Mrs.

Carpenters 1st Grade Class

I am so excited to begin a year full of new experiences and learning with your child!
Since you are your childs biggest advocate I want you to be aware of what your child
should expect while in my classroom. I try to make my classroom a place where
students feel safe and comfortable so they can learn and grow. Students in my class
are taught from the beginning of the year that every child has different strengths and
weakness, and that mistakes help us to learn. I expect the students to participate in
creating this safe, comfortable learning environment. Students are explicitly taught
the expected procedures and behaviors which we practice and review daily.
Students learn the benefits of good choices as well as the consequences of poor
choices should they choose not to follow these established routines and rules.
Classroom Rules:
1. Hands, feet, body, and objects to yourself. Put your things away.
2. Raise your hand for questions and answers. Use correct hand signals. Mouth
silent.
3. Use appropriate language, speak politely, praise others.
4. Follow directions the 1st time given. Listen at all times.
5. Treat others with kindness and respect. Work quietly.
6. Always be prepared, always do your best!
Curriculum:

Saxon Math
The Spalding Method (for language arts)
Writers Workshop
Core Knowledge (covers science, history and geography, art, and music)
Kodai (the school music program with Ms. Perkins)
P.E. (with Ms. Daniels)
Library (with Ms. Beckstrand)

Attendance:
Please make every effort to have your child in class and on time. I understand that
there are times when an absence or tardy is unavoidable. However, it is important
that your child be in class during school hours as we fill the day with learning from
the moment school begins until we pack up our backpacks at the end of the day. The
majority of the daily material we cover in class cannot be sent home to be made up.
Because the learning experiences and activities throughout the day are so important
and cannot always be assigned a grade, students are given Daily Participation Points.
Five points are available each day. Points for the week will be recorded in Aspire each
Friday. The participation points are given as follows:
1 pt. student is at school

1
1
1
1

pt.
pt.
pt.
pt.

student
student
student
student

is
is
is
is

on time to school
at school the entire day (not checked out early)
demonstrating their best effort/behavior throughout the day
in correct Odyssey uniform

Please notify me and the school as soon as possible if your child will be absent.
Excused absences must be approved through the office. If a students absence is
known to parents ahead of time, a Scheduled Absence Notification should be filled
out and turned in to the office. Any assignments that your child misses due to
absences must be made up upon returning to school. This applies to illnesses as well
as planned absences due to vacations, family events, etc. I will not be able to provide
assignments for your child to complete before or during scheduled absences. These
must be completed upon the students return. If assignments are available on my
website, these may be printed off and completed if desired. Students have the same
number of days as absences to make up all missed work.
Communication:
My main form of communication is email. I will send home an email at the beginning
of each week outlining the topics coming up. At the beginning of the week I will send
home email reminders of important information, topics to be covered in class, and
upcoming events. If you have a concern, email is the easiest way to get ahold of me.
I try to respond as quickly as I can. You can also call and speak with me at school.
Please do not to call the classroom during class time if possible. My focus during the
day needs to be on the students. Our class schedule is on the website. I have no
students and can speak briefly with you at recess, lunch, music, and P.E. times. After
carpool I can speak with you if a longer conversation is needed. I am always happy
to meet with you in person. Just let me know and we will schedule a meeting time.
I post information to our class website regularly. The website contains information
about what we are learning, about the curriculum, reminders, homework, and tools
for you to use at home. I update the website at the beginning of each week.
I am also using the Bloomz app this for quick updates, photos of class activities, our
class calendar, management of volunteers, and class reminders. If you have not
signed up the process is very simple. The directions can be found on my website.
Our school uses Aspire to keep track of student grades. This is an important tool for
you to become familiar with. Please check it often to be sure your child is getting all
of their work turned in! You can also sign up for weekly updates to get an email with
info on your child(ren)s grades. If you have not set up Aspire the directions can be
found on my website. If you do not know your childs student ID number let me know
and I will get it to you.
Homework:

We try to keep homework to a minimum, but there are some things the students are
expected to do in order to support what they are learning in class.
Reading Research has consistently shown that daily reading leads to
academic gains and greater success in school. Students are expected to read at
home for at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Beginning in September, a
monthly reading calendar will be sent home with your child. Students will keep
track of their reading minutes for the entire month. At the end of the month,
these calendars are to be returned to school for a grade. This is a big chunk
of the homeroom grade. As students are learning to read, you can take
turns reading with them. As they become more proficient, their reading turns
should become longer and longer until they are reading the full 20 minutes on
their own. (Some students are already at this point.) The schools Home
Reading Program is an excellent source of reading material at the appropriate
reading level for your child to practice at home.
Book Reports - Every month, students will be assigned a book report from a
specific genre. Books for this book report should be quality/classical books like
those from the Odyssey approved reading list found under the Book Report
tab on Odysseys website (http://www.odysseycharter.net/programs/bookreports). Be sure the book chosen is in the genre specified for the month. If
there is a book that your child would like to read and you are not sure if it is
quality literature or if it fits the genre for the month, e-mail me the title and I
will let you know if it will work. Book reports are graded so students need to do
their best work. This includes neat handwriting, colors and/or decorations,
following the instructions that accompany the book report, and turning in the
book report on time.
Math students should expect homework each night to practice the material
they are learning in their Saxon math class. Most homework will be the B side
of the worksheet started in class and a fact practice worksheet.
Phonograms students in my language arts group will have phonogram sounds
to review each night to help them master the 70 phonogram sounds. This is a
crucial part of the Spalding method used in Language Arts. Students will also
have spelling words to review for a weekly spelling test. Students in other
teachers language arts class are asked to work on the phonograms at home to
help them become automatic when working with these sounds. There are
flashcards and a link to audio files on my website to help you as you work with
your child.
Spotlights:
Each student will have the opportunity to be spotlighted in our class. This helps us to
get to know each other better, and each child has the opportunity to share the things
that are important to them. I will send out a spotlight schedule soon so you know
when your childs spotlight will be. I will also notify you by email the week before

your childs spotlight date. Students are invited to bring a poster and tell us a little
bit about themselves. The poster can be any size, just no bigger than a standard size
poster board. Students can include anything about themselves or their family theyd
like. Pictures are fun to share if you have some available. Students can also draw
pictures of things they like. We will have 10 minutes to share spotlights after lunch
on Mondays. As a class we write about some of the things we are learning about our
classmates. It will be a fun book to bring home at the end of the year!
Birthdays:
Birthdays are such a fun time to celebrate your child. I will have a crown and small
treat for each child on their birthday (or the Friday before if it is a weekend). Those
with summer birthdays will be celebrated on their half-birthday. Some students like
to bring a treat to share with the class. This is optional. If you choose to bring a
treat, it must be commercially packaged because of health codes and individually
wrapped for easy distribution. Treats will be passed out the last few minutes of the
day right before carpool and taken home in backpacks, so please no cookies, donuts,
or cupcakes.
Toys:
Please have your child keep all toys at home as they can be a distraction to learning
in class. Toys have a tendency to go missing which makes for very sad students. All
electronic devices are prohibited on Odysseys campus. Please do not allow your
child to bring them to school unless special arrangements have been made. Any
items that become a problem in class will be confiscated. Iitems taken from students
will be put away until a parent can retrieve them from me.
If your child would like to bring playground equipment (balls, jump ropes, etc.) to use
at recess they are welcome to do so, but they must remain inside a backpack at all
times other than recess.
Labels:
All personal items should be labeled before bringing them to school. This includes
back packs, lunch boxes, water bottles, jackets/sweaters, coats, gloves, balls, etc.
Clear labels are so helpful in identifying misplaced items in our classroom. Items that
are not labeled will be taken to the schools lost-and-found.
Class Pet:
I have added a class pet, Ziggy Pipsqueak, to our classroom this year. Ziggy is a
leopard gecko. As the lizard gets used to our classroom I will allow students to help
with basic care such as filling his water and wiping the outside glass of his tank.
Students may have the opportunity to pet/hold Ziggy later in the year depending on
its temperament as it gets older. There is a pet agreement form that must be filled
out before a child can participate in these activities. Copies will be sent home with
students and posted on my website. Our class pet rules are 1) Use a quiet voice near
Ziggy, 2) Hands stay off the tank and counter where the tank is sitting, and 3) Hands

must be washed with soap and water after touching Ziggy or helping to care for
Ziggy.

Attached is the information about the first grade program at Odyssey Charter School. By
sighing below and returning this portion to Ms. Carpenter, you agree that you have attended
Parent Night and/or read through the information in this packet, and are aware of the
requirements for your child.
I understand where and when I can contact my childs teacher.
I will do my best to help my child complete their homework at home and turn it in on
the due dates.
I understand that grades are based on participation, test scores, and individual
progress.
I understand that my child needs to be at school and participating to learn. I will do
my best to ensure that every day my child is at school they whole day. I will strive to
bring my child to school on time.
_____________________________
Childs Name
____________________________________________________________
Parent Signature
Date