Mrs. Norris�������������������� Mrs. Smith

WELCOME TO LIFE SKILLS CLASS

Dear Parents;

�� My name is Wanda Norris and I am your child's teacher for this school year.� I have been working at BSMS for eight years.� All of those years I have been teaching students with special needs.� I also have five years of experience teaching ESE in Ohio.

� I am very excited to be teaching your son/daughter this year. �I am also looking forward to your child working at his/her fullest potential and accordingly individualize my teaching strategies and methods.

� I also have a full time teacher assisstant, Celeste Smith, who works along with me.�She has�a great professional knowledge and�experience working in Life Skills class for eight years.

� This web page will be updated weekly.� Please feel free to communicate with me in any way you prefer: e-mail, phone call, or writing in your child's planner.

The Life Skills class will follow the adopted curriculum, Targeted Life Skills: The Curriculum and Assessment Profile.� This curriculum focuses on five domain areas: community, domestic, recreation/ leisure, vocational, and functional academics.� Students are taught skills in each domain with a hands on, real life approach which includes community based instruction (CBI).

CBI trips differ from feld trips in that they may include going to local businesses, restaureants, and other community sites.� Students may be learning skills such as crossing the street, eating in a restaurant, and much more.� Students will be supervised by their teacher and teacher assistant on all CBI trips.

The information below explains what subject each period is and the skills that were used to calculate the student's grade.� Please understand that your child's grade is based largely on participation and effort.� Aquarterly report will better represent your child's individual progress based on their IEP goals.

1. Reading -Compass lab scores from our reading computer lab where students work on their own level.� Skills such as letter identification, beginning and ending sounds, and comprehension are practiced.� Grades are also based on phonics assignments done in the classroom.�
2. Edmark - We use two edmark programs, the first one is a sight word curriculum that teaches common words from the student's environment such as fast food words, groccery store words and community words.� The second is a reading program that teaches the students to read words most comonly found in 1st and 2nd grade levels.
3. Vocational/Social- Beginning words that relate to employment such as, attend to directions, seek help when needed, maintain the organized work area, and working well with others.� Skills involved in having a conversation; using eye contact, using the person's name, greeting them appropriately, asking questions about a specific topic.
4. Community/Recreational��-Trips into a community, such as a library, playground, and a groccery store.� Students are graded on the skills that go along with each field trip.
5. Personal Skills -Being prepared with their planner, having it signed, following rules, listening to the teacher and having homework.� This grade is directly related to how many points your child receives, which is recorded� on their take home sheets that they bring home every day�in their homework folder.
6. PE
7. Math- Number recognition, number to number corespondence,adding, subtracting, counting money, and time.

HOMEWORK Every day, starting Monday through Thursday, your child has Phonics/Reading page and Math page to do.� She/He will bring it in a Homework Folder and on Friday homework is graded and grades go home.� Your child's homework is designed individually and based on your child's needs in two main academic areas.: Reading and Math.

In addition, every day your son/daughter needs to show his/her Student Planner and obtain your signature for the day.� WE use Student Planner to communicate with parents on a daily basis.

Classroom Point System

1.  Be prepared for the day by having homework, pencil, and planner on your desk

    in the morning

2.  Have planner signed by a parent.

3.  Have homework

4.  Follow classroom rules

5.  Listen to the teachers

Privelages/Punishments based on Point System

5 points- 15 minutes of free time and sticker on board

4 points- 10 minutes of free time

3 points- 5 minutes of free time and a conference with teacher

2 points- no free time and a note sent home

1 point- no free time, lunch detention with me and phone call home

0 points- phone call home and after-school detention