Classroom Handbook

Welcome to 1^st and 2^nd Grade! Please feel free to contact me throughout the school year if I can answer any questions or address any concerns you might have. The best way to reach me is by email, as I check my email periodically throughout the day. Additionally, I can be reached through the school office, by phone, before or after school.
Education is a partnership between the student, the teacher, and the parent. Let’s work together for the success of your child!

Mrs. Dina Territo
dterrito@steliz.net
(989)868-4108

1^st & 2^nd Grade Classroom Handbook 
(updated 8/14)

Beginning of the Day

School begins at 7:55 a.m. Students will put coat, book bag, lunchbox, etc. in their lockers, and change into their inside shoes. As students enter the classroom they will take the morning warm-up assignment from the top of the desk by the door. Students will use the first ten minutes of the morning to turn in homework assignments, notes to the teacher, lunch money, sharpen pencils and complete the morning warm-up assignment. The morning warm-up assignment is designed to be a review of concepts that all students can complete independently.

End of the Day

School ends at 3:05 p.m. Bus riders will exit the school from the doors on the west side of the building. Car riders will be brought for pickup to the main entrance. Parents should follow the one way direction into the parking lot and park their cars to wait for their children. When your child arrives, we ask that you please walk to the sidewalk to retrieve your child. 1^st and 2^nd graders will not be allowed to cross the traffic of the parking lot alone. Any student not picked up by 3:15 p.m. will be brought to the latchkey room. Please see Ms. Jill for childcare prices.

Prayers

Each morning we will walk to the cross for school-wide prayer and pledge at 8:05 a. m. We will pray in the classroom before lunch and at the end of the day.

1^st and 2^nd Grade Grading Policy

All graded assignments will receive one of three possible credits:

• A (1) indicates the student understands the concept being assessed
• A (2) indicates the student is progressing or was able to complete the work with teacher assistance
• A (3) indicates the student has failed to grasp the concept and needs further instruction/practice

Classwork/Homework Policy

Class time will be used to review previously taught concepts or introduce new ones. Most days, students will apply what they have learned by completing a classroom assignment. The student will be responsible to finish, during recess or free-time, any classroom assignment not completed during the allotted class time. If the class needs additional practice, a homework assignment will be assigned.

Students will record their assignments in their planners. Parents should check and sign the planner each day. Students are responsible for bringing their planners to school every day, together with their homework folder and the completed assignments. Most Friday afternoons, 1^st/2^nd grade students will bring home a homework packet for the week. Completed homework assignments will be due at the start of the school day. Students will place completed assignments in the basket by the door as they arrive in the morning.

Students need help in forming good study habits. By providing children with the materials they need and a quiet place to study, parents are helping their children acquire these study habits. It also helps if a study time is scheduled for each day of the week. Students should study their spelling words and read every night. Remember that students work at different paces; however you should expect your child to have approximately 15 minutes of homework each night.

Late Work

Homework, or classwork which was completed at home, will be due first thing in the morning. If homework (or classwork) is not turned in on time, the student will be required to complete it during recess. Late assignments will lose one grading level (a (1) will become a (2), or a (2) will become a (3). Assignments later than one day will not receive credit.

Make-up Work

Missing assignments, due to absence, will be allowed two additional days, per day absent, to be completed without being penalized or considered late. That is, if a student is absent on Monday, work is due on Thursday. When a child is absent, please call the school office early in the day to arrange for missed assignments to be placed in the office.  Missed assignments may be picked up at the end of the day.

Accelerated Reader

Each student will be assessed and given a reading goal, based on their assessment results, each marking period. While I do try to incorporate AR books into our reading lessons whenever possible, the program is designed to award students for reading done outside of the classroom and tested in school. Please encourage your children to read every night. As they complete a book, send the book into school so that they can test on it. If they are not able to bring the book in, write down the title and author and send that in with them. Students will have several opportunities to test throughout the week. However it is important for them to read nightly, and be ready to test several times a week, in order to reach their assigned goals.

We are lucky to have AR online. This means that there are many more books that can be tested in the classroom. You can check at home, online, if a book is an AR book by going to http://arbookfind.com and entering the title of the book. This site will also let you know how many points each book is worth.

Please consider volunteering to assist with AR testing in the classroom.

Mass

Mass will be held on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m.  If a Holy day falls during the week, there will be no mass on Wednesday. Parents are always welcome and encouraged to join us.  Please check your school handbook for the dress code for mass. Students will be required to attend an all-school mass on Saturday/Sunday during the following special events: Catholic School’s week, during Advent and Lent.  If students are not members of St. Elizabeth and have commitments in their home church, please notify me ahead of time. Special circumstances will be handled accordingly.  Attendance at Saturday or Sunday weekly Mass is highly recommended.

Recess

Most days we will have a brief morning recess and an afternoon recess. Recess is an important part of their day; they need the exercise, fresh air, and an opportunity to release stress and play with their friends. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for outside play. We go outside everyday unless the temperature and/or wind chill is 20 degrees or below.

Field Trips

We usually take several field trips during the school year. I encourage parents to participate when able. You will be notified in advance of any field trips and will be asked to complete a permission slip. Parents attending field trips must take the Virtus training and have the Diocese background check (ICHAT) completed.

School Newsletter

The school newsletter is sent home via email every Wednesday afternoon. This newsletter informs you about what is happening in our classroom and any special activities school-wide.

Transportation Changes

Please send a note to inform the school if there is a change in your child’s transportation to or from school. If a note is not possible, please call the school office as soon as possible, during the school day, to inform us of the change.

Star Student

This year, your child will have an opportunity to be “Star Student” for a week. While your child is the star, each day of the week will consist of an exciting event or activity to honor him or her and to help us to get to know our special classmate. A schedule and additional information for activities is available in your Back to School packet and on our class web page.

Classroom Celebrations

We will celebrate Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. As celebration dates near, please watch for a note with more information and consider volunteering to assist.

Birthdays

We will celebrate student birthdays throughout the course of the year. You are welcome to send in a special treat for the whole class that day. Please let me know if birthday celebrations are not a celebrated tradition in your family. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DUE TO SEVERAL STUDENT ALLERGIES, OUR CLASSROOM AND LUNCH TABLE MUST BE A NO PEANUT/PEANUT PRODUCT ZONE.

Water Bottles

We have a drinking fountain in our classroom. However, if you think it necessary, your child(ren) may bring a water bottle to keep at their desk. The bottle must have a sports cap in case the bottle tips over on their desk. Water bottles may be refilled in the classroom and I will remind students to take their bottles home on Fridays. However, if you would like your child to bring it home daily, please discuss this with him/her. Please be aware that 1^st/2^nd grade students are easily distracted. If the personal water bottle becomes a distraction, I will ask them to leave it at home.

Snacks

Each student will have his or her own snack container to keep a personal supply of individually wrapped healthy snacks (cheese and crackers, granola bars, raisins, etc.) in the classroom. Unfortunately we do not have refrigerator room for snacks. We will have a regular snack time every morning and an optional snack time at the end of the day.  PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DUE TO SEVERAL STUDENT ALLERGIES, OUR CLASSROOM AND LUNCH TABLE MUST BE A NO PEANUT/PEANUT PRODUCT ZONE. 

Book Orders

I will be sending book orders home throughout the year. I encourage you to order if interested. The books are usually at an economical price and the companies are very generous with donating books for the classroom with each order. If you choose to order something, please order online at  www.Scholastic.com/bookclubsto place your book orders and use our activation code JZ7TK. Or you may send in your order with a check, made payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.

Parent/Grandparent Volunteer Opportunities

Throughout the school year there the 1^st/2^nd grade classroom will have many opportunities for families to earn volunteer service hours. Parent/Grandparent assistance will be needed for classroom activities/school activities. There will also be project preparation assistance that can be completed at home. Please contact Mrs. Territo if you’d like more information.

Classroom Discipline

We will follow the Christian Behavior Expectations as outlined in the student handbook. Although I don’t anticipate any difficulties, consequences of student’s failure to follow the expectations will result in:

1) Two Warnings.

2) Oral/written reflection.

3) Student writes a letter to his parents/guardians explaining how he/she has failed to comply with the Christian Behavior Expectations and he/she commits to improve his/her behavior in writing by completing the Behavior Improvement Plan.

4) Loss of privilege: Individual circumstances will determine the loss of privilege, which will be logically related to the action.

5) Parents/Guardians will be called and the student will notify them of his/her inappropriate behavior. If parents cannot be contacted, both the student and the principal will inform them in writing.

6) Parents/Guardians are asked to meet with the Principal and the student.

7) Suspension: Student has repeatedly demonstrated inappropriate behavior or the nature of the behavior calls for the student to be separated from his/her group of peers.

8) Probation: Rereading and re-evaluating the behavior plan.

9) Expulsion: The school can no longer provide the student with services because of the student’s severe behavior.