K-1 Multi-Age Handbook By Mrs. Benecke

K-1 Multi-Age
Handbook
By Mrs. Benecke
Rev. 8.24.11

Table of Contents
Welcome Letter
Contact Info
Classroom Rules
Emailing Mrs. Benecke
Classroom Website
Walgreens Group Room
District Website
Backpack and Folder Check
Notes from Mrs. Benecke
Weekly Newsletters
Monthly Calendars
Homework
Chips and Money
Catch Me At My Best
Quiet Time and Exploration Time
Tooth Brushing
Hot and Cold Lunch
Daily Snack and Milk Break
Cookie Day
Library Books
Book orders
T-Shirt Days and Color Days
Box Tops
Milk caps
PTA
But Wait… There’s More!
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Welcome back to an exciting new school year! Since last school year,
there have been several staff changes for Land O’ Lakes Elementary,
including me! I have been asked to teach a K-1 multi-age class this
year, and am looking forward to being your child’s teacher!
This will be my 20 th year of teaching Kindergarten in Land O’ Lakes, and
my FIRST year of teaching First Grade. Since learning of this new
position, I’ve sought guidance from colleagues who have experience
teaching First Grade, and have spoken with an area teacher who has
done a K-1 multi-age class for years. Please know that I will do my best
with this new teaching experience, will ask others for guidance when I’m
unsure, and will do all I can to help this be a successful and challenging
year for your child.
In this year’s K-1 multi-age class, we will have 16 students (4
Kindergartners and 12 First Graders). So that our First Graders, some
who have had me for the past two years, feel like they are “growing
up,” we will be using the First Grade classroom, with desks for our First
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Graders and a table for our Kindergartners. So that our Kindergartners
do not feel like they’ve skipped Kindergarten completely, we will also be
using the Kindergarten classroom for part of the day! This way the
students can enjoy “the best of both worlds,” so to speak! ☺
It is sure to be a busy year with LOTS of learning opportunities, not only
for the kids but for me as well! There will be plenty of opportunities for
our young students to explore, make discoveries, and learn about the
world around them. We will work together to develop social skills, to
learn responsibility, and to make good choices. My goal is to help your
child develop an “I CAN!” attitude and an enthusiasm for life-long
learning.
I am excited for the year ahead and look forward to working with you,
their parents/guardians… their first “teachers”… so that we can make
this a truly memorable year for your child.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you should have any
questions, comments, or concerns throughout the year!
Contact Contact Information Information: Information
By Phone: 715-547-3619 (school office)
715-479-2244 (home)
By Email: cbenecke@npsd.k12.wi.us
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Classroom Classroom Rules
Rules
At the beginning of the school year, our class will discuss our K-1
classroom rules, also known as “The 4 Be’s”
The The 4 4 Be’s
Be’s
1. Be a good listener.
2. Be kind to everyone.
3. Be safe.
4. Be the best student you can be!
We will refer to the classroom rules often, especially early in the school
year, to discuss if a given behavior is following them. For example, we
may discuss if taking another child’s marker without asking is that being
kind (rule #2), or we may discuss if a student running in the hallway is
being safe (rule #3. Through these discussions, your child may begin to
self-regulate their behavior and question if their behavior is following our
established rules.
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Emailing Emailing Emailing Me Me: Me
Please note: If I am at school, my email program is opened, and I
check it periodically throughout the day. If I see emails from parents, I
do my best to respond at my earliest convenience (i.e. recess, when kids
are in specials), but sometimes this may not occur until after school,
depending on our schedule. A “rule of thumb” to follow is, if you didn’t
hear back from me, I haven’t read it yet.
If you are contacting me with urgent information that needs immediate
attention (i.e. Jimmy will be picked up today), please feel free to share
this information with our school secretary via phone (715-547-3619) or
email (bhayner@npsd.k12.wi.us), to insure that we get the message
before the end of the school day.
Classroom Classroom Classroom Website Website: Website (www.npsd.k12.wi.us/faculty/cbenecke)
On our classroom site, you will find copies of our Weekly Newsletters,
links to sites our K-1Parents/Guardians may wish to visit throughout the
year (Our Walgreens Group Room to view photos, or Sholastic for book
orders).
Our website also features a “Links for Kids” page, which your child is
welcome to visit from home as well. It will feature educational webbased
games appropriate for Kindergarten students. We will start off the
year with a small selection of sites/games and will be adding to the page
each month.
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Walgreens Walgreens Group Group Room
Room
We have our own digital camera in the classroom and I use it OFTEN!
Those of you who know me, know that posting pictures of my students
on the Internet has just not been something I am comfortable with. That
is, until now...
Through the Walgreens Website, I can control who can view the pictures
I post, which gives me tremendous peace of mind! I have set up a
"group room" that only those with a code can access. Only those who
are registered with Walgreens (for a photo center account), and have our
access code (LOLK1) will be able to view the pictures. The link is
http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/groups/benecke, and can also be
found on our classroom website.
Throughout the year, I will be uploading "folders" of pictures for you to
enjoy. Please know that your child will also be receiving a photo CD at
the end of the school year, so please don't feel like you have to order
any prints, although that option is available.
District District Website
Website
Our District’s website address is www.npsd.k12.wi.us. Feel free to check
the site for information about the schools in our District, School Board,
and Food Service. The District website is also where to look for monthly
lunch menus, as well as activities calendars for the District.
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Should school need to be cancelled, you will see a message indicating
that school has been cancelled/delayed due to inclement weather (snow,
ice, too cold), on the “home page.”
You can also access your family’s Food Service activity and current
account balances.
Backpack Backpack & Folder Check
Check
It is very important that you get in the habit of checking your child’s
backpack each day. Your child may sometimes be bringing important
notes home that may need your immediate attention - which I will try to
put on colored paper. It is also a good time for you to review the work
that your child is bringing home.
We will be using a “backpack folder” to help transport papers/notes to
and from school. Each morning, students will be asked to bring their
folders into the classroom, where I will check them for any notes, lunch
money, etc. from home. Don’t worry; I usually count the folders daily to
see that all of them make it into the classroom each day.
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Notes Notes Notes from from Mrs. Mrs. Benecke
Benecke
From time to time, I will be sending home notes to parents/guardians of
individual students or of the entire class. To make them easier to spot,
the heading may read “A Note from Mrs. Benecke” on the top of the
letter. When I have time to get to a printer, I will put these notes on
colored paper so they stand out among the rest of your child’s “mail”
and homework.
Please try to read these important notes as soon
as possible. At times they will simply be
informational (to let you know about a missing
library book or an upcoming event), while other
times, they may require your immediate attention.
Weekly Weekly Newsletters
Newsletters
Newsletters will be sent home on a regular basis (usually Mondays).
These newsletters are my way of letting you know what we are learning
about in school each week, important things going on, possible homework
assignments, as well as important dates to keep in mind. I will also be
posting these newsletters on our classroom website.
Monthly Monthly Calendar
Calendar
Each month a calendar will be sent home with your child. These
calendars will highlight some important dates (PTA meetings, field trips,
special presentations, student birthdays, etc.).
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Homework
Homework
As you parents/guardians know, homework is an extension of what is
learned at school. There will be times throughout the year that your
child will have homework to complete. Typically only our First Graders
will have regularly scheduled homework assignments, while the
Kindergartners will not. There may be times, however, that I will assign
homework to both the Kindergartners and First Graders.
Because some homework coming home may be due back at school the
next day, it is a good idea to get in the habit of checking your child’s
folder daily. As with life, there will be consequences for not getting the
work done. Incomplete homework assignments may result in lost
recess/exploration time (during which your child will work on the given
assignment) and/or loss of a chip (see description of our Chips and Money
behavior program below).
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Chips Chips and and Money
Money
As an incentive for following our K-1 expectations, but also as a
consequence for not following them, our class will be using the “Chips
and Money” program. Through this program, students will be rewarded
for positive efforts at school, but will also understand that there are
negative consequences for poor behavior choices. As with any behavior
program, the goal is for students to learn from their mistakes and to
become positive role models in society.
The program works as follows. Students will begin each school day with
5 plastic chips. The object is for students to keep their chips throughout
each school day by demonstrating the appropriate behaviors that are
expected of them.
At the end the day, students will exchange their chips
for “money.” For each chip kept, the child will earn a
plastic penny. Accumulated pennies can also
eventually be exchanged for nickels, dimes, and
quarters. Essentially, this program will help your child
understand coins and how they are interchangeable.
In addition, on one day a week (I have not decided yet, but am
tentatively planning it for Fridays), the students will have the opportunity
to go “shopping” with the coins they have earned. Items will be
available for 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and 75¢.
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Consequences:
Should a child choose to stray from the appropriate behaviors expected of
them, there will be consequences for this choice. These consequences
may include verbal warnings, loss of chips, loss of recess/exploration time,
meeting with principal, and/or parent conference requests.
• 1 st offense: The student will be given a verbal warning and will be
reminded of the rule that was broken. Please note that even if it
is the 1 st offense, any physical altercations, such as hitting, punching
or kicking will result in an immediate loss of 2 chips.
• 2 nd offense: The student will be reminded again of the rule that
was broken, and will be asked to turn in a chip.
• 3 rd offense: The student will be asked to turn over another chip
and will lose a recess or Exploration Time, depending on the time
of the occurrence. During this time, the student will be required to
write a note home with an explanation of what happened. Parents
will need to sign and return the note to school.
• 4 th offense: The student will be asked to turn over another chip
and may be required to miss more recess or Exploration times. A
meeting with the principal, Mr. Foster, may also be scheduled.
• 5 th offense: The student will be asked to turn over another chip.
Parents will be asked to come in for a conference to discuss the
repeated behavior.
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Other Misc. Information About Chips and Money:
• Students may have the opportunity to earn back lost chips by
correcting their behavior.
• Should the whole class complete the day without anyone losing their
chips, the class will earn DOUBLE MONEY that day! This will help
students not only monitor their own behavior, but help others as
well, so everyone benefits.
• Students are responsible for keeping track of their own chips and
money.
Catch Catch Catch Me Me Me At At At My My My Best Best
Best
In addition to the Chips and Money program, our class will participate in
the school-wide Catch Me At My Best program. Students earn “Catch Me
At My Best” slips, by demonstrating good social skills (helping others,
showing good manners, showing respect for others), by modeling good
behaviors, and by following directions. These slips can be distributed by
any staff member at the school, not just the child’s teacher. The student
then writes his/her name on the slip and puts it into their classroom slip
container. Slips are later drawn from these containers at our monthly T-
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Shirt day assemblies (held during lunch) or during our quarterly Color
Day assemblies and those students earn
a prize.
Quiet Quiet Time Time & & Exploration Exploration Time
Time
One concern I had when asked to do a
K-1combination was how to handle rest
time, which we traditionally have in Kindergarten, but is usually not
continued into First Grade. After speaking with a veteran teacher who
taught a K-1 multi-age classroom for years, I have decided to offer the
option of rest time to our First Graders this year as well.
During our Quiet Time portion of the day, our First Grade students will
have the opportunity to choose quiet activities, such as writing, reading,
drawing, and so on. Our First Graders will also have the option to lie
down and rest with their Kindergarten friends. For this reason, although
not required or listed on the supply list, parents/guardians of First
Graders are asked to consider sending a rest mat for their child to use.
Please know that I will also have several previously donated rest mats
available for use.
Similarly, playtime has traditionally been provided in Kindergarten, but
has not been a daily part of a First Grade classroom. Because I believe
strongly that play provides opportunities for young children to explore,
interact, and make discoveries about the world around them, I have
decided to provide it to all K-1 students. My plan is to provide these
Exploration Times in both classrooms during the week, so students will
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have the opportunity to interact with the materials found in both
classrooms.
During both our Quiet Time and our Exploration Time, I may be asking
individuals or groups of students to come work for a short period with
me. These pull-asides will give me an opportunity to help students
individually work to develop in areas of weakness, to test students on
grade-level skills, or to complete projects needing more guidance.
Tooth Tooth BBrushing
B rushing
Our school partners with the Northwoods Dental Project. The Northwoods
Dental Project is a public-private partnership that provides community
members in Forest, Oneida and Vilas Counties access to oral health care.
Through our partnership, students at our school brush their teeth daily
after lunch, with toothbrushes and paste provided by the Northwoods
Dental Project.
Hot Hot Hot and and Cold Cold Lunch Lunch
Lunch
The K-1 students will sit together for lunch at a table designated for our
class, regardless of whether they are having hot or cold lunch.
Please note that we do not refrigerate or microwave student cold lunch
items. Also, students having cold lunch can either bring a beverage from
home (no glass containers and no soda please) or they can select a milk
to have at lunchtime for a 40¢ fee (charged to family lunch account).
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I will ask the children each morning if they are having hot or cold lunch
and will submit your child’s lunch card (for electronic charging) to the
kitchen staff for processing.
Feel free to submit any payments to school with your child (for hot
lunch, lunch milk, or snack milk) in the form of checks, made out to the
NPSD Food Service Dept. in an envelope with your child’s name on it,
and we will forward it to them for you.
A copy of the lunch menu will be sent home with your child each month.
It is also available on the District’s website, under the “Food Service
Information” link.
Daily Daily Snack Snack & & Milk Milk Break
Break
We will have a snack and milk break every
day. Periodically, throughout the year, the
children will be asked to bring in a snack for
the class. It is preferable that you send in
larger packages of food, because they are less
costly and last a long time. For example, a
box of cereal would last us SEVERAL snack
periods. Examples of large-package snacks
that have been popular with the kids include
cereal, graham crackers, cereal bars, saltine
crackers, fruit bars, cookies, pretzels, or any
frozen treats are also popular examples.
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You would also be more than welcome to send smaller portion, perishable
snacks like cheese, yogurt cups, or mixed vegetables. We would just
make sure we use those right away.
And, of course, we would welcome any special occasion snacks, like if
you’d like to send a special treat on your child’s birthday or if you just
get the urge to bake something up for us.
When our snack supply is running low, I will send out a “Snack Alert”
sheet asking you to send another large-package item. We are sure to
thank the child who brought the snack in, so feel free to write your
child’s name on the package (otherwise, I’ll do it when it gets to school).
Cookie Cookie Cookie Days
Days
Our school’s Relay for Life team holds Cookie Days throughout the year
(usually the 1 st and 3 rd Thursday of the month). Cookies, bars, and/or
Mrs. Schindelholz’s “Snack Bag Surprise” (may contain pretzels, cereal,
goldfish crackers, etc.) are prepared & donated by staff, and available for
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25¢. Proceeds from all sales go to non-profit groups, such as the
American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, and 2000 Smiles Apart.
Cookie Day reminders will be coming home with your child a day or two
before these special days.
Library Library Books
Books
Our class will be going to the library two times a week. Once will be
with our librarian, Mrs. Heeg (Tuesdays) and once will be with just me
(Fridays). Your child will be allowed to check out library books on both
days, provided that he/she does not already have a book out.
When your family has finished sharing the book, please return it to
school. If a book is lost or damaged, please notify the school. A
replacement fee may be charged for lost or damaged books.
Book Book Orders
Orders
Book orders will be sent home with your
child each month. For every dollar spent,
our class will earn bonus points. These bonus
points are then used to acquire books &
other educational materials for our classroom.
To order, simply fill out the form found on the back page of the book
order brochure. Return it to school with a check to the book club
(usually Scholastic). No cash please.
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You will also be able to place your orders online using the Scholastic
Book Clubs site at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. This link is also
available on our classroom website.
Similar to how the Walgreens site handles our class Group Room, you will
need to provide some registration information to verify who you are.
You will then be provided with a username and password that can be
used all year. During your registration process, you will also need to
enter our unique Class Activation Code ~ H4R6Y H4R6Y. H4R6Y
You will then be able to use the same username and password each time
you log in and place your orders throughout the year, using Scholastic’s
secure server. All classroom and website orders will then be delivered
here to our classroom and will be sent home with your child.
T-Shirt Shirt Day Days Day & & Color Day Days Day
Toward the end of each month, we will have “T-Shirt Day.” I will try to
either include this date on our monthly calendars, on our weekly
newsletters, or I’ll send a small reminder note as we near that day. On
these days, students are encouraged to show their school pride by
wearing green – our school color.
Once each quarter, we will have a whole-school assembly, which we call
Color Day. Similar to our monthly T-Shirt Days, students are asked to
wear green. During these assemblies, classroom awards are presented,
special announcements are made, and prizes are awarded through the
“Catch Me At My Best” program.
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Box Box Tops
Tops
Our school participates in the General Mills Box Tops for
Education program, with me serving as the Box Tops
Coordinator for our school. ☺ Box Tops can be found
on many brands of foods including General Mills, Betty
Crocker, Progresso, and more! For each Box Tops turned
in, our school earns 10¢.
Each month, we will count the Box Tops and announce which class has
collected the most Box Tops. The winning class will get to display the
“Box Tops trophy” until the next month’s totals are announced. I, as the
Box Tops coordinator, also challenge the whole school to beat my “Box
Tops Challenge,” which is 5000 this year. If students beat my challenge,
they receive a classroom cereal party sponsored by the Box Tops
program.
In years past, we have also had a partnership with the Headwaters State
Bank. Through this partnership, the bank has matched funds raised
through the Box Tops program to a maximum of $500. We are hoping
they will once again agree to be our partner in the Box Tops for
Education program.
Milk Milk Caps Caps
Caps
Our school also collects the specially-marked milk caps.
Each cap is worth 5¢ for our school. We ask that you
please rinse your caps before you send them in.
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PTA
PTA
Please consider joining our Parent Teacher Association. It is a great way
to become involved in your child’s school! Notices about the monthly
meetings will be coming home with your child. I will also try to include
these dates on our monthly calendar. Please feel free to attend some or
all of these meetings… your input IS important! The PTA typically
sponsors several special school events (presentations, field trips, etc.)
throughout the year, so whether to join or not, please consider
volunteering to help.
But But Wait… Wait… There’s There’s More More! More
I realize this booklet has just touched the surface of many of classroom
and school procedures that you may be wondering about. Because I am
new to this K-1 multi-age setting as well, I do not have all the answers
right now. I can, however, assure you that I will send informational
notes home during the year that will describe some of our other
classroom practices once they have been established (and tweaked where
needed).
If you should have ANY question, comments, or concerns, please do not
hesitate to contact me. You may also contact our principal, Scott Foster,
by calling (715) 547-3619 or emailing sfoster@npsd.k12.wi.us.
Thank you for taking the time to look over our informational booklet! I
look forward to the year ahead of us, and I hope you are too! ☺
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