Mrs. Wollman’s  Class!

2012-13 ( in "update" status!)

I graduated from SDSU with a degree in elementary and early childhood education and also completed my Masters in Educational Leadership in Reading from USF.  Teaching is a continual source of joy for me. Witnessing the feeling of success in a child’s eyes as they discover the power of the written word and mathematical relationships; the opportunity to teach compassion, importance of being a friend, and the sense of pride that comes from trying to do your best... are all just some of moments of joy I get to experience as your child's teacher! We are ready to start a great new year and I know that we will have many moments of celebration  within it!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Wollman

The following contains the details on information concerning our classroom and how we can help to take steps in the right direction to having an excellent first grade year!

I believe that a good parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success. Throughout the year I will communicate with you through notes, telephone calls, reports and parent-teacher conferences. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can call me at school,   email (preferred, due to time available!) send me a note, or schedule a time to talk about your child’s progress from 2:50-4:00 on school days.  Working together we make your child's year a success!

   School:                                Email: susanne.wollman@k12.sd.us

Throughout the school year there will be a variety of special classroom activities and celebrations. I encourage you to attend these functions when possible and to support them by sending needed supplies or treats. Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value their daytime activities.  I also highly value volunteers to assist with daily activities within the classroom.  We have a highly engaged classroom and there are many opportunities to offer your expertise as a parent.

If you plan an alternate way home for your child other than the "normal", please provide written communication of that need. Do not rely on your child to tell me this information, because children can become confused with details and may relay messages incorrectly.  If a note is not received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation.

Students attend school from 7:55-2:45, Monday through Friday, please do not bring your child to school before 7:45 unless it is necessary. Playground Supervisors are not available until 7:45.  Students will be dismissed at 2:45. Both arrival and departure will take place in the northwest courtyard at the double doors in the north corner, please do not bring your child to the room through the inside entrance.  Once the 7:55 bell has rang, the children come inside and the outside door is locked to those entering from the playground.  If your child is more than five minutes tardy(8:00) they will need to enter through the doors by the office, go to the office, and get a white tardy slip.

Your child’s regular and prompt attendance is critical for success. Most learning experiences are based on prior knowledge or involve interaction with others. It is almost impossible to make up work at home. Please be sure that your child arrives on time every day, except in cases of illness or emergency.   If your child is more than five minutes tardy, they need to go to the office and get a blue pass to be allowed in class.  If your child is absent, please remember to call the school office so that your child is accounted for.

Lunch Accounts and Menu

Your child will have a lunch card that is barcoded and connected to an account that is for your family.  All of your children attending RCAS will use the same account.  Lunches are $1.50 and Milk only is  $.45;  it is recommended to deposit $25.00 a month per child that eats school lunch every day.  The menu can be accessed at http://calendar.rcas.org:8888/elementary/elementarylunch.   If there is a menu change the district tries to notify families in advance.  You can access your lunch account balance through the family access system, the office has the form to fill out for that.

Family Access

• Family access is found at http://www.rcas.org/csac/familyaccess/index.aspx  and allows you to: 

• check lunch account balance and for grades 6-12 a more detailed report

• check student attendance

• check student grades for grades 6-12

• view class schedules for grades 6-12

When you send money to school, please send it in a sealed envelope with the following information on it. This information helps me out tremendously and reduces the likelihood of errors, since money is collected for a variety of purposes.

1. Your child’s name 2. The purpose for the money 3. My name

This information will also help the money to be returned to my classroom, in the event it is left somewhere.

Your child will be bringing home a form to order books about once a month. If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send the correct amount of money or a check made out to the book order company (Scholastic) in an envelope. These orders are provided as a convenient way for parents to buy quality books for their child at a low price. As an added bonus, for every dollar that is spent on books, I earn bonus points that are used to purchase books for classroom use. This is a win-win situation because you get quality literature at a low price and you are helping to provide quality literature for the classroom. Of course, you are never under any obligation to order.

Your child will be bringing a folder home that we refer to as a "Tuesday Folder". This folder will serve as a central part of our communication circle!  I send all letters/notes from Grandview home in the folder. Because of it’s use, it is very important to empty it and to return it to school the next day. This helps to better keep track of letters, notes, money sent etc. and keeps us all informed and up to date.

Reader Bags

Homework

Working with your child at home is valuable to you both, in  our busy lives we often do not take the time to connect with our children as much as we should.  Use the opportunity of homework to enjoy the gift you have been given in your child.  The standards set for first grade are once or twice a week for a maximum of 30 minutes,  children are also encouraged to read nightly in addition to the above homework guidelines. The following is the policy of RCAS:

Homework

Homework is recognized as a valuable instructional tool. The purpose of homework is for review and practice of skills previously taught and to foster lesson enrichment, clarification, and application.

Homework assignments communicate to parents current class activities and study topics. Although students are expected to assume the major responsibility for completing homework assignments, parents are encouraged to take an active interest in the student’s homework by: promoting a positive attitude toward homework; providing a consistent time and suitable place for study; making available, if possible, resource materials; assisting with drills; checking the student’s work for neatness and accuracy; and arranging with the teacher for limited homework assignments when the child’s physical condition necessitates it.    Time allotments to be considered when assigning homework maximum times:

Birthdays

Birthdays are special occasions for young children. If you want to send birthday treats district policy states that they must be store bought(ingredients listed).  Please do not send birthday invitations to school unless the entire class has been invited. Although it may seem convenient to distribute invitations in this way, it can result in hurt feelings for those not invited.  I will work with you if it is necessary to distribute them at school, but please give some advance notice.  The following is RCAS policy concerning treats: