September

September Newsletter 2006

No homework yet!

Dear Students and Parents,

We hope you have all had a nice summer. We have had a wonderful summer enjoying going to the beach, gardening and work. We have also learned many new things and are anxious to use our new skills with your children.

School begins on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 at 8:15 a.m. We are busy getting our classrooms ready for a great year. The K-1 wing is located behind the beach mural. Mrs. Cmaylo is in room 4 and Ms. Tushin in room 2.

The following items can be brought in with your child’s name on them.

· One backpack or school bag
· One large two inch, 3 ring binder with a clear plastic overlay (your child's portfolio)
· Your child's own lunch or lunch money. If you plan to visit, an adult lunch is $3.00 and it would be helpful if the kitchen could know in advance. It would be very helpful if you and your child review the menu each day, reminding them of their choices and reassuring them you have paid for their tickets on the first day of that week. The first thing your child does when entering the classroom is tell me their lunch and bus business.

· One healthy quick (15 minute) morning snack and a healthy drink. Drinks are and will be deducted from your child's account.
· 4.30 for a Time For Kids subscription (news-current events magazine) for the entire year. This news subscription will be used as a part of your child's awareness of current issues and social studies. Please make this check out to Time for Kids.

We will be sending book orders home about once a month. Enclosed is your child’s first book order. Please return this order (if you choose to order) by Friday, Sept. 15th. Ordering these allows us to build our classroom libraries using bonus points for books that children express an interest in.

We will be celebrating birthdays in a literacy fashion this year in first grade. You may send your child with a book that he/she is fond of for me to read, you may come in and read this favorite book with your child to the class or you may purchase a copy of your child's favorite book for the classroom library. We prefer not to eat as a part of a birthday celebration. You are welcome to send birthday invitations to school if you are inviting everyone in the class, otherwise, please mail your invitations so as not to hurt any child's feelings. The office provides a school directory to each family. Thank you.

We will welcome parent volunteers in the classroom as soon as the children are ready. Volunteer schedules will be discussed at First Grade Focus (our parent orientation meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 12th , 6:00 - 7:00). This is a meeting for parents only. We will explain our program and answer any questions you may have at this time.

September is spent getting to know each other (class lists with addresses will be forthcoming in the directory), learning new rules and routines inside and out, getting used to spending all day in school and away from our families. We will be learning about insects, adopting a class tree, working with our Teddy Bears. Please send your child in with a teddy bear. We will be using this for sorting, ordering, measuring, drawing and even snuggling. It is best if you don't send something your child sleeps with as the bears will spend the first couple of weeks here at school with us.

We truly believe to be successful; parents and teachers need to communicate with each other. Once school begins, please feel free to leave a message at the office or send a note and we will return your call. We look forward to meeting with all of you and having a spectacular first grade year.

Regards;

Mrs. Kathy Cmaylo

Ms. Christine Tushin

http://staff.msad71.net/kcmaylo/welcome_to_mrs.htm

http://staff.msad71.net/ctushin/Default.htm

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Dear Parents,

I prefer to keep the children entirely to myself for the first month of school allowing us to get to know one another and to familiarize the class with first grade routines. The first Monday in October we will begin our parent volunteer program.

The educating of our children is truly a team effort. Thank you in advance for your support. If anyone has scheduling conflicts please see me or drop a note and I’ll try to accommodate. This is a working document. I realize you are all busy people with changing schedules. Thank you.

Please remember to sign in at the office before coming to the classroom.

I would appreciate if you would sign and return the attached volunteer pledge.

Thank you,

Kathy Cmaylo

Name________________________________ Phone____________ Cell _______________

Mailing Address________________________ Email ___________

I can call people to organize supplies for a special event.

I will read with children two mornings a week.

I am available approximately 1 hour a week (or more) to assist children with reading and writing 1 on 1.

I can sit with a group of children in the classroom and help them complete a center activity. ( please choose a day below.)

10:00 - 11:00 (please indicate day) 4 parents daily ideal

Mon. , Tues. , Wed., Fri., - cooking class?

I am available to help the class in computer lab, 2 hours per week, an hour each day- two parents each hour____________________

I can help with photocopying, laminating, once or twice a week (whenever time permits, there will be a "parent container" with work ready).

I can prepare materials at home (i.e.. cover boxes with contact paper).

I am available to assist with letter formation using clay, glue, pencil , letter sounds, phonemic awareness,

Please put my name on calling list to donate supplies for special events and projects.

I have a special interest I would like to share with the children :

I am willing to commit organizing and running a weekly cooking class which coordinates with themes or countries.

I am willing to conduct a simple foreign language class .

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Maine Harvest Field Trip Permission Form

Where: Harris Farm

When: Friday, September 22, 2,005

Time: 9:15 – 11:15

Cost: $4.00 per person

Chaperones: Two allowed in addition to teacher

· Students are encouraged to eat a hearty breakfast since we will not have time to snack before we leave and will not be bringing food on the bus.

· Students should dress in layers as the weather is unpredictable at this time of year.

· Boots or old sneakers are a good idea since it is sometimes muddy.

This trip will give a hands-on experience of a Maine farm and will be used to develop our harvest unit, compare farming today with long ago, and will introduce the terms consumer, products and harvest. We will be sending home the bounty except for the pumpkin and will use it as a part of our science, social studies and math work.

Please discuss the field trip with your child and help us reinforce their learning about what grows on farms, where the products go from the farm and where consumers buy them. We will estimate the weight of the pumpkins, the # of lines, the # of seeds and label the parts of a pumpkin.

Children will complete a self-evaluative form about their behavior on the trip and the terms they learned. This form will be in their portfolios where they can revisit it at a later time.

Thank you,

Kathy Cmaylo

Christine Tushin

First Grade

I give my child _________________________________permission to attend the

(Child’s name)

Harris Farm Field trip. If there is a cancellation due to weather, this permission form will be valid for the rain date. __________________________________

Signature date

I am interested in attending this trip. ___________________________________

Name