Welcome to

Mrs. Swart's

First Grade Classroom

Our Schedule

8:45                   Arrival

8:50-9:15           Morning Meeting

9:20-9:40           Rotation 1 of 90-Minute ELA Block

9:40-10:00          Rotation 2 of 90-Minute ELA Block

10:00-10:15         Rotation 3 of 90-Minute ELA Block

10:15-10:30        Rotation 4 of 90-Minute ELA Block

10:30-10:50       Whole Group ELA

10:50-11:20         LUNCH

11:25-12:05         Specials      

                          Monday- Music 

                          Tuesday- Art

                          Wednesday- PE

                          Thursday- Library

                           Friday- PE      

12:05-12:20        Math Meeting

12:20-12:50        Writer's Workshop     

12:50-1:30          Math        

1:30-2:00           Recess         

2:00-2:10           Snack

2:10-2:50           Science/Social Studies/Art        

3:00                 Dismissal

 

 

Supply List 

Details of Daily Routines

  

 

CLASS PARTIES: Periodically throughout the year, we will have parties in school. About 2-3 weeks before the party date, I will write to ask for refreshment donations, or the room parent will call you and request a specific item. If you are unable to supply the requested item, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I will ask another parent. I will keep track of who donates when, so everyone will have a chance to contribute to one of the parties. 

 

DISMISSAL: If your child needs to be picked up by someone, go to a different house after school, or has any other change in dismissal, please send in a note at least 24-hours in advance. At the very least, the office requires notice by 12:00pm on the day of change. Put the note in your child’s folder. I will send the notes to the office first thing in the morning so we can be ready at the needed time. If someone will be picking up your child, the school requires that they sign for your child. There is a sign out table manned by one of our secretaries to insure that your child leaves with the person you designated. The person picking up your child may be asked to show ID. This is to protect the safety of our kids. Thank you so much for your cooperation!

 

EXCUSES: ABSENCES/TARDY: If your child is late for school, please bring them to the office to sign them in before they come to the room. If your child is absent from or late to school, please send in a note when they return that includes the following:

Your child’s name

Mrs. Swart

Date of absence or tardiness and reason

 

EXTRA CLOTHES: Please send in a set of extra clothes including underwear to keep at school. You can put the clothes in a jumbo size zip lock bag or a grocery bag. Label the clothes and the bag with your child’s name. Your child will keep his/her extra clothes in their “cubby.” Accidents happen when you least expect them (even if they haven’t happened in years)! It makes for less embarrassment and less wasted time if your child can use their own clean clothes instead of waiting for you to bring a fresh set from home.

 

HOMEWORK: There will be math and/or reading homework most every day. I will be providing all students with folders that will be used as a homework folder. Homework is very important. Research has shown that children who are most successful in school are those that regularly do homework. PLEASE look for this folder everyday, check to make sure your child does their homework, that they understand it, puts it back in the folder, and brings the folder to school the next day. There will be a weekly spelling test on the last day of the week. The list will come home on the last day of the previous week for your child to keep home and study. 

 

LABELING: Please write your child’s name clearly on all jackets, sweaters, book bags, lunch boxes, and boots, etc. Often times, children have identical items and are unable to tell which is theirs.

 

LUNCH AND MILK: You can send in lunch money for one lunch at a time or for multiple lunches, or take care of it on-line. Prices for lunches and milk at lunchtime are included on the monthly menu. Your child may be responsible for their own money. If you would like me to hold on to their money, please put it in a labeled envelope or baggie. 

 

LUNCH TREATS: If your child is buying a snack in the cafeteria, I ask that they eat at least half of their lunch first. Please keep in mind that we are in the cafeteria for a limited amount of time so there may be some days when your child may not have enough time to get a snack. Snack will be limited to one day a week.  Children will be allowed to purchase a snack might it be ice cream or a bag of chips on Fridays. Children cannot be left in the cafeteria to finish a snack. Please put the money in an envelope and labeled.

 

NUMBERS: Each year I number the students from 1-18 (or however many students are in the class). I do this for no other reason than to organize things for myself. The students get use to writing the number, and they know that it is used for me to put papers in order quickly, partner people, sort through folders quickly, etc. I just wanted to inform you about this so you weren’t wondering why there was a random number coming home on everything.

 

MAILBOXES: Each child will have an assigned mailbox in the classroom. This idea is meant to build responsibility and organization. It may take the first couple of weeks of us working together to each child on the same page for this idea, as it is a bit different from their habits from last year. Each day I will place homework sheets and any papers from the office that need to go home in each child’s mailbox. At the assigned time, each child will take their papers out and organize them in their homework folder to go home. Each week I will be also be sending home an overview of homework. This letter will let you know what we are working on for the week so that you can reinforce it at home, as well as what you can expect to see coming home for homework each night and plan accordingly. 

 

RECESS: The children go out for a 30 minute play period, weather permitting. Please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather. If it is necessary for your child to stay inside for more than three days, a doctor’s excuse is required. We encourage all children to take part in outside recess. If your child needs to stay in, they will go to another supervised area. Children may bring their own toys to play with at recess. However, they are responsible if something gets broke or lost.

 

SNACK: We have a snack time every day in our classroom. I will provide snack for the first week of school. A snack schedule will come home monthly. September’s calendar will come home during the first week of school. On the day your child’s name appears, please send in a snack for the entire class. Your child will be scheduled to bring in a snack on their birthday or on a day close to their birthday. Please send in a snack for 20 children. Please notify me if you are unable to send in a snack on your scheduled day. If there is not enough of a previous snack left to pass out, the children will not have one that day. We will not have morning milk. You may send in a drink box or pouch for your child.