Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the First Grade! My name is Jennifer Crouse and I will be your new teacher this year. This will be my third year at Mountain View Elementary School. I graduated from Lees-McRae College with my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and I am very excited to be teaching your child this year. Mrs. Patty Sexton will be our Teaching Assistant this year. We both hope to see you at Open House on Friday, August 21, 2009 from 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m.

Here are just a few things that you need to know;

v       Please read each day with your child. One hundred (100) books is our goal for each child to read by the end of the year. I will be sending home a “Baggy Book” as soon as I assess your child’s reading level. When we start reading our “Baggy Books” you will receive a baggy with your child’s name and a book on his/her level. Please keep up with the log and the list that is inside of their baggy and return it daily. In the event that the book is damaged please know that you are responsible for the cost of the book.

v       Our Hefty One Zip School Bags will serve as our “Baggy Books” This bag also needs to travel with your child everyday because this will be where we both can put important items that we will need to see and possibly send back. On Friday’s you will receive your child’s Friday Take Home Folder. On the right pocket you will have a chance to look at what your child did for that week and that is for you to keep so you can continue practicing the skills we are learning. The left pocket is for items that you need to look at, sign and return back to school the following Monday (or next school day).

v       We will be sending home “Family Times” which gives additionally ideas to you for helping your child with reading. Please do as many of these activities as possible each week because they help reinforce our vocabulary and reading concepts throughout the year. Please look for this on the first day of each week.

v       Your child will be counted tardy if he/she is not in our room by 8:00 am. After the first week of school, we have found that it works best for the parent or older children to leave your first grader at the building door and let them come into the classroom all by themselves. Of course, if for any reason you need to see Mrs. Sexton or myself you are certainly welcome to come in. Please remember that you must have a pass from the office to enter any building on our campus.

v       If you child is absent, please send a note the day he/she returns or the absence will be coded as unexcused until a note is received. Any unexcused absence will have to be made up.

v       For your child’s safety, please let us know in writing if your child’s normal transportation plans change. If your child will be riding a different bus or riding home with someone different, we will need a note. This is school policy.

v       I will be in our room at 7:30 am. Students will be able to go to our classroom at 7:30 am. First bus loads will dismiss at 3:15 pm and car riders will be dismissed at approximately 3:20 pm.

v       When you send money to school please place it in an envelope or a baggy labeled with your child’s name on it and tell us how the money is to be spent.

v       We ask that you please pack your child a healthy snack and drink each day and label the bag with your child’s name on it.

v       Toys, including I-Pods, Cell Phones, and Gameboys, are not to be brought to school. If toys are found they will be taken and kept until you can come and pick them up from school.

v       Birthday Snacks are welcomed in our room to celebrate a child’s birthday. If you would like to provide a snack for our entire class to celebrate your child’s birthday please let me know a few days in advance. We usually give students with summer birthdays a chance to celebrate at the end of school in May.

v       There will not be any refunds for fieldtrips. This is school policy. Parent chaperons that wish to go on fieldtrips and are approved volunteers will be chosen randomly from a hat drawing.

v       We have P.E. every day this school year. Please make sure that if your child is not wearing tennis shoes that they bring a pair with them to school. No Heely’s are allowed at school!

v       We do not have bus assignments at this time. However, you will be given this information at Open House!

v       We are in need of small toys for our Prize Box for good behavior. If you are able to contribute it would be greatly appreciated! McDonald’s toys from Happy Meals work well for prizes.

v       We are also in desperate need of more children’s books for the students to read this year. If you could donate some children’s books that your child does not read any more, we would graciously accept them.

Mrs. Crouse’s First Grade Supply List

                               for the 2009-2010 School Year

ü    Book Bag (no wheels)

ü    Pencils (not mechanical)

ü    Pencil Bag or Box

ü    Pencil Erasers

ü    Crayons/Washable Markers  

ü    3 One-Subject Notebooks

ü    Glue Sticks

ü    Safety Scissors-Fiskar Recommended

***Optional Items to donate to your child’s classroom***

Ø    Kleenex

Ø    Computer Headphones- Student’s Own

Ø    Dry Erase Markers (fine tip) – student use                      

Ø    Gallon-Sized Ziploc baggies    

Ø    Quart-Sized Ziploc baggies

Ø    Clorox Wipes                  

Ø    Index Cards

Ø    Hand Sanitizer                    

Ø    Paper Towels