade! Students are asked to read at least 15 minutes daily. It is not
important that your child knows every word on the page, but that they develop a love for reading. Remember
to talk with them about what was read to aid with comprehension. Record their reading on the Home Reading
Calendar that comes home in the STAR folder. It will be counted as part of their reading grade.
In addition to nightly reading, students will be required to complete two math practice pages a week.
Please refer to the homework STAR folder for an additional explanation of our homework.

Birthdays
I like to celebrate students on their special day! Each student will have a chance to
wear a party hat and necklaces on their birthday. If their birthday is during the
summer than we will celebrate on their half birthday. Birthday treats are
certainly not expected, but if you choose to send something in with your
student, the school requires you send in a treat that it is not homemade. To avoid
hurt feelings, please do not send birthday party invitations to school with your child.
There are 27 students in our class, but please verify this as numbers change frequently.

What We Will Be Learning and How!
Reading
50% of reading instruction will be done during guided reading. Students will work in small groups with the
teacher daily. They will work on decoding skills, complete word work, and work on comprehension skills. Each
student will be placed in a small group based on their reading level.
The other 50% of instruction will be whole group. We will be using the Engage NY Skills Strand to focus on
phonics, decoding, blending, comprehension, and more.

Phonics
For phonics we will be learning from the Fountas & Pinnell complete phonic and word study curriculum. We
will also study a vowel pattern of the day and learn a new sight word every day.

Writing
We will be following Lucy Calkins Writers Workshop daily. Her method of instruction focuses on the goal of
fostering lifelong writers. It is based on four principles; students will write about their own lives, the will use a
consistent writing process, they will work in authentic ways, and it will foster independence. Students have a
large amount of choice on their topic and style of writing. The teacher acts as a mentor author, modeling
writing techniques and conferring with students as they move through the writing process.

Spelling
Spelling words will be given every week. All words will be tested the last day of the week. Words will be sent
home on Monday in the Weekly Wave. Please use these spelling words to complete the spelling activities 2x
each week.
*At the beginning of the year spelling words will not be sent home for about 6 weeks.



Literacy Centers
During literacy centers students will work on individual and cooperative projects in their centers. They will be
engaged with the content at a deeper, more meaningful level. Literacy centers also give the teacher an
opportunity to meet with small groups for direct instruction. Centers combined with guided reading provide
multiple opportunities for success for all students.

Math
We will be following the enVisionMATH program in a guided math format. Math will start with a 15 minute
whole group mini-lesson then students will visit math stations. Math stations allow students to practice and
apply skills from the mini-lesson and provides the teacher an opportunity to work with students individually or
in a small group setting.

Expeditions
Our two big expeditions this year will be plants and maps. Our Plants expedition
will start in the fall and cover most of the first grade science standards. Maps will
be our second expedition and will start after Christmas break, it will cover our first
grade social studies standards. Both expeditions will include language arts,
writing, and math standards. The social studies and science standards that are not
covered during these two expeditions will be covered during mini case studies
throughout the year.

Design Principles
We will be learning the 10 Design Principles throughout the year. We will focus on teaching one design
principle during morning meetings each month. All design principles will be integrated throughout everything
we do during the day.


Morning Meetings
Every class at Voyage Academy will start their day in Morning Meeting (CREW time). It is a very important part
of our day. Morning meeting will help us build community and classroom culture, among other things. Please
read the parent letter for more specifics about our morning meeting.

Sight Words
Sight words are a big part of 1st grade. Students will be expected to read 107 sight words by the end of the
year. We will learn a sight word a day as a whole class. We will practice sight words in guided reading.
Students will work at a sight word center all year and a parent volunteer will work on sight words one-on-one
with the students. The list of 107 words is located in the SHARK folder if you would like to practice them at
home.
Supplies
Student Supplies
Students should bring a backpack or something to carry their things to and from school EVERYDAY. If possible
please send items from the supply list before or on the first day of school. Please NO pencil sharpeners (they
make a huge mess). Also no toys should be brought to school. If they are, the toys will be taken and returned
to parents at conference



Supply List
Labeled Supplies
2 white 3 ring binder with clear plastic cover
Avery Clear Sheet Protectors
Blue Plastic Pocket Folder with prongs
Green Plastic Pocket Folder with prongs
Yellow Plastic Pocket Folder with prongs
1 Black and White Composition Notebook
Community Supplies
1 box of 24 count Crayola Crayons
1 box of 8 count Classic Color Crayola Markers
1 box of 12 count Crayola Colored Pencils
1 package Expo Dry Erase Markers
12pk of Ticonderoga #2 Pencils
Glue Sticks
1 pair of Fiscar Blunt Tip Scissors

How You Can Reach Me!

Communication
Every Monday, I will send home a class newsletter with the spelling words for the week, important reminders,
events, and what we are learning that week. If you ever have any questions, please call, email, or send me a
note. I will get back with you as soon as I can. I want to stay in contact so we can best meet your childs needs.
If I cannot get to the phone, the office staff will send you to my voice mail or take a message for me. I check
my email frequently, so that is a great way to contact me. My email address is
sdixon@voyageacademyutah.org

I also have a class website you can visit @ http://dixoncrew.weebly.com There you will find information about
upcoming events, reminders, and fun things we are doing in class.

I will also be using Remind 101 text message service that allows you to receive text message reminders from
me. All cell numbers will be kept confidential, but I will be able to send you messages. Attached is a flyer of
how to sign up for text message reminders! Thank you so much!

What We Wish Upon a Star For!
Wish List
Occasionally, parents ask what things are needed in the classroom. The most helpful item
will be books to help build our classroom library. The best way to encourage
reading is by having a variety of books that spike the students interest. Books that
you may have at home which are no longer being read will definitely be put to use
in our classroom!
Here are other items we need in our classroom. Anything you can donate would be greatly
appreciated!
Paper towels
Clorox wipes
Ziploc bags (large and small)
Kleenex
Extra Glue Sticks

Band Aides
Ream of white 8 X 11 paper
Hand Sanitizer
Pencil Tip Erasers
Id also appreciate anything else you think we might be able to use. Other needs come up throughout
the year so please check the weekly newsletter for other items we may need. Thanks!
Party and Volunteer Signups

Class Parties Sign Up Sheet
I need 5 parents to help with each class party. Usually, I have the kids put into small groups (about 5 kids) and
they do an activity with each parent. Two parents are needed to do a game. One parent is needed to do a craft
of some kind. Finally, one parent will be needed to donate a treat that students will eat. Students will rotate
through these four activities.

If you would like to sign up to do an activity or donate a treat (No red drinks-please!), please write your name
down on this paper and return it to the teachers. If more than one parent signs up for a certain activity, we
will adjust the groups as needed.

The Halloween party will be on Friday, October 31st.
The Valentines party will be on Friday, February 13th.

Please write your name and your childs name, plus your phone number or email
Halloween Party

Game __________________________________________________________________________________

Game __________________________________________________________________________________

Craft __________________________________________________________________________________

Treat __________________________________________________________________________________

Room Mom/Planning/Reminder Calls/etc. ___________________________________________________

Valentines Party

Game __________________________________________________________________________________

Game _________________________________________________________________________________

Craft _________________________________________________________________________________

Treat _________________________________________________________________________________

Room Mom/ Planning/Reminder Calls/ etc. ___________________________________________________







Photo Permission Slip
Dear Parents,

This year your child will have many opportunities for special events, projects, special guests, and many
other things. As these events occur, pictures will be taken. These photos will be put in your childs 1st grade
portfolio, as well as on our class blog, which will be sent home at the end of the year.
Before any pictures can be taken, I will need permission from the parent or guardian. The bottom
portion of this letter needs to be filled out and returned during the first week of school. Please keep this top
portion for your records. If for any reason you decline to allow your childs picture to be taken, pictures
involving him/her will be digitally edited or your child with be cropped from the picture.
Thank you for your support this school year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------



I, _________________________________, give permission for my child,_____________________, picture to
be taken and used in the classroom.

I, _________________________________, do not give permission for my child,
_________________________, picture to be taken and used in the classroom.
































August 21, 2014
Dear Parents,
Your child will probably be telling you about the wonderful way in which we begin our
school day here at Voyage Academy: with Morning Meeting. We use Morning Meeting to
establish crew, a sense of community and shared responsibility. We also build social and
academic skills during this time as we address Life Skills and Expeditionary Learnings Design
Principles.
Heres what a Morning Meeting usually looks like:
Greeting: Students feel like it matters that I came when, after gathering in a circle, we begin
by greeting each other by name in a friendly and cheerful way.
Sharing: Students improve their speaking and listening skills as they share responses to prompts
or student news. The prompts change each day and may be anything from a short story, poem,
or song about the character trait we are working on. Students will sometimes be given an
opportunity to share news that is relevant in their lives.
Group Activity: We work together to problem solve, build class cohesion, and have fun.
Morning Message: I will write the class a short message each day that will help us think about
the day ahead, review the previous day, and/or practice an academic skill.
Every day, Morning Meeting lets children know that school is a safe place where all
childrens feelings and ideas are important. The Morning Meeting is a great way to build
community, increase excitement about learning, and improve academic and social skills. Please
contact me if you have any questions about Morning Meeting, or would like to see, a Morning
Meeting
Sincerely,

Mrs. Troyer, Mrs. Barker, and Mrs. Dixon