Welcome to First Grade!

Hello Parents & Guardians!

I am very excited to have your child in my class this year and look
forward to the many adventures well be sharing together! First grade is
a very busy year and your child will make big leaps in his/her education
through many meaningful experiences in reading, writing, math,
science, and social studies. Students will also be encouraged to practice
working together, communicating their thoughts and feelings, problem
solving skills, as well as critical thinking skills. As rigorous as this may seem, it will all be done
in a friendly and fun environment where curiosities are sparked and exploring self interests is
encouraged. I really enjoy watching students learn and utilize the skills and procedures they
learn and using those to succeed and improve in their learning. To help all of us have
successful school year, this letter is designed to help you better understand how I plan to run
the classroom and to provide you with all of the information you will need.

A Little Bit About Ms. Dehn

This is my first year teaching and Im very eager to get started! I enjoy traveling out west,
camping, going to the beach, floating on the lake, and reading in my freetime. I love spending
time with my family and friends, as well as my dog, Cody. I got my degree in Integrated
Science and Elementary Education at Grand Valley State University.

Arrival and Dismissal

On the provided sheet, please indicate the mode of transportation your child will be taking in
the morning and after school. If your child rides the bus, please make sure you know where
and when your child will be getting on and off the bus, including the bus number. For drop
offs, please drop them off at the front of the building. If you pick up, first graders without
siblings in Dix Street will be picked up from the music room that is located in the first grade

hallway. First graders that have siblings at Dix Street will be picked up in the Cafeteria. School
begins at 8:20 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Please contact the office for your childs absences.
If your childs mode of transportation changes, please contact me or the office.

Take Home Folders

Students will be given individual folders to bring their completed work or work that needs to
be completed home. The folders may also contain letters or information for the
parents/guardians. These folders will be sent home everyday and expected to be sent back
to school with the students every morning. I encourage you to try to check these folders
every evening so you dont miss any important information or the hard work your child is
doing.
Homework: I will sometimes send homework with some students if I believe they
need the extra practice and help. It will be to your discretion whether to have them do
it or not. There is only so much time in the day I have to work one-on-one with each
student, so giving them that extra attention in math or reading at home can make a
big difference in their growth as a learner.

Classroom Expectations/Philosophy
In our classroom, I try to encourage student responsibility for their behaviors and to problem
solving. A colored behavior chart is posted in the classroom with student numbers on
clothespins attached. All students begin in the middle of the chart everyday. When positive
behaviors are shown, students can move up the ladder. Negative behavior will send them
down the ladder. If students reach the top of the ladder, they will receive a small prize.
Students on orange will be given a small discipline as a reminder. Parents/Guardians are
contacted if the student reaches the bottom of the chart (red).
Another behavior management tool that will be used is Filling the Bucket. Based on
behavior ratings given by the specials teachers, a certain number of marbles will be added to
a bucket. When that bucket is full, we get to have a classroom party, whether it be pajama

day, movie day, etc. Just something fun and different to celebrate the kids positive behaviors
and hard work outside of the regular school day. With such a rigorous curriculum, I think it is
ok to step back and just let the kids, be kids.
At the start of the school year, the class will come together to create a contract of positive
things they can do in the classroom. This will encourage them to think of the type of negative
behaviors we dont want to see in first grade and how we can turn those around to have a
friendly, bully free classroom. Students will sign their name, as well as the specials teachers
and myself. This will serve as a sense of classroom responsibility and ownership, as well as a
daily reminder of what our classroom should look like everyday.

Curriculum
Otsego Public Schools implements the Common Core State Standards for first grade. If you
would like more information about this, feel free to contact me and I will send you some
links.

Specials Schedule:
Monday: Gym (12:30-1:00)
Music (1:00-1:30)
Tuesday: Tech (12:30-1:00)
Art (1:00-1:30)

Wednesday: Gym (12:30-1:00)

Thursday: Gym (12:30-1:00)

Friday: Tech (12:30-1)

Health (1-1:30)

Health (1:00-1:30)
Music (1:30-2:00)

Lunch: First grade will eat lunch at 11:40, after coming in from recess.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me with the following information:
Home phone: (555)-505-0505
Cell phone: (555)-050-5050
Email: adehn@teach.org