A Day in the Life of a 1st Grader
Our daily life ...
Healthy Lifestyle
Students perform at their peak potential when they eat healthy, exercise, get restful sleep, and enjoy time with family and friends. Here are a few suggestions:
Food:
Students tend to be more alert and energetic in the morning after eating a healthy nutritious breakfast comprised of fruit and grains. Please pack a healthy snack and lunch for your child to bring to school each day. Students eat a snack prior to their first recess and they eat lunch following their lunch recess.
Exercise:
Our brain needs oxygen to strengthen our cognitive functioning and moving our bodies is key. Students will have three recesses per day, with the exception of Wednesday when we only have two due to early dismissal. Students have the opportunity to participate in PE one day per week (see the class schedule for your classroom's scheduled day). Gym Access is also available to students on Mondays during lunch. This is a time when students can go to the gym during their lunch and play, play, play! We strongly encourage ALL STUDENTS (girls and boys) to wear tennis shoes to school every day so their play can be fun, energetic, and safer.
Sleep:
Sleep is vital to feeling healthy and happy, and if your child is going to bed after 8:00 PM on a school night, they may not be getting the rest they need to feel great. Many of our families have two homes and it is imperative that both homes maintain a similar routine to help their children feel their best and stay healthy.
The time we cherish ...
School is also a place to feel safe and develop lasting friendships over the years. Our job is to lay the foundation that may lead your child to feeling a passion for learning and a LOVE for coming to school!
Classroom Management:
Our hope is that most classroom conflicts can be worked out with reflection on the student’s part about why or why not a certain behavior is appropriate. Nearly all classroom disruptions and problems are managed by warnings or a conversation between the student and teacher about the behavior and why it is not appropriate. Other consequences include missed recesses, and in more serious cases, a trip to the principal’s office. You can expect to be informed of behavior incidents that result in a visit with Mrs. Liefer or any ongoing issues that continue to be problematic.
Birthdays:
Part of the fun for first grade is celebrating the milestones in lives. We love to celebrate birthdays in class on a day near your child’s birthday. If your child has a summer birthday, we can have our celebration at any point you would like during the year, however, please just let us know well ahead of time so we can integrate the time into our schedule. You are welcome to bring in a simple treat for each child in the class (we have 25-26 students). Please do not bring cakes that require cutting and serving. Fruit Kabobs, cupcakes, cookies, or brownies are much easier to serve in a classroom. Please, avoid bringing snacks with nuts or red drinks. We usually celebrate birthdays at the end of the day, approximately 2:30 PM. Please, NO BALLOONS, GOODIE BAGS, OR TOYS; just a simple treat would be wonderful.
Day to day ...
Curriculum:
Our curriculum is based on the St. Francis Student Learning Expectations and Benchmarks for the Archdiocese of Seattle, concurrent with the introduction of Common Core Standards for first grade. Core subjects include: Religion, Reading, Phonics, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Spelling. Physical Education, Art, Music, Library, Spanish and Computers are taught by our specialists once a week.
Pick Up/Drop Off Procedures:
Using the carpool lanes for pick-up and drop-off is usually the easiest way to manage these times of day. Please remember to pull all the way forward as directed and do not get out of your car; a teacher will come to your car and ask the name of your child so they can bring your child to your car. Remember, if your child is not picked up by 3:15, they will be asked to go to EDP. If you anticipate frequently being stuck in traffic in the afternoon, it is often simplest to sign your child up for EDP on a drop-in basis. Don’t forget that we dismiss at 2:15 on Wednesdays.
** PLEASE SEND A NOTE ON PAPER OR VIA EMAIL IF YOUR CHILD IS GOING HOME WITH ANOTHER FAMILY.
School Supplies:
Communication:
E-mail is our favorite way to communicate with parents because it is more difficult for us to contact families via phone due to diverse schedules. Please give at least 24 hours to return an e-mail. If you haven’t received a response within a day, please send it again as it might have disappeared into the somewhere of cyberspace. If urgent information comes up during the day (pick-up arrangements have changed since your child left the house, etc…) a phone call to the school office is the best way to make sure we get the information, as we may not get a chance to check e-mail during the school day.
Contact Information:
Email:
Phone:
206-243-5690 (school office)